At first, I was intrigued and thought I might gain some insight into the differing views concerning the Olympic torch. However, both articles quickly came to disappoint with naive quotes and wishy washy bleeding-heart exile stories.

Let's start with the article "Tibetan Americans." It begins with Tibetan Americans flocking to San Francisco to participate in the "Tibetan Freedom Torch" and to protest the Olympic torch relay which will happen this Wednesday. Then it describes the protests over in Berkeley (those people are always protesting something) and I start to get annoyed with this article. I think to myself "Gee, another protest in Berkeley, big surprise." After this I come to the kicker which is typical Berkeley. The journalist decides to use a quote from a homeless man who asks "How can you take a piece of land that belongs to someone else?"

It is at this moment that I contemplate changing my political affiliation from liberal to conservative. I can bear all the whiny whiny coming out of Berkeley and I can even try to understand why the newspaper chose a quote from a homeless man out of all the other possible sources. But what I cannot abide is the sheer stupidity of the quote "How can you take a piece of land that belongs to someone else?" From this point on, I am trying to choose my words carefully but in whichever direction I take this I'm definitely going to be in trouble with the liberals.

I believe the journalist chose a homeless man because in the psyche of Berkeley, homeless people are very likely to be genius ex-professors who either snapped, or chose to live outside the confines of a normal life. I believe homeless people deserve compassion and help but the city elevates them entirely too much. It's not that a homeless person said this that bothers me but instead the extreme naivety of world affairs and a newspaper such as the San Francisco Chronicle should know better.

In case it doesn't, if they would like to know "How can you take a piece of land that belongs to someone else," it might do some good to go ask the Native Americans that same question. If that doesn't suffice, you could then ask Mexico which Berkeley happened to be a part of not long ago, or should we go back to the Spanish crown? In any case, the exact spot where the homeless man asked that question had probably been taken quite a few times as one Native American tribe conquered another, then Spain, then Mexico, then the Americans. All of them took the land from someone and therefore to answer his question, "Well, it's quite easy!"

If the Chronicle is still not convinced then perhaps we could ask the British, French, Spanish, Russians, or any other conquering people on this infinite list. In the end, I do not blame the homeless guy at all but the Chronicle for including such an asinine quote.

The article then goes on to give a brief history of the relocation of Tibetans that took place here in the Bay Area and includes such heart wrenching phrases as "She said her parents once had horses and yaks, but left Tibet with nothing." Then there is the heartwarming story of Tulku who listened to the song "San Francisco" on his radio in India. Now I am a liberal and I wish the best for the people of Tibet, but such sappy journalism ruins my day.

Now we will go to the article Chinese Americans. The first thing that struck out at me was that Chinese Americans are "hurt by protests." At first, it made me smile as I recalled my experience in a Shanghai market where everyone was yelling at me. I had thought the Chinese people were tough as nails then. But then I realized this was San Francisco and people are very emotional here. I also thought of my wonderful Chinese friends in China and how the Olympics must be such a point of pride for them and I began to smile as I imagined their enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, this good feeling quickly dissipated as I got four paragraphs into the article with this quote "We understand your rights of free speech, by all means, but be a gracious host, be sensitive to the fact that in San Francisco one-third of your inhabitants are Asians." said attorney Edward Liu. "Many of us, Chinese Americans, in the city, we may not be supporting the Chinese government, but to politicize this game and to use this torch relay as a platform to bash China to me is unacceptable."

Just who exactly is he talking to? This quote is so full of nonsense I can hardly figure out where to begin! After a couple minutes of thought, I'll start with the fact that most of the anti-Chinese protests have been full of Asians! Last month it was the Falun Gong, and about two weeks ago it was a Tibetan protest parade which ruined my nap. This weekend it was mostly Asian faces on Union Square! So why do I get the feeling that in his quote he is referring to white people? Outside of California I don't think most people even know nor care where Tibet is!

Second of all, he has just thrown the entire Asian population onto his Chinese Olympics cause. In Asia, there are very many countries that are not China and I do not think it is appropriate to lump them all together. I think the Japanese and Vietnamese might have some serious issues with that.

Third he says "we understand your rights of free speech," and from his use of "we" he has separated his Chinese-American group from other Americans. America is wonderful in it's diversity but apparently he wants his group to be different. And being America that is just fine and I'm glad his group understands we have free speech here. Unfortunately San Francisco City Hall does not and had planned to set up "Free Speech Zones" for protesters during the Olympic torch run. Last time I checked all of America was a Free Speech Zone but I'm glad Mr. Liu and City hall agree to allow me my rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.

Further, when have the Olympics not been political? There have always been politics involved as far as I can remember. If it is not political, then why was China so eager to host them? It certainly can't be because of the clean air! China wants the Olympics for the international respect it affords and they were awarded the games partly in hopes it would clean up its human rights record, both which happen to be political reasons. The trite argument that the Olympics are just games with athletes showcasing their skills with no political aspect at all is simply laughable. Did we forget Hitler, the Cold War, Cuban athletes, etc so quickly? I remember when the USA team simply had to destroy the Soviet team,,, but as Mr. Liu would have us believe, that too was simply some guys in shorts chasing each other around a track.

The fact of the matter is he is an attorney and should know better. I wonder if I'll get sued for using my right to free speech?

The article goes on to say "It is really an insult to the people of China and Chinese Americans. None of them (Mayor Newsom) even thought about consulting the Chinese community," said Ling Chi Wang, professor emeritus of ethnic studies at UC Berkeley.

Well, we're back in Berkeley again and another shocker, some professor is angry. What I want to know is why the city is so scared of running the torch through China town. I've got a solution for City hall and Ms. Wang. Go ahead and take the torch unguarded through Chinatown and let's see exactly what your Chinese Americans do with it.

In case the irony is lost, the reason City Hall doesn't want it to go through Chinatown is precisely because of Chinese American protesters!!!!!!! But being Berkeley you can take a problem, twist it entirely around and blame it on everyone else. The Tibetans aside the Falun Gong will probably be ready with water hoses at every corner.

She goes on to say the contrast between how the torch is received in San Francisco and other countries will "embarrass not just the disrupters (sic) but sully the image of San Francisco - and America."

After that quote I was highly irked. Ms.Wang has most likely lived in California all of her life and believes this state is representative of the rest of America. I however have a news flash for Ms. Wang. The rest of America is not like California and most Americans do not care if China were to change it's name to Tibet, Tibet to China or if the Dalai Lama becomes king of Shanghai! Therefore, please do not say that the image of America will be sullied because the majority of protesters will be Chinese-Americans and hippies and the majority of America is not Chinese American nor hippies.

