FRIDAY, AUG 17, 2001 - American Pie 2
To state the obvious- high brow, it is not. Don't see this movie if you're looking for art. What starts off funny goes on and on for about a half an hour too long when you realize, "I've seen all this shit before." But you know what? . . . the book was SO much better, anyway.

Ordered Drunken Noodles for dinner at a Thai cafe, Brown Sugar, near Fenway Park. This is the place you go to when you're sick of Thai food.

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THURSDAY, AUG 16, 2001 - Red Sox v. Seattle Mariners
FENWAY PARK - Scored some corporate seats to the Sox game today. Nice. I happened to be in a meeting in which my sole responsibility was to sit in a conference room with others to demonstrate how much we're willing to support this prospective customer. Face time. I hate these kinds of ego-stroking games. However, today the outcome was different. The sales monkey that was supposed to go to the game came down with a bad case of walking pneumonia. I don't even know what that is, but it made me want to take a chemical bath and put on a level 4 biohazard suit after I shook his hand. OK, so I don't know what level 4 biohazard means either. But I do know this, pal-- his near-death throes was my triumphant victory! As I happily accepted the tickets, I had one thought -- sucker. . .

Now, I hate watching baseball on TV. I hate watching almost any sport on TV. What a complete waste of time! But how can you pass up tickets to one of the most storied ballparks in America? I'm not sure what was more entertaining, though, the game or the fans. We're talking some tough talkin', "R" droppin' guys from Southie ovuh heeya! You can just feel the energy at this ballpark. Everyone knows the nuances of the game. That is, everyone but my wife and me. Before every pitch, it's as silent as 30,000+ people can be until either an eruption of fist-pumping cheers or venomous boos. What a place! Fans boo you if you get up to leave before the games over. Tough, tough crowd.

Before you leave, grab yourself a sausage and peppers. I had two. They cost 5 clams a piece, but worth every penny. It's one of the only things that can rival the street food back home in Chicago.

Hmmm... interesting that I still refer to it as home. I've been living in Boston for 5 years.

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FRIDAY, AUG 15, 2001- Liberation Day (South Korea)
By passport, I'm a South Korean. However, I've been living in the States for almost 27 years. Though I've never acknowledged this day as a holiday before, I noticed that Google had adapted its logo to fit its theme of the day, which got me thinking about a few things. You see, Liberation Day refers to the day that the Japanese occupation, from 1910 to 1945, of (a unified) Korea ended.

Just thinking about it makes my teeth grit with fury. I spent a good part of my life hating the Japanese-- The Rapers of Nanking. Comfort Women issues unresolved. The stab wound in my grandfather's leg by Japanese soldiers. That motherfucker, Masaaki Matsusawa, in the eight grade, who made me feel ashamed because he spoke better Japanese than I spoke Korean.

What's crazy is that I love all things Japanese- sushi, anime, culture, Zen, bushido- the list goes on. Korea has a similar relationship with Japan as I did with Masaaki in which the short, older brother got beat a lot growing up.

The Japanese are mostly ignorant to their own history, which is at once infuriating, but also a relief. On one hand I'd like to see in my lifetime a Japan that owns up for the terrible things that it did in the name of Empire. On the other, I've met some amazing people like Saeko and Hori who seem unfazed. Possibly out of ignorance of their own history. Possibly because they are willing to forget.

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