Movin' on up!

Mike and I just moved into our new place, and boy, did we have a lot of stuff to move! Since we both love to cook and have lived on our own before, we had a lot of duplicates: electric mixers, cups and plates, wine glasses, TVs. So I've been on Craigslist a lot lately trying to get rid of a few things. Speaking of which, does anyone need a fake Christmas tree? That's right, we have two Christmas trees...

But what was even funnier was all the things we needed to buy. Shelves for picture frames, a stronger stand for our 29-gallon fish tank, a kitchen trash can, a small table for our record player. So many things left the apartment to go to Goodwill or a new home, but so many things came in, too. This move has allowed me to take stock in the things I own and what the actual value is. Do I really need to keep all these books I've read or have no plans to ever read? four different types of volumizer for fine hair? No. Thirty bottles of wine? Yes, those are very important (I'm not kidding). My mother's paintings? Heck yeah, those are going up on my wall! 

Duck Confit via Cooking for Geeks

What matters most is that Mike and I make more room for our friends and family in our new life, not all the stuff. Dear God that sounds sappy, but it's true. That means sharing those bottles of wine spontaneously or learning how to make a new dish together, like duck confit (Mike is playing with the duck head as I write this), or offering our futon to a friend on the move (you know who you are). 

And now I am going to read "How to be a Domestic Goddess."

M.I.A. but with Good Reason

I apologize for my blogging absence. I have been traveling like it's my job, and as I write this, I am sitting in the Oakland airport waiting for a flight to Chicago. At the beginning of the month, I traveled to Seattle for a conference. Seattle is an amazing city, and I think we all agreed that its restaurants have the best happy hours ever!

From Peru!

From Peru!

On May 12, Mike and I left for a ten-day trip in Peru, which included hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and eating guinea pig. The trip was amazing! I wouldn't call it a vacation because there was nothing relaxing about it. I think adventure is a more appropriate term. The trek itself was the most physically-demanding thing I've ever done, but every sore muscle was worth it. We saw Incan ruins everywhere, camped under a starry sky for three nights, saw gorgeous orchids all along the trail, and had the best camp food imaginable. We woke up early on the last day to see the sunrise at Machu Picchu. As the sun began to light up the mountains behind Machu Picchu, the clouds swirled around and finally reveled the ancient city. Absolutely incredible. I took almost 500 pictures, but I've narrowed it down to 120 for you to view.

One is always prepared for potential culture shock when visiting a new place, especially one with a large population in poverty. But what about the culture shock of returning to America?

Well, our plane is getting ready to take off now. Off to another adventure!

Earth Day

I didn't realize it was Earth Day until I was reading a Facebook post encouraging everyone to take public transportation, drink tap water, and pick up trash around their neighborhood. When I was at Virginia Tech, we used to have a large celebration on the Drillfield with the cycling club tuning up bikes for free and groups selling Earth Day t-shirts made of organic cotton. In Berkeley, I didn't see any celebrations, but I would be incredibly surprised if nothing was going on. Maybe I need to get out of lab more often...

I didn't know much about the history of Earth Day until I read the Wikipedia article detailing its inception. Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, who was also an environmental activist and is always held on April 22nd. Senator Nelson came up with the idea after the major oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969, which ranks 3rd after Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez spills. Washington was not responding effectively to the situation, and the disaster significantly affected wildlife. So Senator Nelson decided to set up a "teach-in" modeled after those that focused on the war in Vietnam. This first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, marked the beginning of the environmental movement. And now you know how Earth Day began.

When I typed in "Earth Day" and "China" into Google, I came across a blog on the San Francisco Chronicle website discussing this very subject. China is facing a major environmental crisis as its waters and air become more and more polluted each day. Its lax regulations allow multinational (and Chinese) companies to escape the laws that protect the environment from toxic dumping. While China is trying to address environmental concerns with its announcement of a 40-year plan, its growing economy and population will make serious action difficult. They cannot continue with "business as usual," to burn the short supply of coal for electricity or refuse to beef up environmental and safety regulations. Otherwise, they can look forward to more disasters like the toxic spills in the Songhua River and thicker air pollution.

And while our environmental standards are higher than China's at the moment, we are certainly not saints when it comes to protecting our environment. We need to accept that our giant cars and inefficient coal plants are affecting the climate. Earth Day reminds us to take a look at our footprint - and do something about it.

