seriously, come check out this film cuz it’s awesome.

after stressing like crazy over the past year for my phd qualifying exams (which i passed!), i seriously did a whole lot of nothing this summer, and it was wonderful.  few trips to tahoe to unwind, lot of volunteering at the japanese american museum of san jose, plenty of baseball games, performing arts (symphony/ballet), and of course televised sports.  speaking of sports, i just tore my right hamstring at judo last week.  sucks.

anyways, it’s good to get back into the academic year.  this fall i’ll be teaching “asian americans and hip hop” at harvey mudd, for the intercollegiate department of asian american studies at the claremont colleges.  really looking forward to this class; just hope this syllabus i put together works.  i figure my students have already googled me and come across this site, so what’s up students.  don’t worry, i can google you too.

since i’m back teaching in socal, i’m also back living in socal.  covina is home for the next few months.  nice spot, pretty convenient to both claremont and los angeles.  it is supposed to hit 104 today, which can’t really be helped, but i guess that’s just to be expected.  also volunteering 1-2x a week at the japanese american national museum in little tokyo, so do let me know if you ever decide to roll thru!

1. the text message donation to the american red cross (REDCROSS to 90999) is a good start, but please think about where your money is really going.  too bad the japanese red cross website is so poorly lacking in english updates.  these are separate organizations.
2. i endorse CIVIC FORCE (日本語) as well as DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS. both of these groups are actively participating in the ongoing rescue efforts.
3. unless you are a certified first responder, do not try to be a savior and patronize japan.  rather, support those that know what they are doing.  if you really want to help, take a training course so that you will be prepared for the next local/domestic/international emergency.  or volunteer to rebuild the communities sometime down the road, when it’s not all over the news and the hip thing to do (hint: haiti still can use your help).
4. pay attention to all the misinformation being spread, and hold others accountable for what the say/post/tweet/whatever.  for example, i really doubt britney spears and taylor swift donated $64 million and $100 million, respectively.  (and honestly, does lady gaga need more attention via $5 bracelets?  i wouldn’t give her a penny unless she made the entire process transparent so i know i’m not funding her next meat dress.)
5. if you are friends with any of these ignorant fools posting on facebook and twitter about how the earthquake is just “karma” for pearl harbor and killing dolphins, immediately call them out on it and teach them a lesson.  perhaps use keywords like “hiroshima” and “concentration camps” (cuz then lord knows we’re due for something even worse), or share the information about the japanese government’s immediate donations following hurricane katrina, or question what christchurch NZ did to also deserve karmic payback.

basically, i think what is most important now is for us to support the japanese relief effort.  the japanese government is still functioning, and is the most familiar with the immediate needs of the affected communities.  it is a relief to see trained rescuers and doctors from around the world finally entering japan now as part of an organized group effort.  after the disastrous job by FEMA following hurricane katrina, it is easy to see why japanese government officials could doubt american assistance.  as americans, we must get over the idea that we always know better than others.  but if and when someone needs our help, we should always be on call with everything we have to offer.

luckily, all of my family and friends in japan are alive and well.  however, the same cannot be said of many, many other folks in japan. instances of death and destruction via earthquake/tsunami/radiation are literally only two degrees of separation every way i look.  it’s unfortunate that even with all the wealth in our world, we need such horrible disasters to get people to donate tiny fractions of their money. and as unfortunate as it is that so many communities in northern honshu are currently without the basic necessity of water, why is nothing mentioned about the over 1 billion individuals throughout the world that don’t have access to clean water in less-developed nations every single day?

in conclusion, i hope that however you decide to help japan during this moment of crisis, you will remain conscious of the ongoing complexities of charities, neocolonialism, outright racism, and global inequalities.  despite all the rhetoric, it truly is personally heartwarming to see so much international concern, and i pray that we spread this spirit far and wide as we progress into the future.

and for those of you that can’t read that, uh, it says happy new years and stuff.

well, 2010 has come and gone, and around this time i like to try and put everything in perspective for you all.  and by you all, i mean myself.  if you want to read, you’re more than welcome to come along for this retrospective.  seems like 2010 had it all: from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, but somehow or another i’m still here, sitting in front of the same keyboard on the same desk, just in a different decade.

turned 27 back in january with some of my bestest buds out in ktown, and did it up even bigger with the methodology crew soon after.  during those two celebrations i managed to get my riced out honda civic stolen for the third time.  no more ヤン車 for me!

