In Complete Disorganization

The Holiday Season is Upon Us?

2011-11-13T10:05:00.001-08:00

When I hear people complaining about how shopping can be so exhausting, there's usually some bit of eye-rolling involved.
Well, until I decided to take my own cousins on some errand-running, anyway.

"I'm thirsty. I want something to drink!"
"Why can't we sit down?" (Me: "You just sat down...three minutes ago!")
"No, I can't finish it. BUT I WANT A RED ICEE!!"
"But I want something HOT!"
"But she got to hold the umbrella LAST TIME! It's MY TURN TO HOLD YOUR UMBRELLA!!"
"SHE MADE ME RUN UP THE SLIPPERY STAIRS. IT'S HER FAULT!!!"

...yeah, there you have it--recaps from yesterday's attempt to find my dad a scarf that I've lost by looking in five different stores. That was exhausting, keeping a seven-year-old and an eleven-year-old entertained and satisfied with running around with me in the first place!

So that's why I'm going to just stock up on all my crafting supplies this week and avoid that thing with the lights and the sales called "the mall."

Since Christmas and me? Yeah, we've got a love-hate relationship thing going on.
But it's mainly since Christmas decided to start hanging out with Shopping Season and her cohorts, Discounts and Limited Edition [insert item here].

It's a horrible place during the holidays. People fighting over parking spots. Traffic jams as you pull out. Expensive cars that are just waiting for you to open your doors to scratch them. Whiny children who should be left at home, pacified by some digital device.

Don't get me wrong, I love listening to carolers who may be roaming around said public shopping center. I love the sparkles and ribbons and whatnot that show extra effort being put into making holiday cheer...cheerful.
It's just that crowds and the pressure to buy will just make me more stressed out than I should be.

Especially when Christmas is supposed to be enjoying the stuff you already have--friends, family, a life...
(It's an extension of Thanksgiving! But without American football, I guess. And if you're lucky, you get snow! (:)

If you see me at a shopping center, I will be the guy meditating amongst the mannequins. Or knitting on a comfy chair while watching you running frantically towards the cashier with that last cashmere sweater.

So yes! Here's to preparations for BUY NOTHING MONTH!
Here's to an attempt to take the "hate" out of my love-hate relationship with Christmas!

Well, okay, it's going to be a "BUY (almost) NOTHING MONTH!" I will be buying me a hot cup o' tea or a cookie as I'm hanging out at some coffee shop to avoid having the recipient of my gifts finding out what I'm making for him/her/hir/variations of said pronouns. I'm probably going to be buying the person who accompanies me for tea as I knit something to drink/eat as well? I just hope I've gotten enough materials stocked up to do everything this year. That's why I should allow myself to buy "raw materials". Hm.

I'll make it through this!

Some additional thoughts: No, online shopping will be just as bad. Especially if it involves time limits on bidding, limited amounts on hand, or...yeah, eighty-five percent-handmade Christmas here I come! :D
...and I'll allow myself to purchase books for people. Maybe. No, wait, that's the easy way out. I can't allow myself that!!
...heh, BUY (almost) NOTHING MONTH. (:

Rambly Rants: That's What I'm Good At. I think.

2011-07-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

Hey you. Yeah you.
You make me disgusted.

But don't worry, I disgust me, too.

See, I'm just all bothered by how...reliant we've become as consumers.
Many wake up to a cup of coffee each day, or head down to their local Starbucks for a cup. And hey, sometimes we can't just have one--no, with our anxieties filling up our minds each night, we can't sleep, after all...so we wake up the next morning like the zombies we are. And if it isn't caffeine, it might just be some sort of drug to induce sleep or a sense of happiness...or something else? Haah. Playing with the chemicals in our brains, aren't we so clever now? We become dependent upon it, blaming the lack of it to our inability to fit into what life gives us. Since everyone i a little bit anxious. Or if it isn't some form of anxiety, it's always some sort of distraction--particularly some electronic diversion, most likely meant to quell our anxiety. We nosh our brains on TV, video games, YouTube videos until the sun rises, at times, trying to be caught up to the latest episode of what's hot in our circle of friends.

And speaking of a "circle of friends," we're always wondering what they're up to, checking Facebook and Twitter every hour or so. When Twitter goes down, people are on Facebook complaining that Twitter is down (if they have a Twitter account)...and if Facebook is broken, people will Tweet it.

Oh, right. Anxiety issues. I'm sorry, I'm just overwhelmed by what life is like in this era a bit too much to focus on anything. Or perhaps it's the short attention span that's developed when you've got ads pummeling into you left and right. Hopefully they'll keep my good old paper books ad-free...oh, well, they're probably going to include some form of product placement, huh? What was I talking about again? Yes, right. Anxiety. And how it stems from us being overwhelmed when it shouldn't be about us being overwhelmed.

(I'm one to speak about anxiety, huh. That'll be for another blog post. I'm tired of being anxious and stuff. Perhaps this "hating the world" thing might be good for something.)

Don't get me started on the consumerism bit.
I dunno, I've just got this feeling that by the time that we're three, we'd probably be able to recognise popular brands even before we know how to subtract or read properly.
And we're force-fed this...ideal...that we ACTUALLY WANT STUFF (that we particularly don't need).

Take your "luxury brands"--a Louis Vuitton purse is just...a purse. That's all. But hey, there are some people out there who'd spend their whole month's salary on one. And there's that thing with technology--always bringing you the latest innovation every three to eight months or so, so that way you can save up just enough to buy the latest gizmo, huh? And join the masses in waiting in line for that thingimajig that will differentiate yourself from the masses...why yes, I'm looking at you, Apple.

And with these products, there's no ounce of self-reliance in them. Did you break your Apple computer? Hey, well, you can shell out some cash and get them fixed at the Apple Store! No biggie! Oh, what's that? You're fine with fixing it yourself? Go ahead, but they've got those special screws on 'em so that way you don't hurt yourself and VOID YOUR WARRANTY. What about those expensive shoes with the broken heels? Eh, throw 'em out and buy a new one instead of repairing them, yes?

We've just become a wasteful society. People are not shopping for durability anymore because the corporations don't see any profitability in durability, huh? I mean, we're replacing phones every two years rather than trying to use the same one for a decade. Even a simple pen shell gets thrown out because the ink cartridge inside is non-refillable! Imagine how much waste we produce every year, just our country alone.

And for that, I might consider shopping around for some quality boots or dress shoes that could last me for at least a decade at some secondhand shop. Since really, we're just advocating for more people (most likely overseas) to break their backs and churn out a ton of goods that would end up not benefiting our landfills (or their livelihoods) in the end.

I mean, let's face it. Most of the stuff we've got has that "Made in China" stamp on it somewhere. And from what I've heard, the factory conditions there are horrible. Why are we still supporting them?
Oh, that's right. It's a lot cheaper than the thing that says "Made in USA."

Or perhaps it's just me and my imaginary world I live in.

Sorry, I'm just kinda notsohappy with society at the moment. (I'M IN DESPAIR.)
Maybe I'll go do something about it.
Miss Delilah Black, if you are reading this, I blame you for name-dropping that magazine.

2011-07-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

That, up there, is not some blob that may look like the close-up of a sleeping hairless rodent.
That is what I pulled from the hairless part of my foot--a hair.
I have no clue whose hair it is. But it was kinda scary, since it felt as if there was a shard of glass or something that was embedded in my foot this morning during Research. And seeing how often I use glassware, I couldn't help but wonder if I broke something without realising it...and I was even more confounded when I removed my shoe and felt around for some other foreign body.
...and the I stumbled upon this site. And absent-mindedly rubbed the affected area until the hair was dislodged.
It was only a centimeter long, but half of it was in my foot.

But hey, that wasn't as scary as what went on today while in the lab.

I nearly killed everyone in the room (and potentially the neighbouring bays). But perhaps I'm just over-dramatizing stuff.
See, I was being stupid when it came to the high-vac. The high-vacuum sucks stuff in. Leaving a line open to air...well, that means that air gets sucked in. What's in air? Nitrogen...and...oxygen.
Now, the solvent trap is cooled by liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen cools stuff down waaaaaaaaaaay below -78°C (195K). It's like, -196°C (77K) or less, perhaps. Oxygen becomes liquified at 54.36K, and is a very pale blue liquid.

It's also quite explosive.

Okay, nothing happened, aside from me breaking the FAIRLY EXPENSIVE VACUUM PUMP (which I hope to learn how to take apart and put together, fixing it up-and-stuff)...
But there was some liquid that was in the solvent trap. I couldn't tell what colour it was, since frost covered it with a nice white blanket...but yeah.
It was probably liquified argon, since it has a higher melting point (83.80K), and seems colourless...
Might have been a noble, inert gas, but my negligence could've been paired with the highly reactive-with-organic-materials oxygen. And uh, KA-BLAM.

Here, I'm reminded of how Dr. Edwards, my general chemistry lab professor, said something about cold traps...and how she was wary of having undergrads working with them.
I think she was referring to this.

I am a stupid undergrad.
And it's times like these which make me realise how lucky I am to be alive.

Moral of the story: Remember to close the high-vac to air. And shut it off before you leave.

Other musings of the day: Some waiter-guy asked me if I was a girl or a guy. I responded that I don't believe in the gender binary, and I can be both if I'd like, or play around with people's gender expectations and identify as one or the other. I better get used to the confused looks.
I dunno. I'm one of those weird ones who would like to identify as "male," but can't really pass as what society considers to be "male." So I saddle myself with the "genderqueer" label as a stepping-stone of transitioning.
Since, y'know, there'd always be the jerkwad who'd quip, "No. You're not male. You've got different plumbing...underneath," "You're too pretty to be a man," "You've got long hair. You must be a chick," or call me by my female name. I'm tired of hearing that.
(Yeah, sure. I'm not like most other dudes...underneath. No, I'm not pretty. Stop calling me pretty. I want to be handsome or not pretty at all. Sure, I've got long hair. There are men out there with longer hair than mine...)
Though I do realise that the people who I would insist on calling me "Aidan" are those who I somewhat care about...more than others (: The fact that I even decided to introduce myself as "Aidan" shows that I'm somewhat comfortable with that person knowing who I really am.
(Since I will have a tendency to go by my original name to prevent confusion on days when I'm feeling shy...and stuff...which are most days. I guess it really does have to do with the fact that I can't pass yet--I'm still so...girly-looking.)
I dunno. Hearing my eight-year-old cousin call me "Aidan" while my second cousins were over made me happy that she was all right with me going by a different name, albeit temporarily.
(My excuse? Well, the names of my second cousins all start with "D,"...and so does the name that most people know me by. And, well, it gets even more confusing when the name that most people know me by sounds like their names...)
I just need to have the extra courage to say, "Hey you. Yeah, you. My name is Aidan. Okay? Aay-din. Not that other frilly princess-ey name that I don't see myself in." instead of just introducing myself as "Aidan" to a handful of people.
Since I don't feel comfortable with my original name.
Sure, it's only just a name. We could have been assigned numbers after all (that may have been a better choice, haha).

Sigh.
It all sounds so much better in my head, these rambles.

Serendipity

2011-07-02T21:26:00.001-07:00

So I spent 10+ hours in LA, particularly the LACC for Anime Expo. Particularly in 402AB for a Settlers of Catan tournament.

It was packed. Well, not-so-much the tournament (as there were only 12 of us in the beginning, with a handful of additions later on after the Basket Debacle had been resolved)...but the convention center itself.

And it just amazes me how anime and manga can bring so many types of people together...and how the Internet facilitates this.

It even amazes me more when I see con-goers who are not teenagers or bachelors/bachelorettes with disposable incomes. In the tournament, I met this man who seemed like he was at least in his sixties...and yet, there he was, playing Catan! He was new to the game, but not so much with gaming, having told me about the days when there'd be games in chatrooms (or that's what it seems like...I'm having flashbacks to my days of playing trivia games in an MSN chatroom...and then a mental picture of him playing an MMORPG or some online FPS, haha). "Mad Moves" he was called, and he was the type to respond to excessive swearing and/or sore seriousness with random lyrics from really old songs (: As he said, people may have taken the game seriously, but he was there to keep it fun.

Naw, I don't think I was taking the game too seriously. Perhaps in the beginning, yes...but then I ended up trying to lighten the mood.

(Since my tactics weren't working.)

Anyway, some random guy I met on the Metro started talking to me about life. And I realized why I had a losing streak today--it was because I was planning, but NOT anticipating.

He also made me think about how the media has scared us into trusting no one, and how people are just not aware of other people like they used to be.

And how dammit, I should have the balls to ask her out in person (: Rather than mind my time and let some other guy (or girl...or human...or alien) get to her first (:

Elbow Grease and...Grease Grease

2011-06-30T18:51:00.001-07:00

Check it out. I set up my own double manifold today. There just needs to be a vacuum pump attached, and I'll be set to start doing stuff.
I feel accomplished.
Lab work is cathartic. Kinda.

Humans are like proteins

2011-06-29T11:07:00.001-07:00

They may get spliced or denatured in some way. Some can renature and carry on. Others may need some assistance from other (chaperone) proteins...

Side note: I don't know how I feel about being aware of those windows in the Contemporary Arts building being able to swing out...

2011-06-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, the two Anons that decided to mark "LOL" in response to my last post? Yeah. Sure. I guess that was funny. My problems are usually pretty funny, huh?

Well, at least I know there are two people who've seen that pathetic excuse of a blog post.

I'm just not happy with life.

I'm seriously not accustomed to talking to people--all my life, I've been used to dining alone, keeping my own company...that kind of stuff.
Even when dining with my parents, it'd usually be silent. We'd just...eat.

That's probably why I talk to myself so often, to the point that there's a voice in my head that'll answer back with stuff I ought to do.
(He is my conscience, in charge of making sure I don't do stupid things. I think he sounds like Stephen Fry. I kinda expected the "shoulder angel" treatment, though. I guess I'm not mad enough for it. Not yet?)

And it's making me sad.
The whole bit about "coming into the world alone" and then "dying alone" is being hit home now.

When it comes to "hanging out," I can't help but just freeze up. Get tongue-tied. Be silent.
It's the same with interacting over the phone...or over the Internet.
(That's probably the real reason behind my delay in answering your messages...and my use of gestures for emphasis...or how I favour "talking" via alphanumeric characters. I'm not used to verbally talking to other people.)

When it comes to meeting new people, it's not too much different.

But yet, I want to be able to be a normal person. Sometimes, I wish I could just like...normal, mainstream stuff...or know more of that 'normal, mainstream' stuff and fit in better, I guess.
Funny, huh?

The voice in my head tells me I need to get a life. I guess that's true, huh?

