The most famous thin line is the one between love and hate, maybe even the one between genius and insanity.  However, what about the line that straddles independence with selfishness?  I think this is struggle for most Asian Americans in my generation.  How can we live our independent lives without completely forsaking our traditions and parents?
After graduate school, I moved away to begin teaching in Maryland.  However, with the collapsing economy, my parents started struggling financially and basically asked me to return home.  Even though my mom told me that I shouldn't go home unless I absolutely wanted to, I could read between the lines and understood that the decision had already been made.  So I returned, like the dutiful daughter that I am, only to find that the only job I could get required me to move to the city. 
This year, however, I am living with my parents again and attending graduate school for a Library program. 
My sister, though, is really chafing under my parents' roof and is constantly rebelling.  I know she's still young and that it's normal to go out, but when do you draw the line?  Is it really that necessary to go out every single weekend and be gone for days at a time?  Her battle cry is that she's not going to apologize for having a life, but my contention is that she is choosing to cause my parents unnecessary worry and stress by acting the way she is.  My parents even said that they don't mind if she goes out once in awhile but they worry when she disappears and they don't even know where she is. 
I understand that my dad, especially, is very protective and he needs to let go, but I have to wonder at how my sister can purposely behave the way she does.  Another complaint is that nobody in the family will talk to her or even cares about her, but it's hard to talk to someone who walks into the house while on the phone and walks straight to her room while still on the phone and practically falls asleep with the phone still stuck to her ear.  Today, I told her that whatever problem she has with the family also comes from her behavior.  Of course, she refused to hear that she could be less than perfect in any way.  However, if a friend of hers told her to get a grip and stop acting so selfishly (which would never happen because then she wouldn't be going out with them all the time), she would immediately nod her head and agree.  It's no secret that my sister's number one priority is herself while her friends come in second and family a very distant third, if that.  I just wish she would stop going around telling people that family is important to her because it's obvious that we're not and she's only making herself look stupid.  So, is she being independent and living her own life and we're the ones who are being oppressive or is she being selfish and choosing to satisfy her own desires at the expense of her family?

Last night, my siblings and I went to Harry Caray's Tavern for dinner.  There was a Cubs game last night and I had told my sister, a Cubs fan, I would buy her dinner for her birthday at Harry Caray's.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the location downtown was a steak house and a bit on the pricey side.  Luckily, I looked up the menu online so we were able to make other arrangements, namely, the Tavern right next to Wrigley Field.  The food was good and the prices were decent.  However, my brother, who loves the White Sox and hates the Cubs, was dismayed when, at 6:00pm, all of the television sets shut off and switched back on to the Cubs game.