spring was my super busy conference season.  it actually started in february for the “negotiating the global with the local: translating christianity in modern east asia” conference at claremont mckenna college, then the american academy of religion/western region conference at arizona state university in march.  coincidentally, the conference was during the first weekend of my spring break.  and coincidentally, was smack dab in the middle of the cactus league!  after my conference, my dad flew out to phoenix and we accomplished one of our lifelong dreams of cheering on our san francisco giants at spring training!!

by april, i was off to austin, texas for the annual association of asian american studies conference.  i organized a panel on very early japanese american history (pre-1890 primarily), which turned out pretty well, imho.  as always, was awesome to spend a lot of time with my colleagues from around the country who keep pushing me to be a better scholar, and also help validate my existence.  can’t wait to see everyone this coming may in nola!!

as much as i’ve hated on living in claremont for the past couple years, it finally became a home to me during 2010.  i coordinated a transdisciplinary conference for graduate students pursuing asian american studies-related topics from around the state, with much help from the CGU asian american studies transdisciplinary studies group.

spring and summer seemed to just fly by as i finished up the prereqs for my degree.  some highlights include the renaissance faire, a trip to sd, a couple trips to vegas, more than a couple trips to the bay area, birthday parties, weddings, babies, and finally my relocation back to norcal.  it’s crazy to think that three years ago, i applied to three phd programs with the idea of just testing the waters before applying to many more the following year.  turns out i ended up attending claremont graduate university, completed my coursework in two years, and am now studying to officially become a phd candidate.

ryan turned 27 too, although we celebrate like he keeps turning 21 year after year:

jen and red officially became jen and red:

as did monica and johnny:

and brina and alycia:

also, it was great to spend so many thursday nights with colleagues from my history department.  thanks for always being there to listen, challenge, imbibe, advise, and everything in between!

since moving home at the end of september, life has been a whirlwind, to say the least.  all i remember about october was giants baseball!!  i’m absolutely positive that my attendance at spring training has a direct correlations with the giants’ world series success!  from torture to ecstasy, giants playoff baseball was worth every minute of it, and even worth the late nights of studying i had to do to makeup for all the lost time!  not only did my dad singlehandedly purchase every article of the giants’ playoff, pennant, and world series catalog, but i also won an 18-1 bet i placed in vegas back in may!!  above all, it was amazing to see the smiles on faces like my dad’s, of folks who have put up with heartache after heartache for as long as the giants have been in san francisco.  there is a God, and this year he was definitely looking favorably upon the orange and black :D

although these aren’t winning any of my annual awards, two of the most memorable jams of the year are ashkon’s “don’t stop believin” and bailey’s “black and orange”

made a couple trips down to socal, as well as a couple trips to tokyo in just a couple months.  while my november trip to tokyo was planned, unfortunately the december trip was an emergency trip due to my grandmother’s critically declining health.  while very sad, i was glad to be able to be with my family during this time.  my grandmother passed away on december 22nd, and we held her funeral services over the christmas weekend.  admittedly, it was difficult to have a constant relationship with my grandmother due to this massive thing called the pacific ocean.  however, i’ll always remember how she opened up her doors to me every summer i visited and even during the years i lived there.  even when she could barely walk, she would make me the noodles that i loved to eat for lunch.  and of course i made sure to use my chopsticks properly, since she trained me so long ago by picking up grains of uncooked rice!

tokyo definitely seems much more distant now, perhaps because my direct lineage to asakusa is gone with my mom and i here in california.  sure i still have plenty of relatives there (including far too many that i don’t even know – the funeral was a packed house of strangers with the same ancestors), but i guess everything just seems so much more lonely without that constant that i’ve depended on for my entire life.  she will definitely be missed.  in other news, i sincerely hope that none of you ever have to attend a japanese funeral.  it was by far the most depressing thing i’ve EVER experienced.  chopsticks were made for picking up delicious food, not your grandmother’s bones directly from the oven, mere minutes after you closed her casket and carried her out of the hall.

sadly, 2010 also claimed the lives of other amazing individuals.  it was quite a shock that some people that i knew had their lives cut way too short.  while it’s good to see communities come together to remember such positive individuals, it’s such a shame that we couldn’t see them continue to make our world a better place.  i wish i could’ve spent more time with all of you, you’ll never be forgotten!

john delloro
joannie chang
krystal nakamura
dennis djan

anyways, let’s move on to my 2010 superlatives!

