The first time I ever saw snowfall was in New York City. 12/26/2010. Then it turned into a blizzard across the northeast USA and New Jersey entered a state of emergency. What fun!
Can't go to New York and not watch a Broadway show. It was Mary Poppins, mostly just to watch something happier than Les Miserables and cheaper than say, Wicked or The Lion King. It was excellent in any case, even though we were late to the show.
Stayed at a hotel on 7th Ave and 42nd Street, through the blizzard. Was stuck on a train for 5 hours the day after trying to get back to New Jersey.
12/28/2010 is Inception Art Contest and snow day. Shoveled snow for the first time. Made snow angels, made tunnels, and had a snowball fight! But no snowman :( The snow didn't really stick very well...
We are headed to Washington DC next. Library of Congress and Smithsonian, here I come!
To finish off with a joke from a friend's friend: I was with a group of friends and pointed out that there was a Blizzard outside. All the Koreans ran out to go see it. ._.
(Kudos to you if you get the joke =P)
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Shipyards and Tears
Yesterday I went right up close to a shipyard...that was fun. Took a lot of pictures. Unfortunately, I was wearing white boots and pants (because I didn't know we were going to be doing all that climbing, and in icy, muddy grass/water at that). We had to cross a cemetery to get to the ships, which was tiny and mostly forgotten. The graves dated around 1820's to 1830's for time of death.
Not sure the age of the ships. We weren't really supposed to be there.
Then we went to watch Les Miserables the musical. It was phenomenal, loved Fantine the most--but of course, she dies after the first quarter of the show. It figures. I also liked the main character, Jean, and Eponine (though how she grew from a white little girl to a black one, who knows?)
I especially enjoyed I Dreamed a Dream and Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. I almost made it through the entire show without crying, but I definitely had tears come the end when Fantine and Eponine came to take Jean Valjean away. Though I was near the edge twice before: Eponine's sudden, expected but really random death, and Gavroche's horrendous ghostly singing exploding off-screen death...
Not sure the age of the ships. We weren't really supposed to be there.
Then we went to watch Les Miserables the musical. It was phenomenal, loved Fantine the most--but of course, she dies after the first quarter of the show. It figures. I also liked the main character, Jean, and Eponine (though how she grew from a white little girl to a black one, who knows?)
I especially enjoyed I Dreamed a Dream and Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. I almost made it through the entire show without crying, but I definitely had tears come the end when Fantine and Eponine came to take Jean Valjean away. Though I was near the edge twice before: Eponine's sudden, expected but really random death, and Gavroche's horrendous ghostly singing exploding off-screen death...
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Rock Church
I don't normally go to church, so let's just get that straightened out right away. But today, I went with some friends and some odd, quirky thoughts seemed to process while the sermon or whatever was going on.
He was talking about the book of Revelations today, which apparently is the last book and talks about the apocalypse. He was basically saying not to interpret things too literally, as they are symbolic, nor to associate it with things that currently exist.
But I couldn't help at Revelations 19:11 (I don't even know if I wrote that correctly) that people have names we don't even know, for some reason, reminded me of the internet and how it's all based on aliases where someone's name is never revealed at all.
On another note, Revelations 20:10 talks about how hell is for Satan to be locked up in, reminds me of Kronos is the Greek Mythology sense.
I don't know, just random stuff I was thinking of.
He was talking about the book of Revelations today, which apparently is the last book and talks about the apocalypse. He was basically saying not to interpret things too literally, as they are symbolic, nor to associate it with things that currently exist.
But I couldn't help at Revelations 19:11 (I don't even know if I wrote that correctly) that people have names we don't even know, for some reason, reminded me of the internet and how it's all based on aliases where someone's name is never revealed at all.
On another note, Revelations 20:10 talks about how hell is for Satan to be locked up in, reminds me of Kronos is the Greek Mythology sense.
I don't know, just random stuff I was thinking of.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Venice Rush
The story has no name. It is tentatively called "Rush", after the main male character's nickname.
And the blog id is venicerush, after the names of the two main characters.
Check it out! Only three chapters are up, though. It's sort of awesomely random. And no, the story has nothing to do with the city of Venice. It does, however, have to do with being on the run!
If you're familiar with Wuxia, then this story would probably make more sense to you. It's like Wuxia in the modern setting :)
http://venicerush.blogspot.com/
And the blog id is venicerush, after the names of the two main characters.
Check it out! Only three chapters are up, though. It's sort of awesomely random. And no, the story has nothing to do with the city of Venice. It does, however, have to do with being on the run!
If you're familiar with Wuxia, then this story would probably make more sense to you. It's like Wuxia in the modern setting :)
http://venicerush.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Harry Potter Ultimate DVDs
Yeah, so I'm a sucker when it comes to Harry Potter. :)
This is a link to a sweepstakes contest for Harry Potter DVDs...participate if you want! I am putting this here because I am participating...
http://www.kidglue.com/2010/11/03/harry-potter-ultimate-edition-dvds-giveaway-3-chances-to-win/comment-page-1/#comment-15506
This is a link to a sweepstakes contest for Harry Potter DVDs...participate if you want! I am putting this here because I am participating...
http://www.kidglue.com/2010/11/03/harry-potter-ultimate-edition-dvds-giveaway-3-chances-to-win/comment-page-1/#comment-15506
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Parenting
A LOT of people must have failed Kindergarten...or, parents just don't do anything with their kids nowadays, because people don't LOOK when crossing the street. I mean, seriously, a huge bus is moving your way and as you step onto the asphalt, you don't even glance up from your cell phone. It's ridiculous!
Look, I don't want to run over a girl simply because she wasn't looking when I was driving. The law protects you...but the law doesn't prevent death, okay?
A quote to end this post:
"Knowledge is realizing that the street is one-way, wisdom is looking both directions anyway." -- anonymous
Look, I don't want to run over a girl simply because she wasn't looking when I was driving. The law protects you...but the law doesn't prevent death, okay?
A quote to end this post:
"Knowledge is realizing that the street is one-way, wisdom is looking both directions anyway." -- anonymous
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Scholastic English
I think there's something wrong with Scholastic book readers; either that, or it's simply ironic.
I was looking up Battle Royale VS The Hunger Games because, if you know anything about these books, they are both about people being put into a "game" where they have to mass-kill each other due to a corrupt government/power. The forum entry talks about whether Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, plagiarized Battle Royale or simply was inspired by it (if at all).
Well, what I have to say has nothing to do with the argument, even though there are plenty of things wrong with how they make their case. Rather, as I read the forum I couldn't stop cringing over every sentence of every post, because EVERYONE'S English was TERRIBLE!
Quote: "its most defiantly an original idea..."
I think he/she meant: "It's most definitely an original idea..."
That's just a simple example.
It annoyed me to the point where, after reading their "argument", I was tempted to opt against their position. I'd imagine the person on the other end typing this message with a whiny, adolescent voice and bad pronunciation (sounded from the misspellings). It's most odd because nowadays, browsers have spell-check built into them, too.
I said it was ironic because Scholastic is a company that publishes books, and you'd think that a bunch of readers would actually know English at a higher level. Well, it wouldn't be the first time if I picked up a Scholastic book and discovered that the author had glaring English errors that weren't fixed.
So, on a sidenote, Scholastic really needs new/better editors...
I was looking up Battle Royale VS The Hunger Games because, if you know anything about these books, they are both about people being put into a "game" where they have to mass-kill each other due to a corrupt government/power. The forum entry talks about whether Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, plagiarized Battle Royale or simply was inspired by it (if at all).
Well, what I have to say has nothing to do with the argument, even though there are plenty of things wrong with how they make their case. Rather, as I read the forum I couldn't stop cringing over every sentence of every post, because EVERYONE'S English was TERRIBLE!
Quote: "its most defiantly an original idea..."
I think he/she meant: "It's most definitely an original idea..."
That's just a simple example.
It annoyed me to the point where, after reading their "argument", I was tempted to opt against their position. I'd imagine the person on the other end typing this message with a whiny, adolescent voice and bad pronunciation (sounded from the misspellings). It's most odd because nowadays, browsers have spell-check built into them, too.
I said it was ironic because Scholastic is a company that publishes books, and you'd think that a bunch of readers would actually know English at a higher level. Well, it wouldn't be the first time if I picked up a Scholastic book and discovered that the author had glaring English errors that weren't fixed.
So, on a sidenote, Scholastic really needs new/better editors...
Friday, October 22, 2010
The First Time...ARGH, BEAST!
I was remembering the first time I ever saw Beauty and the Beast...
...the part where he steps out into the light while in the dungeon...
...all that darkness and suspenseful music...
...and then you see him and you're like ARGH IT'S A BEAST!
Except I remember when I first saw that, I wasn't exactly scared of him. Which I guess was the point because Disney tried not to make him too scary for kids, but still...I was like, okay, the lighting the music...er, I'm supposed to be scared right? Am I scared? Because I'm supposed to be?
But wait, he wasn't that scary...
Sigh, Belle is still my favorite Disney Princess, in any case. I wonder how Rapunz--I mean, Tangled is going to turn out. So far all the previews make it look like a pretty shallow plot.
...the part where he steps out into the light while in the dungeon...
...all that darkness and suspenseful music...
...and then you see him and you're like ARGH IT'S A BEAST!
Except I remember when I first saw that, I wasn't exactly scared of him. Which I guess was the point because Disney tried not to make him too scary for kids, but still...I was like, okay, the lighting the music...er, I'm supposed to be scared right? Am I scared? Because I'm supposed to be?
But wait, he wasn't that scary...
Sigh, Belle is still my favorite Disney Princess, in any case. I wonder how Rapunz--I mean, Tangled is going to turn out. So far all the previews make it look like a pretty shallow plot.
Friday, October 15, 2010
All At Once
It's been so long with so much stuff going on that I don't even know where to start.
But I guess this isn't really about documenting my life, but rather finding that one or a few things in passing time that makes life interesting.
So I share with you this week, a crazy experience while driving buses.
It was Wednesday, and the first thing that happened was a sewage leak that spread to one of the bus stops. Thus, the stop had to be closed down and all buses were redirected a different route for the top of three or four hours. During this time, there was a traffic light that turned red...and stayed red for over ten minutes, prompting the alert of the broken light; one of our buses that was behind that light had passengers and couldn't continue on it's way.
And on top of this, a bus on the freeway to Hillcrest overheated and its "check engine" light flashed, prompting the bus driver to pull over and call for help. Passengers had to be re-loaded onto a different bus as dispatch sent help.
And while all of this was going on, I witnessed an arrest at the bus stop in front of one of the libraries; I could not pull into the stop because two police cars were in front of it. I watched the cops handcuff someone and put him in a squad car. I never found out what happened.
I guess individually, it's not that fascinating, but it was odd that everything happened at the same time.
In contrast, my shift in the afternoon today was so quiet that I thought my bus's transmission radio was broken!
But I guess this isn't really about documenting my life, but rather finding that one or a few things in passing time that makes life interesting.
So I share with you this week, a crazy experience while driving buses.
It was Wednesday, and the first thing that happened was a sewage leak that spread to one of the bus stops. Thus, the stop had to be closed down and all buses were redirected a different route for the top of three or four hours. During this time, there was a traffic light that turned red...and stayed red for over ten minutes, prompting the alert of the broken light; one of our buses that was behind that light had passengers and couldn't continue on it's way.
And on top of this, a bus on the freeway to Hillcrest overheated and its "check engine" light flashed, prompting the bus driver to pull over and call for help. Passengers had to be re-loaded onto a different bus as dispatch sent help.
And while all of this was going on, I witnessed an arrest at the bus stop in front of one of the libraries; I could not pull into the stop because two police cars were in front of it. I watched the cops handcuff someone and put him in a squad car. I never found out what happened.
I guess individually, it's not that fascinating, but it was odd that everything happened at the same time.
In contrast, my shift in the afternoon today was so quiet that I thought my bus's transmission radio was broken!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Return of One Piece
I know it came back last week, but there's a reason that I waited until this week to finally acknowledge it: ZORO!
And boy, is he badass to the CORE! We only just re-met him and he split a ship in two! Heheheh
I'm only really bummed about one thing: his eye! I can't believe he's only got one eye, cut shut. That's terrible for a swordsman (outside a manga, this would damage his depth perception sooo much...). From the color page last week though, the scar and shut eye was on his right side. However, his return appearance shows the scar on the left.
I like it on the left better. (well, I don't like it, but left seems better than right)
Oh yeah, and I have to say that Nami is not the long-haired type in my opinion, and Franky looks weird.
Usopp is BUFF!? That is the strangest for me...haha. And Robin with her long-ish hair also...what, in the past two years they didn't have time for haircuts? Even when Robin was alone on the run she kept the similar hair xD
That's all. Time for bed, and my roommate is talking in her sleep...
And boy, is he badass to the CORE! We only just re-met him and he split a ship in two! Heheheh
I'm only really bummed about one thing: his eye! I can't believe he's only got one eye, cut shut. That's terrible for a swordsman (outside a manga, this would damage his depth perception sooo much...). From the color page last week though, the scar and shut eye was on his right side. However, his return appearance shows the scar on the left.
I like it on the left better. (well, I don't like it, but left seems better than right)
Oh yeah, and I have to say that Nami is not the long-haired type in my opinion, and Franky looks weird.
Usopp is BUFF!? That is the strangest for me...haha. And Robin with her long-ish hair also...what, in the past two years they didn't have time for haircuts? Even when Robin was alone on the run she kept the similar hair xD
That's all. Time for bed, and my roommate is talking in her sleep...
Monday, October 4, 2010
Super Shuttle
I really dislike them. I mean, they're convenient and a good idea, but they really need to work on customer service and not pissing off other drivers. And maybe learning the area that they drive in (instead of completely relying on the dumb GPS they have...)
Cheaper than taxis though.
Cheaper than taxis though.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Re: Jerry Brown and 80-20 Initiative
Dear Mr. Brown,
I am taking the time to inform you of the unacceptable response to Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders within the grand state of California, and the severity of your inaction. I am referring to the questionnaire delivered by the 80-20 California Coalition, a group that represents our political interests.
