Moo Shakes

One Tiring Weekend...

2007-11-11T23:27:00.000-06:00

Tuesday: 1 hour of badminton
Thursday: 2 hours of badminton
Friday: 2 hours of Dance Dance Revolution
Saturday: An hour of racquetball
Sunday: 2 and half hour of basketball in the morning, an hour of badminton at night.

SOOOOO TIRED!

*pokes at stomach*

I hope I lost some fat, at least. Maybe I shouldn't have eaten so much...

Fifty or so, give or take.

2007-10-08T00:25:00.000-05:00

This is me being beaten into submission. What's a guy to do?

1. I have a birthmark stab in the middle right in my philtrum, covering up most of it, in fact. As a kid, it was quite prominent, but nobody believes me when I tell them nowadays as it has faded somewhat. People always assumed that it's just a bit of facial hair. If nobody notices a birthmark, does it still exist?

2. I blame my fear of spiders on a special on spiders I watched at the age of 4 or 5. They said that spiders are poisonous and bites! At the time, I was also very scared of snakes, and I associated spiders with snakes and became deathly afraid of both of them.

3. I have somehow out grown my fear of snakes. Strange.

4. My hands aren't small for my size, but my fingers are short externally. It's weird, webbing between my fingers extends a full inch (2 to 3 cms) above my knuckles. This has convinced me that I would make a pretty good swimmer, once I learn to swim that is.

5. I makes me a pretty inconsistent basketball shooter though. Unfortunately, it's much more manly to be good at basketball than to not know how to swim.

6. Alcohol doesn't sit well in my stomach at all. I blame my father for this. Why couldn't I have gotten my tolerance of alcohol from my mom's side? I suspect I may be a bit allergic to it.

7. I have been told that I have either an off centered swirl in the back of my head or two of them. There has been no clear consensus amongst observers. Supposedly this is unusual, but I have my doubts.

8. My first memory, which I'm pretty sure is fabricated (or a dream) consist of me laying in my bed with all of my relatives standing over me. One by one, they introduce themselves and their relationship to me while I answer back by addressing them appropriately. Once I finished, I went back to sleep.

9. I was known in high school for wearing sneakers even when I had to dress up. In fact, I'm fairly sure that's how I ended up winning Homecoming King.

10. Just before I left for the Homecoming game where they announce the results, my mom tried to prepare me mentally by stating that usually Asians don't win these type of popularity contests. Guess I showed her! I then proceeded to leave the game at half time. We were losing 28-0. What did you expect?

11. The first movie I've ever watched in English is Back to the Future III. It was on the flight from China to Los Angeles. I was pretty confused at the start of the movie, but I'm fairly proud to say that I figured out the central plot line by the end of the movie.

12. Speaking of that trip. The plane was supposed to continue to San Francisco where I was to meet up with an acquaintance. I was 10, so my family arranged a chaperon. The flight was originally thought to have been to SF first and then continuing to LA, but I guess something got lost in translation. Nevertheless, she left me in the LA after we made it through customs and I flew to SF by myself.

13. Nobody knows this, but I actually got lost in the LA airport. Ten years old, not understanding a word of English. I got back to the plane by following a person who was also on the plane and I thought was going to SF as well. Turns out, I followed the wrong guy. How did I end up on the right plane? I didn't even know San Francisco was called San Francisco at the time. I think I just wandered around until I did.

14. I've been to everywhere in China. Name it, and I've been a tourist there. Guiling, Xi'an, all those mountain resorts all over the south, Taishan, Huashan, and so on and so on. Unfortunately, I don't remember any of it. I was a kid and was just bored and unhappy that I had to leave home.

15. My first flight was on a visit to Xi'an. My grandma was worried that I would get airsick and fed me some egg rolls. Grandma always knew best.

16. Actually she didn't. What am I talking about? She was a friend of our family physician, so she was able to influence our prescriptions. Being the eldest grandson, she took a policy of "better safe than sorry" with me. Any time I caught a cold or got sick at all, she would have the physician prescribe two weeks' worth of penicillin shots. Those shots didn't so much hurt than numb my gluteas. This continued basically without fail until I moved to America.

17. I could go on forever about these shots. I distinctively remembered when the hospital switched over to throwaway syringes. Now that I think about it, I might have been under more danger from those shots. As a precaution, every time I was prescribed those shots, they would give me a test shot to see if I was allergic. Of course, once I passed the first one, it became very redundant for them to do this, but they did nevertheless, as if I could suddenly develop an allergy over the course of a month.

18. The only time the test shot returned a positive result was when I threw such a fit that they had to hold me down to administer the test. This worked out for me since after half an hour, my wrist was still quite red and swollen from their grip. The doctor took the precaution and changed the prescription to some Chinese medicine.

19. I eventually got so tired of those shots into my butt that I made a deal with my grandma: I would take IV drips of penicillin every other day for two weeks instead of getting shot in my butt everyday. So yes, I spent a good deal of my childhood before I turned 10 getting IV drips of penicillin for colds.

20. I had a cousin who was dropped on her head as a baby. I've only met her twice at family dinners and she spent both dinners staying very quiet and being fascinated by her own fingers. She also had this smell whenever she went. To this day, she's still the only mentally handicapped Asian I've ever met. It's sad how shameful we Chinese treat the mentally handicapped.

21. As a kid, I hated visiting my ancestral home. To me, it was fields of mud and horse and cow manure. I couldn't walk anywhere without stepping on something unpleasant.

22. But once, when I was about 8 or so, I suddenly got an inexplicable urge to go visit there. I told my grandma this one night, she was very shocked by my admission and wondered what was wrong with me. The next day, we received a phone call that my great grandma had passed away.

23. I was never a good hugger as a kid. My grandparents always wanted to hug me but I'd always shy away because I thought it was not boyish/manly.

24. The only time I met my great grandma, she was blind. Being the eldest great grandson, she especially wanted to meet me. She spent minutes running her hands all over my face. Looking back, it was nice, but at the time, I hated it and couldn't run away fast enough.

25. When I'm with a group of friends, I have a bit of a habit of always wanting to prove I know the most about certain things, like say a movie, or football, or how to play a video game. I have to constantly try and catch myself.

26. Sitting, I have good rhythm and dancing skills.

27. Standing, I still have good rhythm, but the dancing skills go out of the window. I'm a bit of Linghu Chong here. Sitting down dancing, I'm number 2 of all time, number 1 being Michael Jackson. (I like the analogy here, MJ is a bit like Dong Fang Bu Bai don't you think?)

28. I was good enough of a trumpet player to play melodic parts in my school band, but once the seating went over to a challenge basis, I lost my motivation and played rhythm instead. I just don't like the idea of challenging my friends to a contest and showing them up.

29. I don't see the resemblance between Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson. I'm sorry, I just don't. Maybe I'm weird, but I just don't see it.

30. I like my eggs either scrambled, hardboiled, or over hard.

31. I used to get tonsillitis all the time as a kid. Eventually, my grandma got fed up with it and decided they should be removed. I went into the operation without anesthesia, or not enough, since all they did was spray a little into my mouth just before I went into the operating room. When they cut out the first tonsil, I snapped up in bed and demanded that they stop. After finally getting me to lie back down by promising they would not put anything more into my throat, they removed the other one. All in all, very painful. But I consider myself lucky, since right after the operation, the entire hospital lost power.

32. My first crush was Barbara Yung in Legend of Condor Heroes. When she peeked out of those curtains from that boat, I was gone. Well, I was like 5 or 6, give a guy a break.

33. My first real crush was a girl in my class. From 1st grade until I moved away in 3rd grade. She was the girl that always gets elected to class offices. She would always be the Head of Class and I would be the Vice Head of Class. I never minded being up for offices below hers. She was so very cute and I liked her hair too.