Problem is, I never really knew what "Life" is.
I never really "lived."
I just exist. And float around. Meeting people but never being able to really know them.

Y'know, I'd like to just leave. And never come back. No one will miss me.
I've been here for too long.
It's getting to me.

But where do I go? Where do I want to go? To where I'd belong?
Where the hell is that?

Aidan, you'll just think your way out of this stupid funk of yours or else. Be positive. And get some sleep. You've got other things to think about during lunch. And stop being so damn depressing all the time. It's no wonder why everyone hates you--you think those stupid morbid thoughts of yours...and everything is just about you. Have some fucking consideration of others, will you? And no, it's not just holding out the door for people and awkwardly asking little old ladies whether or not they'd like you to carry their grocery bags for them.
It's so much more than that.
No one cares about you and how you feel about your stupid classes, Aidan.
They care about what you contribute to the whole. What that "whole" is, I don't know. But you can think about it some more during your solitary lunches or something.

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

2011-06-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

I've got so many posts saved as "Drafts." This might as well be another one of them.

I know, for a fact, that I've never belonged anywhere. And that hasn't really bothered me much...until recently, for some reason.
So now I'm pouring out my tears in the form of alphanumeric characters. Fantastic.

Perhaps it's just because I want to be loved? But so many people say "I love you," but don't really mean it. And y'know, people come and go, like they do. Eventually, everyone leaves. I don't really believe in "love" anymore.

Perhaps it's just how I WANT to know where I fit in in this web of Life? People already expect us college students to know what career we'd want to take on much too soon. I'm still wandering around, trying to find what I'd enjoy doing the most...and getting nowhere with anything.

Perhaps it's because I feel like I'm behind on Life itself?

The Internet helps with that feeling quite a bit, showcasing child prodigies...or your acquaintances having fun together...or what everyone else seems to be doing without you...
There's nothing in my life I'm actually, truly proud of.

Thanks, Internet.
I think I'm going to quit you for a while...or at least Facebook, anyway...

Perhaps it's time I adopt the hikikomori lifestyle. I mean, I'm already on my way to it...might as well take the leap, yes?
Or perhaps I've just got some sort of avoidant personality disorder. But blaming my problems on a disorder is kind of like...cheating.

Yeah, it's kinda late, Aidan. Go to bed. You'll eventually feel better.

Peet's

2011-05-07T10:57:00.001-07:00

Reasons why I love Peet's:
1. Soothing classical music
2. Available table/sitting spaces
3. Awesome coffee and teas
4. Awesome baristas!
5. Great pastries (:

This Fortune Cookie Assumes...

2011-02-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

...that I'm not dining with Loudon's Organic Chemistry, Fifth Edition and several origami bunnies (:

Tome of Chemistry-ing

2011-02-04T11:43:00.001-08:00

I finally own one of these (:

"She blinded me...WITH SCIENCE."

2011-01-26T18:02:00.001-08:00

"I know a pretty rave girl, I gave my heart to her."
...Oonce ooonce oonce ooonce...RAVE IN TEH LAB.

BUNNIES.

2011-01-19T19:21:00.001-08:00

...I'm adding to the rabbit/bunny population at UCI.

YOU ARE UNDER SURVEILLANCE

2011-01-11T10:26:00.001-08:00

Found this sticker on a pillar near HOB2. Decided to steal it to see if there WERE any hidden cameras watching, any corporate ninjas who would chase me down for the removal of this sticker. Or perhaps I was a part of the plan to keep the masses ignorant. (Oops.)
Well, here I am, pasting it on my notebook aand taking pictures of it and posting it on the intert00bz in a remote corner of Cyberspace that no one will ever bother to check...
...Right?

Home Away From Home

2011-01-03T14:27:00.001-08:00

...there should just be a sign there that says "Artemis Cross: Science Library Frequenter" on this laptop station-place.
I mean, a good chunk of my time that I'm on-campus is spent here. At this desk-thingy.
Perhaps I should talk The Powers That Be into allowing me to have a mini-fridge and a stove for a tea kettle.

A Letter To Santa

2010-12-13T22:13:00.000-08:00

☼

Dear Santa,
I'm still pretty convinced that you're some sort of non-human entity. In fact, watching five seasons of Doctor Who over the summer has convinced me that you are some sort of "Time Lord," and little Amelia Pond was not at all wrong when she asked you for help with that crack in that wall of hers.
And y'know, I haven't had the opportunity to thank you for all of those gifts you've delivered over all of these years.
(You are kind of like the Doctor in that sense, huh? He saves the world without a thank-you...and you probably deliver all of these toys and whatnots to the little children without anything in return. Hm.)

This year, forget what I said about all of those material goods (:
All I want for Christmas is to be an awesome role model.

That's all.

I want my cousins to be proud of what I do, even if they're slightly uncomfortable with how I dress, or if they hate at how I will yell at them to pick their dolls up.
I want to inspire people who are younger than me not to be like me. They should attempt to beat me.
I want to know what I'm helping make this society a bit better in my own way.

I hope that's not too much to ask.

The Aftermath

2010-12-07T17:13:00.001-08:00

I've been here since 0813. It's now 1716eesh as I'm thumbing this out. I will go down kicking and screaming, Organic Chemistry.
...KICKING AND SCREAMING.
That is all.

Time for Tea!!

2010-12-07T11:50:00.001-08:00

Thankies again, Miss Amanda!!!! :D

A Pencil! A Pencil! My Kingdom For a Pencil!

2010-12-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

...my Arch-Nemesis, Sir Dwaggy, has done the unspeakable.
In supplying me with two dozen pencils, he's laced the packs with GRAPHITELESS PENCILS.
(!!!)
In other news, it's good to be Santa's elf (: You get cookies!
(Thankee, Miss Amanda! You make EXCELLENT cookies!! <3)

BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF

2010-11-29T07:40:00.001-08:00

FROST. In Orange County. On my rear window. Wow.

Diagonal Crossing Permitted

2010-11-25T13:12:00.001-08:00

Diagonal crossing is SO COOL.

This is not trash.

2010-11-22T18:16:00.001-08:00

It is PRETTY TRASH.
Also, mugs at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. That's not filled with alcohol. (The Arch-Nemesis is drinking chai straight-up.)
(This is intended to be a test to see if MULTIPLE PICTURES could be posted via e-mail...via phone e-mail, anyway.)

Sym-Bionic Titan

2010-11-19T19:34:00.000-08:00

So I've seen ten episodes of Sym-Bionic Titan. That's halfway through what Cartoon Network has lined up, according to Wikipedia.
I'm actually pretty impressed by it.

It's a nice fusion between the Japanese-flavored mecha anime series and the more "flattened" western art, without having it imitate the mecha genre word-for-word.

I admit, this is what I look forward to every Friday--I like finding out what the "Baddie of the Week" is; I like seeing the transformation sequence (: It's that predictability that probably appeals to many, huh?

But I also like how there's the little details added--like how this week's episode ("Lessons in Love") gave us a view of just where exactly the three live.
(Aha, the "Promenade"...I wondered if that was based on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade? Or...well...hey, at least we're reminded that there is a coast.)
...or how Ilana and Lance go to that one "Alien Death Hammer" show (:
...or how we're given a glimpse into Lance's background as an orphan who goes to a military school.
(Ender's Game much? (:)

Though there are things that I wish could be included--like more background on Ilana.
Just how do the people view her, exactly?
We've got a lot on Lance already (probably to attract the female demographic out there, aha)...there really should be more stuff about Ilana...it's only fair, right? (:

TARDIS Self-Destruct Device

2010-11-18T14:46:00.001-08:00

Er, well...Tea time (:
(At Peet's Coffee and Tea. This place is pretty awesome with its star-shaped Linzer cookies! ack, wait, no...there are NO SUCH THINGS AS STARS.)

This post goes KA-TEST!!

2010-11-15T20:25:00.001-08:00

Tiffany got me this today (: Maaaaany thanks!

(Sprint still doesn't recognise shortcodes. Meh.)

The Political Process

2010-11-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

☼
One of my pet peeves: People who deem the government to be "sucky" when they themselves have the right to vote, but choose not to use it.
Why?
They've passed up the chance to make a difference in how their government is made.

Sure, it seems all politicians are the same--they seem to be your stereotypical TV ones that only care about getting their names to that "Household" status just to get votes. It's all very humourously sickening, yes...when it goes that far... But hey, they are to represent YOUR views on how the government should be run.
I came to the polls this morning knowing that none of the candidates that I supported would win. Why? They're not a part of your well-funded Republican or Democratic parties.

But yet, I voted anyway. That counts for something--the acknowledgement (even if it's a machine, even if it's just a teeny number) that I have made the effort to figure out what's going on in my world, and how I'd like to change it.

We're pretty lucky--we've got the privilege of voting.
No, it's not a right in other places of the world, where voters could be intimidated into not voting the way they'd want to. Heck, there may be the ability to vote, but, is it really voting when you've only one option?

Don't take the vote for granted. Be thankful that there are attempts made to make sure that each voter can cast his/her vote as he/she wants it, even if it may be unfair to a group (like Prop. 8). Be glad that there are measures taken to make sure that the process isn't tainted with bias--with incited supporters of a certain measure or a certain candidate camping outside the polling place and harassing people.

And if you don't want to use the privilege of voting, that's fine. Just be sure to not complain about nor blame anyone for how your government turns out but yourself.
You never voted, after all. Even when you were given the chance to.
----

I've heard via the Twitterstream that that one Prop. 19--intended to legalise cannibis--was rejected.
This was expected.
While marijuana is nothing like tobacco nor alcohol, it's just...annoying to see how this is a "stronger" version all of those other attempts to regulate the latter two. I mean, we had Prohibition in the 20s with alcohol...which was eventually re-legalised, and there have been attempts to regulate cigarette ads.
We're dealing with something that has been illegally acquired through the exploitation of the already-established system that's intended to benefit the ill.
(Don't think that I'm sheltered enough not to see those ads on CL that talk about cards being carried.)

I'm in the boat that would not like to see marijuana legalised for the fear that it'd get abused more easily. But yet, it should be legalised so that there's an easier method to control how the substance is passed around.
(Not to mention, it'd be a source of income for a cash-strapped state.)
Granted, I would like to see more about the consequences for crimes where marijuana is involved--e.g., the guarantee that someone who was driving under the influence of cannabis would be accordingly handled...not just the language saying that "this is just a DUI" because it's just like any other drug.
(Also granted: I don't know how alcohol-related incidents are handled.

And it'd make me feel better if the Proposition could emphasize where (and possibly when) it is legal to smoke marijuana, as I would not like to be exposed to smoke at all (not to sound so uptight. My body is a temple sans incense.) ...

Goals, Part II

2010-10-19T00:32:00.000-07:00

☁
(Part II of many, that is. So the numbering is off. Also, it is late by my standards. I am posting deliriously.)
1. Make a theremin.
2. Learn how to play the theremin.
3. Learn how to play the Doctor Who theme on the theremin.
4. Start performing in a theremin ensamble known as "Two Dudes and a Theremin"...or perhaps "Tera-Bad"
5. Shout "We are...TERA-BAD!!!" (We're so bad that we're good. Yes.)

6. Find love.

Aren't You a Little Too Old To Be Watching THAT?

2010-10-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

☁

Why yes. Yes, I am.
And frankly, I don't care (: This is my opportunity to bond with my younger cousins, since I've failed to actually make 'em fall in love with books.
(It's also quality crafting time!)

Yes, I watch Phineas and Ferb--a show that I'm a teensy-bit disappointed in, since I'd expected Doctor Who references to be found there, even if the target audience wouldn't be able to pick up on them.

Yes, I'm still keeping up with Total Drama World Tour. This is another series that I expected to have Doctor Who references...well, in the London episode, anyhow...
...I really like the idea of turning your mundane reality TV series (which I have scoffed at over the years, starting with Survivor) and then throwing cartoony elements at it until it becomes a parody of the various squabbles that happen when you throw a bunch of strangers together in the same room who want...well...money!
(My picks for the Final Three are: Heather, Sierra, and Alejandro...only since I realise that Alejandro would still stick around with his scheming, and Sierra's pumped up for some sort of revenge...and well, Heather is Heather. I'll admit now that I was devastated when Izzy left. Oh, and Annick Obonsawin's voice is cute.)

Yes, I DO watch that one new Scooby-Doo! re-invention--Mystery Incorporated. I really still don't like the whole attempt to pair up the Gang, but I do like the idea that there was a former group of kids who did what the Gang did, and the whole thing about history repeating itself. Also, "Crystal Cove" sounds so much better than "Coolsville," in my opinion. (And aha at Mrs. Dinkley for trying to profit from the various spooky happenings that seem to just gravitate towards the town.)
(Also, Velma's character design is cute.)

(I <3 girls in glasses.)

YES, I DO WATCH Sym-Bionic Titan! I jumped onto the bandwagon roughly a week ago because I heard that a) this is a Gennedy Tartakovsky creation, and b) Tara Strong was voicing a female lead. I like the character designs, and the rendering of cars, mechas, and other whatnots (:
..."Roar of the White Dragon" encouraged me to get back into racing games.

And yes, I'm getting into Tower Prep. It makes me think of X-men meets Harry Potter meets something from Doctor Who meets Ender's Game. The "powers" these students possess are mundane enough to be interesting...I mean, come on! A guy with an ability to talk his way out of anything?
I would like to see more.
(And know what "CJ" stands for.)

TV is rotting my brain away.
But hey, I'll have material for potential D&D adventures?

Failure.

2010-10-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,
I can't keep away from Facebook.
It's how (mostly) everyone keeps in the loop.
CURSE YOU ~~PERRY THE PLATYPUS~~ SOCIAL NETWORKING.

That is all.

No, wait.
That is NOT all.

I limited myself to having no friends on Facebook, and I'm only allowed on it three times a week.
There. Distraction be gone.
This was written in XX-point font to remind myself of my own shortcomings, Future Me.

The Great Facebook Challenge

2010-09-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

☼
So long and thanks for all the fish.
Kinda.

Artemis Cross of Facebook is now dead. Temporarily, anyhow.
See, I'm bed-ridden for some 14 hours because of some seasonal illness. And a good chunk of my 14 hours became Facebook-checking hours.

That's pitiful.
That's so...narcissicistic.
That's so...AGHPATHETIC.

And that's why I decided to deactivate my FB again.
It's for my own good.

See, I suck at socializing. I really, really, really do.
I'm more of a listener than a talker, and I tend to be reactive more than proactive.

But now, without Facebook--without some screen to hide behind and send invites from afar--I'm forced to engage in healthy face-to-face communication!! (RIGHT?)
I mean, I have planned some sort of ZOMBIE CAROLING thing...or I'd like to do some sort of zombie caroling thing...this year...
So now, I really can become Gareth Malone, and stop people (probably those I know...that's a first step) with flyers and gauge their interest in singing!!