It is with regret that I note, if your crew is not privy in regards to resourcefulness in order to complete a simple questionnaire that was provided for you, then perhaps you will neither be able to resource this population of Californian voters. This is your chance to reconsider your being "unable to complete the questionnaire" provided for you by the 80-20 Initiative.
The generic dismissal received from your crew was inappropriate; of the thirteen listed reasons of how Jerry Brown was a "friend to the Asian Pacific Islander Community", only ONE specified the API community of California, and only three others had ANY SEMBLANCE to addressing specific racial concerns. The rest of them, all NINE, either make insulting assumptions about the API community as a whole or are universal responses to any party, associations notwithstanding.
Thus, if Jerry Brown has no time for us, then we have no time voting for Jerry Brown. Again, at this point in time there is still room to fix this.
Sincerely,
Katherine Truong
XXX St., San Diego, CA 92XXX
-------------
As for Meg Whitman, she has yet to even respond to 80-20.
I am taking the time to inform you of the unacceptable response to Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders within the grand state of California, and the severity of your inaction. I am referring to the questionnaire delivered by the 80-20 California Coalition, a group that represents our political interests.
It is with regret that I note, if your crew is not privy in regards to resourcefulness in order to complete a simple questionnaire that was provided for you, then perhaps you will neither be able to resource this population of Californian voters. This is your chance to reconsider your being "unable to complete the questionnaire" provided for you by the 80-20 Initiative.
The generic dismissal received from your crew was inappropriate; of the thirteen listed reasons of how Jerry Brown was a "friend to the Asian Pacific Islander Community", only ONE specified the API community of California, and only three others had ANY SEMBLANCE to addressing specific racial concerns. The rest of them, all NINE, either make insulting assumptions about the API community as a whole or are universal responses to any party, associations notwithstanding.
Thus, if Jerry Brown has no time for us, then we have no time voting for Jerry Brown. Again, at this point in time there is still room to fix this.
Sincerely,
Katherine Truong
XXX St., San Diego, CA 92XXX
-------------
As for Meg Whitman, she has yet to even respond to 80-20.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Carrie Fisher
Who am I talking about?
Well, I was watching Carrie Underwood's new video for her song "Mama's Song" (which is a beautiful and meaningful number, by the way) and it made me remember that this summer, she had married a man, somewhat famous himself, by the name of Mike Fisher.
Well, that would make Carrie Underwood "Carrie Fisher".
But there's someone else named Carrie Fisher who is quite famous in her own right. Who am I talking about? Carrie Fisher, the actress who played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy--metal bikini and all.
Oh well. I just thought that was a strange, strange coincidence.
Well, I was watching Carrie Underwood's new video for her song "Mama's Song" (which is a beautiful and meaningful number, by the way) and it made me remember that this summer, she had married a man, somewhat famous himself, by the name of Mike Fisher.
Well, that would make Carrie Underwood "Carrie Fisher".
But there's someone else named Carrie Fisher who is quite famous in her own right. Who am I talking about? Carrie Fisher, the actress who played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy--metal bikini and all.
Oh well. I just thought that was a strange, strange coincidence.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Apartment
I moved out of an apartment that belonged to my university and into a new one off-campus about three months ago. Before I moved out, I had found out that a friend of mine was actually moving into the on-campus apartment right next to it!
It was a big surprise and coincidence because the university alternates male and female occupancy of each apartment every year, so the closest my friend would have ever gotten to being in my actual old apartment was being right next to it, because we were both female. So strange, right?
So yesterday, I bumped into another friend (who by the way, I met in Japan two years prior and only last year found out he went to the same university as I did). And I asked him where he lived. And he is living in the EXACT same apartment I moved out of three months ago.
WEIRD...life is full of coincidences...
It was a big surprise and coincidence because the university alternates male and female occupancy of each apartment every year, so the closest my friend would have ever gotten to being in my actual old apartment was being right next to it, because we were both female. So strange, right?
So yesterday, I bumped into another friend (who by the way, I met in Japan two years prior and only last year found out he went to the same university as I did). And I asked him where he lived. And he is living in the EXACT same apartment I moved out of three months ago.
WEIRD...life is full of coincidences...
Friday, September 17, 2010
At The Office
Heads up, I partly work at a medical office.
This morning, some bub comes in refusing to sign the HIPAA form because it "limits his rights as an American". First of all, I hate it when people say that because they make it sound like being American is the equivalent of being a god-level asshole to someone else, including ANOTHER American. But that's not what gets me.
This guy reads the form like it's a national treaty and nitpicks where to sign and what "protects" him or "takes away his rights". Example: he refuses to "authorize treatment necessary", because he "doesn't take medicine or drugs", and it would be treading on his right to refuse (which, by the way, it doesn't imply at all). Well guess what, if medical offices find out you're sick, they are required by law to fix it. It's up to you to actually take it, but you're not even authorizing diagnosis? You're not authorizing a doctor...to do what doctors do. WTF?
If you're not going to take medicine for whatever is wrong no matter what, what is the point of going to the doctor's in the first place?? He wouldn't even sign to the part that says the office can call him back pertaining to reminders that can be left on an answering machine.
Reason? "Say No To Unnecessary Information Release"! He says it like we'll sell his information on the black market or something. Jerk.
The thing is, ALL offices are required to have that paperwork, by the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, so what the hell is his problem? Take it up with the White House if he has such a horrible issue about it.
This also means that, should we need to order to make something for him outside of this office, he won't allow us to so much as give them his name, in the name of "Unnecessary Information Release".
You know, the only people who are this stringent on information are people on the shady end of crime. Funny, he seems to be accusing US of that. Seriously, good luck in life, bub.
This morning, some bub comes in refusing to sign the HIPAA form because it "limits his rights as an American". First of all, I hate it when people say that because they make it sound like being American is the equivalent of being a god-level asshole to someone else, including ANOTHER American. But that's not what gets me.
This guy reads the form like it's a national treaty and nitpicks where to sign and what "protects" him or "takes away his rights". Example: he refuses to "authorize treatment necessary", because he "doesn't take medicine or drugs", and it would be treading on his right to refuse (which, by the way, it doesn't imply at all). Well guess what, if medical offices find out you're sick, they are required by law to fix it. It's up to you to actually take it, but you're not even authorizing diagnosis? You're not authorizing a doctor...to do what doctors do. WTF?
If you're not going to take medicine for whatever is wrong no matter what, what is the point of going to the doctor's in the first place?? He wouldn't even sign to the part that says the office can call him back pertaining to reminders that can be left on an answering machine.
Reason? "Say No To Unnecessary Information Release"! He says it like we'll sell his information on the black market or something. Jerk.
The thing is, ALL offices are required to have that paperwork, by the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, so what the hell is his problem? Take it up with the White House if he has such a horrible issue about it.
This also means that, should we need to order to make something for him outside of this office, he won't allow us to so much as give them his name, in the name of "Unnecessary Information Release".
You know, the only people who are this stringent on information are people on the shady end of crime. Funny, he seems to be accusing US of that. Seriously, good luck in life, bub.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Disney: Princesses, Music, and Rankings?
It's four in the morning and I'm laughing my butt off at the comments people make about Disney movies and stuff. It started when I looked up Beauty and the Beast clips (the best Disney animated film of all time, in my opinion--and not just because it's one of two animated films to garner a nomination for Best Picture, and the ONLY when nominations were limited to 5 and not 10!).
Then it moved on to looking up the most epic instrumental music ever in Disney films in general. The one I agreed most with, the top 4 being:
4. Transformation - Beauty and the Beast
3. Farewell - Pocahontas
2. Mulan's Decision - Mulan
1. King of Pride Rock - Lion King
All four of these gave me goosebumps when I watched them, but I'd actually switch #1 and #2. Why? Well, they're all epic, but I have to recognize Mulan's epic music for not being the ending "hurrah" song like the other three in the list--rather, it is an epic song for a moment that is only the beginning of the movie. Plus, it's not overly-orchestrated (but again, the orchestras in the other three are due to the fact that they are the "last hurrah" songs)
Most of the stuff I was laughing at are situational, I guess. They're not exactly funny when I try to explain them in words...
Lastly I looked up Princess rankings on bad-ass-ness on Mulan's IMDB page, where a lot of laughs came from, simply because people are so serious when it comes to debating the topic. Considering it IS Mulan's page, Mulan is always ranked first, but there is quite a bit of discrepancy between the others.
Granted, those who know me also know that I don't count Mulan as a princess. Ever. Because she never married a prince (or equivalent) and wasn't born as a princess (or equivalent). But if she was, I'd agree and say she IS THE #1 BADASS PRINCESS. Best lines to argue this point (though better in context):
"Mulan, in fact, has more in common with male Disney leads than the female Disney leads...When you see her make her decision to take her father's place in the army, she does so out of her love for him, valuing his life above hers. She doesn't wish to become a man to see what it is like or for a change. Only to save his life."
Stuff like THAT. She got sliced in the gut and still got up and running and saves THE MALE LEAD'S LIFE (OMGah) rather than vice versa. I mean, can you imagine any other Disney princess doing shit like that, aside from maybe Pocahontas? Most of the others would probably go running and screaming for their lives.
There was general consensus that Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Snow White were at the bottom, simply because they slept through a lot of their respective movies.
Then...THEN BLASPHEMY. People are ranking Belle under princesses like CINDERELLA? Are you kidding me? Belle exchanges her freedom for her father's! She thwacks wolves with a wooden stick (got a good hit on one, too) and doesn't abandon Philippe even when she had the opportunity! Belle had the guts to explore a monster's castle on her own (yes, curiosity killed the cat, but in her case, she was trapped there forever anyway, so what exactly did she have to lose?). She has the guts to defy Beast, and stands up to Gaston! She's a girl who's not afraid of being different or wanting adventure, when other girls just wanted to marry a handsome guy. What the hell did Cinderella ever do that deserves badass-ness? Seriously, the most badass thing Cinderella did was open a mouse cage. And the mice were more badass than she.
I'd actually rank Belle higher than Ariel, and probably even with Jasmine. Why? Ariel got herself into her own messes...All. The. Time. Granted, she got chased by a shark and faced a crazy octopus witch, but again, her own doing. And she's selfish as heck. She does rescue Prince Eric on her own, but that does little to balance the fact that she put her entire people's future in jeopardy because she had a foot fetish and chased after a guy she barely knew...not exactly badass qualities. Belle, on the other hand, did something for the good of someone else. And Jasmine didn't do much for anyone else, either, aside from giving an apple (that wasn't hers) to a boy, but I guess it's the thought that counts. Yes, she does leave home alone (which takes guts), definitely holds her own and stays true to her values. But yeah, Jasmine is DEFINITELY among the smartest--she catches on quickly when Aladdin pulls tricks, and even tricked Aladdin--a street-smart streetrat--into revealing he was the boy from the marketplace. Unfortunately, Jasmine was never really put in situations that demonstrated her badass potential, except for the infamous Jafar kiss (eww). Between Jasmine and Belle, I think the significant situational difference simply comes from the fact that Jasmine was of high standing to begin with, whereas Belle was a commoner who married a prince.
Saying Belle is more badass than Pocahontas is pushing it...Pocahontas simply has more of a mature/adult vibe than all the other princesses combined(Mulan included), but that's probably because she's an actual historical person, as opposed to the rest (Mulan can be debated, I suppose).
But Disney EFFED up Pocahontas in other ways (John Smith *cough* is an ass in real life *cough*), but I can go on forever at this rate, so let's just stop here.
One of the more accurate princess rankings (and the last line is funny):
(by seraph-eatos77)
1. Mulan
2. Pocahontas
- The next three are pretty much interchangeable
3. Belle
4. Ariel
5. Jasmine
-HUGE GAP (They have nothing on the top 5)
6. Cinderella
7. Aurora
-ANOTHER GAP
8. Snow White (Definition of useless)
And there you have it.
PS I never watched all of Princess and the Frog, so I can't judge. I gotta say though, the movie didn't commercially fail because of the word princess in the title...it was more like, the main characters were frogs for most of the movie, and then Avatar was released, which made everyone forget any other movie at the time.
I wonder how Rapunzel will turn out...the change of the name to "Tangled" and the focus on a male lead already gives me dark forebodings...
DISCLAIMER: I am analyzing the princesses and their respective Disney movies without taking into consideration the times the movies were made. If I did, I'd at least acknowledge that Snow White had to put up with getting kicked out in fear of assassination and did the best she could in a time when women were only expected to do housework (but she's still not very bright). Aurora had a rebel spunky vibe that didn't exist with most women of the times, and she had to put up with being in the same movie as the most villainous and iconic villain of all Disney movies, Malificent (even Kingdom Hearts and Enchanted agrees with me on this one, people.)
Then it moved on to looking up the most epic instrumental music ever in Disney films in general. The one I agreed most with, the top 4 being:
4. Transformation - Beauty and the Beast
3. Farewell - Pocahontas
2. Mulan's Decision - Mulan
1. King of Pride Rock - Lion King
All four of these gave me goosebumps when I watched them, but I'd actually switch #1 and #2. Why? Well, they're all epic, but I have to recognize Mulan's epic music for not being the ending "hurrah" song like the other three in the list--rather, it is an epic song for a moment that is only the beginning of the movie. Plus, it's not overly-orchestrated (but again, the orchestras in the other three are due to the fact that they are the "last hurrah" songs)
Most of the stuff I was laughing at are situational, I guess. They're not exactly funny when I try to explain them in words...
Lastly I looked up Princess rankings on bad-ass-ness on Mulan's IMDB page, where a lot of laughs came from, simply because people are so serious when it comes to debating the topic. Considering it IS Mulan's page, Mulan is always ranked first, but there is quite a bit of discrepancy between the others.
