So, I had two tickets to the Epik High. I got to the venue, Fillmore Theatre, at Irving Plaza? Place? at around 3:30 so I could make sure it was the right place. And there was already a line of people that stretched down and around the corner. I got in line and waited until my friend got there at around 5:30. By then, Epik High had gotten there and went in, I think, because people started screaming and everyone stood up. Of course, the doors opened late and it wasn’t until 8:00 did the concert start. (more…)
The Olympics Closing Ceremony August 24, 2008
I’m watching the Olympics Closing Ceremony and I was really excited to finally watch Leehom Wang on American television. It was only for a few seconds though, and even though I like Rain, for some reason I wasn’t happy that he was there. I can’t explain myself without sounding racist, which I’m not. And I was a tad disappointed that they weren’t introduced…not even as “Asia’s most prominent pop stars.” No. But whatever, I saw them, and I’m semi-satisfied.
Who is this Weiwei? The so-called most popular Chinese pop star? She was the only Chinese singer that was introduced. She looked like the lady in a crazy pink dress and I was kind of disappointed because it makes me feel that Americans will just think Chinese singers are insane since she was the only singer that got any decent screen time.
Well, hoorah…
My Summer August 11, 2008
Yes, I’ve been gone pretty much the whole summer.
I think this summer was one of the best though. I made new friends and rekindled old ones, and I found a new love. My summer is ending on a high note. Now I’m jammin’ to Jason Mraz and enjoying life.
Since I’m over my boyband phase, I think I’ll be typing a lot less about them, and more about stuff that I don’t want most of my friends and boyfriend to see. But before I start, who saw the opening ceremony of the Olympics? Awesome YES?! That Zhang Yimou’s got skills!
Once I get my typing mojo back, I’ll come back to type. Have a nice day!
Stop Asking About Zuko’s Mom! July 21, 2008
Avatar: The Last Airbender aired its finale episode on Saturday. And yes, I had a little shindig with my pal. We had spagetti and Rita’s waterice.
Well, at the end of the series, a lot of people had problems (as with everything). I’m not saying that I’m right but I always think what’s done is done. Anyways, here are some of the disappointments I heard after the series ended and the responses I have for them (warning: contains spoilers). Be aware that my responses are just my opinions:
1. What about Zuko’s mom? This seems to be the biggest question. Honestly, Ursa is not all that important of a character. I believe her main purpose is character development. So really, it’s not necessary for us to see her in the end. We just need to know that Zuko knows her whereabouts. We can assume that he knows when he visits his father in prison. Although, we never heard Ozai’s answer, we can assume that Zuko did and gained closure. And seriously, if you did hear Ozai’s answer, you’d want the animators to draw up a few more frames just so you can see them reunite. It’d be nice, but not necessary. It’s just better not to fill your head with too much new info right before the show ends.
2. Why does Iroh see spirits? I don’t know. Same reason why he can go to the Spirit World? Maybe he’s enlightened. It’s definitely not important, though. I think it shows his flexibility with the world and everything accepts him in return.
3. Did Azula really have to go insane? She was probably insane to begin with. She’s a perfectionist and yearns for attention from her parents. But you know, the world isn’t perfect and her dad’s a jackass. Therefore, she had to go insane. I read something interesting on Facebook. Azula’s hair sort of symbolizes her strength and when a hair is out of place, her strength deteriorates. She says earlier that she can’t have a hair out of place, but again, perfection is impossible.
4. What happened to Azula? She went to prison, duh! Where else would she go?
5. Will there be no more Air Nomads after Aang? How will the Avatar cycle continue? I assume Aang will have children some day. There’s a chance that his kids will be Air Nomads. I have a feeling that the Air Temples won’t be able to rebuild themselves though, unless Aang does it single-handedly. Future Air Nomads, if any, would probably assimilate with some other nation.
6. Are they making any more episodes? No. Surprising us by airing a new episode after telling us that Sozin’s Comet was the last is stupid. It’s probably a better marketing scheme to release something new on DVD. Apparently, there’s a spin-off in the making taking place in another era with brand new characters. I will watch, but it will definitely be bittersweet without the original characters. Oh, and M. Night Shyamalan is making three movies to cover the series. Of course, he’s gonna change it up a bit. The characters will be older by a bit, the story will be a tad different and it’ll fit his style. I honestly don’t like the idea of putting Western actors in an Eastern setting. I was actually hoping that he would introduce an Eastern cast to USA, but it seems that the only Asian guy considered for a role in the movie so far is for Aang.
I think most of these questions lead to the same conclusions. These men are trying to teach children valuable lessons. Life isn’t perfect, broaden your horizon, and don’t ask too many questions.