favorite eating experiences:

1. iron works bbq in texas.  had some baby back ribs with a shiner bock black right in the heart of austin.  and yes, it was very messy.  for those that are wondering, i thought it was better than salt lick.
2. foie gras sushi at sushi samba in vegas.  complete with specks of gold!
3. aji at magurobito.  eating a live fish, just second after filleting.
4. my first boiling crab experience.

favorite drink:

sorry no picture, but it was one of those $4.50 bud lights that i got at zeke’s on 3rd and brannan, just blocks from at&t park during game 1 of the world series.  i’m not sure what heaven tastes like, but i’m sure this was close.  also really enjoyed the lone stars in texas, the fujizakuras at popeye in tokyo, the temeculan wines, and even a hand-carried guinness from ireland…but sorry, the odds were very much stacked against them this year.

favorite book:

mary paik lee’s a quiet odyssey.  just like last year’s choice (weglyn’s years of infamy), i’m mad that i haven’t read it until now.

favorite film:

おくりびと/departures.  perhaps watching this movie back in january was a prelude to the year, but i loved it nonetheless.

favorite song:

far east movement’s “like a g6.”  come on, asian brothers taking mainstream america by storm?  now get me two more bottles cuz you know it don’t stop.

favorite album:

drake – thank me later.  and seriously everything else he spit, dude was on fire.

favorite toy:

i still can’t believe the ipad is real.  it’s the stuff dreams were (and still are) made of.  being the apple fanboy that i am, i’ve also been pleasantly pleased by the appletv, but i can’t even consider something that will come out in the next 2-3 years that will surpass my amazement the first time i used the ipad.

favorite image:

sky tree construction from asakusa, visible because of shin-nakamise construction.  you probably haven’t seen the movie always 3-chome no yuuhi, but it’s a movie from a few years ago about 1958 tokyo life in the shadow of a growing tokyo tower.  during this funny time of my life full of trials and tribulations, there’s something very promising about seeing the sky-tree grow taller and taller each day and serving as a beacon of hope for what’s ahead.

favorite experience:

over the last couple years that i’ve been doing these new years posts, i tried to come up with some of my favorite overall experiences from the year.  with so many options ranging from spring training to a world championship, or even successful conferences to successfully completed examinations, there are plenty of options that come to mind.  however, this year, at the risk of being way too melodramatic and sharing much more than i usually would, i truly enjoyed spending almost the entire year with a special someone.  although things didn’t work out as we may have hoped, thank you caren for your companionship throughout the year.  i especially wish you the best of luck in 2011, and may all your dreams come true.

2011 is well under way, and my life at the moment has finally achieved some level of normalcy.  my phd qualifying exams are in march, and i’m studying full-time until then.  if you’re ever in the mountain view/sunnyvale/los altos area, please holler at a scholar and let’s grab a cold beverage (iced coffee included), because seriously all i do during the week is cram for these damn exams and/or question my career choice.

my 2010 resolution was to try and watch more women’s sports, and this mostly failed, with the one saving grace being the massive amounts of MMA that i’ve been watching, some of which included women’s fights.  as for 2011, my resolution is to drop down to welterweight, and keep progressing on that bucket list.  best wishes to each and every one of you for a blessed year of the rabbit.  go giants.

so i went (fairly) big and got a half sleeve.

the idea was koi with sakura and waves.

i guess the itch for some ink goes back to early 2008, when i was deciding to leave japan and move back to california.  i felt like i needed something to mark my time there.  but in hindsight, there are millions of things i do in my daily life that reflect my experience of living in tokyo.

anyways, it wasn’t just like i could head out to the corner store and pick something up.  as i started to research artists, designs, and especially the culture around irezumi, i realized that i needed to put a lot of time into making sure i wouldn’t regret my decision.  once i came up with the koi theme, i sat on the idea for about a year once i realized that it was not just something i felt at the moment, but rather something that stuck with me.

by the time i had my design finalized, i was already living in southern california.  fortunately, los angeles has a thriving tattoo culture, and even some amazing japanese artists.  after much research (and wait lists), i was able to have my work done by jakoh at onizuka tattoo in little tokyo.

