Oh, where should I start. I’ve never been very active with US politics simply because politics disgust me. To me politics (well, at least American politics) is simply a back-and-forth between two groups of incompetent people trying to achieve change… in all the wrong ways possible. Furthermore, politicians are nothing more than figureheads for a few minority interest groups. But with the impending change that the financial crisis brings to this county, the world, and selfishly, most importantly, my own life, I can’t help but turn my head towards this massive cloud of chaos.

Let’s take the $700B bailout plan (here’s a great semi-FAQ about it) proposed by Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed Chief Bernanke. That’s $700 BILLION. I think the figure is $7000 per taxpayer in the US. That’s 7000 of my hard-earned dollars. $7000 that I never even saw in my bank account, that is going straight to somebody or some institution I have no control over. All for what purpose? Because these Wall Street investment banks were too greedy and careless a few years ago. If I were to point fingers, and I do that a lot, I would point them at the mortgage lenders who were too lax on their standards and lent money to people who can’t afford the homes that they want, the clueless homeowners with eyes bigger than their bank accounts who applied for loans for houses they couldn’t possibly pay for and subsequently didn’t do a sanity check when their mortgages were approved, the bankers who came up with these wishy-washy mortgage-backed securities based on sub-prime mortgages, the investment bank CEOs who were too focused on the money they were making instead of on hedging risk and pulling out of a market that was doomed to collapse… and lastly, the so-called lawmakers of the country who loosened regulations on these financial institutions and sat back when the mortgage crisis started unfolding. And let’s see, who suffered? Not the bankers who made away with their millions of dollars of end-of-year bonuses in 2006. Definitely not them.

Do I sound bitter to you? Yeah, you bet I am. Am I letting my bias against investment banks get to me? Yeah, you bet I am. I went to college for 4 years with these investment banker wannabes, who, for the most part, ended up becoming investment bankers. And some of them snubbed me for not wanting that “glamorous job”. Um, I don’t know what’s so glorious about your job. Actually, I know it’s not. Because look at what’s happening now. All the biggest and formerly revered investment banks are brought down to nothing. All because a small group of ignorant people. And who are left to clean this mess up? Well, Bush happens to think it’s the average taxpayer. Well, listen up there Commander in Chief, this is an ordinary taxpaying citizen telling you, NO WAY IN HELL. Why should my hard-earned money go buy some pile of soured securities so these banks don’t have to fail? Why is that my responsibility? These banks should fail. They were greedy; they were careless. Every bad-behaving child who does something wrong should be punished, so that they don’t repeat the same mistake again. How are grown adults and established financial institutions different?

Let’s look at how this plan is supposed to “solve” all our problems. The plan proposes to use this money to buy all the mortgage-backed securities from banks so that the banks don’t have to become insolvent. This is so that they can start lending again, like proper banks. Hmm, remind me just how banks like Goldman Sachs lend money? I thought they were on the investment side, not the commercial side. Oh, but that’s just a technicality, since they’re being turned into commercial banks as we speak. Fine, and point. So far so good.

Until we think about how instead of the banks, now the government is holding these bad securities. I don’t think simply changing the owner is going to make these suckers profitable. Bush tells us that over time, the mortgage-holders behind these mortgage-backed securities (yeah, complicated, I know – think: mortgage-backed securities are packaged investments on a lot of mortgages) are eventually going to pay up their obligations. Well! If that isn’t true! I’ll be glad if everyone one were able to own up to their word. But you forget an important point, my dear Mr. President… the fact that these people are defaulting on their mortgages because they don’t have the financial credentials to pay for their big expensive house. Therefore, no matter who owns these securities and how much time we give them, they will never pay up! So don’t give me all the crap about how in time, these securities will pay returns and we’ll all get our money back. It just doesn’t work that way.

Another suggestion for the plan is to put the money into the hands of individual mortgage payers. Paulson rejected this notion on the point that it would be too much work involved in making this happen. I agree with this, except that is a minor point. If it really helped to give money to individual homeowners, I think any amount of work involved should be done. The main problem with this suggestion, one tends to forget, is the fact that we’ll be giving free money to these homeowners! Let’s put aside my selfish reason of not wanting to pay someone else’s mortgage (I mean seriously, can someone pay my mortgage please?) and focus on the fact that by giving them free money to pay down their mortgages doesn’t solve the problem of these homeowners not having a brain about their finances. Don’t encourage bad financial behavior please! It’s sort of like paying for the candy your kid shoplifted instead of spanking the hell out of them! Also, in the end, if the government paid these people’s mortgages, who ends up with the money… the banks! And these people are living in houses much too expensive for what they’ve earned… How is that democratic? How is that fair?

