Category Archives: Mostly everything else.

The Real Life of a Newbie Runner

Last year, I resolved to eventually run a half-marathon. This year, I’m actually going to do it.

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Back when I was in Sydney, I unexpectedly picked up running. I had always hated running. When they made us run the mile in high school? Torture. But I hated the high price of a gym membership more than I hated running. With the help of a friend, I was soon pounding away 5k’s regularly.

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And thus I was introduced to the weird world of running.

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I’m not just running, either– I’m training. After my return to Boston this January, I signed up for Boston’s Run To Remember, a half-marathon that takes place at the end of May. In Sydney, I ran whenever I was in the mood. Now, I have a schedule. I’ve had to push myself to greater and greater distances.

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Along the way, I’ve met a few surprises. I’m a noob to all this running stuff. I’ve always had an image of what a runner’s life is like…

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…but the reality is much different.

Mother Nature is cruel.

Photos of runners can be deceiving.

Outdoor Running Series

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Silhouette woman run under blue sky with clouds

For some reason, nobody ever told me how hard it is to run in bad weather. I became complacent in Sydney, where it’s always sunny and beautiful. Even in the winter, the weather sticks around 50 to 60 degrees. Imagine my shock when I walked out of the Boston-Logan airport upon my return in January, dressed in shorts and a tank top.

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There are many people who man up and run outside. I am not one of them. I run in my sport shorts from middle school and that free t-shirt I got from my university. I don’t have any fancy thermal running gear. When I tried to run outside, I was very uncomfortable.

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I’ve ended up running at my school’s gym, which has a miniature indoor running track. The track is only about 1/12 of a mile, though, so I have ran around that track literally hundreds of times.

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Thank goodness it’s spring!

Contrary to popular belief, not all runners are stick-thin athletic models.

Photos of runners can be deceiving.

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First of all, those expressions. They all look like they’re simultaneously running and achieving enlightenment. I, on the other hand, am a little less zen when I run.

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Everyone’s seen those hardcore runners in their neighborhoods, right? The ones all tricked-out in fancy running gear, with seemingly 0% body fat and rippling lean muscle.

Or maybe that’s just my neighborhood.

Either way, those runners gave me a false perception of what I would look like if I started running.

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But after running for several months, I still look like this:

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Even though I cross-train and watch my diet, I am not a toned, athletic model. Nope, I still look pretty much the same. All you other runners out there, what are your secrets?!

Shoes actually matter.

I’ve done many sports before, but I’ve never paid attention to my sneakers. Usually I’m clad in some cheap pair that I picked up at Marshall’s.

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However, as I’ve been running longer distances, this no longer seems like a good idea.

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Thus, I went to a sports store in Boston and wandered to the shoe department, which happened to be staffed by a long-time marathon runner.

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This marathon runner also happened to be quite enthusiastic about shoes.

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After trying on many, many shoes, I did successfully buy a new pair of sneakers. On that very day, I tried running in them.

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Who knew that sneakers could make such a difference?

I am now the weird breed.

Like I said before, I have never been a runner. I actually hated running. I was on my middle-school track team but only did long jump, never any running events. I played lacrosse and tennis and was always the slowest runner on the team. Runners were just an entirely different kind of people from me– or so I thought.

Now that I’m running, I’ve become that different kind of people. My friends react to me the same way that I used to react to runners.

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Then they go on to describe how much they hate running.

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I used to try to explain to people that I was the same way. I used to hate running. It’s a difficult sport to pick up if you’re out of shape. But the beauty of running is that anyone can do it, as long as the determination to train is there.

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Now, I just accept it.

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Because no matter how much I argue, people never believe that they can run too, just like I believed about a year ago. It’s weird, being on the other side of it. If only they knew my good ol’ middle school track and field days!

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Despite all the pain, sweat, and tears, running is actually quite nice.

Don’t get me wrong. Running is exhausting. You’ll sweat. You’ll burn. You’ll wonder why you ever decided to do this in the first place.

And indeed, I’ve been wondering a lot about why I decided to do this. Running long distances is incredibly time-consuming. I get tired, and thirsty, and hungry.

But last weekend, Boston had one of its first good-weather weekends in a long time. The winter here is finally starting to break, and spring is starting to show through. Last weekend, then, I went running outside. My route took me along the Charles River Esplanade, a walkway along the river that looks like this:

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The sun was warm.

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There was a gentle breeze.

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Sailboats filled the river, taking advantage of our first true spring days.

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Yes, last weekend, I experienced it:

Outdoor Running Series

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Despite the difficulties and surprises of being a runner, it’s been rewarding. A few years ago, I could barely run a mile. Last weekend, I ran ten. Sure, I might not be the poster child of athleticism. Sure, maybe I run at a snail-like pace. But I can do it! I can run!

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It’s only going to get weirder when I run my first half-marathon in a few weeks. Coming soon!…too soon.

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Wish me luck! Because I’ll need loads of it.

 

How to up your game at your next anime con

I can’t claim to be a convention connoisseur. There are people who convention-hop, traveling from con to con in their area. There are those who rent hotels with their friends, hanging out with all the anime geeks night and day. There are those who go hard, hitting up one of the local clubs when the convention closes each night.

I’m not one of those people. I went to my first con five years ago, an itty-bitty one called Zenkaikon. Two years later, I moved up to Boston, where I have conveniently attended Anime Boston for the last three years. Each night, I can go home and snuggle up in my own bed.

While I’m no expert, there are some things I wish I knew before attending my first convention way back when. So I wish to impart this knowledge on whoever is interested– because nothing’s wrong with making your anime con more awesome!

Preregister.

Some events like PAX sell out within hours. Luckily, other cons will allow registration up until the day itself. During my first convention, I decided last-minute to attend. When I arrived at the convention center, though, I was faced with this:

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The lines at Anime Boston can get even larger. Additionally, registering beforehand can be cheaper than buying it the day of. If you’re going to be attending for sure, save time and money– register beforehand!