Oh, and a lot of people are asking for an epilogue and they even started a petition. Since I’m against it, I’m not giving you guys a link, but you guys can go search for it if you want. Why am I against it? Believe it or not, I’m satisfied with the ending. To me, here’s how it goes – their goal was to overthrow the Firelord and bring balance to the world. They achieved it, and I am just fine with it. They briefly answered our questions, not completely, but what can you gain from knowing so much? Things like Ursa’s whereabouts or Iroh’s spiritual abilities aren’t exactly major factors of the story. They’re just gonna spoil you silly by giving you so much info. And even I don’t wanna know that much new information at the end of the series. I just wanna know that all the major characters found closure and they met their goals. That’s really all that matters.
Seriously, if they give it an epilogue episode, I’ll be so disappointed. I’ll just have to condemn it with all the stupid children’s shows, simply because some information is left for us to think about. They don’t have to spoonfeed us through every nook and cranny, really.
Yeah, I’m an Avatar nerd.
Misconceptions of Buddhism May 12, 2008
Since the recent earthquake in China, there were TONS of anti-China messages all over videos and stuff about the earthquake. First of all, it’s rude. Be mad at the government, go ahead. I’m not disagreeing with you. But innocent people are dying, and you’re just sitting back on your fat ass, laughing in satisfaction. That’s inhumane and disgusting to the least bit, and I can sure as hell compare that way of thinking to the corrupt Chinese that you just put down.
Some really ignorant people were stating that this is the wrath of Buddha and this is what China gets for not freeing Tibet. I have nothing against Free Tibet but I don’t feel educated enough to have an opinion as of now. But what they said just really didn’t make any sense to me in terms of religion. Only an ignorant fool would say something like that.
If you haven’t guessed, I’m Buddhist. I’m not exactly strongly Buddhist because with every religions, there are things that I disagree with but I do agree with Buddhist more than any other philosophy. So I do get kind off annoyed when people shoot their mouths about Buddhism as if there was one Buddha in the position of G-d who smites people when they do wrong things.
1. There is more than one Buddha. If you can find Nirvana (a state of mental enlightenment, freedom from all suffering, and the highest form of happiness), you are a Buddha.
2. A Buddha doesn’t feel wrath. Wrath is a destructive emotion that spawns from anger. I did read somewhere that “wrath” in Buddhism is more of a way that helps one through negative obstacles, but it’s, in no situation, a way of dealing with things violently.
3. A Buddha is not our version of G-d. Yes, I type G-d that way out of respect for my Christian, Catholic, Jewish, etc friends. In Buddhism, we believe that there is no central creator but rather, our thoughts are what create the world. I found this on Wikipedia:
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.Dhammapada, 1-1.3
Think in our point of view for a moment. Assume that G-d and all else comes from our thoughts. G-d is our creator but if He is a manifestation of our thoughts, then our thoughts are actually the true creator. But it isn’t that we don’t believe that there aren’t any supernatural forces out there, we just don’t give it a specific form or address it in any way.
Now, I may not completely believe that G-d may exist but I still show my respect for Him because a person has the right to make their own decisions. I’m not only saying that because I’m an American but I’m also saying that because Buddhism teaches me to accept other people’s choices in their own journeys. And yes, I have tried finding myself in Christianity before by going to Bible club once a week but I just didn’t agree with it too much. So you know, even if you don’t agree with some things, you should stomp it into the dirt.
So Buddha isn’t G-d. Siddhārtha Gautama, a Buddha, is our teacher. He was born a man, was raised as a man, and died a man. So when we pray to him, we aren’t worshipping him. We’re asking him for guidance and thanking him for teaching us. I suppose he’s sort of like G-d, but we see him more as a man who’s reached a level of perfection that we must look to as our role model.
And no offense to people who are ”praying to Buddha” that the earthquake victims are okay, he can’t exactly do anything. You have to help those people on your own. The journey of a Buddhist is an individual journey, the teachings of a Buddha can guide you, but you must take the path yourself. Basically, you can never rely on a higher being, you need to take initiative yourself.
4. Buddha doesn’t punish sinners. From what I know, G-d protects good people, forgives those who admit their sins and seek His guidance, and punishes evil. A Buddha doesn’t serve that purpose. We believe in karma, which is more of a “cause and effect” philosophy where all deeds come with consequences whether they are good or bad. I suppose if you’re nonreligious you would see this more as a version of the “just-world hypothesis.”
So next time you reference a religion you don’t understand or talk about Buddhism like that when you’re a Free Tibet supporter (Tibetans have a version of Buddhism), do your homework, stay in school, and don’t go shooting your mouth.
