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The End of Suburbia

Thursday, December 4, 2008

"Reality is bad for business; what's good for business is the fantasy."

It's common knowledge that fossil fuels are finite, but did you know that they will run out in our lifetime? After World War II, Americans invested their wealth in the suburbs where they could lead a peaceful life with their family, away from the noise and chaos in the cities. The suburbs are like dormitories, and there is nothing but houses for miles. In order to get to work or shop, people had to drive cars everyday to get to the city. This kind of lifestyle required cheap fossil fuels, and at that time they were abundant.

Decades later, resources are running out. We're passing the peak period of the best oil extraction, and we're going on a descending slope. But still, we're living the same as before, ignoring the fact that this can't go on much longer. Even though I'm aware that fossil fuels are quickly depleting, I've never considered what we should do when the day that we can no longer rely on oil and gas finally comes. No kind of energy can replace these natural fuels.

The thought that someday everything we do will have to become local is really shocking. If, for example, the US and China become competitors in getting hold of the remaining bits of fuel, then they will no longer do business with one another, and considering how many things are made from China ("from pants to underpants"), Americans will have to be prepared for a big change in their lifestyle. I couldn't imagine what life would be like if Taiwan had to be self dependent. A lot of the things we use are imported from overseas, including food and clothes.

Before I watched this documentary, I also never really focused on all the things that require natural fuels. The most common things that come to mind are mostly transportation and the like, but foods processed in factories need a lot of energy too.

If I was an American, I'd probably be even more shocked than I already am. As far as I know, there aren't many suburbs in Taiwan, but even so there are a lot of cars (and scooters) that use up gas. Taiwan is rather tightly packed and you can go to any place in a matter of minutes (no matter where you live, there are restaurants near by, shops nearby, etc).

Personally, I wouldn't want to live without imported products from other countries, just because I'm so accustomed to having them in my life. This fuel crisis makes me wonder about the future, how we will get around. Will traveling (especially by plane) become an extreme privilege? Will the world revert back to the time when the planet seemed bigger because it was harder and took longer to navigate? If things will become local, what kinds of new jobs will be created, and which ones will no longer be of use?

When we think about the future, most people draw up images of advanced technology, wondrous sources of energy, and diversity everywhere. With the oil age coming to an end, what will our next source of energy be?

Microwaveable organic TV dinner!

Monday, December 1, 2008



We watched a documentary two classes ago about Enron, a powerful corporation that went corrupt and eventually fell. Then we read a chapter titled Big Organic from The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book written by the American writer, professor, and activist Michael Pollan.

I never thought much about labels, and it was interesting to see it as a literary experience. It takes a special kind of skill to market a product through writing. But it's true, when I see something labeled organic, I draw up a very nice mental image of healthy flowers and happy cows. The descriptions are wordy and descriptive, tricking the consumer into assuming imaginary facts. You may read, for example, that the chickens grown at a certain farm are "free range," and it sounds good to the average buyer, but if they don't specify "free range," it might mean only having the chickens spend a few days or weeks out in the open. In a way, they're abusing the word "organic" to better sell their products.

Enron is similar in that it never tells the public the details of its profits, or even details of what they do. It shows you the final result (numbers) which isn't even true, which is similar to the vague labels. In both cases, whatever is shown to the public is what the people want to see and believe, what sells, but in the end all the things behind these vague figures are lies.

In my opinion, "organic"and "industrial" are words that can't go together. In my mind, they don't make sense as a single idea. If organic means going back to the roots and having a more direct connection with the natural, I can't imagine it being done at a large scale... at least not at the moment. Once you cross a certain number limit and industrialize, measures are taken to make things more efficient in space, time, and money. Everything has to be made precise, like the "mosaic of giant colored blocks" that are carefully and precisely cut. How does this pattern follow nature?

I think it's very possible for an organic farm to be successful, but many fall victim to bigger, industrialized companies, who only want produce at a large scale. Organic farms, however, can produce a large quantity but with different varieties. Since this is not "convenient" for big stores like Costo, Wal-Mart, etc., small farms like these usually have it harder. It's easier to submit to do things the fast way with quick and visible results. Since this is what people demand, it will slowly change to fit their needs.