34. Once, I was also the Math Assistant, in charge of collecting all the math homeworks. I was terrible at it. Not because I was derelict in my duty, but because I was too nice. Homeworks are only considered late once I handed the stack of workbooks over to the teacher, so if a classmate or two forget to bring their homework, I would hold off handing the workbooks over. But some of the classmates took advantage of this and would "forget" their workbooks for weeks, meaning the next set of homework would be set by then. So I had the entire class coming up to me to ask for their workbooks and I would hand them back out and collect again later, keeping track of who was late in turning the last homework. After a couple of weeks, I lost track.

35. Speaking of math, my math teacher in elementary school was pretty hot too. Yes, I thought about such things when I was seven, so sue me.

36. On my first day in pre-school, my class sit around in a circle as the teacher began handing out apples. I panicked because my family would always peel the skin off the apple before letting me eat it because they were paranoid about germs, and could afford to have maids do it. So I cried and made a huge fuss in front of everyone and demanded that the teacher peel the apple before giving it to me. Eventually she relented, all the while giving me the evil eye, but it felt a Pyrrhic victory even while I was throwing my fit. I stopped demanding for my apples to be peeled afterwards.

37. Everyone thought I was going to grow to at least 2 meters tall when I was little. I ended up being only 180cms. Somehow, I feel like I've let everyone down.

38. My mom always accused me of having "8 feet", meaning that, when standing, my toes point outwards. She says that it makes me look stupid, but I kept trying to explain to her that it's a result of gym class in elementary school, where they made everyone stand with their heels together but toes pointed outwards. Eventually, I got tired of her nagging and began to really try and correct my feet position. I think that in general, I've done pretty well.

39. Even when in China when sodas were hard to come by, I've always loved drinking soda. My dad used to get very frustrated and once asked me if I had drank anything besides soda since moving to the US. Keep in mind this was a year or two after I moved. After pausing for a long time, I told him that I had indeed drank some soup.

40. My first crush on an American girl was Amy. If you are reading this Amy, this should not come as a surprise to you because I'm fairly sure you figured it out. She was in my class and on the same school bus as me. She had brown, shoulder length hair and a very sweet smile. But she was a bit of a tomboy, her house used to be in the middle of a pretty big field and she pretty impressive biceps for girl. What can I say? I found her cute. I wonder where she is now?

41. I used to help out the school offices, my job consisted of running messages to certain teachers if something cannot be said over the intercom and collecting attendance sheets. We'd go around the school collecting them from teachers and take them back to the office to be scanned into the database. I didn't like this one kid, so I would discreetly mark him as absent when nobody was looking. It was part of my plan to take over the world. Strangely, nothing ever came of it.

42. Boxers.

43. When I was 6 or 7. I was chasing one of my cousins around the house when he ran through a little path that was between the sofa and the wall. I naturally followed him, but tripped and fell. Unfortunately, a nail was sticking out from the back of the sofa and tore right through my shoulder, leaving a scar that is still visible on my left deltoid. That one hurt.

44. When I was 3 or 4, my mom bought a bunch of fireworks and wanted to set them off together. I was excited but scared of the fire as well. So my mom had her hands over mine as I held on to the end of one firework. The first two shots went off without a hitch but the third, fourth, and fifth shot backfired and came out of the bottom, right into the middle of my palm. My mom, with my hand between her hand and the blazing balls of fire, thought I was just scared and tightened her grip, telling me not to be scared. By the time she realized what happened, my right palm was burned pretty badly. Though the years have healed most of them, you can still clearly see the biggest one right below the second knuckle on the back of my right ring finger. If you look closely, you can still see another round scar in the middle of my palm. It was the only time in my life where I begged to have penicillin shots administered.

45. To my knowledge, I'm not allergic to anything.

46. By the second time I listen to a song, I can hum most of its melody. Lyrically, however, is a complete disaster. I get so many words wrong regardless of language that it's a joke.

47. My grandparents claim that I was born during the worst snow storm in the city in the last 20 years. I have yet to receive confirmation from my parents on this subject, and I doubt I will ever seek it.

48. I convinced looks, at least somewhat, is related to personality. While moving around, I would always be surprised to find people in the new town that look the spitting image of people I knew in the old town and invariably they would have the same personality. Like I told a friend of mine once (or maybe several friend many times): "It's like God has ran out of extras from the movie of my life." Wait, did I come up with that or did I bum that off of a comedian? No matter, it's true.

49. My family used to be very worried about my nose when I was small. I had a very flat button nose and everyone was worried that I would look like that as a kid. It scared me to death that I could grow up with a flat nose. Observing that whenever they said anything about it, they would pinch the tip and the bridge of my nose, I assumed that doing so would help my nose become less flat. So I did it all the time as a kid, pinching the tip and the bridge of my nose. I only stopped when I moved to the US and my mom made a comment that she used to be scared that I would grow up with a flat nose but it seems the fear proved unfounded. It was one of the great triumphs in my life.

50. I get very philosophical whenever I stand on the side of a busy street and watch the cars go by. To me, the passengers in the cars are just cameos in my life. But still, they are living full lives. They love and hate, get happy and sad, have sad memories and joyous futures, each life a story on its own. And yet in an instant, how many fully realized and fascinating stories whiz by in front of me? And to think, I'm a mere cameo in the movie of their lives. For all of my memories, quirks, knowledge, frustrations, and triumphs, my presence in their lives is for but a blink of an eye. Might that little bit of interaction be my greatest triumph or sadness of all?

So yeah, I hope I still have things to talk about with people who read this.

*Panther's Down! Panther's Down!

2007-10-02T20:29:00.000-05:00

Above, is a pair of Patrick Ewing sneakers. It is the first pair of sneakers that I bought when I moved to the US. Yes, I remember such things. Obviously, they are basketball shoes. For a long time, basically from third grade to high school graduation, I wore exclusively basketball sneakers. But since then, my tastes have drifted more towards running or cross-training shoes for their relatively cheaper price, but also their ease of wearing (no need to untie the laces to slip them on). I also moved onto different sports that involves more running than hopping, such as ultimate frisbee. All of this combined to mean that I, at this moment, do not own a single pair of basketball shoes. Neither my running shoes nor my cross training sneakers are high tops either. In fact, they are considered to be low tops, exposing the ankle for flexibility when running.

I've twisted my ankle twice in a week playing basketball now.

It hurts, like a bitch.

I am going to go and buy a new pair of basketball sneakers tomorrow.

*Yes. When I become a leader of men, my code name will be Panther.

We're Men! We're Men in Tights!

2007-10-01T23:25:00.000-05:00

Years ago, I took an online quiz called the Political Compass and the result stated that, well, I'm basically a mix between Nelson Mandela and Ghandi. Well, today, out of curiosity, I decided to take it again.

The questions are definitely different and updated for the present political environment in the US. The result was just as enlightening:

I was judged as:
Economic Left/Right: -3.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.95

Here's a list of other historical political leaders for comparison:

I still got it! :D Dalai Lama, Mandela, Ghandi (Where Ghandi's located in the chart is very close to where Mandela is.), and Moiny! Rolls right off the tongue. It is clear, that despite years of "maturity", "growing up", and "wandering the desert", I have still remained a natural leader of men that I've always been.

I, am a natural born leader of men, wandering the world (and the interweb) for a people to lead to their freedom! Any current oppressed and repressed (what's the difference between the meaning of those 2 words anyways?) people, please submit your application below.

Nobel Peace Prize. Here. I. Come.

Rhapsody on a Theme

2007-09-29T12:39:00.001-05:00

Because I've always wanted to be a rhapsodizer.

