We

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot. ---Kobe Bryant

We can sit here and tell ourselves that this is the best we will get. We can talk about the game and how we'll change. We can blame each other for why everything is going wrong. We can rumor about quitting, giving up, not willing to try anymore. We can walk away from the game and just be homiez. Yeah, we can do all of these things. Better yet, we've already done most of these things.

We can stop playing as individuals and start playing as a team. There comes a time in a person's life when he doesn't want to be second best or just another person anymore. Achieving first can't be done alone. It can't be done with selfishness, stubborness, or a lack of confidence. We're not in a movie, we all can't be heroes. But ironically we all can be the villian. Either we come together as a unit, or this is as far as we will go. In the words of Al Picino. "Either we heal now, as a team, or we will die, as individuals." On a final note, I'll leave you all with some wise words from The Rock, "Know Your Role."




- Meng Yang

Join The Movement

If you haven't joined the movement, you better hop on. Far East Movement, the first Asian-American group to hit it big in America, has hit it real BIG. I am overjoyed with enthusiasm and excitement for these guys. I had a chance to meet them all about two years ago at the Hmong New Year when they came to Minnesota and performed. They were all super cool, down to Earth, and real. They joked, laughed, and interacted with all their fans. At the time I heard a few of their songs, mostly the ones with Jin but I would never imagine that they would be an overnight sensation.

Just like how America elected President Barack Obama, race was not an issue anymore. FM, an all Asian group has made it big in the music industry which is predominately Caucasian and Black. With their success flying sky high like a G6, they are the foundation for Asian-American artists. I knew FM would be successful, but I did not expect them to blow up so fast. With the likes of Jin failing to top the charts, I thought they would too suffer the same fate, but I was wrong. FM has gone Platinum and words cannot explain how happy I am for these guys. It's a historic week for Asian-Americans everywhere and I'm glad I was a part of it. Three Fingers Up!

I Refuse

I refuse to talk to you, get to know you, or take you on a date. I refuse to text you, Facebook you, or telegraph you. It's not that I'm not into you, because most likely I am. I'm just a good human being. I refuse to let you in my life. Why? Because I refuse to use you. I don't want to use you. If I let you walk into my life, it would feel like I am using you. I refuse to be the people who use innocent people as rebounds. I refuse to be the heartless, inconsiderate, evil, manipulating, pathetic human beings that some people are. I cannot allow you to go through what so many others have gone through and I cannot allow myself to move on when I know I am not ready. I hope you understand why I refuse to see you, talk to you, or be with you. I'm just being a good human being.

The Old

Sometimes I wish my interests would never change. I wish I was still into cartoons, graphic t-shirts with my favorite wrestlers on them, velcro shoes, shopping with my mom, and many other things. As we grow up and find new interests, we lose the ones that have given us the best memories. I can only speak for myself, but damn I miss the old times. The times that staying in on a Friday or Saturday night was the plan. The times when alarm clocks were your favorite cartoon shows in the morning. The times when bikes and your legs were the only source of transportation. The times when a 20 dollar bill made me feel rich and when money wasn't everything. I didn't even see my interests change in front of my eyes and now I miss them like crazy.

What happened to the old? It didn't seem like much back then, but now it means the world to me. Having fun used to be so effortless and easy. Now everyone needs a drink, a blunt or pills to have a good time. Not the old though, the old didn't need any of that. The old was innocent, pure, and obnoxious. But it's called "The Old" for a reason and all I can do is simply reminisce about it. So I raise my glass to The Old, and bid you a fine farewell. To the old moments and to the new old.


- Meng Yang

Into the Future

My alarm clock sounds. It's 8AM and time for work. I wake up, alone in my two bedroom apartment on the 21st floor. I check my phone; a couple messages from my girlfriend. It's the middle of November and I'm freezing. With no shirt on, I snatch up my blanket and wrap it around me like a robe. I walk towards the bathroom with the blanket dragging behind me. Do my morning routine and get dressed for work. Today's going to be the grey suit and black tie. Plain and simple. I walk into the kitchen and take a moment to look at my spectacular view of New York City from the 21st floor. Sometimes I glance forever because the view is so Magnificent. It's lightly snowing today and the Christmas spirit seems to be in the air. Still staring out into the city, I snap back into focus; have a quick bowl of Fruit Loops and out the door I go.


