I have found the cure for AIDS!

No, seriously, look.

If I ever get AIDS, find me a gay man from San Francisco with the CCR-5 Delta-32 gene and give me his bone marrow.

Fortunately, I won't be needing it any time soon... I'm not a heroin addict, nor do I get any action so I guess my chances of getting HIV or AIDS is pretty slim...

Oh God, when will it end...

First Ed McMahon... Than Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson... and now Billy Mays?!

Death, you've been a dick for the past two weeks. I swear, if you take Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, or Robin Williams next I am going to have a personal vendetta with you. This I promise.

I'm a terrible blogger...

with commitment problems. It's a wonder how I've been able to stay in marching band for all four years in high school. Shoot, it's a wonder how my last relationship lasted so long! Hell, people were making bets that it'd last a week or two (though, that was not because my commitment problems per se but rather because I was a boy with a notorious reputation whereas the girl I was dating was a conservative, Protestant).

Looking at my last post, I haven't written in here since the beginning of last quarter. I should've written more in my blog, but when life gets to you, its hard to keep up. If that makes any sense.

In other words, I haven't been writing lately because I found a life outside of blogging. Or so that's my excuse. That isn't to to say that bloggers don't have a life, I mean they need something to write about, right?

Just that I'm lazy. And have commitment problems.

But I'm blogging, so here I am!

I maybe a week or two late on this but...

Freshmen year of college. My take on it? It's been... interesting, to say the least. Not exactly what I expected from college at all, but then again. Well, let's take it back to a year ago.

A year ago. I just graduated from high school and was totally pumped for college. But first several months of it - well, I hated it. Had a hard time making friends because well... I really didn't let myself open up to it. I was haughty. Pretentious, even. "TFC" as others would put it. You know, I tried the usual antics I would pull off in high school - but it just didn't work. I was catering to a different crowd. I mean, not to say I didn't try - just that I was exposed to some individuals that I've attempted to avoid all throughout high school. Not specific individuals, but rather "cliques" - types of people, you know?

But I can say, UCI's definitely grown on me. I don't know how I ended up in VSA in the first place - well, actually, my friends Malessa and Lee dragged me along to it. I was very hesitant about the idea at first, to be honest. My reasons? I didn't want to be tied down to any club. But, ironically enough, between the three of us, I think I've probably been the more outgoing when it comes to VSA. Winter Retreat, Lead role in VSA UCI's culture night, Lion Dance, the Banquet... Best thing about VSA, though?

The people. I've met some pretty amazing people in there. Absolutely phenomenal - and I'm glad I'm good friends with several of them. In fact, I've made some pretty amazing friends out here. Some that I hope will never fall out of my life - cause you know how the whole "friend" thing can be - some stay, some go, some refuse to leave - and sometimes for the better. I hope they're more amongst the latter. Course any kind of relationship is a two-way relationship. So don't think I won't be making an effort.

I'm digressing. Freshmen year of college? Best put - it started off quite shitty, but ending up pretty awesome. The thing I hate about it most? The fact that many of the awesome people I've met - specifically most of the friends I've made in VSA - have graduated and are leaving me for the East Coast. You know who you are.

I can say I've definitely grown, though. I mean, I don't want to come off as pretentious, but if I were to compare myself then and now I've... well, definitely toned down. I no longer drop my pants at the drop of a hat, I can tell you that. I've found more joy in... talking. Either it be over coffee, or just walking to class, I've found myself looking more for intellectual and/or pensive conversation.

Hehe, great thing about college: you start all over from scratch and be what you've always wanted to be. Yes, I will admit, when I first came to college, I've had this romanticized ideological image of a campus filled with bright, young, hip, coffee-drinking, indie-loving, pop culture obsessing students. First sight, I really didn't see that. I mean, no offense, but there is a reason why UCI is also dubbed University of Chinese Immigrants... Hell, when I told my parents about my decision to go to UCI - or even their friends for that matter - their response was the same as mine.

"So. Many. Asians."

And its odd, you know, being a part of the majority. I tell many people this all the time and I'm going to tell you guys now - it's weird being part of the majority. I mean, I come from quite a diverse high school - and being a band geek, it was populated with quite a diverse group of people. I mean, when the Spaniard took me to Chapman University - a private school that is 15 minutes away from UCI - I felt more comfortable there because well... I was a minority again! And I think being a minority makes me feel special :3

Where was I going with this? Oh yeah.

