So this marks my 3rd consecutive year of attending the Penny-Arcade Expo (PAX). Friday and most of Saturday were mostly not the awesome swag getting that I remembered from last year, but I made up for it on Sunday by getting 4 T-shirts within an hour, five if you count the one I bought. Six if you count the one that I got at the Rockstar booth for Zach (the woman just shoved small t-shirts at me and I came out with two). The other cool swag that I got were Penny-Arcade postcards depicting their first D&D 4th Edition Quest (which we also recently finished) and a air gun that shoots little balls. Speaking of balls, I barely saw any Bawls at this year's PAX. I maybe saw one or two empty bottles lying about, but it was definitely not at the forefront of anyone's consciousness. Maybe they're going under? Hahaha...no one likes the bawls. I also didn't see very many raffles and such going on; it was very hard to figure out how and when to get the swag. I didn't attend any extraneous panels this year, which is a deviation from previous years, and I feel like I didn't really miss out. Sadly I didn't get to see Jonathan Coulton, but it was probably for the best...I'm not sick yet from the lack of sleep and running around!
Okay, now, for the more detailed day by day recap:
Thursday
We participated in the Pre-PAX Pub Crawl, also known as the Tri-Wizard Tourny. It was pretty crazy, and we actually met some people, both of which we saw again later at PAX. So that was pretty cool. I was apparently dressed up as Ada Wong from Resident Evil. Maybe next year I'll be a little more accurate. It was pretty fun, though crashing at the guys' place was not so great. Highlights: the make-out session, cream cheese, onion, and ketchup hot dog, and people surreptitiously taking pictures of me.
Friday
PAX begins!! I get up early and take the bus down to the WA Convention Center to stand in line. Zach does not come with because he drank too much the night before and was still feeling ill and needed more sleep. About being in line for a while, I've finished going through the PAX schedule and decide I'm bored enough to try to make friends with the nice looking guy standing next to me. He's not especially talkative initally, but luckily Ben spots me and comes to stand in line with me. He subsequently steals my new friend that's supposed to entertain me and starts to talk shop. And I'm still mostly bored. Once inside the expo hall, three seconds later I spot Zach. Turns out waiting in line was completely worthless. We wander around and completely squander the fact that we're early to the expo (i.e., we should have stood in line for something worth playing, like Left4Dead and RockBand2).
Highlights: the beginning of the Q&A Panel was f-ing BADASS EPIC AWESOME. Everyday I'm hustlin', everyday I'm hustlin'...
Saturday
My fave day at PAX, hands down. In the morning, we got up early and headed over to help some friends move. They had some difficulty getting the van and stuff so they were about 1/2 hour late. It was kind of cold outside and I didn't bring a jacket since I assumed I'd be getting pretty warm from moving stuff. It was warm inside, but Zach was just sitting and sleeping and outside, I chatted with the guys for a little bit but then they also retreated to their car to sleep. So I was bored. I ended up entertaining myself by climbing around and jumping off the porch. However, since I was launching myself off to get the most air to do a cool move before hitting the ground, the momentum practically forced me to do a roll after landing. It was exhilarating, silly, and slightly embarrassing, which resulted in me laughing uncontrollably. It's been a really really long time since the rebellious daredevil f-what people think (sort of) side of me has had an opportunity to get some fresh air. Though I guess the rocking out dancing I did for a RockBand song last week counts too. I used to do that kind of shit all the time. But over time it became more important to me to be the cute, silly, slightly befuddled girl than it was for me to be badass and do things for the shock value. I guess it was growing out of being a teenager. Anyway, I did it to impress people and shake their impression that I was just some quiet asian girl and I think I'm more stable now about who I am as a person that I don't need to do outrageous things to convince myself and others that I'm not stuck in some box. At the same time, it is completely refreshing and freeing to know that I'm still capable of thinking up and following through with my harebrained shenanigans.
Anyway, then at PAX, we hung out in the expo hall until it closed, with a short break to Starbucks near the end. I didn't get very much accomplished, I think I tried winning a t-shirt and failed miserably and kind of played the new Viva Pinata, but I couldn't figure out how to do anything. The coolest thing was watching a game that's not out yet, The Maw. The environment just looked really beautiful and cute. In retrospect, if I had known it was a PAX 10 contender, I would have voted for it.
After the expo hall closed, we putzed around for a while and then stumbled upon the RockBand freeplay area and they were playing Weezer and everyone was singing along and clapping along. There was some really great community there. Then we went over to the Annex and I got to participate in a large manual, old style adventuring quest, Action Castle, which was pretty cool, even though I almost "used" the fishing rod on the lake. I got to demo Burning Wheel and managed to kick some major ass as the lowly rat guide. It seemed like everyone else also enjoyed watching the demo and that it was a pretty good indicator of what the game play/style/fights are like. The guys actually talk a little bit about their experience doing 5.5 hours of demos on their forum. It looks like there'll be a podcast about it on Tuesday from Front Row Crew. I'll be interested to see if any of my demo session was worth mentioning :). It was a great time, though I was pretty anxious/nervous/hyped up and had the shakes for a good first half of the demo. Then we went back over to the RockBand area and stood in line for a really long time and played Highway Star for everyone. It was super exciting performing for a crowd though the drums were quite a bit harder to play due to the height, chair, and they seemed modded so I had to hit them quite a bit harder for it to register. I didn't get to see any of the cool stuff that everyone did to warm up the crowd, but it seemed like everyone really liked it. I got a high-five afterwards from some random guy. It was a good way to end the night.