Resist the Dealer’s Room.

Most conventions will have a dealer’s room, full of shiny sparkling merchandise from your favorite shows and games.

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I was a broke high school student during my first convention. Although I wanted to buy everything, I simply didn’t have the money.

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And it’s certainly possible to stay on a budget! Some people only bring a limited amount of cash with them. I tend to shop around first, choosing the items I want the most and prioritizing what to buy. At my first convention, I only bought one thing.

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Don’t resist the Dealer’s Room.

On the other hand, if you do have some money to spare, shopping around the Dealer’s Room can be the greatest thing ever.

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For example, take my friend who attended Anime Boston for the first time this year. I watched as she navigated the Dealer’s Room on the first day of the con.

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My friend and I walked to a Lolita stall, where a Lolita girl invited us to come in and look at the dresses.

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My friend agreed to try it on. Soon, what was supposed to be a quick look turned into an entire shopping trip.

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That dress turned what would have been a fun weekend into an awesome weekend. People approached and asked her for photos. She talked to people about the adorableness that is Lolita fashion. And sometimes, you just want to dress up in a sickeningly frilly dress, you know?

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Whether you buy anything or not, shopping is fun!

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Don’t lose your way.

Kill la Kill fans, please don’t slap me. I mean it! Depending on the size of the convention, the convention hall can be large and confusing. Dozens of rooms, multiple floors, hallways that all look the same. During my first Anime Boston, I had no idea where I was at any given time.

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This also makes it hard to stick with your friends.

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My best advice? If your event uses the Guidebook app, download it! For Anime Boston, the app included maps of the entire convention center. The app also included all the panels and performances for the entire weekend, allowing you to create and customize your own convention schedule. This made it a whole lot easier to find my way!

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Be prepared to go to panels early.

During my first Anime Boston, I would arrive at panels right when they were about to start. As a result, I heard this sentence a lot:

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If the panel is covering a popular topic (such as Pokemon or Studio Ghibli, for instance) a lot of people will be interested– and a lot of people will show up. The lines at the Penny Arcade Expos can get so bad that there’s a whole Twitter devoted to them.

Be prepared to go to concerts and other main events REALLY early.

Panels fill fast. Main events, like a concert by a popular artist or a Q&A with a famous actor, can be even worse. One of the most popular events at Anime Boston is the cosplay masquerade. I remember talking to some of the people who were waiting in line.

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Therefore, be ready to hang around.

If you do have to absolutely see the Video Game Orchestra, or the JAM Project, or whoever else is presenting/performing that year, you might have to wait in line. For a while. When I attended PAX East last year, people knew this and came prepared.

Seriously, this happened! I'm stealing this image from a post I wrote last year.

This really happened! I’m stealing this image from a post I wrote last year.

The long wait becomes much more tolerable when you spend it playing Cards Against Humanity or Spaceteam with your friends. Or, in this case, with complete strangers who happen to love the same things you do.

Dress it up.

If you weren’t able to tell, I’m a big fan of cosplay. Why wouldn’t I be? There are so many reasons to like cosplay.

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And while anime conventions are certainly enjoyable in normal clothes, I find that cosplaying makes it so much more fun. When I’m in costume, and when others are in costume, it becomes a conversation starter.

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It’s easy to find people who love the same things that you do.

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An anime convention is kind of like a big dance for geeks: everyone comes looking their best, except instead of formal wear everyone’s in their finest costume. These geek conventions are the only times where dressing up as Naruto or Monkey D. Luffy is socially acceptable, after all. Not to mention it’s a nice ego boost.

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Speaking of photos…

Bring your camera.

Maybe this is just me. My urge to take photos runs stronger than most people. Photos are a great way to preserve your memories, though, and a great way to share all the cool cosplay you’ll see.

Asking cosplayers for photos is normal at a convention, so don’t be shy! People even enjoy being asked for photos. It’s flattering, you know? So I didn’t hold back, and asked tons and tons of people for their photo.

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If you’re me, you bring your giant Nikon DSLR, extra batteries, your battery charger, and some extra SD cards in case. If you’re a normal person, you bring your phone and snap photos from there. Either one works– just be sure to bring a charger for when your camera runs out of juice.

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Talk it out.

One of my friends, a newbie to Anime Boston, asked me this question near the end of the con:

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Another friend– the one who had gone Lolita that weekend– chimed in.

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I nodded. That sounded about right.

But then I paused. Everything I’ve described here were reasons to come to Anime Boston. Going to panels. Shopping. Cosplaying. Yet there was something else to it. There was something about these nerd conventions that ran deeper than just buying wall scrolls and watching Attack on Titan characters walk by.

I thought back to my first Anime Boston.

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I ended up hanging out with those complete strangers for the entire day, a friendship based purely on a mutual love for Final Fantasy VIII.

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Well, the guy in red is from Final Fantasy X.

I thought about a guy we had met in the subway that day.

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I thought about all the people I had talked to over the weekend.

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With a female Kakashi from Naruto!

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With Uncle Iroh from Avatar!

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With Mitsukuni “Honey” Haninozuka from Ouran High School Host Club!

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I thought about it, and realized: While the panels and performances and picture-taking is fun, it’s really the people that make the whole experience for me. There’s a strong sense of camaraderie at Anime Boston. Everyone is accepted, whether it be the tall guy in a Lolita dress or the girl wearing bunny ears and a fox tail. People become incredibly friendly, eager to talk to you about their favorite anime or manga or video game.

I was shy at my first few conventions, hesitating to ask anyone for even a photo. Now, I love approaching people at conventions. Chances are, they’ll have a good story to tell– or at least a decent anime recommendation.

It’s that openness– that sense of community– that I find to be the core of Anime Boston. It’s not often that you’ll be surrounded by thousands of people who have the same interests that you do, eager to fangirl over Avatar or debate over the Legend of Zelda timeline. Approach people about their costume. Ask them about their favorite series. Geek out– because here, it’s okay!

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With Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon!

And that, I find, is my favorite way to enjoy a convention.

