Implications of the Mandarin

Alright, so I've been repeatedly told that The Mandarin doesn't serve "real" chinese food. I am super bored at work today, so randomly this though occurred to me (only because I plan on going to the Mandarin in a couple of weeks), and I will pose the following question:

Is the food at Mandarin "not real chinese food" because it really isn't chinese food or because FOBs (and many of our parents who are from Hong Kong) tell us "fake"?

Speaking from my personal experiences, I am pretty sure the only people who don't think Mandarin is Chinese food is other Chinese people (usually the ones who enjoy HK pop). Now if you ask any white/carib/indian person whether or not they like Chinese food, I venture to guess 90% of them would say yes they enjoy Chinese. Of course, when they respond to your question, they are thinking about the food they get at Mandarin, not the stuff you will see FOBs eating (which in some cases, scare the crap out of me too...).

Which brings me to my point, if the food served at the Mandarin was invented by the first Chinese people that came to Canada (in the 1800's), prepared in restaurants owned primarily by Chinese people, and is actually eaten and enjoyed quite a large number Chinese people born in Canada, doesn't this make "Canadian-Chinese Food" the actual cuisine of CBC's? Honestly, aren't we CBC's much more connected to fried rice, chicken balls, and egg rolls than to the dishes served at the typical Chinese wedding, most of which I don't like to eat. Aren't we CBC's denying who we really are by buying into the FOB propaganda that our food isn't authentic because it was invented in Canada, and white people like to eat it. In fact, shouldn't we tell them that since they are in Canada now, that our Chinese food (Wonton Soup included) is "real Chinese food in Canada" and theirs is merely an ethnic curosity.

We CBC's recognize that we are a unique type Chinese people and should refuse to be lumped together with the people back in China. I am tired of many older adults forcing me to give praise to China or believe that I would want to move back to be closer to "my people". Let's be honest, "my people" hardly reside in Hong Kong, "my people" are the Chinese guys and gals you see at AMC hanging out in multi-cultural groups (black/white/brown), completely oblivious the the fact that old school Chinese people think its the weirdest thing for them to consort with non-Chinese people. Its sad to see many CBC's deny their true identities as proud Canadian Born Chinese people, and merely cast away their identities in order to seem more Chinese to FOBs. Hopefully, those people will see the light one day and accept that they are more like their White/Indian/Caribbean Canadian counterparts, and stop degrading themselves and try to vainly hold on to "traditional" Chinese customs that have nothing to do with them. Recognize that we CBC's have our own culture, food, music preferences, modes of thinking, even sterotypes, and we don't need "real" Chinese people tell us that our culture is unauthentic because its different compared to HK. We are as "real" as they are when it comes to being Chinese people, only we are CBC's, and secretly, they really envy us!

The Advent of Our Engagement Age

So here we are, the beginning of wedding season, and it got me thinking, as one of the first members of the MTV generation, it has dawned on me that many of my friends and associates are thinking about popping the question to their significant others. So I guess this is it, the 80's babies are starting to get married, which in many many ways is scary (much less scary than when the 90's generation decides to start nesting).

Anyway, I am merely pointing this out because over the next 3 years, I anticipate that a very large fraction of my friends and associates will start to settle down, and our forays into the meatmarkets (aka popular bars) will decrease to almost nil (which is something I look forward to, since those places suck ass, and I am constantly fighting the urge to pummel the almost endless procession of dumbasses that act as macho as possible, but when push comes to punching them in the face, they run away, pussies), and we'll start having dinner parties. All I hope for is that these coupley get togethers remain true to the spirit of our friendship. That is to say they won't have that false air of civility that I have to uphold when I am forced to attend dinner parties held by some casual acquintances. That is to say, it is surprising how uncomfortable some people get when you tell a really really funny jew/black/indian/homo/muslim or any other miniorty joke at the dinner table. Let's just hope that its not a symntom of getting older and married, but merely a sign that these are boring people.

Mortgage Insights

I read this really interesting mortgage article by Garth Turner (http://www.garth.ca/columns/051204.shtml)

If you're thinking about buying a house or condo in Canada, this is a good read for you!!!