when people ask what it represents, i can easily give the canned orientalistish answer, if not something a tad more personal.  for example, a koi represents struggle  — a fish swimming upstream, and if successful it will turn into a dragon.  i don’t think there’s a better metaphor for grad school than this idea of struggle (and thinking of how much easier it would be to just turn around and go downstream).  the cherry blossoms represent my favorite memory of japanese life.  the waves remind me of my long-ago life living on the beach in capitola, and the ocean that separates my land from my motherland.

while i can’t deny that the above representations also influence the personal meaning of this tattoo, there is also so much more that it stands for.  in japan, tattoos (especially this sleeve style) is stigmatized as a sign of yakuza, and people with tattoos are often banned from public bath houses and hot springs.  but i know plenty of people with tattoos, and none of them are yakuza.  in my opinion, stereotypes like these are still a disappointing sign of the past, and i hope that i can do my tiny part to help change such misconceptions.  shoot, there are still plenty of places in japan that won’t even allow non-japanese clientele, so we gotta start somewhere.

looking in the mirror, i’m happy to see such an intricate piece of artwork that i can wear with me forever.  i’m happy to see a reminder of my personal connection to asakusa (my mother’s hometown, not to mention a thriving yakuza center…).  i’m happy to see that i overcame my fear of needles.  i’m happy to have found something that i was confident i wouldn’t be bored with quickly.  and i’m happy that even six months after its completion, i don’t regret this decision one bit (although i do regret not discussing this ahead of time with my mom :-/ ).

i know the first thing you’re gonna ask, but i’ll just spin you around right here: it took several hours over many sessions and cost a lot.  and yes, it hurt like hell.

and in terms of your next question: i’m not sure what’s next, or if there will even be something next.  right sleeve?  back piece?  a tyson-esque face ornament?  all i can say for now is that those decisions will be made in due time.

if you’re curious about getting your first tattoo, my only recommendations are to take plenty of time once you come up with a design (so you don’t choose something you will regret), and also to make sure to find an artist that can make your dream into a reality.  other than that, by all means take the plunge.  i mean think about it, how exciting is it to do something that will change your life forever?

I guess the most important piece of news is that I am once again living in Northern California, having returned to my parents’ house as I study for my phd qualifying exams. Now that I am done with coursework and have completed all other requirements (including passing the godawful japanese reading proficiency test!), I can save some money and personal sanity while spending some quality time with my parents. Oh yeah and free food.

There has been plenty of other excitement lately, from an exhausting trip to visit my ailing grandmother in tokyo, relationship woes, nonstop flying across the state, a giants world series championship, plenty of new beers sampled, an early snowfall, and of course the joy of new apple products. All those I guess must wait til another day.

Speaking of apple products, can you believe I’ve jumped ship and am now using a Blackberry 9700!? Basically, it does email so much better, and the keyboard is a killer feature especially once the ipad basically makes the iphone redundant. Just realized it’s pretty convenient to post onto wordpress from my BB so will try to jump on this. I’m spending large chunks of time at coffee shops and libraries, so this may be a great study break! No promises though.

Best wishes for a safe, healthy, fun-filled holiday season!

can you hear me now? good.

hey folks, apologies (once again) for my inattentiveness concerning this blog.  can you believe it’s already the end of june!?  where on earth did the first half of the second decade of the third millenium of the common era go?

after my conference/spring training trip to arizona (which has since entrenched itself on my no-fly list), i hit up austin, texas to present a paper at the association for asian american studies annual conference, followed by hosting our own grad student conference here in the c-mo.  factor in some finals, one intensive/accelerated summer class, and now yours truly is officially completed with all coursework requirements en route to that mythical doctorate.

so how have i spent the past two weeks of freedom?  by doing absolutely nothing, other than watching borderline unhealthy amounts of world cup soccer and mma (2 ufc cards, 2 strikeforce, 2 bellator, and 1 wec in 2.5 weeks!!).  but for now, let’s focus on my boys in blue (the samurai shade, to be more specific).

perhaps one of my greatest regrets in life is not being a huge soccer fan circa 2002 (hey i grew up in america) and missing out on attending games live in japan.  i was living in japan for the 2006 olympics, but japan and the US sure blew that opportunity.  so it was with high expectations and delusional dreams that i began waking up at ungodly hours of the pre-morning.

during the last round of group games, i found it immensely interesting to see how fans responded to their respective team’s performances.  the US can always use the excuse that americans don’t care enough about soccer to field a competitive squad.  english fans were constantly interviewed on tv complaining about how their chaps were a royal disappointment, especially for all the supporters who spent so much of their hard-earned money to travel to south africa.  and the french once again showcased their resolute spirit that won them the wars.