Granted, those who know me also know that I don't count Mulan as a princess. Ever. Because she never married a prince (or equivalent) and wasn't born as a princess (or equivalent). But if she was, I'd agree and say she IS THE #1 BADASS PRINCESS. Best lines to argue this point (though better in context):
"Mulan, in fact, has more in common with male Disney leads than the female Disney leads...When you see her make her decision to take her father's place in the army, she does so out of her love for him, valuing his life above hers. She doesn't wish to become a man to see what it is like or for a change. Only to save his life."
Stuff like THAT. She got sliced in the gut and still got up and running and saves THE MALE LEAD'S LIFE (OMGah) rather than vice versa. I mean, can you imagine any other Disney princess doing shit like that, aside from maybe Pocahontas? Most of the others would probably go running and screaming for their lives.
There was general consensus that Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Snow White were at the bottom, simply because they slept through a lot of their respective movies.
Then...THEN BLASPHEMY. People are ranking Belle under princesses like CINDERELLA? Are you kidding me? Belle exchanges her freedom for her father's! She thwacks wolves with a wooden stick (got a good hit on one, too) and doesn't abandon Philippe even when she had the opportunity! Belle had the guts to explore a monster's castle on her own (yes, curiosity killed the cat, but in her case, she was trapped there forever anyway, so what exactly did she have to lose?). She has the guts to defy Beast, and stands up to Gaston! She's a girl who's not afraid of being different or wanting adventure, when other girls just wanted to marry a handsome guy. What the hell did Cinderella ever do that deserves badass-ness? Seriously, the most badass thing Cinderella did was open a mouse cage. And the mice were more badass than she.
I'd actually rank Belle higher than Ariel, and probably even with Jasmine. Why? Ariel got herself into her own messes...All. The. Time. Granted, she got chased by a shark and faced a crazy octopus witch, but again, her own doing. And she's selfish as heck. She does rescue Prince Eric on her own, but that does little to balance the fact that she put her entire people's future in jeopardy because she had a foot fetish and chased after a guy she barely knew...not exactly badass qualities. Belle, on the other hand, did something for the good of someone else. And Jasmine didn't do much for anyone else, either, aside from giving an apple (that wasn't hers) to a boy, but I guess it's the thought that counts. Yes, she does leave home alone (which takes guts), definitely holds her own and stays true to her values. But yeah, Jasmine is DEFINITELY among the smartest--she catches on quickly when Aladdin pulls tricks, and even tricked Aladdin--a street-smart streetrat--into revealing he was the boy from the marketplace. Unfortunately, Jasmine was never really put in situations that demonstrated her badass potential, except for the infamous Jafar kiss (eww). Between Jasmine and Belle, I think the significant situational difference simply comes from the fact that Jasmine was of high standing to begin with, whereas Belle was a commoner who married a prince.
Saying Belle is more badass than Pocahontas is pushing it...Pocahontas simply has more of a mature/adult vibe than all the other princesses combined(Mulan included), but that's probably because she's an actual historical person, as opposed to the rest (Mulan can be debated, I suppose).
But Disney EFFED up Pocahontas in other ways (John Smith *cough* is an ass in real life *cough*), but I can go on forever at this rate, so let's just stop here.
One of the more accurate princess rankings (and the last line is funny):
(by seraph-eatos77)
1. Mulan
2. Pocahontas
- The next three are pretty much interchangeable
3. Belle
4. Ariel
5. Jasmine
-HUGE GAP (They have nothing on the top 5)
6. Cinderella
7. Aurora
-ANOTHER GAP
8. Snow White (Definition of useless)
And there you have it.
PS I never watched all of Princess and the Frog, so I can't judge. I gotta say though, the movie didn't commercially fail because of the word princess in the title...it was more like, the main characters were frogs for most of the movie, and then Avatar was released, which made everyone forget any other movie at the time.
I wonder how Rapunzel will turn out...the change of the name to "Tangled" and the focus on a male lead already gives me dark forebodings...
DISCLAIMER: I am analyzing the princesses and their respective Disney movies without taking into consideration the times the movies were made. If I did, I'd at least acknowledge that Snow White had to put up with getting kicked out in fear of assassination and did the best she could in a time when women were only expected to do housework (but she's still not very bright). Aurora had a rebel spunky vibe that didn't exist with most women of the times, and she had to put up with being in the same movie as the most villainous and iconic villain of all Disney movies, Malificent (even Kingdom Hearts and Enchanted agrees with me on this one, people.)
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Fun Names
Haven't had a random post in a while, so here's one without any ranting and simply a name of funny/interesting/terrible names that I've recently come across:
John English
Violet Feaster (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, anyone?)
Card Beach
Star Savage
Lone Hale
Misty Gun
and last but not least...DUN DUN DUN
Richard Hard (guess why. =P )
Yeah....
Disclaimer: I mean no insult to anyone's name. I just came across them and found them interesting enough to list. Sorry if I offended someone. If it makes you feel any better, my name read out loud and Americanized sounds a lot like "Douchie". So bear with it.
John English
Violet Feaster (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, anyone?)
Card Beach
Star Savage
Lone Hale
Misty Gun
and last but not least...DUN DUN DUN
Richard Hard (guess why. =P )
Yeah....
Disclaimer: I mean no insult to anyone's name. I just came across them and found them interesting enough to list. Sorry if I offended someone. If it makes you feel any better, my name read out loud and Americanized sounds a lot like "Douchie". So bear with it.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Sept. 5
That Sunday was one of the most interesting days of my life. Not that yesterday wasn't interesting in the slightest--I discovered a wasp's nest inside my sister's garage, I helped give a cat a bath for the first time in my life, stuff like that. But anyway. About Sunday, September 5. Where to begin? What not to say?
Aside from volunteering at Disneyland. Aside from the furniture incident. Oh wait, I know, my encounter with the homeless person...that's probably the most memorable.
So long story short, I was sitting inside one of those photo booths situated outside of the shopping area, and it reeked in there, so I couldn't help but wonder how often someone came in the booth to piss, and which homeless person's spot I happened to be occupying. Why did I stay in there even though it smelled? It was sort of cold outside.
I had my feet up on the bench so that no one could see me inside. Long story short, some old guy with an overgrown beard and ragged clothes throws the curtain open, sees me, and exclaims, "Oh, a child." and shuts the curtain. Next thing I know, I'm hearing a solid stream of what I imagine is piss from outside, right next to the booth. Right off the bat, a few of my questions were answered. I was not coming out of that booth until the sound subsided, that was for sure.
It did eventually and I gave the man a minute before I stepped out. To my left I could see the puddle. I didn't stay long enough to smell it. To the right were the stairs--and the homeless man in question. I made an arc as I walked around him and muttered an apology for unexpectedly being in that place. I'm not sure whether he heard me or not.
He did ask me for the time though, right when I was at the stairs. I told him, then quickly jogged away.
Yeah...what a fun day. I was running off of maybe an hour of sleep, at most. And that's on-and-off sleep.
Aside from volunteering at Disneyland. Aside from the furniture incident. Oh wait, I know, my encounter with the homeless person...that's probably the most memorable.
So long story short, I was sitting inside one of those photo booths situated outside of the shopping area, and it reeked in there, so I couldn't help but wonder how often someone came in the booth to piss, and which homeless person's spot I happened to be occupying. Why did I stay in there even though it smelled? It was sort of cold outside.
I had my feet up on the bench so that no one could see me inside. Long story short, some old guy with an overgrown beard and ragged clothes throws the curtain open, sees me, and exclaims, "Oh, a child." and shuts the curtain. Next thing I know, I'm hearing a solid stream of what I imagine is piss from outside, right next to the booth. Right off the bat, a few of my questions were answered. I was not coming out of that booth until the sound subsided, that was for sure.
It did eventually and I gave the man a minute before I stepped out. To my left I could see the puddle. I didn't stay long enough to smell it. To the right were the stairs--and the homeless man in question. I made an arc as I walked around him and muttered an apology for unexpectedly being in that place. I'm not sure whether he heard me or not.
He did ask me for the time though, right when I was at the stairs. I told him, then quickly jogged away.
Yeah...what a fun day. I was running off of maybe an hour of sleep, at most. And that's on-and-off sleep.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Writing Emotions
I keep writing and writing. It's flowing out like it hasn't been in ages.
And I have never been more frustrated.
The more I see my own writing, the more inconsequential my feelings for myself. Nothing is good enough anymore. Is it because my expectations have risen to a level where my abilities cannot compare? Is it because my writing has suffered through the pains of confinement within the American education system? Or is it simply that I've finally discovered that I am no more a writer than I am simply a person with insignificant stories to tell?
I don't trust my own stories enough to make them happen. I don't trust the beginning enough to finish writing the end. The worst part is, even if I do, I feel like I would not trust my ability to describe the vision I have for my epic, or maybe not-so-epic, tales.
This is more or an observation of frustration than an entry of life's interesting details. Then again, the range of human ability to feel, despite the reason, can be viewed as an interesting detail in its own right.
Wow, I'm reading this over and I realize that not only do I sound more formal in writing than I do in speech, I am much more formal in frustration than I am with happier moods.
Writing this out helps me vent a little bit, but I still can't get over this wall. Does this count as writer's block? I don't think so, since I'm still writing, but I am suffering on a total lack of self-confidence, and perhaps motivation. If anyone knows a solution/cure, please tell me. Or maybe a specific person is the cure itself. STEP FORWARD!
And I have never been more frustrated.
The more I see my own writing, the more inconsequential my feelings for myself. Nothing is good enough anymore. Is it because my expectations have risen to a level where my abilities cannot compare? Is it because my writing has suffered through the pains of confinement within the American education system? Or is it simply that I've finally discovered that I am no more a writer than I am simply a person with insignificant stories to tell?
I don't trust my own stories enough to make them happen. I don't trust the beginning enough to finish writing the end. The worst part is, even if I do, I feel like I would not trust my ability to describe the vision I have for my epic, or maybe not-so-epic, tales.
This is more or an observation of frustration than an entry of life's interesting details. Then again, the range of human ability to feel, despite the reason, can be viewed as an interesting detail in its own right.
Wow, I'm reading this over and I realize that not only do I sound more formal in writing than I do in speech, I am much more formal in frustration than I am with happier moods.
Writing this out helps me vent a little bit, but I still can't get over this wall. Does this count as writer's block? I don't think so, since I'm still writing, but I am suffering on a total lack of self-confidence, and perhaps motivation. If anyone knows a solution/cure, please tell me. Or maybe a specific person is the cure itself. STEP FORWARD!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Addicted.
Writing. Is. An. Addiction.
Sometimes it's really hard to start up, but once I go, I ROCKET. Thus, here I am at 6 am still awake, because I started typing my story. I CAN"T STOP!!!
I don't think I've felt this way about writing in a very long time. I had forgotten how happy it made me; to string words together into descriptions, creating the illusion of the senses simply by definitions portrayed in the mind. It's the way of describing hair not just as red, but as dancing flames as the wind ran through it.
ARGGHH Can't you just see the red hair, whipping around, as he stands on the deck of the ship, leaning over the railing...ARGHHH See I can't stop writing!!!
*sigh* speaking of addictions, I've been addicted to the song Like a G6 by Far East Movement simply because it was playing and I realized it was a great song to listen to while writing (I like to listen to interesting, but monotone-sounding songs as background while I write.)
I should go to sleep...good morning.
Sometimes it's really hard to start up, but once I go, I ROCKET. Thus, here I am at 6 am still awake, because I started typing my story. I CAN"T STOP!!!
I don't think I've felt this way about writing in a very long time. I had forgotten how happy it made me; to string words together into descriptions, creating the illusion of the senses simply by definitions portrayed in the mind. It's the way of describing hair not just as red, but as dancing flames as the wind ran through it.
ARGGHH Can't you just see the red hair, whipping around, as he stands on the deck of the ship, leaning over the railing...ARGHHH See I can't stop writing!!!
*sigh* speaking of addictions, I've been addicted to the song Like a G6 by Far East Movement simply because it was playing and I realized it was a great song to listen to while writing (I like to listen to interesting, but monotone-sounding songs as background while I write.)
I should go to sleep...good morning.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
In...and Out
How do you know if someone is truly from California? THEY KNOW WHAT IN N OUT IS!
And usually, they love it.
My apartment had an In N Out run tonight. Unfortunately, I've been spoiled--All my life, I've had 3 In N Outs in my hometown, one of which is only a few minutes away from the house. Here where I am now, the drive is like 15 minutes just to get to the nearest one!
For those of you who don't know, In N Out is the best fast food burger place ever. :)
That is my small joy of today.
My big joy is visiting an orphanage to play with the kids. But that's kind of sad in itself.
And usually, they love it.
My apartment had an In N Out run tonight. Unfortunately, I've been spoiled--All my life, I've had 3 In N Outs in my hometown, one of which is only a few minutes away from the house. Here where I am now, the drive is like 15 minutes just to get to the nearest one!
For those of you who don't know, In N Out is the best fast food burger place ever. :)
That is my small joy of today.
My big joy is visiting an orphanage to play with the kids. But that's kind of sad in itself.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Long Drawn
...so I've been missing. Why? Lots of things. Explain? Don't feel like it.
What I will explain is today's interesting event of the day:
There is a city bus driver who now recognizes me because in the past two days, I've been running after the same bus. I always seem to be fifty yards away from the stop when I notice the bus approaching...
...
It is unfortunate that I couldn't share all the interesting things from this past week, but time is time--we don't get it back! And at least today's interesting event is related the past couple of days.
What I will explain is today's interesting event of the day:
There is a city bus driver who now recognizes me because in the past two days, I've been running after the same bus. I always seem to be fifty yards away from the stop when I notice the bus approaching...
...
It is unfortunate that I couldn't share all the interesting things from this past week, but time is time--we don't get it back! And at least today's interesting event is related the past couple of days.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Teenagers.
What's up, I'm back at home! And guess what else: it's my birthday!
So...since I'm no longer a teenager, does this mean I can scoff at other teenagers now?
And also, happy birthday Natalie Coughlin!
Happy Birthday Kobe Bryant!
Happy Birthday to one of my friend's brothers, and another friend's stepdad...
Happy Birthday Chris!
