In search of happiness.

Hey guys! Have you missed me?

As you all probably know, it's that college crunch time and college is looming large over our lives at the moment. I've been thinking a lot lately about my future, and during a trippy conversation while lying comatose on couches after over consumption of turkey on Thanksgiving, I had a few revelations.

First off, why do we do what we do? What are we trying to accomplish with our lives? Isn't the ultimate goal to have a happy and fulfilling life? How is the plan we are currently setting forth for ourselves propelling us towards that vision? Why should having the sitcom family make us happy?

A lot of our plans at the moment are setting us up for the acquisition of wealth and material prosperity but is that necessarily happiness? Why can't happiness be not going to college and setting off for a life of adventure in some jungle somewhere? Isn't the ignorant farmer just as content with his life? What makes me happy is little children; I've always wanted to be a daycare instructor. In fact, my life plan is to become a lawyer and earn lots of money until I'm self-supporting, and then to quit and become a daycare instructor. Why can't we all just jump the gun and pursue our dreams?

...reality

Dream meet...

Frankly, the answer is that we need a way to survive aka we need green. However, at what point does the acquisition of wealth go from being out of necessity to purely because of an habitual obsession with the practice of acquiring money. The fact of the matter is that at a certain point you just have to start thinking about what will make you happy. There's a difference between having and not having a home, but there really isn't that much of a difference between having a 3 bedroom and a 5 bedroom house (unless you have 10 kids that is). There's a difference between having a car and not having a car, but between having a Honda and a Ferrari?

Happiness is completely subjective and controlled by no one but yourself. You can't expect to attain happiness by meeting certain expectations or goals because by definition goals are that which you have not attained. Our idea of happiness is really more of a standard; that standard can be used as motivation to improve our lives, but at times it becomes a constant reminder of what we do not and cannot have. When that occurs, we have to remember that we control our definition of happiness and can always alter it to match our circumstances.

*disclaimer: I'm not trying to be racist and I sincerely hope I won't offend anyone, but these are my honest opinions. Of course, I draw generalizations, but I know that not everyone is like this.

One major problem with Asian culture is how formulaic our lives are. We care not about the process but rather only about the ultimate destination. Once we have reached that ideal of being married, employed, having kids, and having considerable wealth, we're good, but before that...The majority of the Asians I know are so predictable: college, more college, work, marriage, kids, etc. We don't deviate! On the contrary, it is my opinion that African American culture is the exact opposite. They are all about the climb and aren't really focused on any particular goal. It's all about livin' the life. Neither way of life is correct though. In life, we have to learn to find a balance. I think that white American culture does this best :P

At this point I'm sort of mostly just rambling, but whatever, because these are nothing more than the musings of an Asian slightly insane from thoughts of college...

In search of happiness.

Food for thought:

What do you think happiness is? Do you think it is attainable?

Do you agree with my cultural breakdown?

How are you coping with the stress of college applications?

Do you think about your future? Or do you just live in the moment?

Read more...

Asians are just better!

Why are Asians just so much smarter than everyone else? Are they super geniuses? Do their parents feed them brain-inducing drugs? Are they really good at cheating? Or are they aliens from outer space?

I wish...

It is my personal opinion that this is nothing more than a simple matter of natural selection. During the post-Cultural Revolution period, everyone was trying to leave China and make a better life for themselves. But, do you think those Commies let just anyone leave the country? Do you think everyone had the fare for a plane ticket hidden away? I know a lot of people buried their possessions to keep them safe from the revolutionaries and Japs, but I hardly think they had $1000 USD tucked away in a jar. *side note: why did they all bury their possessions next to trees? If I was a Japanese, I would've just dug up every tree in China*  So, how did people leave China?

Only those who could get recruited by foreign universities were able to leave. The students and intellectuals left the country by the airfuls. For example, both my parents left the nation with scholarships from McGill University; the college paid my parents a stipend to receive their doctorates. Note that I said the students and intellectuals left. Not all Asians are smart; it's not a super gene we have. We're like every other race - there are intelligent (and not so intelligent) people. It's just that the smart ones are the ones here in the USA.

In nature, only the strongest, fastest, smartest survive; the same goes for real life. Only those most cunning or academically intelligent were able to leave the nation. In turn, the people with those ideals and aspirations for a brighter future are the ones raising children in the United States (and Canada :P). Why are the Asian kids in your classes smarter? Because their parents were smarter. Because their parents were the ones who fought for a brighter future. Because their parents took the initiatives. Because they were hardworking and had the strict ethics found in so many immigrants. In Macro class we learned that Asians are the least unemployed demographic group in America. This can be justified by the prior reasons (that and Asians' willingness to do almost any job).

Conclusion: It doesn't really matter because

Asians are just better! 

Food for thought:
What are your thoughts on the matter?
Do you that intelligence is an inherent right?
Would you like to know more about what inherent rights are? -> Then go to the ACLU meeting tomorrow in L7. Be there! They'll have food :)

Read more...

I hope they get here soon...

I'm probably going to get bored of blogging soon, so while it's all fine and new, I'll just write a few extra to compensate for those dry spells when I won't write for weeks like my friends Rich and Indraneel (I don't get his latest post though, is that the phone in school? I heard it ring once and it was epic).

I'm eating as I write. Doesn't my lunch look mad asian?

Screw facebook for saying I'm 0% asian! I eat rice! (albeit with a spoon. where are my chopsticks???)

Yesterday I killed my last contacts. The obvious solution would be to just wear my glasses, but you see, I was wearing my contacts as a replacement for my glasses, so that's not going to work out. I've had contacts since 8th grade, but I only started wearing them lately for the following reasons:

1. I'm mad scared of getting those nose and ear prints and I was starting to get paranoid that I was getting them

2. It's annoying putting sunglasses on top of glasses, so I usually just wear contacts during the summer

3. I have three pairs of glasses. One cheap pair from Sam's Club that are from 8th grade and defunct. The other I chipped the second week after getting them (the water drop everyone kept pointing out). I wore them for over a year without getting them fixed but they're officially broken now. The third pair was put through not only the washer but the the dryer as well...Needless to say, it didn't survive.

As I am desperate for vision, I decided to salvage the only functioning pair, the one that only needs a cosmetic makeover.

I'm coloring in the missing paint with black sharpie. But, don't fear people because I am getting new glasses soon (maybe next weekend?) For my birthday this year, I have requested that my parents get me glasses :)

What kind of glasses do you suggest? It's actually kind of a big deal. Though we don't often notice it, glasses really say something about you. Should I go for a smart look, or maybe a fobby look, or a preppy look...I'll probably just pick the ones I find prettiest. If you have any suggestions, I'm all eyes!

In the meantime, I ordered a case of new contacts last weekend. For obvious reasons,

I hope they get here soon...

Read more...