Organic farms are understandable. They're in a tight spot. But Enron? They had a choice to do things morally, but they chose to lie instead. They should have known that, like chemicals that quickly produce beautiful plants but destroy the soil quickly as well, the effects are short lived.

Sir Speedy (November)

Thursday, November 27, 2008


Tina and I go to our internship every Wednesday. We work at Sir Speedy, a company that does everything from printing to sending to designing. Say, you open a restaurant; you can go to their office and they will make everything for you like the menus, uniforms, posters, business and personal cards, etc. The office is in Tianmu near TAS, and we take the HSR to Taipei, the MRT, then the 220 bus to Tianmu Square.

We get to Sir Speedy at about 9:30-10:00 and check in with our mentor, Roma. She usually has some worked planned for us to do. We began by researching and getting familiar with environmentally friendly papers. I used to think there was only one kind of recycled paper, but we learned from this experience that there are many more. After we were done with the research (and Tina did some Chinese-English text translation) we went to Hong Ming, one of the companies that provides Sir Speedy with the paper supplies. Tina did most of the reading in that area so she wrote down a lot of notes on what we learned there.

Our next assignment was to re-design a brochure for Animals Taiwan, a group/organization that helps stray animals in Taiwan. It was actually pretty hard because neither Tina nor I knew how to use Illustrator and InDesign. But the employees there and our mentor were really patient and taught us some basics on how to use the programs, then we went off to explore them on our own. Our current project is to design a letterhead and envelope for Rong Zhong hospital. The ones they have now are too formal and official, and the hospital wants something that is more friendly.

This experience is really fun so far, especially with another classmate. I think I would have had much less fun if Tina wasn't on the same internship with me. We can help each other and ease some of each others' stress and (sometimes) boredom. Although this probably isn't my "dream job," I'm very happy interning there.

Enron




Where are Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling now?
Ken was going to go to jail, but he died of a heart attack during a vacation trip in Snowmass, Colorady, three and a half months before his sentencing. Jeffrey Skilling's defense attorney is still trying to help him out of this situation, but the chances of him getting through this are very slim. Skilling is currently in a prison in Littleton, Colo.

The Effect of "hubris" in the Enron debacle.
According to the WordWeb dictionary, the definition of hubris is overbearing pride and presumption. Because of their pride, they lied to the board of directors, bankers, and their own employees about what was going on in the company. Assuming that lying about their actual profits and whatnot and thinking that everything will be alright, and everyone will be fine with it, is a huge presumption. By hiding all these things from the public for its own image and personal profit; this was the hubtis that led to Enron's downfall.

Reflections on the movie.
Yet again, like the article about Science Park, this large corporation is trying to cover up the truth. For the past year, we've also seen groups and businesses hiding the reality from everyone. For example, there were the food industries where workers were mistreated as well as the animal stocks. In the end, everyone is trying to hide their bad side, especially corporations that want to sell and succeed. The case of Enron was an extreme example. I kind of feel sorry for Lay and Skilling, though. Once you make a lie, you have to keep on making lies forever to support the previous ones. By the time they realized it was getting bad, maybe it was too late for them to back out.

The Silence of Silicon Lambs - Choreography Ideas

The most important points for me in this article were pollution and the fact that people were trying to cover it up. I don't think people really want to pollute the rivers and the air, but they can't help it because it's their job. They choose to be blind, and that's why I think the dancers could wear white blindfolds during the performance-- white because they try to convince themselves that what they're doing is good; a white lie.

I don't think there is a good or bad side in this, like the nature is good and the industries are bad. They have to sacrifice something to reach their goal, and most people aren't doing it willingly, especially the common workers. A part of the performance could be dragged, forced, reluctant, but a greater power (the bosses of the company) are pushing them on to do their work and ignore the damage.

There could be three groups; nature, the common workers, and the important people in charge of the corporation. In the end, it's a battle with three sides, and in the end the workers take off their blindfolds and decide to stand on nature's side instead.

