The problem with "You're problem" isn't my grammar, Dr. Katz explains it

New Year: Social Blunder: Full Denial: Clean Slate

Thank God for the New Year, because you can wipe your slate clean, or at least pretend to by denying yourself the default mode of guilt and shame and diving into full denial instead.

My last social blunder for 2010 was “You're problem”. Turned out, it had nothing to do with my grammar, but everything to do with Dr. Katz.

Dr. Katz and the "Other" Head

Dr. Katz explained it better, or the patient who went for his therapy session rather. The patient talked of this “other” head inside of his that always told him to do something else, even when he was right in the middle of what he had already intended. For instance, rather than telling his guests to “Take Care", he blurted out “Take…luck" instead. In his desperation to save face, he endlessly rambled, thus making the already awkward situation even worse. And all because this “other” head told him to say “Good luck” at the last second, which his mouth immediately obeyed right after already having uttered “Take”.

Chocolates + Thankful Stranger = No problem + You're welcome

My family had given out chocolates at this event as Holiday treats. At he end of the night as we said our goodbyes, a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stood right in front of me. He was way closer than arms length and well within my bubble, grinning from ear to ear as he thanked me. My mind went blank that instant, but automatically replied, “You’re welcome”, while the rest of me tried to figure out just what exactly he was thanking me for during that split second that seemed to stretch forever. When I finally figured out the subject of his gratitude, from the mention of “chocolates”, I knew just what to say: “No problem!”—except that there was a problem: I had forgotten that my mind was still on default with the arguably more proper response, “You’re welcome!”

You're Problem!

The man stood silent for a moment, looking confused after hearing me say “You're problem!” Then he chuckled in amusement at my unusual response, perhaps to make light of the situation. I managed to pull myself together and quickly explain “You're problem!” away with a more logical reasoning, that my mind had been on overdrive due to the holiday fuss and that my mouth was desperately trying to play catch up; the last thing I wanted was to bring up my "other" head. He seemed to understand, or tried to, at least. After all, the New Year was about to ring in.

Lighten up

Luckily, I was able to laugh along before my denial wore off and shame returned to pound on me for that year-end faux pas. It did end my 2010 in good spirits, if only momentarily.

So for you to get all worked up from being told “You're Problem!” after expressing your gratitude to someone, please remember that person’s “other” head. Get it or lighten up. Seriously.

I'm Asian and Michelle Obama's Vogue-ing, but where are the Whites?

As the economy continues to crumble and people receive pink slips at their jobs, fashionistas only continue to strut their style ever so fiercely. And speaking of vouge-ing, the big talk of town is Michelle Obama's Voque cover. Which is pretty harmless per se. Don't get me wrong, please : I love clothes. But I just think it a pretty awkward time (to put it in mildly) to be overtly fashion focus (unless you're in the business of selling clothes to keep yourself and others employed, why not?) when most people are worried about how to cover their next month's rent. (By the way, did you hear that stamps are going up two more cents by May? While this piece of info may be inconsequential for you, not to affect you in any way at all, it may be bothersome to others who still prefer snail mail, and just when gas prices are creeping up again too. I just wonder how long it will take for New York to follow suit and hike its toll from the $8 current rate while the other costs of commuting, such as the subway, light rail, and tolls only continue to rise, in case you haven't noticed.)

While a first lady ought to present herself well in all aspects, and indeed in her appearance, it is perhaps more sensible for a person of high regard to apply tact...Esp. during this economic crisis. Show America that she commiserates with her people and is with them in spirit at all times. One could hardly show that kind of empathy when one of the first things on her agenda is to grace the cover of a style magazine. Again, I don't mean to offend, as I also occasionally flip through the pages of fashion mags. It's just that given our nation's economic condition, it seems so ungraceful, so insensitive, so wrong for the first lady to be so vocally candid about her fashion style during these difficult times in our nation, if I may be so vocally candid about her candidness. Besides, doesn't one's style exude anyway, without the need for an announcement? Leave all the unnecessary tooting to Hollywood. For when you zoom out and see the little things under you in light of the bigger picture, the frills just seem so pointless against our most basic needs... Like food, shelter, employment. (By the way, I had just picked up a nice pair of black, strappy, spring/summer platform sandals for $14.99. Yes, I did and am quite happy about it, as it is very rare for me to find nice and comfy sandals that fit well. And I'm not the first lady.) All that aside, something else struck me in the Michelle Obama interview. Here's an excerpt from AOL's news headline:

On entertaining in the White House: "We want entertaining in the White House to feel like America, that we are reminded of all the many facets of our culture. The Latino community, the Asian-American community, the African-American community.…Hip-hop, spoken word—we want to bring the youth in, for them to hear their voices in this."

Where is the mention of the White community? (By the way, I'm Asian.) I guess I have to buy the magazine to see if it follows the ellipsis...maybe between the African-American community and Hip-hop.? Hey, be nice. Again, I just noticed, and it's quite obvious unless some serious typo was committed.

Presidents 2009... A definite class A...wkward !

Have you seen this? The presidents' meeting. There are other sources, but this one's from The Washington Times Could this scene be any more uncomfortable? I’ve seen and been in difficult situations before, but this surely tops them. You could almost sense this great unease. And they seem to be murmuring “Awkward!” behind their good, old, jolly, strained smiles. Actually, across the line from left to right, one mutters “difficult” and the second one “problematic”, then the middle one mumbles “knotty” and the next “complex”, and the last one is just plain "ill-at-ease". And here’s a "longer" "short" version of what they seem to be saying: Father Bush: One-tenth of my son could outdo you anytime, you big-headed… Big O: Hogwash. You taught him everything he knows and he doesn’t know a whole lot. It will be great when this whole act is over, then I can take some serious respite in Kai… Junior: This is incredible! I new we can all get along and be friends in the end. It will be a blast at the ranch when I get my guys together to ride the bulls… Old C: And I thought I committed the worst… I’m a celebrity compared to these dunces. Heck, I'm a wild thing... Plain Old C: Why am I even here again? I can't believe I allowed them to pluck me from my slumber. This is so distressing, I'm starting to feel nauseous. Or maybe it’s all just my imagination. I need to relax my reservations and reassure myself that things aren’t as bad as they seem…