No, this isn't going to be about mental health or my views on how people need to man up and stop trying to blame everything but themselves in an effort to pretend to be a responsible person. Instead, this is going to be yet another diatribe against Seattle drivers.
Every time I drive anywhere, I always notice drivers with headphones in their ears. I've never understood this, especially in today's days where most cars have an auxiliary input or even bluetooth audio streaming. (I mean, if you can afford a car, you can afford a cable for your car.) Having headphones makes you audibly isolated from your surroundings, which puts you and other drivers around you in dangerous situations as you lose a sense by which you can react to a situation. Granted I haven't seen this result in disaster yet, but I've seen drivers not even notice when honked at when they weren't paying attention to the light change to green, and another driver who didn't even notice there was a fire truck with sirens blaring right behind him. This isn't something I noticed until I got to Seattle, but of course this isn't a surprise because Seattle drivers treat traffic rules and common sense just like they treat anything else: by being a hipster and thinking they're better than it all.
This also gets towards a general theme of avoiding driver responsibility (so kind of back to the first point I said I wasn't going to go on about). With all the technological tools available to drivers today, drivers seem to have come to rely on them instead of actually being responsible drivers. We've probably all heard of someone who was on a motorcycle that was hit (or almost got hit) by a car changing lanes because the bind spot indicator didn't say that the blind spot was occupied. Naturally these things can be avoided if drivers would actually use their mirrors and check their blind spots. The same goes for the front-collision avoidance system, as drivers should be paying attention on the road and should thus be able to avoid this kind of idiocy. Too many of these commercials shows these drivers being distracted and being "saved" by these systems. Hint: if you need to rely on technology to prevent you from being a completely worthlessly terrible driver, you shouldn't be driving. The car I drive has none of these features (nor does it have a back-up cam or anything of that sort either) and I get along just fine.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Reading Away The Night
So for a Secret Santa I'm participating in, I received two sets of books: The Alexander Trilogy and The Children's War, both historical fiction works that I thoroughly enjoyed. I had previously described a book which was probably the first book I read for leisure in about six years to occupy my time during some flights. However, I read these books and an age-old problem kind of reared it ugly head at me.
When I enjoy a book, I easily lose track of time, completely absorbed in the book. Since I tend to read towards the late evenings, I keep reading and reading, and next thing I know, it's already 3AM. It kind of makes it hard to then get enough sleep for work the next day, and then I'll go through long periods without reading a book for leisure. If only I had more self-control over books...
When I enjoy a book, I easily lose track of time, completely absorbed in the book. Since I tend to read towards the late evenings, I keep reading and reading, and next thing I know, it's already 3AM. It kind of makes it hard to then get enough sleep for work the next day, and then I'll go through long periods without reading a book for leisure. If only I had more self-control over books...
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Paseo and Un Bien
For those of you who are familiar with Seattle's food scene, Paseo closed down and reopened under new ownership, and Un Bien opened under the direction of the son of the former owner of Paseo (or something to that effect). Both have essentially identical menus (at least for the important stuff) and pricing, so naturally I had to go visit both so see if either of them were able to conjure the magic of the old Paseo.
Paseo seemed to try to replicate everything as is to ensure the continuity of the brand-the sandwiches are more or less the same size (maybe a little smaller-still around a food) and the amount of onions is still gratuitous, creating the hot mess that we all have come to know. I tend to order only the scallop or the fish of the day sandwich, and so far I've noticed few changes, if any. However, I've been told by others that the signature Caribbean roast sandwich is drier than it was previously.
Un Bien, on the other hand, seemed to try to start anew. The sandwiches are much smaller (maybe around 8 inches), and the onions are not overflowing. Overall the sandwich is much cleaner to eat and appears to try to appear as higher-class food, despite the shop essentially being a shack on the side of the road. I was a little disappointed in the portion size and the lack of onions, though I suppose they're only trying to maintain the flavors of Paseo without the huge greasy mess. There weren't that many scallops in the sandwich, but they were cooked just as well here as they were at Paseo. I've been told that the same signature Caribbean roast sandwich has much better meat at Un Bien.
I'd still personally recommend Paseo if you're still looking for the old Paseo, but Un Bien does bring another option to the table if Paseo is too messy.
Paseo seemed to try to replicate everything as is to ensure the continuity of the brand-the sandwiches are more or less the same size (maybe a little smaller-still around a food) and the amount of onions is still gratuitous, creating the hot mess that we all have come to know. I tend to order only the scallop or the fish of the day sandwich, and so far I've noticed few changes, if any. However, I've been told by others that the signature Caribbean roast sandwich is drier than it was previously.