It's strange how some habits are picked up. Yesterday, as I was getting on an elevator, another guy rushed in just before the door closed. Since we were the only two men on the elevator, we naturally took positions on the opposite walls and, just as naturally, leaned up against it. I caught myself almost immediately and thought it was quite curious how both of us naturally felt this urge to disassociate as much as possible.

On the ride back down, once again, the elevator ride consisted of another guy and I, and once again, he immediately leaned against the other wall as soon as the ride started. Quite curious.

And speaking of habits, I've picked up this habit of buying a couple of books every time I visit a book store. I know I know. But usually, I don't buy any books, but nowadays I'm just on a spending frenzy I suppose. Last night's theme was fiction. I bought The Godfather, which I read before and liked, and Atonement, which I have not read but they are making an Oscar contender out of it so it can't be that bad right? Thoughts?

I was also tempted to buy this Oxford's Guide to Philosophy that was on sale for $10. But it was 1000+ pages! But oh so tempting.

Oops!

2007-09-26T19:52:00.000-05:00

I was so tired last night that I forgot to call my parents on Mid-Autumn's Night! Ack!

Suitably offended, the God of Filial Piety (I'm guessing it's Confucius' side job) punished me justly with a terrible nightmare. Yikes!

Amida Buddha*!

Please forgive me.

*I am covering all my bases.

"Well Mandela's dead!" -George W. Bush

2007-09-24T21:06:00.001-05:00

So supposedly, an official in the Bush White House accused Barrack Obama of intellectual laziness". That Obama, while "intellectually capable", has decided to just skate by using his personal charm.

I... there are no words for me to quantify the irony in any of this. If Obama has been "intellectually lazy" and skating by on personal charm, then what has Bush's entire presidency been about? I guess technically, he has skated by using his stupidity rather than charm, but "intellectual laziness"?

WHY DID PEOPLE VOTE FOR HIM!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!

Y'ARG!!!!

2007-09-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

Talk Like A Pirate Day!!!

Land Ho!

And other pirate related thoughts.

How does a pirate find his way home?
By looking at the st'args!

Where does a pirate buy his rum?
At a b'arg!

I never understood the old sailors' superstition that it's bad omen to have a woman on board. Why? Because she'll get pregnant and then divide the crew in jealousy? But think of the fun you'd have in the mean time.

Yeah for successful Chinese pirates! How come I never heard anything about her when I was growing up?

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you are I suppose), modern piracy is in decline. The last act of piracy I heard of (on the high seas that is, har har) involved an American luxury liner. It was attacked by 2 pirate ships off the coast of Somalia and repelled the attack by using a "long range acoustic device" (essentially blasting very loud noise) and running the other ship over. That's just sad.

Disadvantages of Being Tall #... uh.... 1?

2007-09-11T04:39:00.000-05:00

Being rather tall (for an Asian), I have often been told that I am lucky to be so tall and life is all grand and wonderful and cheery since I'm tall. But I'm here to tell you that there are definite disadvantages to being tall (for one, spelunking is never really a viable hobby). Today, in particular, laid the truth to bare.

It was raining fairly hard today. After taking about... 10 steps out of my apartment building, I decided that it was stupid to walk all the way to the office in this heavy of a rain without an umbrella. Unfortunately, I did not have an umbrella in my possession and thus I went on a rather quick wild goose chase around the neighborhood for a convenience store that sell umbrellas (in my car, which, thankfully, is dry on the inside). However, the umbrella did not help as much as I had hoped. Why? Well, as I said before, I'm rather tall:

Above is an illustration of what happens when a not-so-tall person use an umbrella. Note the small distance between where the raindrops that barely miss the umbrella falls and where the person's feet is. This is vitally important to the objective of the umbrella (staying dry, for those of us who are over thinking this).

Also please note the expression on the face of said not-so-tall person's face.

Here's an illustration of what happens when a tall person uses the same umbrella! His shirt might remain quite dry, but his pants/jeans will be totally unprotected and soaked! ACK!

This is indeed a terrible and heretofore untold misery of being just rather tall. I think we all know what happens if this persists:

DEATH BY WET PANTS!!!!!!!

Who Knew?

2007-08-31T13:15:00.001-05:00

Your Score: quotation marks

You scored 69% Sociability and 88% Sophistication!

There is a lot more to you than meets the eye. You certainly get plenty of "action," but you'd be happier if those who lusted after you were more selective. You hate being used as a general intensifier; haven't these people ever heard of underlining? Italics? And yes, you remember the cruel words Mr. Joyce directed at you.

But you let none of this get you down; those who abuse you are destined for a "special" reward, sooner or later. You feel particularly warm toward periods, commas, exclamation points, and question marks, and usually wish to have them next to you. Parenthesis can sometimes trouble you.

Link: The Which Punctuation Mark Are You Test written by Gazda on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Where my question marks at?!

I like exclamation marks and periods too. :)

So Awesome.

2007-08-25T21:19:00.001-05:00

iPhone unlocked!

A 17-year-old hacker has broken the lock that ties Apple's iPhone to AT&T's wireless network, freeing the most hyped cell phone ever for use on the networks of other carriers, including overseas ones.

In case you want to know how to do it:

http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/

God I wish I was smart.

Poetic Justice

2007-08-25T01:17:00.000-05:00

Hehe:

But where's Snowy? Or Tramp?

Do Simpsons Dream of 3-D Sheeps?

2007-08-20T02:43:00.000-05:00

I got pestered by 4 people about the non-active status of my blog. Four pretty girls, to be specific. So well, what's a guy to do?

Anyways, first thing's first, I have been incredibly swamped recently. Lots and lots of breaks have not gone my way and thereby causing me to scramble around campus with my tail between my legs hoping all that leg work would pay off somehow. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. But overall it's pissy.

Maybe it is because of the extra stress, but I've been having the most interesting/weird dreams lately. You know how sometimes, when you are laying in bed, you can feel your mind falling asleep and you just ride it to sleep? Well a couple days ago I dreamt I was laying in bed about to fall asleep, except instead of just drifting off into sleep peacefully, the left side of my brain (not head, but brain), let out a high pitched hum every time I enter into that state. Eventually, in my dream, I said screw it and fell asleep through that high pitch. But instead of going away, the left side of my brain began to vibrate and buzz! The weird thing is, I knew I was asleep dreaming this, but I couldn't just wake myself up in my dream, instead, I had to physically force myself awake from my dream in real life. Let me tell ya, it takes ALOT of effort to do this. I guess the self reference of me dreaming I was falling asleep was too much.

Apparently I'm not alone in having such dreams: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_awakening

Another interesting dream I had wasn't really a dream but more sleep paralysis. Basically, I could open my eyes to look around the room and could register seeing things. But my mind was still in sleep mode, so I could not move my arms. I looked around my room for a while, and then suddenly saw a person in a jean shirt and a baseball cap rummaging through my closet! He was chuckling and mumbling. Needless to say, I panicked and tried to move my arms but I couldn't! After 5 minutes of so I kind of gave up, only to snap back and try again before finally moving my arm and, by extension, snap my mind out of its sleep mode.

Once I woke up, I realized it was a trick of light that made me think there was a person going through my closet. But that didn't explain the sounds I heard. Eventually, through my research, I found out that I had basically suffered an episode of sleep paralysis. Basically, it's waking up in a nightmare. In one of nature's little jokes, when you suffer an episode, the part of your brain that controls and accesses fear is in hyper-active mode, thereby causing anybody going through an episode to basically suffer through a nightmare. Sucks. But throughout history, this has resulted people mistaken an episode for alien abduction or a demonic visit. Things you learn from nightmares.

Now onto a bit of randomness, using this website, I came up with this:

I kinda like how normal I turned out to look. Maybe I should've added a little bit of goatee/chin stubble, but the options they had were a little extreme and over represents the facial hair I have. Anyways, try it and show me! I wanna see!