Secret Hsinchu & Site Specific Performance



Psychogeograpy
The things we take for granted are the things that are closest to us. What we see everyday become normal, mundane, and have a very obvious existence - so obvious that they are overlooked. I wonder what an alien would think if one visited our planet. All the things we overlook would be interesting for it. Sometimes I find that I appreciate places more when they are different. I pay special attention when I go to the countryside, to the mountains, or to foreign countries. Every detail, big and small, are discoveries.

Site Specific Performance
I feel like I can understand site specific performance a little bit more than most things. Locations can be really inspiring with a little bit of imagination. Some locations are so amazing that they can naturally motivate people. I find the places I'm in are closely related to my emotions. When I'm by myself, I let these emotions control me and I laugh, cry, and allow myself to act and be whatever I want. Using these same emotions, performances can be made.

Blood, Sweat, and Tee-shirts

Monday, November 24, 2008


We watched a clip from a BBC documentary in Social Sculpture about a group of college students who go to India and experience the life of a worker in a garment factory. When we're buying clothes at the mall, we never think about where it came from and the only thing we know is what we see on the "made from ___" tags. Usually, this isn't the only country the product went through in the process to make it. When we pick up a tee-shirt, we would never think that in India there would be thousands of workers on a very low wage working off "blood and sweat" in factories. Because they are underpaid, the top, most influential people in the company will gain more profit, and the workers in developing countries will continue to be poor.

Dongmen Choreography

Sunday, November 16, 2008
  • How did the site of DongMen alter the choreography that you created in the classroom?

  • Now that you know this site better; If you were to go back to Dongmen what would you add or subtract from your choreography to make it stronger?
I wish more people had gone to see the Dongmen market before the shoot on Tuesday. I got the feeling that it was all very rushed. If the dancers had known what it was like there, there wouldn't have been complications like "the floors are too dirty to lie on" (hall), "this is the escalator?" (escalator) and "this clothing line won't work" (rooftop). If these things had been out of the way from the start, there would have been less complications on the day and much less time wasted. Some of the choreography had to be changed at the last minute. So now that everyone knows this site better, if we were to go back and re-do it, the choreography and preparation in general could be improved. Also, we didn't get to do as many shoots of Max as I initially wanted to. Now that we know the place better, we could have gotten through the scenes faster, and actually get into the "breaking down", which is one of the things I had been really excited about, but we didn't get into in depth.

For that whole period on Tuesday, I was only with my hall group and Max for most of the time, so I can't say much about the others. The hall group had to completely re-do the choreograph because the floor and the walls were too dirty to touch, apparently (hadn't we agreed to bring dirty/old clothes for this?). As for Max, he did a great job considering we practically started from scratch. I think I'm sounding too critical... I really like what everyone did and what they put into the shoot on Tuesday, it's just that I had this great vision, but we didn't have enough time or preparation for it.

River Performance

Friday, November 14, 2008














Thoughts on choreography:

The movements could be smooth, "silent", that are seemingly harmless, or at least doesn't affect the river in a negative way. This is the general image that people have, one would never think Science Park could be such a bad influence to the natural environment. What really goes on behind their walls could be shown in several different ways. At a later stage in the performance, the dancers could slowly transition into more brisk movements which would suggest that it disrupts the calm pace of a river. We could also do the same thing by separating into two groups, one being their image on the surface, and the other being the ugly reality. I don't know how we could make people understand the pollution... trees falling, plants wilting, human and animal health and living conditions worsening?

Designing our Future

Thursday, October 16, 2008


Hawken's Opportunity of Insignificance and William McDonough's TedTalk both relate businesses and the environment in some way. To be honest, I can't seem to grasp any especially strong connections between the two, probably because they both had too much information to fully understand and then compare... so I'm trying my best here to write out what I think was important to me.

As we talked about in class last time, their purposes tie in with Ishmael, the idea of takers and leavers. What they're trying to do is to lessen the taker culture and not take so much from our environment so we will be sustainable and leave enough for the many generations to come.

If we want to change, it's hard to say "let's do it", and then do it. Everything has to start from the source and the design from the very beginning. Hawken wrote about medicine and how the process is now, the way that's promoted is that when you get sick, you buy medicine or go to the hospital, and it actually takes up more resources and money to do that rather than research and use medicine that will protect us from getting sick in the first place. We should support the new ideas of making new designs with good intentions behind them that will help our planet's sustainability.

