Thursday, November 11, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Buddha in Popular Culture
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
Friday, May 14, 2010
another one bites the dust.
- 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.
- dead like me. this is one that i more watched off and on, and then it was dead.
- 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.
- 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.
- arrested development. everyone knows this was cancelled way too early.
- twin peaks. i'll never get over this cancellation. it's haunting. it had a great run, and i still love watching old episodes.
- 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.
- freaks and geeks. i have to be in a mood to watch this, but this really was an amazing show
- the tonight show with conan o'brien. team coco
- UPDATED 5/15: Heroes. all the potential, no delivery.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
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?
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 lambscustomers. - 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
- 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.
- 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.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
makes you think: constance mcmillen, and other bigotry in the news
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.