Flash Back?

I'm surprised more people haven't made the connection. Click the pic to see the full image.

Down Down Down

Drown-

Some call it going under.
Others say it's being buried alive.
Either way, I start to wonder
if all of this has become too much.

Some fight through and manage.
Others rely on outer strength.
And here I sit with an advantage
of hind sight, they say it's 20/20.

I can't begin to explain the feeling.
Like I'm choking in a sea of fire.
All this world has got me reeling,
and I wonder if there's a light.

I haven't much to offer
In terms of how to calm your woes.
All I can say is stay on your rocker,
and we'll ride it out, as it goes.



No apologizes, just words. It's cathartic. Have a good weekend. Hopefully I'll be back by next week. Comment on the last post please! Thanks!

Do Adjust Your TV Set

I've been trying to keep up with the latest Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) news. Since being denied a internship due to the "impending strike,"I've been watching the SAG updates quite carefully. I've discussed with some people the possibility that TV could once again take another screeching halt mid season. Now with all politics aside, what does this mean to the average viewer? It means that quite possibly, we'll get hit with another horrific round of "alternative programing." Or as it's more commonly known, reality TV.

As a writer and self proclaiming media connoisseur I absolutely can not take another season of mindless dribble. Despite the fact that much of current programing is almost as bad if not worse than Reality TV. To take from SNL's example "One OC Gossip Tree Creek." (And yes I'm going to call you out, Gossip Girl). I hate the fact that at the heart of "Reality" TV there is no reality at all. The original, Survivor? Honestly I can't remember the last time I was placed on a desert island with twenty other people and had to compete in games for immunity from getting me off the island. Beauty and the Geek? I have never been paired up with outrageously simple minded girls in a challenge to find out if I could change my nerdy ways and become more than just a geek. Amazing Race? No I don't remember being dropped off in some remote part of the world with only a few hundred dollars worth of local currency in a race against other couples to be the first to get home. The closest thing I could think of that would even slightly resemble true reality is Big Brother, and even then I normally have the freedom to leave my house when I please and I don't think I've ever held a massive 20 person non stop sleepover. But the kicker on all these? I've never been given $50,000.

Take this whole contemplation of possible Reality TV overload and add a dash of "oh shoot I haven't updated my blog in...I don't even remember how long," and you'll arrive at my current state. As I rolled around these two ingredients in my mind and tried to wrestle with possible blogging topics I found myself thinking about making my own reality TV show. The premise of the show? Well I'm glad you asked. It's called "Why are you watching this?" Basically what I'd do is just film little clips out of my day, add a little "ASF-esque" humor and present it to you, my readers. You can call it an experiment in true "Reality" TV. Now I'm not entirely sure I want to do this, seeing as my readership could possibly take a major down turn, it'll also take a bit of time, and the fact that my life really isn't that interesting. But the one major deterrent is the camera itself. In any case, I present to you this option. I know you all aren't really that fond of commenting, as I can see by the minuscule responses to my blogs, but I'm asking you the reader for your help. If you'd like to take part in this experiment to see what Reality TV should look like, post up and let me know. If not, post up and explain why I shouldn't. If I get enough help in deciding, you might see a new internet phenomenon start up and know that you took part in making it happen. Though that's not really likely to happen. But if you would please help me out by voicing your opinions. Thanks a bunch for your help! COMMENT!!!

Iconography and Morality

I don't know why, but recently I've noticed quite a few people with nose rings. Most of the times it's girls (which in and of itself is kinda weird). Now I'm all about self expression. If you want to get a tat, I'm all for it. I'll even take you if you want me to come along. If you want to pierce your ears, go for it. If you want to brand yourself (some of my friends have done this) be my guest. But my major problem is with nose piercings (specifically nose rings) and perhaps due to my major and my understanding of iconography.

For those that don't know iconography is basically the meaning behind symbols or icons. Having said that, nose rings hold significance in iconography. You see, in iconography a bull which has a ring in it's nose is actually a castrated bull. Having this understanding when I see girls, and especially guys, with nose rings it makes me not only think of bulls, but more so makes me question the person's intelligence. Is that wrong for me to do? Which got me thinking.

If ignorance is bliss, which I suppose in this case is really true, does it mean those that are more informed lose their rights to criticize those that are ignorant? Not solely for being ignorant, but rather exposing their folly? Now keep in mind that I've never informed those about their mark of castration, but the question begs to be asked, should I tell them?

If the right thing to do is inform them, then the question must be applied to others as well. For example there's two guys playing pool in front of me with cut off tshirts, and to be quite blunt they look ridiculous. And yet part of me assumes that they probably think they have the guns to pull it off, which sadly is not true. Would the right choice be to let them continue in stupidity and DB-edness or to inform them of their clear mistake?