Lastly, stumbled onto this song, kinda like it. And for me, it's a first because it's Italian.

Oh looky! Someone made a vid out of it using Buffy and Angel. Hmm... kinda fits I think. If I understood the lyrics correctly. Which is definitely in doubt, Italian and all.

I wonder what Buffy sounded like in Italian?

Random Tidbits

2007-01-30T07:36:00.000-06:00

As much as I hate assholes, there is one group of people I hate more: ignorants. Not all, mind you, just stupid people who don't know anything making a fuss and giving opinions as if they do. And it's really not a matter of if I agree with them or not, if they had a well-informed opinion on something and can carry a well-thought out debate to defend their opinions, they have my respect. I have recently ran into this with people of all 3 Far East nationalities (the coveted trifecta/trebel).

I ran into one Japanese guy who denies that the Japanese have committed any atrocities and claims that Americans are much worse. Fair played, if he has put forth effort into such an opinion and can engage in a well-though debate on it, then I would respect him, so that doesn't annoy me that much. But what really irked me was how he called everyone who tried to argue him on points a "pop-corn eating, fat, uneducated American slob". Even when several historians challenged him, he dismissed their points by saying that their study of history is inadequate and stupid (mind you, these are people who have studied WW2 for decades). Did I mention said Japanese is 18, lives in San Diego, and wishes he could "go back in time to WW2 and kill more Americans"? Anyways, it's not always the opinion that bugs me, it's the attitude.

The Korean I dealt with was a football fan who took pride in telling off anyone who dared to claim that Korea was "lucky" (to say the least) to have beaten Italy and Spain in 2002. Anybody who said anything the least bit disparaging about the progress of said team was immediate tagged back with a comment about either his mom or his dog. Once again, as you can see, it's not the opinion that bugs me, it's the total lack of interest in the exchange of ideas.

As for the Chinese, well, let's just say it goes back WW2 again (sorry non-geeks). This time over the matter of whether or not the Chinese "should" forgive the Japanese for what happened in WW2. Needless to say, the number of ignorant and ill-informed Chinese who voiced their opinions on this issue was astounding. One went so far as to claim that any Chinese who forgives must be born outside of China and that anyone who lived or was born in China "wunt" (his spelling) forgive, nevermind that's akin to calling anyone who disagrees with you a traitor, nevermind that is a ridiculous over-generalization. Several different people have tried, within the debate, to bring some sense and correct common misconceptions, but it seems like they are just being ignored as the "we shall never forgive" faction just plows ahead without a care. Very annoying.

Needless to say, I don't like Bush either.

Moving on. I've never been much for reading into dreams, but I must admit that, for the first time in my life, I'm having recurring dreams. Only, the recurrences aren't tightly packed together, once or twice a year, I would have a dream along the same lines, in which my teeth fall out and I try desperately to keep them in by, well, putting them back in and closing my mouth. Of course, I'd brush for 20 minutes the morning after, but I'm at a loss as to why these dreams are popping up and, if they can be called recurring, why they are so far spaced apart.

Anyways, hopefully I can get over all of that the next couple of days because I'm going to Las Vegas! :D Yay! Leaving this afternoon! See ya guys when I get back!

Panic

2007-01-19T19:41:00.000-06:00

Last week, mom returned after a hard day at work with a head ache (or was it a tooth ache?). It was so bad that she went straight to bed after she got home. So dad had to cook dinner for us. He quickly whipped up a little something for my brother and I and soon, the three of us sat down to eat.

Me: *munching on what dad cooked* "This is pretty good!"
Dad: Of course! What? You didn't know I can cook?
Me: "Oh I knew, I was just surprised you can do this that quickly, is all."
Dad: "Your mom isn't the only one who can cook you know."

*Short silence broken by occasional sound of my father gloating over his cooking skills.*

Dad: "What's PMS?"
Me: *falls out of chair*

Fine Line Between Geekiness and Asshole-ly-ness.

2007-01-13T20:23:00.000-06:00

A couple of old friends of my parents are back in town this week, visiting their kid, who is doing his grad studies in town and wanted to get together with my parents tonight (to play poker). Somehow, all of this intricate planning led to both our families going out to eat at a buffet together. While at this dinner, the conversation somehow veered towards the meaning of "zhe" in Chinese vernacular. In particular, what it means when a vendor in China gives you "3 zhe", "5 zhe", or "8 zhe". (For those of you not in the know, that's offering the item at 30%, 50%, and 80% original price, respectively). Someone brought up that this was actually on a standardized test for Chinese comprehension here in the states, which, needless to say, messed up several university bound kids while taking it (not like any of US ever had to haggle prices with a Chinese street vendor).

It was generally agreed upon at the table that the concept of "zhe", despite being in such wide use, is rather slang-ish and probably shouldn't be part of a standardized test system. At this point, the visiting mom made the observation that asking this could be considered fair game in that it helps one understand the "culture" of China. At that point, her son, who shall be referred to as K from here forth (no, his name does not start with K, so don't bother), interjected to her that all language is a reflection of culture.

K: "For example, 'What's your name?' doesn't mean what you think it means. It's literally asking what is 'your name', and I can answer 'It's two words.' and I would be correct."
K's mom: "True, but I was referring to some things that are in Chinese that might not be in English, like 'zhe' and other such things."
K: "Fine, give me an example."
K's mom: "Wo men qu chi fan."
K: "Let's go eat. But that's totally not what it means! Let's go eat doesn't make any sense. 'Eat' isn't a place, you don't 'go' there. It's an action, it has no meaning. You are asking for permission, like: 'let's go eat?' But you are not saying it."
K's mom: "I'm talking about the Chinese saying."
K: "Let's go eat, what does that even mean? Where is eat? How do YOU get there? It's not a place."

And so it went towards awkwardness until K's dad cut them off with a pleading look in his eye. But then K is still not satisfied.

K: "'Let's go eat.' What does that even mean? See, YOU don't understand language thru meanings in words, YOU remember it as a collection of cultural conventions."
Me: "ACK!"

*Everyone paused and stared at me. I tried (somewhat unsuccessfully) to pass it off as something I just ate.*

Later, my mom related a story of how she sat through a workshop at work that taught her how to converse more "politely" at work. (Instead of saying: "It's not my responsibility", say "It's so-and-so's responsibility, so-and-so should be able to help you.") Invariably, K had to offer his opinion.

K's mom: "Yeah, being polite is really nice, makes people feel better."
K: "The very definition of 'politeness' is lying. You are not saying how you really feel. If you are being polite, you are lying. When you are being polite, you are telling a lie."

I suppose it's fair game to say that K is doing his grad studies in English. His mom is more or less talking in Chinese, he's responding in English (because he doesn't really speak Chinese). And umm.. he's a big philosophy guy (loves Nietzsche). That said, what an asshole. Even made me lose my cool a bit.

Look, on the surface, everything he says is right. For example, in French, "What's your name?" translates to "Comment t'appelle vous?" Which actually means "what do you call yourself?" And being polite is somewhat deceiving. But there's a fine line between asserting something like that and, well, calling out your mom as a fool, such as he did.

Despite the title of this post, there's actually a pretty distinct and easily identified line between being a geek and being an asshole.