Sunday
Got to sleep in a little and got to PAX around 11 or so. Hung around the expo hall doing pretty much nothing else but get t-shirts. We were quite successful at the endeavor too. I stood in line for the second Q&A and not a bit too soon since I managed to be the second to last question. I felt like I stuttered a lot of was weird sounding but Zach said that compared to the other people, I sounded great. After that, Zach and I lounged around on the Sumos for a while and then went to the console freeplay area and checked out Boom Blox. It was entertaining, but we're probably not going to buy it. I have pretty unsteady hands which is a liability in that game. We have so many Wii games that we haven't finished either even though they're just go through mini games. Then we stood in line for some Taco Del Mar food and waited in line with the guys to see the final Omegathon. Which was okay, it turned out to be Vs. ExciteBike. It was f-ing hard, like many of the ancient games. It was also a total shut out, which was too bad and the guy that I was rooting for didn't win :(. Hopefully next year's final round will be cooler. I also didn't win the drawing sadly. Some girl named Grace Wong won though. It would be cool if a girl won the Omegathon someday.
Zach and I ended the day by watching Tsotsi.
Overall, I had a great time at PAX and will need to come up with a better plan next year for making the expo hall a little more worthwhile. The lines are always ridiculous (no one got to play Left4Dead or RockBand2), and the swag was more challenging to get, but there was still cool stuff to see and a surprisingly large number of booth babes this year too. Still undecided about how I feel about that. All I can say is, I can't wait for next year's PAX! I'm so glad I live in Seattle and don't have to pay tons of money to attend it. It's totally worth it.
August 31, 2008
August 27, 2008
Modeselektor - Hyper Hyper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBmdfL7hgtM - no animation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AON2R-HCQ3E - weird kid + two girls
This is really more trance/dance music so I had a hard time finding lyrics.
Hyper Hyper! Bass Bass Drum! So Beautiful...see your hands in the air.
Yeah, that's about it. I'm listening to a bunch of their other stuff right now, and it's all pretty sweet. Maybe I'm suddenly into trance now? I used to think it was so boring with such little variation, but the beat is just awesome enough that I don't mind listening to it for several seconds with little to no variation. Man, this would be good music for visualizations. ;)
This one is pretty cool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p-1NUoapQc - just a pix
I might have to make this CD #2 to get...though I dunno if Best Buy has it?
Shittt....I could do this all night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THQPeNIvvyc
Maybe I'm just really in the mood for techno trance right now. What is the difference between techno and trance?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AON2R-HCQ3E - weird kid + two girls
This is really more trance/dance music so I had a hard time finding lyrics.
Hyper Hyper! Bass Bass Drum! So Beautiful...see your hands in the air.
Yeah, that's about it. I'm listening to a bunch of their other stuff right now, and it's all pretty sweet. Maybe I'm suddenly into trance now? I used to think it was so boring with such little variation, but the beat is just awesome enough that I don't mind listening to it for several seconds with little to no variation. Man, this would be good music for visualizations. ;)
This one is pretty cool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p-1NUoapQc - just a pix
I might have to make this CD #2 to get...though I dunno if Best Buy has it?
Shittt....I could do this all night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THQPeNIvvyc
Maybe I'm just really in the mood for techno trance right now. What is the difference between techno and trance?
Movie Review #15: Sex Drive
8/27 Sex Drive = Guy meets hot chick on the internet and decides to drive 9 hours to go see her and lose his virginity.
It was pretty funny, but mostly in a OMG, he did not just do that supremely embarrassing thing, OMG OMG. Several times I had to duck my head in shame for the dude, it was a little bit too much on the horribly tragic things that can happen when you're young and stupid. Much like how SuperBad was, but I think this one had much hotter chicks and more action. Less of the deadline feeling. Zach says he liked it and would see it again with everyone, though some pottery might be involved. Also it had amish people in it AND Seth Green AND Seth Green as an amish guy. Seth Green is the shit. I dunno what it is about him, but as celebrities go, he's on my to do list.
How to Entice a Nerd
Having a nerdy boyfriend is becoming more popular these days and not just because of the potential financial gain, but because the nerd of this day and age is no longer merely a programmer, he is the handyman of all things computer-related and most importantly, can quickly self-educate on anything else you need. Most nerds are loyal but have issues with self-esteem and being social (think of it as a challenge).
Now, it is extremely easy to attract a nerd's interest, but to truly develop a lasting relationship, you need to do your homework. If this comes naturally to you, congrats! All you need to do is go out there and drop some references. If not, use the lists and suggestions below to find at least one or two nerdy things that you feel you can get into. Remember, it has to be genuine interest! Nerds are smart, they'll eventually see through you if you feign interest in a nerdy activity. For the good-looking ones, it'll be a big bonus if you are at least down-to-earth pretty. It's been my experience that most nerds like girls that don't spend an inordinate amount of time looking good every day (it also intimidates them). This means minimal to no makeup day-to-day, but feel free to glam up for special occasions.
