where were you 20 years ago today?

June 4th, 1989

I was too young to know the facts and details when it happened, but even then I knew it was a big deal. I remember television footage, I remember my parents talking about, I remember the black ink written on giant pieces of white paper scattered over this convenient store in Cheung Sa Wan (where I lived).

I was completely different back in 1989. I wasn't an American yet. Didn't really speak English, didn't know I was gonna move out of Hong Kong soon, but then most 8 year olds don't know much, right?

What I did know was that China was fucked up. I heard my parents talk about it I remember seeing footage on the news. I remember my grandma talking about it over at dimsum. I remember the term "six four event" would be, carelessly and inappropriately, thrown around to represent all things good about HK and all things bad about China. I remember the attitude in HK up until 91--we were elitists (still are) that thought we were better than the folks up north. People couldn't wait to get out of HK before 97. I remember my 3rd grade teacher telling me it was a good thing I was moving to the states when I told her I'd be leaving her class in 91.

Being raised in HK in the late 80s early 90s, you can't help but be influenced to have a negative view of China. Later, having faced racism myself my first few years in the US (when I lived in an all white small town), I tried to break away from it. Tried not to generalize and look down on an entire nation.

But then imagine you're an outsider, say you'r a random joe from Europe or a random brotha in Crenshaw (home of the coca cola 3 on 3 tournament), how do you read the news about China and not naturally have a disgusted "wtf" face? Everytime you read news about China, it's about fake baby powder, censorships on anything and everything, or shit like this...how can one not be disgusted? How do you not have a "what kinda country is this?" attitude when that's the news you read about China?

I ain't gonna lie. When I went to China for work two years ago, I tried to blog on my xanga, and when I found out it was blocked, the first words that came out of my mouth were "fucking communists!". Then I walked the streets and was avoiding flying loogies left and right... I couldn't take it. I left the work trip early and pissed off EMI's Billy Leung in the process. He would hold a grudge against me--and Beats--for a year.

I dunno where this entry is going. I haven't been able to sleep lately, been up since 4am. Just writing, sketching, strumming, and NOT thinking.

Guess what I'm trying to say is, they can block all the sites they want, they can even fake/alter the news (which they have been known to do), but the facts remain facts. The world will know. And the more they try to fight the image that they're not backwards-thinking commies, the more they show themselves to be just that. Red Forman would be sticking his foot in they ass if he was real.

"You can't stop what's coming"

Anton Chigurh

second update:

Alright, just went to breakfast and gym with the roommate and I'm still wide awake. It's 10:11 am but I don't wanna head into work yet, cause frankly, fuck the mutant.

Just a few more random bits:

1:

Never judge a book by its cover? I want to watch this movie and listen to this album just off the brilliant covers alone. Everyone's superficial in the end...

2: Lakers in Five. Easy.

Kobe will cement his legacy as a top ten player of all time in two weeks. And this is coming from a supposed Kobe-hater who has gotten into "online flame wars" with overzealous Laker fans on insidehoops.com. Hell, I have this Mexican friend named Eddie Mendoza, LA-born and raised, love Dodger and Lakers to death.... we stopped talking for a year because I destroyed him so bad in a Duncan vs Kobe debate. The whole thing is chronicled on my blog back in 2006. Can't blame him for not talking to me, because looking back at the entries now, I was too ruthless, too coldblooded, I straight murdered him in that debate. We didn't start talking again until last year. But you know what, we have mutual respect despite the obvious differences, because deep down we just two diehard sports fans.

3: Conan bashing Twitter here. I love it. Twitter is useless. It's a fad. Don't compare it to facebook--because that's actually very useful. Twitter will go the way of findapix.com and the Virtual Boy.4: Was listening to Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP yesterday. Forgot how brilliant this album is. Easily one of the ten or twenty most important/relevant albums of this decade. The track Stan was so revolutionary at the time and it's still mindblowing today. That back-and-forth narrative, the harrowing subject matter, the revelation by Em at the end ("his name was... it was you!") The song MADE Dido and showed the world that everything is better when you turn up the bass. Well, except the White Stripes, they don't need no bass to be bad ass.