Five Things People Don't Know About Me - [Crazies]

Posted by Chubbypanda at 2/08/2007 07:47:00 PM



Both Wandering Chopsticks and Ben & Suanne from Chow Times have tagged me for the "Five Things People Don't Know About You" meme that's been going around. Thank you guys for tagging me for this. It was a lot of fun.

Here goes:


    (Guess which one I am.)

  1. Certain readers have emailed me asking me if I'm Chinese or Japanese, since my blog icon is a samurai panda. I'm an American citizen, born and raised, but I'm ethnically Taiwanese-Chinese. I'm also a nine-year practitioner of the Kashima Shinto-Ryu and Katori Shinto-Ryu styles of Iaido, the modern day antecedent of Battoujutsu, which began as battle techniques centered around drawing and striking with the sword in one fluid movement. My current heavy work schedule, and the fact that the dojo I used to attend decided to switch sword schools after our sensei retired, has limited my ability to train in the past few years. However, I still run through kata at least once a week in our company's racquetball court. My brother drew the samurai panda picture on a whim a few years back. I liked it so much, I decided to use it as my blog icon.


    2. (Friend and team mate, TC, and I at the Stanford Invitational in 1996.)

  2. In high school, I was captain on the Speech & Debate team. As a result, I have a tendency to enjoy argument for argument's sake. I've been known to argue positions that I don't believe in simply for fun. I enjoy the battles of wits and the verbal repartee. This is a bad habit I've been trying to break for years.


    3. (Even Cat's shadow is sexy.)

  3. Before university, I only dated Asian girls. This wasn't by design, since there were a number of non-Asian girls I was attracted to. It just seemed to work out that way. Ironically, while attending the University of California, Irvine, which is known for its high percentage of Asian students, my girlfriends were all Caucasian. Since one of those girlfriends is now my lovely fiancée, Cat, I have no complaints.

  4. I'm the first son of the first son, and the oldest of my generation in a very very large, extended family. Loosely translated, my Chinese name means "origin of the source", which pretty much tells you what my grandfather expects of me. My job is to have lots and lots of kids and lead the family after my grandfather and father. Since Cat and I aren't sure we want kids right now, this places quite a bit of pressure on us. However, I'm determined to avoid having a child for the wrong reasons.


    5. (UCI's Humanities Instructional Building at night.)

  5. My interest in food and food history was really ignited at UCI, when I had the opportunity to take a class on food history with Professor Yong Chen. A respected expert in food history and Asian American studies, Professor Chen ignited a lasting passion in me for all things food. If you're interested in Chinese-American history, I highly recommend his book, Chinese San Francisco, 1850-1943: A Trans-Pacific Community. It's a great read. I should note that Professor Chen and I became good friends while I was at UCI, and continue to maintain our relationship. As such, my opinion of his book may have been influenced by my respect for him.


Since a number of my blogger buddies, such as Kirk from mmm-yoso!!!, Elmomonster of Monster Munching, and Rasa Malaysia, have already been tagged, I thought I'd tag a few more of my favorite bloggers whom I would love to learn more about. If I'm not mistaken, I only get to tag five, otherwise I'd just tag everyone on my blogroll. I love you all!

  1. Kathy of A Passion for Food - She's cute, smart, vivacious, and destined for great things in the world of corporate finance. What dark secrets lurk within her candy-coated shell of perkiness? The truth is out there.

  2. KT of Gastronomy 101 - Litigating defender of the elderly by day, passionate food enthusiast and student of Oenology by night. I'm dying to read more about this sexy LA lawyer and food blogger. That is, assuming she doesn't hunt me down and kick my ass for this intro.

  3. Henry of henrychan's Food Videos - Youtube sensation and food blogger extraordinaire, Henry isn't afraid to show the public his handsome face as he and his giggling camerawoman explore the tasty treats available in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. Time to spill the beans, Henry. Your fans await!

  4. Steen of Side Order of Ham - Delicious recipes with a quirky side of humor, Steen captivates me on a weekly basis with her homey and decadent dishes. I must know more.

  5. Tokyoastrogirl of Tuna Toast - Her food is gorgeous, her writing is innocent and sweet, and her hubby plays in a band. This rockin' bombshell must have a tale or two to tell. Time to share, honey. Dish! Dish!


Thanks again to Wandering Chopsticks, Ben, and Suanne for tagging me. I had a blast. As a side note, I just ate three tubs of che from Banh Mi Che Cali and I'm incredibly wired, which should explain some of those intros. Darn you, Kathy!!!

Labels:

18 comments:

  1. Wandering Chopsticks said... 2/08/2007 08:23:00 PM

    CP,
    I already knew all these 5 things about you, even if no one else does. Can I demand 5 more things then? :)  

  2. Ben said... 2/08/2007 09:07:00 PM

    Interesting ... very interesting. Send me an email when you're gonna be in Richmond sometime this year. Look fwd to meeting up ... and let's do a joint blog then!  

  3. Rasa Malaysia said... 2/09/2007 12:21:00 AM

    I actually do not know all the 5 things even though we have met...thanks for sharing...and yes, Cat's shadow is VERY sexy! Wow!  