And most importantly...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TISIES! :D
(P.S. for those who don't know, Chris is my cousin who shares my birthday--different year--and Tisies is what I call my brother, who I share my birthday with as well. We're twins)
I have to work on my birthday until 6pm. Boogers. Well, I share my bithday with so many people I guess it's not exactly that special a day, haha.
So...since I'm no longer a teenager, does this mean I can scoff at other teenagers now?
And also, happy birthday Natalie Coughlin!
Happy Birthday Kobe Bryant!
Happy Birthday to one of my friend's brothers, and another friend's stepdad...
Happy Birthday Chris!
And most importantly...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TISIES! :D
(P.S. for those who don't know, Chris is my cousin who shares my birthday--different year--and Tisies is what I call my brother, who I share my birthday with as well. We're twins)
I have to work on my birthday until 6pm. Boogers. Well, I share my bithday with so many people I guess it's not exactly that special a day, haha.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Sea to the T-T-L-E!
GAHhHhhhhH I had SUCH an awesome post but it got deleted because I'm at the airport and typing on my glitchy phone that WENT BACK A PAGE when I tried ti delete a typo. NUUUUUU!(My heart is crying so hard right now on the inside...)
My message is basically that I won't be updating because I'm off to seattle and stuff, don't wanna type it all out (still crying on the inside...I was writing pretty funny today, too)
Be nice to stewards because they are AWESOME
My message is basically that I won't be updating because I'm off to seattle and stuff, don't wanna type it all out (still crying on the inside...I was writing pretty funny today, too)
Be nice to stewards because they are AWESOME
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
ToeHeads
So I learned for the first time today what a toehead was.
Okay, so it's actually spelled "towhead", but when I first heard the word, it was spelled "toehead". I couldn't understand how it corresponded but decided not to question the matter because English is a funky language in all aspects.
If you didn't know already, you now know that a towhead is a child with bleach-blond hair. Like those super-blond kids. Though a lot of them grow out of it (meaning that towheads grow up to have darker hair, like brown or "dark/dirty blond".
Speaking of spelling, is it "blond" or "blonde"? Mozilla recognizes blond, but I've always learned it blonde, so I'm confused...
Okay, so it's actually spelled "towhead", but when I first heard the word, it was spelled "toehead". I couldn't understand how it corresponded but decided not to question the matter because English is a funky language in all aspects.
If you didn't know already, you now know that a towhead is a child with bleach-blond hair. Like those super-blond kids. Though a lot of them grow out of it (meaning that towheads grow up to have darker hair, like brown or "dark/dirty blond".
Speaking of spelling, is it "blond" or "blonde"? Mozilla recognizes blond, but I've always learned it blonde, so I'm confused...
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Pinky Swear!
Well, no, this post really has nothing to do with promises or keeping secrets. It's just that I can't pinky swear with anyone right now; I cut both little fingers in the dangerous job of shuttle driving within the past week.
First was my right hand, caught on the window lever next to the driver's seat. I'm pretty sure I've left my blood mark on that lever...ha...ha...
I didn't really tell any supervisors at Shuttle Operations about the first cut because I was in the bus by myself so I just got out the First Aid kit in the bus and found a band-aid.
The second cut occurred today when we were practicing cranking the manual lift. When the electric system for the wheelchair lift fails, we have to crank it by hand. Well, my left hand pulled a little too hard and the crank handle slipped out of the ball and socket joint. I'm not even sure exactly what I cut my finger on, but it was something inside the engine.
This time, the first aid kit didn't have any small band-aids; they only had giant gauze and pads that would've swallowed up my hand. I had to wait until I got back to the office to ask for a band-aid. Unfortunately, I didn't know that every time I injured myself on the job I had to fill out paperwork in case I ever got infected or needed to amputate the finger or something.
It was only two pages of paperwork, but still, I swear I have a bigger chance of getting ANOTHER injury in the form of a papercut with those papers than I do of ever needing my finger amputated. I wonder if I'd need to fill out additional paperwork if I DID get a papercut. Hm.
Well, policy is policy I suppose.
First was my right hand, caught on the window lever next to the driver's seat. I'm pretty sure I've left my blood mark on that lever...ha...ha...
I didn't really tell any supervisors at Shuttle Operations about the first cut because I was in the bus by myself so I just got out the First Aid kit in the bus and found a band-aid.
The second cut occurred today when we were practicing cranking the manual lift. When the electric system for the wheelchair lift fails, we have to crank it by hand. Well, my left hand pulled a little too hard and the crank handle slipped out of the ball and socket joint. I'm not even sure exactly what I cut my finger on, but it was something inside the engine.
This time, the first aid kit didn't have any small band-aids; they only had giant gauze and pads that would've swallowed up my hand. I had to wait until I got back to the office to ask for a band-aid. Unfortunately, I didn't know that every time I injured myself on the job I had to fill out paperwork in case I ever got infected or needed to amputate the finger or something.
It was only two pages of paperwork, but still, I swear I have a bigger chance of getting ANOTHER injury in the form of a papercut with those papers than I do of ever needing my finger amputated. I wonder if I'd need to fill out additional paperwork if I DID get a papercut. Hm.
Well, policy is policy I suppose.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Path of Meaning
What is something brilliant? How would one go about conjuring it? I seem to find no inspiration for my work anymore, despite the fact that the signs seem to be telling me to GET A MOVE ON!
I think there is a lack of faith and patience, mostly on my part. I've lost sight of my incentives. It's the difference between a meaningful life and a happy one, I suppose (which I was reminded of when watching Heroes with my apartment-mate the other day). I've always followed the path of meaning, but I am constantly drawn into the latter path--living constantly in the present, and thus a happy one.
But the moment I remember my aspirations, the heaviness sinks in, and I consequently remember my desire for a meaning. No one else seems to be having the problem as deeply (though I'm sure that it's only a matter of everyone being able to hide or postpone it as well as I can, or even better).
I wish I am a funny person. Unfortunately, only other people can bring humor into my life.
I think there is a lack of faith and patience, mostly on my part. I've lost sight of my incentives. It's the difference between a meaningful life and a happy one, I suppose (which I was reminded of when watching Heroes with my apartment-mate the other day). I've always followed the path of meaning, but I am constantly drawn into the latter path--living constantly in the present, and thus a happy one.
But the moment I remember my aspirations, the heaviness sinks in, and I consequently remember my desire for a meaning. No one else seems to be having the problem as deeply (though I'm sure that it's only a matter of everyone being able to hide or postpone it as well as I can, or even better).
I wish I am a funny person. Unfortunately, only other people can bring humor into my life.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Antsy
Someone's got an ant problem, and it's spreading to my apartment. -_-
I didn't know that ants were so sensitive about their dead, though. I've been watching one particular ant crawling back and forth across the rail of my closet door. I killed a few of its cousins there, so I think its looking for the bodies (I washed them down the sink, though. Dead ants stick to fingers.)
It's still walking back and forth across the same area, a single ant, like it's pacing. I wonder if I let it live, will it go back to the colony and tell them that the bodies were irrecoverable? If so, would they stop returning? Because I feel really bad that I have to kill them constantly.
It's like they only come one at a time, so I have to kill them one at a time, only now they only come to the same spot (which is how I deduced that they were searching for their missing brethren).
Oh well, that's my interesting observation for the day. As I finish up this post, the single ant I've left alive trails away...
I didn't know that ants were so sensitive about their dead, though. I've been watching one particular ant crawling back and forth across the rail of my closet door. I killed a few of its cousins there, so I think its looking for the bodies (I washed them down the sink, though. Dead ants stick to fingers.)
It's still walking back and forth across the same area, a single ant, like it's pacing. I wonder if I let it live, will it go back to the colony and tell them that the bodies were irrecoverable? If so, would they stop returning? Because I feel really bad that I have to kill them constantly.
It's like they only come one at a time, so I have to kill them one at a time, only now they only come to the same spot (which is how I deduced that they were searching for their missing brethren).
Oh well, that's my interesting observation for the day. As I finish up this post, the single ant I've left alive trails away...
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Comikku
Friggin' exclusive comics in the United States. No wonder they are not popular at all. -_-
So I was trying to find a copy of the X-men/Runaways crossover issue from Free Comics Day (back in 2006) but I couldn't find it ANYWHERE. I mean, come ON, they were handing them out and I can't even see it!?
I did find an online copy off the Marvel website, but 1) their online reader sucks. They should learn from manga reading sites. 2) I have to pay $60, SIXTY DOLLARS, to view it after its 4-page preview.
The comic itself is 12 pages long. I am NOT paying $60 for it. That's $5 a page, if you can't do the math. All I wanted was to see Shadowcat of the X-men (my favorite Marvel character, by the way) talk with Gert Yorke of the Runaways.
*sigh* The art style wasn't even to my preference. Oh well. Maybe I'll catch a glimpse of it if I ever dare step into an American comic book store (which I haven't done in about...four years now?)
That's my rant of the day. Oh, and as an afterthought: I passed my driving test! I am now entitled to a Class B license with Passenger Endorsement, which means I can drive buses and small trucks, and have people aboard. :)
So I was trying to find a copy of the X-men/Runaways crossover issue from Free Comics Day (back in 2006) but I couldn't find it ANYWHERE. I mean, come ON, they were handing them out and I can't even see it!?
I did find an online copy off the Marvel website, but 1) their online reader sucks. They should learn from manga reading sites. 2) I have to pay $60, SIXTY DOLLARS, to view it after its 4-page preview.
The comic itself is 12 pages long. I am NOT paying $60 for it. That's $5 a page, if you can't do the math. All I wanted was to see Shadowcat of the X-men (my favorite Marvel character, by the way) talk with Gert Yorke of the Runaways.
*sigh* The art style wasn't even to my preference. Oh well. Maybe I'll catch a glimpse of it if I ever dare step into an American comic book store (which I haven't done in about...four years now?)
That's my rant of the day. Oh, and as an afterthought: I passed my driving test! I am now entitled to a Class B license with Passenger Endorsement, which means I can drive buses and small trucks, and have people aboard. :)
Friday, August 6, 2010
Incepting Movie Calls
I've been so busy dreaming...of Inception! (just kidding.) Sorry about the couple of days I stopped posting.
Watched Christopher Nolan's Inception today. Was spectacular. Loved all the actors in it (DiCaprio, Page, Watanabe, and all). I didn't think it was very hard to understand, but then again, I think about this kind of thing all the time so I'm used to it, I suppose.
What I want to focus on today, however, is this:
Boy 1: Very smart, natural leader, in need of a father figure
Male, African American, must play 16-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011
Boy 2: A rebel, ignores rules and authority, wounded inside
Male, must play 16-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011
Girl 1: Uniquely beautiful, nurturing but guarded
Female, must play 16-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011
Girl 2: Chubby oddball, smart and verbal
Female, must play 16-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011
Girl 3: Conventionally beautiful, with an unchecked ego
Female, must play 15-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011
Girl 4: An innocent, wide-eyed and overprotected
Female, must play 8-10
Must be at least 9 by January 2011
This is an open casting call for an ensemble of teenagers. Anyone notice the bias here? It's for a movie based on a Marvel comic called "Runaways". There are a couple of things wrong with this casting. Spotted them?
...
Here are the basics.
1) Notice only one of them has a racial specification. Already, it's iffy that Caucasian parts aren't specified while others need to be. Caucasians have cultural and historic backgrounds, too...OR SO YOU THINK THAT'S MY POINT. Nope, I could care less if parts were specified, if they were meant for everyone. What's NOT okay is that one part is specified for an African American, but the part (one of the girls) that is SPECIFICALLY Japanese American is NOT mentioned at ALL. What the hell? So again, Asians are replaceable by anyone else? Are we that insignificant?
2) Notice, that all the boys are based more on personality, and the girls are mostly based on looks. Double-standard much?
So that's my couple of WTHs about this casting call. Nevertheless, if you're an actor or actress, apply and have fun. Ciao!
Watched Christopher Nolan's Inception today. Was spectacular. Loved all the actors in it (DiCaprio, Page, Watanabe, and all). I didn't think it was very hard to understand, but then again, I think about this kind of thing all the time so I'm used to it, I suppose.
What I want to focus on today, however, is this:
Boy 1: Very smart, natural leader, in need of a father figure
Male, African American, must play 16-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011
Boy 2: A rebel, ignores rules and authority, wounded inside
Male, must play 16-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011
Girl 1: Uniquely beautiful, nurturing but guarded
Female, must play 16-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011
Girl 2: Chubby oddball, smart and verbal
Female, must play 16-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011
Girl 3: Conventionally beautiful, with an unchecked ego
Female, must play 15-18
Must be at least 16 by January 2011
Girl 4: An innocent, wide-eyed and overprotected
Female, must play 8-10
Must be at least 9 by January 2011
This is an open casting call for an ensemble of teenagers. Anyone notice the bias here? It's for a movie based on a Marvel comic called "Runaways". There are a couple of things wrong with this casting. Spotted them?
...
Here are the basics.
1) Notice only one of them has a racial specification. Already, it's iffy that Caucasian parts aren't specified while others need to be. Caucasians have cultural and historic backgrounds, too...OR SO YOU THINK THAT'S MY POINT. Nope, I could care less if parts were specified, if they were meant for everyone. What's NOT okay is that one part is specified for an African American, but the part (one of the girls) that is SPECIFICALLY Japanese American is NOT mentioned at ALL. What the hell? So again, Asians are replaceable by anyone else? Are we that insignificant?
2) Notice, that all the boys are based more on personality, and the girls are mostly based on looks. Double-standard much?
So that's my couple of WTHs about this casting call. Nevertheless, if you're an actor or actress, apply and have fun. Ciao!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Revolutionary Road
In the words of my friend, I "finally watched Revolutionary Road" today.
Depressing stuff, but captivating and fast-paced for such a genre. Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio were great as usual; both of them aggravated me so much about their incessant necessity for superiority and their stubborn, attention-seeking yelling that it demonstrated the struggles of trapped human beings so well.