Don’t just listen to me, though. Go to a convention yourself! Chances are, you’ll find your own ways to enjoy it. And when you do, let me know– I’d love to know how to make a great time even more awesome.

Even better, let me know how to deal with that post-con depression.

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I’m already planning my next cosplay.

 

 

 

For those who don’t know, I went to Anime Boston this year dressed as Yuna in her Final Fantasy X-2 outfit! I’ve compiled a little gallery of my favorite Anime Boston photos from this year. Check it out if you’d like!

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5 things I’ve learned from a year of Weight Watchers

It’s been about a year since I started doing Weight Watchers.

For those who didn’t know: at this time, last year, I was overweight. It wasn’t by much, and people never believe me when I tell them this, but it’s the truth. I was eating poorly, exercising less, and really was just on a downward spiral that was only going to get worse.

When you keep a bag of chocolate chips in your car to absentmindedly snack on at stop lights, you know it’s bad.

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It was time to change.

So, for the last year, I’ve been using the Weight Watchers online tools to control how much I eat. Contrary to popular belief, Weight Watchers isn’t one of those weird “meals delivered to your door! Lose 5 pounds in a week!” sort of diet plan. It allows people to eat whatever they want, but has them keep track of it. Weight Watchers also encourages daily exercise, a healthy diet, and overall lifestyle changes.

Believe it or not, it’s actually worked for me. Over the last year, I’ve changed how I view food and exercise, and have really strived to improve my health. I’ve actually been able to shed a few pounds! Not without a few hiccups, though.

I’ve tried to face and resolve the problems I’ve ran into as best I can. Yet, a year later, it’s hard to not pound my head against a wall. Weight Watchers isn’t a gimmick. It’s a true lifestyle change. You’d think that, in the last year, it would have become easier, but it’s still a learning experience. Here’s some of the challenges I’ve faced:

5 Things I’ve Learned From Doing Weight Watchers

1. Delicious food will always be delicious. Sorry.

People claim that once you stop eating greasy food, or sugary food, or straight-up-artery clogging food, that you’ll eventually stop liking it. Suddenly the McDonald’s burger is too greasy and the Cheesecake Factory is too sweet.

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I think they’re all nuts. Cookies have always been and forever will be delicious, and it’ll always be a challenge for me to eat 1 at a time instead of 20. I guess I’ll just have to accept this, and use my willpower.

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2. Traveling makes staying healthy really, really hard.

Weight Watchers is all good and fun when you’re at home and can stock your own fridge and prepare your own meals. When you’re on the road, though, it’s a whole new ball game.

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Besides, food is an integral part of every culture. I’m not going to go to Vietnam and refuse to try the coconut-flavored ice cream, or decline my long-lost family’s home cooking.

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3. Self-motivation is also hard.

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I decided to do Weight Watchers for myself, and nobody else. As a result, I’m the only one who cares if I screw up.

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I’m the only one who holds myself accountable. In fact, most people don’t even know that I’m doing Weight Watchers. This makes it hard to stay on track.

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I avoid buying junk food, but sometimes, the junk comes to you. Even a year later, I find it difficult to resist.

4. Sometimes, good is never good enough.

Despite all the challenges, I really have lost a bit of weight using Weight Watchers. My family noticed it when I visited home for Lunar New Year’s last month.

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I was glad to hear that my efforts had bore visible fruit. However, the compliments were followed up with comments like these. 

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There really isn’t any winning this battle. Sometimes, good is never good enough…

5. …especially to me.

The one least satisfied with my progress is me. It’s been a year, yet I’m not even close to my target weight. I miss the times when I could eat without thinking about every bite I take. Sometimes, staying on track is just as difficult as it was on day 1.

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The more I try, the more discouraged I get. I know it’s silly, but how do models get as thin as they do?!

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Every writer and their mother has talked about the pressure to stay thin as a woman, especially for Asian women. I’ve come to realize– though I know people come in all shapes and sizes and can still be healthy– though I know models are always photoshopped and it’s all fantasy, all fake– I still hold myself, as I do for most things, to unrealistic standards.

It’s not as though the last year has been a total failure, though. I know I’ve improved. I’m healthier. Fitter. I’m training for a half-marathon, for goodness’ sakes. The difference is visible.

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I’m no longer waging the battle to be healthy. I’m going to run a half-marathon in May, so I figure that fight is well in my favor. Now I’m grappling with something much harder– the ability to like myself the way I am.

And that, my friends, is way more difficult.

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But, in spite of all this, it’s fine. Don’t give up!

That’s what I tell myself every day when I log into Weight Watchers and obsessively track my food. I’ve stuck with it this far. I have to keep going. Despite my long list of failures and defeats, I’ve had little victories as well. I view food differently now. I no longer compromise my health for school. I still have trouble refusing when someone offers me free cake, but sometimes– once in a while– I’m able to say no.

So… I guess I learned not 5, but 6 things.

6. It’s possible.

Even after a year, changing the way I eat is hard. I’ve fallen on and off the wagon so many times. But little by little, I’ve been getting better at this. Even if I haven’t reached where I want to be, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far.

Because I have accomplished something. It’s possible.

And knowing that– despite the difficulties– despite my seemingly insatiable appetite and absolute love of sweets–  it is possible for someone like me to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle. That’s what they are, steps. Nothing big. Nothing sweeping. But at least, a year later, I know it’s possible for me to get what I want.

I just have to keep trying, one day at a time.

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Here’s to you, dad!

Mother’s Day was a month ago. In commemoration, I wrote a post about my mom! When my family celebrated, I showed my mom the post. My dad reacted:

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Well, dad, here you go!

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My dad isn’t really a sentimental person. He’s not one for huge, dramatic emotional displays or sweeping acts of grandeur. Instead, he’s very down-to-earth.

Yes, my dad is a practical guy. He’s not like those dads who pamper their daughters. My sister and I aren’t about to receive a pink convertible on our birthdays, or that $4,000 Gucci purse, or that super-cute necklace from Tiffany’s.