The only redeeming portion of this article comes from Tong Defa, spokesman for the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco who said "It's always a one-sided story. The Chinese government has spent a lot of money restoring the temples; many Tibetan schools have bilingual education."

In this he is exactly correct. It is always a one sided story and the media does not portray the good things China has done for Tibet. From the Chinese point of view, Tibet was an uncivilized, backward and superstitious country and China is trying to bring it into the 21 century from the 14th in which it's people had been living. Sounds exactly like the same logic the French used in Vietnam, or the British all over the globe. True or not? Guess it depends on weather you ask the colonizer or colonizee (sic).

However, Mr. Defa is correct in more ways than he intended. It is a one-sided story here but it is even more of a one-sided story in China. Go to China and the people there know nothing of the unrest concerning the torch and Tibet. Therefore we have two "one-sided" views and if we just put them together we could get a whole picture!!! LOL. Also, having lived in a communist country myself, when he says "Tibetan schools have bilingual education" this means that China is trying to integrate Tibetans into the majority Han culture "Sinification" and thus dilute their cultural identity. Sounds much better when he said bilingual education however. Kind of like those in labor camps are getting "technical, on the job training."

So in the end, where do I stand on this Olympic Torch issue? Well, I guess I'm right in the middle. I am happy for the Chinese people and I do hope they win a lot of gold medals. I can imagine my friends cheering wildly for their country and feeling a wonderful sense of pride. I actually was in France during the 2000 Olympics and watched the USA basketball team pound the Chinese team with one of my Chinese friends who was none too enthused. I'm sure the Chinese basketball team will do much better this year with Yao Ming. (does he get to play?)

On the other had, the Olympics is the perfect time to protest as the international spotlight is shining bright. It's impossible to separate the Olympics from politics so why not embrace the political aspect head on?

Finally, the Olympic torch is coming through town this Wednesday and I'll be sure to stay as far away as I possibly can.

As I have often written about in my prior posts, it is impossible to try to understand something as complicated as a thousand year old culture by reading a book written by a Westerner. It would not be unlike a Japanese person learning about cowboys from a book written by a Sumo wrestler who once rode a horse in Arizona. Something as complex and profound as an entirely different culture can only be understood when one has lived in it for quite a few years, speaks the language and participates in daily society.

Even if a very descriptive book was put out by the best scholar from within Islamic society carefully explained the culture in a way that Westerners could understand, it would still only offer a tiny glimpse like a frog experiencing the sky from the bottom of a narrow well.

I myself know very little about this enormous culture but I did have the good fortune to get my first taste while living in Spain in the historical city of Toledo. For those who do not know this ancient city, it was first established by the Romans and was the capital of various kingdoms. The Muslims took control of it in 711AD and made a great stride in humanity by being one of the first religious conquerors who did not persecute differing faiths. Instead, Toledo is well known for being one of the only places in the world where Jews, Muslims and Christians were actually able to live peacefully together. The Muslims still had control over the other two and Jews and Christians did not exactly have the same privileges as Muslims but this was a great advancement especially for the time.

Further, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the cities of Cordoba and Granada which remain a testament to the grandeur of Muslim society in that age. Their achievements in mathematics , science and medicine really pushed a rather backwards and superstitious western culture into the era of scientific and logical inquiry.

Given this early education, I am quite saddened when as an American I know that the first thought that enters an American mind when they hear the world "Islam" is that of a terrorist.

Again, as I have often written about, to truly understand another culture is a monumental task that even among the highly educated and elite is a difficult thing to do. Even though we now use the world "Global" in so many varied instances, most of them are trite when considering most of the world is stuck in a very tribal mindset. The first idea that appears when another culture is mentioned is roughly "Those people over there. People unlike me. The Others."

Instead, I wish more people would think like the following and to get my point across will use a simple example. Ohio and Michigan think of each other in "Us. vs. Them" mentality especially in sports. The first thing that enters my head when I think Michigan is the colors Blue and Gold and of a group that Ohio must always beat or stay ahead of. This is quite silly but it is true. However, it would be much better that I realize Michigan is our neighbor, a part of the larger group that is our Nation and we are all actually brothers.

Now taking this silly example and applying it to a serious topic, those that are educated in history realize that Judaism, Islam and Christianity are all different branches of the same tree. Yet, for 2000 years even highly educated people have not been able to reconcile this fact. It almost seems farcical that extremely intelligent religious leaders and saints have put out immensely thought out, logical and intelligent papers and books highlighting exactly why their own brand of faith is correct and the others are wrong. To the sceptical person, the core reasons of such papers seem akin to something like "Well, the magic bunny is not the savior of everything as he was not the offspring of the alchemist leprechaun." "Actually the savior is this mysterious stone with the eye painted on it and my magic stone trumps your magic bunny."

It might seem awful to write something so seemingly blasphemous but this is exactly what religious arguments start to sound like when one has read too many books and especially when people start to kill or hate others based on religion.

In fact, when one gets into these tiny details which highlight the differences between religion especially such things as the funny hats each of them wear it seems like a vast and tragic joke.

I often imagine what would happen should the creator of everything appear today and observe what has transpired in terms of religious belief over thousands of years there may be two reactions. The first and more comforting version is that the being would be extremely saddened to see how his creation could make up something as complex as current religious institutions that have been warring ever since their invention. He would be so disappointed that the main tenants and simple ideas such as taking care of each other and enjoying this wonderful planet have become so twisted into gigantic institutions and made up rituals.

The other scenario is that this being does not even see a difference between these terms of "good and evil." Things are simply the way they are and a different between good and bad simply do not exist. Therefore, even if someone was brutally murdered which in turn creates a cycle of sadness for the children and then disrupts the life of their descendants is neither good nor bad. Instead, once these people die and are on the other side it would seem as life was like that of a video game and any experience of life will always be a plus as it helped the soul grow . Of course this is a thought that I do not think any religious tradition espouses and is simply a thought.

I do have a hard time thinking the latter example as true and actually think that the human emotion is so strong it must make an impression somewhere, somehow in the cosmos and is being recorded. I do believe that helping others and being happy is very important not only for the individual but this energy somehow improves the overall environment and universe. I also subscribe to this idea of "attraction" which has been in many best selling novels in that positive thinking, actions create further positive thinking, actions, events and these things will actually manifest themselves.