Throw in supporting cast members that were such good foil to the main characters, they complimented them all so well.
Not a movie that I'd watch again (I never like to watch these types of movies for a second time) but definitely a movie to see.
...
What a great movie to watch for a sleepover, though...
Depressing stuff, but captivating and fast-paced for such a genre. Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio were great as usual; both of them aggravated me so much about their incessant necessity for superiority and their stubborn, attention-seeking yelling that it demonstrated the struggles of trapped human beings so well.
Throw in supporting cast members that were such good foil to the main characters, they complimented them all so well.
Not a movie that I'd watch again (I never like to watch these types of movies for a second time) but definitely a movie to see.
...
What a great movie to watch for a sleepover, though...
Saturday, July 31, 2010
BRA...sizes.
I went to a Victoria's Secret outlet for the first time ever today with my cousin and a girl from Japan. Everything was incredibly cheap: 10 for $20 panties, 3 for $9 bras, things like that.
Well, I caught the Japanese girl browsing through the size Cs and Ds bras in the bins and became thoroughly bewildered. If you know Asian girls, you'll know that most of the skinny Asians girls (not all, but most) are flat. Like...boards. This girl was no exception. I mean, she wasn't completely flat, but the bras she was looking at could slingshot a pair of big coconuts or something.
Well...this is because in Japan, the bra sizes are much more gradual, so her size is actually a 70D in Japan. I had no idea what the United States equivalent of that was, so I had to bust out my new handy-dandy internet-savvy cellphone and look it up.
70 is referring to 70 centimeters of the under measurement, so that would be about a 32 band size in the United States. The size D in Japan is equivalent to a B in the US. Thus, her bra size is about a 32B.
Referencing manga, I now know why a lot of female manga characters have such large bust sizes...but still, a lot of them simply LOOK out of proportion (see One Piece for details. I love One Piece nonetheless.)
And that concludes my short international bra size blog post.
PS Anyone see my boob puns...? lol
Well, I caught the Japanese girl browsing through the size Cs and Ds bras in the bins and became thoroughly bewildered. If you know Asian girls, you'll know that most of the skinny Asians girls (not all, but most) are flat. Like...boards. This girl was no exception. I mean, she wasn't completely flat, but the bras she was looking at could slingshot a pair of big coconuts or something.
Well...this is because in Japan, the bra sizes are much more gradual, so her size is actually a 70D in Japan. I had no idea what the United States equivalent of that was, so I had to bust out my new handy-dandy internet-savvy cellphone and look it up.
70 is referring to 70 centimeters of the under measurement, so that would be about a 32 band size in the United States. The size D in Japan is equivalent to a B in the US. Thus, her bra size is about a 32B.
Referencing manga, I now know why a lot of female manga characters have such large bust sizes...but still, a lot of them simply LOOK out of proportion (see One Piece for details. I love One Piece nonetheless.)
And that concludes my short international bra size blog post.
PS Anyone see my boob puns...? lol
Houses
[NOTE: I wrote this late Friday night, so though the date is "Saturday" I'm referring to Friday when I write "today".]
I visited two enormous, amazing houses today. However, though they were both incredible, they were very different.
One was an old house built in the early 1900s that evidently survived the great earthquake and has the chandeliers, the detailed engravings on wood, spiral staircase, secret doors, laundry chutes, old tile decorations, and a black, cast-iron gate. One of the rooms' ceiling was completely amazing, like the ceiling of some very detailed hotel or church or something.
The other was a square, modern, artsy, large-roomed, three-story house. As in, the chandelier isn't the typical chandelier you see, but was a artsy collection of square and rectangle lights that hung together in a cluster above the double-length stairs.
I spent more time in the first house and since I'm an old-fashioned art type of person, I guess I was a lot more fascinated with that house. Nevertheless, they were both awesome! The house I grew up in was also an old Spanish-type house, early 1900's I think. It's now exotically filled with American-Asian decor. It's also fairly big, but nothing compared to these two. Now, I wonder if the house I grew up in elicits the same reaction that I had with the houses I visited today.
That's my interesting experience (and thoughts) of the day!
I visited two enormous, amazing houses today. However, though they were both incredible, they were very different.
One was an old house built in the early 1900s that evidently survived the great earthquake and has the chandeliers, the detailed engravings on wood, spiral staircase, secret doors, laundry chutes, old tile decorations, and a black, cast-iron gate. One of the rooms' ceiling was completely amazing, like the ceiling of some very detailed hotel or church or something.
The other was a square, modern, artsy, large-roomed, three-story house. As in, the chandelier isn't the typical chandelier you see, but was a artsy collection of square and rectangle lights that hung together in a cluster above the double-length stairs.
I spent more time in the first house and since I'm an old-fashioned art type of person, I guess I was a lot more fascinated with that house. Nevertheless, they were both awesome! The house I grew up in was also an old Spanish-type house, early 1900's I think. It's now exotically filled with American-Asian decor. It's also fairly big, but nothing compared to these two. Now, I wonder if the house I grew up in elicits the same reaction that I had with the houses I visited today.
That's my interesting experience (and thoughts) of the day!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Snow Shaved Ice...and Snowgurt?
In a few hours I will be waking up to go to play badminton at my ol' high school...oh, the good days when I got up like this every morning for practice...
But I have to report on this before I go to sleep. Just to prove that there is something interesting happens every day! And that could be something learned, experienced, or whatever. Today, it was an experience.
I went to a Taiwanese eatery called "Class 302" today and had this shaved ice that looked like someone mixed together milk and water, froze it, shaved it into bowls all fluffy-like, and then put stuff like fruit or melted brown sugar on top of it. I call it "snow-shaved ice"! (I think the store just calls it "shaved ice", but since it's so different than other shaved ice, I can't call it that.)
Best shaved ice ever! I took a picture. I'd never had anything like it before...it was great! I think it was in West Covina...? But I'm not sure. This led to a conversation about opening a store that had both snow-shaved ice and frozen yogurt, and that way all the good stuff will be in one place. The name of the store? Snowgurt!
I'm not sure if there is already a store or something called Snowgurt. If not, I copyright it! =P
Short post, but tasty. :)
But I have to report on this before I go to sleep. Just to prove that there is something interesting happens every day! And that could be something learned, experienced, or whatever. Today, it was an experience.
I went to a Taiwanese eatery called "Class 302" today and had this shaved ice that looked like someone mixed together milk and water, froze it, shaved it into bowls all fluffy-like, and then put stuff like fruit or melted brown sugar on top of it. I call it "snow-shaved ice"! (I think the store just calls it "shaved ice", but since it's so different than other shaved ice, I can't call it that.)
Best shaved ice ever! I took a picture. I'd never had anything like it before...it was great! I think it was in West Covina...? But I'm not sure. This led to a conversation about opening a store that had both snow-shaved ice and frozen yogurt, and that way all the good stuff will be in one place. The name of the store? Snowgurt!
I'm not sure if there is already a store or something called Snowgurt. If not, I copyright it! =P
Short post, but tasty. :)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Grunion Run
So many crazy awesome fun things are happening this week and I can't keep up because I'm so exhausted from the day to day. But I have to say the one thing that I guess sticks is the Grunion Run yesterday (was at the beach since 4pm waiting for it at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro)
Go search the internet on what it is because I'm too tired to explain it properly, but in short: Grunion are fish that like sex on the beach.
Anyway, I got to hatch some in a small cup with ocean water. You shake it up a bit and the eggs start popping into little fish! It was really cool.
In the end I didn't actually see any Grunion pop up onto the beach (though I have before in my childhood...). I did see some caught Grunion in some random people's bucket, though. heheh.
Go search the internet on what it is because I'm too tired to explain it properly, but in short: Grunion are fish that like sex on the beach.
Anyway, I got to hatch some in a small cup with ocean water. You shake it up a bit and the eggs start popping into little fish! It was really cool.
In the end I didn't actually see any Grunion pop up onto the beach (though I have before in my childhood...). I did see some caught Grunion in some random people's bucket, though. heheh.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The *dundundun* DMV
I stood in line today at the Long Beach DMV. For a duration of the time, I was standing outside. Other than a momentary flash of worry at the hint of rainfall and the fact that I needed $66 that wasn't in my pocket to pay for the tests I was taking, the DMV wasn't as "dundundun" as usual.
(So if you don't know what "dundundun" is, it's the ominous sound effect. So think big, dark, and ominous)
The line went a lot faster than I thought. I got the call number G208. Any significance?
...
...
Not really. But I got my papers signed, went to get my picture taken (YES! Finally new license picture. I looked like a criminal in my first license picture...), and went into the small side room to get my tests. I had four total, so no complaining about Class C driver's license tests: General Knowledge Class C, Gen. Knowledge Class B, Passenger Endorsement (so I can drive little kiddies...and people), and Air Brakes (so I know how to use air brakes. That way the little kiddies and people I drive around won't die in a crash because I know how to stop the damm thing! Yay!)
I missed like 7 on my Class B test, but got a perfect on Air Brakes--the one I studied. Hm...maybe studying does pay off...? Let's see if the lesson sticks for the upcoming school year...*cough cough*
One more week of behind the wheel training and I'll be ready to test...and to drive you peeps around. MUAHAHAHAHA!!! (why the evil laugh? I think you know the answer...*cough* *cough*)
P.S. Hm, I've been coughing a lot at the end there. I don't think I have a cold, though...
(So if you don't know what "dundundun" is, it's the ominous sound effect. So think big, dark, and ominous)
The line went a lot faster than I thought. I got the call number G208. Any significance?
...
...
Not really. But I got my papers signed, went to get my picture taken (YES! Finally new license picture. I looked like a criminal in my first license picture...), and went into the small side room to get my tests. I had four total, so no complaining about Class C driver's license tests: General Knowledge Class C, Gen. Knowledge Class B, Passenger Endorsement (so I can drive little kiddies...and people), and Air Brakes (so I know how to use air brakes. That way the little kiddies and people I drive around won't die in a crash because I know how to stop the damm thing! Yay!)
I missed like 7 on my Class B test, but got a perfect on Air Brakes--the one I studied. Hm...maybe studying does pay off...? Let's see if the lesson sticks for the upcoming school year...*cough cough*
One more week of behind the wheel training and I'll be ready to test...and to drive you peeps around. MUAHAHAHAHA!!! (why the evil laugh? I think you know the answer...*cough* *cough*)
P.S. Hm, I've been coughing a lot at the end there. I don't think I have a cold, though...
Monday, July 26, 2010
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
Because it's that AWESOME, I dedicated this whole post to it (despite all the other random interesting things happening in my life).
Yes, I'm very excited for the coming of this game. Why? I have no idea. My laptop is so crappy I can't even play the game properly on it. But if you don't know, I'm the story type of person when it comes to games (thus I like RPGs, games like Zelda, etc.). And it's been well over a decade since Starcraft first came out...followed by Brood War, which only ended in a cliffhanger of the Starcraft story.
At the end of Brood War, the main protagonist Kerrigan of the Zerg mysteriously ceases her attack on the Terran (humans exiled from Earth) despite the fact that she could have easily destroyed them all. Instead, she retreats to a infested planet.
So WHAT THE HELL, BLIZZARD? The story just kind of ends there.
But finally, FINALLY, SCii Wings of Liberty will see the beginning of Kerrigan's return. Why did she not finish the job when she could have? What will Jim Raynor, the main character of the Terran race and old friend of Kerrigan's, do about it? Will the Protoss (a psionic alien race) redeem themselves and take back their home planet from the Zerg? (questions, etc etc)
The game is coming out tomorrow. I've watched all the trailers I could find on Youtube and I have to say, everything looks epic. There even seems to be a clip from the first Starcraft game's timeline: when Kerrigan was first abandoned by her race, the Terrans (thus she ultimately became the number one evil person with the Zerg).
I know, I know, most people (like the Koreans) play SC because of it's multiplayer balance and strategy necessity. I'm excited for that too, but the lack of LAN makes it kind of hard for me on a laptop which such a terrible graphics card.
ONE MORE DAY...!
Then...Heart of the Swarm? Legacy of the Void? :D
Yes, I'm very excited for the coming of this game. Why? I have no idea. My laptop is so crappy I can't even play the game properly on it. But if you don't know, I'm the story type of person when it comes to games (thus I like RPGs, games like Zelda, etc.). And it's been well over a decade since Starcraft first came out...followed by Brood War, which only ended in a cliffhanger of the Starcraft story.
At the end of Brood War, the main protagonist Kerrigan of the Zerg mysteriously ceases her attack on the Terran (humans exiled from Earth) despite the fact that she could have easily destroyed them all. Instead, she retreats to a infested planet.
So WHAT THE HELL, BLIZZARD? The story just kind of ends there.
But finally, FINALLY, SCii Wings of Liberty will see the beginning of Kerrigan's return. Why did she not finish the job when she could have? What will Jim Raynor, the main character of the Terran race and old friend of Kerrigan's, do about it? Will the Protoss (a psionic alien race) redeem themselves and take back their home planet from the Zerg? (questions, etc etc)
The game is coming out tomorrow. I've watched all the trailers I could find on Youtube and I have to say, everything looks epic. There even seems to be a clip from the first Starcraft game's timeline: when Kerrigan was first abandoned by her race, the Terrans (thus she ultimately became the number one evil person with the Zerg).
I know, I know, most people (like the Koreans) play SC because of it's multiplayer balance and strategy necessity. I'm excited for that too, but the lack of LAN makes it kind of hard for me on a laptop which such a terrible graphics card.
ONE MORE DAY...!
Then...Heart of the Swarm? Legacy of the Void? :D
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Twilight, Questions, and Buses
Today my class and I learned about buses and air brakes and how to inspect them. Well, I now know what every single light on a Bluebird shuttle bus is for, how to inspect air brakes on a bus, and the parts of a bus engine and how to check them.
I also learned how to operate a lift and identify components of the air brake system.
But that aside, this evening I spent my time answering questions off of Yahoo Questions. One of them asked for a name for a fanfic about Jacob Black's cousin who turns into a werewolf. This reminds me of something from long ago, back in the days of me writing...