Required Reading List:
Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (for extra credit, read the entire series)
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Recommended: Snowcrash, 1984, Dune, A Brave New World, The Name of the Wind, Harry Potter series
Required Watching List:
Star Wars (original)
At Least 5 episodes of Star Trek (The Next Generation version)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (for extra credit, watch the other Monty Python offerings)
Office Space
Evangelion
Firefly TV series
2001: Space Odyssey
The Simpsons TV series
Recommended: Futurama TV series, South Park TV series, The 5th Element, Ghost Busters
Websites:
Slashdot - News
Digg - News
IGN - Gaming News
Wikipedia - Information about everything
xkcd - Comic
Penny Arcade - Gaming Comic
Homestar Runner - Animated Web Comic
Bonus: research Internet Memes, such as All Your Base Are Belong to Us
Basic Terminology:
Monitor - the screen that you are looking at. Is connected to the
Computer - the box that holds the various parts that allow you to do stuff, like access the
Internet - a network of cables throughout the world that allow your computer to be connected to servers and millions of other computers, not to be confused with
Internet Browsers - programs that display the content of the Internet such as Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Opera, etc.
Motherboard - core piece of your computer that determines how much RAM your computer can handle and the other types of pieces that your computer can use.
Random Access Memory (RAM) - the part in your computer that controls how many items you can have open at a time and running. Not to be confused with
Hard Drive Space - what your computer uses to store files and programs.
Sound Card - is considered to be "on board" if the motherboard comes with one. Used to produce sound. Can be bought as a separate piece from the motherboard.
Video Card - same as sound card except for video/motion, especially important for computer games because their graphics are more intense.
Ping Time - the amount of time it takes your computer to access a game server or website.
Lag - used to describe what happens when you have a high ping time. For example, games tend to look like they're moving in slow motion and websites take a really long time to refresh.
Framerate - used in games to describe how quickly the screen refreshes. Measured in seconds, framerate per second or FPS, which is not to be confused with
First Person Shooter (FPS) - a genre of games where you are the person shooting things. Examples would be Halo, Quake, Doom, or HalfLife/CounterStrike.
Leet (written as 1337) - elite or cool.
Über - a german word meaning super or extreme.
Fail or Epic Fail - when you or someone has messed up.
w00t or woot - exclaimation of pride and accomplishment.
Pwn or Pwned - to win against someone or to say that someone has been beaten. For example, "I pwned you!" would be equivalent to saying "I beat you!".
Bonus:
Frag - to kill someone in a first person shooter game.
Modem - Short for modulator-demodulator. Enables a computer to transmit data over telephone or cable lines. Computer information is stored digitally but information sent over telephone lines is in the form of analog waves. A modem converts between these two forms.
Router - directs Internet information.
Games:
*Note* - Games can be pretty expensive and it is not necessary that you have actually played the game. An interest in playing a game is just as good and is a ready-made date idea. For any of the titles below, you can look up information from various websites (IGN).
Computer (also known as PC) games - Spore, Quake/Doom/Half-Life/CounterStrike, World of Warcraft (WoW), Diablo, StarCraft, Portal, Fallout, Might and Magic, Warhammer 40k Dawn of War
Console (an extra piece of equipment you need to buy to play the game) games - Halo, Gears of War, Guitar Hero, RockBand (extra credit if you can play the drums), Burnout, Final Fantasy
Different types of consoles:
XBox 360 - made by Microsoft
Wii - made by Nintendo
Playstation 3 (PS3) - made by Sony
Bonus: read up on Jack Thompson and listen to a few Jonathan Coltan's songs (Still Alive (though it's the end song to the game Portal), Code Monkey, Re: Your Brains).
Now, it is extremely easy to attract a nerd's interest, but to truly develop a lasting relationship, you need to do your homework. If this comes naturally to you, congrats! All you need to do is go out there and drop some references. If not, use the lists and suggestions below to find at least one or two nerdy things that you feel you can get into. Remember, it has to be genuine interest! Nerds are smart, they'll eventually see through you if you feign interest in a nerdy activity. For the good-looking ones, it'll be a big bonus if you are at least down-to-earth pretty. It's been my experience that most nerds like girls that don't spend an inordinate amount of time looking good every day (it also intimidates them). This means minimal to no makeup day-to-day, but feel free to glam up for special occasions.
Required Reading List:
Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (for extra credit, read the entire series)
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Recommended: Snowcrash, 1984, Dune, A Brave New World, The Name of the Wind, Harry Potter series
Required Watching List:
Star Wars (original)
At Least 5 episodes of Star Trek (The Next Generation version)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (for extra credit, watch the other Monty Python offerings)
Office Space
Evangelion
Firefly TV series
2001: Space Odyssey
The Simpsons TV series
Recommended: Futurama TV series, South Park TV series, The 5th Element, Ghost Busters
Websites:
Slashdot - News
Digg - News
IGN - Gaming News
Wikipedia - Information about everything
xkcd - Comic
Penny Arcade - Gaming Comic
Homestar Runner - Animated Web Comic
Bonus: research Internet Memes, such as All Your Base Are Belong to Us
Basic Terminology:
Monitor - the screen that you are looking at. Is connected to the
Computer - the box that holds the various parts that allow you to do stuff, like access the
Internet - a network of cables throughout the world that allow your computer to be connected to servers and millions of other computers, not to be confused with
Internet Browsers - programs that display the content of the Internet such as Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Opera, etc.
