From this year’s Harvard Commencement:
I hope you will judge yourselves not on your professional accomplishments alone, but also on how well you have addressed the world’s deepest inequities … on how well you treated people a world away who have nothing in common with you but their humanity.
Jackson and Baron applauding the Utah crowd. How classy.
As heartbreaking as last night’s loss was, my frustration and disappointment do not overtake the admiration and respect I have for the Golden State Warriors.
It was an incredible run and truly a joy to watch. The Warriors surprised the world, exceeded our own expectations, and finally gave the Bay Area something to be on fire about again.
We are a young team with rising talents, and I can’t wait to see more of the Warriors’ run and gun ball play after an entire summer of practice and development.
I postponed my flight home ($300) so that I could attend tonight’s Warriors second round playoff Game 4 ($180). Coming from Friday night’s absolute BLOWOUT victory at home, it really broke my heart watching the Warriors struggle to find their rhythm in tonight’s ultimate loss to Boozer, Fisher, and the damn Utah Jazz.
Jason Richardson? Ice cold. Like where Omarion’s heart used to be.
Baron Davis? Shut down like my laptop after a Windows error.
This one really hurt, and not just because it emptied out my wallet.
A recap of “what went wrong,” according to the best Warriors blog in the world, Golden State of Mind:
Shooting blanks: After catching fire on Friday the Warriors went ice cold tonight. They basically shot themselves out of the game. Their free throw shooting or lack thereof was completely unacceptable. You don’t win in the playoffs missing 13 free throws and shooting under 62%. You don’t win in the playoffs missing a whopping 27 3-pointers and hitting less than 31% from downtown at home. The most frustrating part of tonight was that the Warriors did not take it to the hole even when they were in the bonus, which brings me to my next point–
No Points in the Paint: The Warriors settled for jumpers when they weren’t hitting them and it proved costly. Sure, most of them were open looks, but you don’t get points for taking open shots, you only get points when they go in. The Warriors were abused in the paint with only 32 points to the Jazz 50. Carlos Boozer and the Jazz exposed the Warriors’ soft and undersized interior big time tonight.
No BoomRich: Baron Davis and Jason Richardson form one of the NBA’s best backcourts. They’re strong, athletic, tough, good shooters, have nice post up games, can defend, and have heart. But tonight they didn’t show up and brought none of their worldly talents to the game. They were outplayed by the inferior Utah backcourt at home. Unbelievable. My biggest worry is that the NBA will come down on them hard with either a heavy fine or even a suspension for what transpired at the end of the game. I didn’t get a good look at either BD’s bump with Derek Fisher or JRich’s foul on Mehmet Okur from my seat in the nosebleeds aka The People’s Section, so I’ll hold off from commenting on those events until I catch the replays. In any event, both these guys are good folks. I hope the NBA doesn’t make a mistake and punish them as if they were dirty players. Now guys like Bruce Bowen, well that’s a different story…
Bring Back Dennis Rodman: ‘Cause the Warriors sure could’ve used the worm. Once again the Dubs were abused on the glass, collecting only 36 boards to the Jazz’s 52. I can’t say I’m really surprised. This has been a major pain point for the Warriors pretty much this entire season. Memo to Chris Mullin: bring in a rebounder/ enforcer this offseason. This team desperately needs to help on the glass.
Too Much Booze: Carlos Boozer is a BEAST…. Carlos Boozer is a BEAST…. Carlos Boozer is a BEAST…. (I’m worried I’m going to have nightmares all night long.)
4th Quarter Meltdown: This whole series the Dubs have pretty much choked down the stretch. Unfortunately things weren’t any different tonight. In the 4th quarter the Warriors surrendered 40 points to the Jazz and only put up 23 points. They fell apart at the seams especially during the final 6 minutes of the game. It was painful to watch all those missed free throws and easily surrendered baskets when it mattered the most.
No Energy: The Roaracle Arena crowd tried their best to pump up them up, but it didn’t really feel like the fellas had that much energy, intensity, hunger, or desire tonight. I honestly have no idea why. It was odd.