I often go to this site called babynames.com to search for character names, or find inspiration for creating original names. Well, I read one of their articles about authors naming characters (because I'm curious and I read everything). There, they had a list of posts from authors who offered to give suggestions to others who have difficulty finding names.
One of these posts was from Stephanie Meyer talking about finding romantic names for her two main characters, classy but modern enough to connect to. She settled on Edward and Isabella (Bella for short, and modernity).
Anyway, I just wanted to share a bit of random, tidbit Twilight trivia with everyone...from a distant memory. :)
I also learned how to operate a lift and identify components of the air brake system.
But that aside, this evening I spent my time answering questions off of Yahoo Questions. One of them asked for a name for a fanfic about Jacob Black's cousin who turns into a werewolf. This reminds me of something from long ago, back in the days of me writing...
I often go to this site called babynames.com to search for character names, or find inspiration for creating original names. Well, I read one of their articles about authors naming characters (because I'm curious and I read everything). There, they had a list of posts from authors who offered to give suggestions to others who have difficulty finding names.
One of these posts was from Stephanie Meyer talking about finding romantic names for her two main characters, classy but modern enough to connect to. She settled on Edward and Isabella (Bella for short, and modernity).
Anyway, I just wanted to share a bit of random, tidbit Twilight trivia with everyone...from a distant memory. :)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Where to Read Manga without Onemanga
I don't know if you know but Onemanga.com is shutting down. I know that a few of us read manga from there so I am just offering a few alternatives that I know are virus-free and pop-up free and stuff. That way we don't have to download anything and can read online.
First is www.mangastream.com by binktopia. They are a scanlating group that only does a few series but very fast and HQ. They delete old chapters that are released in the US in volume format, but for the latest chapter of Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, or a few others, you can find it here.
Second is www.mangafox.com where scanlators upload chapters themselves (Onemanga is a group of people who upload all the chapters). However, since it's a free-for-all between scanlators, the site is pretty messy and some series may have random missing chapters. It's a good place to start though.
There are a few others too that are limited. Some series you can find at the scanlator's website (you usually know who did the chapter by the title page everyone always skips over at the end or beginning). For example, Keishou scans has online viewing for their works at www.keishou.net which includes Beelzebub, Kattekyo Hitman Reborn, and several others. Most sites by scanlators themselves are safe because they want people to read stuff they've scanlated. Beware of fake scanlating groups though. www.mangaupdates.com has a legitimate and updated list of scanlating group information and websites if you're not sure. Just enter a name or a series in the search and it will tell which groups scanlate the manga, and where the group's website or IRC channel or forum is.
This is info on the vast scanlating world crammed into a nutshell. Since the closing down of MangaHelpers (translators and scanlation groups get together here), the golden age of scanlating manga ended. Onemanga leaving is only a continuation of that decline. I just want to make sure no one is getting swindled by sites that make you pay (*cough* narutofan.com bleachworld.com animeplus.com *cough*) and protect computers from online threats :)
DON'T PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT'S FREE. And sites like Narutofan don't even scanlate for themselves, they steal and profit from the work of groups that do it for the love of the series! If you pay for something, MAKE SURE IT IS TO THE ORIGINAL ARTIST AND AUTHOR WHOM WE WANT TO SUPPORT (in other words, buy the volume when it comes out)!
First is www.mangastream.com by binktopia. They are a scanlating group that only does a few series but very fast and HQ. They delete old chapters that are released in the US in volume format, but for the latest chapter of Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, or a few others, you can find it here.
Second is www.mangafox.com where scanlators upload chapters themselves (Onemanga is a group of people who upload all the chapters). However, since it's a free-for-all between scanlators, the site is pretty messy and some series may have random missing chapters. It's a good place to start though.
There are a few others too that are limited. Some series you can find at the scanlator's website (you usually know who did the chapter by the title page everyone always skips over at the end or beginning). For example, Keishou scans has online viewing for their works at www.keishou.net which includes Beelzebub, Kattekyo Hitman Reborn, and several others. Most sites by scanlators themselves are safe because they want people to read stuff they've scanlated. Beware of fake scanlating groups though. www.mangaupdates.com has a legitimate and updated list of scanlating group information and websites if you're not sure. Just enter a name or a series in the search and it will tell which groups scanlate the manga, and where the group's website or IRC channel or forum is.
This is info on the vast scanlating world crammed into a nutshell. Since the closing down of MangaHelpers (translators and scanlation groups get together here), the golden age of scanlating manga ended. Onemanga leaving is only a continuation of that decline. I just want to make sure no one is getting swindled by sites that make you pay (*cough* narutofan.com bleachworld.com animeplus.com *cough*) and protect computers from online threats :)
DON'T PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT'S FREE. And sites like Narutofan don't even scanlate for themselves, they steal and profit from the work of groups that do it for the love of the series! If you pay for something, MAKE SURE IT IS TO THE ORIGINAL ARTIST AND AUTHOR WHOM WE WANT TO SUPPORT (in other words, buy the volume when it comes out)!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Youtube
Only one thing today: What the heck is the Youtube logo change for? It says "02 days" next to it and I can see some sort of dark brown circle thing behind the "tube" of "Youtube"...
Youtube is, unfortunately, not like the google homepage that if you hold the mouse over the logo it tells you what it is, or if you click on it there is an automatic search of it.
Youtube is, unfortunately, not like the google homepage that if you hold the mouse over the logo it tells you what it is, or if you click on it there is an automatic search of it.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Beat Freaks
What happened today? I started shuttle training and learned a lot of stuff. But I'm really tired and I'm only thinking of sleep and the Beat Freaks (because I just watched some of their stuff)
I didn't know BGirl Shorty is only a year older than I am, and it's funny she calls the other members (I think Maryss) "mom" or someone else "grandma" (Lady Jules? haha)
They are so cute, all of them! I wouldn't be able to choose a favorite, honestly. I even like Al*Star and she wasn't even on ABDC (America's Best Dance Crew) with them. They are all great. Recently they've been prominently dancing in Justin Bieber's Somebody to Love music video. You can't miss them, since they are wearing Beat Freaks shirts. Only six of them are in it. I think Lady Jules and Shorty are missing...they were probably off doing other projects?
Oh yeah, and Rino is going to be a Pussycat Doll! Not that I like the group, or Nicole Scherzinger, but they are a prominent name and it will definitely get Rino even more famous...
In any case, Freak the Dream, people! :D
I didn't know BGirl Shorty is only a year older than I am, and it's funny she calls the other members (I think Maryss) "mom" or someone else "grandma" (Lady Jules? haha)
They are so cute, all of them! I wouldn't be able to choose a favorite, honestly. I even like Al*Star and she wasn't even on ABDC (America's Best Dance Crew) with them. They are all great. Recently they've been prominently dancing in Justin Bieber's Somebody to Love music video. You can't miss them, since they are wearing Beat Freaks shirts. Only six of them are in it. I think Lady Jules and Shorty are missing...they were probably off doing other projects?
Oh yeah, and Rino is going to be a Pussycat Doll! Not that I like the group, or Nicole Scherzinger, but they are a prominent name and it will definitely get Rino even more famous...
In any case, Freak the Dream, people! :D
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Updates
I've been sorta-pet sitting for my sister the last couple of days. This includes three llamas, two turtles, and a kitten from whom I now have battle scars. One of the turtles used to be mine, when he could fit in the palm of my hand...now he's huge! His name is Machiavelli Turtle, otherwise known as Mr. Turtle. The other turtle is Senor Tortuga :D
The kitten is named Kitty by my brother-in-law. Not because she's a kitten, but after Kitty Wells, the Queen of Country. I guess that means Kitty can also be called Ellen then, since Kitty Wells was born "Ellen Muriel Deason"? Who knows. This kitten is mixed and has half black face, half tabby face. Like straight down the middle. If I didn't look closely, it looks fake, because the divide is so straight...
I can't remember the llamas' names...one of them is Destiny. I just tell them apart because one of them has a black butt, one of them is completely white, and the last has a white butt but has black spots. Confused? Yeah...
I start work training tomorrow. Fun!...
Until the next time I post, then...
The kitten is named Kitty by my brother-in-law. Not because she's a kitten, but after Kitty Wells, the Queen of Country. I guess that means Kitty can also be called Ellen then, since Kitty Wells was born "Ellen Muriel Deason"? Who knows. This kitten is mixed and has half black face, half tabby face. Like straight down the middle. If I didn't look closely, it looks fake, because the divide is so straight...
I can't remember the llamas' names...one of them is Destiny. I just tell them apart because one of them has a black butt, one of them is completely white, and the last has a white butt but has black spots. Confused? Yeah...
I start work training tomorrow. Fun!...
Until the next time I post, then...
Friday, July 16, 2010
Summer Storms
Today I experienced a hot and muggy summer rain, the first of that sort I can remember. Say what you will, but I have almost no experience when it comes to vary states of weather; I grew up in a place where there was pretty much only one season year-round: a spring-ish autumn-ish place. Heck, the first time I remember seeing a thunderstorm was when I was seven years old on the other side of the country. And I have yet to see snow fall yet.
Though I did once get hit on the head by hail. Does that count?
On a random note, today I was playing Starcraft II Beta and watching Last Comic Standing. Randomly, my twin brother who is currently in a different state than I am coincidentally was doing the same thing...at the same time. Freaky, considering that SCii and Last Comic don't typically go together...
On other news that don't relate to me at all, I wonder how that super-octopus, the one that guessed all the results of the FIFA World Cup correctly, tastes like? Those Germans...anyway, congrats to Spain! Out of the top four, I figured that Spain was going to win. Yay for 25% chance guessing! (it's the secret of multiple choice tests. Except now they have the ridiculous "E" choice...20% odds...hmph.)
That's all I can think of for now....
Though I did once get hit on the head by hail. Does that count?
On a random note, today I was playing Starcraft II Beta and watching Last Comic Standing. Randomly, my twin brother who is currently in a different state than I am coincidentally was doing the same thing...at the same time. Freaky, considering that SCii and Last Comic don't typically go together...
On other news that don't relate to me at all, I wonder how that super-octopus, the one that guessed all the results of the FIFA World Cup correctly, tastes like? Those Germans...anyway, congrats to Spain! Out of the top four, I figured that Spain was going to win. Yay for 25% chance guessing! (it's the secret of multiple choice tests. Except now they have the ridiculous "E" choice...20% odds...hmph.)
That's all I can think of for now....
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Taking Over The World
I'm talking about Google, of course.
But along the lines of what else is taking over the world, there are several superpowers that are steady but not exactly making any progress in the power field:
Starbucks. Once a strong contender, now being beaten to a pulp. Not to mention there's no longer free WiFi there. Lame.
McDonalds. People know that you get fat here. And they've seem to have gone as far as they can. Unless they start taking measures to the north and south pole, they've got a wall in front of their progress.
BP Oil...?
Apple. Because now that they have come up with a phone that is everything besides a working cell phone, they have officially stopped developing useful things and should be publicly humiliated for it. Unfortunately, Apple fanatics still defend Steve Jobs and his arrogant ass. So, for now, they are not making any improvement, but not dying, either. (if you don't know what I'm talking about, see iPhone 4)
Youtube. Oh, wait. I forgot that it's also part of Google now.
This blogging site?...oh yeah, that's part of Google too...
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. 'Nuff said.
Chinese people. (If you hadn't noticed, Chinese people now make up more than 1/3 of the world's population...all the other ethnicities combined make up the 2/3!!) It doesn't matter that China has restricted the number of children born in families. They have no way of keeping track of everyone, especially out in the boonies. And China doesn't encompass ethnically Chinese people in other countries and stuff. We breedz like rabbitz!
Care to add to the list? I'm really tired and this is just a few random things that I was thinking about, and now I head off to bed...
Bye, and thanks for all the fish! -42
But along the lines of what else is taking over the world, there are several superpowers that are steady but not exactly making any progress in the power field:
Starbucks. Once a strong contender, now being beaten to a pulp. Not to mention there's no longer free WiFi there. Lame.
McDonalds. People know that you get fat here. And they've seem to have gone as far as they can. Unless they start taking measures to the north and south pole, they've got a wall in front of their progress.
BP Oil...?
Apple. Because now that they have come up with a phone that is everything besides a working cell phone, they have officially stopped developing useful things and should be publicly humiliated for it. Unfortunately, Apple fanatics still defend Steve Jobs and his arrogant ass. So, for now, they are not making any improvement, but not dying, either. (if you don't know what I'm talking about, see iPhone 4)
Youtube. Oh, wait. I forgot that it's also part of Google now.
This blogging site?...oh yeah, that's part of Google too...
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. 'Nuff said.
Chinese people. (If you hadn't noticed, Chinese people now make up more than 1/3 of the world's population...all the other ethnicities combined make up the 2/3!!) It doesn't matter that China has restricted the number of children born in families. They have no way of keeping track of everyone, especially out in the boonies. And China doesn't encompass ethnically Chinese people in other countries and stuff. We breedz like rabbitz!
Care to add to the list? I'm really tired and this is just a few random things that I was thinking about, and now I head off to bed...
Bye, and thanks for all the fish! -42
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Starcraft II and Names
I'm currently downloading a patch for the beta version of Starcraft II. It's going 1 MB a minute, 444 MB to go. Fuck Blizzard, seriously. I've been sitting here for like two hours.
It's the patch #17 (also known as 0.20.0.16036). If you know how to make it go fasterrrrr, please tell me!
And about the names: today I was filing away lots of stuff, and I had to write down a person's name while checking their birth dates. While I did this, I realized that there were a lot of names that really match up to what year or time period they were born in. Well, a lot of names are timeless, like David or something. But I noticed many Johns and Patricias are 1930's or 1950's, for example, while names like Tyreses or Avrils are 1990s generally.
Odd stuff. Can you think of any "time period" names?
It's the patch #17 (also known as 0.20.0.16036). If you know how to make it go fasterrrrr, please tell me!