Scallop Sandwich at Paseo (Click to Enlarge)
Un Bien, on the other hand, seemed to try to start anew. The sandwiches are much smaller (maybe around 8 inches), and the onions are not overflowing. Overall the sandwich is much cleaner to eat and appears to try to appear as higher-class food, despite the shop essentially being a shack on the side of the road. I was a little disappointed in the portion size and the lack of onions, though I suppose they're only trying to maintain the flavors of Paseo without the huge greasy mess. There weren't that many scallops in the sandwich, but they were cooked just as well here as they were at Paseo. I've been told that the same signature Caribbean roast sandwich has much better meat at Un Bien.
Scallop Sandwich at Un Bien (Click to Enlarge)
I'd still personally recommend Paseo if you're still looking for the old Paseo, but Un Bien does bring another option to the table if Paseo is too messy.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Russian Robotic Predictability
Last month I attended a Seattle Symphony performance highlighted by Alexander Melnikov, a Russian pianist. His playing was very animated and played with a musicality that was not very common amongst my previous experiences listening to Russian musicians. He even gave the audience a little finger waggle when they began to applaud between movements.
My first recollection of a Russian-origin performer was when I was growing up and had the opportunity to see the Russian National Orchestra in performance. The orchestra was the perfect definition of technical soundness, almost as if the orchestra was a well-oiled museum. What was particularly striking was that all the violinists played in the exact same style-they were virtually indistinguishable other than their personal appearances. Their postures were the exact same, and each would use their bows in an identical manner. We would joke at the time that most of the violinists were former students of the concertmaster, though I wouldn't be too surprised if that was true. Last year I did write about a performance of Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto by Daniil Trifonov, where he seemed to be a nervous mess combined with technical abilities. His lack of stage presence took away from the live performance, and almost turned it into a recording studio type of session.
It seems most curious that the Russian school of training seems to be technical brilliance at the expense of stage presence, whereas for many western soloists it seems to be great stage presence combined with some sloppy passages throughout the performance.
My first recollection of a Russian-origin performer was when I was growing up and had the opportunity to see the Russian National Orchestra in performance. The orchestra was the perfect definition of technical soundness, almost as if the orchestra was a well-oiled museum. What was particularly striking was that all the violinists played in the exact same style-they were virtually indistinguishable other than their personal appearances. Their postures were the exact same, and each would use their bows in an identical manner. We would joke at the time that most of the violinists were former students of the concertmaster, though I wouldn't be too surprised if that was true. Last year I did write about a performance of Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto by Daniil Trifonov, where he seemed to be a nervous mess combined with technical abilities. His lack of stage presence took away from the live performance, and almost turned it into a recording studio type of session.
It seems most curious that the Russian school of training seems to be technical brilliance at the expense of stage presence, whereas for many western soloists it seems to be great stage presence combined with some sloppy passages throughout the performance.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Too Green?
I remember growing up that garbage was all one thing and that for recyclables only needed to have paper separated from the rest. Occasionally, especially during the fall season as the leaves fell, there would be a pickup for yard waste that you would leave as a pile on your curb. Back then, while living in the mid-atlantic, composting was something done on the household scale for garden use, if done at all.
On campus here there's a seemingly endless number of waste disposal methods. There's regular garbage, then there's several different recycling containers for mixed paper, glass, cardboard, etc., and of course compost. There are compost bins in areas away from lounges and food dispensaries. In bathrooms the primary disposal method is a compost bin for paper towels, with only a small trash can for landfill waste. This seems to be part of the university's mission to divert 70% of all waste by 2020 (which, incidentally I don't think will be possible given the amount of laboratory research that occurs on campus and the resulting waste). All these efforts are generally far beyond those of other areas, and this is very noticeable when I attend conferences on campus. During conference meals, attendees from out of town have a hard time sometimes distinguishing what goes in what bin (especially what is compostable and what isn't, especially with university catering doing their best to have food containers and utensils be compostable), and instructions are posted for our guests to actually dispose of their post-meal waste.
Last year the Seattle city council passed a measure that in which garbage containing more than 10% food waste could result in penalties, effectively forcing the populace to begin composting. The policy went into effect at the beginning of this year, and those not in compliance will be fined or penalized in some other fashion beginning July 1 with more serious offenders reprimanded at the beginning of next year. This seems to be the city's response in not meeting its goal of diverting 60% of its waste by 2015, and was basically the next stop from when the city banned the disposing of recyclable items with landfill waste back in 2005 (and even my homeowners association will impose a fine upon residents that are caught disposing recyclable materials in the garbage).
While we do only have finite resources and I do think it's great to encourage waste diversion, is it possibly too much to try to force everyone to be compliant?