In any case, I feel as though it's only appropriate that if one was to continue in ignorance, those in the know maintain the right to scoff behind their backs. I'm not saying we should laugh at their misfortune, but I feel as though we should be given the option to, after all is it our faults that we are better informed?

Bored/Board

I was sitting in the dining hall of Pine Summit Camps, when the topic arose of the board game. As we discussed various board games the questions came up as to what constitutes a board game.

One person brought up that a board game should consist of a board. This would rule out games such as Chicken Limbo, Crocodile Dentist, and Mr. Bucket. However it seems that you could play the games on top of a board, but due to the fact that it does not in fact involve the board, it could not pass as a board game.

Now having stated that, the question of whether Don't Wake Daddy or Mouse Trap would be allowed to join the ranks of games like Monopoly and Life. It seems that though most of the action takes place on top of the board, the board is an integral part of the game. This then brought up Hungry Hungry Hippos and Crossfire. Where though there is a board involved, most of the action does not involve the board itself, as the board functions mainly as a means to contain the rest of the game. If you think about it in this light, then it seems more like a box and not really a board.

Which then brings to question the very game that caused the debate, Operation. You see Operation takes place on a board like object that seems more like a box. But despite it's box like appearance it seems as though it functions much like a board, where pieces rest on top. So what then would Operation be? On top of that, would Twister be considered a board game? If not due to the board like mat, what about the spinner board? And so the great debate of our generation continues.

Short Post

I'm sorry. I know you're still here. I haven't forgotten. No worries, the school year has just kicked in, which means more procrastination, which means more post to come! Hang in there.

After tagging some 40 some pictures on facebook, I came to a rather interesting thought(or at least in my mind at 2 in the morning). If aliens or terrorist were to infiltrate social networks and view our pictures and interest , I feel as though there would be three options as to what they would think:
1)The American teen/young adult culture is quite complex, despite being ridiculous.
2)What's wrong with their faces?
3)What a waste of time.

Be back soon!

Ninja Bear

In Japan, there is this black bear named Claud who is becoming a national attraction. I could explain more but I think Claud would just like to show you what he's got. So without further delay here's Claud.

Oh, side note the editing is hilarious.

So Cal and "The"

My Nor Cal cousins were in town this week, just to hang out a little bit. Now, anyone that has ever spent some time living in California knows that Nor Cal and So Cal are very different places. Every time I visit my cousins up north I feel as though I'm in a different country. Well, to the extent of, say...Canada, cause at least they still speak English. However it seems that though California as a whole is very much the same, in the grand scheme of things, it comes down to the small details that make the biggest difference.

Case in point? "The." "The" is possibly one of the most over looked words in the English language, surpassed only by letters of shorter length such as "of" and "a." Despite this fact "the" has the ability to differentiate a So Cal-er from a Nor Cal-er. Down here in So Cal we refer to every freeway with the prefix, "the." The 110, the 405, the 710. Nor Cal natives on the other hand, negate the "the." Stating 110 North, or 210 West. Often times Nor Cal-ers will ask me why we include the "the," and honestly I'm not sure. I know I don't consciously add the "the." Nor do I feel any need not to allow for it. So why the "the?"

I have a theory. In Southern California, the car culture is one of our major trademarks. Therefore it seems to follow that our freeway system would be very important to us. And a way to denote importance, from a literary standpoint, would be the addition of "The." A great example of this would be Samuel Johnsons' The Life of Shakespeare. Johnson is the only writer to put "the" before his edition of The Life of Shakespeare, telling others that his account is the truest and most accurate. Though "the" may add importance and promience, it does not assure inerrancy, so you can deciede whether Johnson's version is best. In any case for So Cal residents the 110 or the 5 maybe their very livelyhood, and thus requires some recongition.

No matter what the cause maybe for the addition, it seems as though "the" will not soon leave the freeway system in Southern California, and it's just another coloquial feature that gives So Cal residents their own identity.



















Improper Usage of "the"

Technology and Children

On a recent trip with Jenn, I observed a young child waiting for his prescription. Sitting in his seat, he turned around to find a lady who was on the phone. The little boy looked so confused and a little scared to find that she was not holding a phone. She was using her bluetooth headset. This got me thinking.

In the near future (July 1st people) CA law requires everyone to use a hands free head set while using their phones in the car. With the increase of bluetooth head sets, I wondered if children will soon see hundreds of adults "talking to themselves." Or better yet, they might think that the adult is talking to them. In someways I wonder if there's going to a increase in childhood trauma, when a toddler walks around with their parents to find so many people just chatting with the air around them. I know for a fact that if bluetooth was invented when I was a child I would have been a bit more paranoid of crazy people.

A question. How does he press the answer button? I've actually been driving a few times on the 134 and seen someone wearing one.