Korean Guys: They Look Like Girls April 26, 2008
I went out with a couple friends for Korean food last night.
As I sat down and started settling in, the waiter came over with our menus and asked us if we wanted hot tea or cold water. I’m not one to look at someone directly in the face. I thought he was a girl, but there was a man voice so I was kind of speechless.
He was actually really cute. Yeah, I made sure I made eye contact so I could see his face. He had pretty, white skin and a cute face. It’s just that he had shoulder-length hair tied into a ponytail, and he pulled his hair back with a headband. That’s why I thought he was a girl. Is it just me, or do Korean guys really have a way with looking like girls? Some of them are a lot prettier than me.
But I have nothing wrong with guys and long hair, really. I actually think long hair is kind of sexy…as long as it’s clean and not greasy. Shoulder-length is a little much for me, but it really depends on the person.
Well anyways, I kept talking about him to my friend in Chinese. Things like “他像女生一樣/Ta xiang nusheng yiyang/He’s like a girl. (Mandarin)” And “Khuir peifu hou laang/His skin is so pretty. (Cantonese)”
When we left, my friend said “Wanna say bye to Pretty Boy?” I wanted to say “yes” but that’d be weird, so I said “no.” *Sigh* Then I made them wander the plaza for a while because I was flustered. Haha…
Touched By An Angel April 21, 2008
It must suck to be Andrew because nobody ever wants to see him. Whenever he decides to show up, people stop what they’re doing and give him the “what the hell are you doing here” look. The angel of death can’t just show up for a cup of coffee or whatever?
Well, I have sympathy for the grim reaper.
Angry Advertising April 18, 2008
I was sitting in computer graphics class the other day and suddenly this soda can tab flew right into my face. I just yelled “Who threw something at me?!” I took the tab, turned to the kid I talk to everyday, and said, “Look, someone just threw this in my face. People in here have problems.” He said, “Haha it must be some kind of angry advertising for the Ronald McDonald House. *throwing gesture* DONATE NOW! OR ELSE!!”
Well if that was the case, I forgave the person out of respect for creative advertising. But seriously, if I ever catch someone throwing stuff at me, that person’s gonna die.
New sleeping schedule April 18, 2008
This week was different for me. I tried out a new sleeping schedule so I could finish my homework, feel motivated to do it, and still get enough sleep. That’s sort of the reason why I haven’t been posting this week.
I’m huge on procrastination and I’m really lazy. When I get back from school, I don’t do anything. I wind up getting nothing done or getting it done so late that I don’t get enough sleep. I kept trying to figure out what my problem was. Then it hit me, I don’t want to do homework when I get home because I’m tired.
I figured if I sleep super early and wake up super early, I could feel more motivated to do homework because I got my rest. I tried it on tuesday. I slept at 8PM on monday night and woke up at 2AM on tuesday. I got a total of 6 hours, which isn’t a lot but it’s way more than I’ve been getting lately. I got my stuff done and I wasn’t as tired as before, and I still had time to shower, make lunch, and make myself pretty. It worked for the next couple days, so I think I’ll continue it in the future.
One thing that this schedule is incompatible with is group projects. I had a group project due today. The night before, I figured that I could sleep and wake up early to finish my part and print it out. But since my work depended on everybody else’s work, I had to wait for them to send me their information before sleeping. I stayed up until 10, emailing them and making sure that they sent me their stuff that night.
I wound up not being able to wake up early. Apparently, my alarm didn’t go off. My mother happened to wake up and she “woke” me up but I think I was in one of my sleep-talking spells. She said I responded, but I have no recollection of it. My psychology teacher says that if you have no recollection of something, you were probably not completely awake.
Another thing this schedule won’t work with is daylight. A person’s circadian rhythm works with the light-dark cycle. That’s why I chose a time like 8PM to sleep.
But those two are just minor obstacles. I think people with sleep deprivation and laziness should try my sleeping method. I’m not sure if it’s healthy (I don’t see much wrong with it) but whatever works.
14 Types of People That I Hate April 13, 2008
1. Fakers. This is probably a really general term. One meaning for it may be someone who just wants to get ahead. Ayn Rand might call them second-handers because they don’t follow their own points of views thinking that they’ll get what they want in society. Another may be the one I had to deal with. Here’s my story: There’s this guy that’s really nice to me around select people or by ourselves. But when he’s with a larger crowd, he ignores me. I wound up having to sit alone at a school concert because he didn’t acknowledge me as his friend in front of his possey. I didn’t care. I’m a loner. I’m honestly not afraid of sitting alone. But the fact that I looked completely pathetic in front of his friends really pissed me off. If you don’t like me, don’t be nice to me because I don’t like you either.