Also, my databank of the daily news will not be about where the Lime Truck is, and what they will be serving tomorrow.

...though I AM going to miss receiving invites from my extracurriculars ): Then again, I'm determined to attend all of the club meetings of the clubs I plan to be involved in this quarter.

Who am I kidding? I'm going to be running back to Facebook within a week.
(Because we all relish in knowing what everyone is thinking at the moment, where everybody is in the world, and what kind of Disney princess (s)he is most like, right?)

Oh, shoot, I forgot to leave contact info for people.
EHH, whatever--not many people would like to talk to me anyhow, right? (:

There's no patch for idiocy

2010-09-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

☼

What does it take for me to post something on this again?
...a car accident, huh?
...

Yeah, I'm breaking lots of things today--my own car, another person's car, my own belief in my own abilities, my phone, my glasses, other people's trust in me...the list goes on.

And yes, it was my fault.
And I am truly sorry for it. Really, I am.
I dunno what I can do to atone...
So that's why I'm pouring my heart out onto this textbox, knowing how stupid I was to be in a rush.

Good things: a) I didn't get beat up by the driver who ran into me, b) neither I nor Siucrose nor the driver of the other car were hurt--we were probably only going 30 mph at the time--and there were no passengers in the back, c) both cars are still pretty much intact and were able to drive off.

Bad things: a) I had put lives in danger, b) I am an idiot, c) there goes my book money...and potentially my plans for the weekend.

I'm trying to open the rear door on the right, reminded of how stupid I can be.
...it refuses to open.

But that's okay. I deserved it.
Along with many other things, like a punch to the face, or...something.

I'm too dejected to write coherently at the moment. Too disappointed in myself.

To Do

2010-08-19T02:03:00.000-07:00

☾
...Aside from uploading a bunch o' pictures and updating this thing more frequently with real updates and a real layout.
(Who needs sleep, right?)
1. Go food truck chasing.
(I blame AX for this. And Food Network. Definitely Food Network.)
2. Go to Canada. Stay for anywhere from 1-2 weeks, explore via Metro system.
(Siucrose, you heard my rambling today. This is kinda your fault (:)
3. Go to London in 2012 for the Summer Olympics. Be sure to dress up as the Tenth Doctor. Find a Companion as well to run around with.

That is all for now. I think I should be getting some sleep. I should be up in some four hours and 57 minutes.

Greetings

2010-03-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

☼

Note to self: Whenever you say anything like "hi" to someone, D-kun, make sure to accompany it with a rock thrown at his/her/its head.

I say hi to the world, but the world doesn't return it...when I would return the world's hello. UGH. HUMANITY.

Seriously now, I feel like people (as in my neighbors) are ignoring me.

--Cue Flashback--
Two weeks ago
Me: G'morning~~! :D
Neighbor 1: ...

Last Thursday
Me: Hallo there~~!
Neighbor 2: ...

Yesterday
Me: NICE DAY OUT, HUH?
Neighbor 2: ...

This morning
Me: HI
Neighbor 1: ...
--End Flashback--

...this isn't limited to my neighbors, believe me.

--Cue YET ANOTHER Flashback--
Me: -Sees classmate- Hi! -Waves- How's studying going?
Classmate: ...
--End YET ANOTHER Flashback--

And believe me, I AM BEING LOUD ENOUGH.
Is it because I'm obnoxious?
Is it because I'm odd-looking?
Is it because I'm trying too hard to be sociable?

--Cut to OLD MAN WAVING A CANE scene--
YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAW--I mean, I blame this on technology giving us all shorter attention spans.
Let's see, there's the whole thing with people texting and not being able to respond to a "Goodbye"...BECAUSE THEY ARE IMMERSED IN PRESSING STUPID BUTTONS WHEN THEY COULD JUST CALL UP THE PERSON, LEAVE A VOICEMAIL IF NEEDED (which may involve yelling into the mouthpiece as needed).

...that really explains why people like Facebook, Twitter, and all of those other clients that allow people to update tidbits about themselves instead of reading long-winded things like...this.

It appears that I've only got a maximum of twenty seconds to impress a girl now.

::SIGH::

Okay, I'm going to go back and press more stupid buttons.

(Proof that the heat is getting to me, and I should be locked away in a nice, dark basement somewhere.)

Ramblings on the Ides of March

2010-03-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

☼

10. Can I get THIS on a t-shirt?

09. It's too sunny out. I feel yet another photosensitivity-related headache coming on...

08. And they have a plan... (Only click if you're using Firefox (: Thank you, @thinkgeek.)

07. Can I get these with tinted lenses to use as sunglasses? Or heck, I should see if LensCrafters is willing to cut lenses that'll fit the lovely goggles the l-o-v-e-l-y Siucrose gave me for Christmas ♥
(I'd rather wear goggles than sunglasses, yes. And yes, horrible eyesight is horrible.)

06. Balut is good.

05. I haven't yet figured out what makes the Shamisen sound so awesome. (Also related: SHAMISEN HERO.)

04. I could be studying for Multivar Calc...or catching up to the latest episode of Caprica...or even updating THIS...but instead I'm making a list, like I always do.

03. I don't think my Spreak will be any different.

02. I wonder if I can find lip concealer somewhere local.

01. My, how the day flies with DST in effect.

From the Eyes of Lakshmi, my LG Lotus

2010-03-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

☼

Hey look! I've got spare time! Let's post up all of those pictures I've got stored since like...ever.
Oh, and of course...attach captions to 'em (:

March 4th

FORTY-TWO. (And oh yes, this was taken at a red light.>

"YOU DESERVE HELL"

"YOU DESERVE *FREE* HUGS"

"SMILE. THERE IS NO HELL (:"

I was at the Rally March 4th, yes. More on this later, if I remember.

March 11th

FORTY-TWO.

March 12th

There is a learning curve that accompanies my TI-89.
(As I haven't been using it until...two days ago.)
HI Izzy (: Sorry I forgot to fix the graphing thing ):

March 13th

This...was...a...sign.

I believe I'm caught up now...but hey, edits may be a-coming.
Oh, right, happy Pi day, 131st birthday to Albert Einstein, and DST (:

Social Media Artist Project, huh?

2010-03-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry to those who found it amusing and/or plugged it to me, but this video¹ is neither clever nor funny.

I dunno if the artist is attempting to show how fruckked up society is, but it seems like it from this piece.
I mean, seriously? Sexuality is a spectrum, people. So is gender expression.

To limit the depiction of a male to a blue iPod, and a woman to a pink one...that's just bloody wrong.
And what about that violet one? Being a transvestite does not mean that you fall in the middle of "blue" and "pink". Some people are very convincing, believe me (:

Though I am under the impression that the maker of this video is trying to portray the somewhat commonly-held belief that transvestites want to be the other gender...which is incorrect. There are those out there who are fine with their biological sex, and merely prefer dressing up in clothes commonly worn by the gender that's different from their biological sex. In that case, it would've been more fitting to use an iPod skin rather than misconstruing the defintion of "transvestite".

That's pretty much my point. Gender identity, sexuality...it's all complicated. It's not in black and white, but in shades of grey. I mean, seriously, why was it just limited to just portraying a "gay" couple, a "lesbian" couple, and a "heterosexual" couple?

It's just really sad to see how people herald this as being awesome.
Labeling love, labeling how someone either conforms/doesn't conform to society's expectations...that's just not awesome.

Also amusing is how a girl is considered to be a whore upon having multiple partners, while a guy is "lucky". Huh.

And ha, kids?
Y'know, I believe they need to stop being shielded by their little kiddy shows and be exposed to this "dangerous subculture that will wreck lives of normal people everywhere and turn them into evil demon children with no morals!1!!oneone!11eleven!111!!!!!eleventyone"
First, the LGBTQ is NOT a subculture.
Second, members of the LGBTQ community are normal people (: (Okay, well, I don't think I fall into "normal"...but it's pretty much like that other "more moral than thou" community of heterosexuals.)
(Yeah, I know, I'm being hypocritical here. I've yet to come out to my cousins...Sigh. However, I HAVE been encouraging them to be more tolerant towards others, I guess.)

Goes to show you how fruckked up our society is (:

That has been my delirious rant of the day. Thanks for reading (:

1. (Depending on the individual, this may be NSFW because of the various depictions of iPods)

On Bullet Hell Shooters

2010-03-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

Once my phone is charged, I'll post real pictures and a real post.

Hey look, there's a new Touhou game being released on the 14th.
...
...
This is more or less my response.
(Cue laughter at 1:56.)

As much as I love Touhou, ZUN keeps on disappointing me by not having Sakuya as a playable character ):
Shoot the Bullet annoys me. Lots.
And fighting games aren't the same. AT ALL.

ZUN, I know me beating Perfect Cherry Blossom, Imperishable Night, and Embodiment of Scarlet Devil (in that order) on Easy is disgusting...
...but I just love the storyline that goes along with it.
...and I loved playing as Sakuya.
...and I love the music.

PLEASE BRING MY WAIFU BAAAAAAAACK.
Please?

February ends too quickly

2010-03-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

Dear February, give me another two weeks or so...THEN we'll talk March.

But then I realize that I wouldn't get news of THIS soon enough [:

Nor would Spreak come quickly enough...
...

Oh, right, I've got to explain why I changed my domain now, don't I? (:
I blame it on several things.
1) 1and1 was being stupid...my domain name registry doesn't expire until another three months
2) I--the me of two years ago--was being stupid, and registered my domain name under an address I believed I'd use daily.
3) I blame the name registered on my chemistry midterm BONUS STAGE question.

So if you're tuning in via an RSS reader (which I doubt, since incompletedis.org is unreachable) or would like to begin doing so, subscribe to http://www.mesenchy.me/feeds/posts/default [:
(Hi other peeps who see this via Google Buzz or some other site capable of compiling stuff from RSS feeds. I dunno if Buzz updates my posts to show that I've edited stuff, but I guess we'll see.)
Like right now, at 19:15...I'm editing my Grammar!fails

On to more serious stuff, I've been feeling horribly awkward about Facebook all month.
See, I found out that not only my cousin's uncle (who's younger than I am...he's an incoming secondary school freshperson), but that my father has a Facebook.
Frick.

I've always feared that this would come...but I wanted it to be years down the line...not...now.

There's just so many things I hide away from the family...
And, well, to know that there's a chance that they can find it out...and...well, it's just...awkward.
...and potentially dangerous, in a ways.

Well, I've always got my Fingerstache...for quick disguises.

Oh, and my stash of novelty sodas, from Leninade

"Is he Putin us all on?"

to...whatever this good blue stuff is.

n mini-Rants (n>0)

2010-02-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

M o o d : Content
R e a d i n g : --
L i s t e n i n g T o : --

>>--------------------->

1. Curling is a sport. Dammit.

2. I'm clearly not a "ma'am."

3. No one ever calls/texts me because they want to. So why do I have a phone, again?

4. Small pockets are evil.

5. Piggybacking #4: (Not all) Evil things come in small packages. E.g., handheld sewing machines.

6. People shouldn't be so much in a rush to get to nowhere. It's dangerous.

7. Valentine's Day--Yet another Hallmark holiday. Ugh.

8. Piggybacking #7: ARGH. WE HAVE A HELIUM SHORTAGE. ARRRRGGGGGH. HELIUM BALLOOOOONS.

9. I hate it when it seems like you're yelling really loudly, but in actuality, you aren't.

10. Why am I listing my rants instead of ranting?

Last Post of the Decade

2009-12-31T21:47:00.001-08:00

My soda's gone flat.
My cousins are sucking up more bandwidth than usual.
My laptop is dying.
And Windows 7 ate my GRUB.

How can the rest of 2009 get worse?
(Don't answer that.)

Looking back at this year, there are quite a bit of things I regret doing and/or not doing.
But yet, there's plenty that I don't regret...

Like sneaking off to Comic-Con.
...joining the RPG Club at UCI and tabletop role-playing.
...attending the various concerts of friends/arch-nemesisi/peopleIhappentoknow.
...coming back to visit my Alma Mater even though I'm in college.
...splurging on a DS Lite (Finally).

Unlike last year (?...I really don't remember if I did, actually. Eh.), I'm not going to come up with my yearly Resolutions.
After all, they're usually along the same lines of "Blog more, Improve yourself, Be happy."
And besides, it's not like I'll follow through with them, right?

Rather, here's the things I get to look forward to:

More conventions!: Comic-Con '10 and AX '10 OR BUST (as Itoshiki Nozomu/Derek Stiles? Y/Y?)
Making a new Layout: Yeah, been uninspired lately. Not my fault.
Improved Stamina/Reflexes: Hopefully. I justonlykinda need such things.
New Relationships: It's time to get out of my comfort zone.

More specifics to follow later on, upon finding out that I can't fix problems now.

P R I D E

2009-10-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

Some three years or so, on this very day, I did something that I was (and am still) actually proud of.

Future me, if you do look back on this ever again, hopefully you'll be happy...and still just as proud as you were now.

...even amid all the ups and downs you're going through, or that you've already plowed through (head-first, of course).

"Winter is Coming": Part IV of VII?

2009-10-02T22:41:00.001-07:00

Tyrion: The Socrates of Westeros

Yes, Tyrion gets a post devoted to just him, as he is just that awesome.

See, this is one of the many references to Plato's Symposium that I shall attempt to fudge to fit what I've read, since I just can.

Anyway, like how Foster maintains that Alex from A Clockwork Orange is a Christ figure, even with how he does such evils, Tyrion is an ironic Socrates, seeing how he can be hedonistic at times.

Socrates had often been described as being unattractive, akin to how GRRM had created Tyrion as "the Imp" to contrast with his fairer siblings. But rather than being beloved by all for his wisdom (which may be seen as 'cunning', but more on that later within this post), as Socrates had been, he is detested in order to show how the society of Westeros is one that concerns itself on the superficial, as highlighted by how Maesters are no more than just docile sheep (Sorry, plug goes here. Baaaaaaah.), and how the rulers overlook the (obvious) and superceding danger that threatens the land through ignoring the warnings of the Night's Watch.