College is a great opportunity to build yourself into the image you want yourself to be. Me? I've somehow earned the title "Hipster." I know, it's un-hip of me to say this - but come on, I know that some of you "hipsters" know that you're hipsters, and you get some kind of pretentious pleasure from knowing that you are above the philistines and their lowbrow culture. Admit it!

But then again, what counts as Lowbrow? I had to write a research paper on that - a very fulfilling assignment, by the way, from Hum Core. I'm going to miss Humanities Core - I've learned so much out of it. Favorite paper has to be the research paper - I did mine on the Lowbrow Art Movement, and working on it, I felt like such an art snob - and I didn't like it. Luckily, the feeling subsided.

Why am I writing so much? Probably to make up for several months worth of not. God, I should blog more often... What am I putting you guys through? I bet none of you have made it this point. And for those of you who have well... I owe you lunch or something, I don't know...

My thoughts are all over the place - it's like, chaotic in there, you know? Sometimes, I wonder if I have ADD. I mean, my mind keeps on jumping from topic to topic. I'm guessing from my writing, it shows. I can't help it.

Digression! You know, I've got a small story about the whole "digression" thing but I'll tell it another time, there was something I wanted to put out there...

Oh yeah. My summer plans.

Well, from the looks of it, I can't get class over at Mount San Antonio College aka Mt. Sac aka Mt. Scrotum aka the nearby community college to my house. What with the economy the way it is, people are deciding now is a best time to get an education. Yay! This is good news, because that means I have the summer to myself - to do all the things I want, and to work on all the projects I've been putting off because of college.

At the same time, this is a terrible thing for me. Because Mt. Sac's filled to the brim with students, people all around can't get any schooling either. So they resort to working. And I need a job. I had my heart set on working at Denny's - well, not really, I hate working in the restaurant industry, it was just a set plan for cash - but it turns out they don't need me. Because everybody at Denny's can't get any school, they're picking up hours. Yay.

So, I got duped into looking into a company called Vector. They're asking me to sell knives. It looks good, sure, at 16 bucks an hour. But they're asking me to look for my own hours. As in set an appointment with people to try to pitch a knife set that costs several hundred dollars.

In this economy? Nuh-uh. I'm better off applying at McDonalds. Which, according to the Sandman, I have a better chance getting laid by the end of this summer.

The joke there is that I'm not getting any.

My Dad's uncomfortable with me lying around the house, playing video games all day, and hanging out with friends (which is something I don't mind doing...) but I can understand why he doesn't want me to do that. But I keep on telling him I do have plans of my own, but being he always seems to forget... This calls for a -_-.

My plans for the summer? So far, I have several scripts in mind that I'm working on. Also, reading those books I've had lying around the dorm for awhile. Oh, and also hopefully I can lose some weight. I've got the Spaniard coaxing me into going to the gym - so I can only hope that I become committed to this. More about that in a future blog. Also applied to Blockbuster - probably a long shot, but hey, here's hoping! I should also look around more, too... I should commit tomorrow to that. HAH!

Alright, well, hopefully I can stay committed to one of those plans. And on that note, I'm off. I need to get up in the morning to head to... the gym...

Oh boy... This is... this is going to be fun...

And on that note, take it away, Keyboard Cat

Hiyo

Wow, haven't written in here for awhile.

... So, how're you guys? Me? I just started first week of Spring Quarter of my Freshmen year at UCI. And I think I'm finally getting the hang of college.

Over Spring Break, I went up to Sequoia up in Northern California to go camping with the Lion Dance Troupe. I learned something up there: sleeping in the middle of a blizzard is no fun. Granted, yes, snow can be a beautiful thing. But I feel I can enjoy it better when my soaks aren't wet and my toes are frozen. I hate wet socks. But hey, it was fun.

After that, I spent most of my time in my room, finishing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time! Not too long after I defeated Ganondorf did I search around the house for the Ocarina I bought a couple years ago - the one that is a replica of the one from Ocarina of Time! Granted, it does not sounds as pretty, but it looks pretty awesome!



Next on the list: Majora's Mask.


