I Wonder If Andre 3000 (OutKast) Is Voting?

So I was listening to the classic track "Git Up, Git Out" by OutKast just now when the question occurred to me:


Who is Andre 3000 from OutKast voting for in 2008?


And this question occurs to me because of Andre 3000's fabulous rhyme in the song:

"Y'all tellin me that I need to get out and vote, huh. Why?

Ain't nobody black runnin but (racial epithet directed towards whites that rhymes with slacker), so, why I got to register?

I thinkin of better shit to do with my time

Never smelled aroma of diploma, but I write the deep ass rhymes"

And of course, now I'm asking the question if he's voting because indeed, a (semi?)black candidate is indeed running. Of course, the song kind of ignores the fact that in 1984 and 1988 Jesse Jackson did indeed run for Presidential Candidate, and for a time, seemed to be the front-runner. But I guess Jesse Jackson's campaign has become somewhat of a joke nowadays, a campaign history that even Obama's campaign seeks to distance itself from (especially when one of Clinton's campaign strategists said something to the extent of "It's O.K. Obama won S. Carolina. So did Jesse Jackson, back in the day."

So, in context, the song asks something deeper than "Why do only white people run for President?" The song actually asks "Why do I have to vote when my interests will never truly be represented by a viable candidate running for president? Why can't I just make head-banging music that sneaks in political consciousness into millions of youth and makes me millions (from youth)?" And i think that's the real challenge for Obama, something that he'll really have to prove before I ever wholeheartedly endorse him (altho I seem to heartily endorse him, it's not wholeheartedly). The real challenge that just occurred to me


It's fine that you're a person of color. So what? If I vote for you, and you don't do shit for us, I'll still have better things to do with my time, writing deep ass rhymes.

Fig 1.1 Andre 3000 from OutKast. So, sir, is that a vote for Obama, then?

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The Shortest, Sweetest Story

The shortest, sweetest story:

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Ernest Hemingway, my friends.

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Asian Drinking Games That Will Last Days (Even Months)

So one of my friends from the Bay and I were doing long-distance TV watching one day (long-distance TV watching is when you and your friend watch the same TV channel from two totally different locations in the world and make snide little comments about the show over AIM. It's extremely gratifying and you get to feel the full force of 21st century technology.) when we both feel like getting long-distance drunk (long-distance drunk is when you and your friend drink the same brand of liquor in two totally different locations in the world and make snide little comments about each other on your cell's speakerphone. It's much less gratifying and has been heavily associated with alcoholism. Not suggested.).

So anyways, we break out one of her grandfather's ancient Asian Drinking Games. The ones that involve a lot of singing and drunkenness. It goes like this: Turn your TV onto a really popular TV channel, like NBC. Then, break out your bottle of sake. Everytime an Asian person comes on screen, scream "ASIAN" into the speakerphone and take a shot of sake.

When we started, I had a full handle of sake.

Hours later, I had a full handle of sake.

Days later, a rerun of Grey's Anatomy came on, and I decided to stop playing. To save my almost-full bottle of sake. (Best Buy has this commercial with an Asian salesman selling TV screens. It came on 5 hours into the Drinking game. I didn't actually see it. I was asleep when my friend yelled "ASIAN" and I took a shot of sake out of reflex.)

On that extremely positive note:

On Feb. 7th, Nickelodeon is going to premiere a new animated series on Nick Jr. called "Ni Hao, Kai-lan" (hat-tip, Hyphen Blog). It's a show aimed at preschoolers, and stars a little Chinese American girl named Kai-lan, and her grandpa YeYe. It's a show, in a kind of similar fashion to Dora the Explorer, I suppose, is bi-lingual, with Kai-lan teaching children Chinese, and her grandpa YeYe showcasing a bunch of Chinese customs and traditions (dumplings, lanterns, Lunar New Year, etc.etc.) According to the show's website, the show's goal is to go farther than what "Dora the Explorer" did and not only expose children to the idea of bilingualism, but also biculturalism.

You know what? I mean, I know it's like Mr. Corporate Nickelodeon, and there's probably a chance of this show just promoting stereotypes, and etc.etc. but I think I'm really looking forward to this show. Like really. Something about it makes me smile (maybe it's this picture of dragon boat racing: SO CUTE!)

Fig 1.1 Kai-Lan, YeYe, Her Tiger, Her Koala, and her DragonBoats! SO CUTE!

And I mean, I call my grandpa YeYe. Sure I don't call my little sister Kai-lan, but I mean, the world doesn't always have to reflect my life. And YeYe passed down Chinese customs and traditions to me. I've learned lot from him, and his hornrimmed glasses. It's about time he got some airtime.

And I mean, it sure speeds up the Asian TV Drinking game.

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Emails From Pingping

I got an email from my little sister today, it read:

HI JESSE!!!!
daddy wants you to write more blogs like about the 2008 Hillary/Obama/Republican New Hampshire thing......
....
I mmiss you Jesse...
Well, that's about it....

For all of you who don't know, my father actually founded and runs a "Blogger/Facebook" like website for Chinese people. You can find it here, at www.mentor100.com. (Note: I know there are sometimes a lot of feelings attached to reading/understanding a Chinese website, especially if you're Chinese. If you are Chinese, and still can't read the website, don't feel too bad. Neither can I.) My father usually takes my posts from this blog and posts it on his website, where I get (not) a lot of traffic and am quite (not) famous. So I want you to know, Dad, that this post, this is one meant for you to read.

Hillary won New Hampshire. I was angry. Like, I was really really angry. Irrationally angry, you know? Because Obama didn't lose by that much, and Clinton isn't a horrible person who never deserves to win. But I was really angry. I want Obama to win. I want Obama to sweep the primaries. I want Obama to kill the general election. I want Obama to win so bad that people, all people, will be crying in the streets in amazement by how much he won by.

Because if Obama wins, I can see my future. If Obama wins, I can say, I can do it too. And you know, maybe they'll burn effigies of him in the South. Maybe he'll just barely win. Maybe his election will be as controversial and fake as Bush's 2000 election. But if Obama wins, I could win. You know? And that's big. That's really big. To say that one of us made it.

I remember a long time ago, and my mom and I were in the car, and my mom was listening to talk radio trying to learn English, and I remember I said something, something like "I want to be the President when I grow up", and I remember there was a red light and my mother turned around to me and barely whispered, "I'm sorry."

If Obama wins, my mother won't have to apologize for the color of my skin.

And so I was really angry when Hillary won. And I forgot. I forgot that Hillary grew up in a time when women going to college was still kind of a novelty. I forgot that Hillary went to law school when the percentage of women going to law school was not 50%. I forgot that Hillary became senator when women senators are not popular, and I forgot that Hillary Clinton is running a campaign to become President and while she was running that campaign, two men went up to her and screamed "Iron My Shirt!!" I forgot that ABC News still thinks "Can A Woman Really Be President" is a legitimate question.

I know if Obama wins, I can say, I can too. But I forgot that if Obama wins, my little sister probably can't. And if Hillary wins, maybe she'll have a better chance. So I'm not angry anymore.

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