Granted, his virtues are questionable.
But compared to most others, he appears to have more of them, possibly due to how he had been exposed to such adversity.
He does, after all, express remorse over his first..."wife," who, while she was just someone hired, was someone he cared about. Such parallels with Shae further reinforce that he is able to assume responsibility for another, which is even more pronounced over how he

kills Tywin over Shae, even though that may be interpreted as an expression of anger over Shae being taken by his own father, seeing how he does kill Shae before killing Tywin

.
And sure, Cersei's drinking worsened after the loss of Joffrey. But really, Tyrion had been more temperate than she ever was, seeing how he wasn't such a...

free-ranging whore as she was

.
Sure, Tyrion was known for whoring. But GRRM appears to deliberately focus upon Cersei's scheming through her manipulation of other men (and that whole thing of not having Robert's children) moreso to reinforce that she is unfaithful not due to a natural lust.
(But perhaps that's only because it's more emphasized by how Book 4 has her account and that of Jaime's.)
And again, it should be noted that through all of this, Tyrion returns to Tysha, inquiring of Tywin where she is before killing him, after all.
Perhaps the most important, though, is his tendency towards truth. He doesn't attempt to deny that he is ugly, nor does he attempt to sweeten his words to others. While blunt, such happens to be important in a realm where truth is hidden...(more elaboration on this later in the post.)

And I dunno, but

Tyrion's trial in A Storm of Swords

was an obvious indicator of the whole Tyrion-Socrates parallel. After all, Tyrion was taking the hemlock in asking for a trial by battle even though he was confident in his victory...and his disappearance from A Feast for Crows appears to reflect his "suicide," seeing how there is no mention of what happens to him as there are references to Jon by Samwell, or Daenerys by Aemon.
(Sorry, don't have my copy of Book 4 nearby, but it does seem like it's as such through my reading...|: Well, this ain't some formal book report! Just a mere collection of thoughts, really.)

Granted, others view his cunning as threatening.
And it is interesting to note that it is his capacity to plot that distinguishes him, rather than the wisdom that he has acquired through observing life.
As the youngest of the three that Tywin sired, Tyrion is the most mature--he acknowledges his own limitations and strengths, as well as how the society he was born into is responsible for such things. But yet, he doesn't appear to resent the world, despite how others may despise him for being "the Imp," even despite how Tysha had been treated.
It is more that he resents his father, seeing how Tywin was responsible for bringing him into the world to suffer as his parent.
And through this, it reflects how the appreciation of superficial beauty--which could be associated with truth--results in such negative emotions bottled up and exploding.

See, since the community isn't being loved--the Night's Watch, responsible for the protection of the realm, is denied more people, for instance, and there's just a general ostracizing of them because it is comprised of felons.

Will continue later. Sleep.

"Winter is Coming": Part III of VII?

2009-10-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Continuing the series of reviews about the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, I've got a spiel on...

Characters

(Note: I couldn't find my text file. Perhaps I didn't save. Oh well. Let's see if I can get at least two posts in from memory, though.)
(Also, blame my references to Symposium as the result of having to read it for Humanities H1A.)

Granted, there's quite a bit of characters in GRRM's universe.
But it's just amazing how memorable they all are.

Sure, it's really a matter of associating some trait with each character, as most authors do; but the narration through characters' points-of-view fleshes them out even more, allowing us readers to see how they've transformed over time.

It's quite funny indeed. There were just some characters that I never expected to love.
Like Sansa, for instance.
Sure, I was a tad biased at first, since I associated myself more with Jon (of all of Ned's children) and Arya (of all of Ned's daughters).
And of course, Sansa's obsession with Joffrey in the beginning just irritated me because of how her pining makes her blind to reality.
But over the course of the books, it's just amazing to see how she has matured--turned into a young lady who realizes how she's a victim, and how she is so resilient, seeing how her kind heart prevents her from actually meaning actual harm to anyone, even with

Ned killed by Joffrey's orders

.

And there's Daenerys, whom I was annoyed with due to how she was just so...trusting of her brother. Sure, that's to be expected, especially because she grew up with him being her...guardian...and all, but to be sold to someone?
Sure, it really reflects her innocence--how she was indoctrinated by her brother, and how she takes most of it as truth.
(...yes, Viserys is a D-bag, even if with some good intentions like avenging his House.)
While a part of me felt that the

hatching of the dragons through the flames

was a flashy scenario possibly intended to make Daenerys more popular and all, it's just inevitable that how she does handle what is demanded of her would make her such an admired character.
After all, she is akin to the idealized human of Diotima's speech (in Plato's Symposium)--though she was afraid of her new environment, she eventually develops a love for it, seeing the beauty in what she has.
Of course, her maturation is also evident by how she sees the suffering of the people--something I'd like to compare to Siddartha, in how she was raised with the knowledge that she is of royalty.
Sure, she was moreso forced into such a life, rather than exposed to it as Siddartha is...but still, she behaves majestically enough to allow readers to see that she is emphathic enough to suffer with her followers, and attempt to lead them through troubles.

Jaime's

switch in allegiance

led to me liking a character I initially didn't like...primarily because it had been so well-done.
After all, he didn't just instantaneously decide on it, as some novels may do just because.
Going back to how GRRM had associated a trait to each individual, it's interesting how Jaime's "trait" as "The Kingslayer" was lost with how

his hand gets cut off

. And such is an instance of how the circumstances change people, even as terrible as the circumstance may be.

Perhaps that is an objection of mine towards GRRM's method of characterization.
Even though they're just characters, it's just so cruel for GRRM to put all of them through the horrible of the horrible.
But perhaps that's why it's just so amazing--we as readers find how each character resolves the scenario through his/her means, even if the scenario may seem unescapable, which is the case for the present.

Truth. Goodness. Beauty: An Intermission

2009-09-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Calm
R e a d i n g : Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
L i s t e n i n g T o : Maiden's Capriccio
☼
>>--------------------->

I've got the five parts of my review of A Song of Ice and Fire (The first four books, of course) somewhere on a .txt file.
Problem is, I dunno where it is, and I'm too lazy to attempt to find it.
(And yeah, I could run a search, but where's the fun in that?)

So I had my first class at the Anteater Recreational Center (the ARC. Or as I refer to it, L'ARC de Jeanne, since I can see Jeanne d'Arc heading there and running around, getting in some squash, or taking some classes, etc. Don't ask.).
Yes, I'm getting out of my comfort zone and enrolling in Kyūdō, which is quite enjoyable.

The feeling one gets from shooting the bow is just awe-inspiring.
It's like, whatever's on your mind is stored as the potential energy of the drawn-back arrow...and when you let it fly, your mind is emptied with the satisfying "THWACK!" of the arrow hitting the target.

I'm really glad that such an opportunity's open to me.

That's really all I have to say.

"Winter is Coming": Part II of VII?

2009-09-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Narration

When I started A Game of Thrones, William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying popped into my head, seeing how each section is titled with a character's name.
Of course, I expected also that it'd be narrated by that character.
...oh how wrong I was, haha.
Well, I suppose I was partially right, rather.

Though the sections are narrated by a third-person-limited narrator, it assumes much of the personality of each character.
Like how the narrator for Jaime's sections during his trek with Brienne refers to his travelling companion as "the wench" repeatedly, or how Sansa's narrator attempts sophistication with more refined sentences with "proper-sounding" words that contrast the style of Arya's narrator--whose sentences appear simpler to reflect how she's the younger and wilder of the two, and accentuate the suspense-filled, action-packed scenarios she finds herself in.

Granted, this complicates things quite a bit, especially with the tracking of characters, and times--something that pops up more apparantly in A Storm of Swords, where there are events overlapping one another and delays in things being retold. But such is appropriate in reflecting how the events in ASoS serve as a turning point, with

Jon becoming Lord Commander, Brienne receiving Oathkeeper, Arya embarking on a trip to Braavos,

and things just changing.

And I do find it interesting that the POV characters introduced are still alive, except for

Ned ):...and possibly...**sniffle**...Brienne

...but we won't know THAT until the next installment. ARRRRRGGGGGGGNOOOOOOOOO.
But it's also interesting to note that not everyone gets a point-of-view. Hmm.

I mean, sure,

Robb dies

, but Rickon is still alive. Perhaps his young age rules him out?
And yes,

Joffrey dies, too

, but Tommen is still alive, and he's capable of voicing his thoughts, just as Myrcella is...but yet, they have yet to be given their own sections.
And from that, it adds upon how we as readers may side with the rightful heir, Stannis, moreso than Joffrey.
(Though it would be interesting to see a snippet of life from his POV...perhaps even something on his judgement at the time he starts to abuse Sansa, etc.)
And yes, Stannis doesn't have a POV slot, either, seeing how we know him through Ser Davos and stuff people say about him.
From that, it appears that GRRM doesn't intend to focus on the candidates to the Iron Throne within Westeros, but moreso those who are being impacted by the plans of those who intend to get power (or receive it from someone else.)

The way that GRRM organizes his books, with a character's name at the start of each section also correlates with the plot, seeing how there are always new names being added on, further showing how this "game of thrones" that is "played" amongst a few is spread out to many others.
(And of course, some of the names are changed over the course of the series to indicate how new identities are created, others are forgotten or shoved aside for the time being, and appends to the further complexity of the story. Perhaps more on this idea of changing identities later.)

"Winter is Coming": Part I of VII?

2009-09-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

So I finally finished A Feast for Crows some days ago.
Obviously, like many others who have read through George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, I demand that A Dance With Dragons be released ASAP.
(By the way, he shall be known as GRRM from now on, for the sake of simplicity.)

Seriously, this is one EPIC series.
And no, I don't refer to how it's so long, but in terms of content, it's just so jaw-dropping to see how GRRM fit everything together in his realm.

So yes, this is only the first part of a review that may become just as long-winded as GRRM's series [:
Beware of spoliers...though I may blank them up if I feel like it.
By the way, content within these posts that are to follow are SUBJECT to CHANGE.
I'm typing all of this up in one sitting, and some of them are INCOMPLETE ideas. Some posts may be used as placeholders, etc. Yes.

---------------------

Plot

I've attempted to summarize this series to others, only to fail because of how many events occur simultaneously.
There's the plight of Daenerys, the last of the Targaryen Dynasty who fled with her brother at a very young age after the death of her father.
There's the feud among the houses of Westeros over who has the right to the Iron Throne...or rather, who SHOULD have the Iron Throne and rule over the Seven Kingdoms of the land.
Perhaps that's as simplistic as it gets, as GRRM branches them into multiple subplots, seeing how Daenerys's story doesn't turn into a "she lived happily ever after with her betrothed," nor does the puzzle of the Iron Throne easily solved by a democratic vote of the people. Since y'know, that'd be boring.

Rather, GRRM puts his characters through the worst of the worst.
...which enables him to flesh how his characters more, allowing us to understand why s/he chooses to do this or that, and leads to a new, even more haranguing scenario.

More on that later, in the post about characters.

It's quite admirable that GRRM weaves in the more risque--as in "controversial" topics such as incest, bastardry, homoeroticism...
...y'know, those things that a (not-)normal person would be dripping in cold sweat if s/he were caught reading stuff like that out-loud.
But yes, it's amazing how he's able to touch on those things and make them a part of his plot.
...like how

Joffrey and Tommen are actually Jaime's children with Cersei, and how Robert never sired any children with her. AT ALL.

Hence

Ned's (and possibly Jon Arryn's) death, the sending-away of some officials by Cersei...

the whole Game of Thrones thing.

More about (homo)eroticism later. I promise.

...and let's not forget the twists and turns [:
Granted, some of them are somewhat obvious, if one were to go back and re-read...(

like how Robert never had any children with Cersei...okay, perhaps that was somewhat obvious. Still...

)
But again, it's just...well, cruel...of GRRM to put his characters through so much...like how Khal Drogo

dies, and Daenerys attempts to revive him, etc, only to fail

.
(Hmmrph, well, I didn't expect him to die. d:)

Though what has been annoying me is how it takes GRRM forever to unite the events together.
Like how Daenerys has yet to be connected at all to the events of Westeros, even though there had been talk within the books by informers to inform the Iron Throne of her future child, etc.
Like how it takes several books to even have Samwell to even take his info away from the Night's Watch.
Like how...
...yeah, it's just agonizing to try and piece all the events together and see where they fall for me...probably because I'm uber-impatient and eagerly anticipating the various mash-ups amongst his characters.
(Dunno if this'll be possible at all, but I'd like to see Arya meet Brienne someday. Possibly because they are outwardly similar, but it just seems like Brienne resembles Sansa inwardly. Again, more on that later.)

Then again, the progress definitely reflects how there was no method of instant messaging, and how news takes forever to spread, even if you've got some lightning-fast ravens or a blabbermouth bard who can cover all of Westeros within a day or so (which is impossible, seeing how remote the towns, etc, are).

In a ways, this could be the equivalent of one of them award-winning soap operas that recieves an uber-long run for its plot...

Under Construction: Part 123897434.7645

2009-09-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

D-kun assumes no responsibility if any broken codings kill your browser.

(Yes, yet another placeholding post.)

P.S. Internet Explorer, you suck. Go die.

Arrrr, me hearties!

2009-09-19T23:33:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Fueled by caffeine
R e a d i n g : Almost finished with A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
L i s t e n i n g T o : Here be my blip.fm stream.
☼
>>--------------------->

This shall be a smorgasboard of topics. All hope abandon, ye who read on, of stuff making sense (:

Today be Talk Like a Pirate Day!
So I be spouting all sorts o' nonsense that is about laggy uploads, trackers, seeding, torrents, and leaving your window open d:

Anyhow, I went out on a limb and grabbed me bilge rats that be me cousins on an excursion to the movie theatre to see that feature that is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. (First time since...let's see...forever.)

And as much as I was aghast at the movie ticket prices of today due to inflation ($50 for the four of us), it was quite enjoyable.
Not because there were no annoying moviegoers...well, perhaps because of that.

I was actually being the annoying one...
---------------
Me: "...using only hydrogen and oxygen to make foods that contain elements like nitrogen and traces of other things? WHUT?"
Cousin: "SHHHHHHHHHH."
Me: "I mean, I realize that with enough energy, the hydrogen atoms can probably get their protons and all all smushed together and stuff to make new elements and all...but even in the Miller-Urey experiment, there were gases. Are they also included in the contraption?"
Cousin: "SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH." (*Secedes popcorn bag from armrest*)

(*Several minutes later*)
Me: "Why is only that the Mayor becomes unhealthily obese?"
Cousin: "D. It's. Only. A. Story. SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH." (*Adds cup of Sprite to secession*)
-------------

*coughs*
Still, I enjoyed the movie (:
I really appreciate how it's trying to drive home the whole idea that it's awesome to be creative and smart, as cliched as that sounds.
(Believe, it seems it's still needed in this era, at times.)

And seriously?
I'd like to have Flint's Nikola Tesla: Rockstar Scientist poster, and his wardrobe d:
(Gotta love that "Science is AWESOME!" shirt with the cloud motif...and his trademark labcoat he grew into.)