I work about six blocks away so I just walk to work. Hundreds of people fill the streets of New York City and that's just the way I like it. The temperature is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit and I love it. The snow, the cool blustery wind that slaps your face, the ugly slush on the side of the roads, and all the Christmas decorations. This is my kind of city. It takes me about 20 minutes to get to work. I work on the intensely busy street of 8th Ave. The building is massive and I didn't get used to it for quite a while. I get to my office and it's hectic, like it always is, but today it seems a bit more chaotic. Some thing big must have happened last night or earlier this morning. I head over to my desk and try to begin work, but Whitney, a long time friend of mine from college starts telling me about her relationship problems. I listen, nod my head, and give her some advice. I'm no love doctor but it seems like they all come to me for advice. I don't mind it though, as a matter of fact, I enjoy it.

Anyway, I turn my computer on and start my assignment from the previous day. I'm writing an article about dreams. It's about a kid from Minnesota who dreamed of becoming a journalist for a national newspaper. Everyone laughed at him, thought his writing would never take him anywhere, and thought his dream was impossible. I'm working on the ending as of right now and I think know exactly what to write.

"The ending of his story is answered above." (Scroll up to the beginning.)





- Meng Yang

I Can't Read

So I recently found out that I can't read. You heard me right, I can't read for shit. Hard to believe right? All this time I thought of myself as a pretty good reader. I believed I was ahead of my class in reading, but it turns out that I'm not. I suck at it. Like real bad too. When did I find out? Last month. How did I find out? I just realized. Sometimes you just have so much stuff going on in your head that you finally figure something out and it makes total sense. The light bulb lights up and there you go with the realization. So since I can't read, it looks like I'll be starting all over again. First off I have to sound it out, think to myself if what I read is what it really is. Then I have to make sure what I read is the truth. I've been away from the game for a long time, so I can't really blame anyone but myself. I'm going to try my best to re-learn how to read and get back to my old form. It's a sad thing to take in, but I just can't read women anymore.


-Meng Yang

What a Man Wants & What a Man Needs

How can you tell when a girl is wrong for you? It's simple. If the only reason you're spending quality time with a girl is because of her physical attributes, she's wrong for you. If you are unable to conduct a mature and decent conversation with her, she's wrong for you. If all you do is think about getting her naked, she's wrong for you. (I'm talking relationship wise, not booty-call wise.) If at anytime when you're with her and you think about another girl you wish you could be with right then; it's a dead giveaway, she's wrong for you. And the most obvious reason she might be wrong for you is when you're already questioning if she's wrong for you.

There are two types of women that men are interested in. The first type I like to call, "Easy Access." Meaning the girls are easy and are around for one reason only. This is the type of girl that men love. Well, for that particular moment. Men aren't interested in developing a serious relationship with these girls, but they sure do love to have them around. It's simple, "Easy Access" girls are not Mrs. Right but they are Mrs. Right Now. They're what a man wants.

The second type of women that men are interested in are the ones I like to call, "No Bullshit Girls'."(NBS Girls) They are the type of women who know what they want in life and are dedicated to what they are doing. They don't take no bullshit from any man. They have big dreams and they're going to reach them with or without a man. They can survive without a man's existence but prefer not to. They're the ones that are worth every second of the chase and the ones that can drive a man delusional. NBS Girls are the type that a man wants to actually listen to. A man actually wants to know about their day and what they did, not just to get lucky that night. Men want to develop a long and lasting relationship with this type of woman and a man will put his chips on the table and go all in. These women are the women men will play for keeps with. (Like playing Pokemon, you either play for fun, or you play for keeps.) There's just something about NBS women that a man will alter his universe for. They're the ones worth every second of a man's time and they are what a man needs.

- Meng Yang