In recent news, I just saw Avenue Q on Thursday! VSAUCI were making an event out of it, and I had to take the opportunity! I really enjoyed it - it's like my childhood (Sesame Street) meets my adulthood (Adult Swim). It's really well written, surprisingly enough - albeit, I feel certain parts a bit trite, but even so I think its great! Here something that isn't in the musical:



As of the moment, I'm playing the new Pokemon Platinum. I found myself smiling while playing it - there's so much new content just within the first hour, compared to Pearl and Diamond. I can't wait to see where the game takes me...

And well, there's that for an update.

Watchmen Opening Credits

For those of you looking at this from Facebook, click on "Original Post" below.


Despite the movies flaws, you have to admit - the first five minutes are fun to watch through. Very visual, very Snyder.

Watchmen

Alright, so I'm about to provide my amateur review of the Alan-Moore-adapted-Zack-Snyder-directed superhero movie Watchmen. Obviously, there's going to be a fanboy-bias to the movie - I mean, after all, I did dress up as Rorschach :D

... in fact, I was the only guy in the movie theater dressed up as Rorschach... I mean, I was considering dressing up as Doctor Manhattan but a) I don't have enough body paint and b) I don't have the time to shave all the hair off my body. And I guess the fact that I don't have his physique either probably has some factor in it...



Putting that aside, let's move onto the review. I've learned that easiest way for people to read through reviews are to list the pros and cons - and lists are usually fun to read.

Cons:
- More plot-driven than character-driven. The comic book is very character-driven and I really liked that about the comic book. However, Snyder opted for a more plot-driven move - which, sure, makes it a fun movie to watch, but there really isn't much to get out of the experience.

- Forced and trite dialogue. I felt that a lot of the dialogue written felt very forced. A lot of the lines seem to be written for the sole purpose of moving the story along, however they lack subtlety. Not to mention, there were some cheesy lines that made me want to punch somebody.

- Acting. I felt Patrick Wilson, the actor behind the Daniel Dreigberg - the second Nite Owl - was the only one I felt satisfied with. However, there were something about the other actors/actresses that rubbed me the wrong way...

- Characterization. Doctor Manhattan and Rorschach were just too human in the movie. What made these characters interesting in the first place was their inability to connect with the world around them. Rorschach does not have the cold demeanor that he's displayed throughout the graphic novel, nor the awkward tension that he brings to the room, and Manhattan is not alienated enough from the world around him... I do appreciate Laurie being not as whiny or bitchy as she is in the graphic novel, however there really isn't much to her character in the movie was well. I felt that Dan Dreiberg (the second Nite Owl) was the only character that was appropriately adapted in the movie.

Pros:
- The adaptation is very faithful to its source. There are shots, lines, and scenes lifted straight out of the novel. Zack Snyder said that he used the comic book as his story board, and it shows.

- Visually stunning. It's expected from Snyder. He's a very visual director, as evident by his work, 300, and uses this to his advantage. Beautiful shots and great visual direction.

- Awesome combat scenes. Seriously. So much fun to watch, so visceral and brutal - it's just so much fun.

- Easter eggs. Did you know that the US flag that is buried with the Comedian has 51 stars on it? The extra star belongs to Vietnam, which becomes a state of America after the Vietnam War in this reality. It's small details like that that Zack Snyder puts into the movie that I believe makes the movie worth watching over and over again - just to try to catch little things like that.

- Soundtrack. You know how in the graphic novel, there's always that last panel of black with quotes? Some of the songs from the soundtrack correlate with those panels. Within the same vein, the soundtrack also provides an idea of the epoch that Watchmen encompsses.

- More of the old Watchmen in action. We get to see more the old Watchmen in action in the beginning of the movie, which I feel is a lot of fun to watch: Mothman being thrown into an asylum, Dollar Bill being caught with his cape in a revolving door and shot, Silhouette and her murder. It's interesting to see the rise and fall of the Watchmen condensed into less than five minutes.

That's about all I can provide - I would rant more, but I have things that I need to do as of the moment. By all means, do go and watch the movie - its a lot of fun. Just don't expect it to have as much depth or meaning as the graphic novel - rather, see it because it's just too bloody awesome to pass up.

I feel smart :D

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