Motherboard - core piece of your computer that determines how much RAM your computer can handle and the other types of pieces that your computer can use.
Random Access Memory (RAM) - the part in your computer that controls how many items you can have open at a time and running. Not to be confused with
Hard Drive Space - what your computer uses to store files and programs.
Sound Card - is considered to be "on board" if the motherboard comes with one. Used to produce sound. Can be bought as a separate piece from the motherboard.
Video Card - same as sound card except for video/motion, especially important for computer games because their graphics are more intense.
Ping Time - the amount of time it takes your computer to access a game server or website.
Lag - used to describe what happens when you have a high ping time. For example, games tend to look like they're moving in slow motion and websites take a really long time to refresh.
Framerate - used in games to describe how quickly the screen refreshes. Measured in seconds, framerate per second or FPS, which is not to be confused with
First Person Shooter (FPS) - a genre of games where you are the person shooting things. Examples would be Halo, Quake, Doom, or HalfLife/CounterStrike.
Leet (written as 1337) - elite or cool.
Über - a german word meaning super or extreme.
Fail or Epic Fail - when you or someone has messed up.
w00t or woot - exclaimation of pride and accomplishment.
Pwn or Pwned - to win against someone or to say that someone has been beaten. For example, "I pwned you!" would be equivalent to saying "I beat you!".
Bonus:
Frag - to kill someone in a first person shooter game.
Modem - Short for modulator-demodulator. Enables a computer to transmit data over telephone or cable lines. Computer information is stored digitally but information sent over telephone lines is in the form of analog waves. A modem converts between these two forms.
Router - directs Internet information.
Games:
*Note* - Games can be pretty expensive and it is not necessary that you have actually played the game. An interest in playing a game is just as good and is a ready-made date idea. For any of the titles below, you can look up information from various websites (IGN).
Computer (also known as PC) games - Spore, Quake/Doom/Half-Life/CounterStrike, World of Warcraft (WoW), Diablo, StarCraft, Portal, Fallout, Might and Magic, Warhammer 40k Dawn of War
Console (an extra piece of equipment you need to buy to play the game) games - Halo, Gears of War, Guitar Hero, RockBand (extra credit if you can play the drums), Burnout, Final Fantasy
Different types of consoles:
XBox 360 - made by Microsoft
Wii - made by Nintendo
Playstation 3 (PS3) - made by Sony
Bonus: read up on Jack Thompson and listen to a few Jonathan Coltan's songs (Still Alive (though it's the end song to the game Portal), Code Monkey, Re: Your Brains).
August 26, 2008
Movie Review #14: Van Wilder
8/23 Van Wilder = College the way it was meant to be.Ahhh, this is such a classic movie. I'm not sure when I first watched it, but I know I watched it at an Honors Croquet screening of it since there's a scene where the douchbag boyfriend is playing croquet using the frosh as wickets. Most of National Lampoon's movies are great and pretty funny. You'll never look at twinkies the same way again...
August 24, 2008
Movie Review #13: Better Than Chocolate
8/23 Better Than Chocolate = A lesbian who's in the closet to her mom has to deal while her mom (who's in the midst of a divorce) and her brother stay with her and her new girlfriend.A fair amount of sex in the movie, tastefully done though and it didn't quite feel like a pron so that was also good. The plot wasn't very straightforward and jumped around a bit but overall it was enjoyable. I can definitely see why this is a favorite movie of lesbians.
The Concept of Revolution
Decision are made on an individual level, yet it usually takes the consensus of the masses to implement change.
As an individual, I feel like I have reached a point where I am ready to take the responsibility of choosing the direction that I think the world should evolve into. Though I have never been especially political or rally-ist, it seems like they actually work in bringing about change. As silly as it may seem, if enough people band together and make enough noise, something will happen. It's like peer pressure on a grandiose scale. My experience with community events are pretty much volunteer work for one-time events as well as some light donating...and so it'd honestly take something that I'm truly deeply passionate about to wrest a commitment from me.
This brings up the question, what is the best way to make the most of my limited resources (time, money & energy) to be a part of change, as well as make that change and participation sustainable?
Will we choose to become the change that is revolutionary or just be spectators? Are we at the cusp of a revolution? And if so, what exactly are we revolutionizing?
It's been a really really long time since I've produced a serious blog post/any sort of serious writing and I read over this and am somewhat concerned that it comes off a little too academia. Which is one of the reasons I didn't get an English degree. One of the reasons I did want to get an English degree had to do with the fact that one of my favorite things to do in general is to think up completely off the wall, out of the box reasons for events. Works of literature are rife with opportunities to drag in elaborate themes and analogies and cleverly tie them together to create a framework and viewpoint that are borderline preposterous. I fear and love my imagination. Fear because I am afraid of not being able to live up to its potential (which is why I didn't seriously consider becoming a creative writer as a career choice) and love obviously because I like coming up with crazy solutions. As a pre-teen/teen, I used to spend HOURS upon HOURS in the bathroom doing nothing but role-playing scenarios between me and other people, where I would hold both sides of the conversation. Of course, in time I came to realize that every single scenario that I played out would never be the actual one so it seemed like the more I did it, the more unlikely it seemed that it would actually turn out that way. Anyway, I still feel like this blog is helping me connect a little bit more with that creative side (as well as D&Ding :)) and getting used to putting down thoughts. And hopefully, the end goal of all of this is that someday a book will materialize out of me.
