Other Side of the Planet dot com

Meaningless Rant: Comfort is a State of Mind

Posted on January 15th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Meaningless Rants.

[Myself, laying down on two wheeled chairs I’ve pulled together]

Over the years, as a result of college and world travel, I developed the amazing ability to get comfortable and fall asleep in almost any situation: on planes and in trains; out in the forest and on a hard floor; in airports and in offices.  I love sleep, and I can sleep nearly anywhere.

But never did I realize, until seeing a picture of myself, how bizarre I look when I’m just getting comfy.  Now I know why people think it’s strange when I lay down on a hardwood floor to relax, or why people will stare at me when I squat down on the curb to do something.  It’s not normal to sit down on the kitchen floor to eat; when in the livingroom, I’m supposed to sit on the couch, not plop down on a cushion I’ve tossed on the floor.

I’d like to relegate the blame the realm of culture shock, but I really don’t think any one culture has taught me to do these things…it’s just me.  But take me or leave me, my friends, because I likely won’t change.

2 comments.

Star Wars: LEGO AT-ST

Posted on January 10th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Star Wars.

WOOT!  My inner child lives! 

[Myself, dilligently assembling the AT-ST]

I felt deserving of a toy the other day when passing through Times Square.  Although I was in the mood to buy the walking AT-AT, Toys R Us was not obliging.  Just as well - it’s $130…but it WALKS!  (Forward and backward…but who’s ever seen an AT-AT go backward?)

[Myself with my new LEGO AT-ST - aren’t we a cute couple?]

I’ve enjoyed building LEGO sets since I was a kid - at that time, I was very much into the Castle sets (which are back again, but by no means do they compete with the LEGO Castle sets of old…)  Now, I get my Star Wars Legos and my Harry Potter Legos…it makes me happy.  As do dreams of the $300 LEGO Star Destroyer and the new $500 LEGO Millenium Falcon…

0 comments.

Star Wars: The Crux of Star Wars Fandom

Posted on January 5th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Star Wars.

[Myself, playing with lightsabers - photo/edit credits go to Shaddius]

I am a Star Wars fan.  I do not deny this.

People don’t understand what I see in Star Wars - I’m not wholly certain either.  As I blogged about previously, the obsession developed out of frustration with perceived inconsistencies and short-coming in the films - though even when I discovered all three movies, I still spent hours compiling lists of mistakes throughout the trilogy.  From there I graduated to complaining about Star Wars books, half of which are so infuriating or just plain bad that it takes a great force of will to finish them.  I buy the video games and computer games even though I suck at them all.  I go shopping for action figures and then complain about the poor representations of characters (Force Unleashed models are exempt from this criticism) and I buy lightsabers and then complain about their poor quality and flawed design.

I’ve long struggled to understand my obsession with a franchise I’m consistently dissatisfied with…but no more: an editorial in JIVE Magazine, “The Complex and Terrifying Reality of Star Wars Fandom”, explains all, starting with this simple, sweeping argument: “Star Wars fans hate Star Wars.”  And our hatred for Star Wars, the editorial argues, is exactly what drives on our obsession.

Don’t get me wrong - there are things I love about Star Wars.  I love the idea that an ordinary person can step forward and discover the potential within to be a hero.  The simplicity of clearly defined good vs. evil is refreshing.  The heavy influence of Eastern philosophy is something I connect with.  And the technology - while unrealistic - is a lot of fun.  Throw in the adventure/travel aspect of running around the galaxy, and I’m sold.

I love the basic concepts behind Star Wars.  But people assume that I love everything about Star Wars - they’ve got it all wrong.  I would have no respect for myself as a Star Wars fan if I wasn’t infuriated by it all.  But, as a Star Wars fan, I’m able to read between the lines and pull out the amazing story within.  JIVE Magazine put it best: “Every true Star Wars fan is a Luke Skywalker, looking at his twisted, evil father, and somehow seeing good.”

Yay for the noble Star Wars fans, and the great sacrifices we make.

7 comments.

USA: NYC: NY Jedi Holiday Party 2007

Posted on December 18th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Costumes, NYC, Star Wars.

