Voting, Part 1

Last night Baba-san and I went to the Democrats Abroad pizza party to discuss the upcoming election. For those unfamiliar with the organization, it is worldwide and gives a voice to Democrats who are living overseas. This year, for the first time ever, we are able to vote in the Global primary and will actually have the priveledge of sending delegates to the convention. Three people stood up and gave speeches on the three (now two) major candidates and why they are voting for them. What struck me was no matter who you are supporting, it is a wonderful year for us because we have several excellent people in the running. I do believe each of them, if elected, would be effective in solving some of the problems in the US and most important, would make great strides in restoring our image overseas.


What has saddened me greatly living here is how America is viewed by others. If I mention how I don't agree with it's policies, most often I hear "Oh really, so you don't like what is going on?" or more pointed "I'm so glad to hear you say that." Many people assume all Americans approve of the behavior of the few in power and that is very depressing.

There was a man, born in the Congo, who as an American citizen living in Tokyo right now, will be voting for the first time. It was thrilling to hear his passion for the process and his joy is having the opportunity to participate. Starting next Tuesday, we will be able to vote via the internet or in person at several polling place around Japan. Since Ariana is in school, I am going in person to vote, as well as help out at the location in Tokyo. I'll let you know how it turns out, but in the meantime, I thought I would provide you with a rather comical view of the election from a newspaper in China.

Enjoy!!


Headline Opinions 2008-01-05 13:28 from the Sinchew News:


Women, The Blacks, The Elderly

All the while leaders are always extraordinary. They are either having burly and strong body or convincing intelligence. Otherwise, these people are brave and remain calm when they face hardships. In the old days, some tribes elected their leaders by the number of prey they had successfully hunted. Those with the most were regarded as heroes, and normally they would become the leader of the tribe. There is a saying goes “the kingpin is the king”. No one is willing to be led by a weaker one. Therefore, the kingpins have always been leading the weak. However, not everyone can become a kingpin. The basic conditions of a kingpin are young (not old), strong and smart. Nevertheless, there are also other bias nowadays. For example, the differences between wearing trousers and wearing skirts, as
well as the differences between white and black. Therefore, most of the kingpins are men and the white. Women, the blacks and the elderly are often categorised as protected groups. If you have paid attention to the ongoing U.S. presidential elections 2008, you can find out that the major candidates of the two parties are the so-called “protected groups”.
Democratic Party's Hillary Rodham Clinton is the former first lady. She has a strong campaign team and reportedly she has the most election fund in history. However, she still has to rely on her husband to support her. She has even thrown in the line “ vote for Hillary and you will get Clinton as well”. Many people are optimistic that Hillary is going to become the first United States female president in the history even before she
announced her participation, but she only found out that the role of “woman” has too many stereotype restrictions. It is not easy to
beat other opponents.

In order to break through these limitations, the shrewd Hillary has recently been changing her image to meet the electorates' expectations of a female leader. Sometimes she is a filial daughter. Sometimes she is a loving mother. Sometimes she is a patriot who defend the United States. Sometimes she is the one who exposed the scandal of China's tainted food products. Some people have insulted her as “a woman with thousands face”.

Her opponent, Barack Obama doesn't have much advantages either. He is a half-black. Therefore, he can only gain support from his compatriots such as famous host Oprah Winfrey and actor Will Smith.

As for the Republican Party, the favored former Vietnam war hero John McCain is 71 years old this year. If were to win the election at the end of this year, he will be 72 years old and become the oldest president in the history of the United States. He would break the 1980 record where Reagan became president at the age of 69 years old. However, many people are worried if the old McCain can endure the four-year presidential term.

The United States is the world superpower, with the elected country leader is also the world leader. Perhaps it will be a disappointment if the president turns out to be a woman, a black or an elderly, but it will also full of historical meaning. However, would the result affect the image and status of the United States as the world superpower?

The weakness of women, the poverty of the blacks and the frailty of the elderly are our deep-rooted impression of disadvantaged "They hope to rewrite the history and witness the birth of a female president, a
black president or an elderly president."

