Raybon Kan profile picture

Raybon Kan

if you can't think anything nice, don't think at all!

About Me

If you can't think anything nice, don't think anything at all. Iron while the iron is hot. Sleep with one eye open. I believe in a thing called love. Imagine no religion -- it's easy if you try. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. That is, unless you're suicidal.Whatever you dream of, I urge you to go for it. If you succeed, mention me in your acceptance speech. If you don't, well, nobody will ever find out. (That's what I call win-win.) I prefer an aisle seat.

My Interests

Procrastination, laziness, sleeping, lying in. If in doubt, ask for a reminder notice, then say you never received it.

I'd like to meet:

People who think for themselves, who question everything, especially beliefs handed down through generations, or at least who agree with me. People who put thinking above obedience. People who say, but what did Mother Teresa really do for the poor? Except collect them up. Or, anyone really really good looking. Alright, anyone at all. Wow. Doesn't that sound uncannily... just like you? What are the chances? Me -- describing you -- at the exact moment you're reading this?!? It must be Fate! Friend me at once!

Music:

My ringtone is Foo Fighters' DOA... I love the chorus: it's a shame we have to die, my dear... Queen... right now I'm listening to Simon & Garfunkel (Concert in Central Park) and Sarah McLachlan. I wish Nena had never sung 99 Luftballons in English.

Movies:

Zoolander, Empire Strikes Back, Bowfinger, Sound of Music, Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy, "10", Enter the Dragon, Peggy Sue Got Married

Television:

Deadwood... makes you look at murderers differently if they're charming... Entourage... truest portrayal of male attitudes ever... The Office, Simpsons, Curb Your Enthusiasm (the water bottle), Garry Shandling, Seinfeld. Original Star Trek, preferably episodes where they never leave the ship. That episode of Extras where he pretends to be Catholic. National Geographic if I'm in a hotel. I can only watch TV on DVD nowadays -- the entire series in one go: that way, shows don't have something hanging over me every week like I'm their bitch. Yeah. I'm the boss. That's right.

Books:

David Sedaris, Letters to Penthouse, Legion of Superheroes (drawn by Mike Grell), Superman (drawn by Curt Swan), Scrooge McDuck (Carl Barks), To Kill a Mockingbird, Penn & Teller also write a great book. Right now I'm going through a big audiobook phase: it means I'm much better at reading in the dark. I wore glasses from childhood, so I have superhearing. I can hear fonts.

Heroes:

Scrooge McDuck; Huey, and Dewey but not Louie; Freddie Mercury; Gandhi; Magnum PI; Monty Roberts (wish I wasn't allergic to horses); Lisa Simpson; Han Solo; Spock; Jason Bourne; Bruce Wayne (but not Batman -- I'm a sucker for pure wealth); Krypto the Super Dog; The Dalai Lama; Hugh Hefner (a visionary force against hypocrisy); Ricky Gervais for telling everyone he's an atheist.

My Blog

a column i wrote about baby names...

Should parents be allowed to name their children? Let me put it this another way. Should they be allowed to name their children any syllables they hallucinate? By now you've heard of the Auckland pa...
Posted by Raybon Kan on Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:32:00 PST

here's a column about baby names

Should parents be allowed to name their children? Let me put it this another way. Should they be allowed to name their children any syllables they hallucinate? By now you've heard of the Auckland pa...
Posted by Raybon Kan on Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:21:00 PST

probably my most reacted-to column last year (july 30 06)

Surprise, surprise, the diplomatic get-together in Rome (urgently staged only two weeks after fighting began) failed to agree regarding Israel and Lebanon. The obvious question is, why did they mee...
Posted by Raybon Kan on Tue, 06 Mar 2007 06:30:00 PST

my sunday star times column from may 7 2006

Well, they blinked. The Catholic Church has softened its rigid stance on condoms. The Catholic Church is going to allow the use of condoms, but only in very specific circumstances: within marriage, wh...
Posted by Raybon Kan on Wed, 18 Oct 2006 08:19:00 PST

not really a blog... my column from sunday star times oct 15

Everyone seems to be bagging Madonna for adopting an orphaned boy from Malawi. I don't see the problem. It strikes me this boy has won a lottery, and nobody's lost anything. What are the chances that ...
Posted by Raybon Kan on Tue, 17 Oct 2006 02:55:00 PST