Where Do They Get The Names?

Fellow blogger, Aviva Bowman, asked how do they (Japanese food/candy companies) come up with those strange flavor combinations when they adapt Western recipes/snacks for their markets. I'm like her; some work, others don't.

It's chocolate. It's crunchy... It's CRUNKY?



I thought CRUNKY would have the taste and feel of CRUNCH, but it misses the mark big time. Perhaps it's the percentage of cocoa or the way the "crispies" were made. I assume the candy was made the way it is so that it can survive tropical shipping. An American bar would melt a lot faster, in my opinion. On the pallete, CRUNKY has an almost plastic feel on the tongue, like the residue those wax-lip candies leave behind after you chew on them for awhile.

The parent company LOTTE is huge!

Lotte Group is a large South Korea-Japan chaebol (conglomerate). LOTTE Co., Ltd. was established in June 1948 in Tokyo, Japan by a Korean businessman, Shin Kyuk-Ho (신격호) also known as Shigemitsu Takeo (重光 武雄).

Lotte Group consists of over 50 business units employing 38,000 people engaged in such diverse industries as candy manufacturing, beverages, hotels, fast food, retail, financial services, heavy chemicals, electronics, IT, construction, publishing, and entertainment. Today, Lotte is South Korea's 5th largest conglomerate. Lotte has major operations in South Korea, Japan, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, USA, and Russia and continues to expand. (Wikipedia)

I would like to submit my name for the position of: Official Candy Name Thinker-Upper. (I'd like to have offices in Tokyo, Naha, London, New York, and Culver City.) I'll head up the task of re-branding items people think are "weird."

[Scroll down for my "Pocky Party" video. I back dated it to coincide with the original YouTube posting date.]

Hakkakukei Nunchaku Episode 1

This is the first installment of what will be a multi-part DIY kobudo series.

New YouTube Channel - The Legion of Ernies

Here's a place where all YouTubers named "Ernie" can meet each other. The channel will act as a central repository for links to our work, and a hub where the YouTube community can easily find people named Ernie, both men and women.

Pocky Party

Here's a YouTube video response to YouTuber "wallofweird" (aka Katrina).

Rockin' on the 4th of July

Hakkakukei Nunchaku Episode 3

Here's the third installment of my "How to Make Nunchaku" series.

New Nunchaku Videos in Production!

Questions to Asian Males About AMWF Relationships

A fellow YouTuber sent me a link to the video below. I watched her video several times so that I could rephrase her questions in my mind. The second video below were my responses.





I became aware of Asians and White people co-mingling in the early 1970's. This was a time when Vietnamese refugees were arriving in the United States by the thousands. For years, Servicemen were bringing home Asian brides from Korea, the Philippines, and Japan. Predominantly, couples were made up of White men and Asian women. The reverse, Asian men and White women, was an extreme rarity.

Only in the last ten years or so, have Asian American men been able to rise in status in the USA. This has been accomplished partly due to rising prominence in business, sports, entertainment, and intellectual opportunities. Some may also note that perhaps it is just "our time" to enjoy the chance of becoming a popular option for not just White women, but for all kinds of women.

The old stereotype of Asian men being geeky, nerdy, and low on self-esteem is out the window. These stereotypes were actually prejudicial interpretations of Asian character. What was most offensive was the perception of "low self-esteem." In Asian culture, "humility" and the ability to humble one's self is seen as a virtuous trait in a person.

In the USA, according to the current socio-economic norms, if I want to succeed in the dating scene (to attract Asian women AND other ethnicities), I need to be boisterous, self-centered, and treat women like objects. If this is true, I'd rather go on living lonely and alone. That's not who I am. I'm a warrior and gentleman which means I approach everyone with a measured cup of respect.

One last note: Even tough guys need to be rescued. Please ladies, sweep me off my feet!

World Have Your Say - Are We Over-Educated?

Earlier today, I was listening to National Public Radio. They were carrying the BBC Radio's production of World Have Your Say. It's a public call in show that receives views and opinions from around the globe on a variety of topics. Responses can be phoned in; text messaged in; or emailed via their blog site.

One subject they were discussing, pertaining to Africa but open for general discussion, was the topic of over-educated Africans. The dilema, as discussed by on-air talents, was over-educated Africans are not able to function in the "real world" where people must work the available jobs that don't require a PhD. Hosts and callers pointed out that mainly taxpayers covered PhD candidates' expenses and complained that after graduation, graduates leave Africa because they cannot find work in their field of study.

That got me thinking: Are we as global citizens over-educated? How many of us are over-qualified for the job we have (or had)? In the BBC blog, one commentor stated that "education" is for the enrichment of the mind and soul. Education should not have anything to do with "vocation." I didn't get into an argument with anyone, but fifteen years ago, I would have wholeheartedly agreed. After suffering through underpaying jobs, piling debt, and dismally apparent job dissatisfaction, I wholeheartedly...semi-disagree now(eh?).

Committing four (or more) years and tens of thousands of dollars (or more) to one's higher education, in my opinion -these days- cannot be separated from one's vocation. Think of it this way: An insensitive manager at a business demotes a junior back to hourly employee status and says, "Don't take it personal, it's just business." Dammit! If that happened to me, you bet I'd take it pesonally. I spend more time at work than with my family and my friends. Given that analogy, I view university education as practice for working life. School is "on the job training," and work is "training on the job." (Yes, that's what I meant!)

Here's what I had to say on World Have Your Say: BBC Radio Blog

Ernie Replies to GirlTalkMD

The Girls at GirlTalkMD (on YouTube) subscribe to my YouTube channel. They're a mother-daughter team, and they're both a kick in the head. Recently they posted a video called "What's in Our Purses?" Responders, mostly women, have to disclose the contents of their purses.

My buddy, RetardedMango and I, as far as I know are the only guys to participate. Mango described his "purse" as a MAN-BAG. And, I said guys don't carry purses, but I opened up my fannypack for public inspection...



[Double click the frame above to go to YouTube to find links to the original GirlTalkMD video as well as other responders.]