You know what the problem with this country’s political system is? We’re always looking for the easy cover-ups. We’re always reacting to something instead of being proactive to prevent something. This is why I agree with Obama when he said that on top of finding a way out of this financial crisis, we have to make laws to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Financial institutions are given much more freedom than they should be allowed. We’ve been turning a blind eye on them because nothing has happened. But now that something has, we need to stop doing that. The first thing one learns in Finance class is high return also means high risk. It’s a double edged sword. So instead of looking at what these banks have achieved in the past, we should look at what kind of severe consequences they have on the ordinary person, the ordinary person who didn’t do anything wrong but are affected.

Ahhhh, I’m tired of all this typing. I was original going to include my views on Sarah Palin (yeah, it was gonna be good too), but maybe I’ll save that for a future post.

Anyway, I was expecting a lot and was severely disappointed, perhaps because I had high expectations to begin with. But I don’t think that was what went wrong, since I expect a lot out of so called “great” sushi places. I went with a friend to dinner and found the decor pleasant. The only thing I don’t like is the lack of reservations, though we got there early enough for there not to be a wait.

The menu was enticing. Lots of items (and wow that sake list) to offer, though a bit lacking on variety, though I haven’t been to any place that offered more variety than Sushi Yasuda. That aside, the menu offered lots of choices, for the connoisseur or the clueless. Also, Blue Ribbon Sushi doesn’t just offer sushi, there are quite a number of appetizers and non-sushi dishes to pick from.

I went with the daikon (radish) salad, sushi deluxe, a piece of botan ebi sushi (one of my favorites, I love shellfish sushi), and one of the specials that day, whole live clam – I didn’t feel like paying $65 for the omakase for a first time visit. Yes, I eat a lot, if you didn’t get that already from my previous posts. My friend got the Honoo set, essentially 3 spicy rolls. She was also going to get the Iwashi Special but they didn’t have it that day.

The service was adequate and prompt, so no complaints there. But as I mentioned above, the food just wasn’t as good as I expected. Fresh it was fresh. But the portion size was a bit small for the price I paid. Granted, the omakase might have offered some exciting varieties but from where I sat at the bar, I didn’t see any fish out of the ordinary. Their a la carte menu was also scarce in terms of variety. All in all, my Blue Ribbon Sushi experience was less adventurous as I had hoped. Sushi fans, stick to Sushi Yasuda for value and variety and Sushi of Gari if you want something fancier and are on a corporate expense account (or are just loaded).

Serving a variety of French classics on a cute bilingual menu (so non-French speakers, such as myself, are not intimidated), Café Henri’s offerings are fairly appetizing. Most of the entrees come with a side green salad and the portions are just right. Anything with Ratatouille (a tomato-y stew) is highly recommended, especially the crepes. And for dessert, don’t forget to get a sweet crepe. They’ll definitely make your sugar tooth happy.

I randomly came upon this question on a slow Friday at work. This was my attempt of the week to think outside of the box.

But seriously now, have you ever thought about that? Why do we count from 1 to 10 and then move on to 11? Why are decimals 0.1 to 0.9?

One might initially argue that this is just the way it is. Well, everybody, let’s ponder at this freely. Why should we accept this as fact like everything else in the world? The base 10 number system isn’t something like a law of physics, which by normal logic and argument cannot be broken. Our number system is a force of habit, something we’ve come to accept since… oh, the 5th century (had to wiki this one).

Why are we so pigeon holed into this thinking? The number 10 isn’t even that unique. Or versatile. I think 12 would make a better base. It’s divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6. Makes fractions and dividing so much easier. Wouldn’t you love to think about 1/3 as 0.25 instead of 0.33…3333333?

However, whether 12 makes for a better base than 10 is trivial. I mean, 10 is so “intuitive” because we’re so ingrained into that thinking. Well, at least everyday people are. Computer programmers and whatnot might disagree.

I think the bigger question here is… when was the last time we all thought about what we take granted in life in a different way? Why do we have a 7-day week? Why not 8 days with a 3 day weekend? I would love a longer weekend to balance out the work week. We all work too hard.

Why do we work from 9-5 and not 8-4 or 7-3? Being at work for the golden hours of the day is even worse than having a 2-day weekend. Let’s all wake up early, go to work early, and have a whole half day to do the things we really want to do!

A penny for your thoughts?