Something that also stuck to me is the definition of "growth" and "development". What most corporations are doing and striving for is "growth", but what we should really be aiming for is the quality and long-term improvement in development. Starting with intelligent designs, we'll be able to make good business and good environment co-exist.

SRC ELECTION - Vote Comments

Thursday, October 9, 2008
Did you justify my votes with comments?
Read my responses to them below!



Congratulations to the candidates who were elected for their SRC positions! I'm really satisfied with the outcome, and I wish you guys all the best this year.

I also want to thank everyone who wrote thoughtful comments for me on the voting sheets, I truly appreciate every single one of them. I've been reflecting on them too, and I've taken some time to write responses to them, because it's always nice to know that your comments have been seriously acknowledged, right? The compliments have made me so much more confident, and the criticisms have made me aware of the abilities that I lack, and I will try my best to improve those.

All the comments are anonymous, but if one of them is yours and you don't feel comfortable having it displayed in my blog, let me know and I'll take it down.

Note: Some comments that are similar are grouped together and given a common response to avoid repetition.
  • High Character
- She is really kind all the time.
- She is always nice to people, she doesn't yell at people, etc.
- She is always very friendly to people, and polite too. I've never heard of her saying bad things about others since I know her. And she always says hi to me with a smile. :)
---- I'm so glad I have that impression on you! ;) Chances are you were nice to me too, and I was naturally kind to you in return. Saying bad things about others behind their backs will just backfire, and yelling at people usually makes matters worse. For my own sake and those of the people around me, I try to keep the bad thoughts to myself.

- She is always honest. She respects others all the time.
- I have never seen Roxanne show disrespect to anyone in any situation.
---- I think respect is one of the most important things in working effectively in teams and making friends. The bitter tension caused by disrespect is horrible, and I avoid it whenever I can. If I do my part to respect someone, most of the time that person will do the same, and whatever we're doing becomes that much smoother and easier. Respect is a vital part of communication and friendship.

- Good person by heart, always nice and welcoming.
- Roxanne is very welcoming and warm to many of us at school.
---- You have no idea how happy I am to read that. Some of you may know that I'm quite introverted outside my circle of friends, and it's hard for me to approach new people, but it's nice to know that at least I can make some people feel welcome.

- She's very nice and also willing to help people. 
- Always a nice person never refuses to help you.
---- To be completely honest with you, I am one of those people who find it hard to refuse when asked for help. That's one part of it, but mostly I'm happy to do whatever I can to help because most of you have helped me out as well in other occasions. The feeling of having helped a friend, or a fellow classmate, or even a total stranger, is a reward in itself. That's completely true, as corny as it sounds.

- I hardly see you working and helping people around you. Trying to realize the needs of others.
---- This is a bit contradicting to the previous comments, but I agree it's a totally valid point. I'm sure there have been times when I was useless and unwilling to help. A lot of the cases are because I'm always half a beat delayed at realizing what the problem is, and it ends up slipping through me before I can do anything helpful. And of course, there are times when I'm tired and slack off, so I apologize for that. I'll try to be more attentive from now on.

- Roxanne has a very high sense of right and wrong.
---- Apparently, you've only seen one side of me! I'm just kidding. :) I can be devilish and tease people, but it's always in a light, joking way and with good intentions. If you meant things like cheating, lying, stealing and the like... well, I wouldn't forgive myself for doing that. If I didn't hit the right meaning on either of these, thank you anyway; you addressed something I've never thought of in myself before, and it was positively surprising!

- She makes good choices and has lots of confidence.
---- I do, I do?! Again, this is a surprising one for me! I've been told by my mother that I'm terribly shy and indecisive, so this comment really gave me a confidence boost and a smile to match. These are both things that I've been weak at before; I'm steadily improving right now, and will continue to do so. A confirmation of this on text is truly relieving.

- I have been impressed with your compassion for the students who might be considered "different"
---- In my mind, I don't categorize people, and everyone is different in some ways. I probably can't even recognize "different" people when I'm talking to them. Nonetheless, the fact that you're impressed with something I do is greatly uplifting!