And I prefer it that way. After all, what kind of person would I be if I was spoiled like that? No, with my dad, it’s the little things that count. He has his own little ways of showing his love to my sister and I– not in material gifts, but in what he does. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate those things more and more.

And what are those things?

Well, the list could go on to infinity. For brevity’s sake, I’m just going to list a few.

1. He feeds us.

Ok, I know it sounds silly. But now that I’m cooking for myself, I’ve realized what a pain cooking can be! My dad is the main chef of my family, and he’ll often put in the extra time to cook our favorites or grill that steak to perfection.

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2. He trained us in sports.

My dad, an avid tennis fan, taught me and my sister tennis in elementary school.

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Unfortunately for him, I didn’t always want to learn.

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I disliked tennis all the way into high school, which was when I joined the tennis team. Tennis was definitely one of the defining experiences of my high school years– I made friends, later made varsity, and even ended up joining the boy’s team for a season. If my dad hadn’t taught me tennis, I would have missed out on all of those experiences!

3. He takes us places.

I remember one of my high school friends saying,

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…to which I reacted,

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My parents love to travel, and my dad usually takes the helm for planning family trips. Before I even hit middle school my dad was taking us on hikes at places like Yosemite, the Smoky Mountains, and Mount Tremblant. Acadia National Park in Maine is still one of my all-time favorite places.

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Although my dad is a pretty careful planner, he isn’t afraid of a little spontaneity.

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It’s thanks to these trips, and my dad, that my sister and I now have a healthy sense of adventure!

4. He gives us words of wisdom.

Lots of dads like to quote stale platitudes and old idioms to inspire their kids. Not my dad. He makes up his own!

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Though sometimes, his self-made words of wisdom don’t make sense.

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Well, you have to give him credit for originality!

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5. He drives us.

My sister and I did lots of sports and activities in grade school, forcing my dad to drive us everywhere.

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6. …so he taught us how to drive.

To get out of driving duty, he taught both of us how to drive himself. This turned out to be a more arduous task than he probably initially expected.

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So I failed my driver’s test once. Whatever. It was because of the parallel parking part anyway! At least I have my license now– thanks to my dad’s lessons!

7. He tutored us.

My parents grew up in Vietnam, where the academic competition is fierce. As a result, they’ve always wanted us to be at the top of our class. Before kindergarten, I remember my dad teaching me long division and multiplication.

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As a result, I did end up having an edge over the other kids in my first years of elementary school. (Math remains my worst subject, though!) My dad still did his best to help as we reached higher grades– though by the time I hit Calculus 2, this became a bit trickier.

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My dad’s an engineer, so he’s studied way further into mathematics than I have. Still, when you’re faced with integrals and derivatives for the first time in 20 years, there’s bound to be some memory lag. But he always does his best to help us, then and now!

8. He pushes us to success.

My dad has an arguably crazier past than my mom. He grew in a farming village in Central Vietnam, where his family grew rice. He often tells us about building houses from mud and bamboo, or picking leeches off his legs after tending the fields, or how he never ate phở (the famous Vietnamese beef broth soup) until he reached the US. When he finally escaped from the war (as one of the boat people of Vietnam, no less) he lived in a refugee camp in Indonesia for a year before finally securing passage to America. He arrived in the USA– as he famously likes to tell us– with nothing but a garbage bag of clothes and 50 bucks in his pocket.

My dad, like my mom, had to work his way up to success. I remember when I was in elementary school, my teacher assigned us a list of questions to ask our parents. One of them was

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to which my dad answered promptly,

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And so, growing up, my sister and I have always been urged to work our way to success as well. Which is why I credit my dad with my hearty work ethic today.

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My dad pushes us, sure, but he would also do anything for our success. Thanks to his support, I was able to do tennis and National Honor Society and vocal ensemble and track and all the other activities I did back then. Because of him, I’m able to go to college without being strapped with debt. My father was not only able to survive the tough times, but also prevent the tough times from happening to his kids.

Yeah, I’m very lucky that my dad is… well, my dad!

So dad, here’s one for you as well! My sister and I know that you’re always looking out for our best interests. You’ve dealt with our girl drama for so many years, and for that, we can’t thank you enough. So, on this Father’s Day, it’s only apt for us to say:

You’re the best father we’ve ever had!

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You know what we mean.

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In which I get asked out via LinkedIn.

About a week ago I received an disconcerting e-mail.

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To understand why this message is disconcerting, we need context.

The closest T station to my house is about a mile away. It’s a short distance, so I always walk. A couple months ago the green line was experiencing problems and they replaced the trains with bus service.

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The bus driver, who obviously had little idea of where she was going, dropped us off a few blocks away from the actual station, much to the confusion of the passengers. As we all headed off in what seemed like the right direction, a guy piped up behind me.

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I responded,

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Inadvertently, I had opened the door to further conversation. This kid also happened to be headed in the same direction as me, so he struck up some small talk.

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We talked for about 15 minutes before parting ways. The kid seemed eccentric but non-threatening; he was barely taller than me and much skinnier. He also seemed like a bit of a shy, awkward dude, but as an awkward flower myself I’m used to dealing with that type.

And that was that. Pretty standard.

The next morning I see an e-mail, forwarded to me from LinkedIn. The kid had somehow found my LinkedIn profile and sent me a message.

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I had forgotten that I had a LinkedIn account in the first place. Oh, ok, that kid, I thought. I sent him back a message of greetings…

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…and left it at that.

That was two months ago.

And that brings us to now, and this message:

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I should also say, about my LinkedIn account: there’s barely information on it beyond my name and my university. I know, I know, as a future professional I should keep it up-to-date. But I don’t even have a photo on there. And my name is, surprisingly, extremely common, so my LinkedIn isn’t exactly going to be at the top of any search.

I called my sister and asked her this:

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I hadn’t told him my last name, so finding my LinkedIn profile meant that he was actively searching for me on the wild wild Internet.

