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• The Koala - a docile create of intense danger

  Wednesday, Aug 8, 2007 4:12AM / Standard Entry

  On a recent trip to the land down under, I discovered the little known fact that the cute and cuddly pride of Australia known as the Koala can be quite dangerous.  Who knew?
   
  Darwin must have had a sense of humor, for he/she definitely had the last laugh with the Koala.  Now you may ask how such a docile creature who sleeps 22 hours a day, is a practicing vegan, and sports a soft, full-body afro could be a threat to any creature, let alone a human.  Well, fear not.  Koalas do not lurk in dark alleyways, awaiting to disembowel unsuspecting drunk Aussies with their 3 inch claws.  Nor do they swing out of trees and suffocate their victims with the fleshy part of their marsupial pouches.  No, Koalas are incredibly dangerous to humans if, and only if, one decides to eat our furry little friend.  Tis a very zen defense for a very zen creature.
  
  Now I'll be the first to admit that I have never even considered dining on koala.  The thought would be equivalent to eating our childhood best friend and doggie companion, Fido...I am no cannibal.  However, given that the koala is a marsupial (not a bear, a common mistake), it is a close relative to the kangaroo - a meat that many humans enjoy around the world.  But what makes the eating of a koala so dangerous versus that of a kangaroo or cow, chicken, lamb, goat, ostrich, etc. is, at it's root, what the Koalas eat everyday... eucalyptus leaves.  Yes, it is the oils of the eucalyptus leaf that is rather potent.  Pool enough of it together and it will make a rather nice and powerful disinfectant.  The biology of a koala allows the natural processing of this toxin.  And thank god for that because the eucalyptus leaf is the only thing that these critters can eat.  And it's this very toxin that makes eating a koala a rather deathly proposition.  But hey, look at the upside...instead of eating koala, we get to hug them and enjoy the fact that they smell like Tiger Balm 24/7.
  
  BTW - the original British "criminals" that settled in Australia discovered the deadliness of koala meat the hard way.  Thinking they were easy prey, they were popped with the might of a musket and slaughtered by the hundreds and eaten by thousands.  Which lead to the painful death of many a euro.  So if there was a mantra for the koala, I would imagine it to be something like this - "Please hug me.  Please don't eat me.  OR YOU WILL BLEED OUT OF YOUR FRICKIN EYEBALLS AND FUCKIN DIE!"
  
  

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• About Me...

  Thursday, Jul 26, 2007 12:30PM / Standard Entry

  I am, by nature, a very curious fellow. I am always wondering about how things work, why things are the way they are, etc. As a child, I literally took apart almost every single electronic and mechanical object in my house. Needless to say my parents were not happy to see their television in 1,000 pieces. Luckily for me, my parents were rather docile and just beat me with a sack of oranges to ensure that I would not continue to dismantle their household items.
  
  Flash forward a few decades and I'm still that same curious fellow...just armed with a larger brain capacity and even greater desire to know WHY? This curiousity didn't really serve me too well in college. I was always trying to find passion and meaning in my studies so that I could naturally channel that meaning/passion into a respectable and exciting career. 10 attempted majors later, I finally graduated with a degree in sociology and economics. How I accomplished that, I will never know.
  
  My first job out of college was as a financial consultant. I did it for a year. What a seriously crappy year that was. Thinking back now, I laugh pretty hard at that whole experience because here I was, giving advice to people about their finances, when I didn't even know how to balance my checkbook. I should have worked for Enron.
  
  I eventually quit my job and went to Europe for 2 months. For the first time in my life, I chose to go somewhere in the world to do nothing and with no plans. I just went with the flow. Kind of strange cause up until that time, I spent my life always doing what I thought was the right thing to do...always making decisions with my noggin, but never with my heart. My big "ah ha" moment came while sitting on a rock facing the Mediterranean Sea (I had a greasy roasted chicken in one hand and a french bagguet in another). For the first time in my life, I gave myself permission to make a choice from my gut. I figure that up until that moment, I had always spent my days doing stuff I hated (and hoping it would get better). I decided I would pursue stuff that I was genuinely interested in.
  
  I have been a professional actor for over a decade now. It is what I do for a living but it isn't what it is that I am. I love architecture and am in the early, early phases of planning my modern, green home (Dwell Mag is great for this kind of stuff). I love to travel and explore new and interesting places. This year, I have been to Australia and Thailand.  Hopefully, I can hit South Africa before 2007 ends.  I love many outdoor activities...especially trail running and swimming. I love to fly...I almost have my pilots license. I read a great deal. Many of my books, as of late, have centered around spirituality, life purpose, and the occasional Michael Crichton novel. I also have a strong interest in investing (love Rich Dad Poor Dad). AND I also LOVE sports cars. I must admit that I've never owned one. Since I was 14 years old, I have always wanted one. This is one thing I know I get from my dad...pragmatism. So, I just bump around town in my bad ass, practical TSX (it's the Japanese Honda Accord. but in America, they call it an Acura). And finally, I just got a Nintendo Wii as well as an X-Box 360. Large chunks of my life are disappearing but my fingers are becoming unusually muscular.
  
  Anyway, that's me. Much of my time this year will be spent laying the groundwork for the fall release of my film FINISHING THE GAME. It's basically our follow up to BETTER LUCK TOMORROW. I have been traveling a great deal with my pals Justin Lin, Sung Kang, Dustin Nguyen, and many others in the FTG family. Because FTG does not have a $30 million advertising budget, we are hitting the road to meet and connect with all the Asian American brothas and sistas around the country...grassroots style, baby. Already this year, we've been to Park City, Utah, Eugene, Oregon, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and the KDPhi and Lambda national conventions. We'll be going to Dallas, Washington DC, and Boston next. It's been a fantastic journey and I feel that it is an important one. Hollywood believes that Asian Americans are white (well, at least their buying patterns are). That's why Hollywood does not create any product for Asian Americans or care to create product that reflects the existence of real Asian Americans in American society. It's sad but true. But we have the power to change that. 5 years ago, Asian Americans and Americans alike came out to theaters in impressive force to see BETTER LUCK TOMORROW on it's opening weekend. Hollywood was shocked! They were shocked to see so many Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos, and Caucasians coming out to see a film starring Asian Americans as normal, everyday people (no accents, martial arts, etc.). When FINISHING THE GAME comes out this OCTOBER 2007, we have the opportunity again to not only shock Hollywood for a second time, but also the real opportunity to finally carve out our piece of the pie and make our mark in history more permanent. Will we be successful? Who knows. All we can do is try. I hope you'll join us on our journey...
  
  

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