As an individual, I feel like I have reached a point where I am ready to take the responsibility of choosing the direction that I think the world should evolve into. Though I have never been especially political or rally-ist, it seems like they actually work in bringing about change. As silly as it may seem, if enough people band together and make enough noise, something will happen. It's like peer pressure on a grandiose scale. My experience with community events are pretty much volunteer work for one-time events as well as some light donating...and so it'd honestly take something that I'm truly deeply passionate about to wrest a commitment from me.
This brings up the question, what is the best way to make the most of my limited resources (time, money & energy) to be a part of change, as well as make that change and participation sustainable?
Will we choose to become the change that is revolutionary or just be spectators? Are we at the cusp of a revolution? And if so, what exactly are we revolutionizing?
It's been a really really long time since I've produced a serious blog post/any sort of serious writing and I read over this and am somewhat concerned that it comes off a little too academia. Which is one of the reasons I didn't get an English degree. One of the reasons I did want to get an English degree had to do with the fact that one of my favorite things to do in general is to think up completely off the wall, out of the box reasons for events. Works of literature are rife with opportunities to drag in elaborate themes and analogies and cleverly tie them together to create a framework and viewpoint that are borderline preposterous. I fear and love my imagination. Fear because I am afraid of not being able to live up to its potential (which is why I didn't seriously consider becoming a creative writer as a career choice) and love obviously because I like coming up with crazy solutions. As a pre-teen/teen, I used to spend HOURS upon HOURS in the bathroom doing nothing but role-playing scenarios between me and other people, where I would hold both sides of the conversation. Of course, in time I came to realize that every single scenario that I played out would never be the actual one so it seemed like the more I did it, the more unlikely it seemed that it would actually turn out that way. Anyway, I still feel like this blog is helping me connect a little bit more with that creative side (as well as D&Ding :)) and getting used to putting down thoughts. And hopefully, the end goal of all of this is that someday a book will materialize out of me.
August 22, 2008
Movie Review #12: A Home at the End of the World
8/20 A Home at the End of the World = Follows Bobby from when he's 9 to when he's 15 to when he's 24 and a few years after that.It's about the relationships that Bobby has throughout his life and how other people cope with that. It's interesting but still in a cliche'd kid growing up in the late 60's early 70's with the hippy free love stuff as well as growing into sexuality and the early gay casual sex-ness as well as a brief HIV bit. A bit meandering. I'd rather watch Rent again.
Things the Next Generation will be Amazed At
- That Pluto was considered a planet and taught in schools as such for the majority of our schooling.
- That we had to wait until we were 21 until we could drink legally.
- We were around when no one used to listen to a music player 24/7, on the bus, walking around, waiting in line...no music. iPods will be laughed at for their simplicity and weird controls.
- That we would be so stupid to vote a complete idiot into the White House...twice.
- That we used to use something called film in these small containers that were difficult to put into cameras instead of digital media. And in order to see the pictures we took, we had to develop the film instead of seeing the picture as soon as it's taken. In addition, we kept these fragile photos in photo albums instead of a digital frame.
Some Interesting Stuff
Common Errors in English - An interesting site that has TONS of commonly misused word pairs. Choose/Chose is a pretty good one. Also, since I have so many friends from TX, Y'all. If anyone starts using all y'all...that's going to be trouble.
Also, a song that has one of the best one liners..."I've got soul but I'm not a soldier"...very relevant to these days:
All These Things That I've Done - The Killers (Official Vid, UK Version-the better one I think)
When there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
One more son
If you can hold on
If you can hold on, hold on
I wanna stand up, I wanna let go
You know, you know - no you don't, you don't
I wanna shine on in the hearts of men
I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand
Another head aches, another heart breaks
I am so much older than I can take
And my affection, well it comes and goes
I need direction to perfection, no no no no
Help me out
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the blackburner
You know you got to help me out
And when there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
These changes ain't changing me
The cold-hearted boy I used to be
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the blackburner
You know you got to help me out
You're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
...
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the blackburner
You know you got to help me out
You're gonna bring yourself down
You're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the blackburner
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
Over and out, last call for sin
While everyone's lost, the battle is won
With all these things that I've done
All these things that I've done
If you can hold on
If you can hold on
Also, a song that has one of the best one liners..."I've got soul but I'm not a soldier"...very relevant to these days:
All These Things That I've Done - The Killers (Official Vid, UK Version-the better one I think)
When there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
One more son
If you can hold on
If you can hold on, hold on
I wanna stand up, I wanna let go
You know, you know - no you don't, you don't
I wanna shine on in the hearts of men
I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand
Another head aches, another heart breaks
I am so much older than I can take
And my affection, well it comes and goes
I need direction to perfection, no no no no
Help me out
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the blackburner
You know you got to help me out
And when there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
These changes ain't changing me
The cold-hearted boy I used to be
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the blackburner
You know you got to help me out
You're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
...
