I hope my daughter is brave enough to always be herself. 

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Buddha in Popular Culture

I was recently channel surfing and discovered a new show on TLC called "The Food Buddha". The host, a Chicago chef named Rodelio Aglibot, has had the nickname "The Food Buddha" and his site declares that he's not actually a Buddhist, but he views cooking as an "art form and discipline." In each show, Aglibot visits a restaurant, orders one of every item on the menu, then uses the culinary inspiration to create a new dish in Chicago.

As a cooking, restaurant and travel fan, I think the overall premise is neat. However, growing up a Buddhist myself, I fail to find the connection between the religion and philosophies of Buddhism to this television program. The idea of taking part in such wasteful gluttony is not very Buddhist (it sounds appealing, I won't lie, but not Buddhist).
The following is his website: http://www.thefoodbuddha.com/

Unfortunately, the in appropriate use of the Buddha expands well beyond the name of a teleivsion show. There is also the incessant use of the Buddha's name, image, or "philosophy" in popular culture. Some of the uses are downright disrespectful and contradictory to Buddhist culture and practice. Actually, the use of the Buddha as a marketing tool to sell anything is a contradiction in itself. Even more, it's upsetting to see the sale of Buddha heads for gardens, when I was raised that it is amazingly disrespectful to touch the Buddha's head (or, to have Buddha touching the ground, or to point your feet towards the Buddha). The idea of having carrying and placing Buddha's heads in a garden, on the ground, because people think it's attractive is pretty insensitive and hurtful.

It's not even really Buddhist of me to complain, but, as a Buddhist in a Christian society, I take every measure I can to pay respect to the Christian religion. I also feel like using the image of Christ to sell alcoholic drinks (Buddha cocktail drinks), or, as a non-Christian, having a giant Jesus Christ water fountain in my garden because it looks cool, is disrespectful. I know there are some tongue-in-cheek Jesus Christ toys, fashions, decor, bandaids, coffee mugs, but the general American public knows it's a joke and is in on the joke. When people use an image of a fat, possibly drunk, Buddha in their products, restaurants, TV shows, etc., there usually aren't Buddhists that are in on it.

When this trend seemed to appear more in the late 90's and early 2000's, I was hoping it would go the way of the perms and flannel shirts. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Aglibot's friends may call him "Food Buddha" because he appears to be of Asian descent and has a shaved head, but I think it detracts from what the show is actually about and gives a false sense of familiarity with my heritage and religion.

Other examples of the Buddha in consumer products:

• http://search.urbanoutfitters.com/?q=buddha
• http://www.bluefly.com/Monarchy-ash-cotton-'Buddha'-crewneck-t-shirt/cat20336/302253001/detail.fly?referer=ca_google_productads&cm_mmc=ca_google_productads-_-na-_-mens_casual_shirts-_-302253001&PROMO=promo850024&mr:trackingCode=5625D182-9FD4-DE11-974B-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA&GANTrackingID=bluefly_381348542
• http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_11?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=buddha+head&sprefix=buddha+head

from failblog: drummer win

another one bites the dust.

i'm starting to think i'm tv ratings poison. it was announced a couple days ago that 'happy town' is being cancelled, final episode to air june 30th. i learned this while i was catching up on the second episode that i've ever watched.

what other series have i killed (or loved & lost)?

1. Pushing Daisies. It was soooo good, it hurt. it was dramatic, without being soapy. it was vivid without being overwhelming. it was cute without being sickly sweet. there was nothing else like it. and it frightened people. i think people thought it was too weird. figures.
2. dead like me. this is one that i more watched off and on, and then it was dead.
3. ugly betty. granted, this show really didn't have anywhere to go, but i still really liked the characters, and was sad to see it end.
4. futurama. i didn't really start watching this until it was on adult swim, but now i realize it is my favorite show of all time. thank jebus it's coming back at the end of june.
5. arrested development. everyone knows this was cancelled way too early.
6. twin peaks. i'll never get over this cancellation. it's haunting. it had a great run, and i still love watching old episodes.
7. terminator. i started off being into this, then i realized the actress playing the mom was only like 11 years older than the guy playing her son. i understand it got better, and i would have come back, but it was too late.
8. freaks and geeks. i have to be in a mood to watch this, but this really was an amazing show
9. the tonight show with conan o'brien. team coco
10. UPDATED 5/15: Heroes. all the potential, no delivery.

i know there are loads more, but these are the ones i can think of. sniffle. pushing daisies was the saddest cancellation for me.