1) The geek doesn't think or feel any superior to the people who don't know just because he knows. Sure, he may be proud of his knowledge or way of thinking, but he doesn't think that knowing automatically makes him a better person than everybody else. An asshole, needless to say, does.
2) The geek uses his wisdom to teach and inform. The only thing that excites him more than finding other people who knows is teaching and conveying such knowledge to someone who doesn't know. But he finds joy and uses excitement in the process of disseminating knowledge, he does not find frustration nor does his use belittlement and ridicule as a means of spreading the information.
3) The geek doesn't embarass people in front of others just because he might know something (especially if it's mostly based on the fact that YOU speak ENGLISH much better than YOUR MOM). The moment the geek actively uses his knowledge to try to humiliate anyone, he crosses the line into being an asshole.
4) The geek understand who he is and find it slightly humourous that he would possess such a trivial nuggest of wisdom. He realizes that it is rather useless to know such things but he couldn't help himself and he just had to find out! He is a bit embarrased by this obvious lack of restraint and indulgence.
5) Nothing pisses the geek more than an asshole.
6) The geek makes lists.

That's all I can think of at this moment, I'm sure I'll add more later.

Yes, I'm a geek.

Though sometimes, I'm an asshole. :P

Let's finish this off with something funny and geeky, but non-assholish. Like me. :D

Another Resolution I Won't Keep

2007-01-10T09:30:00.000-06:00

Let's see if I can make this one last huh?

I dutifully slept through the BCS Championship game this year, but then again, apparently the entire OSU team did as well. Seriously, 41-14? What happened? The Cadillac dealership in Columbus ran out of Escalades? Of course, I'm just joking, everyone knows OSU players get Explorers.

I can't really think of any reason why OSU came out so ill-prepared for anything and everything that Florida threw at them. It's not like they haven't seen that speed against Michigan, it's not like teams haven't tried to blitz Troy Smith before. I don't get it.

Even more so because this bowl season has been trending towards an average showing by the SEC and the Big 10. UGA, South Carolina, and Auburn won but in rather sketchy formats while Alabama, UT, and Arkansas lost in slightly more convincing fashion. LSU beat a clearly-does-not-belong-there ND team. And then you get this last game. Crazy game this.

Oh My GOD!!!!

2006-09-28T16:08:00.000-05:00

Things I can handle:
1) going out to shows with ex-girlfriends
2) my favorite sports teams becoming a mockery of themselves
3) trying to maintain relationship with a girl half way around the world
4) eating one meal a day

Things I can't handle
1) studying for exams that last weeks
2) not sleeping enough
3) THIS:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2604874

"[High school fullback Jake Asp] woke up because he felt something strange and painful in his right ear. When the pain became unbearable, family members took him to a nearby clinic. They speculated that something had happened to him in the game the night before.

"Someone said I could have popped my ear drum," Asp said. "...But when I got to the [clinic], they took a look in there and saw it, and I was like, 'What the heck? How did I get a bug in my ear?'"

Asp could hear it, and it nearly drove him nuts. "It was digging and biting into my eardrum," he said. "That went on for, like, 15 minutes. I could hear it -- a whole bunch of loud popping noises. It hurt pretty bad."

I'm just going to curl up in a fetal position and cry now.

Some People are Just Talented

2006-09-27T04:56:00.000-05:00

Now THAT, my friends, is a true journalist.

Whichever

2006-09-18T05:19:00.000-05:00

It's taken alot longer and alot harder than I had thought to acquire said phone number/contact information. This does not please Zod, not one bit.

I Thought You Looked Familiar...

2006-09-11T21:20:00.000-05:00

So yeah, when I went clubbing last Friday, I went with a several people on my floor of the apartment. During which I met a girl two doors down that looked VERY FAMILIAR for some reason. She's Hmong, and I have never met a Hmong person before, much less her. However, she looked ridiculously familiar.

Fast forward to today, I was tossing out the garbage without a shirt on (like you do, to show off the pecs, ya know) when I ran into her coming back home. Then it hit me why she looked familiar!

She was the spitting image of a porn star!

Took me a long time to find an *ahem* appropriate picture of her.

So yeah, that will be interesting. I wonder what she thinks of me, seeing me walk around without a shirt on and all. After all, in porn movies, this where she discreetly knocks on the door and greets me with a "Hey boy!", isn't it?

So I Haven't Updated In a While.

2006-09-09T03:54:00.000-05:00

To recap. There is the ex. The cute girl from work. And now, there's a new contender! The really really pretty Civil Engineering Master Degree owning girl with the knockout smile! Wow. I mean, that's all I can say.

I hope she gets a job close by...

"I don't normally do this, but I felt compelled to tell you something. You have an absolutely breath-taking... heiney. I mean, that thing's good. I wanna be friends with it."

What?

Report from work:

2006-06-16T09:21:00.000-05:00

Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!
CRAP!!

This could be bad.

I hope she doesn't work here.

Prayer Answered!

2006-06-05T13:38:00.000-05:00

Yes! Met the new intern today and, as evidence that there is a God, I am entirely unattracted to her! (Note the last phrase has been worded carefully so as to not imply that she might be, in anyway, unattractive; just that I am not attracted to her.) Which is fortunate because she does have a sense of humour and you know she has to be smart. So... *phew*

*Back to my nap*

A Weekend Well Spent

2006-06-05T06:28:00.000-05:00

Weekend officially started around 6pm, when I got home from work and helped mom pick up my car.

Friday, 6pm: SLEEP!

Saturday, 1am: Stomach was grumbling, so got up and ate some left overs.

Saturday, 3am: SLEEP!

Saturday, 5pm: Opened my eyes, looked at my watch, feigned shock over the time, went back to sleep.

Saturday, 10pm: Got up, ate some more left overs.

Sunday, 2am: SLEEP!

Sunday, 7am: Got up, played some video games, heeded some of nature's calls, ate lunch.

Sunday, 12noon: SLEEP!

Sunday, 10pm: Got up, ate dinner (love the drumsticks mom).

Sunday, 11pm: SLEEP!

Monday, 6am: Got up, went to work.

Overall tally: 60 total hours in the weekend. I spent 48 hours sleeping. Apparently, I've built up quite a bit of sleep debt without realizing it. Besides, more time spent sleeping, less time spent thinking.

It was a good weekend. :)

I'm Sure There's a Movie About This

2006-06-02T07:04:00.000-05:00

It is a strange feeling. When you visit the blog of the girl that dumped you and sees pictures of said girl acting carefree and happy with the guy she's dating now, even if you are completely over her. There's tinge of.... something in the heart. An extra little twist of the knife? Hard to say.

At least now that I started working at an internship, it could keep my mind off of these things. I'm suppose to be working quite a bit with another girl intern who has not arrived yet. I hope she turns out to be not the least bit attractive. I am in no emotional state to deal with an attractive co-worker.

Kiss The Next Hour Goodbye.

2006-05-22T16:43:00.000-05:00

Quite possibly, the greatest internet widget of all time.

Basically, it takes a picture of yours and matches it up with a celebrity face.

I've ran a couple of my pics, thus far, the results are encouraging. I've matched up well with these specific pictures.:

Tony Leung Chui Wai: One bad motherfucker, despite of what this picture might suggest.

Andy Lau: Me no likey him much, but I guess I wouldn't mind being told that I look like him.

Stephen Chow: Sense of humour baby! W00t!

Leslie Cheung: I'm beginning to think that they just don't have that many Asian faces in their database. But still, it's a match.

Chandrika Kumaratunga: Not sure how to explain this one.

Jet Li: A good recovery after the last one.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Another bad motherfucker. This is looking good.

I lose. :(

There are several other matches, including, but not limited to: Nicholas Tse, Bae Yong-jun, Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma's creator), Gus Van Sant, Park Chan-wook, Joi Ito, Park Ji-song, P. Diddy, Samantha Fox, and Sophie Marceau. Those show up as low matching on only some of the pics. But overall, Tony Leung, Stephen Chow are always among the top 1 or 2. Andy and Leslie show up quite a bit too, but not as much as the other two and usually a bit lower on the matching scale (like top 5 instead of top 2).