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the blackburner
You know you got to help me out
You're gonna bring yourself down
You're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the blackburner
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
Over and out, last call for sin
While everyone's lost, the battle is won
With all these things that I've done
All these things that I've done
If you can hold on
If you can hold on
August 13, 2008
Movie Review #11: Sicko
8/13 Sicko = Documentary on the state of the healthcare system in the US and compares it to countries with government run healthcare.I know Zach thinks I'm easily influenced and gullible and stuff like that and as such, I try to take a step back and be really pessimistic about stuff and sometimes worry that I am believing things too easily. But there's always a bit of truth behind all documentaries and the fact of the matter is that Americans are getting screwed and the sooner we have Universal Healthcare the less trashy America will be. If I ever get diagnosed with an expensive disease, I hope that I will remember this movie and look deeply and think hard about moving to a different country. Like say Canada, France, or England where the healthcare is free. In France, they get 5 wks minimum of vacation, when you have a baby, the gov't will send over a nanny and when you get married, they'll give you an extra week of vacation. I only get 2 wks of vacation. Though I guess the benefits of living somewhere where you can understand 90% of the population is nice, work does take up a LOT of time. Anyway, it was a disheartening movie and I really hope Obama becomes President and starts fixing things. And I hope I or anyone else I know doesn't get sick.
Anytime Present Ideas
Since my friends are no longer (were they ever...?) doing birthday presents this year, I thought I should start encouraging Anytime presents. The list below represents items that I like in general (some imagination might be needed to make an appropriate gift) and stuff that I can't imagine having too much of.
Anytime Present Ideas:
Cute stickers
Postcards
Canned Corn/Corn on the Cob (roasted or steamed)
donut peaches
A list of interesting books/movies
Fresh flowers
Fruits Basket Manga
Ramen
Unique/creative pottery
Performance/Interactive Art
Themed parties
Garage/yard/rummage sales
Knowing interesting facts about others' lives
Yarn
Roasted marshmallows
Geeky/nerdy funny items (clothing, etc.)
Starbucks
Tim's Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion potato chips
Traveling and doing touristy stuff
Winning at games
Card games
Hugs
Arbitrary organization (for example, in a candy dish, separating the candy by color)
Bubble tea
Funny true stories
I guess that should be enough for now. For most of these, I get really excited over.
Anytime Present Ideas:
Cute stickers
Postcards
Canned Corn/Corn on the Cob (roasted or steamed)
donut peaches
A list of interesting books/movies
Fresh flowers
Fruits Basket Manga
Ramen
Unique/creative pottery
Performance/Interactive Art
Themed parties
Garage/yard/rummage sales
Knowing interesting facts about others' lives
Yarn
Roasted marshmallows
Geeky/nerdy funny items (clothing, etc.)
Starbucks
Tim's Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion potato chips
Traveling and doing touristy stuff
Winning at games
Card games
Hugs
Arbitrary organization (for example, in a candy dish, separating the candy by color)
Bubble tea
Funny true stories
I guess that should be enough for now. For most of these, I get really excited over.
August 12, 2008
Book Review - The Mystery Method: How to Get Beautiful Women Into Bed
Though this is definitely not a book to be taken word for word, and it definitely takes a lot of effort and talking A LOT, I would say most guys that are dating out there could learn something from this, if anything not to make stuff a big deal or to freak out over things like calling a girl and all those unspoken dating rules.
Basically, if you talk a lot, say interesting things, you can probably get most average girls. For the really beautiful ones, you have to employ a few tactics.
Honestly, I'm not sure what to think about Mystery himself or those that really put in the effort to become pickup artists. There's probably a point where they become interesting guys and not just sleazy liars that are playing you. It's fun for a girl not to have to make an effort in making the experience fun, just being there for a ride and having someone along that always has something to say, some fun story and knows what next fun place to be at. Even if he's always negging you, making you jump through hoops, conditionally testing you, or giving IODs so that you're strung along. I'm looking forward to reading this other book in the pickup artist world: The Game by Neil Strauss. Apparently, Mystery is one crazy mofo (I suppose this is probably unsurprising) and it's like a documentary of pickup artists and their lifestyles.
Mostly, I'm glad I'm not a guy and am not about to delve into trying to become good at picking up hot chicks. It sounds like a LOT of work, memorization, rejection, and feeling stupid and like a loser. Though if I was already a guy that was desperate and I actually saw some improvements, maybe it wouldn't be so crushing. And you have to talk ALL THE TIME. However, if I ever meet someone who is actually out there practicing opening sets and such, I'm not sure what I'd do, if I'd purposefully try to f-him-up or go along with it or tell him that I'm on to him and that he's gaming. So yeah, I really hope I meet a pickup artist in training someday because it would be supremely interesting to see one actually at work.
Basically, if you talk a lot, say interesting things, you can probably get most average girls. For the really beautiful ones, you have to employ a few tactics.
Honestly, I'm not sure what to think about Mystery himself or those that really put in the effort to become pickup artists. There's probably a point where they become interesting guys and not just sleazy liars that are playing you. It's fun for a girl not to have to make an effort in making the experience fun, just being there for a ride and having someone along that always has something to say, some fun story and knows what next fun place to be at. Even if he's always negging you, making you jump through hoops, conditionally testing you, or giving IODs so that you're strung along. I'm looking forward to reading this other book in the pickup artist world: The Game by Neil Strauss. Apparently, Mystery is one crazy mofo (I suppose this is probably unsurprising) and it's like a documentary of pickup artists and their lifestyles.
