1000 posts

If I keep posting 10 posts a day until the Convention, I’ll reach 1000 posts!

Congratulations, me!

Nastia Liukin wins Olympic all-around

American Rivals Dominate All-Around

What a night with the Olympic gold and silver. I’m exhausted from pressing up to and praying at the teevee. It was very hard to watch. I was so nervous for the Americans and am glad Liukin won. It ushers in the old style of gymnastics. It’s called artistic gymnastics for a reason. They should keep the age limit of 16 and reward artistry over freak of nature acrobatics to achieve the the beautiful balance displayed by Liukin. It was awesome when head judge Nelli Kim stepped in and demanded Liukin get what she deserved on beam, goddammit! Kim represents the artistic style. In 1976, she was 19 and beat out by the younger, less artistic sprite, Nadia Comaneci, 14. Mary Lou Retton ushered in the acrobatic style at the 1984 Olympics.

Me in high school

(Click to enlarge)

My picture was in the Lake Forester (the local paper) and the Chicago Tribune more than a dozen times. The sports photographers told me they liked photographing me. This was a year before I went to Karolyi’s. I won the floor ex, balance beam, second in all-around and first in team at this all-Conference championships. I got a 9.1.

Jennifer Sey, who I teased earlier, is Salon’s gymnastics commentator.

Chinese women

should win the team competition. They train the hardest and deserve it. Shawn Johnson should win the all-around.

It’s not fair China had up to four underage girls who are more flexible, quick and fearless. [UPDATE: Time: "The IOC was satisfied with passports produced by the IFG for the girls, showing they are 16. But Karolyi remains doubtful and critical. 'I have no proof, so I cannot say they are underage. If that is true - which it possibly could be because one of the little girls has a missing tooth - then it is totally unfair because it doesn't give an even playing field for people all over the world.'" EDIT: The Karolyis know all about doctoring passports in Romania. Gymnasts like Ecaterina Szabo competed internationally at 13 and were later found to be underaged. She later won second all-around at the 1984 Olympics. Dominique Dawes, The Chinese women were better because they're underaged. You put the cart before the horse.]

It was pure propaganda, of course. The opening ceremonies and now the men’s and women’s team golds. The men and women gymnasts trained for Beijing. They’re instruments of the state like decades of Romanian and Russian gymnasts before the former Soviet Union fell on hard times. American gymnasts have to pay for years of private gyms on their own. My dad pretty much paid for twelve years of private gyms for me.

Remember the twenty-year old, Cheng Fei, who was also at the last Olympics? Four years ago, there was that puff piece that showed she did not see her family for years. They showed her mom weeping as Cheng Fei took the train back to “camp.” They deserved their gold.

For the Americans, silver was pretty good.

Good show.

Here are the words of the Chinese national anthem you’re hearing a lot. It was adopted in 1949 when Beijing came under control of Communists (my brother with the UMich MA in Chinese Studies would surely be more accurate with this history):

March of the Volunteers

Arise,
Ye who refuse to be slaves!
With our very flesh and blood,
Let us build our new Great Wall!
The peoples of China are in the most critical time,
Everybody must roar his defiance.
Arise!
Arise!
Arise!
Millions of hearts with one mind,
Brave the enemy’s gunfire, March on!
Brave the enemy’s gunfire, March on!
March on!
March on!
On!

No one talks about me

Saw this magazine at the Border’s today: Rev. Wright Was Right About Man-Made AIDS. I was shocked Pete down at the dock said no one ever talked about me, Chad at the marina bar said no one ever talked about me, our neighbor who knows everything said no one ever talked about me, tons of groups of people never talked about me. Such is life with paranoia. I’m on medications.

Lost Clown

“For Lambert“

That Zhang Yimou sequence

was something else.

You can’t beat that Olympics opening ceremonies.

USA! USA!

CHINA! What a sight. The nine-year-old little boy who saved his classmates during the earthquake because as hall monitor it was his responsibility got the tears flowing.

Pretty exciting stuff. A proud moment for me and my parents.

You can’t beat that finale.

“When it comes to opening ceremonies, retire the trophy.” –Bob Costas

Photos

Panoramic view

In case you missed it

OK

These kids are crazy. (American men’s high bar)

Once you start…

eyelash curler…eyelash separator…they work!