 
[Jedi Anna, talking to Master Udo whilst eating Sith Apple Pie]

I guess I had two “costumes” for the Jedi holiday party - above is the first.  What I didn’t realize at first is that a lot of people didn’t recognize me dressed up for a party…perhaps because they usually see in whichever baggy t-shirt and comfy pants I have declared to be exercise clothes for the day.

[Santa Jedi and Darth Claus with the candysaber] 

Then I changed into the recently completed Santa Jedi (or Jedi Santa) costume.  Darth Claus and I spent some time recently trying to figure out what color Santa’s lightsaber would be, and through our combined brilliant, he created the Candy Cane Lightsaber (Candysaber?).  We have yet to figure out how to do the lightsaber effects on this one…expect updates.

[Chris cooing to baby Yoda]

My fellow Brooklynite Jedi, who was neither drunk nor high, spent about an hour rocking my new Yoda backpack to sleep on the subway ride home…who could ask for a cuter baby??

…makes me wonder what Yoda looked like as a baby…

5 comments.

Happy Holidays, from Our Website to Yours

Posted on December 17th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog.

[Site Admin Anna Zhan]

Because how many people attend holiday parties in mini-kilts with a lightsaber hanging from a low-slung Jedi belt? 

I’m awesome.

0 comments.

And then it went RED

Posted on May 17th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog.

Actually, I think it looks more orange right now than red…

After my hair cut, the next morning I went back to Eddie’s to get my hair dyed…I didn’t really want to pay for it, but I figured if I had the old color professionally lifted, it would be easier to maintain my hair…and if I tried bleaching it myself…well, I don’t really want to start out in New York with green hair or anything.

Besides, in Asia, going to a salon doesn’t mean you just get your hair done.  It means hours of being lavished with attention while being treated to scalp massages, neck massages, shoulder massages, and aroma therapy.  Yay Asia - I’ll miss you.

0 comments.

Haircut!

Posted on May 15th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog.

I wanted to chop off my hair before my program in NYC starts, and being as I have a week of freetime, and good haircuts are a helluva lot cheaper in Taipei, I decided to suck it up and get it done with.  (I still have a hard time cutting off my hair, even though it hasn’t been as long as it once was.)

I still need to dye it - it’s going red/gold/bronze/whatever.  I just haven’t decided if I’ll do it myself, or if I should have it professionally done the first time (cause I currently hard dark brown hair and a couple inches of blond roots…could spell disaster.)  We’ll see!

The haircut, I should mention, was done by Eddie at the Mix & Match salon in Taipei near the Zhongxiao-Fuxing intersection.  You can check out his website, where Eddie lists his location, rates, and bio, at readyeddiego.com.  Eddie lived in the UK for about ten years, so he can actually cut white peoples’ hair - a rare find in Taiwan.

0 comments.

I’ve fixed it!!!

Posted on April 8th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog.

Let it be known by all that this amazing woman just single-handedly (for all who know me know I only type with one hand ) saved this website from the horrible fate that consumed it this past month.

I had issues with Blue Host, issues with Word Press, and issues with Image Manager.  It became necessary to update my version of Word Press, at which point my image plugin no longer worked - and what’s a photo blog without photos?  So then I went to update Image Manager.  I got as far as deleting the old copy when my host went wacky on me.  I couldn’t get into my account.  My site, apparently just because of one missing add-on plug-in, crashed.  Everything crashed.  I couldn’t get in at all…I couldn’t even sign on with my host.  It was a traumatic experience, but I have emerged victorious.

Normal posting habits will now resume.  Lets see if I can finish my winter vacation blogging before I move to NYC, eh?

2 comments.

At last!

Posted on September 16th, 2006 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Uncategorized.

After much procrastination, I am finally getting this site up. Below is a self-intro and summary of my life to date.

I’m an American kindergarten teacher living on a cockroach-infested island that is frequently plagued by natural disasters like earthquakes and typhoons.  When I’m not trying to move across a classroom with a half-dozen five-year-olds clinging to my body, I’m usually hanging out in my luxurious 125 sq. ft. estate perched just above a lively night market in the island’s capital city.  A demon, cleverly disguised as a cat, also makes his home in my humble dwelling, where he chews away on electrical cords while I’m off at work.

1 comment.