Yet, when one tries to incorporate this energy into a systematic institution such as religion things can go vary wrong and the basic concepts from which these institution sprung become corrupted.

Now that we have started out on a very concrete topic and have veered into the subjective and intangible it is hard to try and climb back out of this theological black hole and to the subject of culture. I am quite sure that those who are able to think clearly about the central ideas of religion such as peace and love will vary easily be able to overcome the cultural differences. The reason is that they do not think of the other culture as inherently different but rather those in it as brothers and sisters who also wish to enjoy this beautiful planet we all inhabit.

It is almost as though the pure, loving ideas are being spoken very clearly and even received into the consciousness of the congregations yet true understanding is drowned out by the thumping techno beat of tribalism and "the others are different." We hear these words of peace and love in religion but their meanings are never truly comprehended as the institutions speaking them are enshrouded and built upon emphasizing the differences.

I can imagine a very learned and intelligent religious scholar reading this and treating me as a primary school student who dares venture into something so complex. Like a kindergardener describing a masterpiece to Michaelangelo. Michaelangelo would laugh at the youngster who knows nothing of paints, oils, lighting, depth and so on. Yet what Michaelangelo fails to see is that the painting is that of a wretched corps hanging from a noose which the youth can clearly understand and detests. Yet what Michelangelo sees is the incredible artistry of the depiction.

What we perceive of other cultures and beliefs will always be constructed from the various tidbits of information we receive. Many times the information will conflict and we will simply make a choice of which to believe and filter out contrary views based upon our current environment and corresponding belief system. But one will never be able to understand unless it is actually experienced.

Most Americans will associate Islam with suicide bombers and simply think "that is what that culture does," and not give it any deeper thought than that. Even those that are in charge of our national security and are paid to research this will most likely miss the point. The USA will spend so much time figuring out ways to prevent this from happening yet never understand clearly the "why?" For those that do understand they must experience the dreadful hopelessness and despair that the bombers do. No human is born with the desire to strap a bomb to themselves and kill others. A suicide is a suicide anywhere and is practiced by those who are under extreme duress or have bad wiring which if not inherited, was created from being in an unhealthy environment or state of mind. I imagine those spooks and security experts that do fully understand this also become quite depressed as the conditions that create these desperate situations are very complex such as that of the current situation in Palestine. It would seem that even though it is understood, there are too many forces at play and seemingly no way out which is quite depressing indeed.

It is futile to turn to religion in situations like this as it is an extreme case of us vs them mentality. Again the central tenant of religion to "take care of one another" is lost as religion has it's own individual interests and hopes for gain.

Or one could look at Iraq and when dissected how many individuals actually wish good for the Iraqi population. I would imagine a majority of Americans actually do but unfortunately it is the institutions which corrupt this honest and sincere hope. For the Christian institution, it might come with the requirement that the Muslims there convert to Christianity (such as Christian Koreans going over there to convert). For the Bush Administration it comes with the requirement of thousands of barrels of oil per day and a military base. The USA actually has a better record of supporting dictators than spreading democracy but as long as Bush repeats the words "Democracy and Freedom" loud and long enough it is very difficult psychologically to resist believing these words.

With all these complications and distractions, how is it possible that the individual will be able to think clearly about another culture. How will it be possible to actually believe that they are actually brothers and sisters? The majority of religions might pay lip service to this but it is rare to find a congregation that actually and truly believes it.

All of these ideas are the downside of learning and living abroad. The traveler has always been thought of as sophisticated because of the different points of view gained and the sophisticated debate in which they can engage. In fact, travelers often become more confused and instead of getting closer to the truth, it becomes much farther away. And when they hear such one sided debate and bias from otherwise intelligent people and these ideas spread to the general population, it becomes very depressing and there is a sense of being alone. There is so much lip service paid to "having an open mind" but actually having one is a very difficult thing to achieve. Same can be said with this term "Global." Just because you can see the ocean and even throw a ball into it does not mean one has actually swam in it.

And with that said, I return to the world of sound bites such as "surges, boots on the ground, hearts and minds, democracy, freedom." Actually it would not be surprising if I could actually use all these words, string them together with various verbs, adjectives and subjective phrases and convince more than a few people I know what's going on. "They gotta have FREEDOM, and to do so we gotta get A SURGE, BOOTS ON THE GROUND, AMERICA, can only help, HEARTS AND MINDS need to be LIBERATED, cause DEMOCRACY is the FREEDOM to SECURE the Iraqis from TERRORISTS." With that I've summed up the arguments of most Republican commentators in one sentence.

Understanding a different culture is difficult enough without such distractions, propaganda and spin.

It is obvious that the reason they did this is they are trying to make a similarity between Mr. Obama and terrorists because of the turban he is wearing. This is despicable in inself but to make matters worse, when the Clinton campaign was confronted with this they said something like "Hillary has worn the traditional dress of many different countries, and if Mr. Obama takes this as an insult then shame on him."

This is probably the most vile, dirty, wretched and downright racist slander I have ever experienced in such a prominent political race. I realize her campaign is on the ropes and she is desperate but this is unbelievable.

Therefore, I have decided that if by some extremely unfortunate twist of fate, Hillary gets the nomination, I am voting Republican.

I hope my fellow Ohioans will see right through this manipulation and give Obama a landslide.

However after watching the presidential debate I've made a very exciting discovery. I am now voting for Ron Paul for president.

Just hearing his name will cause most people to subtly smile as they know he will never be elected and is considered a bit "out there" even when they don't really know anything about candidates or politics at all.

The reason I have changed my mind is to a well traveled person such as myself, he is speaking the absolute truth that many Americans do not want to hear.

The Republican mentality is that of "America can do no wrong." They believe America must go attack other nations when "America feels threatened." And therefore, America must attack the terrorists before they attack the USA. However, Ron Paul is saying that one of the reasons people might want to attack America just may be due to American foreign policy of "supporting dictators," "attacking other countries" and bullying other nations.

And he is absolutely right.

The thing about most (if not all) of most of the candidates, Republican or Democrat, and like most Americans is that they've never lived abroad, learned another language, and thus can never understand a different mentality especially that of another culture. Thus, the thinking is always "us vs. them." Therefore, when Ron Paul explains that it is the bullying of other countries which creates resentment of America, the other candidates attack him by saying he is reading "their propaganda."