Much More Than Just a Toy

I said it once, and I'll say it again. I like toys. A recent fascination has been the Munny and Dunny series put out by KidRobot. The simple DIY Vinyl toys are just so fun to own. But really I fear ever doing anything aside from making clothes (which won't damage the actual vinyl of the Munny) for my little guy. However recently I've been getting into the Munny Zipper pulls. They're made to be attached to zippers or used as key chains, but they have one major flaw. The clasp which they use to attach to things is far too small for many things. With a little creative brainstorming and unfortunate blind box assortment, I ended up creating a couple things out of these zipper pulls.

There's a 1 in 25 chance to get a plain Munny with no accessory and just differing colors. Jenn got a green Munny with a fedora. How awesome is that? That's 2/25. I on my first try, got a yellow one. Not bad, not great. My second try maybe a month later, got another yellow Munny. What's the chances of that? That's insane and rather upsetting. Finally after my third try I got a black Munny and this is what I made out of the three. I can't seem to find my other camera in which Jenn's accessory was taken. Anyhow hope you enjoy it.


A set of Munny earrings. And cellphone charm.

A Thousand Apologizes

I know, I know. It's been almost three weeks since my last update. This is due to the fact that I've been busy moving all my stuff from my apt. back to my house. Trying to condense a flat into one room is a pain in the butt. However. I'm hoping to finish up cleaning up and stuff by this week. So fear not, randomness will ensue. But for now enjoy this comic from Least I Could Do which pretty much summarizes my feelings for this past week. As a thank you to they guys over at LICD, here's a little plug. It's a great Webcomic, and actually updates regularly with no wait. However be warned there are sometimes more "adult" themes. But overall it's pretty tame, and I recommend it.

Can't read it this small? Click it to enlarge.

3 Days, 3 Papers, 51 hours, 25 pages.

You must forgive me for the lack of updates. It's finals week this week, and despite my efforts to clear up my week, I've only just hours ago finished up my last paper, ensuring for at least 3 days of fun. Any how, I'll return next week (as I'll be moving out of the 109) and give you some much needed absurdity. In the mean time, how sad is this? Click the pic for a detailed view.
Edit: How timely. Over at Stuff White People Like, they too have posted about the wonder of bumper stickers. Take a look, it's worth the read.

Fold or Crumple

Do you fold or crumple? Though it seems a matter of preference in regards to cleaning your posterior, it is in fact much more than just that. To fold or crumple is not a question you should take lightly, for in this outwardly simple question lies many crucial factors.

The Wipe:
It seems logical that the fold would serve as a more efficient method in cleaning. If you spilled some...chocolate syrup on your counter, would you crumple the paper towel before wiping it down? Or would you try and use as much surface space as possible, meaning leaving it "open," rather than bunched in no particular method. I dare say we would all leave it open. But while considering the surface space, one must also take into consideration the thickness and how that effects one's choice.
Winner: Fold

Ply:
It seems here that, at first glance, the crumple method would provide the user with the most distance between their fingers and the...things which need to be wiped. 6 squares can be crumpled to give you anywhere between 1/2 an inch to maybe an inch depending on the method of crumpling. But when you think about the distance, after careful deliberation one must decide if distance out weighs the need to "get the most" out of a roll. If 6 squares can give you, say 3/4", but 3 squares can give you enough thickness to get the job done, do you use double the amount for the extra distance? With that question in mind one must consider the ply count.
Winner: I say a tie due to outside circumstances, but if you must have a winner I'd say crumple by a nose.

Comfort:
Ply doesn't only determine "hand safety," but it also determines the comfort level. At school it's 1 ply (supposedly it's 2 but if you count that as 2 then you must be referring to rice paper) At my apartment it's 2, quilted. Now at school with a stiff, non-quilted single ply, when crumpled you maybe faced with some rather ridged and sharp edges. However when folded, one is given a more comfortable feel. If you have a 2 ply, quilted I would assume that both have about roughly (no pun intended) the same comfort level.
Winner: Fold, as it maintains comfort despite the change in ply

Disposal:
Though comfort plays a major roll there is one final category that we'll go into, and that's disposal. You maybe saying to yourself at this point, don't they both dissolve in the same place? Yes, however I feel as though there are other factors to take into account. The toilet in my apartment is a bit slow on the flush. This is could have two different causes. 1) The water entering the bowl is being blocked, thus not allowing the content to be flushed out quickly enough. 2) There is a blockage in the pipe, causing the water to exit slower than in a non-obstructed pipe. Now my question is this. Which would prevent clogging better. A hasty conclusion might declare the victor, folding due to the smaller size (given the height of a crumple). Though this maybe true I thought about the ability to create a blockage that would require a snake to break through. One would think that crumple would cause a blockage easier. This maybe true, however I think given the structure, with the gaps within the crumples, I would think air bubbles would form making the overall structure of a crumple more flimsy. Folding however allows for the wall (if stood up vertically) to be rather thick, 2 ply, quilted, and 3 squares deep, thus giving it 6 plies. Now multiply by how many folded "bunches" used each visit, and multiply by trips per week and you'll be able to figure out the thickness of a blockage.
Winner: I think it's a draw, as crumpling has the ability to clog easier as the diameter of a crumple is greater than that of a fold. But the fold can create a thicker blockage.