Oh, just to show it's not all just out of nowhere, both my dad and my mom had Tony Leung as matches as well. I think it's settled. (Dad also matched Zhang Yimou, Johnny Carson, Kramer, Spencer Tracy, and Anthony Quinn. Mom got Henry Fonda, Martina Hingis, and Bonnie Pink.)

Try it out! I want to see pics of people you look like (according to the widget) on your blogs! :) (Come on, like you got anything better to do!)

Home Bound

2006-05-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

That's right! 970 miles! That's 1561km for those of you in metric. (Or, about the distance from Singapore to Bali.) 17 hours! Shall be done in like.. 14 by me. (What? Speeding? Never heard of it.)

See you guys on the other side of this dashed line.

And Now, A Pick-Me Up

2006-05-11T23:52:00.000-05:00

After all the sadness and lovelorn things the last couple of weeks, well, apparently, there is hope in this world. :P

I finally got my invitation to my college roommate's wedding. :) Here he is below with his sweetheart.

Bryce and Jesse, soon to be the Howards. Don't they look sweet together? Ok, pretend for their sake they do then! Geez people, it's called decorum!

Anyways, so there is happiness and love out there somewhere, yay! I will post up pics of all of us in tux after the wedding. :)

So, I've been going around filling out applications. What do you think of this response?

IN ORDER FOR ME TO GET TO KNOW YOU, THE APPLICANT, BETTER, SO I CAN DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT I SHOULD GO OUT WITH YOU, I ASK THAT YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:

ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD, OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE REALIZED, THAT HAVE HELPED TO DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON?

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I've yet to go out on a date with you.

It's amazing how adaptive this essay is.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Something to Hold onto Until I Recover

2006-05-08T19:50:00.000-05:00

2006-05-07T01:40:00.000-05:00

Tagged, Multiple Times.

2006-05-03T22:20:00.000-05:00

Guess who is who!

1. Who are you?
Person A) Moin
Person B) Moin
Person C) Moin
Person D) Moin
(Ok, I guess who I am doesn't change no matter whose tag I'm responding to.)

2. Are we friends?
Person A) Yes.
Person B) Yes.
Person C) Yes.
Person D) Yes.

3. When and how did we meet?
Person A) MSN chat.
Person B) MSN chat.
Person C) MSN chat.
Person D) MSN chat. (I sense a pattern emerging.)

4. Do you have a crush on me?
Person A) All smacked out
Person B) Nope.
Person C) Yes. *blushes*
Person D) Such as it is.

5. Would you ever be attracted to me?
Person A) To your intelligence, and your job. :D
Person B) To your free spirit and sense of humour.
Person C) Yes.
Person D) Yes, I was told your beauty surpasses description.

6. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
Person A) Lady Smack-alot. :P
Person B) Jie Jie!
Person C) I suck at picking nicknames too!
Person D) Uh... I give up!

7. Describe me in one word.
Person A) *smack*
Person B) Jiejie!
Person C) Lovable!
Person D) Fabulous!

8. What was your first impression?
Person A) *smack*
Person B) "wakakaka"? Such a weird laugh.
Person C) Cute!
Person D) Sex-ay!!

9. Do you still think that way about me now?
Person A) *smack*
Person B) Well, you still have that laugh. :p
Person C) Yes! More than ever!
Person D) Yes, but for different reasons. You are more beautiful to me now. :)

10. What reminds you of me?
Person A) Anime girls that reacts to everything by throwing tandrums.
Person B)

Person C) Umm.. nothing really reminds me of you per se. Maybe Adam Brody? Though in a roundabout way.
Person D)

Strong jawlines baby! Not to mention the shared weird tastes in men. :D

11. If you could give me anything what would it be?
Person A) Max. :)
Person B) Someone that can keep up with you and your sense of humour. ;)
Person C) I would give you him... but he doesn't deserve you! Soooo... one way ticket to my place. ;)
Person D) Since Ken is taken, Sanada! In full samurai gear no less.

12. How well do you know me?
Person A) Not that well really, all of the knowledge got smacked out of me.
Person B) Not well, you still mystify me.
Person C) Not well enough! We need to chat more!!
Person D) We need to meet one of these days! :)

13. When's the last time you saw me?
Person A) In a pic? Um.. a couple of months.
Person B) Wow... been like.. a year really.
Person C) Everytime I visit your blog. :) Or whenever close my eyes. ;) (Ok, not THAT often. :p)
Person D) In a pic? Last month I believe, we need to meet!

14. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
Person A) Yes.
Person B) Yes.
Person C) Yes!
Person D) Yes.
(I love how ambiguous this question is. The thing I could be referring to could be anything from a confession of love to "I have to go take a dump and don't want to tell you so I'll just say I'm grabbing a snack".)

15. Will you ever die for me?
Person A) No.
Person B) No.
Person C) No.
Person D) No.
Really, it depends on the circumstance. Sometimes, we are all willing to risk death for strangers on a whim (like grabbing a kid out from traffic or something). But when it comes to things that are pre-meditated, then I don't think anyone really consciously, after breaking down everything, makes the choice to die in someone else's place.

Internet Playground

2006-05-02T00:31:00.000-05:00

"Tag! You're it!"
- Bully at the playground, to me, after he tagged me.

So yes, I was tagged for some blog meme, so here goes.

1. Who are you?
Woah, are you asking about you or me? How's the set up here? Are you asking me or is this me asking you? I is confused.

2. Are we friends?
So personal right off the bat. But yeah, we are friends, as much as can be I guess.

3. When and how did we meet?
So many levels of "meeting". But I guess we were formally introduced via MSN chat?

4. Do you have a crush on me?
Personal! I refuse to answer on the basis that my answer my incriminate myself!

5. Would you ever be attracted to me?
Umm, attracted how?

6. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
Sex-aaaay! Because I always wanted to shout that at a woman. :D

7. Describe me in one word.
Rich. *ducks*

8. What was your first impression?
Blur?

9. Do you still think that way about me now?
Nope. Thankfully, less blurred. Oh wait, hmm... actually let me change my answer, yeah you still are. Need to chat online more!

10. What reminds you of me?
Talking to Junny and Jan online.

11. If you could give me anything what would it be?
A pair of Converse shoes, and a mate so I won't have to deal with as much drooling when we chat.

12. How well do you know me?
Not too well sadly. *sniff*

13. When's the last time you saw me?
All I got is photos babe. (But oh, what glorious photos they are.)

14. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
Yes.

15. Will you ever die for me?
If by dying you mean not dying my hair, then maybe.

Ok ok ok ok. Now, I'm suppose to "tag" others? Hmm, ok. Usually I hate this but since there are females involved, I'll indulge myself. Tag: Jo, Jan, Junny, Cherry, Amy, May, and Yon Jie. Over the limit but I don't care, I'm special and I deserve more.

Oh, and in honour of nobody in particular:

What? There's no innuendoes there. Quit looking! There's nothing to see here!

"Riverside, motherfucker!"
- Me, back to the bully, after I shot him for touching me.

Hodge Pudge and More YouTube Love

2006-05-01T01:03:00.000-05:00

"There is no there there."
- Everybody’s Autobiography, Gertrude Stein

Just some random thoughts.

Khakis pants are great, I love them. They are comfortable, and looks great. Not to mention they make for great commercials.

One problem, not very good at hiding raging erections. There should at least be one ad that addresses this very significant problem.

Well, sometimes you just gotta make do I suppose.

Yon Jie is totally fallen in love with Huang Xiaoming. According to her, he's going to be starring in a mainland remake of The Bund, the great TVB series of the early 80s. The show and the actor both have some big shoes to fill.

One thing I noticed watching that. It's amazing how fake TVB sets were even for their big budget productions. It's not so bad here because the story is set in a more modern time, but still, pretty sad.