- Because she gives Aled a higher score than the one for herself for these voting sheet.
---- Hehehe~ I know who you are! ;D I didn't think you'd seriously write this when you said you would. This comment made me giggle really hard. XD But it's true, if we're voting honestly here, I still have a long way to go before I can match Aled in any of the five outcomes. He's really awesome (and a tough competition)!

- She always says things that make you smile and she always have that smile on her face that makes you want to smile (being happy/cheering people up when they are sad).
---- That's so sweet...! Whoever you are, I really want to hug you right now. It makes me smile to know that my smile can make others smile. Does that make any sense? The things that I say and the little gestures I make are mostly unconscious, but with a comment like this, I'll try even harder to keep smiling forever to cheer people up!

  • Critical Thinker
- I think she is a person who is really quiet. I didn't see her being active and critically thinking.
---- That's true, I can be pretty quiet depending on the situation. At other times, you have to ask me to stop talking. From my own standpoint, I don't remember when I've not been active or a critical thinker, or at least tried to be (unless you're in my AP English class, because I really struggle with it sometimes and just have nothing meaningful to contribute... Are you in my English class?! XD) Anyway, I know I'm not anywhere near the best in this category, and I'll try my best to improve.

- When we were working together on something we presented a year or 2 back, she could think of other ways to do something.
---- Wow, it must have really been something if you still remember it! Now I'm curious about what that project was. Anyway, I'm so touched that you still remember some little thing I did even after one or two years. I'll keep on reminding myself to think critically, just as I did before in that situation.

- Nice answer about all the questions.
- She has made very thoughtful ideas about what she will do after she becomes president. 
---- To be honest, I was pretty nervous up there at first (in my speech and during the debate), but after a while it became more like a conversation and ideas just flowed. I can guarantee that every word I said was true, and I meant everything I said. I deeply appreciate that you acknowledge that. :) 

- If you ask her a question she will tell you a specific answer.
---- I always try to be specific about things; it may be an annoying waste of time to some, and helpful to others. I'm glad your opinion corresponds with the latter! I like to communicate my ideas clearly and completely, so you can always count on me to explain for as much time as it's required for you to understand whatever you need.

- I remember that she was being a critical thinker during SRC meeting.
---- It's easy to be active and contribute in things I'm very passionate about. Being in the SRC was one of those things, and I really enjoyed preparing and planning things with everyone else in the team. It was a wonderful feeling to belong to such a great group of fantastic leaders.

  • Effective Communicator
- She knows how to communicate.
- We understand everything when she speaks.
- Her answer always make me understand.
- You make sure I understand your thought/question when we talk.
---- Thanks for letting me know that! I'm always worried that people might not understand what I'm trying to tell them, especially when I'm trying to explain something complicated. Coming from the students I communicate with daily, this is very convincing encouragement for me.

- I think Roxanne is able to speak clearly and present her ideas to the public.
- She really likes to express herself and can easily communicate ideas effectively.
---- You really think so? Then I'm glad! It hasn't always been easy for me, and it's taken a lot of practice and experience to be able to communicate effectively, and calmly in front of a group. It's great to be complimented on such achievements! Thank you thank you. ^^

- She can figure out the answers correctly.
---- Well, I'm not sure if I can figure out the correct answers to everything, but I definitely try to express what I think is right as fully as I can. :)

- Needs to speak up more, especially in class.
---- I, too, am aware that I'm not participating as much as I should in certain classes. The reason is because I struggle in those subjects, or the particular piece or topic we're working on. Otherwise in other classes I understand more, I tend to speak a lot more. So give me some time to catch up and adjust, and please help me if I'm lost. I'll do whatever I can to be more productive.

- She wants everybody to get to know everybody.
---- That's a good thing, I assume? XD We're a small "family", so I think everyone should know each other as well as a family. It will make our bond as a community that much stronger, and our school that much more awesome. :)

- Excellent job! Your compassion and democratic style of leadership shines through.
---- I'm honored to receive such a compliment! Sometimes with comments like these, I can't believe it's really about me. It takes me a while to register that, and it always ends up inspiring me to become even better.