Nothing to Lose
Tonight the Warriors played like they had something to lose. They simply didn’t have that edge or that shock the world mentality that brought them so much success against the Mavs in the 1st round. On Tuesday night I fully expect to see that mentality return. It’s win or go home, but after the crazy season the Warriors have had this year, they’ve got nothing to lose.
And so we return to Mormon land on Tuesday night to fight for victory or be defeated from the playoffs for good. The new motto for all the fans, everywhere:
We STILL Believe!
Spent a nice weekend back in Cupertino for Mother’s Day. I couldn’t think of a good, appropriate message to write in the card I got my mom, but as I was driving home on McClellan Road I fatefully heard 2pac’s “Dear Momma” on Wild 94.9. Such a long time since I heard that song..it was so beautifully clear that I decided to quote it.
There’s no way I could pay you back, but my plan is to show you that I understand. You are appreciated.
-Tupac Shakur, 1971-1996
For the first time in 13 years, the Warriors are bringing NBA playoff euphoria back to the Bay Area and I have never been more proud or excited. I cannot wait for tomorrow, to watch our eighth seeded underdogs seal their monumental upset over the number one seeded Dallas Mavericks.
WE BELIEVE!
And so does Jessica Alba:
Hell yeah!
If you haven’t heard of Sara Bareilles, you should. Sara Bareilles offers a refreshing, soulful sound that isn’t quite like anything else out there. She will be touring through San Francisco, LA, Irvine, and San Diego next month, and I highly highly recommend you take some friends or that significant or potential other to check out one of her shows.
Here is a sample for your listening:
The blurb from her website bio reads: “Her sound has been described as everything from Norah Jones to Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple to Alicia Keyes. It is tempting to make comparisons but she’s much more than a carbon copy. In fact, she is anything but. Influenced by soul, jazz, rock, and pop-her writing is bold, honest, and edgy. Intelligent, unpredictable lyrics and melodies delivered courtesy of a truly soulful and powerful voice, Sara’s music is something that definitely sets her apart.”
I’ve seen her perform at a small San Francisco venue last summer and it was definitely one of the most memorable, intimate shows I’ve ever seen. Since then she’s been signed to Epic Records and is recording a studio album to be released this summer. She’s really talented. In fact, she’s never even received any formal training in voice or piano. Not too many artists would warrant an exclusive, dedicated music pitch from me, but I dig her music a lot and I want it to be shared and supported.
Listen to some of her tracks and see the her concert schedule on her MySpace.
When the Virginia Tech shootings occurred, my roommate Roland and I were initially misinformed and led to believe that the shooter was a Chinese national. As we are both Chinese/Taiwanese Americans, we couldn’t help but look at each other and think, “Crap.”
Then the gunman’s identity was revealed. That evening, my other (Korean American) roommate Richard came home and expressed what seems to be on the hearts of Korean people everywhere: a compelling concern for the general well-being of their ethnic community.
Indeed, while the tragedies at VT have gripped the media worldwide, Koreans are taking the shooter’s identity especially personal:
South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun released a statement immediately following the announcement of Cho’s identity. “We are shocked by this unimaginable tragedy. I want to extend my personal condolences to the bereaved families and my prayers for the quick recovery of those injured.”
Yet while Koreans have expressed their sympathy over the deaths at Virginia Tech, many are also afraid they will become targets of revenge attacks aimed at the Korean community.
Korean media in Washington, D.C. reported that a majority of Korean businesses had closed early following Cho’s identification. A report in the Chosun Daily noted that Korean students at Virginia Tech locked themselves inside their dorm rooms, too afraid to come out. The same report stated that some Koreans had even begun preparing to leave the country.
As an Asian American I can empathize with the Korean community’s emotional reactions. Just as I admittedly felt a sense of relief when I discovered that the shooter was not of my ethnic background, I can imagine how my heart would’ve sank had it been confirmed that he was.
