the yak occidental

There are vending machines everywhere in Okinawa. I'm not a big snacker, which is stupid seeing as I was going to Japan, one of the top cuisine destinations in the world (and indeed, I did eventually get on board and enjoyed many fine meals and snacks while I was there).  Above: this sriracha vending machine was in a sort of mini strip mall Above: this one was just in the middle of a city block at the edge of a parking lot Of the many things that surprised me about Japan, was that there were vending machines EVERYWHERE. I even saw two separate sriracha vending machines! If you are in a bigger city, there is one on every block, guaranteed. They offer a variety of pop, cold green tea, and canned coffee. There were lots for ice cream treats, too! I loved having cool bottles of green tea or jasmine tea multiple times a day when I was in Japan. Given the heat and humidity of Okinawa when I was there in October 2024, I think I only had hot tea/matcha maybe once the entire trip. It wa...

Gloria Steinem refers to listening as a "revolutionary act." Here's why. Still Life by Rachel Ruysch, c. 1690 You may have noticed I'm a bit obsessed with listening here at the yak occidental. This is probably because I desperately wish I was better at this myself. Nevertheless, here is a collection of quotes on why listening is so important. From   My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem "I could see that, because the Gandhians listened, they were listened to. Because they depended on generosity, they created generosity. Because they walked a nonviolent path, they made one seem possible. This was the practical organizing wisdom they taught me:  If you want people to listen to you, you have to listen to them.  f you hope people will change how they live, you have to know how they live.  If you want people to see you, you have to sit down with them eye-to-eye." - Gloria Steinem   "Because this book is all about stories, I hope some here might lead you to t...

Here is a selection of memorable quotes from Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World by Scott Shigeoka  When we use curiosity as a practice of connection instead of only as an intellectual exercise, the goal isn't to know but rather to understand. p. 38 When we turn the knob to deep curiosity, it has the potential to be life-altering. But in order to get there, we need to come at it with presence and not see it as a tool of persuasion. The minute your curiosity is attached to an agenda or judgment-such as trying to change someone's beliefs or behaviors — it becomes what I call "predatory curiosity ." That's when you turn the knob and go through the door with ulterior motives. p. 44-45 This is an especially important concept to grasp when you're using deep curiosity with someone who you don't agree with because our natural impulse might be to try to show them how we are right and they are wrong. It becomes a game of argumentation a...

Playlist - Yonsei 2 This is the last playlist meant to accompany and celebrate my publication in the mata ashita zine "Talking Across Generations" issue. This is actually the playlist I have made for my own funeral (you know, just in case). As with the Yonsei 1 playlist, "yonsei" in this context means, "fourth generation" [Japanese Canadian], which is what I am! Swimming Pool by Emmy The Great The Suburbs (continued) by Arcade Fire Life in the Vivid Dream by Grimes The City by Adia Victoria Willow Tree by Chad VanGaalen Higher Lonesome by Willi Carlisle Strangers by The Kinks My Rajneesh by Sufjan Stevens Origins by Tennis Forget Me by Born Ruffians Golden Gal by Animal Collective I'll Believe in Anything by Wolf Parade Elephant Gun by Beirut Let Me Love You Like a Woman by Lana Del Rey On A Good Day by Joanna Newsome  You can order your own digital or print copy of the zine here .

Here is a selection of memorable quotes from Run Towards The Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory by Sarah Polley I was very moved reading Run Towards The Danger by Sarah Polley, especially given my work in entertainment. In reading Polley's book of essays, I learned a lot about working in film and television, live action, theatre, and lots of behind-the-scenes work for screen-based media. I was especially enlightened by her comments about working as a child actor and the impact that can have on a young person as I was working with child actors a couple years ago and had some misgivings about it. There are certain people from whom you can immediately intuit that their fiercest expression of warmth is brutalizing honesty. p. 28 The whole concept of "mad genius" that I had absorbed involved a necessary abdication of responsibility, empathy, and conscientiousness in favour of erratic flashes of brilliance that I assumed had to coexist with an obliviousness to other ...

Welcome to the first instalment of my travel diary, wherein I reflect on my first trip to Okinawa, Japan in October of 2024. I barely knew what to expect going to Japan. I traveled there for the first time with my cousin/best friend Kyle, who had been a few times before. He knows the language and customs, I do not, and relied heavily on him to guide me through the beautifu l Okinawa .  Okinawa is a series of tropical, Hawaii-esque islands off the coast of Japan. Okinawa is known for being continuously occupied by the U.S. since WW2 and has its own indigenous population which has been colonized through the centuries by the Chinese, and the Japanese and Americans still to this day. The biggest thing I remember that I did not expect is the mosquito bites! I was eaten ALIVE by mosquitoes in the first two days, which I did not expect as I landed in hot, humid, Okinawa on Thanksgiving long weekend. I was better prepared the further we got into the trip, I was just so not prepared for it!...