As I mentioned here before, a very simple and very powerful financial strategy which many people could utilize, but don't, is the following. First, if you have an investment portfolio and a mortgage of roughly the same size, then follow this four-point plan:

1 - Cash out your investments.
2 - Use those funds to pay off your existing home loan.
3 - Take out a new mortgage (variable-rate, below-prime, of course).
4 - Now use the proceeds of the new mortgage to buy back your investments.

Why would you do this? Because our tax laws allow you to deduct the interest on any loan taken for investment purposes from your taxable income. In this instance, the new mortgage was used to re-establish an investment portfolio, therefore it is classified as an investment loan. So, your mortgage payments are now tax-deductible - and since the vast bulk of each month's payment is interest, this is a big deal.

Follow-up:
As I am sure you know, any money you borrow in this country for investment purposes - to buy a mutual fund or a stock or an apartment building - is tax-deductible. That means the interest charges you incur can be written off you personal income.

Therefore, if you are in the 50% tax bracket (as most middle class folks are), a loan with an interest rate of 5% is effectively reduced to 2.5% once you deduct the interest from your income. And, since the current rate of inflation is 2.6%, this means the loan money is, basically, free. How cool is that?

So, here's the strategy: Lots of people have mortgages on their homes at the same time that they maintain investment portfolios outside of their RRSPs. In many, many cases, the amount of money saved is equal to, or greater, than the home loan. The logic here is that while mortgage rates are as low as they are, it makes sense to keep a mortgage in place.

Wrong. Instead, a person in this situation should liquidate their entire investment portfolio, and use the proceeds to pay off their home mortgage. Then, immediately secure a new mortgage for the same amount, and use the money to buy back your investments. Now, you still have the same-sized mortgage, and you still own an equal investment portfolio, but this time 100% of the interest on your mortgage is deductible from your personal income - because it was turned into an investment loan. And, since 90% or more of your monthly mortgage payment is typically interest, this deduction can mean a big boost in your own after-tax income. This is a mortgage you do not really want to pay off!

More PS3 News - Pricing and Launch Date

Sony suprised E3 attendees when it fully unveiled its launch plans and pricing details. The PlayStation 3 will launch in Japan on 11 November, and in North America, Europe and Australisia six days later on 17 November.There will be two bundles (or 'configs' as they called them): a 20GB version and a 60GB version. However, the differences go far deeper than that.The 20GB config does not feature any HDMI ports. It does not support WiFi, and there is no card reader for Memory Stick, Compact Flash and SD. It has four USB ports and one ethernet port (instead of the six USB ports and three ethernet ports shown last year).The 60GB config has one HDMI port (instead of the two shown last year), it supports WiFi and has a card reader, and also features the four USB ports and one ethernet port.Sony plans to have 2 million units available at launch, followed by another 2 million by Christmas, and a total of 6 million by March 2007.PricingJapan will be the first to get hold of the PS3 with a price of 59,800 yen for the 20GB package. The 60GB package is to have an "open" price that will be determined by the retailer.North America will be getting the system with a price of $499 for the 20GB and $599 for the 60GB package.And in Europe, the prices will be €499 and €599 respectively.By Bhavin Shah & Dusty Stokes

$600 - what a freaking deal!!!

PS3 and Blu-Ray

I can't understand why people are still buying the Xbox 360, its not even HD-DVD. With the PS3 coming out in the Fall of 2006, why would anyone waste their cash on a 360. The PS3 will be able to be used as a Blu-Ray player. For those of you who think Blu-Ray is going to be Betamax, Sony's relentless push towards vertical integration (buying movie studios) has rendered this concern moot. Consider this, right now on the Bestbuy website there are 13 Blu-Ray movies available with classics like Terminator included in that number. HD-DVD movies number 12, with the Bourne Identity being the best of the bunch. Clearly, HD-DVD hasn't taken a huge lead on Blu-Ray like VHS did to Betamax, and the content for both is mutually exlusive. Seeing as how a visionairy like Steve Jobs (aka the most powerful man at Apple AND Disney) has decided to back Blu-Ray exclusively, I think we all know who is going to win this fight...Sony. So in my opinion, if you're thinking about about getting Xbox 360 don't, buy PS3, you'll get more bang for your buck. Of course, I only play sports games, so hardcore nerd gamers may disagree with me.

