The Meaning Behind Every Holiday

Holidays are culture. They allow us to celebrate the important aspects of our lives that we oft take for granted. In a way, they're what remind us throughout the year that we're human beings who live for each other.

Each and every holiday has a rich history and a very special message behind it, so I'm going to run down some of the reasons why we celebrate. Let's start with the beginning of the year...

When Authors' Names Are Bigger Than The Book's Title

Whenever I walk into a bookstore like Barnes & Noble, I look around at the piles of books in the "best-selling authors" section and I notice the same thing every time:

The authors' god damn names are always bigger than the book's title.

Seriously, every cover just looks like:


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DAN BROWN. I'M DAN BROWN. 

I'M A FAMOUS AUTHOR PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE ME

By the way my book is called Angels and Demons.

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I mean, I get that it's about self-promotion, but come on. Have some integrity. It makes novel writing as a whole look like a gigantic jerking contest.

We Are Not Being Microchipped

I normally like to write my posts in a calm and neutral tone, but I'm honestly just frustrated, sick, and tired of this tin-foil hat conspiracy nonsense. I've been hearing for YEARS that we're going to be microchipped by the government and that it's a sign of the coming of the anti-christ, and it just frustrates me to no end that perfectly rational and intelligent people are confusing their beliefs with this madness.

Should Tipping Be Necessary?

Tipping at restaurants is a practice that involves rewarding a server for their excellent service. Here in the U.S., it's a social convention you get crucified for not following. So, at the risk of being judged, I'm going to go ahead and say that I'm not a huge fan of the gratuity system. Now, when I say that, I am in no way claiming that waiters shouldn't be paid for their services. I'm critical of the current system, which is to say that waiters should not have to rely on public charity to earn a living. 

Examining Asian Stereotypes

As an Asian American living in the United States, I find myself dealing with prejudice and stereotyping on a near-constant basis. It's a weird thing with Asian people; despite my being completely American in terms of culture, I'm still viewed as a foreigner. I've learned to tolerate it over the years, but there's the occasional person who just doesn't seem to have a care about being ignorant.

We can't just tell these people to stop generalizing, but what we can do is feed them the knowledge they need to stop assuming the wrong things. In order to shed some light on the origins of Asian America's most prominent stereotypes, I thought I'd try my hand at explaining them one by one. By doing so, I hope to help people understand why certain stereotypes exist, and why they couldn't possibly apply to everybody.

Don't expect anything too in-depth; these are just my thoughts. If you are a fellow Asian American, feel free to contribute. Also, note that I'll mostly be discussing stereotypes associated with East Asians. Now, to begin with...

Pokemon: Old Gen vs. New Gen

I grew up with Pokemon, just like every other human being from my generation. At its peak, it was just about the biggest thing ever. Everybody with a Gameboy played the games, and everybody with hands and feet had a collection of Pokemon cards. It got so ridiculous that by the second year of the craze, my elementary school banned Pokemon cards from school property. Nowadays, most people look back with extremely fond memories of the early days of Pokemon. Then there are people like me, who never lost their childhood spirit and still play the games.

Now, as an adult Pokemon player, there's one thing that never ceases to bug me.