Every experienced traveler knows that a big portion of the world has really come to despise America due to the foreign policy. Terrorists are not attacking us because "they hate our freedoms," as the Republican candidates would have us believe. Terrorists attack for a variety of reasons to be sure, but if we fall back to 9-11 as the Republican candidates often do, shouldn't we look at where those terrorists came from and who is currently supporting their government? Perhaps it is not a question of who supports who but I'm sure the hijackers didn't wake up one day and say "ya know,, I really hate Americas Freedoms. Maybe I'll go hijack a plane and crash it into one of their buildings because of those damn freedoms."

However, most Americans really have no idea what goes on in the rest of the world and believe they are educated by watching CNN or FOX. These people are the majority and therefore will elect the president. Therefore, even though what Ron Paul is saying is spot on, he will not be able to win.

Republicans have become a party that supports and rewards aggression towards other nations. America will be your friend if you do what we say and we will give you money. However, if another nation takes the notion of sovereignty too seriously and it interferes with American interests, then American foreign policy is to interfere with the politics of that country.

It is my belief that most American people want peace. However, it is the government that has created a culture of fear in this country and have them believing the only way to be safe is to stay on the offensive and keep attacking others. The Republican candidates embody this and their ideology is "for security we must attack."

Yet, I have to be understanding in that most people have not had the opportunity to understand or even try to understand another viewpoint. If someone hates America and wants to do it harm, Republicans believe it is not necessary to look at the reason behind it, or even how they became that way. Their response is to attack. More often than not, the reason might be because of Americas own foreign policy.

Whenever Ron Paul spoke, the other candidates would snicker and smile. The good ole' boys club they were indeed. By snickering it sends the message of "I think your ideas are so ridiculous I'm going to make a silly face as though we cannot take you seriously." However, they knew Ron is a long shot so did not waste too much time piling up on him and concentrated their heaviest blows on each other.

It's ironic that the Christians are in the Republican camp. Doesn't Jesus say to love one another and turn the other cheek? That has definitely not been the course the Republican administration has been on nor are the current candidates advocating. Such hypocrisy baffles me. Perhaps that is "terrorist propaganda" as well? Speaking the truth has often been a very difficult thing to do throughout history and rarely wins you any friends, especially among the powerful. Jesus did it and look what happened to him.

As I click the button to post this on my site a scary thought just occurred to me. When I was in Vietnam and expressing my political opinion through my website I always had to think, "Am I going to get a knock on the door from the police the next day?" Now, I'm wondering if the American government will pick this up on their scanners and put it into my government profile. It makes me laugh to think how inefficient the Vietnamese government is and how they still probably use manila folders in big metal filing cabinets. Yet, I almost turn pale when I think of how much information the US government probably knows and how efficient it is.

As a last thought: Seriously..... President Huckabee????? How could the USA have a president with that last name... HONESTLY!!!!

In some ways, I feel as though I have more control over my own life now that I have lived abroad and can look at things in my native country more critically now that I have a basis for comparison. Instead of simply saying "Well, that's just the way it is" or "It's what everybody does" I understand that what is "the norm" here in the USA may be the complete opposite in another country.

The ability to think through and rationalize problems, policies, ideas etcetera often follows a rather similar form of thought of any given country. If we break the country down into cities, towns, villages, we can more clearly understand that most people believe in the same things and have the same ideas as their neighbors. Yet, when we examine a nation as a whole, we have the tendency to believe (wrongly) that there is a large amount of diversity concerning opinions, beliefs and ideas.

Only after traveling large distances do opinions, ideas and beliefs drastically change. It is after experiencing these different forms of thought can we re-enter our own country with the confidence to challenge accepted norms that we perhaps simply accepted before as "the way things are."

One extreme annoyance that is accepted as "the way it is" in America is that one must endure around at least 25 sales pitches for services every single day. Almost none of these services are needed for survival and it seems like due to this constant, mind-numbing, barrage of solicitations it has turned the population into mindless zombies constantly craving more merchandise to sustain them or they will keel over and die.

The advertisements themselves don't even really need to make sense anymore as exemplified by the internet/communications companies whose services will allow you to "yap, zap, intertube" your way through the day all for the low low price of $60 a month.

This constant noise allows no room for any meaningful thought about what is actually important in life.

The purpose of life and society in America is to consume.

However, in S.E. Asia and especially Vietnam, there is time to think. They too will eventually become like the West in terms of sophistication in stealing, but at the moment, the companies are not clever enough to figure out how to shake every last cent out of their customers. There are times there unlike in America when someone or something is not trying to sell you a service and you can be alone with your thoughts.

Thus we come to my Coconut example which describes the anxiety I feel being back in the USA after living in Vietnam for two years. It also is a decent stab at an explanation of why I clearly prefer life in SE Asia over life here.

In America, like in Vietnam I am a consumer of basic services. In America one service I consume weekly is that of going to the bank to deposit my paycheck and take out some cash to sustain me until my next trip to the bank.

In Vietnam, one service I took advantage of on a regular basis was that of purchasing a coconut from the street vendor on my block. It quenched my thirst and was delicious.

The first time I purchased the coconut, he tried to overcharge me by 20 cents. However I knew the real price, told him I knew the price and he then charged me an honest price from then on. Every day from then on, I walk to his stand, hand him 80 cents and he gives me the coconut, end of transaction, and we are both happy.

Now let's pretend that coconut vendor had an MBA from a prestigious American University like those who run the bank I patronize here in the states and imagine what would happen.

I go to purchase the coconut from our recently educated friend and he greets me with a smile and asks "How are you?" like a robot would and not listening to my response. I hand him my money for the coconut to which he replies.

"Keep your money, you don't need to pay today for this coconut!"

He then proceeds to explain to me how I can pay him instead 5 cents a day for 25 days. However, I'm pretty sure I would be paying more for the same thing if I paid over time than right now to which he hands me a ten page explanation of the benefits of paying over time and how I could accumulate points on the "Thank You Network*" which points I could trade in for prizes by using this wonderful scheme.

I tell him, no thank you, I would rather pay right now, to which he replies, "Do you have our CoconutPlus* Membership Account card?" "It will save you 10% on your coconut purchase."

I start to get a little annoyed but politely decline the card.

"So you're sure you don't want to save 10% on your coconut purchase today? You could also accumulate frequent flier miles for use on coconut express airways for ever dollar you spend on our membership card."

Me: "No."

He then proceeds to explain how he can deliver 10 coconuts a week directly to my house for the low low price of $30 a month plus tax, fees etc.
I'm a little interested in this as I love coconuts, and it seems like a deal. So I take a look at his flier which shows in a very large text the "Bargain price of $30." However, as I take out my glasses to read the small print I see there is a "Convenience fee" of $10 per month as well as a "Service charge" of another $10 per month plus a "Delivery Charge" of $12 per month.