And about the names: today I was filing away lots of stuff, and I had to write down a person's name while checking their birth dates. While I did this, I realized that there were a lot of names that really match up to what year or time period they were born in. Well, a lot of names are timeless, like David or something. But I noticed many Johns and Patricias are 1930's or 1950's, for example, while names like Tyreses or Avrils are 1990s generally.
Odd stuff. Can you think of any "time period" names?
Scripts and Airbenders
Seeing as how people were talking about the crappiness of The Last Airbender's script job, directing, and acting in general, I felt wholly inspired to write a script of my own that I felt would do the animated series justice. It isn't just about copying framing from the original series to make it familiar. It's about the themes and the characters.
But my movie would probably be closer to two hours or more, aimed for slightly older people (or at least kids that have a longer attention span of an hour. That's the alleged reason why the movie was cropped short). I mean come on, Harry Potter is supposedly for young adults and kids, and the movies aren't crazy short!
The downfall of the actual movie The Last Airbender is that it doesn't trust viewers enough to be able to connect with characters or understand what's going on without explicitly saying it out loud. And it also doesn't trust kids to be able to focus on a movie for very long (either that, or they already knew how terrible the movie was that they hoped to make the excruciating experience...well, a little less excruciating.)
Unfortunately though, no matter how inspired I am to write this script, a two hour movie is like at least 150 pages of writing. Like hell I'm doing that for free!
Anyway, watch the entire animated show again rather than the movie. Or at least your favorite episodes. Mine include The Runaway and all the season finales :)
But my movie would probably be closer to two hours or more, aimed for slightly older people (or at least kids that have a longer attention span of an hour. That's the alleged reason why the movie was cropped short). I mean come on, Harry Potter is supposedly for young adults and kids, and the movies aren't crazy short!
The downfall of the actual movie The Last Airbender is that it doesn't trust viewers enough to be able to connect with characters or understand what's going on without explicitly saying it out loud. And it also doesn't trust kids to be able to focus on a movie for very long (either that, or they already knew how terrible the movie was that they hoped to make the excruciating experience...well, a little less excruciating.)
Unfortunately though, no matter how inspired I am to write this script, a two hour movie is like at least 150 pages of writing. Like hell I'm doing that for free!
Anyway, watch the entire animated show again rather than the movie. Or at least your favorite episodes. Mine include The Runaway and all the season finales :)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Flags and Poles: the Rules
Today I saw a flag at half-staff. That probably means that someone recently snuffed it...
It spurred a discussion between me and one of my brother-in-laws about the rules of flags in the US, a couple of which are (in no particular order):
1. Flags must never be raised at nighttime, or else they need an external light on them.
2. Tattered flags must not be raised.
3. Don't touch the flag on the ground.
4. Half-staff (or half-mast) means that someone died, or they are commemorating someone who died.
5. The national flag must be flown higher above any other flags, such as the state flag. Thus, if there is more than one flag on the same pole, then the national flag goes on top.
6. In no situation should a flag of a different country be flown on the same pole as the national flag, nor raised higher while in the homeland.
7. If you need to dispose of a flag, boy scouts or fire departments may usually tend to that (this isn't really a rule, but it covers rules about disposing flags that I'm not sure about).
Now, this is obviously the tip of the iceberg and I've barely grazed the subject of rules concerning flags, but it does give me food for thought.
On another note, I want to see the movie Despicable Me really, really badly. It's SO CUTE LOOKING!!
P.S. Cheryl Tweedy, still sick with Malaria, cancelled her concerts and will be pulling out of being a judge on the British show, the X-factor :(
It spurred a discussion between me and one of my brother-in-laws about the rules of flags in the US, a couple of which are (in no particular order):
1. Flags must never be raised at nighttime, or else they need an external light on them.
2. Tattered flags must not be raised.
3. Don't touch the flag on the ground.
4. Half-staff (or half-mast) means that someone died, or they are commemorating someone who died.
5. The national flag must be flown higher above any other flags, such as the state flag. Thus, if there is more than one flag on the same pole, then the national flag goes on top.
6. In no situation should a flag of a different country be flown on the same pole as the national flag, nor raised higher while in the homeland.
7. If you need to dispose of a flag, boy scouts or fire departments may usually tend to that (this isn't really a rule, but it covers rules about disposing flags that I'm not sure about).
Now, this is obviously the tip of the iceberg and I've barely grazed the subject of rules concerning flags, but it does give me food for thought.
On another note, I want to see the movie Despicable Me really, really badly. It's SO CUTE LOOKING!!
P.S. Cheryl Tweedy, still sick with Malaria, cancelled her concerts and will be pulling out of being a judge on the British show, the X-factor :(
Friday, July 9, 2010
It's MY Invention!!
So I learned something new today while I signed my soul away at the Shuttle Driver Application Orientation. Let's play 2 lies 1 truth--basically that means out of the three options below, only one of them is true:
1) I am enslaved for life, destined to drive a bus at minimum wage forever.
2) I will be driving Ironhide, a Cybertronian Minibus who works with Optimus Prime, to fight against the Decepticons. I will be receiving some training on deciphering ancient Cybertronian symbols within the coming week. (shh, this is all top secret!)
3) If I discover the cure to cancer or something while I'm on the clock, it's actually not my idea: it's the University, and it belongs to the university.
...
figured it out yet?
...
I LIED all of them are true!!! (just kidding) You probably would have figured this out if you actually read the title of this post *cough cough*.
So yes, the correct option is #3. This particularly bothered me, being a writer whose head is constantly full of writing ideas, and I'm constantly jotting notes down and things like that. That means if I'm on the job and I get a great plot idea, or I come up with a darn awesome character, the University could claim it was theirs. Heck, if I was driving the bus when it hit me what the cure to cancer is, it's not my idea; it's the University's!
Sounds like a shitty clause, no? Well, the reason why it's there is apparently because of lab work. Say I found the cure to cancer using the University's resources and stuff. The University would then have claims to my findings. However, they decided it was a great idea to include this clause to ALL the people working for the university, including us poor bus drivers.
Which is bullshit, because I'd hardly call the bus legitimate resources. I'm picking up a ton of people, but not getting a single date, if you get my drift. (haha...driving puns intended!)
Where's Optimus when you need him? ...beat some sense into that clause...*mutter mutter*
1) I am enslaved for life, destined to drive a bus at minimum wage forever.
2) I will be driving Ironhide, a Cybertronian Minibus who works with Optimus Prime, to fight against the Decepticons. I will be receiving some training on deciphering ancient Cybertronian symbols within the coming week. (shh, this is all top secret!)
3) If I discover the cure to cancer or something while I'm on the clock, it's actually not my idea: it's the University, and it belongs to the university.
...
figured it out yet?
...
I LIED all of them are true!!! (just kidding) You probably would have figured this out if you actually read the title of this post *cough cough*.
So yes, the correct option is #3. This particularly bothered me, being a writer whose head is constantly full of writing ideas, and I'm constantly jotting notes down and things like that. That means if I'm on the job and I get a great plot idea, or I come up with a darn awesome character, the University could claim it was theirs. Heck, if I was driving the bus when it hit me what the cure to cancer is, it's not my idea; it's the University's!
Sounds like a shitty clause, no? Well, the reason why it's there is apparently because of lab work. Say I found the cure to cancer using the University's resources and stuff. The University would then have claims to my findings. However, they decided it was a great idea to include this clause to ALL the people working for the university, including us poor bus drivers.
Which is bullshit, because I'd hardly call the bus legitimate resources. I'm picking up a ton of people, but not getting a single date, if you get my drift. (haha...driving puns intended!)
Where's Optimus when you need him? ...beat some sense into that clause...*mutter mutter*
Thursday, July 8, 2010
BEAT Freaks
Sometimes I wish I discover these people sooner! I've been watching dance videos off the internet all yesterday and today, especially over the awesome Beat Freaks group. Comprised of eight girls, this dance crew hails from LA and competed in Season 3 of ABDC (America's Best Dance Crew).
It's really a small world out there...freaky six degrees of separation stuff how I came across these girls. I was looking at Angry Asian Man's list of 30 people under 30 and one of the entries was about the first three season winners of ABDC: Jabbawockeez, Sup3r Crew, and Quest Crew, all of which are comprised partially of Asian guys (in the case of Quest Crew, they were all AAPI).
Well, I had to go check them out. Beat Freaks was runner up behind Quest Crew, and I fell in love with them...they danced while levitating a ball. On stage. In front of people. Live. How the heck did they do that?
I'm no expert in dancing for sure, but check this out: two of the members, Rino and Maryss, are choreographers for Kpop groups!! Most recently they worked with Super Junior on their newest release, "No Other". Considering how much I love Kpop, that's SICK!
:D :D :D <3 :D :D :D
P.S. Concerning my last blog about Cheryl Tweedy, I heard she caught malaria (potentially fatal disease, people). Feel better!!
It's really a small world out there...freaky six degrees of separation stuff how I came across these girls. I was looking at Angry Asian Man's list of 30 people under 30 and one of the entries was about the first three season winners of ABDC: Jabbawockeez, Sup3r Crew, and Quest Crew, all of which are comprised partially of Asian guys (in the case of Quest Crew, they were all AAPI).
Well, I had to go check them out. Beat Freaks was runner up behind Quest Crew, and I fell in love with them...they danced while levitating a ball. On stage. In front of people. Live. How the heck did they do that?
I'm no expert in dancing for sure, but check this out: two of the members, Rino and Maryss, are choreographers for Kpop groups!! Most recently they worked with Super Junior on their newest release, "No Other". Considering how much I love Kpop, that's SICK!
:D :D :D <3 :D :D :D
P.S. Concerning my last blog about Cheryl Tweedy, I heard she caught malaria (potentially fatal disease, people). Feel better!!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
3 Words by Cheryl Tweedy and will.i.am
I'm loving this song...it's very non-traditional, but it's completely captivating. Perhaps it's because I was watching the music video the first time I heard the song, because the music video was utterly fantastic...
...okay, other than the half-naked bodies lying everywhere on the floor, it was fantastic, especially the split-screen effect that kept splitting and connecting throughout the whole piece (if you don't get it, then watch and you'll understand right away!).
Another favorite was the white-wig outfit that Cheryl Tweedy dons while she is sitting on the cylinder. It's a great look, and there's no denying that she is a very beautiful person (on the outside...I have no idea about the inside).
For those of you that are wondering, Cheryl Tweedy and Cheryl Cole are the same person, Tweedy being the maiden name. Reason why I don't use Cole because her hubby, Ashley Cole (a famous football "soccer" player in the UK) and she are getting a divorce. So it's back to Tweedy for the time being!
A link to the video:
Youtube MV - 3 Words
P.S. Shoutout to my sister 6: It's her 3rd anniversary today!
...okay, other than the half-naked bodies lying everywhere on the floor, it was fantastic, especially the split-screen effect that kept splitting and connecting throughout the whole piece (if you don't get it, then watch and you'll understand right away!).
Another favorite was the white-wig outfit that Cheryl Tweedy dons while she is sitting on the cylinder. It's a great look, and there's no denying that she is a very beautiful person (on the outside...I have no idea about the inside).
For those of you that are wondering, Cheryl Tweedy and Cheryl Cole are the same person, Tweedy being the maiden name. Reason why I don't use Cole because her hubby, Ashley Cole (a famous football "soccer" player in the UK) and she are getting a divorce. So it's back to Tweedy for the time being!
A link to the video:
Youtube MV - 3 Words
P.S. Shoutout to my sister 6: It's her 3rd anniversary today!
Forum Blue and Gold
So the other day, I was reading up some articles from yomyomf (youoffendmeyouoffendmyfamily.com) when I came across Offender Justin's May 7th post about the Arizona Suns basketball team changing their jerseys to include "Los Suns" rather than simply, "Suns" in recognition of Cinco de Mayo and the fact that...well, Arizona passed sb1070 (in other words, the Arizona law about illegal immigration).
But that's completely besides the point. The one thing that freaked me out the most was the fact that he mentions being a Lakers fan, and pointing out that the colors are forum blue and gold (not purple); being a Lakers fan myself, I was horrified that I hadn't heard of this, so I looked it up.
I came across a site that is solely dedicated to the purpose of stalking the Lakers and explaining this Forum Blue phenomenon. It talks about how Chick Hearn and Jack Kent Cooke (look 'em up if you care) had this thing going on where Cooke's favorite color was purple, but kept calling it blue, so one day someone coined the term Forum Blue for their colors (in reference to the Fabulous Forum).
So, the verdict is, Forum Blue = Purple (apparently) and I freaked out for no reason. It just goes to show that there's always something new to learn, even if you think you know it all!
links to the sites I was talking about:
yomyomf on Los Suns
Forum Blue Explanation
But that's completely besides the point. The one thing that freaked me out the most was the fact that he mentions being a Lakers fan, and pointing out that the colors are forum blue and gold (not purple); being a Lakers fan myself, I was horrified that I hadn't heard of this, so I looked it up.
I came across a site that is solely dedicated to the purpose of stalking the Lakers and explaining this Forum Blue phenomenon. It talks about how Chick Hearn and Jack Kent Cooke (look 'em up if you care) had this thing going on where Cooke's favorite color was purple, but kept calling it blue, so one day someone coined the term Forum Blue for their colors (in reference to the Fabulous Forum).
So, the verdict is, Forum Blue = Purple (apparently) and I freaked out for no reason. It just goes to show that there's always something new to learn, even if you think you know it all!
links to the sites I was talking about:
yomyomf on Los Suns
Forum Blue Explanation
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Released: The Last Airbender
This is a long post, but here goes:
What Has Been Going on in the Days Left Before the Release of the Movie, The Last Airbender?
With only a day left before the movie premiere and release across the United States, what can one expect from this movie The Last Airbender? Before we move on to the new good stuff, let's have a short recap of what has been going on surrounding this movie since it was announced over a year ago.
