The Importance of Language

I'm considering becoming a full-time professional interpreter, because it simply pains me to witness bigotry caused by a language barrier and, well, bigots.

Long story short, I was translating for someone at the IRS office when he got escorted out by security for using a cell phone to obtain information that the IRS required. He didn't speak a word of English and thus couldn't have read the no cell phone sign. And he sure didn't understand why the IRS receptionist rudely pointed at the sign and even more rudely shouted at him to get off the phone. He did get the gist when she started just staring and pointing at his phone, and shuffled off to another area of the room. But apparently that was not good enough, and she promptly called security to escort him out. All in about a minute. I actually did translate and tell the guy that no cell usage was allowed, but he probably couldn't hear me over the receptionist's loudness. She KNEW he couldn't speak English either because I specifically told her that I would be interpreting for him and have done exactly so. But no. Won't give the poor guy a freaking chance or even ask me to tell him.

Lesson learned, I will look for whatever rules in the venue and translate as soon as possible. Ultimately though, the Houston IRS office needs to hire a receptionist who understands that her actual job is in customer service.

On Being Social

Driving back from my nightclub gig tonight, I realize that I genuinely enjoy socializing now, not even in a I need to promote my photography sort of way. Although it is a nice cherry on top. On a sort of related note, red bulls are so not conducive to correcting my unfortunate sleeping schedule.

Not all socializing is rewarding though. I was regrettably reminded of why I dislike run of the mill parental type Chinese people. I picked up my boss' niece today from the George R. Brown convention center. And zomg, that girl was so ridiculously rude yet didn't know it. She was there for a CFA exam, and told me that during lunch break she tried to socialize and be "subtle" towards a fellow foreign tester with really "messy" hair. Money quote translated from Chinese, "Are there no combs where you come from?" Damn. Aren't Asians supposed to have tact? Then she proceeded to ask me what I do and where I live and how much my apt. costs. I'm actually fine with providing all the info, but talk about 势力眼. Then she sort of casted me aside as a lowly grunt and demanded that I take her to Fiesta for some grocery shopping, to which I unhappily obliged. =(

Reading back on this post, I realize that I elaborate more on my negative experiences rather than positive ones. I need to change that and remember good things more.

Yelp

I started writing reviews on Yelp since I use it so much and eat out a lot. It's also mad synergy with my goal of taking a camera with me everywhere I go. "The best camera is the one with you." So true.

wanjun.yelp.com. Check it out.

Indian Wedding

The Breakdown

-huge ordeal of 7 hours of straight shooting. and that's just the reception. The whole wedding is over a span of three to four days.

-delicious food and beautiful people with even more beautiful henna and sari (sp?).

-snobby guests with prosumer DSLRs. Do not want! I saw someone shooting with a Nikon D300 and complimented how his camera is better than mine (I was using a backup Nikon D5000 at the time), to which he replied "My lens is more expensive than your camera. Did you know that?" His infuriatingly condescending comment only drives me to make the statement "it's the photographer not the camera" true. Also, he had an external flash on his camera with only an omnibounce and used a zoom lens. If he could afford it and actually knew about image quality he would have had off axis lighting and a prime lens.

-weddings are the graveyards of batteries.

-I look forward to the next one.

-Seriously considering switching to Nikon.

random goings-on

My nightclub photographer gig has definitely made me more social and dare I say it... flirty? I really need my own business card so these random people I chat up will call me for photography services. I also kind of get my ego stroked by semi drunk men who flatter my appearance. It's as Dmitry always say, there are no ugly girls, just not enough vodka. In my defense, they weren't all drunk!

I went to an Indian wedding earlier today to gain more experience as a wedding photographer, and omg, Indians with glue-green eyes are like the most gorgeous people EVER.

In other news, I've started putting on makeup. It's just good business practice. Yay conforming to societal standards? x.x

style

This sounds like I'm a narcissist, but recently I have thought a lot about myself and more specifically my expression style. As a writer, my school essays were succinct and perhaps overtly argumentative. As a photographer, I tend to favor tight crops and go straight for head shots instead of full body ones. The rare times when I socialize, I say mean and awkward things that people usually laugh off. I strongly believe I am able to look things in the eye and see them for exactly what they are, but in a negative and cynical light.

There's a Chinese adage that goes 退一步海阔天空, which literally translates to "take a step back, to the vast ocean and the expansive sky", and I aim to keep this in mind from now on. I need to look at the bigger picture, write with more context, photograph environmental portraits, and refrain from disagreeable social behavior.

I wish to become more positive. I want moderation and control and positivity.

Sigh.

recent readings

I'm reading the Omnivore's Dilemma rather slowly (46 pages so far), but what little I have read bothers me, first in a humans-suck-we-should-have-died-off sort of way, but then more so in a I-don't-think-this-is-completely-true sort of way.

The author attempts to provide insight to the rise of cheap corn, dubbed a miracle crop that's actually the stem of many agricultural afflictions in disguise. One such affliction is corn's demand for fossil fuels. Because the Haber-Bosch process of fixing nitrogen and thus fertilizer requires burning of fossil fuels, corn basically transforms nonrenewable energy, water, and sunlight into food. And that's a bad thing? I mean I get that we're addicted to oil and it's bad environmentally, but ultimately more food can't be all that bad, even if the food is subsidized to death and sometimes wasted and mostly fed to livestock. Maybe the issue isn't corn, but PEOPLE and how people treat corn and livestock. And then there's a whole spiel about the food industry and how it transforms corn into "food-like" substances. I don't mind all that much that 1/4 of groceries comprise of corn products. I don't think the author has ever been poor enough to starve and not be able to pick what to eat. Perhaps my mind will change once I finish the book and ignore the fuzzy logic. But for now corn has my good graces.

When my brain refuses to handle The Omnivore's Dilemma, I read more entertaining books. I finished Speaker for the Dead, second book of Ender's Game saga, in one day. It was that good! I'm currently enjoying the next book of the series, Xenocide, which contains some interesting philosophy about the nature of existence. I can't wait to finish it, even though there's an asian character with some pretty butchered asian cultures.

I have also started the elegant Dune series.

It is safe to conlude that I truly enjoy apocalyptic/dystopia/sci-fi.