The Winner is...
Fold, by 3 to 2. Not only is the fold more comfortable, it also is an efficient cleaner, and potentially has a lower chance of causing a clog. Though this is very official and by all accounts fold is obviously the better choice, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. So start commenting!

All American Summer

My mind is pretty much fried. I'm ready for summer, though the weather could wait, or at least gradually work it's way up to triple digits. Come on it's only April! And so due to the heat, and total lack of motivations I bring you this ridiculous mini post.

This guy is just embarrassing. For those that have found their way over to this blog from my old xanga, you guys know how I feel about this guy and the "return of Gladiators." I have no words to describe this...Gay-diator.

Embarrassing, just embarrassing.

Breaking Rules and Japanese Awesomeness

The first major rule to writing a good blog is to not reblog. Don't post others stuff. Not really because of plagiarism but just because if a blogger was to do that they'd cover ground that has been covered before. However I've decided to break that rule, due to the supreme awesomeness of what I'm about to share.

The Japanese are known for their crazy inventions which seem to serve very limited and specific purposes. Case in point the cat mop, or the full body umbrella. However a Japanese designer has managed to develop, what I can only describe as a security device, which mimics old time cartoon techniques.

You may remember as the witty mouse scurried about the marketplace, in hopes to avoid the cat in chase he would often find refuge in a clay pot or potted plant. Now when you are being chased by someone you're able to disappear in a row of vending machines.


























How awesome is that! There are actually quite a few "devices." A backpack which can unfold to become a "fire extinguisher" or a purse that looks like a manhole cover so when you're being chased you can throw it away from you and the pursuer won't know where your belongings are. Japanese have the best "inventions."

On a Horse With No Name

I've returned from the deserts of Arizona. It was an insanely tiring, yet enjoyable trip. With 13 archers packed into two vehicles we set off at 5:30 Friday morning to Phoenix, Arizona. There's tons of details which I could share with you, about scores, distances, and PR's but I doubt you'd want to hear about them, so I'll share with you all just a few pictures of worth. Enjoy!

Embrace the Elf Within

I'm off to Phoenix, AZ tomorrow bright and early. I'm so not looking forward to that, as I'm not a morning person at all. It's a pretty major archery event, and we've never shot that far as a team at all. Half of us are competing in a full FITA event which has us shooting at 90 meters, while the other half are shooting a 900 round which is shooting different distances varying from 60 meters to 40. Now to give you an idea of how that changes things, we normally shoot at 18 meters and I can get a grouping of about a grapefruit on a good day. We've been practicing recently on a 70 meter range, and I now get groupings about the size of the target, which is roughly 4 feet in diameter. So I'm not expecting to bring back any medals or anything. In any case, I wanted to let you guys know that I'll be back next week with a photo update of Western Regionals. Until then.

Facebook & Preferential Friendship

I've had a Facebook account since my freshman year of college. Back then it was only for college students (as a side note, I wish that it still was). In the past four years they've expanded to literally allow everyone and their mothers an account. Case in point, my cousin's mother has one. With each new addition, Facebook users of old, put up resistance to the MySpace like changes that seem to pop up left and right. The changes that have occurred, and Facebook's slow transformation into a more organized Myspace, is a topic all it's own. Having seen the outrage and controversy created upon adding mini-feeds, Facebook, has tried to redeem itself by adding more and more security features which seem to progressively get more complicated and specific. With more security features comes the opportunity for what I like to call, preferential friendship, or limited friendship. Let me explain.

I've received quite a lot of application invites, and honestly I'll ignore 90-95% of them. Recently I noticed that not only can you block all invites for a specific applications, but you can now block invites for specific people. How specific must we make our security options? I think the next step would be to block all invites for a given application, by a specific person. Sorry Kenneth, but I will no longer allow you to ask me to use the potted plants gift application, however if someone else was to offer me a potted plant, I might just accept.

Facebook recently upgraded their privacy settings to allow you to break down each section to allow or block others from viewing, think limited profile, but you have to specifically state who can view what. So if Jonathan wants to befriend you, you can show him only your general info and nothing else. But you could show John only your pictures and nothing else. Which makes me wonder. Is Facebook creating preferential friendship?

