The Dark Knight

OMG - I haven't been this pumped about a movie in such a long time. Wow...absolutely captivating. I walked in thinking, "fuck...I want this movie to be good so badly, there's no possible way it could live up to my expectations." - Wrong...It wasn't just Ledger's performance (he won't win the Oscar, but that's just cause he had to wear clown makeup), it was the story. It was complex and dark filled with tension and conflicted emotions, the script was incredible. Add to that outstanding performances by Oldman, Bale, Freeman and Eckhardt, this movie was awesome. It was sorta like a human drama, character study, summer action blockbuster and horror film all rolled into one. Go see it.

The Silent Package and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Sometimes in life we encounter people that seem so fixated on fulfilling such basic and visceral wants and desires that they lose sight of the effect their insecurities have on other people. I have one friend who is 33 and has never had a serious girlfriend. He has technically had a girlfriend, but I don't believe the relationship was ever consummated. In fact, he has never "consummated" a relationship with anyone. And while the 40 year old virgin was a nice, slightly geeky, but charming guy, the "silent package" is anything but.

Named as such because he enjoys calling himself the "total package". He claims to be smart, charming and handsome, meanwhile, he is short, bitter and only recently lost some weight. When he was fatter, he was just as bitter, but a little less annoying, and far less arrogant. I've tried to help him, as have the rest of my friends, but nothing seems to work. So I've decided to see if I can apply Maslow's hierarchy of needs to determine what he needs to do to get past this shallow unhappiness.

The Hierarchy is based on the idea that all

humans have fundamental needs that have

to be fulfilled before they can be self-

actualized. Self-actualization is a level of human consciousness where due to the fact that the other needs are being me, this person can pursue higher, more noble pursuits such as making the world better or self improvement. The self-actualized person isn't bitter, jealous or demeaning. It is shaped in the form of a pyramid because you cannot fully achieve a level until the needs of the level below it has been fulfilled.

Based on what I know of my friend, he has the first two levels pretty well taken care of. It is the third where he lacks. He has friends, but at some point he treats all of us like shit and makes an attempt to bring us down. He has family and spends a decent amount of time with them for his age. But he is seriously lacking sexual intimacy. According to the hierarchy it appears that until he fulfills the love/belonging level of the pyramid when cannot achieve the confidence and self-esteem associate with the esteem level. I believe that a deficiency at the esteem level is what causes him to lash out. So basically, until my boy gets laid he won't stop feeling shitty about himself and lashing out at others.

Any volunteers?

Culture in Hawaii

Throughout my entire childhood of growing up here in Hawaii, I have never doubted the unique culture of Hawaii and the indelible sense that we are the best, a mixture of many different cultures including Asian and European. We have always promoted ourselves as the pioneers of purloining the best from each culture and enveloping them within our own. And I whole heartedly agree.

Who would I be, or what would I have become without knowing the joys of spam for breakfast, katsu and kimchee on the same plate, or walking down to Maunkea Marketplace for Filipino and Thai food for brunch. The seafood here is outstanding and the birthplace of surfing is something I constantly brag about to my friends from the mainland. What other place could give birth to someone with a world view like Barack Obama. But often times what I wonder is how a culture so diverse and so unique be so xenophobic? We hate everything foreign, we have adapted the Japanese mentality, to quote the Last Samurai, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered."

This sort of mentality frustrates me. When I speak to people, I get the same answers - the ones that people think they are supposed to give. It is rare that I will ever get an honest opinion from someone, especially when I need it. This exclusivity can only hurt us. Have always been a firm believer in the marketplace of ideas, and I believe that this is key to keep Hawaii diverse and preserve our culture.

This statement needs a caveat. I don't believe that our culture is a stagnant one, such as Chinese, Japanese or Italian. We are not a separate country, nor do we have a thousand years of traditional practices and solidarity. Ours is based on an ever changing, ever evolving amalgamation of cultures...always incorporating those influences which permeate through all our different ethnic identities. The minute was stop infusing other cultures into our own, is the minute we lose our coolness factor. imagine if we were still sporting handlebar mustaches and calling our boardshorts baggies? I would be heartbroken if there wasn't myriad of pho restaurants to quench my craving for that tasty basil laden broth.

Point is we must continue to push the boundaries of what is considered part of local culture. To laid down our predisposed biases and open our minds to debate and exploration. Maybe if everyone pushed themselves a little further, we all might have something more to bring to the table. We'd all be a little smarter, a little more cultured and maybe just a little more understanding of everyone else's differences.

July 4th Weekend

Hopefully, no one will be offended by me less than eloquent entries as I believe that in order to improve my writing (for the Lost Child novel), I must deal with more volume and less vocabulary in my blog entries, so hopefully this is a start of a new beginning...Actually, who am I kidding, no one reads this crap anyways.

Ahh, the 4th of July is coming up, and as far as my practical concerns for the holiday, it is basically where am I drinking and what am I cooking. In years past, I have had hits with bacon wrapped mushrooms stuffed with scallops, and sushi rolls for my San Diego friends. This year, I think and reflection upon why I am celebrating this holiday might be an interesting twist. Maybe it will give me some ideas on how to celebrate.

Independence Day is a celebration of the enactment of the Declaration of Independence. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, and signed first by John Hancock on July 4, 1776, the Declaration was based on the premise that a foreign entity did not have the right to control the 13 colonies due to the natural desire for man's right of self determination. Located in the preamble, the famous words are:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

According to David McCullough, the words pursuit of Happiness originally read "Life, Liberty and Property", but was change upon the suggestion of Ben Franklin (who was never President, BTW). I feel the need to rephrase this maxim because the words have become so ingrained in our psyches that we rarely reflect on what they actually mean. Much like the lyrics of No Woman, No Cry (no, it's not a breakup song...).

"Mofo, you know I'm right when I say that: 1. everyone is the same except for women and minorities, and 2. you can't kill me, put me in jail, or cockblock me anymore."

*don't forget that when this was written women couldn't vote and slavery was legal.

I guess in order to honor our Country this weekend, I must: 1. not die; 2. don't get arrested; and 3. find someone to sleep with me...the third one might be a little tricky.

So I guess when you are out there this weekend, don't forget a bunch of slave owning white men fought for the right to not pay taxes, so that you could enjoy your bud lights and fireworks. I would say that the holiday is more significant, but if you look at it, we still have friends that are sent of to die so that the U.S. can control another country's oil, (good luck B. Lee, keep your head down); we don't have a right to health care; we circumvent the "god given" right of liberty (or habeas corpus) to our prisoners in another country; and we can be happy, as long as our happiness isn't repulsive to the Republicans.

Don't get me wrong, I am patriotic, but mostly based on things we've done in the past. So to quell the fervent rantings of those who would undoubtedly chastise me for these comments, I offer the following list of why I am proud to be an American, and why I am proud of this country.

1. Al Gore used his political influence to actually push the subject of environmental protection further than it has ever been.
2. Because the people of NYC didn't riot, but helped each other after 9/11
3. Because the Internet isn't censored here.
4. We are always the first to send troops in just causes.
5. Thomas Edison
6. We have the most TV stations.
7. We are a society based upon the marketplace of ideas.

any other reasons?