Cheap American Labor - Wait, what?

The other title I wanted to give this post was "Swedish Bastards," but I have several friends in Sweden and love them dearly. Also, I couldn't resist posting this image with it, so I apologize if I offended you.

For those of you like me who love Ikea, the following article is a good read: Ikea's U.S. factory churns out unhappy workers. My favorite quote: "It's ironic that Ikea looks on the U.S. and Danville the way that most people in the U.S. look at Mexico," Street said.

And everything I would say about it can be found here: Ikea's Third World outsourcing adventure - in the U.S. Thanks to Katie for the link!

This story is certainly going to put a damper on my next trip to Ikea when my boyfriend buy furniture for our new apartment! It's hard not to sound excited though...

In the Papers

A couple weeks ago, my mother sent me a few articles from The Straits Times in Singapore. No, it was not about the murder of a cat. The articles were about good things going on in China. She's always been a contrarian, bless her heart. And now she's trying to change my mind about China and all the terrible things that are happening. Right? Aren't people unhappy?

The titles of the articles were:

China farmers' online sales bearing fruit: Website sales boost their incomes, helping close the gap between rich and poor

Wanted - Super Maids: Demand in Chinese cities for competent domestic help surges

Young migrants opt to stay put in China cities: Overburdened cities find it tough to integrate those who decide not to return to villages after work stint

In the first story, the Chinese farmers find a way to sell their vegetables and fruit to the cities through the agricultural trading website. For one woman, 55-year old Wang Yulan, her yearly income doubled to over $5,000 and she doesn't have to leave her home to sell her goods. Addressing the growing gap between the rich and poor is high on the list of Chinese officials. They understand that having this gap can lead to discontent, unrest, and ultimately revolt (maybe U.S. officials should take a cue from China...). There are still many issues including access to health care and developers grabbing land, but this story is an example of improvements for poor, rural farmers.

"Wanted - Super Maids" was a really fun article to read, and I apologize for not being able to find it online for you. At the top of the page, my mother wrote, "Not all is gloom and doom in China!" The story is about contest on Chinese national television that could be called "China's Next Top Maid." Teams of maids compete for the title of Top Maid and also for special contracts. For example, one of the maids in a contest won a contract for 5,000 yuan a month, making her the highest paid housekeeper in the Hunan province. The demand for maids is so high that Chinese are hiring Filipinos illegally (sound familiar?) because these maids can speak English and are known to keep house well. One agency even auctioned the services of 10 "super maids" at the Special Talent Auction. The pay for maids is also pulling university graduates away from potential jobs they would obtain with their degree.

At the top of the last article, my mom wrote "A reason to buy Chinese Products!" This article follows 21-year-old Li Biying, who works at an underwear factory. She started working at the factory when she was 14, making the lining of bra cups. For every 12 pieces she makes, she earns 20 cents. If you know how much a Victoria's Secret bra costs, you probably have steam coming out your ears. But Li loves her work. She has assimilated into the urban culture and wears high-heeled boots with faux fur to work. Not everything is perfect for Li. She works 14-hour days, only has one day off a month, and her dorm only gets 20 minutes of hot water a day. It's probably better than her life in rural China.

So what should I take from all of this? As I wrote this, I realized that many parallels exist between China and America. Immigration issues, the gap between the rich and poor, urbanization, the list goes on and on. How we address our growing urban population, the need for health care for everyone, our energy use, and our role on the world stage may give China insight into how to solve its own problems.

Or maybe we'll learn something from them. Thanks for keeping me optimistic, Mom.

So sad.

The tragedy that struck Japan last Friday is unimaginable. Sure, they're used to earthquakes but not a 9.0 that causes a 30-foot tsunami. Watching the videos of the water destroying the lives of so many broke my heart, and knowing that this is only the beginning for the country is unfathomable. 