Another point of interest is that random people tend to try and befriend others that they often don't know, or at least don't know well. This isn't that shocking as I'm guessing many of you have gotten that Friend Request notice and thought, "What? I don't even know this person." So the question is this; do you befriend them and place them on a specifically restricted profile view, which allows them to know what your name and birthday is, and that's the extent of your "friendship?" Or do you ignore the invite all together. I've chosen to do both. Firstly I've placed a handful of people on restricted profiles, each person who has that view, has these limitations placed on them due to different reasons, not really close to them, don't trust them any more than I can throw them, or the like. I also have a handful of Friend Request sitting in the inbox which, in all honesty, I probably won't touch for months on end. They too are sitting in limbo for different reasons, but mainly cause I don't consider them my friend or acquaintance. Some of them, I honestly have never said two words to them.

In any case it seems that Facebook has transformed the word "friend" into something indistinguishable from "random guy that I know." It's created a class system for the 21st century, where the middle class is no longer, upper-middle class, middle-middle class, and lower-middle class, but "Friend. Friend who can't see my pictures and wall. And inbox dwellers."But after all what really is a "friend?"

*Picture care of AppleGeek Comics

Queen on the Scene

TMZ recently reported about a lady who they call, Queen on the Scene. She's one of the most well connected people in Hollywood. She has one of the biggest Rolodex in all of tinsel town, but you're probably thinking, "I've never heard of this lady, what is she in?" QS isn't a movie star, or a recording artist and yet she calls many celebrities her friends. Despite her ties with the rich and famous, she's quite far from celebrity status. Queen on the Scene is actually a homeless woman, who calls the streets of Beverly Hills her home. She has befriended many celebrities and they, in some ways, treat her as a friend. She'll hug them and talk with them, just like they were average people. A very interesting dynamic that their "friendship" has is the protective nature of QS. She threatens paparazzi, "doesn't do cameras," and will " kick your ass if you don't" get out of her way. Due to her hostility, unpredictable nature, and total disregard of normal social fears, ie some one calling the cops on you, the celebrities end up getting free protection.

Which got me thinking, perhaps celebs should rethink their security methods. Instead of hiring a bodyguard, or security detail, could it be the answer to photog protection is the "residentially challenged?" I can just see it now..."Are you an C list celebrity in need of some protection? Tired of the paparazzi always in your face? Is your current body guard not providing the adequate protection you desire? Well the answer has arrived, and you need not look any further than on your street corner, or local 7-Eleven."

Just think, if celebrities would befriend those they met on the street, they would instantly gain protection where ever they went. My original idea was to have celebrities hire one or two homeless people to protect them. To go with them where ever they went. Of course their services would have to be repaid, most likely through food and housing. The only problem is, you have just hired a bodyguard in the more traditional sense. To avoid this easy slip into normality, I suggest celebrities do not simply pick one homeless person, but rather create a network of hostile, slightly unstable, homeless people with a love for celebrities, and befriend them. Clearly in the video I linked, you can see that QS was able to keep the TMZ photographer at bay, and so in theory if you were friends with a dozen or so QS-esque people throughout the city, you could easily keep the shutter bugs away. It's just that easy. Make friends with vicious, home impaired individuals throughout the city, trading food and clothing for friendship and crowd control and you've got the new wave of Hollywood personal security. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. Come on, isn't that what all symbiotic relationships are about?

On a totally unrelated thing, thanks to Jennifer (I'm guessing Lee) for posting our first comment!

Adventures of the Human Snot Rocket

I'm sick. It sucks really. After a rather uneventful week, I finished off Spring break '08 by getting a cold. All week I was getting blown off left and right by people, which left me pretty much at home watching bad tv and bumming around. Surprisingly enough you can still get sick by doing nothing. Germs really don't take vacations. All this is to say, spring break sucked, and now I'm sick and might not update as much this week, or till I recover. Thanks for understanding.

After these messages...

Sorry for the lack of updates this week. Things are kind getting crazy with the archery team as we're gearing up for Western Regionals and trying to get uniforms done before then. Also Easter break is on it's way and I'm trying to plan some stuff for that as well. I'll be back next week with a post about my adventures and hopefully some videos or pictures you can enjoy as well. But until then. Just hang tight and we'll be right back!

A Question of Etiquette

If I see a photo with a friend of mine up on a Mini Feed in Facebook, but I don't know the person who took the picture, is it rude to comment on their picture? Is it rude to comment to my friend, via the picture taken from a photographer that I don't know?

In my opinion I find it quite weird when people comment TO people in my pictures. Not all together rude, but still rather strange. I feel that if you are to comment about someone's picture, it should be directed to the person who posted the picture. Granted the person tagged, would receive a notice that you posted a comment on a picture that they're in, and I suppose you'd want them to receive your message in some sort of context, but still I find it slightly inappropriate. Perhaps its not as big a deal if you know the post-er, however I would find it incredibly odd if someone who I was not friends with or even knew posted on my pictures, and to top that off, direct their comment at the person in my photos. Honestly it's not that big of an issue, but I just wanted to see what you guys thought about it.