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This kid who I had talked to for about 15 minutes.

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Two months after talking to me once, completely out of nowhere, this kid was pretty much asking me on a date.

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All of this freaked me out a bit, so I went the path of the annoyingly passive girl and didn’t respond. A week later he messaged me again:

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This walk was going to be so quick that he needed two quicks.

But hey, you know, maybe I’m being unfair. From the girl’s perspective, it’s easy to write off a guy as creepy or weird. Maybe scouring the internet for someone’s LinkedIn profile is actually a normal thing. I mean, at least the guy had the balls to approach first. And really, why was I being so paranoid? It’s not like I have a history of attracting strange guys or anything.

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I guess this guy is another one for my list.

What do you think? To me, this is definitely skirting the line between “normal” and “creepy.” But that’s just me. Let me know your opinions in the comments!

I have never seen so many rainbow accessories in my life.

Massachusetts is well-known as a liberal state. I mean, the abolitionist and women’s rights movements started in Boston. Massachusetts was also the first state to legalize gay marriage, a fact that its residents hold with pride.

A lot of pride.

Last weekend was the main weekend of Boston Pride Week, a seven-day festival celebrating LGBTQ culture. My friend and I, never adverse to racking up more volunteer hours, decided to help out at the event. I’d never been to Boston Pride before– in fact, I haven’t even heard of it before now.

On Saturday morning, I traveled out to City Hall Plaza with little expectations. My friend and I arrived early, so we decided to take some time to peruse the many booths.

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I admit, I’ve never been involved with the LGBTQ community. So it was a pleasant surprise to see the number and scope of organizations set up around the square.

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And these organizations were very generous. It was freebies abound!

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Ok, so we didn’t get just condoms.

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Ok, ok, there was other stuff too.

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After collecting free stuff for an hour or two, it was finally time for our shift. We checked in at the volunteer tent and donned our badges and t-shirts. My friend and I were sent to the end of the parade route, where we were to make sure the floats didn’t run anyone over.

This was a valid concern.

Because it was packed.

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The Boston Pride parade is a huge thing, as I found out. One of the head organizers announced that it was the second-largest LGBTQ parade in the nation. I believe it. Thousands and thousands of people lined up on the street to watch the paraders march by.

And there was a lot to watch! Apparently, the parade doubled in participants this year. I had a prime spot to enjoy the three-hour parade.

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Big companies came out to show their support.

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Religion gets a lot of rap for promoting the hatred against LGBTQ people, but several churches marched in the parade.

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I wish I was that fit.

The mayor of Boston has announced that he won’t be running next year, so tons and tons of mayor-hopefuls showed up in the hopes of gaining supporters.

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I’m impressed that she walked the whole parade in those heels!

Even Jason Collins, the NBA player and also the first American professional athlete to come out, showed up.

Which was really cool. Actually, the whole parade was really cool. The cheering from the spectators was deafening. It was amazing to see so many people support a community that has been stigmatized for so long. Here, people could dress up, strut their stuff, and just have a good time. Hey, I’m no stranger to people in costume.

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After the parade, my friend and I returned to the volunteer tent.

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The headliner?

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We shook our heads. I was imagining that Carmen was some drag performer famous in the gay community. We were led to the side of the street where we waited for Carmen to show up.

A limo pulled up.

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The doors opened, and Carmen emerged. Except instead of a man in drag, as I expected, a guy in Red Sox gear emerged. He looked kind of familiar…

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A woman followed him. Suddenly, I recognized them. And my jaw dropped.

It was Karmin!

Karmin, the musical duo responsible for the song Brokenhearted and also known for their covers of Look At Me Now and Super Bass. I happen to be a big fan of them. And now they were five feet in front of me!

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I think the lead singer, Amy, saw my shock, because she cracked a grin. As a volunteer, I couldn’t ask for photos– but walking beside them to the stage was already cool enough.

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They’re just as good live as they are in studio. The performance was awesome.

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If you can’t already tell, I thought Boston Pride was awesome. Really, it’s an incredible event. The entire time, I couldn’t get over just how many people were there. How many rainbow flags were flying around Boston. How many people could accept and embrace those who are different from them.

Sure, there was the occasional aggressively heterosexual family:

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…but it seemed to be the minority. For this weekend, anyway. As I learned from older volunteers, this wasn’t always the case. The first Boston Pride was 43 years ago– and, as you can imagine, things were a lot different then.

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So, the next day, when I worked the Boston Pride Block Party, it made me very happy to how many people showed up.

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Since, you know what? I’m straight. My friend is queer. We share a friend who’s bi. This weekend, all of us– and also the gays, the lesbians, the asexuals, the transgenders, everyone, no matter your sexual orientation– could come together and have a good time.

We’ve come a long way. It’s still a while before the discrimination ends, of course. But here, at least, people have finally realized– in the end, Boston just wants to party!

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I’m on a boat!!

Boston’s weather is rather unpredictable. Last year we had a winter with temperatures in the 50’s. This year, we’ve gotten those cold, wet, autumn-esque days all the way into May.

But last weekend, we finally saw a bit of warm weather. The sun was up, the temperatures climbed to the 90’s, and that uncomfortable stickiness had entered the air.

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For some reason, a lot of Californians attend Northeastern. I happen to be friends with a few. Last weekend, they wanted to get away from the heat. I did too.

We decided to head over to the harbor.

The Boston Sailing Center happened to have an open house this weekend, you see. Apparently if we headed over to Lewis Wharf, we’d be able to ride on a sailboat.

A sailboat!

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I wanna ride on a sailboat!

So did my friends. We jumped on the T and, at my friend’s lead, used our smartphone navigation skills to get to the sailing center.

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My friend safely navigated us to the port.

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Unfortunately, we were not the only ones who had heard about the free sailing. There was a long line of people waiting to sign up and fill out the waiver. And after we got through that line, the organizer informed us…

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So we plopped down in the shade.

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And waited.

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And waited some more.

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I was impatient.

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I pulled out my camera.