The OC Changing Forever

OMG, Marissa is getting killed off in on the OC!! No way this is happening, I don't believe the hype, but if it is, this show is officially over (or its the dawn of a new beginning, but only if Anna is brought back, but it still won't be as good). I can't actually believe they are going to write off Mischa Barton, I think this is all a hoax!

Some Random Thoughts about the NFL Draft, TV, and Taking Up New Hobbies

So I've been pre-occupied with work/slacking off lately, and I haven't really updated this blog in a while, but since I actually ran out of work to do today, I thought, what the hell might as well inform the entire webspace of some mundane thoughts that I have. I am too lazy to actually put these thoughts into structured paragraph form, so they are just going to be random, point form, and probably barely coherent.

1. The Houston Texans drafted Mario Williams (DE, NC State) over Reggie Bush (RB, USC). This is probably the biggest mistake I have ever seen made in a draft. Sam Bowie over Jordan happened when I was 4, so I really don't remember that one. Reggie Bush is probably the best RB I have ever seen with the exception of Barry Sanders, who was Reggie's equal. Mario Williams could potentially be Julius Peppers, and MAYBE if EVERYTHING goes right, Reggie White. Reggie Bush starts and stops on a dime, with a type of rare acceleration that we are treated to once in a generation. Mario Williams has great measurables, but a very questionable motor. Do you know which DE was drafted #1 last that fit Mario Williams' description? Courtney Brown, that's who, and the Texans are going to regret it like the Browns. Remember you can always coach up defensive players, you can't coach once in a generation playmaking potential.

2. Volochuck getting his ass beat down on the OC. I really enjoyed this, in fact, now that he stole a car, I really hope he gets arrested, and put into a fake prison. Let's just say I hope Volochuk's future cellmate introduces him to the prison culture the same way Tweener on Prison Break got introduced to it, and let's really hope we will get a glimpse of it.

3. Family Guy and American Dad keeps getting better. In fact, they are at a point that exceeds the Simpsons apex. Family Guy is probably the greatest TV show ever since he will say just about anything regardless of the reprecussions. I mean, South Park is at Family Guy's level, but SP is on cable, Stewie and Brian are on at 9 pm on SUNDAYS!!!

4. Watching the Sorpranos isn't really that great anymore. James Goldolfani can barely make it through a scene without sitting down anymore. In fact any scene that involves him walking around is extremely distracting since he can't stop wheezing, and his lines are barely intelligible. Plus Adriana is dead, so we can't oogle her great rack anymore. On the plus side, Meadow is hot again since she lost 50 lbs, and she is willing to prance around in her underwear more often (something that would've been frightening with fat Meadow).

5. Survivor is having one of its greatest seasons ever. The amount of backstabbing is stunning, I mean no one's word means anything anymore. Actually, I really love games like this, it takes a certain moral-relativity to always put yourself ahead, its my personal motto, so these Survivors are playing the game like I would, dirty. Plus, Terry is probably the greatest physical competitor that Survivor has ever had including Colby. Terry is definitely going to make it to the final 2, but depending on the deal that Danielle is about to make, he will probably win it, unless the Cassya tribe really just hates Terry that much. Oh, and Danielle is pretty nice to look at.

6. My Name is Earl is finally starting to get better again. Its cause Jamie Pressley is being involved in the scripts more. When she was taking her clothes off in her metoric rise to the absolute apex of B movie stardom, I would've never thought I would say that she is probably one of the most talented comic actresses on TV right now. I guess all she needed was a role where she could imitate her mom (get it? cause she's white trash...I slay myself sometimes).

7. This weekend, I will be going to the driving range with some friends, after which we will probably go and grab some sushi. On Saturday, I will be going to the gym, relax and read, then I'll be cooking dinner with the gf, and probably rent a movie afterwards. I have officially become an old person. This is a complete and total shock to me, but at the same time so inevitable that fighting it seems futile, and I might as well enjoy the ride (in a future German car of course).