In any case, this entry is on the wonderful dinner I had at Yakitori Totto on Friday. This small midtown restaurant is a gem. The 1 hour wait and short climb to the 2nd floor is well worth the effort… because the food will have you reminiscing for days. I guarantee it.

This is my second trip to Totto and was looking forward to it the entire week. I swear I drooled over the menu all day at work on Friday. Wasn’t a pretty sight, I’m sure. The food at Totto can be classified as Japanese street food made for the upper middle class. You won’t find greasy oil bins for deep frying or cracks in the walls from lack of renovation. The restaurant seats 40 people, tops, but keeps with a modern decorative motif, complete with a display of eggs on one of the walls.

At Totto you’ll find a few categories of food: yakitori (well, duh), rice & noodles, small plates/appetizers, and dessert. Of course, one wouldn’t head to Totto without having their yakitori (literally, grilled chicken, but think: chicken satay, shish kebab, or if you prefer, meat on sticks). My recommendations for yakitori: Negima (chicken thighs w/ scallion), Hatsu (chicken heart – for the adventurous), Tsukune (chicken meatball), skirt steak, and the best on the menu IMO, Kobe beef Gyu-tan (beef tongue – not for the faint hearted). Japanese food is always a bit exotic and adventurous… but seriously, it won’t kill ya. Just try not to remember what you just ate. It all tastes like chicken! Oh, one thing to note, their chicken (and eggs) are apparently all organic!

Now don’t expect yakitori to fill your stomach (unless you’re anorexic, then I don’t suggest you come here…), but it will empty your wallet if you attempt to. So to fill the rest of your appetite, try some of the following: Dashi Maki Tamago (rolled egg omelette… totally worth your 9 bucks, trust me), The Negi Tori Don (quite big rice thing with chicken, scallion, and half cooked egg – share it with your date), Ochazuke with plum (rice with light broth, dried seaweed, sesame, and sour plum – so good and a great end to end a semi-greasy and flavorful meal). And when you’re done with the salty stuff, order the Ice Banana, arguably the best dessert I’ve had.

Next Totto challenge for me: Takitate Donabe Gohan or Zidori Donabe Gohan. Nabe is like a hotpot with meat, veggies, soup stock, and usually rice at the end. It’s heaven for your taste buds. Will let you know the results!

Let’s put aside the fact that I am Chinese and generally pro-China in terms of this whole Tibet issue. And let’s put aside the fact that what Sharon Stone said was about China.

I am simply shocked, appalled, and above all, disappointed at how any human being can say something like that about innocent people who have died or suffered because of a natural disaster. Calling a natural disaster “karma” for the presumed actions of a country’s government is truly outrageous.

Sharon, I ask you, can we say something similar for the 2004 tsunami? Or Hurricane Katrina? Or 9/11 even? Any tragedy involving innocent human life should be mourned with respect. As a human being yourself, how can you say something so insensitive (and let’s not even mention without logic, coherence, or proper grammar) in public? You should be ashamed of yourself.

Also, to end my post, some of the commenters were even more appalling. Please get a brain, and a heart too, while you’re at it. This isn’t even about China vs. US or Tibet anymore. You are missing the essence of human integrity and compassion.

I was very curious about the Crudo dishes and was determined to get the Crudo Tasting as my appetizer. Served in two parts for a total of six bite-size explosions of flavor, the Crudo Tasting was absolutely divine. I like my seafood raw and usually like it without any flavor additions, i.e. a la sushi rice, a dash of wasabi and soy sauce, but this dish was a new take on fresh fish. I think my favorite was the tuna, which I didn’t think would taste so… rich. Out of all sushi, tuna is one of my least favorites as I believe it is almost bland compared to other tasteful fish. But I was pleasantly surprised with a sizely portion of blue fin tuna doused lightly in oil. I then had a serving of oysters, which, if you’ve read my post on Aquagrill, know that I cannot resist. As expected of a pricey Italian restaurant, their oysters were perfect.

For my main dish I had the Maccheroni Alla Chitarra. Oh, how I cannot resist sea urchin. Again, I usually like my seafood raw but wanted to see what Chef Batali can do with sea urchin in the pasta capacity. I must say that perhaps, my expectations were a bit too high. My dining mates thought the dish to be wonderful but I was not convinced. Visually, the dish was beyond beautiful. The pasta looked thick and plump (just the way I like it), with a coating of a deliciously creamy yellow sauce and a dash of fresh green leeks. But when I took a bite, I was all too disappointed. I think what threw me off most was the fact that the pasta was not steaming hot. That put a damper on things as I worked through my portion (which I should mention was pleasantly large for an upscale Italian restaurant in Manhattan — they usually like to starve us, or make us think we need to diet more often). The first bite was delicious, despite being lukewarm, but the second and then the third were not so much. I tasted a distinct “fishy”ness that you get when you stepped into a restaurant you wished weren’t so dingy. Perhaps my tongue for seafood is all too sensitive from all the sushi I eat; I’ve developed a hyperactive palate.