These are the reasons the support rate of each candidate are so close to each other prior to the opening of Iowa primaries. Many
Americans are struggling. They hope to rewrite the history and witness the birth of a female president, a black president or an
elderly president. However, at the same time, they question if a female president, a black president or an elderly president could
really represent the United States as well as lead the country and the world.

(By CHUA SZE CHIH/ Translated by LEE MEI NYEE/
Sin Chew Daily)
( The opinions expressed by the writer do not necessarily reflect those of MySinchew )

It's Snowing

Yes, finally, after one and a half winters spent in Tokyo, it is finally snowing. It may not stick, but it sure is a happy sight!!!


Actually, it seems it is sticking and Ariana was having a fine time contemplating both the snow and her foot prints as we walked to school this morning. By the time we got there, we were both covered in snow and very happy - what a fun way to start the day!!!

Sorry I haven't been writing, but my hands have been otherwise occupied holding a steaming mug of tea in order to stay warm. It is freezing here. And by here, I mean in our apartment. For a country that is known for wacky inventions, you would think they could do something mundane, like build a well insulated home, but no..... so here I sit, shoulders hunched, drinking lots and lots of tea.

The good news is I have come to truly appreciate the heated toilet seat, as that seems to be the warmest place in the house. It's too bad there is a breeze coming through the bathroom that makes, well, how do I put this..............at least there is one warm body part.

There are parts of the apartment you could swear were really outside. Anywhere within 5 feet of a window is actually breezy. The bedrooms are freezing because the front door, no matter what we do to it, spews out freezing cold air and any room past it is the recipient of all that cold air. We tried caulking, but it did no good. We bought a couple of space heaters, thinking we could use those instead of the regular heat that comes from the ceiling and goes right out the windows and doors, but now we use them both, adding to an already outrageous electric bill - yes, the heating is electric.

There is an entire industry here based on products to keep warm - slippers, shawls, heaters, heated carpets, foot warmers, heaters of all shapes and sizes as most people have the same problem as we do.

One of my favorite products is the little foot warmers you get in the drug store - there are two kinds; ones that stick to your socks and others that slip into your shoes. As you step on them, they warm up and keep warm for several hours. I have taken to wearing them in the house as they seem to make the difference between "nice" wifey san and evil "I'm cold and therefore in a bad mood" wifey san.

I was just in what used to be Jed's room and it was 10 degrees Celsius, which translates into 50 degrees Fahrenheit. No wonder he decided to spend his senior year back in the warmth of Maryland.

The coffee mugs must be put in the microwave in the morning so the coffee stays hot - the good news is that the champagne glasses are always chilled, but it is really too cold for champagne. The butter, left out on the counter to keep soft, is not; rather it is hard as a rock.

And this is how we watch tv:

Bali, here we come!!!!!!!

A New Year....

Well, Ariana is back at school, baba san is back at a regular work day, and I am back to, well, whatever it is that fills my few hours to myself.

New Years was a lot of fun, despite the trip to the emergency room early in the day. EVERYTHING IS FINE!!! Ariana hadn't been feeling well in the belly and since everything, including doctor's offices are closed from December 30 - January 4th, we made a visit to the Red Cross Hospital in Hiroo, the next town over. We got her checked out, got some medicine and were back home in a couple of hours.
Our party went on as planned, but Ariana spent most of it in my arms, as when she is not feeling well, she wants to be held. That was fine with me. Everybody brought a dish and since we have a very international group of friends, we had everything from Gravlax to Casadias.

New Year's Day we went to a festival in Meguro, another town close by, and watched some taiko drumming. They had a little arcade and after handing over 300 yen, Ariana picked a number and had a choice of a tiara or a set of cars - my little girl, just like her mother, went for the cars.

We went back later in the week with some friends and she spent most of the time in the ball pit and racing these little motorized cars. Mmmmmm, I see a theme here.........