Sure, it's not original with its allusions to pop-culture stuffs, but it's probably how everything is so subtly given away that makes watching the movie unfold so fun.
(Like how his lab's antechamber entrance has a Simon. Let's not forget how cats are a part of the viral video he keeps Sam entertained with for three hours (: )

Favorite moment?

That scene where Flint attempts to give Mr. Lockwood a tutorial about sending an e-mail, and Mr. Lockwood takes his instructions literally, with the whole using the mouse on the monitor to the "dragging the mouse across the desktop". I've been through similar things so many times, ahaha. [:

Favorite voice-over? Mr. T's Officer Earl is priceless, especially with how he refers to Flint as "Flint Lockwood" (Haha, sorry, I was thinking of how some of you refer to me with my first and last name d: ), and...well, he's Mr. T! Oh, and Neil Patrick Harris comes in second with..."STEEEEVE!!!" (Yay, Monkey Thought Translators).

Favorite allusion? That one scene where gigantic meatballs roll after people, giving that whole Indiana Jones mood. (What? I'm one for simplistic peril.)

Not-so-favorite things? Perhaps the overused food puns...that didn't stop me from laughing occasionally (: ...and some lapses in the animation that are none too noticable...but other than that, nothing at all~

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Aight, now I be finishing up me book. Don't bother me.

On Choosing a Book

2009-09-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

M o o d : "Hey, class starts next week!"
R e a d i n g : Halfway through A Feast for Crows
L i s t e n i n g T o : "2+2-5" by Radiohead
☼
>>--------------------->

So my younger cousin's birthday is coming up within a little less than two weeks.

And as much as I'd like to get her something shallow and superficial as a...*gag*...doll...
(More along the lines of that's what everyone else will probably get her, and knowing her, amusement will only make dolls last several weeks before they're abandoned.)
...I don't want to get her a doll.

(Pssht, seriously? They scare me.)

See, I know I like getting stuff I can and will use.
(Like beakers, socks, or some deliciously-radioactive uranium.)

And so, I'd like to get people stuff they can use. Or at least, something that can inspire.

Yes, a book is the answer to my problem.
Why?
I've never seen her with a book in her life. And she spends most of it here, at my grandfather's place (which happens to be where I happen to live.).

Thing is, which book?
I'm trying to remember stuff I read as a fourth-grader. Like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler or the Little House on the Prairie series or L'Engle's Time Quartet or Redwall.

(Ah yes, when I actually had time for leisure reading (:)

Though I can go on websites geared towards parents and educators like Scholastic or scour the Interwebs for recommendations, that's really the trouble with choosing a fitting book.
No two kids are the same, after all; they read at different rates, have different interests.
I remember attempting to understand Shakespeare as a fifth-grader because of Wishbone, after all. where most at that time looked forward to kickball during recess.
And I just hate how there's a broad label given to books, saying that it's an appropriate fit for 3rd to 5th graders. ACK.
I don't want to limit my nine-year-old cousin with books she may deem "easy" or even "boring" (whether it be based on the cover or how the author writes), but neither do I want her to be challenged by complex concepts or words that she'd be discouraged from actually trying to understand or even pick it up at all (since, yeah, that's what she'd probably do.).

(Yes, I looked up my books on the Scholastic.com website. The approximate grade-level thing is nice, but still...It really doesn't help me at all in choosing a fitting book.)

I'm open to suggestions or even feedback on the books I've read as a fourth-grader [:

And no, I'm not looking for those "how-to" or "Klutz's activity book" things.
Since if so, I'd get her a beading/jewelry-making book she'd go all-out-crazy for [:
Yes, I'm trying to play the role of a role-model cousin who's encouraging one to read for leisure while one still has the time, haha.
Y'know, the whole "reading is good--it can take you places and broaden what you see in life" thing.
'Sides, she watches too much TV/Takes up too much bandwidth.
A good book can probably remedy that, no.
It'd also serve as a conversation piece [:

Summer: An Evaluation. Kinda.

2009-09-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

M o o d : My vacation starts NOW.
R e a d i n g : A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
L i s t e n i n g T o : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9wq2WAH-Qk
☁/☼
>>--------------------->

Why yes, I do overreact too much. Meh.

Had Finals on Wednesday.

See, someone must attempt to push me off the roof the next time I show up to a Final with my ego overinflated.
After all, I did underestimate how brutal a 2-hour Math 2B final could be.
And it owned me.
And others, as seen by how the median was in the 60s, out of a total of 152 points.
Scraped by with a 112...which is a C. But seeing how I landed towards the top (6), it's an "A" with curvature.
Lost 40 points due to stupid mistakes, not being able to check work at the end, and that one evil all-or-nothing problem that I didn't solve until 12 hours later. ARGH. STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID.

Yah, I just can't help but be hard on myself for taking it easy.
I don't care about curves.
I want to know that I've fully mastered the material and learned what I paid the college for through those 5eesh weeks in the summer or 10eesh weeks in a regular quarter.

Felt pretty good about Ethics, probably because I focused on it moreso than Maths.
And it probably has to do with how Aristotle has been serving as my personal shrink in a ways, with some disembodied voice referencing Nicomachean Ethics every-so-often when I stumble upon something in a work of fiction or real life.
(I felt guilty after enjoying the smell of coffee far too much, as it reminded me of my desire to indulge in caffeine. Which I did. More on my attempts at abstaining from caffeine to come eventually.)
And ya, Aristotle prescribed a hefty dose of social interaction, since I wouldn't be able to "realize my full potential" otherwise.
Which shall be a challenge--one of those that I'm reluctant to take on.
Mind you, I'm hardly a people-person. I've seriously got no clue how to approach people, how to react to...y'know, people stuff.
And it really doesn't help that I've got a disembodied voice that references Nicomachean Ethics from time-to-time (:
But hey, I'll take it.

Looking back at the summer of 2009, I haven't realized how much I didn't do.
(I found my "To-do" list and journal in the midst of the chaos again.)
There was cardboard-furniture-making to be done, game nights to be set up, kites to be made and flown, trebuchets to build out of everything including the kitchen sink, boomboxes to take apart and put back together again...
But even so, I've gotten used to just appreciating life itself.
Being able to reclaim the pleasure that comes from curling up with a book, or listening to people tell stories about themselves or others, going out to fairs, expos, conventions, and the like to see the congregation of people...
And then realizing how ironic it is that the average human lifespan is merely a blip in history, but at the point in time I'm at, it seems so long...

Service: Tutoring (And Odd Jobs)

2009-09-10T06:01:00.000-07:00

Here lies a post unfulfilled.
Why yes, this is a placeholder
(As in: No, this post is not yet done.)

Hello there,
You have come to the page of Rainbow Black Sheep Services due to a link found on the Internet or through seeing one of the many posters in the real world.

About
This is a service devoted to not only tutoring, but other odd jobs as well, from Tarot readings to saving someone's cat from a tree somewhere.
Though the founder, D. T. Tran, specializes in tutoring in the following:

Mathematics: Up to improper integration in Calculus
Physics: Up to calculus-based kinematics
Biology: ...Metabolic pathways, Mendelian genetics, chemistry of life...Sorry, that's none too specific, but I can still help!
Chemistry: Stoichiometry, quantum chemistry (slightly), equilibrium problems...see note for Bio

Go ahead, I dare you to throw stuff at me and see if I can handle it [:
And yes, that may include English as well. I can proofread...
[Insert nodding here]

Of course, do note that odd jobs thrown at me will be subject to my approval.
(I'm including this here for all of you whose minds are permanently in the gutter.)

Rates
Frankly, I'm not doing this just for money, as I'm not too sure how much I should charge in comparasion to a grad student who charges $25+/hour.
So, feel free to pay me in gift cards, Lunch, Wrigley's 5 Gum (Cobalt, Rain, or Solstice), books or magazines, caffeinated drinks...

Yes, I'm willing to negotiate.
It's only because you, the potential tutoree, will help me out by reviewing stuff from years ago [:

If you do insist on paying me with US currency, note that I can only accept cash.
And you'd be supporting the following:

Periodic Table Cardigan: I plan to get a knitted periodic table cardigan commissioned someday to keep me warm, fuzzy, and expressive of my loves in life. Akin to the sweater found here, but with buttons and a lot smaller.
Xbox 360 + DJ Hero: I blame this all on Gamestop for providing the demo, and my cousins for pushing me towards the demo. Oh, and there's some other games I'd like to play.
Medical bills: I enrolled myself in Kyudo and Fencing. I expect to be injured. Enough said.
Books: Not limited to GRRM's A Dance with Dragons, textbooks, nor a new journal.

Times
Please look below. Schedule should be accurate.

Pacific Chorale is teh AWESOME :D

2009-08-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

M o o d : ☺
R e a d i n g : A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
L i s t e n i n g T o : Pacific Chorale and Co
☼
>>--------------------->

Yeah, I got there five minutes before it started, and got the back row, which isn't too bad (:
It's just that my LG Lotus, Lakshmi, has an average cameraphone.

Bach's Toccata and Fugue is awesome heard live and through the halls of the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

It just really disappoints me, though, that it costs money to attend these spectacular performances.
I was thinking of picking up a membership for myself, but with the prices and me being a needy college student, it just doesn't add up ):
Though with five concerts for $80-100 (as a student, anyway), it doesn't seem TOO bad.

Then again, I realized that I probably would like to take a train trip across the United States come winter...

Ehhh, money.

On the (Local) Road

2009-08-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

M o o d : I'm biting my nails over a midterm I've yet to take.
R e a d i n g : A Clash of Kings
L i s t e n i n g T o : "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?"--The Guild
☼
>>--------------------->

I really should do an hour-by-hour coverage of my life one day [:
Not sure if I am doing anything productive and world-changing with my time, after all.
Oh wait, right, that's what Twitter was for.
Then again, perhaps Joe was right. I'm cheating on myself with Facebook.

Anywho, the most excitement I've got this week was from my math class.
There was a blackout at 1030eesh this morning that rolled throughout campus.
See, that's exactly the reason why the Humanities Hall should have windows.

And thanks to Siucrose, I'm now on the freeways, enjoying traffic jams at 1700eesh from time-to-time [:

...which eventually led me to find Book-Off, this nifty used (and Japanese) book/music/DVD/VHS store that I'm going to turn into a semi-frequent haunt.

(I also find it awesome that that one bookstore in Persona 3--"Book-On"--is a parody of that. Yes, I can finally enter the bookstore!)

Oh, and I now hate anything with more than four wheels more than ever.
(No offense intended to those who do drive them.)
It's akin to the biker's claustrophobia thing I get whenever I'm attempting to ride my bike through a narrow road, but with things that tower above you and whose drivers cannot see you very well if you're daft enough to stop within the blind spots.

But methinks I should've followed this truck here:

What? "Nitrogen Refrigerated Liquid"? LN2? :D
Yeah.

It isn't over until the 140 char limit is reached

2009-08-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Amused.
R e a d i n g : A Game of Thrones [I'M ALMOST DONE :D]
L i s t e n i n g T o : ...crickets chirping
Sunny...oh, y'all know the rest.
>>--------------------->

CLICK ME. THIS IS WHAT I'M AMUSED BY.

...why did I choose to abstain Tweeting now?

Anyway, I do realize that people can be...people...and post really stupid things on the Interwebs (:
And with that, I can imagine a whole scene devoted to LOLcats and their cousins.

Imagine having the future FUTURE FUTURE Academic Decathletes studying our era, with the music section being selections from this work, haha.

Oh well, I like the idea nonetheless.
It's kinda like John Cage's "4'33," but without the sniffing, coughing sneezing, etc.
And of course, with more people who are unable to make it to a live performance.
Damn, I'd do anything to go to a performance of that (:
Okay, almost anything.

On Happiness

2009-08-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Life sucks. I want a punching bag. Now.
R e a d i n g : A Game of Thrones--George R. R. Martin
L i s t e n i n g T o : "Childish Ecstasy"--ZUN
Sunny and hot.
>>--------------------->

"Все счастливые семьи похожи друг на друга, каждая несчастливая семья несчастлива по-своему"
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

-- Anna Karenina, by Tolstoy

I'd like to say the opposite if you apply this to individuals. Seems like people can find happiness, whatever that may be, in their own ways, but people tend to be unhappy about similar things.

Perhaps it's just me being sour about life in general, but I disagree with Aristotle's idea that happiness is something constant, and one cannot become miserable instantaneously.
Like right now, I don't deem myself to be happy, whatever it is.
I don't deem my life to be fulfilling.
What would that state of mind be considered as?

I agree with Aristotle, though, that we have the capacity to achieve whatever this happiness is.
Though it'd really help to know what this "happiness" thing is in the first place.

Of course, I've yet to read all of his treatise, but I don't believe it's a virtue.
I'm just looking for some challenge to fulfill my life, as stupid as that sounds.
And right now, I'm not being challenged enough. You probably saw my rant on math below. I'm bored to tears.

Makes me wish I was a part of something bigger, like some sort of research group or something that could make a large contribution. I want to solve problems, not just some stupid set of problems from a textbook. I want to learn, but not from sitting in classes from two hours and experiencing NOTHING but copying down formulae and not finding proofs for them or how they work.

I want to do something better with my time.
I want to fail, and try again, and fail again, and try again until some challenging problem is solved.
That is my unhappiness, which is possibly shared by some snippet of the world's population?

VoL: Stuff That Will Make Me Drop Out

2009-08-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

M o o d : "Wow, I'm *actually* doing math homework!!"
R e a d i n g : A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin
L i s t e n i n g T o : 91.5[KUSC]--probably last of them classical music radio stations |:
Sunny. Hot. Dying. Y'know, usual SoCal weather.
>>--------------------->

Ah summer--that one season where you get to get away from school for a bit if you're a student, or see random tourists looking lost as they always are if you're in some sort of sales industry in the right town.
Hey look, I'm going to go waste it on classes towards my undergraduate degree! Yay!

That's right. I'm putting myself through the torture that is a calculus class and an ethics class for the rest of the summer.

While I can't judge after having only two sessions of classes thus far, I think I'm going to hate Calculus. A lot.
And Ethics is making me think too much, which is always bad.

See, I love math. I just don't like being in a class where I know probably a significant chunk of the curriculum already AND in one where the professor loves having people memorize formulas.
That's right, seems like he has a formula for everything, which really annoys me because I learn stuff through deriving.
MATH ISN'T ABOUT MEMORIZING FORMULAS, DAMMIT.