Japan has a special place in my heart. My dad worked for Dupont, which had a textiles manufacturing facility in Shiga, Japan. When I was very young, one of the Japanese engineers came to Virginia to work at the facility in Waynesboro. Shin brought his wife, Atsuko, and daughter, Emi, who was a few years older than me. My mom and Atsuko became fast friends. From what I remember, Atsuko had a son while she was in America so he was a little older than my sister. We had many play dates at their apartment complex because they had a pool! One time, we had the family over at Easter to hunt for Easter eggs. Emi quickly learned that the best way to get the eggs was to follow me around because I had a terrible habit of tipping my basket. All my eggs would fall out behind me (I didn't notice until the hunt was over) and she ended up with all the eggs! I think there are pictures of me crying with an empty basket and Emi is just smiling.

Atsuko was a classical pianist and taught piano while she was in Waynesboro. When they moved back to Japan, they left their piano with us and I learned to play on it. We still have it, and I play it every time I go home on breaks. When I was in 8th grade, they invited me to visit them in Kyoto, Japan, for two weeks. It was the first time I had ever left the United States and was a ridiculously long plane ride. But I had the best time. I ate sushi and almost threw up. I went to Buddhist temples, ate tofu for breakfast, and did a lot of shopping. 

Throughout the years, we have stayed in touch, and my parents attended Emi's wedding a few years ago. They send us Christmas presents each year, even though most Japanese don't celebrate Christmas - Atsuko fell in love with the holiday while she was in Virginia. Emi and her husband live in Tokyo while Atsuko and Shin live near Osaka. 

We have heard from Shin since the earthquake, and he let us know that everyone is ok. He wrote my dad, "It is my first time that I experienced such large earthquake on the 20th floor of tall building in Osaka but it is really scary." Emi is expecting her second child in a few weeks. 

I wish it did not take this kind of tragedy to make me realize how important this Japanese family was in shaping who I am today.

“When something does not insist on being noticed, when we aren't grabbed by the collar or struck on the skull by a presence or an event, we take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” - Cynthia Ozick

Cover Story of Wired Magazine

While I was in line at Berkeley Bowl, I was browsing the many magazines at the checkout counter as we waited. I usually pick out the latest Vanity Fair, and I have learned about many topics from this magazine, including Ralph Lauren's ridiculous car collection or Justin Bieber's jam-packed life.

This time, the cover of Wired magazine caught my eye. It said, "1 Million Workers. 90 Million iPhones. 17 Suicides. Who’s to Blame?" The piece opens by mentioning the noticeable nets around Foxconn, the company who manufactures Apple products and was the focus of Mike Daisey's "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs." As I read the article, I was expecting the author, who toured the Foxconn facility, to say that he was saddened by the conditions in the plant, that he couldn't believe that people worked in these conditions, etc.

Not the case. Instead, he writes:

It’s likely that your job will require you to sit or stand in place for most of your shift. Maybe you grab components from a bin and slot them into circuit boards as they move down a conveyer. Or you might tend a machine, feeding it tape that holds tiny microprocessors like candy on paper spools. Or you may sit next to a refrigerator-sized machine, checking its handiwork under a magnifying glass. Or you could sit at a bench with other technicians placing completed cell-phone circuit boards into lead-lined boxes resembling small kilns, testing each piece for electromagnetic interference.

If you have to go to the bathroom, you raise your hand until your spot on the line can be covered. You get an hour for lunch and two 10-minute breaks; roles are switched up every few days for cross-training. It seems incredibly boring—like factory work anywhere in the developed world.

I was somewhat taken aback. What do you mean the conditions are the same as they are in the developed world? What happened to the terrible, repetitive motion? The 15 hour days? The crammed living conditions? Well, the author asserts that during his tour of the facility, he saw workers laughing together on the "campus" and visited living quarters that resembled a college dorm.

While he writes all this, he also says that our eyes should be on Foxconn because of the overtime they often require of their workers. And comforting ourselves with the notion that our consumerism is making both our lives and the lives of the workers better only causes guilt.

When that small appeasement is challenged even slightly, when that thin, taut cord that connects our consumption to the nameless millions who make our lifestyle possible snaps even for a moment, the gulf we find ourselves peering into—a yawning, endless future of emptiness on a squandered planet—becomes too much to bear.

When 17 people take their lives, I ask myself, did I in my desire hurt them? Even just a little?

And of course the answer, inevitable and immeasurable as the fluttering silence of our sun, is yes.

Just a little.

For me, it is too much to bear, and I will continue my quest for a more thoughtful consumer lifestyle.