I start to get angry and tell him I just want a damn coconut and to take my ^%$damn cash.

To which he replies, "Oh, Congratulations Matthew, It shows me here on my coco computer that due to your excellent patronage of our store "Coconuts" and affiliates "Coconuts Plus" and "Coconuts Super Value" we can offer you our Coconut Visa with an introductory 0.0%APR a ten coconut line of credit and free balance transfers should you have coconut debt!

Me: "For the love of God, I just want one coconut, and want to give you this crummy 10,000VND bill for it. "

Vendor: Ok ok, would you like the Extra Value Coconut meal then? It's only 50 cents more and you get so much more Coconut!!"

Me: "NO!!!"

He takes my bill, looks at me with his soulless eyes and big smile and tells me to "Have a Great Day!"

Unfortunately, I cannot have a great day as I'm now exhausted from what feels like a 10 hour long battle of defending my finances from a giant, yet suspiciously pleasant green dragon.

For those who don't see the metaphor, at Bank of America, every single time I go to deposit a check, they tell me "Congratulations" and that I'm eligible for a Bank of America credit card. If I get "Congratulated" one more time I'm going to rip out my eyeballs. And today the teller actually did ask me if I already had another card, how much the APR was, and how much of a line of credit I had her. When I tried to politely insinuate it was none of her damn business it was as effective explaining Bio-Chemistry to the family dog.

I must go back to the world where people still smile with no hidden agenda. I must go back to a world of simplicity. I must go back to Asia.

Unfortunately, after a nice dinner and watching the first DVD of James Clavell's Shogun, the time is now 10:00pm and I no longer have the urge to write the memoirs of my introductory year here in S.F.

I do, on the other hand, feel like writing about how bad Californian drivers are. They are not "bad" in the sense that they lack driving skill per se except for the semi-truck drivers who insist on flipping their loads on the main artery 101 on a bi-weekly basis. My theory is that after driving cross country and almost reaching their destination they cannot stay awake anymore. In one year in California, I've seen more semi-truck accidents than I have in driving 24 years in the great state of Ohio. Hell, one truck blew up part of the Macarthur Maze in my one year living here.

They are "bad" however in the sense that they all, and by "all" I mean 98% of them drive angrily. It must be some sort of Californian tribal instinct or perhaps biological phenomenon which causes otherwise decent people to turn so aggressive when behind the wheel. Let me offer a few examples to drive the point home:

1. Every single California driver believes the road is for their private use and should any other driver infringe on this God given right they better damn well stay out of their way, or not inconvenience them in the slightest bit. They act as spoiled children do and to date, I have counted 1,239 frowns, middle fingers, gun signs (made with fingers) bad words, and other un-pleasantries and only 3-4 kind acts such as letting someone into the lane.

Example: A middle aged soccer mom in her SUV was driving in front of me on the freeway. A car in the left lane decided to change lanes in front of this SUV which made this woman tap her breaks only so slightly. So in accordance with Californian instinct, she had to recklessly pull up alongside this driver and give him a very nasty look.

The reason (If your not Californian) is that the woman was slightly inconvenienced by having to tap her breaks and in California inconveniencing these Yuppies is punishable by death.

Yet, the lord said "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and boy, Californians take this to heart. No sooner than she gave one guy a nasty look, she tried to change lanes but did not see the Mercedes in her left blind spot. The Mercedes laid on it's horn and the driver pulled up right beside her and gave her a very nasty look........ and so it goes on in a never ending cycle on the freeways of California.

Example #2: A stoplight has just turned red and a taxi decides to change lanes into the one lane that has no cars waiting for the light. He does this 4 seconds before another car arrives whom I suppose wanted to be first in line due to their incessant honking, middle fingering and gun sign making. I think the fine ladies making these gestures actually belonged to a gang given their talent at color matching, but I could not be sure and did not want to interrupt their finger twisting party to find out.

Example #3: I'm driving on a 45mph road and slow down only slightly going through an intersection. Now being in California I knew this would drive the guy behind me berserk so I immediately looked in my rear view to watch the fun. Much to my amusement he made the "boy this guys an idiot" gesture and pounded his steering wheel.

If it wasn't so dangerous out here break checking Californians could be an entertaining sport. You just break check them once and they go straight to boiling mad, will slam on the gas to pull up next to you and spew forth a litany of profanities. Then if one of your buddies was already in position in front of their car, you could break check them again and watch their heads explode.

But to bring this diatribe to a point, people here in the USA cannot understand why I love S.E. Asia so much. Let us use the example of driving. In Vietnam, you can have a damn near fatal wreck and so long as the injuries aren't too serious the colliding parties will simply get up and drive off with usually only a stern look at the other. Sometimes there are fights but not usually and everything quickly returns tranquil.

However, here in California, when you get behind the wheel, you must stay angry for the entire journey, drive as though the road was built only for you and for God's sakes, do not let the speedometer go below 80mph. That last bit really threw me on the driving test.

Question: If the speed limit is 65mph and the traffic is leveling at 72mph, how fast should you go?

Honest to God I thought the answer was 75mph given what I had seen in my first year here. And to get extra bonus points, I also wanted to write in "and flick off those f*ckers going 65!"

And those driving a luxury car will be the worst! There are spoiled people all over the USA but I have never met so many childish adults as I have in California. Most are decent people, but not the ones in the Luxury cars driving in Silicon Valley. The bald white guys in the hot convertible cars are especially fussy.

Truth is, I fell into "gaming" again. I've been a "gamer" or video-gamer as they say since I was 6. The video game industry is a billion dollar industry and I'm sorry to say I'm a relatively major contributer.

Good news is I've finally broken free again. I go in cycles between gaming and being productive, but for the past year I got caught up in the games. The game this time was "World of Warcraft." which happens to be the most popular "Massively Multiplayer Online User Player Game" ever. As a nerd point of pride, I played Warcraft 1 and 2 before it was multi-user and had such popularity. Guess that fact just makes me more of a dork though.

For my fellow nerds who read this, these are the major games I have played in my life:
1. Phantasy Star 1 - Sega
2. Phantasy Star 2 - Genesis
3. Phantasy Star 3 - Genesis - Completely sucked
4. Warcraft - Computer
5. Warcraft II - Computer
6. Grand Theft Auto I and II - AWESOME!
7. Knight Online - Computer
8. World of Warcraft - Completely amazing.