Based on the hit American animated television series known as Avatar: The Last Airbender (Or "The Legend of Aang" in some other countries), the movie was surrounded by fan hype the moment the news appeared that it was going to happen. Though the cartoon was aimed at a younger audience at first, it became evident that the themes and characters within the series had a depth no other Nickelodeon television series ever had, and the fan-base grew to include people and family members of all ages--including the man who was eventually announced as the director for the upcoming film: Director M. Night Shyamalan himself.
But it wasn't only the depth of the characters that captivated audiences: it was the premise, the story, and most of all, the culture that was adapted from so many Native and Asiatic cultures within the real world. Even the written language was ancient Chinese, and the names, such as "Aang" "Katara" and "Sokka", were not European names that American audiences were used to hearing on other shows such as "Hannah Montana" or "iCarly".
The movie garnered much attention when it announced it would look for relatively unknown children to act the parts of the main characters. The country was amiss with children begging and wishing to be chosen as Aang, the protagonist, or his friends Katara and Sokka. But one phrase, only five words long, destroyed everything: "Caucasian or any other ethnicity". For every main character, those five words were tacked onto the end of the casting calls. This was immediately followed by the four main characters within the first season of the show all cast as Caucasian, despite the fact that two of those characters were toned darker than most of the other characters within the same show. Fans of the TV show were literally ripped apart into two camps: movie-supporters and anti-racebenders, the term "racebending" referring to the manipulation of race in stride with how "waterbending" within the show meant manipulation of water.
But the show, or in this case the movie, must go on. With Shyamalan as the announced director, he assumed position of also writing the script. Sets within Pennsylvania were built, and plans for Shyamalan to film his first-ever movie that didn't originate from himself, and his first-ever movie to be filmed outside his home state, were made. Of course, characters and side-plots from the original series had to be weeded out, but fans could expect appearances of some characters; the character that kept a lot of fans on the edge of their seats wondering if he would make an appearance wasn't even human: Appa, Aang's six-legged flying bison, would make his presence in the movie using CG technology. Momo, Aang's pet lemur, will also appear in the movie.
A few other changes within the movie compared to the series could be noted, such as how the concept of firebending in the movie now requires most firebenders to draw from an existing source, rather than being expelled from their own spirits. This change most likely came from making special effects and the safety for actors more easy to manage. Also, the arrival of Sozin's Comet was changed from one year away to three years, probably making it easier to film three movies (each based on one season of the 3-season TV show) with growing children as actors. Otherwise, the overall premise and even the camera shots in the movie matched those within the original series.
However, the anti-racebenders and their supporters had begun to move against Paramount. Even MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans) cited concerns on Paramount's hiring practices and the image of Asian Americans that the upcoming movie would present to millions of viewers worldwide. But Paramount ignored the concerns and avoided a meeting with MANAA and anti-racebenders until the movie was already in post-production--much too late, in any case, to do anything about casting. One change was that the main villains within the first movie, and the country of their origin, were changed from Caucasian to Indian/Middle Eastern. However, because of their villainous status, this did nothing to help address MANAA's concerns about the representation of Asians in the eyes of the United States, especially since the war in the middle east was in full swing.
Shyamalan did say during an interview that he recognized all the characters within the animated series to be racially "ambiguous", stating that the ambiguity was the beauty of Asiatic animation, creating characters that anyone and everyone could relate to, despite the fact that two of the main characters were noticeably colored much darker than the others. Eventually as the movie progressed to its finishing stages, producer Frank Marshall apologized for the "mistake" for the wording of the casting, saying that it was unintentional. However, the damage had been already done and the impact was irreversible--even accidents have repercussions and consequences.
So where does that leave us? A few more days left with a fan-battle still raging on. All the trailers released have demonstrated fantastic filming and editing on the part of the makers, but contained very little actual information on the actors and their performances, especially of Aang (he is never shown with a speaking part anywhere within the trailers). This only generates more speculation on whether the acting was any good at all. Also, the fact that the actors only had two months of martial arts training for the movie led to concerns on their ability to perform, especially since the animators for the original series practiced martial arts for a longer amount of time simply to draw the actions more accurately. But all of this speculation will become evidence once the movie comes out. Anti-racebenders ask people to boycott the movie while others stay indifferent to the casting choices.
TIME Magazine recently planned to ask Shyamalan ten questions about The Last Airbender and opened an online discussion thread for suggestions from fans on what to ask. At 23 pages long with over 550 questions asked (not including deleted inappropriate questions), many of the questions surrounded the abolishing of using ancient Chinese writing in the movie, preferring a made-up writing system instead, or the change of pronunciation of some names such as "Aang", "Sokka", and "Iroh" to more match how the name would actually be pronounced in its real-life origin, since the names were Americanized in the television show. But these questions generated even more queries on why, if the names had real-life counterparts and origins, did the characters not have cultural, real-life counterparts and origins? Though most of these questions will probably not be chosen out of the hundreds asked, they linger in the minds of many people who are much conflicted about the movie.
Ultimately, how will the movie fare with its upcoming release? There is no safe bet: Prince of Persia, which had a similar racial casting controversy, turned out to be a mediocre film. Also, The Last Airbender would be pitted against the release of Eclipse, from the ever-famous (or infamous) Twilight series. However, The Last Airbender will be made in 3-D and the stunning visual effects are sure to grab anyone's attention, even if the acting may be terrible. After all, James Cameron's Avatar (which was the reason why The Last Airbender wasn't called Avatar: The Last Airbender, like it's TV show counterpart) made it big because of the visual effects, despite the lack of any deep plot.
And though the scars from this battle may run deep in the fans of the television series, hopefully the coming of a new Avatar-world television series will bring the two clashing groups together. Avatar: The Legend of Korra, anyone?
Sources:
Shyamalan's Interview
MANAA's Response
TLA Updates
Airbender International
Anti-Racebender Accounts
TIME Questions for Shyalaman
Legend of Korra
What Has Been Going on in the Days Left Before the Release of the Movie, The Last Airbender?
With only a day left before the movie premiere and release across the United States, what can one expect from this movie The Last Airbender? Before we move on to the new good stuff, let's have a short recap of what has been going on surrounding this movie since it was announced over a year ago.
Based on the hit American animated television series known as Avatar: The Last Airbender (Or "The Legend of Aang" in some other countries), the movie was surrounded by fan hype the moment the news appeared that it was going to happen. Though the cartoon was aimed at a younger audience at first, it became evident that the themes and characters within the series had a depth no other Nickelodeon television series ever had, and the fan-base grew to include people and family members of all ages--including the man who was eventually announced as the director for the upcoming film: Director M. Night Shyamalan himself.
But it wasn't only the depth of the characters that captivated audiences: it was the premise, the story, and most of all, the culture that was adapted from so many Native and Asiatic cultures within the real world. Even the written language was ancient Chinese, and the names, such as "Aang" "Katara" and "Sokka", were not European names that American audiences were used to hearing on other shows such as "Hannah Montana" or "iCarly".
The movie garnered much attention when it announced it would look for relatively unknown children to act the parts of the main characters. The country was amiss with children begging and wishing to be chosen as Aang, the protagonist, or his friends Katara and Sokka. But one phrase, only five words long, destroyed everything: "Caucasian or any other ethnicity". For every main character, those five words were tacked onto the end of the casting calls. This was immediately followed by the four main characters within the first season of the show all cast as Caucasian, despite the fact that two of those characters were toned darker than most of the other characters within the same show. Fans of the TV show were literally ripped apart into two camps: movie-supporters and anti-racebenders, the term "racebending" referring to the manipulation of race in stride with how "waterbending" within the show meant manipulation of water.
But the show, or in this case the movie, must go on. With Shyamalan as the announced director, he assumed position of also writing the script. Sets within Pennsylvania were built, and plans for Shyamalan to film his first-ever movie that didn't originate from himself, and his first-ever movie to be filmed outside his home state, were made. Of course, characters and side-plots from the original series had to be weeded out, but fans could expect appearances of some characters; the character that kept a lot of fans on the edge of their seats wondering if he would make an appearance wasn't even human: Appa, Aang's six-legged flying bison, would make his presence in the movie using CG technology. Momo, Aang's pet lemur, will also appear in the movie.
A few other changes within the movie compared to the series could be noted, such as how the concept of firebending in the movie now requires most firebenders to draw from an existing source, rather than being expelled from their own spirits. This change most likely came from making special effects and the safety for actors more easy to manage. Also, the arrival of Sozin's Comet was changed from one year away to three years, probably making it easier to film three movies (each based on one season of the 3-season TV show) with growing children as actors. Otherwise, the overall premise and even the camera shots in the movie matched those within the original series.
However, the anti-racebenders and their supporters had begun to move against Paramount. Even MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans) cited concerns on Paramount's hiring practices and the image of Asian Americans that the upcoming movie would present to millions of viewers worldwide. But Paramount ignored the concerns and avoided a meeting with MANAA and anti-racebenders until the movie was already in post-production--much too late, in any case, to do anything about casting. One change was that the main villains within the first movie, and the country of their origin, were changed from Caucasian to Indian/Middle Eastern. However, because of their villainous status, this did nothing to help address MANAA's concerns about the representation of Asians in the eyes of the United States, especially since the war in the middle east was in full swing.
Shyamalan did say during an interview that he recognized all the characters within the animated series to be racially "ambiguous", stating that the ambiguity was the beauty of Asiatic animation, creating characters that anyone and everyone could relate to, despite the fact that two of the main characters were noticeably colored much darker than the others. Eventually as the movie progressed to its finishing stages, producer Frank Marshall apologized for the "mistake" for the wording of the casting, saying that it was unintentional. However, the damage had been already done and the impact was irreversible--even accidents have repercussions and consequences.
So where does that leave us? A few more days left with a fan-battle still raging on. All the trailers released have demonstrated fantastic filming and editing on the part of the makers, but contained very little actual information on the actors and their performances, especially of Aang (he is never shown with a speaking part anywhere within the trailers). This only generates more speculation on whether the acting was any good at all. Also, the fact that the actors only had two months of martial arts training for the movie led to concerns on their ability to perform, especially since the animators for the original series practiced martial arts for a longer amount of time simply to draw the actions more accurately. But all of this speculation will become evidence once the movie comes out. Anti-racebenders ask people to boycott the movie while others stay indifferent to the casting choices.
TIME Magazine recently planned to ask Shyamalan ten questions about The Last Airbender and opened an online discussion thread for suggestions from fans on what to ask. At 23 pages long with over 550 questions asked (not including deleted inappropriate questions), many of the questions surrounded the abolishing of using ancient Chinese writing in the movie, preferring a made-up writing system instead, or the change of pronunciation of some names such as "Aang", "Sokka", and "Iroh" to more match how the name would actually be pronounced in its real-life origin, since the names were Americanized in the television show. But these questions generated even more queries on why, if the names had real-life counterparts and origins, did the characters not have cultural, real-life counterparts and origins? Though most of these questions will probably not be chosen out of the hundreds asked, they linger in the minds of many people who are much conflicted about the movie.
Ultimately, how will the movie fare with its upcoming release? There is no safe bet: Prince of Persia, which had a similar racial casting controversy, turned out to be a mediocre film. Also, The Last Airbender would be pitted against the release of Eclipse, from the ever-famous (or infamous) Twilight series. However, The Last Airbender will be made in 3-D and the stunning visual effects are sure to grab anyone's attention, even if the acting may be terrible. After all, James Cameron's Avatar (which was the reason why The Last Airbender wasn't called Avatar: The Last Airbender, like it's TV show counterpart) made it big because of the visual effects, despite the lack of any deep plot.
And though the scars from this battle may run deep in the fans of the television series, hopefully the coming of a new Avatar-world television series will bring the two clashing groups together. Avatar: The Legend of Korra, anyone?
Sources:
Shyamalan's Interview
MANAA's Response
TLA Updates
Airbender International
Anti-Racebender Accounts
TIME Questions for Shyalaman
Legend of Korra
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Ahhh I forgot...
I forgot that I had a blog. It sits here, obediently waiting for its mistress to come and play with it. I didn't do a very good job of caring for this creature, did I?
I guess this is the beginning of a transition towards life outside of school; that is, not living with other family members and not living in a school dormitory. Today my fellow apartment-mates and I started to move in. Compared to the model we had seen of our place, however, my quarters are a lot smaller than what I had expected. We also have to deal with an extra door that takes up wall space that could have been used to leave a desk at or something.
How inconvenient, to say the least.
I also still have to finish my 12-page final paper. It's 12-pages min., unfortunately, not max. Like always, I am procrastinating by looking at cute pictures of babies that are related to me (hint: my sisters' children), talking to random people, and now, posting this extraneous blog of a mundane day.
One upside is that I got to see my sister, who kindly helped me move my things. Thank you, sister! She also got to meet my friend's mother. My sister commented on how the mother-daughter pair look so much alike!
I'd better get back to work now.
I guess this is the beginning of a transition towards life outside of school; that is, not living with other family members and not living in a school dormitory. Today my fellow apartment-mates and I started to move in. Compared to the model we had seen of our place, however, my quarters are a lot smaller than what I had expected. We also have to deal with an extra door that takes up wall space that could have been used to leave a desk at or something.
How inconvenient, to say the least.
I also still have to finish my 12-page final paper. It's 12-pages min., unfortunately, not max. Like always, I am procrastinating by looking at cute pictures of babies that are related to me (hint: my sisters' children), talking to random people, and now, posting this extraneous blog of a mundane day.
One upside is that I got to see my sister, who kindly helped me move my things. Thank you, sister! She also got to meet my friend's mother. My sister commented on how the mother-daughter pair look so much alike!
I'd better get back to work now.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Because People Told Me To.
BPTMT: Thus, the birth of this blog was ensured.
What do I have to talk about? I have no idea.
Will it be interesting? You tell me.
I wanted to make it the KAT Box, but it was taken, so here is Kit KAT box. It should be fine either way, right?
ring ring (call me....)
What do I have to talk about? I have no idea.
Will it be interesting? You tell me.
I wanted to make it the KAT Box, but it was taken, so here is Kit KAT box. It should be fine either way, right?
ring ring (call me....)
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