but for all the interviews i saw of japanese soccer fans in japan (via tvjapan), i saw an entire society that constantly praised their team regardless of outcome, since they had already surpassed even the highest expectations.  according to espn and all other media outlets, “many in their own country gave them no chance of moving on to the next round.”

and this is where i call bollocks.

if you’ve ever been to japan, you probably can attest to how polite japanese society is.  for those living in japan, humility is very much a social rule, more than a casual suggestion (keep in mind, humility rarely carries over to us japanese americans; we’re too good for that).  i can’t remember how many times i’ve gone snowboarding with someone who said s/he’s terrible, only to get smoked down the slopes.  or when someone claims to be a terrible cook, only to serve you the best meal you’ve ever had.  or when someone talks about their tiny house, which turns out to be the cream of the cream on the block.  in fact, when giving someone a gift–regardless of whether or not you spent your life savings on it–the common affiliated verbal delivery is “tsumaranai mono desu kedo, douzo” which translates to “this is a boring/useless/insignificant thing, but please accept it.”

am i basically calling japanese people liars?  well, yes.

it’s just that the global media really believed everything that the japanese people have added to the public record.  deep down, i’m sure all my people in the motherland expected to get past cameroon and denmark…they just would never admit to it.  setting up the stage for failure is as boneheaded as you can get in japan, and it’s always about saving face.  i’m sure none of them could realistically give them a shot at beating the likes of brazil and spain, but neither would they realistically be satisfied with exiting after group play.

so what’s the point?  of course i’m not suggesting that you should distrust japanese people.  but i am suggesting that the way other parts of our world communicate go far beyond just our american-centric interpretations.  one doesn’t have to agree with english fans’ hubris (for example) to realize that maybe it did provide the necessary kick in the backside for their team to advance.

regardless of who reigns supreme come july 11th, it really is amazing to see not just how the world cup brings folks together, but also how it brings to light the unique differences that continue to thrive in the face of face of globalization and make our world the dynamic and fascinating place that it is.  although 15 of the remaining 16 teams will end their dreams in defeat, the real victor here will be the sports fans, who through pleasure and pain, open their eyes just a little bit wider to the outside world.

but eh, i’m japanese, so who knows what to believe anymore.

As we begin the second decade of the 21^st century, this year’s conference theme calls for a look back and a forward vision to see the connections between generations. For many people, memory and generation modifies or recreates religious identity. We can see these dynamics in the processes accompanying immigration, but we can also see them when people pass their faith on to future generations or develop a new religious identity themselves. How the dynamics of memory and generational change occur for APA communities depends on the particular ways each group and generation negotiates life in the U.S. Whether APA communities can point to five generations in North America, or are recently arrived, religion and how it sustains and transforms Asian Pacific America is the focus of our 2010 APARRI meeting.  This year’s theme calls for analyses of the experiences across generations, inviting participants to pursue nontraditional fields of study and other topics needing research and investigation. Stepping across theoretical and disciplinary boundaries is encouraged.

Entitled “Bridging Yesterday and Tomorrow: Memory and Generational Change in Religious Pacific and Asian North America” the 2010 conference will be held August 5-7 on the campus of McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. Plenaries feature a discussion on memory, the role of personal faith in academia, and an intergenerational panel.  Plenary Speakers include Anju Bhargava (Member of President Obama’s Council on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships), Bandana Purkayastha (Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Connecticut), Peter Cha (Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), Soong-Chan Rah (Milton B. Engebretson Associate Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism, North Park Theological Seminary), Roy Sano (Bishop, the United Methodist Church), and Mai-Anh Tran (Assistant Professor of Christian Education, Eden Theological Seminary). Concurrent sessions will showcase research-in-progress, and structured mentoring sessions will be available for students and junior faculty members.

We encourage work in multiple and diverse religious contexts.

Deadline for Submissions: June 21, 2010.

E-mail Proposals: Joe Cheah at jpcheah@aol.com

The APARRI conference began among a group of doctoral students and early career scholars of religion and theology, who desired to support and engage each other’s scholarship in an interdisciplinary fashion.
Allotted concurrent sessions are designed to continue this cross-disciplinary engagement.  Presenters are encouraged to share their research and works-in-progress with other APARRI participants by organizing panels, presenting papers on their research, and/or by structuring small group dialogue sessions on an important topic of inquiry in the study of Asian North American and Pacific Island religions. Selected papers/sessions will be scheduled during our concurrent session times.