But anywho, I'm back now, I've got the addiction under control again and will be productive. Please prepare for more posts, rants and picts!!

It was only three short years ago that the MMORPG (Massive Multi-user Online Role Playing Game) first started gaining momentum on the internet. I was simply astounded that real people could all play the same game at the same time and compete against each other.

Long gone are the times when you had to use your imagination to make a green square seem like an invincible warrior! Now it is quite easy to slip into a fantasy world where it takes years to properly develop your character. Long gone are the days when adults could say that playing games make your brain turn to mush. The military even learned this lesson and those with excellent video game playing skills are in high demand to control the various techologies of war.

In the game I've been playing for over a year, I've learned that these games actually teach many skills that seem boring in the classroom. The game I play is called "Knight Online" where you are able to select your character to be a "Rogue Archer, Mage, Priest, Warrior or Healer." Players are from around the world and speak in many languages but mostly Turkish. In this game you can learn:

1. Languages - Mostly simple Turkish words after seeing them over and over again. Kids are actually gaining an interest in a foreign language since it is necessary to communicate!

2. Economics - In the game you can collect various precious items, armor, weapons and sell them for a price you set. The market moves up and down depending on the laws of supply and demand which is basic Economics 101!!

3. Time zones and Geography - Depending on the time of day, various players from different countries will be online and this knowledge is beneficial in determining at one hour one wishes to participate in the wars which are set at certain times.

4. Statistics - There is a "magic anvil" in which you have a chance to upgrade your weapons and armor, but the better these items get the chances that your weapon or armor will be destroyed increase. Kids learn the statistics and determine whether to chance it, or sell the weapon they've got.

5. Contribute to World Peace - Since you play the game with people from all over the world you quickly learn that we're all not that different and can even strike up friendships with people from other countries. It's becoming much more difficult for the leadership of countries to make villians of citizens of other countries because through the game, kids are realizing this just isn't true.

Bottom line is that games now make kids smarter. The picture below is of my character in battle. I do hope that I'll soon tire of this game so I can do more productive things in my free time but as computers and the internet get better, so do the games. Looks like I'm doomed.

1. I was at Starbucks and noticed two girls in heavy makeup and those big sunglasses that cover half of the face. First, wearing too much makeup conceals the actual facial aspects of the person. Wash all that junk off and it might actually be a dude type of heavy make up. Secondly, those glasses conceal half the face! Wouldn't it save time and money if they just wore a full Muslim veil? In either case we don't know what the person actually looks like.

2. Italy, Spain fight anorexia in fashion models by signing new regulations.
- I have never understood why being ultra thin is considered beautiful. For me, a full shapely body is beautiful and defines a woman. I did hear an interesting reason though recently as to why fashion models are so thin. The reason given is that most fashion designers are gay and prefer thin models because they are actually trying to capture the look of a teenage boy. Makes sense to me.

3. In the San Francisco Chronicle today the front page had an article about a new doll taking market share away from Barbie called "Bratz." It's basically a very slutty looking doll and sociologists are concerned about the message this sends to our young girls.

In our society which is based on Christian virtues, sex is considered bad, dirty and taboo. Yet, the marketers are creating dolls which look like prostitutes for the young to play with? Could the obsession with sex be because it is something that we are not supposed to be doing but gains an audience in movies, music and now dolls because it is taboo in society? In my opinion, many adults have a kind of sick complex about the whole thing because it has been repressed for so long.

If we look at Europe, nude beaches are not uncommon. In Africa, females going topless is nothing special. But in America we get all excited about such things precisely because it is something we have repressed, made to seem dirty and so on. I'm very much in favor of the whole womens liberation movement and that the body is beautiful, but perhaps we as a society are too immature to face this reality and it continues to be oppressed by the Religious Right which believes the body is a bad dirty thing. What a complex to have to be ashamed of one's own body! It is as though they are self hating!

In S.E. Asia they are much more open about this sort of thing and thus do not have these complexes and sickness in society. In Japan, bathing is part of the culture and one must enter the hot spring "onsen" (natural volcanic water) naked. Yet, it would seem the westerners are very uncomfortable with this sort of thing. Sometimes I have to explain the onsen rules to travel agents here and when I say that a bathing suit, or any cloth what-so-ever is not allowed in the onsen they are completely shocked.

We have such a sick distortion of our own body in this country that it has created undesirable consequences such as slutty dolls which I believe would lose it's appeal if we were much more open about our bodies and sexuality. However, religion has caused us to be so self hating that we seem mired in this complex with no way out.

These are the kind of things that run through ones mind when returning back home and thus could be categorized as reverse culture shock I suppose.

Before I describe these instances, I'd like to back up and explain a bit about why they "shock" a person returning from abroad. Living in another country, one is continually exposed to different behaviors and situations that they wouldn't necessarily find in their home country. The instances that really stick out are the ones that frustrate and cause a person to think "This wouldn't happen in my country." Over time you develop an ideal image of your home country but upon returning, realize that this ideal is just plain fantasy.

This ideal is further shattered as I'm not returning to my home state but this strange land called California where I truly am a minority, surrounded by Asians, but by Asians who are American in every aspect (and often not in a good way.)

So without further delay, on to the examples.

1. Supermarket in Japan Town

The other day I was waiting in line to purchase my Japanese rice and soy sauce that can only be found in Japan town. Everyone working the cash register was Asian, but the majority did not speak Japanese. I realized this when a young Japanese male who had very limited English ability tried to use a bank card that was apparently not a debit or credit card. His card wouldn't go through and a young Japanese/American male quite rudely told the customer his card didn't work. The customer replied "What does that mean?" The cashier laughed at him and said in a mockingly American way "It means your card doesn't work dude." (All in English of course.)

I felt very bad for the customer as this would never happen in Japan and was in such contrast to the Japanese society to which I'm accustomed. As he continued to make the young Japanese customer uncomfortable and embarrassed I thought of speaking to the clerk in Japanese. His response would have been "I don't speak Japanese" to which a good reply in English would have been, "Well you obviously don't speak English either or you would know how to use "a" "the" and put a damn "s" on the end of your pluralsssssssssss.

Fortunately, another cashier opened up and I missed my chance to thrash him.

2. Sign in front of the mall

I went to a very large bay area mall the other day and was expected to be greeted by holiday festivities, Santas' and a general feeling of cheer. I was extremely surprised however to see a large flashing sign which read "shoplift and go to JAIL!"

