Mixi.jp - "Community Entertainment"

I have been appearing, or community "blogging," on Mixi, a Japanese online social community.

The difference with other communities is that (1) all interface is done in the Japanese language, (2) 90% Japanese users based in Japan, (3) you can pick icons using photographs (similar to xanga.com in this respect, (4) you can join and start discussion threads under communities that you can join or start (like Contacts in Flickr), (5) you can "see" who visited your site with a feature called "footprints," which are left by other users and link to these users directly, (6) you can have your online picture album, mail box (limited to Mixi users and no messaging), mobile uploading in once place (like Myspace), or you can play tricks and remain an anonymous user.

Don't have any complaints about any of its features, except that perhaps Blogger could adopt one of two of the more useful ones.

Chinese in California (a history)

The U.S. is a country built on the energy and ingenuity of immigrants from all over the world. It doesn't matter how long you've been here. Once you become a citizen, you are an American.

The Chinese have lived and worked in California since the early days of its founding. They have quite a presence in all parts of California, particularly some rural parts. There is an excellent collection of photos and historical documents of the Chinese experience in California that documents their plight.

A Wedding in Monterey

Took part in my younger brother's wedding in at the exclusive Monterey Plaza Spa & Resort on Cannery Row last week (Aug 27, 2005). At this time of the year, the Monterey Peninsula is cool and breezy, perfect weather for a once-in-a-lifetime event. Additionally, it was the perfect timing for a gathering of the clan, hailing from places like Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and all across the U.S.A. for a rare Summer pow wow.

As with a typical, traditional Christian-style hotel wedding, the wedding party consisted of the bride and the brides maids; the groom, his best man and various groomsmen. Since my travel plans precluded me from participating in many of the elaborate wedding preparation activities, my brother wisely chose Bill, his childhood friend for 23 years, to be his best man. I was elated to be selected as one of his groomsmen. My job was simple: keep him from getting drunk and from running away from the alter. The bride, on the other hand, chose two of her best friends and her niece to be the bridesmaids.

As far as the men go, the wedding was a simple affair. As the event drew closer, we put on our tux and met for rehearsal at the seaside "chapel." While American weddings often are held at a Church, my brother and his new wife chose what is arguably the best hotel at their favorite Monterey as the setting for their union.