Either way, if the new version ever gets as good as the old version, I'll be a fan of HXM's as well.

Oh, and I hope they keep the same theme song. I just seems like blasphemy to have those character's stories told without that song as the soundtrack.

All that said, shall leave you with my favorite romantic movie of all time. :)

That should help all of you waste a good hour at work. You may all thank me later.

Coming up tomorrow, a montage of John Woo shootouts. Oh yes, HK cinema at its best (and maybe some silly Jackie Chan stunts after that). God I love YouTube.

Secretariat and YouTube

2006-04-26T22:36:00.000-05:00

"A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!" -Richard III, Shakespeare

I love YouTube, and thanks to that, I get to share something that's very hard to explain in person: Secretariat at Belmont.

For those who don't know, the Belmont Stakes is the last leg of the American Triple Crown of horse racing (the other legs being the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness). Despite being less prestigeous than the Kentucky Derby, it is universally regarded as the hardest of the 3 legs to win, since it's 12 furlongs, as opposed to 10 furlongs for the Kentucky Derby and 9 and one half furlongs for the Preakness (that's 1.5 miles, 1.25 miles, and 1.1875 miles for the rest of us humans).

Winning the Triple Crown is very difficult to do, only 11 horses have ever done so, 8 of them before 1948. By 1973, there was a huge amount of debate between journalists about whether it was still possible for a horse to win the Triple Crown, because not only does it involve the horses running the race of his life 3 times in the span of about a month. And on top of that, since each race gets longer, it becomes progressively more difficult to win. Many many horses have won the first 2 legs of the Triple Crown only to be defeated by the length of the Belmont Stakes.

This is where Secretariat enters. He won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness (his Derby time still stands as record today). So dominant was he that only 4 other horses entered the Belmont Stakes to challenge him. Still, it had been 25 years since a horse won the Triple Crown and by now, the publicity has skyrocketed and people turned out in droves to watch the race, both in person and on TV.

And this is what happened.

Thiry-one and one half lengths. It's hard to fathom just how big of a distance that really is. This performance is, without a doubt, the greatest physical achievement I've ever seen in an competition. It leaves me awe-struck and inspired at the same time. Normally, I really do not follow horse racing in any form, but something like this, somehow, just transcends. How do you compare this with anything else? The only thing that comes close in the athletic arena is Bob Beamon. I've attempted to explain to my friends just how amazing what Secretariat did was, but... nothing seemed to do it justice. So I'm grateful to YouTube for finally giving me a way.

Oh, by the way, the music in the background? From Rudy. One of my favorite soundtracks.

Bored and Procrastin'

2006-04-25T02:40:00.000-05:00

"Knowing others is wisdom. Knowing oneself is enlightenment." ~ Lao Tzu

Just a couple ones that seem to be nail things right on the head.

Your World View

You are a happy, well-balanced person who likes people and is liked by others.
You question whether many conventional views on morality are valid under all circumstances.
You are essentially a content person.

Sometimes, you consider yourself a little superior.
You are moral by your own standards.
You believe that morality is what best suits the occasion.

What Is Your World View?

You are a Self-Discoverer

You're not religious, but you've created your own kind of spirituality.
Introspective and thoughtful, you tend to look inward for the divine.
You are distrusting of all forms of organized religion.
You especially dislike religious gurus and leaders, who you feel are charlatans.

What's Your Religious Philosophy?

Your True Love Is a Taurus

Why you'll love a Taurus:

Romantic and sentimental, a Taurus can provide you with the security you need.
And you both share a fondness for the finest things, from great food to luxury vacations.

Why a Taurus will love you:

You have the honesty and direct approach that down to earth Taurus desires.
And enough elegance to show a Taurus a few new decadent delights!

What Sign Is Your True Love?

Given my history, this last one is quite accurate.

"To thine own self be true." - Polonius, Hamlet

The Color Green

2006-04-24T17:54:00.001-05:00

"[F]or he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way... he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock."

Gatsby had his green light, I have a moped. Kind of fitting, I suppose. His is abstract, distant, illuminating; mine is close, tangible, but devoid of deeper aspects.

I have this bad habit of pretending something doesn't matter when in reality it does. As if, somehow, if the others don't think it hurt as much, it won't. Why? The pain will be the same no matter what others might think. Is it a pre-emptive thing I do to make it easier to get away and hide?

"When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness....

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

-The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

La Ci Darem la Mano

2006-04-22T23:47:00.000-05:00

La ci darem la mano,
La mi dirai di si!
Vedi, non e lontano
Partiam, ben mio, da qui!

*Sigh*

Why do I want to be in love so bad? Sometimes, I feel that if I have that, nothing else will matter anymore, as if, somehow, it would solve ALL of my problems. Or at least, render them neglegible. Who cares about them? There is someone for me! Am I looking for an escape? An excuse not to face any other problems that I might be facing? Or am I trying to look for an easy way out? That I'm in fact, not feeling true emotions but am actually desperately hoping that this one thing will somehow, magically, solve everything?

If so, then why does it hurt so much everytime my thoughts wanders to some dark place? Why does it feel so empty when that happens? So, incredibly, devoid of... hope, of... even pity. Whatever I'm looking for, this is definitely not the easy or the expedient way to look for it.

But is it too much to ask for? To have someone that you think is special think that you are special right back? To have someone who can make you smile sincerely just by a look? To have someone to hold in your arms as you two share a silent moment, and have that moment be MEANINGFUL because you are sharing it with each other? To feel like that she's an angel that was placed in this world to save your unworthy soul?

Maybe it is. "Be realistic." One of my friends say. "It's not like that at all, hate to burst your bubble." Another one says, after asserting that I'm just too naive. Maybe I am asking for too much. But I'm not even really looking and holding out for the situation in the paragraph above. I just... want to feel special to someone for once ya know? I'm tired of making overtures, trying to make someone happy by being myself and have it all be... ignored or taken for granted, or worse, accepted with a forced smile. Fuck, if you don't like me, tell me, if you do, tell me! I deserve to know THAT at least! Sure, rip my heart out if it comes to it, but at least be woman enough to actually do it yourself damn it. Sure it might feel bad for you too, but sorry babe, you broke my heart if it comes to that, the least you could do is actually have to face the guilt of being responsible for such a shitty thing.

Am I being selfish? Yes, probably. But it's one thing I haven't actually tried. And, it's the one thing I don't know I can actually be. But is it really too much to ask? I'm willing give up so much for this little bit of selfishness... Can't I just be... happy for once? Within the vicinity of contentment even? Happy with myself? Yes, but happy? There's more to this world, my world, than just me. I'm just tired of being the guy who "understands", the one who "copes". If wishing that, just for once, it was the other way around means that I'm unredeemably selfish, especially for someone who is apparently as unworthy as me. Then... I'm just... tired of waiting, so very very tired of feeling so alone.

*Sigh*

By the way, nothing happened to prompt that rant, I just... felt like ranting because I was in one of those moods. I get like this on some random nights, not so often, but it happens. God, to have someone to talk to on nights like this, to really really talk to...

*Sigh*

Vorrei, e non vorrei;
Mi trema un poco il cor:
Felice, e ver sarei,
Ma puo burlarmi ancor.
-"La ci darem la mano, from Don Giovanni, W.A. Mozart

Edit: on second thought, there's another Mozart song that would probably be more fitting. As opposed to the original selection, which is much more like the normal me, this one is more like this post, except I don't have bells, and I'd like to think my feelings are much more complicated than anything presented in this song, though some would disagree. To those who disagree: "Fuck you."

"Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen", from Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute).
Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
Wunscht Papageno sich.
O, so ein sanftes Taubchen
War Seligkeit fur mich!
Dann schmeckte mir Trinken un Essen,
Dann konnt ich mit Fursten mich messen,
Des Lebens als Weiser mich freun,
Und wie im Elysium sein.
Ach, Kann ich keiner von allen
Den reizenden Mädchen gefallen?
Helf eine mir nur aus der Not.
Sonst gram ich mich wahrlich zu Tod.

And the World Begins Anew

2006-04-01T16:15:00.000-06:00

"Time begins on Opening Day."
-Thomas Boswell

Opening Day is upon us! For those of us who are so unfortunate as to not know what Opening Day is. It is the first day of games for the new baseball season. One curious thing is that Opening Day is different for every team, as it is defined as the date of the first home game. So it is possible for one team to have Opening Day tomorrow while another won't have it until a week or so later. Either way, this day, along with the Masters golf tournament (something I'll rant on in a later post I'm sure), is generally regarded around the US as the signal for the official start of spring. Which means.... no more snow! Yay!

Oh, not to mention how Champion's League is picking up again. So the best football/soccer is picking up too. All is good.

On a related note, I hate it when ESPN don't follow the general convention of listing the home squad first in football/soccer matches (instead, it lists the home squad second). So I was watching the sports ticker that scrolls through the scores one day and saw: Juventus 0 - Arsenal 2. I thought that meant Arsenal put 2 goals past Buffon at the Delle Alpi only to find out that it was the other way around.

Yet another reason to hate ESPN.

"A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here

A color stands abroad
On solitary hills
That science cannot overtake,
But human naturefeels."
- "A Light Exists in Spring" by Emily Dickinson

My Isle of Innisfree

2006-03-06T20:04:00.000-06:00

I've met some folks who say that I'm a dreamer,

And I've no doubt there's truth in what they say,
But sure a body's bound to be a dreamer
When all the things he loves are far away.

Spring Break was great. I would have been happy just to lay back and relax someplace warm. To be able to hang out with your best friend from college in Los Angeles was total bonus.

Disclaimer: I would have had more pictures had I found my digital camera a little earlier in the week (I'm very good at hiding things from myself without trying). I only found my camera on the last day so these pictures basically retells what happened the last night I spent in LA.

This is the sign to the entrance of the Standard. It's one of the most famous clubs/bars in the US. The rooftop club had a warm water pool at the perfect temperature that was lined with these plastic lounge chairs shaped in a strange fashion but would be perfect for, well, tanning. They also had a projector that projects a movie to the building across the street that you can sit in these other weirdly shaped plastic chairs to watch. But best of all, they had these inverted onion shaped domes that were hallow with a water bed inside of it! The best part is to just jump head first into one of those things and just bop up and down with the water forever. Not to mention these heat lamps that are placed around lounge couches that acted not only like little oasis of warmth on a cool night but also provided the perfect level of lighting to give off this lamp in a garden feel.

As great as all of this sounds, I don't have any pictures of the rooftop. The first time we went was a weeknight and they let us in for free, but when we returned, digital camera in hand, they were charging $20 a person to get in! Screw that!

So we hung out in the lobby bar instead. I tested out several different drinks and decided that gin and tonic definitely wasn't my thing. Also, apparently, salsa dancing is where it is at. The bartender, a female, was of the opinion that once I learned salsa, I'd get those "hot Mexican women" and have to beat them off with a stick. This is something I plan on investigating.

Also while at the bar. I unsuccessfully hit on this girl wearing fur. But this turned out to be very fortunate because only a couple of minutes later her date showed up. Her date who was like 6 feet 250lbs of African American alpha-maleness who would beat me to a pulp, marinate me in some nice seasoning and eat me for breakfast between grits and pancakes. So that was interesting. On a slightly unrelated note, the girl was wearing this nice rabbit fur coat, so that maybe should have tipped me off there was some sugar daddy somewhere that I did not want to mess with.

The bathroom at the Standard was also pretty interesting. There were advertising for Asian "Massage Parlors" above each urinal in the Men's room. (No pictures of those available though, I'm afraid. Guys don't take kindly to the idea of someone taking a picture while they are going, and once again, I did not want to die.) But I do have a picture of the entrance. Before I say anything more, I'd like to establish the double image in the picture comes from the reflection of the flash and not from the fact that I couldn't hold the camera steady because I was slightly drunk. Anyways, unfortunately, there wasn't any Sistine Chapel style painting on the ceiling to match the walls.

Also, that is Daniel washing his hands there. No worries ladies, we got better pictures of him later.

After hanging out at the Standard for a long while (and almost getting killed, in my case), we headed off to pick up Pearson, a friend of Daniel's from high school who was going to hook us up with VIP passes into a club.

Pearson is part of a sketch comedy group that might get picked up by a TV network soon (my only advice, lay off on the punchlines a little). Also, when it's his turn at the mic on Karaoke Night, stand back and get ready to be blown away. The man is a BEAST.

This picture was taken immediately after an impressive display of beer chugging by Pearson, so please don't judge the relationship between the two of them based on this. Very soon after this picture was taken, Mama, the doggie, helped herself (himself?) to some diarrhea and unloaded a couple of bombs in Pearson's bedroom. Daniel and I took this as a cue to go fetch our car and scadattled before we get any inclination to help.

Daniel and I a couple of hours later at the club. We are, once again, tempting fate by throwing gang signs. But I think we got away because we did such a poor job of it that nobody understood what was going on. Yes, it was St. Patrick's Day but once again, nobody believed that I was Irish. Such is the hazard of being adopted.

In this club, it was Daniel's turn to almost get killed as he tried to pick up a couple of girls who turned out to be 1) "not cute at all" according to him and 2) supposedly dating a couple of HUGE boyfriends, according to a jackass that was with them. If you are keeping track, the 2 of us were 0 for 2 in trying to pick up girls but 2 for 2 in surviving. So it's all a matter of perspective I suppose. (But in my defense, I only whiffed on one girl while Daniel whiffed on 2 at the same time.) As this picture was taken, Pearson was busy getting the phone number of the girl who owns that hat. So in one club, he was more successful than Daniel and I did collectively in 2 clubs.

After Last Call, we called it a night, but not after watching a whole first season of Entourage (funny ass show, whoever played Ari Gold is a genius).

This is Daniel and Nina the next morning. Nina is a great person whom I absolutely adore and is dating Daniel's sister and had spent the night (not to mention possessing the ability to make me write run-on sentences). Daniel lives with his sister. I took this picture because the two of them just randomly matched this morning. And why not? Incidentally, Nina is also the first person I am really friends with that has an actual IMDB page.

Not to mention that Nina used to be a tennis pro, meaning that on my best day, I'd still get slaughtered love-love-love.

Nina also has an inexplicable urge to drop kick Stewie.

"I come bearing a gift. I'll give you a hint. It's in my diaper and it's not a toaster."

I do regret not getting around to getting a picture of Daniel's sister, Jessica. It was her birthday too! I had to leave later that day but I really wish I could have stayed. They were planning to go to a burlesque club to celebrate and that would have meant I would have alot more fun pictures to share. (They kept on assuring me that it was a "classy" club; but come on, black lingeries and garter belts are still lingeries and garter belts whether in a classy place or a seedy place.)

Speaking of classy. I got news after I returned from Spring Break that my roommate from college is getting married and I will be invited to the wedding as a groom's man. I heartily accepted as it is widely known that groom's men have better chances of picking up girls in weddings.

"Now who are we this time?"

Now, back to the daily grind at least until I get to go to Vegas with Daniel during the Summer, blah! Hopefully, I can convince Daniel to come up to Chicago for a Cubs game some time late April or early May. Here's hoping!

But dreams don't last --
Though dreams are not forgotten --
And soon I'm back to stern reality.
But though they pave the footways here with gold dust,
I still would choose the Isle of Inisfree.