Some concurrent session time will also be designated for papers/panels that have come from managing board invitations.

APARRI is a community advancing the interdisciplinary study of Asian Pacific Americans and their religions. Through conferences, mentoring, and collaboration, APARRI promotes the professional development of scholars and the distinctive field of Asian Pacific American religious studies.

i’m not going to give this thing the complete review treatment, plenty of websites out there do that (for reference, i almost always agree with david pogue, gizmodo, and cnet).  for now, i’ll just share some immediate reactions:

• perfect size.  great to use while lounging on a sofa.  super thin, but sturdy feel.
• runs FAST.  puts the iphone 3g to shame (don’t have a 3gs to compare).  web surfing on safari is just like a laptop (minus flash which honestly isn’t a huge deal to me).  decodes japanese websites flawlessly.  switches perspectives quick.
• screen is beautiful.
• bluetooth keyboard connectivity is a killer feature imho.  now i can use it to type notes in class.  i seriously doubt i will do any serious academic writing on here, but short papers and such should be cake with this thing until microsoft comes out with an ipad version of word (and no, just cuz pages will export to .doc does that mean i can use it for what i do).  it’s a bit odd to not be able to scroll up and down webpages by using the up and down keys (you have to physically touch the screen to scroll), and you also can’t tab between text boxes like you normally would.  but some things that do work perfectly: the screen brightness controls, ipod controls, volume controls, and even cmd + space to switch between international keyboards.  the upcoming keyboard dock thing has some more features, but then you can’t use the ipad in landscape mode, so i def recommend the bluetooth one.
• i think the apple case is a must-buy.  really makes it more useful if you want to stand it up, or if you want to lie it more flat (e.g. in a meeting/class situation where upright screens can be distracting).
• it’s amazing how much the extra screen real estate can improve programs.  mail and calendar are awesome.  also recommend wikipanion, the weather channel, and usa today for the time being.  haven’t bought any apps yet, but i’m noticing that they tend to be more expensive.
• iphone apps seriously suck on this thing.  it’s a quick fix and it’s functional, but just weird.  like playing the original nintendo on your brand new 65″ led tv.
• emailing yourself pdf and word files is an easy way atm to make this thing into a reader for whatever you want.  zooming in/out is instant, fully adjustable, and the rotating is quick.  this thing puts all other e-readers to shame.  (btw, anyone interested in my sony reader?  it’s overshadowed now by ipad, but still a great e-ink option.)
• battery lasts forever, but you can’t charge it like you do an iphone.  for example, it won’t charge from the usb 2.0 port on my keyboard.  just plug it into the wall, or get a nifty charge like this.

admittedly, i am a huge apple fanboy and have loved almost everything they’ve released after the puck mouse.  still, i had huge expectations for thing, and it’s surpassed them with flying colors.  i know the current limitations, and they really aren’t dealbreakers for me.  it can play music while i browse.  i can’t chat while word processing, but at this stage in my life i really shouldn’t be chatting while i work anyways.  i really believe that this will be rectified via a software update sometime in the future.  also, since i live and work on a school campus, i decided to go without the 3g.  fast wifi is everywhere here, and i won’t be carrying this thing around when i go out (that’s what the cell phone’s for).

i’ve played with this thing literally all day and i still can’t believe that technology like this actually exists, and is (relatively) affordable.  obviously this isn’t for everyone, and it falls in that funny space between smartphones and laptops.  but if you’re like me and find all smartphones to be inadequate, and most laptops to be too cumbersome in your daily routine, this thing is perfect.  and if you’re an apple hater or just don’t trust my opinions, at least enjoy all the jokes that you couldn’t have before the ipad.

the drive out to the phoenix area is less than five hours from the inland empire, and was actually rather interesting.  i never knew there were so many casinos along the route, nor did i think i could see a windfarm that looks more impressive than altamont pass.  and despite my most valiant efforts, i never was able to find that elusive shaqtus.

also, excellent weather (especially considering it was still officially winter), and ASU’s campus was beautiful.  sorta felt like a mix between SJSU’s flat and organized feel, UCLA’s immensity, and pitzer’s desert feel imho.  also had a chance to meet up with some old elementary school friends from the fremont days who now live out there.  hadn’t seen them in 13 years!!  great to see them all grown up :D