Pity I can't advance onto the next level because the class I'm in is a prerequisite.
Oh well, I guess I could *try* sitting in the back-middle of the hall so I could hone my voice-throwing skills.
("The Answer is 42." "...Who said that?" /me points to guy sitting in front)

I've got no clue what compelled me to sign up for Ethics, but I did.
(Of course, I didn't realize that that professor's going to teach a part of Honors Humanities Core in the 2009-2010 school year. Hm.)
Despite how other students have been whispering about how the class is about memorizing stuff from Nicomachean Ethics, seems to me like this class would be worthwhile.
Sure, it's taking me 1.5 hours to read 18 pages of Aristotle's treatise on good and virtues. But it's something I don't mind, since it's kinda like mouthwash--you swish it around for a bit to get a taste of it, to swirl the bits of stuff left over from flossing or brushing, and to ponder what's that bit of stuff your tongue feels, etc., before spitting it out and having a closer look at it.
Uhh...yeah...Enough rambling. I'd like to get on to some new content.
Introducing....
The Village of LISTon!

(Named after what Wolfram|Alpha had spat out for me [:)
This is where I create lists of random things.
In this case, it's a list of stuff that's ensuring I'd drop out of college because of my tendency to become unhealthily addicted to stuff.

A) The Shin Megami Tensei series| Well, mainly the Persona games. It really doesn't help that Persona: Revelations is slated for release this September. And that I have a PSP. Thanks, ATLUS.

B) The ~~SciFi~~ SyFy Channel| New episodes of EUReKA and Warehouse 13. Not to mention EUReKA getting a fourth season (:

C) George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series| AP English kept me from reading for fun. Yay, time. Thanks, secondary school physics teacher (:

D) The Touhou Project| MUST BEAT HIGH SCORE ON PCB.

E) My obsession over finding something unique to ponder about| See several posts below.

...I think I should stop my posting now.

International Relations

2009-07-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

Seems like I got this one post left for the day. Look down below for posts posted a few hours ago.

Facebook, oh how you make me realize that my Spanish is so sucky (:

See, as of right now, I'm chatting with a cousin of a friend of mine...in Spanish.

And well, I haven't had a Spanish class since...two years ago?
Oy, I'm horrible.

But it's nice to know that a) Spanish is based on Latin, so I can guess what some words are, and b) I can eventually pick up stuff easily because I'm seeing stuff in print rather than hearing it.

I'm horribly self-conscious if and when I have to speak in a language I'm not fluent in.
Even when addressing my folks in Vietnamese, I'm often freezing up and worrying about not just the grammar, etc., but also how I sound and whatnot.

So yeah, it probably has to do a bit with how over the Internets, where people don't care if you placed your accent incorrectly or whatnot (:

Thank you Internet, for probably enabling my sucky conjugation skills [:
Hopefully you'll train me if and when I decide to study abroad.

Since yeah, that'd be totally awesome if I could avoid the 'rents for a year. But then again, what about research? UNLESS I COULD GET MY RESEARCH DONE THERE. BRILLIANT.

I always wanted to study in Denmark. Don't ask. Hamlet.

!ntegers

2009-07-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

New content alert: Remember [THIS]?
Well, I'm going to follow that up with what you just saw some pixels above (:

Introducing...
!ntegers

(Boo, Blogger doesn't allow me to have characters like ! in my tags.)
I snap random pictures of random occurrences of not-so-random numbers I'm amused by.
What are some numbers I tend to be amused by?
Forty-two--the answer to Life, as supplied by Deep Thought--is kinda obvious.

Meh, I guess I'll provide explanations along the way (:
I suppose that ends my multiple-blog-entry-posting-in-one-day event.
Though I should've done in it reverse order |:

Eh, if you haven't read the posts below, just scroll down and read posts from several hours ago, please. Thanks.

Comic-Con Report

2009-07-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

This is part III of parts.

So yeah, I scored a ticket to Comic-Con at the San Diego Convention Center.
And here's a post that I hope no one of my relatives find. Or if you are a relative of mine and happen to stumble upon this, please don't say a word to Mum, Dad, or any other of my relatives, PLEASE. [:
~~Since I had to sneak out, call a cab, go on the Amtrak, and do that on the journey back. So SHHHHH.~~

Anyway, seems like I needed to go multiple days to see everything (:
After all, the first 1.5 hours after I stepped off the trolley involved me getting lost and acquainted with the nice security guards.
(Not all of the security guards knew everything, though, which somewhat frustrated me as I was trying to find the the Luggage Check-In place.)
The next hour was spent wandering around the Con, which was indeed awesome.
(I believe I've mastered the art of waiting in line, by the way. Thanks SDCC :D)
The hour after that? Wandering around Downtown San Diego's Gaslamp district~~
(And trying to find Cafe Diem. And then finding that Cafe Diem was too crowded. I really would like SyFy to consider doing it next year. Y'know, in celebration of EUReKA's fourth season and all (:)
And then, I returned to the convention center to browse some more, restrain myself from spending, geek out over the dice booth AND during the EUReKA panel, see MC Frontalot do a live gig, and give in to temptation before running along to catch the trolley and train ride back [:

I SOOOOO got to go next year!

I mean, I loved going on Amtrak.
Okay, the lavatories are not changing-into-clothing-worthy, due to the tightness, and how turbulent things can get aboard...but still, it's always nice to see how a variety of people are headed towards the same way.
(Well, unless you're sitting next to a dudette who held an obnoxiously-loud phone convo while you're trying to read. That's just plain annoying (:)
Sure, the ride's long because you've got all these frequent stops and all. Oh well, just grab your portable gaming console, book, camera, MP3 player and zone out~

Oh, and masquerading in a wig was fun (: (: (: (:
(Note to self: Get a wig cap, and enough gel for a headful of hair.)
It's awesome to meet others who have the same interests as you, or are passionate enough about what they're interested in to introduce you to it (:

Next year, I'm going to be more organized, though.
I wanted to take lots of pics, but as the poor multitasker I am, I couldn't.
Must remember to drag along a photographer, at the very least.
(I'd probably be up for an attempt at Vlogging while there? That'd be nifty.)
And let's see, gotta be more prepared with my costume.
(Practice posing, getting contacts if needed, neatly putting hair away, thinking of places for photoshoots, etc.)

Goal for next year: Dress up as Nozomu Itoshiki from Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei

Gotta tackle my freshperson year of college first, though (:

"What are you doing?"

2009-07-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

Here's part II of many parts. See, it's me trying to catch up on what I wanted to blog about.

So yeah, that'd often be what you'd see just right above the box where you add your status in 140 characters or less.

But I realize that I often used it to practice being concise. It's not working, though. I still ramble.

Anyway, so WHAT am I doing, besides typing up this post?

Well, in the back of my mind, I'm brewing up some potential ideas for a research project that no professor would probably back me on because it's already been done. Too much.
(Then again, look at the whole debate on global warming. That's actually on my "Stuff I'd also like to work on, but seems like it could be taken up by a mass of peoples," underneath "carbon nanotubes")

Of course, my problem is what astrology books say about my sign--I could start stuff, but I suck at finishing.
(Pfft, astrology. Why did you drift into my mind?)
Currently, I'm stuck on ways to investigate my desire to do a study on flash mobs. I've got questions, but I've yet to find ways to get them answered, aside from attempting to organize a flash mob of my own and see how that plays out.

See, I'm currently going to be an incoming Freshperson at a university that regards itself as a "research university." And besides being a requirement for my Honors program thingy, I'd actually would like to use college to actually LEARN something.

By LEARNING, I don't mean going to classes, listening to lectures, completing projects and quizzes and whatnot for a grade.
I mean actually being able to INVESTIGATE something, and then telling everyone else all about it (:

See, having been brainwashed by the orientation program (Okay, a bit of exaggeration there, and some remnants of anger from not being able to go to MIT when I had been admitted due to family reasons and whatnot. Sorry, SPOP staff and participants, I meant no offense.), it seems like people are just going to college for their degrees.
I sat through this one presentation about research programs at the college--which was primarily filled by students who were in the Honors program, aspiring grad/med school students--you know, the generic overachievers who'd like to make a name for themselves.

And it's funny, since some of them didn't seem really interested.
The guy in charge of the program was right--we've become a robotic society, reared by the robotic education system, where we're given input, and some sort of output is expected from us to verify that what had been inputted was fed to us well enough.

I don't want recognition.
And while I slightly care that this would have an impact on any post-graduate education I plan on pursuing, I'm mostly planning to participate in research because I'd like to learn about the world on my own terms.
I'm determined not to become a robot (: I'd like to learn about stuff I care about.

I SHALL NOT TWEET. I SHALL NOT TWEET. I SHALL NOT TWEET.

2009-07-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

M o o d : I SHALL NOT TWEET. I SHALL NOT TWEET. I SHALL NOT TWEET.
R e a d i n g : Stone of Tears
L i s t e n i n g T o : "The Doll Maker of Bucresti" from Perfect Cherry Blossom
☁/☼
>>--------------------->

Well, my problem isn't me Tweeting, it's more like me being addicted to refreshing my Twitter page every .5 minutes to see if any one of those I follow had updated yet.

And it's beginning to become quite unhealthy.
Okay, that may be a slight hyperbole, but to actually drain my phone's battery through pulling up the Twitter page like, every second or so is a symptom of "unhealthy."

So yeah, I'm abstaining from using Twitter.

As much as I'd like to know what's Trending right now, how I'd also like to comment on that one lady who's being sued for posting about her moldy apartment on Twitter, and how I'm starting to transfer my habits to Facebook, I'm not going to go on Twitter for the next four weeks.

Yeah.

I don't think this'll work.

But hey, I'm going to blog more (:
In fact, there's probably going to be another five posts I'm going to make. Brace yourself for impact.

Google Voice

2009-07-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Exhausted. I blame it on the heat.
R e a d i n g : Wizard's First Rule, by Terry Goodkind
L i s t e n i n g T o : "We are the Borg..."
Sunny and hot, as always.
>>--------------------->

You'd think that I'd be posting more often with summer here, right?
Sorry, I've just been Tweeting more than I've been blogging, since I've been too lazy-slash-busy to sign in on Blogger (:

Anywho, lots of stuff has happened, like me graduating from secondary school--which really is a mere blip in my life, really.
I mean, I still don't feel like a high school graduate, and I'm still attached to my school.
So there.
It'll probably kick in next week, where I'm stuck at orientation.

So, I got an invite to Google Voice, and I've been wasting my time looking up sound clips and finding ways to amplify whatever's coming from my computer speakers to my phone speaker.
Call (315)TEH-BORG (Look on a 9-digit keypad for the numbers :D)
I'm really proud of that number--get to pose as a person living in Syracuse, NY, after all~

[Some of you may get a customised message. Don't be too creeped out, please.)

(I actually wanted something like (---)CLO-AKED or something, though.)

...yeah, I enjoy making my Voicemail greetings interesting, as unprofessional as it seems. Oh well, at least with Google Voice, I'll be able to "act" professional by assigning strangers my "professional" greeting (which, at the moment, is hardly professional. Just call to find out), and those on my contacts list some other message.
Which I shall eventually get to, once I input people's digits. Meeeeh.

Google Voice is amazing so far.
I love how you're able to read a transcript of someone's voicemail message, as long as the speaker speaks slowly and clearly.
I'm hardly a slow speaker, and I lack skills in enunciation. So yeah, this is what I got when I recorded me saying random stuff...

hello this is so cool i'm leaving a message on my own voice mail what a over for you pete you but the done the don't don't don't well good transcribes as well clean it you can probably talking to put me in number and too much 6 bye

And this is what I actually said, or an approximation of what I was trying to say...

WHOAH, this is so cool. I'm leaving a message on my own voicemail.WHOOOAAAAAH. Beep. Bloop. Meep. Pweep. [Insert some ba-dadadadaaaa bum-baddaddadaaaaa here] Will Google transcribe this well, since I'm probably talking too low and mumbling too much, so bye?

And a friend of mine left a message which was transcribed pretty well. It omitted the part where he used some expletives, and probably mixed up a few words, but not too shabby, Google (:

Baaaadly Belated

2009-07-06T22:04:00.001-07:00

It's the return of...das memeschlafe!
Muahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Sorry, obscure reference to what I attempted to do on Facebook a while back...

I'M NOT DEAAAD. I SWAAAAR.

2009-05-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

M o o d : This is basically how I feels. Look below...

R e a d i n g : The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
L i s t e n i n g T o : Orchestral Suite No. 3--Overture (Bach)
Cloudy
>>--------------------->

Dear Senior Exit Portfolio Interview Committee Members:
This is a not a usual post. For usual posts, see posts below.

Dear Random Readers who are not part of the Interview committee:
I'm not dead yet, just hanging in there.
Y'know, the usual, I suppose.
Hopefully, with the school year coming to an end, I'm going to have some more time to plan my next layout and come up with new refreshing content for this blog (:
Umm...yeah, "refreshing content."
Ahahahahahaa.

O Fortuna

2009-03-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

M o o d : "Failure is the highway to success....pssssssht."
R e a d i n g : The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
>------------>

Theme song of the DAY: "Lifted", Josh Vietti (And possibly "High and Dry", Radiohead)

Excuse me as I transform into Captain Ahab, sans the peggy leg.
(Can my extremely nearsighted left eye sub for the leg?)

By that, I mean that even though we did win second place overall for the MESA Wind Energy Challenge, with no chance to move on to the Regionals, I'm still going to work on this contraption so that it WORKS.
Call me crazy, but I'd really like to see my brainchild work.
I mean, this thing started as flashcards on a stick, then socks stretched over coathangers, and now what you've seen above.

Alas, that thingy above only made it for the wind-to-vehicle trial. As in it didn't work for all three, and I'm greatly disappointed as a result.
So yeah, that shall be my legacy. Senior year shall not end for me until I get das Glücksrad to work!

Oh, and as for the lack of updates, I blame microblogging.
My Twitterstream be HERE.

And yes, I've tried the Health Potion. It tastes a lot better than the Mana Potion, in my opinion. (Pic on my Twitstream)

THIS WAS A TRIUMPH

2009-02-12T22:11:00.000-08:00

Happy 200th, Chuck!

Anywho, I'm tired, after returning home from the OCAD Awards Ceremony-thingy.
(Thankies to those who gave me rides, by the way. Can't wait until I start driving.)

Frankly, I didn't expect us to do well this year, seeing how I'm an inept leader with no social skills whatsoever.

But yet, you all amaze me. (Third place in Super Quiz! :D)
Thank you for putting up with me, my ramblings to myself and others, and yeah.

So.
Stuff I got.
Fifth place: Super Quiz (Individual)
Fourth place: Social Science (What teh Frak?), Math (But I merely bubbled in randomness!)
Third place: Economics (Seriously? Well, a thank-you to my econ teacher!)
Second place: Language and Literature (See Social Science), Music (See Language and Literature)

I've finally finished the rainbow o' medals!. Yeah, I've been needing 2nd place medals.

