Asians and Catholicism

I've recently had this thought...

Why aren't more Asians Catholic? And don't tell me that Filipinos count because they don't even click the Asian box, they choose "Pacific Islander".

Anyway, why aren't more East Asians Catholic? I mean, think about it. Catholicism, shame and guilt, shame and guilt... repent, repent, repent. Typical Japanese/Korean/Chinese expectations... not good enough, need to save face, always apologizing for not having enough (especially with the Japanese folk). I mean, it's like culture shame should transition very easily into religious shame, no? Maybe that would just lead to even more suicidal tendencies but I certainly think there is a valid connection here. Very heavy on the shame.

I don't know what prompted this thought, it just came to me.

On another note, I recommend watching "I Love You, Man". Lots of awkward humor, it's like social "nails on a chalkboard" - but it is hysterical. Jason Siegel might just be my new king of comedy.

L I V E C H E A P

So I've just stumbled onto the most brilliant idea. I need to start saving money by not eating out, right? But the problem is I don't have the discipline or reminder to NOT eat out and therefore, I generally end up spending money and buying bad food while eating out. This then depletes my bank account and balloons my girlish figure. My goal is to get the opposite of that. So here's the idea...

When doing the Nike Run last year, I got one of those yellow "L I V E S T R O N G" bracelets that Lance Armstrong gives out. Now don't get me wrong, I want to live strong, but I think I'm going to start wearing it for my new goal, to live cheap. I mean, not that I want to be cheap miser, but to live in a manner when I'm eating in more often and spending less money on frivolous things. I guess I could say "L I V E W I T H I N M Y M E A N S" but that doesn't quite have the ring that "L I V E C H E A P" does.

However, once a week the girlfriend and I will allow ourselves to spend money on something frivolous. On Sundays after church we will either eat out or buy ourselves a cheap "present" or something. And to be even cooler, we're going to boost the local economy with this local "Recession Buster" plan. Here are the details:

Recession Buster of the Week

It’s time we own this recession and get busy rebuilding and supporting our communities and our country.

The 3/50 project was born out of the concept of buying local to build the economy.
How do you support your local business and stores when your pocket book is so slim?

1. Pick 3 independently owned businesses that you would miss if they disappeared. Stop in. Say hello. Pick up something that brings a smile. Your purchases are what keeps those businesses around.

2. If half the employed population spent $50 each month in local independent businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of the employed population did that!

3. For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain only $43 stay here.

4. The number of people it takes to start the trend…one….you!

Read more about the 3/50 project here http://www.the350project.net/media.html

We're not necessarily going to spend $50 a month, but at least we'll be trying to do something to better ourselves and the community. It's a small step, but hopefully it will lead to a more economically conscious Shandrew.

So if you see me walking around with one of those ridiculous yellow bands, you can laugh. But remember, I actually have a purpose for it!

Nicer People = Nicer Drivers = Nicer People

One thing that I've been thinking about a lot since I have returned from the Bay area is this: the people up north are much nicer than the people down south. I'm not talking about the individuals, I'm talking about the collective "people". The reason there is a difference is because I honestly felt like I was a nicer person while I was up north compared to when I was down south. How do I know this..?

Driving.

That's right, that thing you do every day, to get to work, to go on a date, to buy stuff... that's my indicator. Let's call it, Angry Driver Meter or "A.D.M." for short. So in Los Angeles, my A.D.M. is generally at around 8 or 9 out of ten when heading into Downtown LA. I make it a point to keep people from getting in front of me if they piss me off or even just look at me funny. This translates into a pissy mood when I'm out of the car because I'm sitting there walking around or eating dinner still fuming about the inconsiderate bastard that nearly hit me with his goddamn SUV. Therefore, I am generally not as "nice" a person as I have the potential to be because I am constantly in a state of bloodlust post any driving trips.

However, in San Francisco, you take public transportation or walk quite a bit. It is a pedestrian friendly city. Not only that, when you are driving, it is relatively impossible to rush any where because there's a goddamn stoplight every one/tenth of a mile (think I'm shitting you? go do the measurements yourself, it's 1 fricken 10th of a mile from stoplight to stoplight). So there's no point in even driving very fast because you're really not going to make any headway. Therefore, you tend to kind of just go with the flow. Due to this newfound serenity, you also are a lot more patient with other drivers who are now real people, no longer nameless douchebags to be added to the "List of People I Will Kill if I am Diagnosed With an Incurable and Fatal Disease". So when someone signals to get into a lane because they might miss their turn you find yourself thinking, "go right ahead sir, thanks for signalling!" instead of, "you bastard...". So (bringing it home folks), when you get out of the car and go to meet up with people, or go to work, you are in a relatively anger free state. Thus, you are more congenial with your fellow homo sapiens.

Obviously this is just one visit and not a very scientific method to explain the reason why I feel people in NorCal are nicer than SoCal. I just definitely felt a lot calmer when I was driving there - that calmness translated into a kinder, gentler Andrew. One thing that really stuck out in my mind is that even when I was in bumper to bumper traffic, I wasn't chewing on my fingers trying to get my mind of the pain of driving in traffic. I wasn't happy, don't get me wrong, but I certainly wasn't going through my general "I'm going to kill the next person that pisses me off" mode that I'm accustomed to dealing with when I'm in a crowd and that is definitely a plus. In fact, despite the crowd you find on public transportation, I am able to cope with the uncomfortable "crowd" atmosphere in a much more efficient manner because at least we are going somewhere. Just the fact that I became a nicer person and I noticed that everyone else was very nice leads me to believe that the "people" are nicer in an area because that area does a better job of keeping the "person" in a calm and healthy state. L.A. is definitely not a place that I would say does that.

Now that we're back to the original topic, San Francisco makes me a mellower and nicer person. Dare I say the thought of a relocation is really not as bad as I thought. I mean, I will miss the great food in LA but I will probably add years to my life via lower blood pressure due to an escape from the nightmares of L.A. traffic. But, until such a relocation happens, if you are going to cut me off, be prepared to see some extended fingers. And they will not be of the "THUMBS UP" variety.