- She cares about student voices and she's very willing to know what students' thought.
---- That's true of all the candidates this year, and I'm very proud of that.

- She listens to people when they are talking.
---- This is a big part of respect, something I really value. If people are taking the time and effort to tell me something, I want to give them my full attention. Applying the same principles, I'm replying to all these comments because I want you to know that I've been listening (reading, in this case), absorbing, and understanding all the great feedback I've been given.

  • Community Contributor
- When I need your help you always say yes. I am very thankful for that.
- If you need help, you can ask her for help. She is friendly.
- She always helps me with my Spanish.
- I like silent helpers.
---- I'm always glad to help, although I can't guarantee I'll be able to provide you with the right answer... :P But I'll do my best to do whatever I can if you ask me. I've also lived in Chile for seven years, so feel free to grab me when I'm free if you need a walking talking Spanish translator/grammar check.

- I've witnessed your ability to bring different voices to the table for discussion.
---- Thanks, that's very observant of you. XD Sometimes my ideas can be so different I start contradicting myself... At any rate, it's great to know that I'm able to make valuable contributions to class discussions. I'm assuming we're in the same class, so let's do our best with contributing to our classes and school in general this year!

- When I ask for your help, you don't seem very willing.
---- I'm sorry that you feel that way, and I apologize if I ever seemed unwilling to help you. I usually try to be of help whenever I can, but some reasons may be that I was probably tired when you asked me, or perhaps I was busy myself and answered you quickly or said something that wasn't helpful at all... sorry. T___T

- She sometimes shares her ideas to people to contribute on what they're doing.
---- Again, helping people is a reward in itself, and I have no problem sharing my own opinions or ideas with others at all. And if it's helpful for what they're doing, then all the better. Really, feel free to ask me anything if you think I might have anything helpful. :D

  • Active Learner
- She is not very active, she is too quiet.
- She is so silent, she is learn something but not that active.
---- A lot of people have commented on my quietness, and I agree. It conflicts with the idea that I love to communicate, so even I'm a bit confused. As I mentioned somewhere before, my activeness in class depends on how quickly I can keep up with the pace of it. My challenge now is to improve in the topics I'm weak at to be able to talk about it in class without sounding like a complete idiot.

- She study hard in my class.
- I feel she is a hard-working student.
---- Thank you! Saying something like "you work hard" is a compliment, and in addition, it encourages the person to be even more hard working. :)

- Very hot and cold.
---- I had trouble understanding this one. Does it have a... deeper, metaphorical meaning, or something? XD Or are you simply trying to cheer me up? In any case, thanks~

- She wants to make a good model for everyone.
---- Yes, I do. :) If you want others to change, the change has to start in yourself. And if we're going with the five outcomes, obviously I'll try to embody those values to the best of my abilities. I may not be great at it, but I try, and I'm glad you're able to see that!

- She is focus on work or something important.
- She is always read out side of class even though she doesn't need to.
---- Thanks, that makes me sound so hardworking! :) Actually, reading is mostly a hobby so you'll see me doing it often just for fun. And sometimes it's a reading for class, done outside of class. XD 

== END ==

Thanks for these comments, everyone! You were all persons of high character. ;D

Have a great weekend!

Waste Not

Sunday, October 5, 2008


Waste of money, waste of people, waste of resources... there is so much waste everywhere. With civilization advancing every year, we might think that we're better off, we lead much easier lives than the people in past generations-- but is that really true?

A pack of food, or a can of soda, travels to many places and goes through a long, complicated process before it gets to the buyer, who consumes them and discards them in a matter of minutes, throwing away all the work, time, and materials put into it, wasted.

There is traffic jam, you're stuck indefinitely behind a red light. Besides the waste of gas and electricity, there's waste of time. We think we have better jobs now, but a lot of people aren't so lucky and end up wasting their talents because they have no other choice.

In short, things are wasted everywhere, all the time. If I had to tie this idea to my senior project (media), it would be about how the media influences the society and tricks our minds into doing things we believe are good and productive, but in fact are a waste of time, effort, etc.