Well, it's my last year in OCAD. But what I do hope to see is OCAD being carried on in my school.
But of course, with budget cuts and all, I don't think that'd be possible. Hopefully things will (and better) change.

We've boarded das Failboot, jumped off das Failboot, and remembered to take our life preservers with us. Yaaaay.
Let's see if we can do that next year, sans das Failboot tickets.

By the way, I've decided that my Moleskine planner is now my Death Note, from a guy who walked up to me and asked, "Hey, do you watch Death Note?"
Ahahahaha.
Well, I read it back in the day.
(And I guess I couldn't help but wear that blazer today akin to Light's, eh?)

Uberstix

2009-01-10T17:30:00.001-08:00

Finally, Uberstix are in a form I can afford.
It kinda looks like some staple of junk food in that packaging, haaah.

Mana Recovery

2009-01-09T11:46:00.001-08:00

Yahoo! didn't like me, so this picture is late.
Bought myself a Mana Potion from Fry's.
Tastes like mouthwash and soap.
Stayed up until 0600 that night/day...

Deferment: A Tingly Feeling

2008-12-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

M o o d : Meh.
R e a d i n g : Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
L i s t e n i n g T o : Holiday music
Rainy :D
>>--------------------->

Let's see if everything is present and accounted for now...
Letter from Caltech saying that my application was deferred...check.
MIT deferring my online application...check.

No, it's not the end of the world. That's supposedly going to happen in 2012.
I'll ~~get my revenge yet~~ have other attempts to apply to those two schools in the future.

Y'know, I'm probably not going to bother with Yale. I'm content to just go to UCI.
Then again, might as well take a shot, no?

In other news, winter break is approaching. And of course, with that comes the cousins. Whoopdeedo.

Is This THE END?

2008-11-28T08:31:00.003-08:00

Taken sometime at 05:eesh at Best Buy

Stuff I'm Thankful For

2008-11-27T20:01:00.000-08:00

M o o d : Grateful :3
R e a d i n g : 1984
L i s t e n i n g T o : Stuff
Cloudy and sprinkly
>>--------------------->

So, I've got a lot of stuff I'm thankful for. Which is seen here, and here, since yeah. I probably hardly updated in 2007.

And you know what? They probably haven't changed that much.
I mean, I'm still thankful for having friends, family, and a place to live in (:
I'm still thankful for being able to attend school.
I'm still thankful for being given second chances, and failing at some stuff that I've failed at.

And of course, I'm thankful for free software. I mean, without OpenOffice, I probably would kill myself because of Clippy. Without Ubuntu, I'd probably would've thrown several computers out of the window because of those stupid confirmation messages. Without Firefox, I'd probably be attempting to gouge out my eyes because of IE.
Thanks awesome softwared developers.

Yeah. It's not my fault I believe Microsoft's going to take over the world one day. I'm fully justified.

So, thanks, world.

Now, I'm off to bed, since I know my mum will make me wake up at 03:00 tomorrow and shuffle me off to Metro Pointe because she wants to go shopping.
("Mum, must I change out of my penguin slippers?")

As much as I hate Black Friday, I realize that I don't want to spend as much on Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions and some other games (GameStop is doing some promo on used games, methinks). And I'm still looking around for a Bluetooth keyboard-mouse set anyway.

Darn you, consumerism. Why do you end up filling my room with useless stuff?

So do expect some random pictures of random people standing in line tomorrow. I'll probably be that bored by mid-morning.
Without my tea. I'm going to be a mess. So if Karma (whom I hardly have any belief in, but my cousin will insist that it's Lady Karma's fault) sends a mob of people my way and I get violently trampled in the process, yeah.

Oh, right, disclaimer.
The post you have just read was written under the influence of a nice hearty cup of Silk Nog. Which is uber-awesome.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

"Weeeeee. I Win."

2008-11-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

M o o d : Hey look, Thanksgiving weekend is coming! Oh look. Homework.
R e a d i n g : 1984, by George Orwell
L i s t e n i n g T o : Click the link, and you shall hear.
Cloudy and cooler. Now, if only SoCal could have snow at lower elevations.
>>--------------------->

Note: Clicketh not on the link if you are an overly sensitive person.

Ha, I'd be that last kid doing the happy dance at the end there, under the influence of video games...
Well, any type, not just first-person shooters.

Excuse me for living under a rock, but I'm just shocked to see how young the subjects for the piece were. I mean, a large chunk of them seemed to be in late-elementary to middle school children.

And there they sat, exposed to the lovely sound of guns shooting, and well...there was that one scene that sounded highly inapropriate. (And creepy.)

Perhaps it's because I wasn't exposed to FPS until I was....I dunno, 15-eesh or so (Which is an age where I could tell fiction from reality, and handle more mature themes, even though I do act like a ten-year-old today)...but, aren't some of these kids a tad too young for this?

At their age, I was fighting over the PS2 to play games like Final Fantasy or Spyro or Rachet and Clank, not shooting up stuff.
And today?

Well, let's see, my middle school-aged cousins play pirated FPS games, which make me highly sad to see how they've given in to a world of violence and whatnot that just so happens to be set in a world similar to our own.
It's not like I'm suspecting that they'll one day become serial killers of some sort, it's more along the lines of how they couldn't waste their brain cells in a world that's...well, more creative.

Like, I wonder how the expressions of the subjects would've changed if they were exposed to say, Aeris' last scene, or a game of Portal--games that have more meaning than those games where you steal cars and...um, yeah.

Yeah, this post was purely intended to pass the time.

Oh, and THIS CLOCK is EPIC.
(Hey, my lack of a clock in my room is starting to annoy me^*. Might as well save up for this, I suppose?)

^* D-kun has lost a clock to time. The room will eventually be cleaned.

Love Conquers

2008-11-15T17:36:00.001-08:00

This made me happy today. Taken on the corner of South Coast Plaza
Synopsis of my day follows somewhere below...

Happy faces, Part Two

2008-11-15T17:34:00.001-08:00

C:
Yeah, well, we did glitterfy Cotton Jenn's house, after all.
Note to self: In evil plan to take over Universe, make glitter cannons that blasts out...well, finely-chopped sparkles.
That'll show everyone not to mess with me. Muahahahahaha.

Imagine, a world where everyone's running in fear of the invasive glitter.
Oh, and upon securing the technology to make sophisticated human-killing nanobots, umm...

Do you want me to complete that thought now?

Happy faces

2008-11-15T17:32:00.001-08:00

Random chaos ensued...
Sucrose's smiley face is rad C:
Cotton Jenn's face is priceless.

Apparantly, this was the by-product of working with glitter on our AP Biology project...
(Which was about cell membranes, but I don't think anyone cares.)
See, I toted my basket o' goodies, which happened to have finely-chopped glitter in a can...
And well, Sucrose had a field day with it as Cotton Jenn and I were trying to play around with her personal statement... :D
Now, about those glitterfied scars...

The Cube

2008-11-11T18:02:00.001-08:00

The Cube
Originally uploaded by Hakuryuu

Behold, the power of LEDs.

2008-11-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

M o o d : Stupid people with their stupid traditionalism.
R e a d i n g : [THIS]
L i s t e n i n g T o : My own complaints
Sunny. Which is the opposite of what I'm feeling right now.
>>--------------------->

"Failure is not Final."

-- John Haggee

Autumn Tea

2008-10-25T16:39:00.005-07:00

Why yes, I am being productive

Proposition 8. What a load of hate.

2008-10-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Tired. I want sleep. Now.
R e a d i n g : I'm reading something? What now?
L i s t e n i n g T o : "Counterblow" by Ayria
Uber-windy
>>--------------------->

I find it funny that those who support Proposition 8 singled out a teacher for letting her students attend her wedding, by the way...

I also find it funny that the proponents of Proposition 8 have taken the effort to advertise on GLBTQ-friendly sites.
(I'm currently kinda feeling the same kind of hatred I have towards those pecans in my chocolate-chip pecan cookies--yeah, the snippets of time I waste prying out the little pecan chunks. Bad analogy, yes, but it works.)

But perhaps even more funny is how yesonprop8.com redirects to noonprop8.com.

Just random thoughts, and a plug for those who are old enough to vote in CA, since I'm not.
I just don't want those who are able to vote to ruin it for me, 'tis all.

Radioactive

2008-10-05T14:32:00.001-07:00

Found this stenciled onto a pole in Santa Monica

Bad End

2008-10-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

M o o d : IdunwannataketheSATstomorrow.
R e a d i n g : Trying to get myself to glue my eyes to my SAT book
L i s t e n i n g T o : --
Cloudy and cool. Yay.
>>--------------------->

In an effort to not do as the past me wanted me to do, I spent my evening watching the remainding episodes of Code Geass R2 because I could.

I don't know. I could probably write an essay about how R2's end was not so appropriate as what I had expected.

No, seriously.
If I had an "AP Anime Interpretation" class instead of an "AP English Literature" class, my essay regarding how the ending was just too sudden and not-so-catharsis-envoking would probably sound better than any essay I'd ever write on a piece of literature.

My reasons for not liking the ending?
1) It ended too suddenly. The snippets of fighting that occurred between Suzaku and Kallen (albeit, well-animated) seemed to serve as a way to make more stuff fit into one episode, in my opinion.
2) Character development was lacking. Like, why add in that part about Rakshata and Lloyd if it wasn't able to be elaborated upon any further? And it may be my biases towards Suzaku, but, he just still seems too flat of a character to me--as much as he had "changed" upon siding with Lelouch.
(Random thought: ...and Cornelia-sama didn't show up as much as I wanted to see her. Same with Kallen. Wah.)
3) Ending feels absolute. As much as I liked how Kallen ended it with her monologue about how the world was great-eesh again (Hah, and toast. ~~I wish I could be the toast.~~), it just seems like nothing more can happen. Or, rather, if something did happen, it'd feel like it'd be "forced" by the writer(s)--just as how with the Power Rangers, there's always this cycle of peace in the town, only to be broken by the monster of the week, y'know?

But you know what? Other than the satisfactory ending, I kinda felt that Code Geass R2 was worth my while, surprisingly.
Well, it's probably because I was excited to see the Guren Seiten Hakkyokushiki.
I hope they'll import a model here in the US soon.

Now that that's over, I need a new series.

For the Want of an Idea Notebook...

2008-09-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Amused
R e a d i n g : Stuff
L i s t e n i n g T o : Other stuff
Oh, the vagueness.
>>--------------------->

Hey, I'm on a roll here! Three photos posted for three days! W00T!
(What? I always wanted to keep a photoblog of some sort, but I'm usually too lazy to upload my photos every day. I just dump them down when I finally find my camera in that wasteland I call my room.)

Anyway, I was dabbling about in the New Age/Astrology section of Borders today due to boredom (and a lack of new volumes of the manga series I usually follow available in the Graphic Novel section)...
[Before I continue, do realize that I won't name names to protect peoples, and because I really can't remember names unless I've interacted with them for a long while.]
And then a fellow classmate/teammate of mine (and her friend) saw me.
But of course, being the intimidating person I am, they didn't approach me directly to say hi.

...Rather, they hid behind copies of some religious book and walked up and down the aisles, pretending to read it.
It was rather amusing. Especially since both were wearing the same T-shirt. I wish I had a camera right then, since it seemed like it could be something Improv Everywhere would organize.

So yeah, I continued to read the astrology book I was reading (Side note: I'm hardly anything like the books say about a female Aries. The descriptions of a male Aries suited me better. Then again, this would be the Barnum Effect at work.), trying to see which of us would give up eventually.

(Due to my lack of patience and bursting enthusiasm--oh wait, I've got enthusiasm?--I finally decided to put the book I was looking at back and acknowledge that they've got more patience than I do.)

That gave me an idea to work with...

To raise awareness of...well, something...a bunch of people could wear identical shirts and hide behind books (that are appropriate for the cause being campaigned for), walking up and down aisles, standing side-by-side in a line, etc.
It could be...Syncronized Reading :D
Or something along those lines.

It'd be kinda like the Human Mirror experiment, but it'd be set in a local bookstore instead, and people would have their faces hidden by the same book as they prowl around the bookstore in pairs.

And since everyone would be wearing the same shirt, it might be possible to raise money for the good cause through selling them...or something like that.

I can't believe I held on to this idea for seven hours already.
I mean, I would've jotted it down on my Moleskine notebook and forget it, but my Moleskine couldn't fit in my pockets today.
So since I jotted it down on a receipt-like paper, I couldn't help but make an effort to remember it throughout the day. Knowing me, that receipt-like paper will end up in the rinse cycle of my washing machine if I wasn't conscious of having it on me.
So yeah. Where is my Moleskine when I actually need it?

Cape of Weirdom: +6 AC

2008-09-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Tea-induced calmness, continued.
R e a d i n g : Nothing at the moment. Too tired.
L i s t e n i n g T o : "DARE" by Gorillaz
The weather has yet to change. It's Southern California, after all.
>>--------------------->

I have too much fun dressing up and parading around like a nut.

(Picture credits go to K. Alvarez! :3)

No, I'm not Harry Potter. Nor am I a vampire (Wait, I probably take that back, considering that I hate garlic, onions, and sunlight. Ahahaa. Now if only I was a tad paler, like I was a few months ago.)...

I'm supposed to be Charles Darwin.
Though of course, no one really got that, since Darwin is usually depicted as an old dude with a long beard and cool sideburns.
(And yeah, it was waaaay too hot to wear a frock coat underneath, so I went with a vest that was probably too dark to be worn back in the 1830s.)
Oh well, it was fun anyhow.

So, autumn has come, and my favorite shows are slowly coming to an end.
Let's see, what do we have here?
EUReKA already had it's midseason finale.

(Random thought: Y'know, if they had this shirt as a polo shirt, I'd probably buy it, if I had money.)

Code Geass R2 seems to be ending waaaaaay too quickly.

(Random thought II: Kallen better not die...If she does, I'm going to just cry.)

Koihime Musou only has 12 episodes...

(Random thought 3.0: Hence the reason why I haven't watched it for awhile. I want to save it to savor it. Hahahaha.)

Yep, I'm back to wallowing in my corner about having nothing in life to care about anymore.
(Though I could be watching Heroes. It's just that I fell out of interest with the Writers' Strike during the second season. Meh. Perhaps I should leech off of my cousin and ask her for her Season 2 DVDs? Naaaaah. She'd probably expect me to watch like, four episodes per day or something.)

But hey, the great thing about fall is that there are new anime series I could follow :D
Like...
[x] Hyakko!

From what I've read--as in synopsises ("synopsi"?) and the first two chapters of the manga, it kinda seems like one of those "slice-of-life" things. Which is always nice, considering how much I liked Lucky Star.