On campus here there's a seemingly endless number of waste disposal methods. There's regular garbage, then there's several different recycling containers for mixed paper, glass, cardboard, etc., and of course compost. There are compost bins in areas away from lounges and food dispensaries. In bathrooms the primary disposal method is a compost bin for paper towels, with only a small trash can for landfill waste. This seems to be part of the university's mission to divert 70% of all waste by 2020 (which, incidentally I don't think will be possible given the amount of laboratory research that occurs on campus and the resulting waste). All these efforts are generally far beyond those of other areas, and this is very noticeable when I attend conferences on campus. During conference meals, attendees from out of town have a hard time sometimes distinguishing what goes in what bin (especially what is compostable and what isn't, especially with university catering doing their best to have food containers and utensils be compostable), and instructions are posted for our guests to actually dispose of their post-meal waste.
Last year the Seattle city council passed a measure that in which garbage containing more than 10% food waste could result in penalties, effectively forcing the populace to begin composting. The policy went into effect at the beginning of this year, and those not in compliance will be fined or penalized in some other fashion beginning July 1 with more serious offenders reprimanded at the beginning of next year. This seems to be the city's response in not meeting its goal of diverting 60% of its waste by 2015, and was basically the next stop from when the city banned the disposing of recyclable items with landfill waste back in 2005 (and even my homeowners association will impose a fine upon residents that are caught disposing recyclable materials in the garbage).
While we do only have finite resources and I do think it's great to encourage waste diversion, is it possibly too much to try to force everyone to be compliant?
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Second Business Class Flight! Asiana New(ish) Business
Apparently I didn't actually finish this...
Continued from part 1, after my connection at ICN. Connecting at ICN was a breeze; only consisting of transit security (and definitely not the mess required with US CBP), making a 1-hour connection a breeze.
OZ204
ICN-LAX
Boeing 777-200ER
Seat 4A
January 2, 2015
Unlike the pervious day-time flight, this overnight flight featured the first generation of Asiana's new business class product. This means seats that actually turn into lay-flat surfaces and there is direct aisle access for all passengers. The staggered seating configuration means each seat also had a small table next to the seat, under which the small ottoman for the next passenger was located. I settled into one of the window seats with the seat next to the window (instead of a seat next to the aisle).
Continued from part 1, after my connection at ICN. Connecting at ICN was a breeze; only consisting of transit security (and definitely not the mess required with US CBP), making a 1-hour connection a breeze.
OZ204
ICN-LAX
Boeing 777-200ER
Seat 4A
January 2, 2015
Unlike the pervious day-time flight, this overnight flight featured the first generation of Asiana's new business class product. This means seats that actually turn into lay-flat surfaces and there is direct aisle access for all passengers. The staggered seating configuration means each seat also had a small table next to the seat, under which the small ottoman for the next passenger was located. I settled into one of the window seats with the seat next to the window (instead of a seat next to the aisle).
The cabin (Click to Enlarge)
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Lang Lang With The Seattle Symphony
Lang Lang With The Seattle Symphony
Sunday, October 11
2 PM
Coriolan Overture - Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
Allegro
Larghetto
Allegretto
Lang Lang, Piano
-Intermission-
Sections from Gli uccelli - Ottorino Respughi
Prelude
The Hen
The Cuckoo
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 - Edvard Grieg
Allegro molto moderato
Adagio
Allegro moderato molto e marcato
Lang Lang, Piano
This concert was a huge disappointment to me, particularly given someone of Lang Lang's stature. I was most disappointed in his use of "artistic license". It's one thing to make a good thing of ritardandos and accelerandos, but when you completely use it to obliterate any sense of rhythmic integrity (for example the piano's first entrance in the Grieg), the notes turn into noise that lacks any direction, and completely changes the tone of the music. Additionally, he would keep on looking out at the audience, much like a pop "artist", and it seemed to detract from his focus as well, as there were multiple technically difficult passages that were not soundly played. Perhaps he should focus less on the onstage persona and more on the onstage performance. The music wasn't helped by the musician selection of the orchestra itself, as it seemed that the orchestra decided to forgo the idea of using its best musicians and instead, especially for the strings, use the oldest musicians under contract, and the quality greatly suffered as a result.
Also, since Lang Lang is a major Chinese celebrity, the Chinese turned out in major force. I for one generally cannot stand having a large group of Chinese people around me at an event that's not catered towards Chinese people, as they tend to misbehave and I look bad and get lumped in with them because I'm Chinese. This case was no exception of their misbehavior. Firstly, this resulted in some clapping between movements. I suppose it also doesn't help that half of the Chinese people were either pianists or their parents, none of whom have any understanding of orchestral music as they're too narrowly focused on their piano. Additionally, there was so much picture-taking and use of cell phones during the performance itself, and the performance was not treated with any type of formality (just like most Chinese events where silence and good behavior is not required). Also, the coughing and other noise-making was in no way silenced at all, compared to seasoned concertgoers who would at least try to muffle their sounds if possible. Needless to say when it comes to large groups of Chinese people we can't have nice things.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Seattle Symphony Opening Night!