Many trends are advertised in the media, whether they are popular words, accessories, or even ideas. All these things try to shape people into something they're not, and somewhere in that process people lose their own identity. Isn't that a kind of waste that we should be more aware of? Media is fast-paced and changes all the time, including the things it promotes. iPods will be in fashion today, and then iPhones tomorrow. People will feel the need to buy the latest, even if they don't need all the new functions of a newer version. This happens with almost every product, and the old ones are thrown away without any valid reason other than "it's old"... and there's something new. If we add together all the little things that we've replaced or changed, we end up with a lot of waste in all forms.

Senior Project = Corruption, condition, distortion

Thursday, September 25, 2008






The general subject I want to work on for my senior project centers around the media and its effects on our society as well as individuals. It's a widely debated topic, but it's also something that really bothers me personally.

Media is something that informs and entertains, but at the same time it can discreetly (and sometimes even blatantly) brainwash the people that are exposed to it.

There are mainly two things that I want to focus on in this post (there will be more as I do more research on this subject), the society's standard of beauty and people's materialistic "needs".

We like looking at beautiful things, and that is fine, but it becomes twisted when you try telling people that there are "guidelines" to be beautiful. Have you ever seen stunning women or handsome men on the cover of magazines? Or gorgeous people on television or promotional advertisements on the streets? They are nothing like the people they really are. Make-up "pretties" them up considerably, and the rest is professionally Photoshopped to fit the stereotypical image of beauty.

I find this especially depressing for women because we really have to worry about our appearance thanks to the values the media advertises (although nobody looks like their Photoshopped models). Our hair has to look a certain way, we have to dress a certain way, our skin has to have the "right" tone, our eyes have to be big, full lips, big breasts, small waist, double eyelids, nicely shaped face, eyebrows, etc. When women don't fit into these specifications, they will get plastic surgery, buy products to re-shape themselves, spend excessive money to buy products for hair, skin, etc. We will never get naturally airbrushed skin and Lux commercial hair, or any of the things I mentioned before for that matter, but we strive to get as close to them anyway.

Moving on the our materialistic "needs". I put needs in quotation marks because most of the things we buy aren't really needed, we just want them after being influenced by the constant advertisements around us. By saying this I'm criticizing myself too, because as I'm looking around at the things in my room, there are a some little things that I felt like buying at the moment because they were "in", and the constant reminders on television and ads were very tempting.

It's especially annoying when there are new brands or versions of the same thing. Whether it be computer software, house appliances, electric devices, or clothing, there is always something new around the corner and you'll always want to have it because it's all that you see all around you, luring you quietly.

Stranger in a Village

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

What is Baldwin’s intent? Find one example where this intent is more apparent.


Intent:


To illustrate the gap between American culture and European culture caused by the exposure of black people.


Credit: Aled


^ Aled and I agreed on the same idea, but his phrasing sounds the most concise so I'm stealing it. :)


Example:


There is a dreadful abyss between the streets of this village and the streets of the city in which I was born, between the children who shout Neger! today and those who shouted Nigger! yesterday—the abyss is experience, the American experience.


Interpretation:

I thought that a lot of what Baldwin was saying revolved around the idea that although Americans and Europeans share the same ancestry, being a black in either of those places have very different connotations. Slavery and hopeless oppression in America is part of that American experience, while in Europe black men were simply overlooked, "invisible", and that is the gap of their cultures.

Tee Shirt KUSO

Sunday, September 21, 2008

(Cultural research for Social Sculpture class)

"KUSO"
What do you think it means? 
Where do you think it comes from? 
Why do you think this particular Japanese export is so popular? 
How does the Taiwanese version differ? 
How does the Korean version differ? 
How does KUSO mess or play with dominant/mainstream or corporate culture?