2. Wannabes. Be who you truly are, because most likely, you really suck at being who you’re trying to be.
3. Users. I do a lot of favors for people, but people always have a problem with helping me out. I’m really too nice that people take advantage of me. It’s really annoying. There are reasons when they can’t, and I understand that. For example, I always drive a friend to parties but he never does that for me. Why? His parents are assholes, and they hate all his friends. Things like, “Hey I’ll drive you home if you want. I’ll call you later to tell you where my car is,” but never getting that call really pisses me off. Yeah, that happened to me the other night. I always give that guy my icecream, and I let him rub his stinky feet all over my carpet when he doesn’t feel like going home, but he can’t do ONE favor for me.
4. Stupid people that talk too much. If you have nothing intelligent to say, then just shut up. The end.
5. Know-it-alls. I contributed something at the Super Junior M Soompi thread. In return, I only to got one thank you and one accusation, which really had nothing to do with what I wrote. Intentions might have been good but I was annoyed (and my week has already been really bad). I didn’t hesitate to attack that person. So, you don’t want to mess with Miss Chiu. She’s nice, but if you piss her off, prepare to get your @$$ kicked. I may put myself off as a know-it-all. I actually do my research, read things word for word, and try to be as accurate with what I say as possible, but I have no problem with people arguing against me so long as it’s not stupid. Please feel free to do so. But if you’re a #4, I’ll have to educate you a bit.
6. Perverts. People who can’t spend a moment without thinking or talking about sex. People who associate every object known to man to genitals, breasts, or sex. They need to get a life or a prostitute. Take your filth elsewhere.
7. Obnoxious jerks. That’s another general term. When I say that, I mean, people who cannot say anything without it sounded remotely obnoxious. Next to that, they can’t say anything nice nor can they shut up. If there’s a fat person, they’ll make some snide remark at an attempt to make everybody laugh. It’s not funny.
8. Quiet people. Well, I don’t exactly hate them. I’m quiet and shy. But if I have something to say, I will say it. Some people just don’t say anything or they don’t talk loud enough. I do have a couple friends like that. I love them dearly, but I wish they would speak up.
9. Egocentrics. They think the world revolves around them and/or they think everybody around them aren’t as good as they are. I hope reality gives them all a hard slap in the face someday.
10. Girls who wear night-makeup during the day. Smokey eyes and/or thickly colored eyeshadow, in my opinion, are for night time, formals, or photoshoots. There’s this girl in my school, a lowerclassmen, who puts on a thick, black smokey eye look everyday. She’s a pretty girl and it’s a pretty look. At first, I thought “pretty cool.” As the days passed, she looked more and more like a hooker, and then I realized that style doesn’t work for that time of day. A little makeup tip: During the day, you want to look fresh and awake. So do things to open your eyes and lighten your face. Nighttime is when you want to go for a darker, heavier look.
11. Overanalyzers. I get this a lot from fangirls. The wrinkle of the brow makes them think their favorite celebrity is upset about some kind of happening with their coworkers, fans, or whatever. Maybe his face is just itchy. You don’t have to worry so much. If he is upset, it’s of nobody’s concern but his. This goes for everyday life too. The biggest mistake someone can do in a romantic relationship is overanalyze. Life is never THAT complicated. Thinking too hard makes life suck.
12. Hardcore fangirls/boys. Mostly because they hate each other and they fit in category #11. They bicker about stupid crap having to do with their favorite celebrity. And they try to know everything and they look at every single detail of news articles, photos, and blog entries. Then they condemn people who don’t seem to know a lot when they think they know it all. Maybe you should go open a book or a newspaper and nourish your mind rather than worry about such trivial things.
13. People who can’t get a clue. It’s like Ackley from Catcher in the Rye. Someone who you don’t want to openly push away but he can’t take the hints you throw at him. I’m sure everybody’s faced people like this before, and maybe even possibly have been that person. If you are that person, take the hint. It’ll save you a lot of trouble.
14. Failures at reading comprehension. I’ll connect this to my argument on the Super Junior M Soompi Thread. The person didn’t understand what I wrote, and gave irrelevent replies. That’s annoying. I get into arguments online sometimes because people have a hard time understanding me despite my bluntness. Go back to English class and learn a thing or two on reading comprehension.
The bickering between me and the person mentioned in #5 and #14 has been settled. That person changed the reply to clarify that the reply wasn’t directed towards what I wrote but rather a thought that came up when reading my post. So thanks.