AN AFFORDABLE SALON HAIRCUT: SAVING MONEY, BUT NOT TIME.

while i need to save money, my hair had started getting a little annoying. pony tails galore. and this look was not helping me feel fresh and ready to take on the corporate world again. my last haircut, while i was employed, was about $75 (including taxes/tip). it was a really nice haircut and i felt great afterwards. the hard part is that i don't want to send $75 on a haircut when i currently panic when i pay more than $12 for a meal. the last time i went to a discount hair chain, i spent the next couple weeks with my head tilted so that people couldn't notice the significant length difference between the left and right sides of my hair.

so, what was the solution? an aveda institute haircut. the haircuts are done by students, under the supervision (and with some assistance) from an instructor. for $16 (no tipping allowed), i got the haircut i was going for. did i mention that there are some drawbacks? the first is that it took 3 hours. i have very, very thick hair, and i was going from shoulder length to very short, so it was already an undertaking, even for a seasoned salon veteran. second, my stylist was approximately 4'10". i don't want to discriminate, but it was difficult for her to see certain parts of my hair clearly, and shampooing seemed to be a challenge. third, it was my stylists first time on the salon floor. she was very sweet, but her inexperience showed. she didn't really shampoo my hair, she more rubbed shampoo into my head with her palms. also, what took the instructor 20 seconds to do would take the student about 5 minutes. all of that attention to detail made her cuts very accurate, but she did not have the confidence to really take the haircut head on.

overall, i would do it again. my hair definitely looks better than it would if i tried to go to a discount chain, no tipping definitely helps, and i still got a salon look. granted, i did get a $8 parking ticket for being an hour over the time i put in the meter, but it was still significantly less than what i would have paid at my regular salon.

things that i would do next time or tips for someone else?

1. eat before hand. my appointment was at 5pm, so i had a small cup of yogurt beforehand. mistake! i should have had a bowl of spaghetti or steak and baked potato to keep me full and more patient
2. bring a picture of what you want for your haircut. these students have not developed the intuition to know what you're going for, and their instructor's help them develop a plan of attack. they won't be able to get to the desired destination without an idea of what direction they need to start.
3. remember that its cheap and that's why you're doing it. you're not paying an exorbitant amount, so don't expect things like intuition, skill, and even confidence.
4. remember that the students really do want to do a good job. their grades depend on it. the instructor's want the students to do well so that they learn and so that they can get more sacrificial lambs customers.
5. don't be afraid to tell them what you'd like done differently while they're working on your hair. too long? tell them. wrong part? tell them. they need to learn how to roll with the punches, and as long as you're not a complete asshole about it, they should be able to use your feedback so that everybody is happy
6. they're learning the newest methods, meaning that they know more than bowlcut and buzz. this is a great advantage, thought they don't realize it.
7. it's just a haircut. hair usually grows back. i'm sure there are cases where it doesn't, but i wouldn't ever expect my hair to not grow back unless it had been melted with laser beams.

the student haircut is probably not for every person. people who don't have enough time, patience, or only trust their special stylist should not go to a student. also, those that always need to look perfect, this could still be rolling the dice. if you're very risk averse, don't bother.

for the rest of us: cheap, patient, understanding, losers (with lots of time on your hands), it's a great way to get a new, fresh look without spending a lot of money. also, you're kind of helping some person get their start on a new career. my hair should have been a final exam, but teresa did great and should get extra credit.