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And finally, after about an hour and a half…

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By this time, we were all exhausted and dripping sweat, so we enthusiastically boarded the boat. Now, I don’t know what we were expecting, since this boat ride was free. The sailing center was giving hundreds of people rides that day. Would this ride even be good?

Well.

If you’re as stupidly excited as my friends and I were, anything would be good. 

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We pulled out of the dock.

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Our captain let us unfurl the sail.

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The boat began to tilt under the force of the wind. I almost fell off.

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Any hairstylin’ I tried that day had long since gone.

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My Asian superpowers activated.

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It really was a lovely day. The ocean spray, the cool breeze, the sun, the exhilaration of almost falling into the sea with your fancy camera… everything was aligned. It was the idyllic summer afternoon. Since I’ve been working all the time, and the weather’s been erratic, I hadn’t really noticed. But on that sailboat, I finally felt for the first time this year that

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And then I went to work on Monday and it was cold and rainy again.

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Of course.

Dear Boston: You are a moody little bugger and you need to make up your mind. But it’s okay. Because sometimes, you give us days that will last in our memories forever. (Or at least a for little while, until I forget it.)

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Though I stand by the fact that Boston is too darn windy for its own good.

You should also read these manga

I have a reader who asks me all the time for manga recommendations, which is hard to do on the spot. I don’t know why I find it so hard, though, since I read so much darned manga. Besides, I’ve given recommendations before.

In lieu of my recent nerdy adventures, though, I think it’s time for another I-read-too-much-manga-and-must-regurgitate-it-on-my-website- post. Therefore, here are some series that I’ve been enjoying recently. Take it as you will!

Seinen

Seinen (青年漫画) manga are aimed at an older male audience; however, readers can range all the way down to the early teens. Seinen manga is a very broad category and can cover a wide range of topics, as do the three series I’ve listed below:

Shingeki no Kyojin

One hundred years ago, mysterious giants known as “titans” appeared and proceeded to devour humans for no apparent reason. Now, in this post-apocalyptic world, those who remained have retreated into a giant fortress with several layers of protective walls. At the beginning of the story,the outermost wall breaks. The protagonist Eren Jaeger and his sister Mikasa Ackerman soon find their home destroyed, their mother dead, and the city consumed by fear. Years later, they join the military, hoping to get revenge on the titans.

This manga is action-packed and very violent (there are humans getting eaten alive, after all) and the psychological aspect is no less brutal: the protagonists are constantly kept on the brink of despair as their friends and family die. It doesn’t help that the titans are pretty terrifying. Still, the cliffhanger chapters and the mysteries of the titans will have me coming back. Shingeki no Kyojin (進撃の巨人, literally Advancing Giants) won the 2011 Kodansha Manga Award and has quickly gained popularity in Japan.

Edit: Ok, so apparently Attack on Titan actually counts as a shōnen series. I guess I can see it. It’s still pretty dark and gruesome, though!

Uchuu Kyoudai

Brothers Mutta and Hibito Nanba saw a UFO together in the summer of 2006. Ever since then, they dreamed of becoming astronauts and flying to the moon.

Years later, only Hibito has achieved the dream: he is preparing to become the first Japanese to make a lunar landing. Mutta, despite being the older brother, has pursued a more conventional career as an engineer. Mutta’s life seems cursed by bad luck, though– despite being the older brother, he has fallen behind Hibito and is later fired from his job. Mutta takes the opportunity to apply for the JAXA astronaut training program in the hopes of catching up to his little brother.

Uchuu Kyoudai (宇宙兄弟, literally Space Brothers) has risen in popularity due to its story and character development. (Seriously, Nanba Mutta, despite being an average joe, is such a boss.) The training Mutta and his compatriots go through is always interesting and every character is full of humanizing quirks. It’s definitely a worthwhile read!

Berserk

Here’s an older one: Guts, also known as the Black Swordsman, is traveling a medieval Europe-inspired world seeking revenge on a group called the God Hand. His journey isn’t easy, though– he is plagued by monsters that attack him every night, monsters that have also ravaged towns and have sent people into poverty. On the way, he inadvertently rescues an elf called Puck, who decides to follow Guts and learn his story.

The beginning of this manga is a little slow, but as I learned more about Guts’ past I was inevitably sucked into the story. Berserk is dark and dramatic and its characters are flawed and imperfect. And it’s all of these things that have made me so emotionally invested in this series. I mean, Guts is the perfect Byronic hero. You can’t help but cheer him on.

I should warn you, though: Berserk is pretty violent. If you don’t want to see intestines and blood flying around, this probably isn’t for you.

Shōnen

Shōnen manga is technically manga aimed at a young male audience, but over the years has developed its own set of typical themes and tropes. As a result, a lot of shōnen manga nowadays feel tired and repetitive. Even so, Weekly Shōnen Jump remains Japan’s most popular manga magazine and is enjoyed by people of all genders and all ages. Here’s three Jump series running right now that I happen to like:

Assassination Classroom

 One day, a mysterious octopus-like creature blows up the moon and tells the government that the world is next. However, he will give mankind a chance: for the next year, he will become the teacher of class 3-E at Kunugigaoka Junior High School, and during that time, anyone is free to try to kill him. Ansatsu Kyōshitsu (暗殺教室, literally Assassination Classroom) follows the day-to-day events of the students of 3-E, as they learn both regular subjects and the art of assassination. While the students’ various assassination attempts are always entertaining, watching the characters grow and develop is what really makes this series for me.

Binbō-gami ga!

Binbō-gami ga! (貧乏神が! literally, This God of Poverty!) details the life of Ichiko Sakura, a high school girl blessed with an irregular amount of “fortune energy.” As a result, she is good-looking, talented at everything, and very, very self-centered. Momiji, a misfortune god, is sent to Earth to restore balance in the world by stealing Ichiko’s fortune energy. Watching the hilarious relationship between Momiji and Ichiko, as well as Ichiko’s development from a bratty teen to an emphatic human being, makes this series great.