Mostly, I'm glad I'm not a guy and am not about to delve into trying to become good at picking up hot chicks. It sounds like a LOT of work, memorization, rejection, and feeling stupid and like a loser. Though if I was already a guy that was desperate and I actually saw some improvements, maybe it wouldn't be so crushing. And you have to talk ALL THE TIME. However, if I ever meet someone who is actually out there practicing opening sets and such, I'm not sure what I'd do, if I'd purposefully try to f-him-up or go along with it or tell him that I'm on to him and that he's gaming. So yeah, I really hope I meet a pickup artist in training someday because it would be supremely interesting to see one actually at work.
August 7, 2008
Thou Shalt Always Kill - Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip
Thou shalt not steal if there is direct victim.
Thou shalt not worship pop idols or follow lost prophets.
Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Johnny Hartman, Desmond Decker, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix or Syd Barret in vain.
Thou shalt not think that any male over the age of 30 that plays with a child that is not their own is a pedophile… Some people are just nice.
Thou shalt not read NME.
Thou shalt not stop liking a band just because they've become popular.
Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry.
Thou shalt not judge a book by its cover.
Thou shalt not judge Lethal Weapon by Danny Glover.
Thou shalt not buy Coca-Cola products. Thou shalt not buy Nestle products.
Thou shalt not go into the woods with your boyfriend's best friend, take drugs and cheat on him.
Thou shalt not fall in love so easily.
Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls' pants. Use it to get into their heads.
Thou shalt not watch Hollyoaks.
Thou shalt not attend an open mic and leave as soon as you're done your shitty little poem or song you self-righteous prick.
Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar week in, week out just 'cause you once saw a girl there that you fancied but you're never gonna fucking talk to.
Thou shalt not worship pop idols or follow lost prophets.
Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Johnny Hartman, Desmond Decker, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix or Syd Barret in vain.
Thou shalt not think that any male over the age of 30 that plays with a child that is not their own is a pedophile… Some people are just nice.
Thou shalt not read NME.
Thou shalt not stop liking a band just because they've become popular.
Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry.
Thou shalt not judge a book by its cover.
Thou shalt not judge Lethal Weapon by Danny Glover.
Thou shalt not buy Coca-Cola products. Thou shalt not buy Nestle products.
Thou shalt not go into the woods with your boyfriend's best friend, take drugs and cheat on him.
Thou shalt not fall in love so easily.
Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls' pants. Use it to get into their heads.
Thou shalt not watch Hollyoaks.
Thou shalt not attend an open mic and leave as soon as you're done your shitty little poem or song you self-righteous prick.
Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar week in, week out just 'cause you once saw a girl there that you fancied but you're never gonna fucking talk to.
Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals no matter how great they are or were.
The Beatles - Were just a band.
Led Zepplin - Just a band.
The Beach Boys - Just a band.
The Sex Pistols - Just a band.
The Clash - Just a band.
Crass - Just a band.
Minor Threat - Just a band.
The Cure - Just a band.
The Smiths - Just a band.
Nirvana - Just a band.
The Pixies - Just a band.
Oasis - Just a band.
Radiohead - Just a band.
Bloc Party - Just a band.
The Arctic Monkeys - Just a band.
The next big thing - JUST A BAND.
Thou shalt give equal worth to tragedies that occur in non-English speaking countries as to those that occur in English speaking countries.
Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches and bling were never part of the four elements and never will be.
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music
Thou shalt not pimp my ride.
Thou shalt not scream if you wanna go faster.
Thou shalt not move to the sound of the wickedness.
Thou shalt not make some noise for Detroit.
When I say "Hey" thou shalt not say "Ho".
When I say "Hip" thou shalt not say "Hop".
When I say "he say, she say, we say, make some noise" - kill me.
Thou shalt not quote me happy.
Thou shalt not shake it like a Polaroid picture.
Thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak like me.
Thou shalt spell the word "Pheonix" P-H-E-O-N-I-X not P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you.
Thou shalt not express your shock at the fact that Sharon got off with Bradley at the club last night by saying "Is it".
Thou shalt think for yourselves.
And thou shalt always,
Thou shalt always kill.
The artists claim that the title, and final line of the song, refer to 'killing' in the sense of performing excellently.
This is a super awesome song...even if it's also super British and many references are of that sort. The music vid is pretty entertaining and catchy.
August 5, 2008
Man...Ratatat...
I am SO sad that I discovered Ratatat just a few weeks too late to see them perform live in Seattle...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlGx0nJsOkM&feature=related
It would have been so awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlGx0nJsOkM&feature=related
It would have been so awesome.
August 4, 2008
Busy Weekend - Fruits Basket Marathon, Chapel Clubbing, Wedding/After Party
I can just feel it in my bones that if I don't start getting some good sleep, I'm going to get sick. It feels like I pulled an all-nighter, everything's kind of fuzzy and slow. I had a great time over the weekend though.