  4. H. C. said... 2/09/2007 02:33:00 PM

    Heh, my pair of sais are long awaiting to be practiced upon again... I hope I don't impale myself (even though they're fairly blunt).

    And I expect to see the pandaface in the upcoming days! har har...  

  5. Christine D. said... 2/09/2007 04:12:00 PM

    Darn it, Prof. Chen's class is restricted to "Majors Only." *shakes fist in the air*

    "Chen can drive around and point out every ethnic restaurant, every Chinese or Persian or Japanese supermarket in the county, and list its most interesting specialties."

    What a cool guy!  

  6. KT said... 2/09/2007 06:55:00 PM

    All right, I have complied with your request. You may regret asking me to talk about myself, because I am a litle bit TOO happy to oblige. ;)  

  7. Daily Gluttony said... 2/09/2007 10:41:00 PM

    Very interesting CP! I share the same sentiments about a history prof I had my last quarter at UCLA. Her name was Dr. Valerie Matsumoto and she taught History 197K: Asian-American History, Cuisine & Culture. It was my favorite class in my whole time at the university, and it was b/c of her that I started to not just eat food but to really think about and enjoy writing about it.  

  8. asiangarden said... 2/10/2007 09:53:00 AM

    When you do have kids they will be adorable, I know mine are! hehe  

  9. henrychan888 said... 2/10/2007 02:32:00 PM

    cp, funny thing is... before i got to uci i had never dated an asian. uci changed that quickly.

    hehe...thanks for the TAG! i'm on it...  

  10. Kathy said... 2/10/2007 10:49:00 PM

    hehehe, you ate THREE tubs?! all at once? chee, and I thought I was the only one who would be crazy enough ;) it's quite addicitng, no? like once you spoon you cannot stop! such a good deal too...only thing it hurts is your stomach and weight. but still! so hard to resist! Thanks for tagging me :) am on my way to find five little tidbits!

    oh crap. now i want che. and it's almost 11pm. who the heck can i find to drive me?! blogs are so dangerous.  

  11. The Bill said... 2/11/2007 08:27:00 PM

    Ever seen the animation Kenshin?  

  12. Passionate Eater said... 2/15/2007 06:18:00 PM

    And also, I tagged Short Exact for your "Save Our Faves" meme, and he said:

    Hey PE, I just saw your note about Save our Faves. What a great idea, and I'll definitely get on this soon, since it is an excellent excuse to visit one of my favorite noodle joints :)

    He said "What a great idea[!]"  

  13. Chubbypanda said... 2/20/2007 01:46:00 AM

    WC,

    Nope. =D

    Ben,

    Sounds like a plan. It will most likely be in late summer or early autumn. I'm looking forward to it.

    Rasa Malaysia,

    It was a difficult shot to set up.

    HC,

    Bring it on. (^_~)

    Christine,

    He really is. If you want to get into his class badly enough next quarter, let me know. I'll put a good word in for you.

    KT,

    I enjoyed it thoroughly.

    Daily Gluttony,

    Isn't it amazing how much a good teacher can change you? That's why education will always be the silver bullet for all of society's problems.

    Asiangarden,

    Awww. Thanks!

    Henrychan88,

    I wait with baited breath.

    Kathy,

    The best were those rice dumplings in ginger sauce. Oh gods, I need to stay away from those. Straight to the hips they go!

    The Bill,

    Yes. The manga is better, but I did enjoy both.

    My style is in the same category. Iaido evolved from iaiutsu, which evolved in turn from battoujutsu.

    We used to be able to rely on Rurouni Kenshin to generate a fair bit of interest from otaku who were wannabe samurai. It also helped explain our 90% attrition rate during the first three months, once they found out how rigorous the training actually was. I enjoy watching anime every now and then, but real martial arts are far from the way they're portrayed in anime or movies. For one thing, after all these years, I still can't hover in mid-air for minutes on end while battling four people at once. =D

    Passionate Eater,

    Cool! Thanks for passing it along.

    - Chubbypanda  

  14. BoLA said... 2/22/2007 10:47:00 PM

    OMG ! I used to go to the Stanford Invitationals for Speech and Debate too!!!! I remember going up to Sacramento for State. I wonder if we ever competed against each other... hehehe! ;)  

  15. Chubbypanda said... 2/22/2007 11:00:00 PM

    BoLA,

    It's certainly possible. =)

    - CP  

  16. Anonymous said... 4/13/2007 12:15:00 PM

    Interesting...I was once a student of your iaido school before they switched styles and I also graduated from UCI. We used to practice in Crawford Hall many,, many years ago.  

  17. Chubbypanda said... 4/13/2007 01:35:00 PM

    Anon,

    The picture you see up there is from Crawford Hall. It was taken before the ARC was built and we moved. If you trained with us at Crawford in the late 90's, you should easily recognize some of my senpai in the photo. You might even have known me.

    - Chubbypanda  

  18. Anonymous said... 4/13/2007 05:36:00 PM

    Ah yes, I see the picture and recognize the instructor in the middle and a couple other people. I switched styles/schools in '97, which was about year before you started.  

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