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

In an Old World fantasy setting, a series of mysterious buildings known as “Dungeons” have sprung up around the world. Within these Dungeons are fatal traps and monsters, but any individual who defeats these dangers can come into the possession of a powerful Djinn. This series follows Aladdin, a young boy who has become friends with a Djinn and who holds an untapped talent for magic. While this series plays with the same shōnen tropes (elemental magic, friendship, battles, and the like) somehow it executes them in a new enough way to keep the story interesting.

Cooking

Cooking is a common topic in manga, going so far as to specialize in bread-making, curry, pastries, or even wine-tasting. One of the most popular manga running in Jump today, Toriko, is a combination of super-manly fighting and cooking. (An unlikely combo, but it pulls it off!) My standard for cooking manga is that it has to make me hungry when I read it– and here are two that do the trick:

Nobunaga no Chef

Nobunaga no Chef (信長のシェフ, literally Nobunaga’s Chef) follows Ken, a modern chef who is mysteriously transported to 16th-century Japan. To top it off, he has amnesia. After being taken in by a kind stranger, word of Ken’s novel and delicious cooking spreads to Oda Nobunaga himself. Ken is forced to become Nobunaga’s personal chef and becomes entangled in the history of feudal Japan. I’m no Japanese history buff, but the dishes alone are already enough to make this series great.

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Shokugeki no Soma

Yukihira Soma has worked in his family’s restaurant all of his life and dreams of becoming a greater chef than his father. When he graduates middle school, however, his father promptly flies off to France and sends Soma to an elite culinary academy. There, Soma must use his Japanese-style cooking knowledge to battle it out in a school where only 10% of the students graduate!

I should warn you, though: while this series is awesome, it also has some of the most ridiculous ecchi I’ve ever seen. Like, every time somebody eats something, they always have a reaction that looks kind of like this:

…and that’s one of the tamer ones. Still, this manga is always a good time. And it never fails to make me want to go back to Japan and eat some goshdarned hamburger and rice, darnit. 

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Webtoons

Not really a genre as much as it is a category, webtoons refers to the increasingly popular Korean online comics. Many of the big ones are hosted on Naver Comics, where amateur writers are encouraged to submit their original work. Popular authors can rise in the ranks and become a regular, professional paid artist. I love webtoons– I find that they are often beautifully drawn and touch unusual themes not covered by typical serialized fare. Here’s three that I really like:

Annarasumanara

Yoon Ai has been abandoned by her parents and struggles to feed her and her sister every day. She is weighed down with the pressures of the harsh Korean school system, and dreams of the day she can become an adult and lift herself out of poverty. Then, one day, she meets a magician living in an abandoned amusement park. The magician, seemingly immune to the harsh realities of life, asks Yoon Ai: Do you believe in magic? 

In the beginning, she replies no. By the end, I was a wholehearted believer.

This comic is sometimes slow and surreal, but touches on topics– like the pressures of school, the expectations of adulthood, and coming-of-age in a seemingly flat, gray world– that really resonated with me when I read it. Maybe I’m at that age.

Nowhere Boy

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“I Am Unhappy” is a game show searching for the unhappiest human on earth! Whoever wins this knockout survival game will be granted a wish from God!

Lee Hyun, a miserable, silent high school student, wins the show. He wishes for the world to end. Good going, guys. Whose idea was this?

God agrees to grant his wish, but under the condition that the world will end gradually, over the next 100 days. Lee Hyun is allowed to change his mind, but only once. God then appoints Oh Duk Hee, an eccentric cartoonist and one of the happiest people on earth, to  make Lee Hyun happy again.

The style of this comic is bright and cartoony and the humor is often light and absurd. This blends well with the comic’s darker story, as Oh Duk Hee and her helpers delve deeper into Lee Hyun’s past and find out how to save the world.

Tower of God

There exists a tower with hundreds of floors. It is believed that everything can be found at the top of the tower– however, no one has reached the top yet. To climb from floor to floor, people must participate in various tests– tests that are often violent or fatal.

Baam is a boy who grew up in a dark room all his life, save one girl: Rachel, his one and only friend. When Rachel enters the tower, Baam follows and begins the climb to find her. On the way, he makes friends, meets allies, and discovers his natural aptitude for battle.

I admit, it took me a while to get into this one. The floor exams are often convoluted and there’s a lot of fighting. However, the plot begins to twist and turn, and now I’m totally invested in the story, characters, and the mysteries of the tower. Seriously, I need to know what happens next!

From what I’ve seen, Tower of God is one of the more popular webtoons around today. And for a reason!

Honorable mention: Anime

I’ll typically read the manga if I can, but watching can be fun too! Here’s two anime series that have been recently popular that I’ve really enjoyed:

Sword Art Online

In 2022, mankind has finally invented the technology for virtual reality, and Sword Art Online becomes the world’s first virtual reality MMO. The game is released to 10,000 excited players, who all log on to experience the digital world of Aincrad. Soon, however, they find that they are unable to log out.

As it turns out, the creator of the game has trapped them all within SAO. In addition, if the player should die in-game, they will also be killed in the real world. How to escape? Only when a player has managed to climb up all 100 floors of Aincrad, and effectively clear the game, will the players be released.

The first half of this anime is really, really good. The second half doesn’t quite match up. I should also mention that SAO originated as a series of light novels. The anime came second, and then the manga. Don’t read the manga like I did– it’s pretty awful!

Tiger and Bunny

45 years ago, people suddenly started to gain superpowers. Some of these people, known as “NEXTs,” became superheroes. In Sternbild City, the most popular heroes work for sponsor companies and are broadcast on Hero TV. Veteran hero Kotetsu Kaburagi is notorious for breaking the rules and causing massive destruction in his attempts to save people. After being cut from his sponsorship, he is assigned a partner in the hopes of revitalizing his popularity. However, this partner, Barnaby Brooks Jr., is very much a by-the-book kind of guy. Kotetsu and Barnaby quickly butt heads as they fight crime and unravel the mysteries of Barnaby’s past.