Every immigrant culture is bound by some level of solidarity, especially in one as racially hyper-aware as America, and just as these communities feel pride for its members’ individual successes (e.g. ethnic pride for athletes in professional American sports), so they feel shame for the individual atrocities committed by their members. For Asian cultures especially, the shame of losing face is a difficult burden to bear.
But do the actions of this one, so obviously psychologically disturbed individual really warrant a public apology from the figurehead of the South Korean government, let alone Korean-American communities? Are widespread fears of a racially-motivated backlash justified?
I sincerely don’t think so. In my opinion, such fears of anti-Korean hostility and harm are understandable but I find their extremity a bit irrational. I would argue that the reputation of the Korean community ultimately will not suffer because of one deranged student whose (largely incoherent) motivations could have belonged to a person of any race.
Granted, I have lived in California my whole life and now go to school in Southern California where Asians are well integrated into society and are not overtly stigmatized in any way. I cannot claim to know whether there will be anti-Korean sentiment exercised by other, more ignorant and backwards-thinking Americans living in other parts of the country where diversity is rare. But I do happen to believe that race relations have made some progress since the LA riots of 15 years ago, and that no one of reasonable decency, education and intelligence (especially at college campuses around the natioon) would dream of sticking the blame on Koreans as a collective whole.
Basically, I think it is unnecessary and inappropriate for Koreans to panic and be overrun with fears that Seung Cho has turned the world against them and stained their reputation forever. I understand that a bad apple can really harm the morale and the pride of one’s ethnic community, but to think that you are no longer safe living in this country, going about your daily activities, and pursuing your happiness and livelihood in freedom, just doesn’t make sense.
During a news report from the VT campus during the memorial services being held for the 32 victims, one student corrected the reporter by stating that they were mourning for not 32 families, but 33. “The Cho family has also lost a son and a brother as well,” the student said.
Though I am aware of America’s long history of racial discrimination, I feel Korean Americans need not worry about their collective well-being and should most certainly stop making public apologies for this tragedy on behalf of their community. Their responsibility for the actions of one unstable individual is nothing but imagined, and to believe that America would dare suggest that the Korean community bears guilt for his atrocities is nonsense.
The message that America need to send back is “It wasn’t your fault. We don’t blame you. You don’t need to apologize.” Because we can be sure that if Cho was not of a minority background, there would be no collective apologies. Why should the fact that he was Asian require it?
I’ve taken a bit of a break from blogging, but I wanted to share with you a quick reflection on today’s Virginia Tech massacre that really rang true to me–
Yesterday’s mass shooting at Virginia Tech — the worst in American history — is another horrifying reminder that some of the gravest dangers Americans face come from killers at home armed with guns that are frighteningly easy to obtain.
Not much is known about the gunman, who killed himself, or about his motives or how he got his weapons, so it is premature to draw too many lessons from this tragedy. But it seems a safe bet that in one way or another, this will turn out to be another instance in which an unstable or criminally minded individual had no trouble arming himself and harming defenseless people…
…Sympathy was not enough at the time of Columbine, and eight years later it is not enough.
What is needed, urgently, is stronger controls over the lethal weapons that cause such wasteful carnage and such unbearable loss.
I couldn’t agree more.
Credit goes to Alan for this one. Take a second to watch this hilarious mock advertisement: The Douche Cologne.
I raved about the genius of Justin.tv earlier, noting the possibilities for live webcasting from the standpoint of celebrities and the media. Today I came across a great article on the Business 2.0 Beta blog that talks about it’s potential in everyday consumer life:
Instead of watching Justin crash for eight hours, I could watch a live broadcast of my three-month-old nephew napping. Proud parents can broadcast soccer games, talent shows and weddings. Hardcore shoppers can wear webcams to show you whether Macy’s white sale is worth attending. Skiers can show you whether it’s worth leaving the warm lodge and trek into the back bowls.
My personal favorite is Harik’s proposal to have people wear webcams to show you what’s going inside clubs and parties. Seriously, how many times have you wasted 45 minutes in line to get into a club and leave five minutes after because it was lame?
These guys are now angel-funded by a former Director of Product Management at Google. It’ll be fun to see where this zany idea ends up going.
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