also posted on http://willwork4money.tumblr.com/, my umemployed ass' blog.

makes you think: constance mcmillen, and other bigotry in the news

i was just reading about constance mcmillen's fake prom and the hetero/able bodied "prom" thrown by parents. here's a link.

there are two big thoughts that have come to mind regarding this situation:

students/parents just don't understand

the students don't understand how they are supporting intolerance. one of the comments posted was quoting one of the students involved. she felt that constance was an attention whore and that this was about getting what she wanted. she felt that this alternative prom was to avoid drama. from an adolescent perspective, i can see where this could make sense.

i think what they're missing is what is the cause of the drama? maybe constance shouldn't have asked if she could take her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. certainly, there have been homosexuals and heterosexuals that brought same-sex dates to prom before constance. maybe she did want attention. but, the school administration's decision to cancel prom because permission was requested was how this became a dramatic story. if constance is an attention whore, this would be exactly what she wanted. not a fake prom with 7 attendants.

on top of it, the organizers and attendees of the alternative "prom/party" had every right to throw a private party, however, given the scrutiny and national backlash they're receiving, it was probably not the best move. regardless of their actual feelings about homosexuality and people with disabilities, it supported exclusion and fueled the media flames, which was the spark that started the wildfire to begin with. i think the organizers and attendees of the back-up prom need to really try to look at this from other perspectives before they call the "victim".

bigotry: hey, you're still here?
sure, bigotry still exists, but i'm almost happy to be hearing about it. the news media has really started to shine a light on acts of bigotry and intolerance in america. it continues conversations and hopefully raises awareness that bigotry still exists. previous to the past 5 years, it hasn't really been considered an "issue" or news-worthy. i'm so happy perspective has arrived.

i grew up in a suburb of st. louis, in illinois. this is an area of the country where the kkk were still visible when i grew up. this is an area where it wasn't uncommon to hear racial slurs. this was not a very tolerant or open-minded community to grow up in.

i am asian american. growing up, i had been called many things, including "chink", "jap", "closed eyes", "yellow", and "oriental express" by children, teenagers, adults and the elderly. there were certainly students that liked me, and i don't know if anybody that said those things truly hated me based on my race. but, it wasn't pleasant. even worse, there was even a kid that was half-asian/half-caucasian that called me a "chink". on the bright side, i guess they weren't or couldn't attack my character.

going to college in chicago was a very different experience. while there were still kkk rally's in the suburbs, their presence and fear was not felt. what amazed me is that many of my caucasian friends did/do not believe, for a second, that bigotry or racism against minorities still exist in america today. regardless of my personal stories, or stories of other racially motivated acts in my community (which also has approximately 35% african american community), some of my college peers belief that racism and bigotry is american history and not american present did not waver.

today, i don't live in chicago. i live in detroit, where one of the first post-Jim Crow era hate crime was committed against Vincent Chin in 1982. more recently in national news, i hear about constance mcmillen, and reverends that refuse to marry inter-racial couples. it is a national shame to have these headlines describe the country we live in today, but i have to say that it gives me hope that bigotry, intolerance, and hate are news-worthy as despicable, shameful acts against society and humanity.

you may not have heard of lesbians being banned from prom or reverends that don't approve of inter-racial loving, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been around. now, it's right in front of you. in your backyard. maybe even your mirrors. now that you know its here, it's up to you on how to process or feel about it. ignore it. fight it. support it. to me, i'm just glad that at least it's an issue. thank goodness.

the newest wave of pajama pants are here: sleeping denim

there are so many great pajama pants in this world. it's about time i had pajama pants that i can work hard and play hard in (and sleep hard). in last year's christmas family pajama exchange, my husband bought his bil stonewashed, coors denim pajama pants. very similar to these. well, the tradition of denim will live on, thanks to pajama gram. they now make them in mom styles. thanks, geekologie.com