"And now a question of etiquette, as I pass you do I give you the ass or the crotch"-Tyler Durden, Fight Club.

Pet Peeve # 97: The 5 Minute Lag

It happens too frequently. I had just finished a great lunch at, lets just say Chipotle (back when they used to give free sodas to students). Being Asian I'd always try to finish at least two cups of pop, to get my moneys worth. I had finished my quota and figured I should visit the WC before heading out and do a bit of shopping. I filled my cup once more, and took off on the rest of my day. I browsed a bit while finishing off the last of my drink. Tossed the cup and continued on my way. And then it happened.

Not more than 5 mins from the point that I either leave the restaurant or finish my last drink, I'll have to go to the bathroom again. What is that? I think the worst part is that I had already taken the preemptive measures by going to the bathroom before leaving. But no matter what for some reason I'll have to go again in little under 5 mins.

Due to the frequency that this occurs I've started to pick up on some patterns. 1) If I don't go before leaving the restaurant I won't have to go for at least a few hours. 2) The first trip is oddly shorter than the second. And lastly, Coke gives a slightly shorter lag time, than Sprite.

Now don't get the wrong idea, I don't have a tiny bladder, or some weird disorder where I can't hold it. I can hold it with the best of them. And though I haven't figured out exactly why this happens, I chalk this stupid phenomenon up to the fact that the drinks aren't getting together before asking to leave. I figure the first round goes down faster and gets impatient waiting for round two. Now if round two would just shave a couple mins off their time, or round one would increase their patience by, oh I don't know lets pick a random time, maybe 5 mins, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Cash Munny Millionaire

I love toys. That's probably not a surprise to anyone that knows me well. Each of my desks, be they at my apartment or my home has little figures on them. Recently I've really gotten into the vinyl toy scene. Since first seeing the Munnys I've wanted one. However at 25 bucks a piece they seemed a bit too expensive. On a recent trip to Urban Outfitters I discovered they were now selling mini Munnys at a slightly more reasonable $10. I've had this little guy for a month now and I'm quite afraid to do anything to him, out of fear that I'll mess him up. So for that reason, he's stayed clean white.

I recently got some inspiration after dropping by three locations which had these vinyl toys and decided as of now he'll stay clean, but I'll just add things to him. And so here's my attempt at making a Munny trucker hat.

Say hello to my little friend. I haven't come up with a name for him yet, but here you can see the progression of how I built his hat. Constructed of only 3x5 cards, tape, a marble pouch and paint. Took me maybe 2 1/2 hrs to do it, seeing as I couldn't figure out the way the bill curved. It's supposed to be a rising sun that changes into flames, but it was really late so it didn't turn out the way I thought it would. Oh well. Enjoy the pictures.

Pet Peeves List #195: Bad Drivers

Being a Californian who loves both the beach and the mountains, I've clocked many hours in my car. Within the 6 year that I've been driving I've seen a lot of bad driving. I live in LA County and go to school in Orange County. These two counties, though separated by nothing but a invisible line, have an over abundance of bad drivers, but with very different driving styles.

Orange County is where I've encountered the over overconfident drivers who think they own the road. I've never seen so many vanity plates or raised trucks before going to school down south. The trucks are massive, about the height of a house, however despite their large "off roading" tires and massive lifts, I'm willing to bet that at least half of these things have never so much as touched anything but asphalt or ever had a hitch attached to them. They're loud, obnoxious, and impractical. To top it off they tend to be driven by 1) tiny O.C. mom's or 2)Brahs*. Just today as I was driving to a store I saw the craziest move I've seen this year, for the sake of simplicity I'll call the trucks involved t1 and t2. T1 was traveling on the same road as I was and t2 was attempting to make a right turn into our street. T2 saw t1 coming down the street and dashes out to make the turn and get in front of t1. In doing so he almost side swipes t1. Clearly t2 is in the wrong. All three of us are then stopped at the intersection by the red light, and then it happened. T2 started honking at t1. He was laying on the horn pretty good and began to move left (crossing the double yellow) and shoots through the intersection and makes his left turn, all while the light was still red. The driver of t1 looked in his rear view mirror, with a look of shock,amazement and utter disbelief. I could see him mouthing, "WTF," over and over again. Literally 10 seconds later the left turn arrow turned green. It's drivers like T2 that also blaze down the roads at break neck speeds.