The best mascara I ever had

Kevin Aucoin - The Mascara - Volume Rich Pitch Black

You’re worth it. You are.

Jolie-laid

The Silky terrier puppy at the pet store down the block from our summer house was so sweet and loving, I considered getting a dog for the first time. He’ll only get twice as big as this, to 8-10 pounds, like a cat. Can you see the pathos in his face?

21 days to break/form a habit

For five days, I ate five fruits/vegs, drank more water and walked an hour. 20 pounds to go to 120. It takes 21 days to break/form a habit.

Mom

again because she’s Mom. She looks great for 76.

Mom

Daddy

Us: Who do you think should be President?

Two-year-old niece: Ian (her brother).

Us: Who are you going to marry?

Niece: Daddy.

This behavior has to stop

Amen.

My stomach sank this afternoon when I read this story, indicating that the suspected killer was a Chinese-Canadian immigrant.

I’m reminded of the little-known statistic showing that Asian American men, like Asian American women, are unusually susceptible to mental illness and disease, confounded by cultural reluctance to seek psychiatric help and therapy. Clearly, from Li’s unprovoked attack on an innocent man, his deranged mutilation of the victim’s body, his comments moments after his arrest that he hoped to “stay on the bus forever”, and his apparently suicidal statement at his court appearance today, Li clearly has mental issues that could have gone undiagnosed for years.

My entire life, I’ve watched mentally ill Asian/Asian American men and women be cast aside as weak, unusual, and “abnormal”. The sicknesses are hidden, pills are shoved at the patients, and the community puts on a brave smile in order to “save face” that there are mentally ill in our midst. This behaviour needs to stop.

There have been many stories of mentally ill, suicidal, or violently psychotic Asian American men in recent media, and I have to wonder how many more the APIA community has to hear before we are willing to prioritize mental health issues as our chief concern. As a community, we will continue to allow mental illness to claim those amongst us, so long as we allow these diseases to remain culturally stigmatized and we refuse to acknowledge the effect that the Asian American experience has on how Asian American men and women develop — and seek (or don’t seek) — help for their illnesses.

I also feel deeply saddened by this whole affair: that a man who likely needed psychiatric help never got it, and by a community who will probably be more quick to cast Li from the community than to look inward as to how we can prevent this from ever happening again.

The denial of mental illness has to stop. Mental illness should be given parity with other physical illnesses and should be covered by health insurance. Clinton would give us universal health care and this mandate would force insurance companies out of business and lower costs for all.

Big deal

My little nephew windsurfed with my brother today. He was on the board with my brother and sometimes stood up.

This was a big deal for my dad. He’s always recruiting windsurfing partners.

I WAS a baby

Two-year-old niece: I was a baby.

Me: Last year, right?

There’s such a thing as too much cuteness. I sat across from my two-year-old niece and five-year-old nephew at dinner tonight. I’m exhausted. Too much visual and aural stim. Such cuteness should be outlawed.

Ugh. Living with (now) Obama supporters who joined the website and everything. They’re trying to convince me the abuse I went through for seven months was “McCain.” Like PUMAs are Republicans. While arguing, I didn’t notice my nephew standing right below me with a concerned pout. As always Mom said, “Those people (referring to me) are feminists.”

My name is

Alicia which means “truth” or “noble.” My middle name which is Chinese means “beautiful one.” My older brothers’ middle names are “scholarly one” and “bright one.” My last name means “correct.” My mother’s maiden name means “king.”

I’m truth, noble, beautiful and correct.

Pleased to meetcha.

Just right

Until 20, I was completely passive so people in college told me to be assertive and to speak up. At 21, I went to Paris for a year, realized the first Iraq War was wrong — I arrived right before the war started — became liberal, feminist and started speaking up at Paris 12 Step ACoA, Al-Anon and Overeaters Anonymous meetings. I still veer from sounding passive to sounding arrogant. No matter how hard I try, I can’t just be assertive.

I’m giving you a choice

Five-year-old nephew: I’m giving you a choice. I’ll ruin your blog if you don’t vote for Barack Obama.

Me: What do you think of Barack Obama?

Five-year-old nephew: Good President.