3. Dragon Ladies are everywhere!

In a previous post I wrote about a "dragon lady" (mean spirited rich Asian women) I encountered in Saigon. I have come to learn that they are here too and just as bad, if not worse. The dragon ladies here are about 40-50 years old, and probably have never worked a day in their lives. All they know how to do is shop, get pampered and are completely horrible people. Today, I saw one coming out of the shopping mall in her black Mercedes and when a car decided they would only let one other car out of the mall and not her she started bitching up a storm in her car.

Message to all guys. Never ever date an Asian woman who drives an expensive car but does not earn her own money. Life would quickly become a living hell. This is also true for women of other races but from experience, the Asian women from poor countries who marry rich men quickly become living, breathing demons of the apocalypse.

4. Driving in California

The speed limit says 60 miles an hour, but 8 cars in 10 do not follow this rule. The worst offenders here are the new rich in expensive cars (bald white guys). They do not like to wait their turn either and always look angry and though they are entitled to be first. The only thing worse than new rich here in California are Dragon Ladies.

Driving in the city, one must also be careful of the homeless and drug addicted who like to jump in the middle of the street. These guys are mostly in a daze and you can scare the bejesus out of them with a good horn blast. However, this doesn't work so well for the "gangstas" who apparently think it's cool to try to cross the street in heavy oncoming traffic without waiting for the light. Better not honk at these ghetto superstars as they will probably shoot at your car if you do.

5. At the mall

At the same mall that had a sign exclaiming "shoplift and go to JAIL!" I quickly realized I was indeed the minority. About 90% of the shoppers were Asian and spoke Asian languages. This made me feel quite at home, like I was back in my beloved Saigon.

6. Big city people

I was going to write a post about the coldness of people back here in America but realized that people in my home state of Ohio are not like this and quite friendly. I began to think about how people behave on my walk to work and began comparing the people in Saigon, Tokyo, San Francisco and Ohio. Here in San Francisco, people will rarely look you in the eye and a smile is as rare as an albino elephant turd. The only time people do smile here is when they are trying to sell you something and even that can be rare. However, in Ohio, people are generally friendly and their smiles sincere. The Vietnamese in Saigon however will look you in they eye for long periods and will return your smile 95% of the time.

In San Francisco however, if you smile at someone, they will quickly look away. The feeling I suppose is that of distrust and as though you are going to solicit them for something which is sad when you think about it. Only the older folks often return a smile. The young are too self centered and immersed in themselves to be bothered with a smile. However, there are still some old hipsters around who maintain the spirit of San Francisco long gone who will smile and flash a peace sign.

Institution - "An organization founded and united for a specific purpose."

Therefore could it not be said that our daily lives are immersed and utterly intertwined with various institutions which are officially sanctioned by the overriding institution which is the government of the land in which we live?

Thus are we not all to some degree institutionalized?

If we describe someone as "institutionalized," in the common usage or parlance, it usually refers to an inmate or mental hospital patient who has become so accustomed to the environment that they will suffer acute mental distress should they be removed from their environment.

It is not absurd to say most people of any nation would feel distressed should they be forced from their home country and made to live somewhere else. I assume a very small percentage would be able to adapt, while others would seek out areas which replicate their former land to the highest degree.

Our daily lives are basically comprised of interacting with some sort of "institution" or another whether it be a job, a church, a society, etc. If any of these were to be suddenly removed from our lives, it is not a stretch to say that many might feel more than a modicum of stress. Is it not possible that we as humans prefer order in our lives than the chaos which would prevail without institutions to tell us what do do, how to behave and what to believe?

Institutions in my opinion are restrictive in that they limit our room for movement, in the sense they instruct us to act and think within limited parameters. As we have no basis for comparison we accept these parameters without hesitation.

The picture I am painting is that of "reverse culture shock," after an extended period of stay abroad. When one lives in a foreign country, familiar institutions are often gone and we learn that another group has constructed their own institutions albeit with foreign influence, but that things are not necessarily done as they were back in our native lands. We learn to compare and contrast and that which was quickly accepted before are now questioned.

As we grow and develop from childhood we learn how institutions work and do not question "why" since it is the way it has always been. Even if we become educated, it is very difficult to break from that to which we are accustomed. However, I have come to believe that it is those who question "why," as the two year old child does, understands the world better than most.

To grab this post out of the heights of theory and philosophy, I simply must provide a few examples in our daily lives from simple to the complex.

1. Banks - When we are in our teens, we feel as though we are reaching adulthood because we start to understand how a checking and savings account work. If there are fees associated with keeping your own money in an account we automatically accept it because we have known no other way. Should the bank decide to raise the fee we might make a protest because we now have a basis for comparison.

But how many of us have questioned the need for banks at all? No living human has been around before there were banks. Most of us have never even considered keeping our money at home under the mattress since it is not the way we were taught.

However, for those that have lived in a poor, unstable country we find that much of the population does in fact keep their money under the mattress. As our peers in the foreign land are doing it we might even consider doing it even though it seems absurd from the perspective of our native mentality.

How many people even know how banks came into existence in the first place? Perhaps it was safer than keeping it home under the mattress. Perhaps it was the convenience of being able to write a check or a note which would be safe carried even long distances and exchanged for money when the destination is reached. In modern times, perhaps it is just convenience. I myself feel that my apartment is pretty secure and I could even buy a safe which eliminates the need for a feeling of safety. However, it would be a pain to physically take my money to pay all my bills when it can be done over the internet. But it is possible to do so. Yet, how many people have considered this as a way to pay your bills? I'm guessing very few as most are "institutionalized" enough by the institutions called banks. Could it be that institutions limit our ability to think freely without being instructed or persuaded by societal norms?

Coming back to the USA I have become very shrewed and questioning of all these fees I am being charged for a bank to hold my money. I get strange looks when I ask if the teller can waive my monthly checking access fee since it is quite possible no one has ever asked her that question before.

A feeling of control comes from challenging the status-quo. However, this confidence to ask these questions is rare and usually only comes from those who have traveled, or inherently astute.

2. Work - The corporate (or not) culture is something discussed only in business schools to my knowledge. Professors try to teach us to question or in the cliche (think outside of the box) , but this does not come naturally and how much of the population actually does it? Shame of asking something stupid might be a reason or perhaps is it we want to appear as though we already understand everything.