I already had some background on the origins of "kuso", so some of my answers may not be entirely from my own opinions or interpretation. The word "kuso" comes from Japan, and it usually means "damn it", although in this topic it makes more sense to use the noun form of the word meaning "sh*t". Taiwan is already famous for "stealing" words from the Japanese language, and "kuso" is one of the more recent ones. I'm pretty sure that at first it was used to describe lousy video games, and it's adapted to videos as well, and even more random things. For example, you may do something silly and funny, and an adjective a friend will use to describe that would be "kuso". Most of the time, there is no particular reason that a word becomes popular. Media infuence, perhaps? To apply the idea of Kuso to mainstream corporate culture would mean making a parody of it to make it hilarious.







Barack Obama
Messing with his face to look like the Terminator?
Yeah, I don't really get it.


Jesus Saves
I thought the play on words was funny.
I hope it doesn't offend any religious people...



Finders Keepers
I don't think the image was altered in this one.
Just the funny caption.





Rock > Paper > Scissor
=Recycling?



World Wildlife Fund?
Oops, I thought it was World Wrestling Entertainment.



ET!
Enough said.



Che Guevara
... or not.

The Silence of Silicon Lambs

Thursday, September 18, 2008


My first thought on the article was shocking. After reflecting on it a bit further, it became hopeless and disturbing. I didn't know much about Science Park to start with; any information would have been new and surprising, but what I do know is that it's one of the things/places Hsinchu is most well known for. It's one of our prides, and it's one of those places that gives a person an automatic promotion in status, making people gasp in awe, just for working there.

In this clean, reputable place, I never thought it would hide any dirty secrets. On the other hand, there are few corporations that are more environmentally friendly than they are harmful, so I guess you could say it was only to be expected. The powerful, flawless image is just something we want to believe.

To be honest, what they did didn't bother me so much as what they chose not to do. Sure, endangering people's health and the environment is not to be taken lightly, but what really angers me is the fact that they try to cover it up so the public doesn't know about it. Being able to control the media to hide the truth, even for the good of our image and economy, is something I've always been and will always be against.

Soule Goldin

Last time in Social Sculpture we skyped with one of Sheila's friends, Soule. Before I even start talking about the conversation we had with her, I just want to point out how even her name stood out to me the first time I heard it. She's a great community artist, and also had to be extremely patient with us as she had to repeat a lot of things that we didn't comprehend the first time she said them.

One thing that really interested me was the fact that she could combine many things in her work; recycling, art, and theatre. It never occurred to me that one could be involved in so many things at once and produce a combined final result. I find that amazing, like killing two birds with one stone.

I also enjoyed looking at her portfolio, and even though I knew it already, it was a relief to hear her say that acceptance into college didn't entirely depend on one's grades. Hearing it from someone who's actually been through that situation is just that much more reassuring.

I don't think we were really prepared for the Skype conversation. Sheila did most of the talking, and the rest of us just kind of sat back and looked like we knew what was going on. It was still fun, but if there's a next time it would be nice to have some more interaction instead of what seemed like a "Q&A with an artist interview".

From Both Extremes

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Have you ever felt like you'd die in the next minute? When I woke up this morning, I couldn't breathe.

I've been sick for three weeks. My parents tell me it's because I don't sleep enough, leaving me with a weak immune system. Last night I had several coughing fits, and I felt like all my entrails would come pouring out of my mouth.

This morning I couldn't breathe. The moment I sat up, I realized all my airways were blocked. I couldn't breathe through my nose, and when I tried with my mouth, I only managed to make a few strangled squeals. I felt like something was blocked in my throat, and I felt like vomiting and coughing at the same time. This lasted for nearly a minute, and I really thought I was going to suffocate. When I could finally (somewhat) breathe again, it was quick and irregular, accompanied by a high pitched screeching from my throat. I'm kind of scared to go back to sleep now... afraid that the next time I wake up, I won't be able to breathe again.




On a brighter note, Bob and Vicky took me out for lunch yesterday to show their appreciation. We had lunch in a restaurant at the American Club; we shared a spicy salame pizza, and I had a lasagne and a mango pudding for dessert. At about 2 o'clock, we went back to work again.

Bob asked me if I had written any stories, and if I was interested in writing one for an elementary textbook. Of course, I said I'd be thrilled to. If this really works out, Eugene has agreed to do the illustrations. I'm really eager to start working on this, although I'd probably need to request for a visit to the elementary classes to find out what kind of things children like to read about.
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