I wasn't lonely Friday night because everyone was at the bachelor party LAN because I had someone over to watch the Fruits Basket series with me. And we finished it too. And I did all my laundry. Then we got to sleep for 4 or so hours before getting up and getting some Starbucks. The rest of Saturday was pretty normal, we watched the movie Miss Potter, and then at 10, we went to pick up a friend and went to the Chapel, a club that had been a mausoleum in its former life. I was hit on twice, which was di rigeur for me, especially since Zach wasn't on the dance floor with me. The first time was really typical, some guy leads off with a compliment and then tries to draw you into a convo. He asked me what I thought of his shirt, which in my inebriated state, was white with red text that looked like some lame ass college T so instead of shouting something witty (which likely would not have been witty due to my previously mentioned condition), I ended up just making the "Loser" right-hand two fingered from the forehead move. I can't remember what he said but I was laughing and then my friend dragged me away, likely being correct in thinking that I was getting in over my head, whatever it was that I was getting into. Zach was impressed with my audaciousness. The second time was pretty minor, just some guy asking me if I would dance with his friend, who was at least 30, likely 32-ish. After that dance though I was pretty tired. It's really hard to move with the beat while not stumbling into anyone nearby, in stilettos to boot! We got home at around 1:30. I need to work on getting drunker early on and then being not so drunk by the time I hit the bed. Somehow the drunkness doesn't wear off quickly enough by the time I'm ready to call it a night.
Sunday, we finally got to sleep in a little and then we got up and got ready for the wedding. It was held at Denny Blaine park, which was this really small quaint little park right next to the water, which had this stone wall and stone steps that led to this lower bit of the park which was perfect for a wedding with a hedge that hid the water. Anyway, at first the park was absolutely packed with people who were there for Seafair and were watching the Blue Angels' show, which was really loud. At 2:30 though they all cleared out and the wedding went off without a hitch. We had Thai food that was really good and I took a bunch of pictures with the disposable cameras that were lying about. The Maid of Honor gave a really heartfelt speech that made more people cry than the actual ceremony.
Unfortunately, I got kind of sunburnt due to being out in the sun a lot, but hopefully it doesn't peel... At 9, they had their after party at their place, and it was fun, everyone just sat around with snacks and told stories and chatted. We didn't get home until 11 and we were actually the first ones to leave :).
Overall, I don't remember a more packed weekend, full of a variety of activities that each on its own would have been more than enough to make a weekend interesting.
I wasn't lonely Friday night because everyone was at the bachelor party LAN because I had someone over to watch the Fruits Basket series with me. And we finished it too. And I did all my laundry. Then we got to sleep for 4 or so hours before getting up and getting some Starbucks. The rest of Saturday was pretty normal, we watched the movie Miss Potter, and then at 10, we went to pick up a friend and went to the Chapel, a club that had been a mausoleum in its former life. I was hit on twice, which was di rigeur for me, especially since Zach wasn't on the dance floor with me. The first time was really typical, some guy leads off with a compliment and then tries to draw you into a convo. He asked me what I thought of his shirt, which in my inebriated state, was white with red text that looked like some lame ass college T so instead of shouting something witty (which likely would not have been witty due to my previously mentioned condition), I ended up just making the "Loser" right-hand two fingered from the forehead move. I can't remember what he said but I was laughing and then my friend dragged me away, likely being correct in thinking that I was getting in over my head, whatever it was that I was getting into. Zach was impressed with my audaciousness. The second time was pretty minor, just some guy asking me if I would dance with his friend, who was at least 30, likely 32-ish. After that dance though I was pretty tired. It's really hard to move with the beat while not stumbling into anyone nearby, in stilettos to boot! We got home at around 1:30. I need to work on getting drunker early on and then being not so drunk by the time I hit the bed. Somehow the drunkness doesn't wear off quickly enough by the time I'm ready to call it a night.
Sunday, we finally got to sleep in a little and then we got up and got ready for the wedding. It was held at Denny Blaine park, which was this really small quaint little park right next to the water, which had this stone wall and stone steps that led to this lower bit of the park which was perfect for a wedding with a hedge that hid the water. Anyway, at first the park was absolutely packed with people who were there for Seafair and were watching the Blue Angels' show, which was really loud. At 2:30 though they all cleared out and the wedding went off without a hitch. We had Thai food that was really good and I took a bunch of pictures with the disposable cameras that were lying about. The Maid of Honor gave a really heartfelt speech that made more people cry than the actual ceremony.
Unfortunately, I got kind of sunburnt due to being out in the sun a lot, but hopefully it doesn't peel... At 9, they had their after party at their place, and it was fun, everyone just sat around with snacks and told stories and chatted. We didn't get home until 11 and we were actually the first ones to leave :).
Overall, I don't remember a more packed weekend, full of a variety of activities that each on its own would have been more than enough to make a weekend interesting.
August 2, 2008
TV Series Review #2: Fruits Basket
I have recently had the good fortune to spend several hours in a Fruits Basket Marathon, a series that I finally just bought and that its manga recently finished.
This series has every single cute, enduring, funny, heartwarming anime quirks that make me love watching anime in the first place. Everyone should watch this.
This series has every single cute, enduring, funny, heartwarming anime quirks that make me love watching anime in the first place. Everyone should watch this.
Movie Review #10: Miss Potter
8/2 Miss Potter = Story about Beatrix Potter, an unmarried woman of 32 who wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit.More of a romantic drama than comedy, it was pretty blasé. Had some pretty landscape but was not particularly thrilling as a movie. Maybe as a romance book it could have been interesting, but there was also only one kiss in the entire movie. Interesting if you liked those times when unmarried women had to drag around chaperons.
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