For me, there is no greater sense of control in life than being able to unabashedly ask "why" until I understand the explanation. It is either the explanation is not good or my counterpart is trying to fool me. What gives me this confidence is that I have a basis for comparison due to my experience abroad. I am no longer afraid of ridicule from my peers (or a feeling of inadequacy) because due to my experiences can offer an example of why the thing in question just might not be true.

3. Authority - It would seem that only during our teenage years do we often question authority. However, I feel this is only a need to be disobedient for a short while but most come back into the fold. Is it not true that most people follow the law because it's the law without questioning the reason for the law itself? Common sense dictates for example that murder is against the law for obvious reasons. But now we have various freedoms being taken away due to a terrible atrocity which happened to our country. Many accept it because the President and Congress made it a law. Others accept it (or not) because their peers do. But how many think of the ramifications "down the road" and sacrificing one benefit for another. How many consider that such atrocities wouldn't have even occurred and put us in the situation if foreign policy had been different?

Most just understand the situation as it is, in the present, and not the events or policies which led up to the current situation, or the results of trying to quickly rectify the current situation.

The most interesting people I have met and the most stimulating discussions I have ever experienced have been with people who have escaped their native institutions which begat (past of beget?) their former mentalities. They are the ones who are not afraid to question "why" even when popular opinion is contrary.

As you may have already guessed, the main theme of my posts are simply the experiences, learning and how mentality and ideas evolve over time for someone who lives in different countries and is exposed to extremely different cultures.

Today is another post about re-adjusting to America and how it seems to me everyday seems like a shakedown of all my hard earned cash. But let me back up a bit...

In Vietnam, many foreigners become extremely angry if they think they are being overcharged a dollar or two when buying some trinket (especially the ones that live there). If you read my previous posts from my Saigon days, I was the same way. Sometimes I wished I was back in America where the "price is the price."...... but how wrong I was and I'm learning this lesson the hard way in the form of a sort of "culture shock."

1. Insurance
I needed car insurance. I learned from the agent that due to the way the percentages break down I could actually get both renters insurance and car insurance for around $900. This being so because car insurance in SF is hugely expensive due to the amount of accidents. So I asked quite a few times,,,, "so the total price is $900 RIGHT?"

Well, the insurance company shares your information with the entire world and I haven't stopped receiving offers for ever type of insurance form the mundane: earthquake, fire, act of God etc. All of course come with exceptions which when the fine print is read probably do not cover anything at all.

Now, receiving offers is one thing, but the other day I received an invoice for $140 for fire insurance I did not ask for. An invoice means a bill and a bill means that if it's not paid then my credit rating will suffer and the collectors could come after me. So now I have to call my agent and ask her "What the hell is this bull shit????" Given my experiences these last few months, there is probably a 50-50 chance they won't make it easy to retract this bill.

2. Bank of America still sucks.
When I opened my Bank of America account, I was curious to learn that I could not withdraw cash from my deposited checks for a total of one month. The reason given was that I had to "form a relationship with my account." I asked him if this meant I had to take my account out to dinner, call it once in a while and speak gently to it. This "forming a relationship" is the banks way of guarding against fraudulent checks which is understandable. But what pissed me off is that right after denying me my own money and almost in the same breath they looked at the computer and with a feigned expression of surprised he said "Oh, congratulations!!,,, you are eligible for a $7,500 credit limit with our Bank of America Credit Card!!!!"

Now stop the damn bus right there. The bank is not able to allow me to withdraw my own money but will give me $7,500 worth of credit with an extremely high interest rate??? Isn't it the same damn thing except the money in the account is my own and the money on the credit card is the banks? If they are willing to extend that kind of credit, they should do the same with my own damn money! And they don't stop there.... They really push their credit card as I think the tellers get a commission for getting customers to accept the card. The next FOUR times I went, they tried to push their crappy card on me and it was hard for them to take NO for an answer.

The other service they push on you which was actually reported in the paper is for their "Identity protection service" which means extra income for them. When you call to activate your bank card, there is an automatic voice trying to sell this service. The say push no. 1 for yes, but do not give you an option to select no. So I pushed nothing and after a few seconds the voice came back and said "we URGE you to take advantage of this "IMPORTANT" service! Dont' let the CRIMINALS take everything you've worked so hard to get." Then the voice goes silent again with no option to select no. Now to me, this is horrible and rightly so, the newspaper reported it.

3. The price is not the price
Why is it that the prices (especially for electronics) which are given in their advertisements never the actual price you pay? The advertisements will say something like a T.V. for $300 but when you get to the store, the actual price at the counter is $450!!! The reason being is that there are all sorts of "rebates," which means they take your money and you have to mail receipts, parts of the box, birth certificate, dental records, and so on into them and then they will give you your money back. What this is is downright thievery.

4. SF shakedown
In SF it is truly a shakedown. You can't walk one city block without being asked by some drug addict for some change. These people collect enough change so they can get high on crack, then run out into the street and shout profanities at everyone. So here, everyday is a "shakedown" in the more literal sense.

So, going back to my Vietnam example, yes sometimes they will often try to overcharge foreigners by a dollar or so but in America they are much more sophisticated and are not simply overcharging but downright stealing.

5. Lies
I bought a rather expensive piece of jewelery a month ago. I was told by the sales people that there was 12 months no interest, financing on the ring. To me, this means you have 12 months to pay with no charges (financing, interest whatever you want to call it) NO EXTRA CHARGES! Well, last week I got a bill with a financing charge of $55! I called them and they told me that I had to have a 10% down payment and should I opt for this plan I would have to pay $200 a month minimum.

Why is this the exact opposite of what the sales people said in the store? I guess it's ok now to lie outright to make the sale.

Who can I blame for this? Capitalism? Baby-boomer, Gen-x'er greed? Bush?

Coming back to America, somehow I simply cannot shake the feeling that society has lost any depth and it's become a culture of people whose sole purpose is to buy things. "I buy things, therefore I am," seems to be the current state of mentality, especially here in California.

We now have the Christmas season coming up and for some reason it doesn't seem as special as when I was a kid. When I was in grammer school Christmas ment being with family, Christmas pagents, snow sledding, and had a very heavy religious affiliation. Now it just seems that it's reason for being is to BUY STUFF. This may come as a shock, but in Vietnam, Christmas is still much more affiliated with religion as much of the population is Catholic. Now I'm not so much in favor of religion either, but given religion vs. consumerism during Christmas, I'll have to go with religion simply due to the meaning attached with the event. Weather it's the Catholic religion, Kaawanza, winter solstice, I don't care... I just enjoyed it when the season meant more than simply buying a bunch of crap.