You see in the OC the speed limits are quite a bit higher than in LA County. The average residential street brushes up against 40 MPH, with most major roads at least at 45. However the speed limit is not the only thing that promotes high speed driving. The lanes are also a decent size wider than in LA county. The added speed and wider lanes give OC drivers the illusion of superiority, however in overall skill I believe, no I know, LA drivers are far better. How do I know this? Like I said I've clocked a lot of hours and at random points in the semester I'll stay down in Orange County for a few weeks on end and return home to LA county. When I get back to LA county with the smaller streets and different road conditions, I found I had lost the LA driver edge I had before.

LA county drivers are bad in a different way. Upon coming home from school within the first 10-15mins of crossing back into LA county I'll be cut off at least once. I attribute this, not to over zealousness, or arrogance, but rather sheer lack of attention. LA drivers love to multi task. Cell phones, make up, food, I've even seen reading. It seems the dynamics of LA play into this a lot, particularly in San Gabriel Valley, which has mainly an Asian population. Being an Asian driver myself, I can say this without feeling like a racist. Asian drivers as a whole aren't bad, especially the younger Asians, after all if you're going to invest a few grand into your rice rocket, you'd better know how to drive it. But really it's the older Asians who give us the stereotype of the horrible Asian driver. I live in a rather well off neighborhood where the cars often range in the $50's and up. Often times while at home, I'll be stuck behind a Mercedes SLK 55 AMG doing 25 in a 35MPH zone, and more often than not, the driver is a little old Asian lady. The true reasoning behind this is not only the Asian's more reserved attitude, but also the fact that many of these Asians came from over seas where they don't really drive unless they came from money, which most don't and thus driving a two ton killing machine is quite daunting. Regardless of the social-economical reasoning, we were talking in class the other day about there-ought-to-be-a-laws, and my law was simply as follows:

If you drive a better (and by better I mean more expensive with more features or horsepower) car than my Volvo S40 and I have to tailgate you, while you travel 5 or more miles below the speed limit, for more than 2 miles, we must then both pull over. Get out of our respective cars, and exchange keys. The point is this, if you drive a car that has two to three hundred horses under the hood, and you never take more than 10 out of the stable, you should not be spending 50-60 thousand dollars on those extra ponies. Invest in something else, like a chauffeur.

Spending so many hours driving around southern California, I've developed a very short fuse when it comes to bad drives, and that's why #195** is dedicated to the bad driver.


*Brah-(pronounced bra) Short for braddah or brother. Refers to those guys who wear SKIN, drive huge yet shiny and unscratched trucks and calls everyone bros. Think white fratboy. My apologies to all those from Hawaii, but SoCal Brah's have acquired your slang and turned it into this.
** The numbers aren't literal, but quite arbitrary, so if you're not diggin' this Pet Peeves series, don't worry there's not 194 more to go.

$25

I've been waiting about a month or so to tell this story...

Browsing through the online school classifieds has always been a way to kill time for me. And every now and then you'll come across some great deals, or an unique item, or just something that you really needed. Nothing seemed that interesting as I scrolled down dozens of listing. And then it caught my eye. "$25 foosball table." I immediately responded saying that I'd be willing to out bid people for the table. The seller's response came back a couple days later saying that his first prospective buyer had backed out (idiot) and that I was up to purchase the table. I asked to see pictures of it cause I didn't want to buy a plastic table, those 4-in-1 things you see at Toys-R-Us. He responded saying that he didn't have a camera and that I should just come by and take a look.

I dropped by maybe a week later and liked what I saw. Only a couple broken men and in decent condition. I told him I'd take it but I'd have to try and find someone who could lend me their truck. He desperately wanted the thing out of his place, seeing as it took up more than half the room, so he said he'd call around and see if he could get a hold of a truck for me. He even dropped the price to $15 if he could get rid of it soon.

He called later that night and said he'd drop it off at my apartment in a few hours. When the time finally came I discovered just how heavy that thing was and realized I'd probably have to disassemble the whole thing to bring it through the door. We got it to the door of my apartment and I told him I had a friend coming by to help me move it the rest of the way and that I could take it from there. We were wrapping up the deal when I asked if he had change because I only had a ten and a twenty. He checked his pockets and wallet and found that he only had twenties also. He thought for a minute and finally just said, you know what, just give me the ten. SCORE!

I got it in the door on my own and got it set up. It required repair obviously and some cleaning, but for $10 I'm not complaining. It's all cleaned and fixed up as of now, but here's some pictures from when I first got it in.

Yet Another Mini Post

It was a hazy day. Just one of those days where you'd rather lay in bed where it's warm, instead of climbing out to the chilled air. Was it night still? I couldn't tell, the sun was masked by the clouds which made it look like I should crawl back into bed. I had to go though. I already missed this class once this semester and it's only the third week. Did I miss it once or twice? I don't remember. Either way, I had to get up. The day went on as normal. But when I returned home I was greeted by the strangest thing. Two ducks sitting by the pool in my apartment. Just hanging out.