Opening Night Concert & Gala
Saturday, September 19
7PM
Overture to Wonderful Town - Leonard Bernstein
Piano Concerto, Op. 30 - Samuel Barber
Allegro Molto
Kevin Ahfat, Piano
Winner, Seattle Symphony Piano Competition
Suite from Appalachian Spring - Aaron Copland
-Intermission-
Danse Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila - Camille Saint-Saëns
Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103 "Egyptian" - Camille Saint-Saëns
Allegro animato
Andante
Molto allegro
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano
After several long months, it is now time to usher in the 2015-2016 season of the Seattle Symphony, with a good number of guests dressed to the nines for the gala preceding the concert. The concert itself was the typical Seattle Symphony affair, with the orchestra being a little rough around the edges. I was very impressed with Kevin's performance as he mastered the Barber concerto and had great stage presence. Since I couldn't see his hands, I could only watch his face and feet, and you could really tell that he was having fun with the peace (though maybe a little too much, as his mouth rarely stayed closed during his performance. Thibaudet was even more impressive, with pinpoint technique to go along with a flowing melody. We were also treated to an encore of Saint-Saën's Carnaval des Animaux featuring our two soloists. The "Pianists" was nice and lighthearted, especially intentionally playing the scales out of time, and the performance concluded with the "Finale" movement. So far a great start to the season!
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
The Everlasting Struggle Bus
In most cases patrons of public transportation are not memorable and do nothing out of the ordinary to create anything worth remembering. However, here in Seattle, there is a sizably larger minority of travelers compared to most other places who decide that there should be some drama getting off the bus. These individuals tend to fall into two groups.
The first group of individuals don't cause problems, but it's always interesting to watch. These group of people seem completely oblivious to the fact that there's a big red light and a bell sound that go off when someone has already requested the bus to stop at the next stop. This usually means they'll pull the cord about 10 times wondering why there is no bell sound going off, usually while they're sitting there looking at their phones while trying to shove themselves out of the window seat by basically stepping through the passenger in the aisle seat while carrying 2 bags.
The second group of passengers is where problems have previously arisen. These passengers are the ones who under almost no circumstance will pull the cord. I've even overheard riders brag to their friends about how long they have gone without having to pull the cord (as if that's some kind of achievement). These people are generally alright as long as someone else who actually pulls the cord gets off at the same stop. However if they're the only one who wants to get off the bus, then we start having problems. Some of them will pull the cord at the last second possible, which usually results in a swift stop and a strong lurch, and some will even get off at the next stop someone else requests. However, what peeves me the most is when passengers will call to the driver for a stop. There is already a mechanism in place for you to request a stop that's used by almost all the other passengers, and apparently some passengers feel that it's so below them that they will verbally request a stop like it is their private chauffeur. Public transportation is not there to serve you at your whim, but is there to serve the community as a whole. Last week I even saw a passenger scream at the driver to stop at a stop that wasn't requested and kept shouting at the driver as he got off the bus as if the driver should have known that he wanted the bus to stop there. Unfortunately this is a regular occurrence in traveling with King County Metro, and each trip always leaves open the opportunity for another unwanted adventure.
The first group of individuals don't cause problems, but it's always interesting to watch. These group of people seem completely oblivious to the fact that there's a big red light and a bell sound that go off when someone has already requested the bus to stop at the next stop. This usually means they'll pull the cord about 10 times wondering why there is no bell sound going off, usually while they're sitting there looking at their phones while trying to shove themselves out of the window seat by basically stepping through the passenger in the aisle seat while carrying 2 bags.
The second group of passengers is where problems have previously arisen. These passengers are the ones who under almost no circumstance will pull the cord. I've even overheard riders brag to their friends about how long they have gone without having to pull the cord (as if that's some kind of achievement). These people are generally alright as long as someone else who actually pulls the cord gets off at the same stop. However if they're the only one who wants to get off the bus, then we start having problems. Some of them will pull the cord at the last second possible, which usually results in a swift stop and a strong lurch, and some will even get off at the next stop someone else requests. However, what peeves me the most is when passengers will call to the driver for a stop. There is already a mechanism in place for you to request a stop that's used by almost all the other passengers, and apparently some passengers feel that it's so below them that they will verbally request a stop like it is their private chauffeur. Public transportation is not there to serve you at your whim, but is there to serve the community as a whole. Last week I even saw a passenger scream at the driver to stop at a stop that wasn't requested and kept shouting at the driver as he got off the bus as if the driver should have known that he wanted the bus to stop there. Unfortunately this is a regular occurrence in traveling with King County Metro, and each trip always leaves open the opportunity for another unwanted adventure.
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