The Ruby Ronin

Escape to Jeju Island

September 2, 2014 rubymary Comments 10 comments

The wind pummeled us relentless, but we didn’t care. The dark blue waves screamed in protest as they crashed violently against the lava formed rock formation we stood upon. Although the dark, unknowing waters of Jeju looked unwelcoming, the fresh and cleansing breeze of the Korean countryside and its pastel, blue sky was more than enough to keep me here. After relentless days of smog and apocalyptic skies of dust and toxic matter in China, the coast of Jeju was like medicine.

The wind whipping my hair across my face, the sprays of fresh, seawater splashing across my open toed sandals, a fresh paint of blue sky: read more

Learn Japanese with Legal High

August 24, 2014 rubymary Comments 13 comments

Why You Should Watch Legal High

I know that Japanese dramas aren’t for everyone. It’s like the Home Shopping Network, or Mexican soap operas, or golf—some people love it, others hate it. Hell, even my Japanese friends refuse to watch Japanese dramas, calling them “the garbage of television.” Sometimes, I don’t blame them. The same old plotline of boy meets girl, hospital politics, or police detective nonsense starts to get old. Most Japanese dramas also tend to lack character depth, a plot, and half-decent acting (sorry, Arashi boys don’t always cut it). read more

Ten Years After High School

August 24, 2014 rubymary Comments 2 comments

Last weekend was my 10 year high school reunion.

But I didn’t go.

It’s not like I didn’t want to go–actually, I was curious to see what everyone from my small, coal-mining town was up to in the big world. I knew that most were married and still living in Utah, but I’m sure a few anomalies from my class were doing some really amazing things.

It would have been nice to visit my small hometown after 7 years of absence and catch up with the class of ’08, but due to distance and finances it just wasn’t feasibly possible. read more

Speed Dating in China

August 18, 2014 rubymary Comments 9 comments

The location for the Chinese-Japanese Friendship Group’s speed dating event seemed like a place where love goes to die. From the outside it looked like a local convenience store, the kind where you can easily purchase 50 cent baijiu (rice liquor) and tar filled cigarettes–maybe even a cell phone charge card. If it weren’t for the hand written sign taped to the wall adjacent to the shop keep, we would never know that a dating event lie in wait just beyond the foul stench of the convenience store’s stinky tofu, and up the stairs from the grime filled storage room. read more

American in Niigata

July 28, 2014 rubymary Comments 17 comments

As soon as I stepped off the train, with luggage in both hands and two Japanese officials at my side, I knew that I was definitely not home in the United States anymore. Thousands of miles away from the familiar and transplanted in a new country, nothing had registered mentally—but physically, however, I was indeed feeling it.

July in Japan. I was hit with a tidal wave of humidity that drenched me senseless. The Japanese government in Tokyo decided to send me to this hot, humid sauna called Niigata, Japan. I was sweating profusely, my body was jet lagged, and there was a ringing in my ears that I would later know as “cicadas.” My eyes were heavy, my legs like water and my heart still in Salt Lake City. read more

Should You Choose a Man or Career?

July 23, 2014 rubymary Comments 12 comments

You know, men never face this dilemma. They don’t debate about whether they should give up opportunity or stay with the woman of their dreams.

They just take the job.

Women, on the other hand, will face this agonizing predicament at least once in their lifetime. Move away from the boyfriend to pursue the career I have been dreaming of? Or stay behind, stick by his side, and possibly have a life of marital bliss?

I never thought it would happen to me, but it did. I had to choose a man or my career. read more

Wang Lee Hom Making Asian Men Attractive

July 14, 2014 rubymary Comments 2 comments

Last weekend I saw Wang Lee Hom perform at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Knowing I love everything Chinese, my aunt bought us tickets to see “An Evening of Chinese Splendor,” a Chinese themed performance by the L.A. philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Zong Zu Ying (a famous communist-like folk singer) and Ruby Chen (pianist) were some of the big names to make it on stage, but there was only one singer that managed to get not only the girls, but the boys in the crowd scream in glee: read more

The Headache Inducing City of Kuala Lumpur

June 24, 2014 rubymary Comments 2 comments

Kuala Lumpur, why are you so difficult to navigate? Why do you hurt me so?

When I finalized my ticket to Kuala Lumpur following my trip to Thailand, I wasn’t exactly pumped to revisit the city. Earlier in the year I had a 10 hour layover in Kuala Lumpur thanks to Air Asia, and at that time I managed to see most of the city. I saw the Menara Observation Tower, visited a zoo–hell, I even had some authentic Malaysian Lahksa (curry) there. It’s awful to say, but I really thought 10 hours in Kuala Lumpur was enough and I didn’t think a second trip in my lifetime would be necessary. Much like my unlikely and frequent visits to Korea (I’ve been there 4 times wha?), I found myself again revisiting a city I didn’t much care for the first time around. read more

The Modern Ex-Pat Returning Home

June 13, 2014 rubymary Comments 4 comments

I check my e-mail to see the response I have been waiting for sitting there in my inbox, calling my name. I told my friends this is “my dream job,” even though I knew the chances of me actually snagging the position were to slim to none. Still, this organization called me in for an interview (to my surprise) and they seemed impressed at my credentials and skills. Since the position was in Washington DC, I knew the likelihood of me being selected as a candidate from halfway across the country was extremely unlikely, but I still had hope. read more

Being Half Asian in China and Japan

May 31, 2014 rubymary Comments 75 comments

Most people are stunned to find out that I’m half Asian half white. They’re even more stunned to find out I’m not half Japanese or even Chinese: I’m half Vietnamese (I know, I don’t look Vietnamese at all).

And I’m not only white–my father is 100% Irish. So I’m a complete 50/50 split of two very different cultures.

Being a Halfie in the USA

In my hometown (a very small town in Utah) my mom was the only Asian person in town, making my brother and I the only Asians in the school. Despite how un-Asian I look, I was constantly teased for being a “gook” or a “chink” and never a moment went by where I wasn’t racially profiled. Me liking Japan didn’t really help improve the situation, so memories of people yelling “hey ching chong wong” and other such uncultured insults are still a very fresh memory today. read more