It's things like that make it worth it to go outside. The best part is that those little guys are still out there, some 9 hours later. They're sleeping now. I hope the management doesn't chase them away in the morning. I kind of want to catch them and make them my pets. Jenn said no. If they just stay around the apartment that'd be good enough. I think I'll go feed them.

All I Wanted Was A Coffee

All I wanted was a coffee. It had been a really tiring, and warm day and I had a feeling in my mouth. The type that seems to scream, "something sweet!" I ventured into Common Grounds (the campus coffee shop). We found a seat and I approached the counter. Eying the menu, I didn't see anything that would satisfy my critical taste buds. Perhaps the specials?

Biola has an affinity with clever names. Speckled Cows and MicroBursts, and this list was no different. Love Potion, a raspberry, strawberry smoothie. Sad Single, basically a speckled cow with strawberry. I found something that seemed like just what I was craving. A raspberry and chocolate smoothie. Basically a liquefied truffle. I look at the name and instantly hate the person who thought it up.

"What can I get for you?" he says, a bit too cheerful.
"Um...can I get a..." scanning the menu for a last ditch escape hatch. No luck. "A...Sweetheart Special." I hear the words leave my mouth and I feel like kicking myself. But sadly, I love truffles. I add a comical "as fruity as that sounds." He just smiles and lets out a quick laugh.

I stand around the pick up area, hoping to intercept the drink without a public announcement of the emasculating name. My greatest wish was for the barista to just hand me the drink. He pours on the drink, and I find myself reaching for the cup, stopping myself short realizing that he's not done. Chocolate syrup around the edge, whip cream with even more chocolate syrup. Finally the lid appears and as he caps the drink, I reach for it. Please see me. Please just read my name. Please just place the cup in my hand.

He looks up, smiles at me, "Sweetheart?"

All I wanted was a coffee.

Happy (early) St. Valentines Day

Just a Thought

I'm working on a decent post, but here's something that I thought about while watching Drunk History on YouTube.

The story was about Ben Franklin and the "flying the kite in the lighting storm." And I was thinking, the last time I flew a kite, we couldn't get it to stay up for longer than 3-4 minutes. How the heck did Franklin get a paper kite to stay in the air long enough to test anything, let alone in the rain, and on top of that with an old fashion key attached to it? Anyone have any ideas?

Growing Up, Moving On

Has it really come to this? I suppose that eventually I would have wandered over this way, and it seems after crossing over into the 22 year old mark I felt it necessary to move on and grow up just a little bit more.
It seems after so many years, I've abandoned what helped me through my torturous teen years. And part of me still clings to my angsty xanga of old. Maybe it's the familiarity of posting pictures and rambling about events or dramas. But I think now is the time to say goodbye.
Why now? In all honesty? Simply because 22 kind of sucked. I felt like I needed a milestone or something to validate another year of stepping closer to death. 21 is a major deal in American culture. Legally you can drink now, you can gamble, and buy a hand gun (you can by a rifle at 18). And upon talking with my friends about my 22nd birthday, we began to realize that 22 is a strange celebration. When you're 21 it's almost a right of passage to get trashed. It is as if intoxication validates your very existence for 21 years on this earth. But 22, if you're getting wasted it just seems immature. Yes, fine, 22 year olds aren't that much more mature than 21 year olds, or depending on the person, 12 year olds for that matter. However 21 seems to be the last mile marker before you start wishing your birthday would go by unnoticed.
Just think, after 21 what do you have to look forward to? Well at 25 you can rent a car. 30 you can start complaining even more so about getting old. 40 you can have a midlife crisis. 50 you can start telling kids, "when I was your age, I used to walk up hill, both ways, in the rain 5 miles to and from school, EVERYDAY." At 60 you can look forward to retirement. And at 70...well I'm not sure, but that seems to be another big one. And how many "big" birthdays did we celebrate before reaching 21?
1st birthday, that is in it self a major thing. 2nd birthday, you've now crossed into your "terrible twos." 5th birthday, you can start going to school. 10th, you're now in your "double digits." 13th, technically you're a teen. 16th, this one seems to be bigger to girls than guys. 18th, you're officially an "adult." You can now buy cigarettes and lotto tickets. 20 you're no longer a teen.
All this to say what? 22 was not as eventful as I thought it would be. I'm honestly not sure what I thought it would be like, but I felt like this year was the year for me to start seriously making advances toward the mundane life of adulthood. It seems that when you're younger you can't wait to grow up, but when you reach "grown up" age you just wish to be young again.
So as I head off on my journey to "adulthood" I figured I'd invite you all to come along for the ride. Welcome to A Day in the Life...