Intended Purpose

>I was going to do a post about a newly discovered site that I've been loving, but I thought rather than do that every time I discover something, why not just include a list of sites I like on my page. (So that's why every blog has that...) So, viola! In super-original alphabetical order, look to the right for I'm sure what will be an ever-growing list of fashion/photography/music/culture/travel/art sites I love.

But the site I want to talk about is worthy of discussion, so back to the matter at hand. Being faced with something so interesting and complex as another culture on a daily basis makes you want to talk about it all the time, which can be difficult, because people in other cultures talk about culture in different ways. Americans tend to ask direct questions and want direct answers. It turns out, this is not the only way to do things. (All those years of being brow-beaten with topic sentence, body, conclusion has affected my brain!) Individual personalities affect conversations more than culture in my experience, but I notice even the most outspoken of my Korean friends will eventually defer and agree on subjects I know they feel strongly about, in the expectation that I will understand, by body language and other cues that their culture has trained them to pick up, what they're really thinking. Unfortunately, I mostly don't and it can be confusing. So I used the internet for its intended purpose (no, not dirty pictures), instant access to information. I tried to look for insights into Asian culture written by Asians. There's plenty of whining out there written by other expats who are having culture clash problems, but that's not really going to help me. So, I stumbled on Disgrasian. It's great, loads of cultural discussion, written by some feisty Asian-Americans, with a good smattering of humor and bad language. (...and it's even helped me figure out a couple of things!) My thanks to the ladies holding down the fort back Stateside, and keep the good stuff coming.

Lids

I have a longstanding debate with a Korean friend about eyelid surgery. (The debate being that she thinks it's a good idea and I think she's just nuts.) Here's my latest argument: if you could rock a look like these first two girls, why would you ever want to look like anything else?

I should insert a disclaimer here: I am not ethnically Asian, so really, my opinions don't matter. Also, I'm not necessary anti-plastic surgery, just the idea of eliminating a feature that is so distinctive of your race is an idea I find worrying. And it doesn't just stop at at eyelid surgery. Many of my friends tell me white skin, narrow faces, and "high" noses are also considered the standard of beauty here, all things that are distinctly not-naturally-attainable by most Asians.

Before I manage to inflame too many of my friends, I'll sign off with this final thought: I do understand the pressure to perfect your face. As image-conscious as we Americans complain that our society is, I never had to include a photo with my resume until I tried to get a job here.