My cousin’s boyfriend also got a whole fish, whose name I forget, that was lightly seasoned then grilled (I’m guessing). He thought it was great, so I’ll take his word for it. I usually don’t eat cooked fish unless it’s from my mom’s wok. Have I mentioned that I liked raw fish?

The rest of the dinner was uneventful; I even forget whether we had dessert. Oh, wait! I remember having coffee, which was good. The check came and I was satisfied, being pleasantly full. My memories of the crudo and oysters made me forget the awful pasta, so all in all, I had a great time!

If you look at the reviews for this restaurant, they’re pretty good. But I didn’t go there for the entrees. I went there for the oysters. This place is like heaven for raw bar lovers… and yes, I was in heaven. The three of us shared their “Oyster Sampler”, which is one of each oyster, a total of 22. When they brought up the huge plate with an assortment of shapes and sizes on a bed of ice, my mouth nearly watered. I think it’s an understatement to say that I love oysters. And I was not disappointed! The oysters were like madness. Absolutely beyond satisfaction. Each one was fresh and melted in my mouth. I couldn’t ask for more.

And if you’re not much of a raw seafood person, Aquagrill offers a variety of other options. First of all, their bread, which is more like homemade blueberry mini-muffins and lemon sugar shortbread (served with butter and warm strawberry jam), is to die for. I always love restaurants that give warm, freshly made bread than the dry Italian bread that can break my gums. I also had their mussel soup, which has a light cream base with saffron and leeks (I think). It was delicious. For my main entree (yes, I ate a lot), I had the grilled bass sandwich. That was not as good, but then again, I had already been half full. The bass was a bit too spiced up for my tastes and the bread wasn’t as good as I had hoped. Maybe I should’ve went with the omelettes or eggs benedict. They looked mighty good on other people’s plates.

We opted out for dessert, having been quite stuffed and about to go into a food coma. Although I should give special mention to their dessert (that we didn’t have). Apparently Aquagrill makes their own chocolate and they have a $15 tasting menu with one of each chocolate. That would’ve been a perfect end to an already wonderful brunch. The only damper was the fact that it rained on my way out (not their fault) and that the wait time between plates was a tad long. But neither was gonna convince me that Aquagrill was not a keeper. This one is a comeback for sure.

What amazed and inspired me was that the fact that he is barely 30 years old and designed some of the coolest websites I’ve seen (though he does deserve much appreciation in that respect). Let me start from the beginning.

At work, we have a monthly talk forum where our CEO likes to give us an update of our progress and future goals. Sometimes he’ll bring in guest speakers. Jonathan was our guest speaker yesterday. He started his talk with his childhood. He has always been a very creative person. As a child, he would draw and write stories from his imagination. And now as an adult, he is more interested in telling the stories of the real world. He thinks that a glimpse into a person’s life, through a photograph for example, is much more interesting than otherwise. Because the human mind tends to fill in the empty space with our own theories.

This inspired him to created the We Feel Fine project. Apart from being the coolest web project I’ve ever seen, We Feel Fine is a very unique approach to “telling stories”… of ordinary people. The project scans the web for the words “I feel” and “I am feeling” on public English language blogs and stores the sentence in which either of those phrases appear into a database. Each sentence is then assigned an “emotion”. The We Feel Fine applet, then, is a visual representation of the feelings of the world. Right now.

There are many different “movements” of We Feel Fine. The one shown above is “Madness”. One can explore the feelings of the world through colorful circles and hovers. If you move to “Murmurs”, you can see the most recently expressed feelings as they are captured. In “Montage”, you can view images associated with “I feel” and “I am feeling” sentences, giving you another piece of information to ponder at someone else’s feelings. Under “Mobs”, you can see a sorted view from the most popular to least popular feelings. Apparently, the most popular feeling is better. You can also segment the population by gender, age, weather (this one is pretty cool) and location.

Let’s put aside the visual orgasm that We Feel Fine brings. Jonathan says that he wanted to present the internet not as a cold stern string of machines… but a very warm and human place. Jonathan, right now, I feel fine!!