[x] Yozakura Quartet

I love the manga series! That's all I have to say.

[x] Skip Beat!

This is one of my secret loves (considering how I find shoujo manga to be kinda mushy for my tastes at times...). Kyoko/Kanae, anyone? Oh, wait...I suppose I'm the only one with yuri goggles on all the time...

Make me proud, Japan. Make me have a reason to live life, besides for another MMO.

Colleges in a Bag

2008-09-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Tea-induced calmness
R e a d i n g : My AP Biology text.
L i s t e n i n g T o : "Viking Massacre" by Derek Sherinian
Getting cooler as autumn swings into full blast
>>--------------------->

I really don't know whether to be happy that Stanford didn't use paper envelopes to mail me its information booklet, or if I should treat this as some sort of biohazardous waste that is to be properly disposed, from the look of the plastic baggie.

One day, I could imagine some college (possibly one that I would establish somewhere in some remote island, having made enough money and whatnot) mailing prospective students a puzzle of some sort. In order to find out more about the college, the students would have to solve it.

That'd be a college I'd probably like to go to.

Fair Game

2008-09-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

M o o d : "Yay, tomorrow's the start of autumn!"
R e a d i n g : The Road
L i s t e n i n g T o : "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by the Beatles
Getting cooler :D
>>--------------------->

I really thought this was a given.

Sure, colleges and employers may not be able to find me (unless they're really taking the effort to do so...*gasp*), since I go under too many names to even realize that I do.

But yeah, I wonder what colleges would assume about me after seeing my blog.
Would they consider me as "artsy"?
Would they consider me to be "monochromatic"?
Would they consider me to be "chatty"? (*MEGAS-gasps*)
Would they consider me to be "unmotivated"? (Clearly, this is due to my lack of posts...or the opposite.)
Would they consider me as a "deviant whose desires are a danger to nature"? (Haha.)

In fact, I wonder how people see me after seeing Incompletedis.org at times.

...Obviously, this was another post to stave off my need to finish homework.

Yaaaar! Ahoy thaaaaar!

2008-09-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Tired. Dead...eeesh.
R e a d i n g : The Road by Cormac McCarthy
L i s t e n i n g T o : "Flip On the Switch" by Ellie Come Home
Sunny, as it always is here.
>>--------------------->

Aye, it be International Talk Like a Pirate Day today.
Tried to get people to play along, but it didn't work out too well.
I gave up within two-and-a-half hours after arriving on campus. (D-kun is just deaaaad.)

Oh, and I bring forth more photos, since I just happen to have a camera within five feet of my laptop. (Pssht. At least I didn't wait six months and then upload a dump full of photos and post a link to Flickr account that no one probably even clicks.)

Lunch of the day (:

Project of the week(end) (:

Too lazy to type up a blurb...though I do like hearing myself type.

Anyway, back to Life.
I don't think I really have any reason for living anymore.
[X] Reason A
[X] Reason B
[X] Reason C

Wait, no, nevermind. I still ought to save up for Warhammer Online and play it someday...:D
(My cousin's significant other keeps on taunting me...)
See, there's still a little glimmer of hope in my life.
Except that little glimmer of hope in my life comes at the expense of subscription fees and a possible new addiction which may not be curbed so easily.

Mind me not. I tend to be like this sleep-deprived.

"LHCb sees where the antimatter’s gone"

2008-09-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Relaxed
R e a d i n g : How to Read Novels Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
L i s t e n i n g T o : "Large Hadron Rap" by Alpine Kat
Cloudy, for now.
>>--------------------->

Is that the LHC I see? Yay, Google.

It's just funny to see how people belive that the LHC will be the cause of the demise of the world. I mean, sure, it holds in quite a lot of energy, but we as humans have survived manymany things before to the extent that I could believe that we're quite a resilient species...
That is, if any drastic does happen.
(Heh, we're almost like those cockroaches. Okay, perhaps not. But really, I don't think we really have anything to worry about.)

Anywho, a belated happy birthday to Metabola. :D
Sorry we haven't chatted in awhile. Stupid time zones.
Someday, I'll get an aviation license and enough money to own and maintain a nice little Cessna so I could fly those 6000 miles to see you!

So, yeah, I've got random pictures.

My textbook finally arrived! Well, one of two I had ordered. Looks like I'll have to tote this around for awhile...

I've started to make lunch...sporadically, since sometimes lunch will fit into my bag...other times, my lunch won't.

So, this is today's lunch...:D

Yeah, well, the exposure could've been better if the sun was up by the time I had finished.

Cans of Crayons

2008-09-06T15:38:00.001-07:00

Found at South Coast Plaza.

What another fine mess you've created, D...

2008-08-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Frustrated.
R e a d i n g : Listings for the calc-based physics text I want.
L i s t e n i n g T o : --
Sunny and hot
>>--------------------->

So, I've decided to take up the challenge of studying for the AP Physics C test (both components) when I'm enrolled in an AP Physics B class. And yes, I'm going to go for taking the Calculus BC test over the Calculus AB test as well.

Daunted? Me? No. Never.
But I suppose having a textbook would be nice.
Except the school hasn't recieved the textbooks at all.

So, after intensive deliberation, I decided to go online and look for a copy of the book myself, only to find out that it doesn't deal much with calculus-based physics, and that quite a few do not like the text by Giancoli.

And yeah, I'm probably going to take some people's advice and buy myself a copy of the texts by Halliday and Resnick [x], or that Serway guy [x].

But textbook shopping is somewhat like buying the DVDs for an anime series. I mean, it's all great if the series is a short anime series, since you won't need to buy volume after volume after volume...
But when it's a long anime series or an extremely large book full of material, you've gotta buy volume after volume after volume...

Or wait until the full set comes out. When you can't wait at all.

I'm going to be broke by the end of the year. Thanks a lot, Senior Year.

Oh, and methinks I'll hate May 11th, 2009 with a burning, furious passion because of THIS.
That's right, it'll be like taking three tests all on one day. Nice, eh?
...I should've taken a friend's advice and not take AP Bio at all.
Then again...

...it'll be the last of my AP tests. Why must it be so brutal, though?

Now this is the reason why I'm going to drop Sports Medicine.
With roughly 31 weeks (of my own choosing) to squeeze in rotational motion and polar graphs, I must use my free period for studying!

FILLMORE!

2008-08-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Grraaaaaaaaaah.
S t u c k i n H e a d : "Das Uber Tuber" by Ookla the Mok
Sunny
>>--------------------->

It's been several days since I came back from San Jose.
And there's only a wee bit of time left until I start school.
Pfft. I never completed all the stuff on my "To Do List":

(Wallpaper made by nisec)

But hey, I got to go to San Francisco.
Heh, whenever I visit "Frisco" (as my cousins and some other NorCal people call it), I think of Fillmore!--a cartoon series I used to love as a kid.
But only since the characters' last names are named after streets in San Fran...:D
Yes, the following pictures involved me sticking my head outside the window of my uncle's SUV to take them. My mum looked at me like I was crazy...

Yeah. I'm a nut.
But hey, it was the preteen's version of CSI. Or at least, that's how my cousin sees it today.
I kinda see it as a revival of old cop shows. I suppose that's why I liked watching Fillmore! as a kid.

Though I loved San Francisco, I'm somewhat disappointed that we went on a Wednesday.
Y'see, I wanted to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
But because it was a Wednesday, it was closed. Noooo.

And here I thought I could kill two birds with a stone--enjoy art while preparing for Academic Decathlon...which I'm just frustrated about as of right now, since our materials are going to arrrive somewhat late...

...just like last year.
Oh well, we'll manage.

Daiso Japan

2008-08-20T13:07:00.001-07:00

I love this place. Pity that it's some six or seven hours away from where I live...

Guren Mk. II

2008-08-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

M o o d : w00t :3
L i s t e n i n g T o : "Blue Rondo a la Turk" by the Dave Burbeck Quartet
Sunny, but a tad cooler

Several minor burns, cuts, and bruises later, I present to you, Guren's activation key.

(Sorry folks, not Gurren's activation key...hehe.)

I feel proud of myself, despite the initial guilt of taking over my entire desk with newspaper, sniffing dangerous fumes from varnish and hot glue, and having to take apart my new 8GB flash drive. (And then using my wire-stripper/cutter as a hammer and then having it drop on my fingers. That was hurtful.)

But yeah, methinks I did a better job on Guren's key than I did with Lancelot. But it's probably because I used [this] and [pictures from Random Curiosity's blog] as references.

On a side note, if you'd like to view pictures I've taken from COSMOS, go [here]

I Void Warranties

2008-08-15T20:22:00.001-07:00

...in just 24 hours.
See, I just took apart my 8GB flash drive so I could mod it...surprised to see how small it is.
My fingers are sore and hurtful now.

[Insert Random Title Here]

2008-08-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Tired.
R e a d i n g : Strawberry Panic, Volume II
L i s t e n i n g T o : "Take Five" by Dave Burbeck
Hot enough to give me a headache. Px

>>--------------------->

There should be a button to give my posts really random titles, methinks. I'm running out of ideas for titles. That kinda shows you that the heat here is killing me slowly but surely...

But really, I dunno what to call this post. Perhaps it's one of those posts where I show off my Japanophile tendencies to the world. Or at least share my love of anime and manga and all things anime-manga-eesh. Or something the like.

Anywho, seems like they finally put what I've done into something that looks a whole lot better. [HERE]
But it probably costs around some ninety United States Dollars. D:
Plus the shipping and handling and whatnot. D:
{Oh, come now. You don't remember that I've modified my semi-broken USB drive into a Lancelot activation key-lookalike?
Well, yeah, it's because no one cares about my fandoms, haha.}
(Look, I'm making the fourth wall crumble because I've started to talk to you all. Hahaha. Oh geez. I hate the heat.)

And from the looks of it, (my Japanese-reading skills being sucky) seems like they've also got a laptop to go with it...kinda.
They've got C.C., but they don't have Kallen on it? This is heinous!
[Kallen = <3]
Y'know, I still have yet to finish taking apart my old HP Pavillion laptop, but it seems that I could transform it into a Guren Mk. II-style book, or try and engrave a picture of Kallen onto it or something, if I had the time.
Though I only have like, two weeks left of my summer. Noooo.

Oh, and I got an 8 GB USB drive on sale at Staples today. I'm just sosososososo happy! I'm probably going to make it into Guren's activation key, just because I'm geeky enough to do so. Hahaha.

Indeed, I've got to find a new hobby, aside from attempting to make replicas of stuff I see in anime shows. Hahahaha.

It's too hot to think.
I'm dyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyying.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

And that was four-point-two-three minutes inside the blogger's head. Thank you, and good night.

AC Adapters are now Deemed Evil.

2008-08-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Recovering from a PANIC attack.
>>--------------------->

I lovelovelovelovelovelove my Dell XPS M1330 laptop, enough to name it Xntrippie and stuff, haha.

But, disaster struck yestarday when I found out that my laptop wasn't charging because of a broken pin in my AC adapter. Dunno how that had happened, but I figured that my cousin could've accidentally sat on it so it got bent, and then when I went to plug it in, it could've snapped off, or it could've been my carelessness and my incessant attention to the Olympic Games.

So, I thought about getting a replacement adapter, but the one direct from Dell was not the model that I had (the PA-21 family has a three-leaf clover-style prong that separates it into two parts...quite nifty), and it was some sixty-five dollars plus shipping and handling.

And then I turned to E-Bay. Which was nice, since they sold a cornucopia of chargers...but of course, I'm kinda wondering if they're really in "excellent condition" as they had claimed...especially when there's no pictures of the pin area.

Yep, I decided to try and fix it myself.
Using a staple, it got stuck and went inside the port itself. Hence the panicking.
Using a lead from an LED was a little bit better, but it also got stuck inside the port.
Oh well, it seems to be working now, since the LED lead was sticking out a bit...perhaps just enough to serve as a "bridge" between the charging bit and the charger. Thank goodness.

See, LEDs are teh awesome.

EDIT: I jinxed it. It's not working anymore. So I tried taking my laptop apart, but the screws are so darn screwed on tightly. Even ask my second-cousin-once-removed, who was helping me throughout the ordeal. Thanks, dude, for trying.
But hey, at least it works on AC power. It's just that my two hours of battery life cannot be recharged...perhaps I'll actually try and buy a new adapter now...
Hoping for the best.

Time Zones Make Me Sad

2008-08-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

M o o d : BAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.
>>--------------------->

I love watching the events in the Olympics, but there are just some that the TV networks here in the U.S. don't feature. And of course, there's always the thing with being in different time zones. It's kinda like how you can't keep in touch with your friends on the other side of the country because you live some two or three time zones away, but only with a sporting event, haha.

I mean, the Internet's great--you get to watch live streams of the Olympic Games, for instance.
But then there's the whole compatability and such.
I love my Ubuntu Book, but because I'm not running IE, Firefox on Windows or Mac, or Safari, I can't ~~fraking~~ watch the live streams...well, live. And it frustrates me...
(GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.)
So now, I'm reduced to watching Dressage on my Mac Mini, which is connected to my granfather's old TV set.
It's nice to be able to watch it on TV, but my resolution is so tiny that you only see a chunk of the video, unless you enlarge it. But even if you enlarge it, a portion of the bottom and the right side is cut off, so bleh.

And yeah, the Interwebs are great for looking at results, but I sometimes don't want to see them--I want to watch the games.
Gees, I can't wait until 2010, when the Winter Games are coming to Vancouver. I want to go see them live, so I don't have problems like trying to get Microsoft Silverlight to work on my notebook or so.

Now I'm going to try some workarounds.

A Fine Day

2008-08-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

M o o d : Awe-inspired
R e a d i n g : --
L i s t e n i n g T o : --
Veryveryvery warm, of course.
>>--------------------->

Still working on my layout. Again.
But hey, I'm watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony, and I'm just awestruck by the performance of the drummers...all 2008 of them.
And I love how some of them had earbuds...hehe. Sorry, but that's just a little something I noticed.
And the light-show was awesome!

Okay, will update more during the commercial break. Or perhaps even tomorrow. Or something.
If you see any bugs, do post a comment to tell me or something. But I doubt anyone will see this within 24 hours or so...Oh well.

Lions and Penguins, Oh My!

2008-08-06T11:54:00.001-07:00

Seen at Saigon City Supermarket...

Blueberry Pocky

2008-08-05T15:13:00.001-07:00

For my Pocky collection...found in my stomach.
I love the packaging.

Zombie Owl

2008-08-05T15:09:00.001-07:00

Made from scrap yarn. Should have used embroidery thread for the details...
Aw, look. I made it cry...