I love this series. I really do. The dynamic between Kotetsu and Barnaby is the best. The action-packed, suspenseful story made me marathon this one until I was done. It’s a fresh take on the superhero genre, one that I think really works!

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And so.

That’s that. Do I read too much manga? Ohhh yes.

Thoughts? Opinions? Most importantly, suggestions? If you have any of those, let me know in the comments below!

Sometimes I’m embarrassed to be a nerd.

My awesome friend was nice enough to take me to the dining hall last weekend. While we were eating, a friend of hers, and an acquaintance of mine, decided to join us.

I had only talked to this kid a few times. We had a couple of classes together, but that was about it. So we proceeded to engage in the typical small talk: How’s your summer been? Oh, you’re taking classes. You found a co-op? Congrats! 

As he stood up to leave, he casually commented,

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My friend and I both looked down in confusion, since she was wearing a normal pair of boots and I was wearing an ordinary pair of sneakers. We looked at each other. We all laughed. And then my friend excitedly blurts out,

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I froze.

Because I was. But it wasn’t obvious. At that moment, I was dressed as a character from the Disney show Gravity Falls:

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Since, that weekend, I was attending Anime Boston. I hadn’t bothered changing my outfit because I knew that, unless you watched the show, it would look like I was wearing normal clothes.

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My friend didn’t recognize my plea and went on.

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AHHHH!! HEY!! WAIT!! STOP! I barely know this kid!

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I had no choice but to admit to it.

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He gave me an odd look, assured me he didn’t judge about that kind of thing, and walked away.

I was mortified.

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Later on I was still beating myself up about it. Darnit, now I’ve been forever branded as the weirdo who dresses up in costumes. And then I realized something even worse:

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Which almost seems absurd, considering what I do. I write a blog using comics. I have a tumblr full of nothing but anime gifs and Pokemon fan art. My current Facebook profile picture is me, dressed as Link, next to a Skyward Sword Zelda. I love this stuff so much that I’ll dish out fifty bucks to attend a con with other nerds.

Still, I know that not everyone thinks highly of the dorks. When the Prudential Center was overrun by people with costume this weekend…

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The lines for Panda Express and Sarku Japan were loonnnnnnnnnnnng.

…it was hard to miss the looks of pure judgement from the passerby.

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Despite what I do online, when I meet people in real life I don’t exactly advertise that I like to draw comics or dress up in costume or spend hours and hours playing Katamari Damacy.

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Being a nerd nowadays is less of a stigma than it was, say, 20 years ago. Still, at moments like those, I can’t help but think

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Because the fact is, to a lot of people, my interests automatically make me “strange.” Or a “freak.” Or a “loser.” Even some of my friends think it’s weird. If I wasn’t into all of these things, what would my life be like? Would I have more friends? Be more fashionable? Party hard?

Yeah, if I wasn’t a nerd, I definitely wouldn’t have gone to Anime Boston this weekend.

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I wouldn’t have gone to see the great performances by Yousei Teikoku, Raj Ramaaya, or Origa.

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I wouldn’t have seen this ballin’ One Piece figurine set in the Dealer’s Room…

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…or this Heart Container necklace…

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…or this orgasmic wall of tapestries.

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I wouldn’t have 400+ photos sitting on my hard drive from last weekend, when I accosted tons and tons of people to get a shot of their awesome costumes.

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Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

A very good-looking Flynn Rider from Tangled.

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Lightning in her Final Fantasy XIII-2 armor.

And most importantly, I wouldn’t have had a blast bonding with fellow Gravity Falls fans

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and Legend of Zelda fans

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A fellow Link!

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Groose!

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Skyward Sword Zelda!

…who had traveled miles and miles to Boston last weekend to share our love for these series together.

If I wasn’t into all of this stuff, maybe I could actually be a cool cat. But if I wasn’t into comics and video games and… *sigh* cosplay, then I’d miss out on awesome things like Anime Boston. I wouldn’t get that little bit of happiness every time I see the Kotetsu Kaburagi keychain on my phone. And I most certainly wouldn’t be drawing comics.

Yeah, sometimes I’m embarrassed to be a nerd. But I sure as hell will never stop being one.

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Anyway, I had a lot of fun at Anime Boston this year! Here’s some of my favorite photos from the weekend. Also, I made a video last year if you feel like watching me awkwardly talk to a camera. Enjoy!~

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People like to tell me what to do with my life.

Since I discovered that I’m graduating way too soon and now that I’ve been working at a company full of 40-somethings with children, I’ve received a lot of advice.

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It seems like everyone has something to say to a young whippersnapper like me. A bunch of the PhD’s at my workplace have, at some point, sat me down and given me the story of their life. Which is fine. I could use some guidance right now.

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The problem is that I’ve received a lot of conflicting advice. My younger peers tend to think differently from the old dude chemists at work.

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I thought for a moment that maybe it was a generation thing. The older generation has a different perspective on life, yeah? But then my old advice-givers started sounding like my younger ones…

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…and vice versa…

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At the very least, they all agree on one thing.

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Unless it’s my family. In that case, it becomes

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Ok, well, my family doesn’t think much like anyone at all.

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Ah, Asian families. At any rate, I know that just a bachelor’s in biology won’t get me anywhere. Thus I have the Princeton GRE study guide at the moment. It’s sitting on my bed, reminding me of my impending graduation and the very real possibility of failure.

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All this advice has really put me in a muddle. Every person has the best of intentions. Every person thinks they have it all figured out. Every day brings me a step closer to becoming a lost college grad. (Which, at this point, I’m pretty convinced is what I’ll become.) My co-op has mostly taught me that the 9-5 cubicle life is not ideal, so I’m back right where I started.

In the end, the only person who can decide what to do with my life is me. Because I’m the one living it. At the end of it all, I’m the one who has to decide.

So I have to take a good, long look at my options. I need a little introspection. I need to… follow my heart.

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Next year is gonna be good.