American Beauty

This movie is just sort of messed up. Everyone in the movie is harboring secret ideas, feelings, and actions from each other, and it revolves mostly around two families who are neighbors. If I explain much more, the movie will just give itself away, but I think it's important to watch it from the beginning and catch everything (cause that is what makes the movie after all). Janet mentioned this was her favorite movie, but I think this goes on the list of strangest movies of all time. Plus there is that whole creepy stalking part, and pedophile part, which just gives me the creeps. The cinematography seemed good, if I am even versed enough to comment on it, and I think this is possibly what makes the movie such a classic.

My opinion: A see once type of film.

Dropping off the Car

Ah. So before leaving sunny (and warm) California, I was sure to take care of the car, and I left it in the garage of some family friends we have that live in L.A. I was going to take an earlier train back to Claremont, but since I hit traffic, I ended up on the later Metrolink. I took a walk to Little Tokyo and bought myself some snacks. It is really nice there, and I'm kind of sorry that I never took better advantage of the train system during the year. There are a lot of things close to Union Station in L.A. which would be fun and exciting and all that jazz. Maybe when I return from study abroad I'll start doing things more often off-campus.

It is interesting how parents and tours always ask what I do off campus, when the answer is really that I do almost nothing off-campus. I wonder how many other students really feel the same way, and how many actually take advantage of the coolness that is L.A.

Anyway, back to the main story. I have pictures I'll put up later from my phone... I never remember to bring my camera when I should, but I guess I didn't expect to be there so long. I'll have to do better in the future. Glued to the camera should do.

A picture from the Fair

Martin and Jason are examining the dairy goats I believe. They had large animals and small animals and a lot of them looked really groomed, which surprised me. There were cows in a barn, and chickens, and mice too, but not altogether. And no one wanted to pet the little chicks, which were in the petting area. Instead, we spent longer examining the odd fruits and vegetables, including the largest pumpkin, and strangely shaped carrots. 

A tisket, A tasket

Saturday was spent at the O.C. County Fair -- and since I'd never been to one, it really was quite fun. Martin, Jason, and I got to see all the prize winning animals -- goats, pigs, cows, bunnies... and the winning fruits and vegetables. This was much different from the Taste of Chicago. There was a chair-lift that went over the whole fair, and which we rode, which allowed us to see everything that we hadn't already walked through. I was quite surprised at the size, and the lack of crowds (but I guess that's coming from a city girl), but they had plenty of stands and rides. Right before leaving the sun came out (which resulted in a nice little sunburn) and we went on a ride where it spins so fast you get stuck to the wall. How come after that ride, you always end up laughing, and when you leave, it appears that your eyes have teared up as well. Is it really that funny? Perhaps.

Yu-Loung finally left HMC for China, and the traffic today was abominable. Walking through Atwood (where Yu-Loung is going to live) reminds me of Freshman year and SI. It makes me all think how much I really do like this school after all. We played a final game of settlers last night in an empty room in the suite.

It's all very strange, life that is, when it comes full circle. I am halfway through my college life, and it all feels very odd. I was looking at a list of the birthdays of the incoming students for SI, and it makes me feel old. Yes, yes, I know, I'm not old, but 20 years is a long time, and it makes me think of the future. What will I do? What kind of person will I be? What engineering type? Engineering or not engineering? Life is really full of choices, not all attainable, but all there and visible if nothing else.

I'm also getting excited to go home to Chicago... it'll be a nice change, since I haven't been there for 8 months. That's a long time. And I'll visit my grandparents and perhaps New York too. Visiting the east coast just seems so much easier, and I'm not quite sure why.

The Research Wave begins to end

As people begin to leave, and I finally did buy an airplane ticket home, it's come to the time when I realize I really am going to leave too. Studying abroad will be great, I know it, yet I also know I'll be excited to come back. Only one week left of research for me, and a bunch of people leaving at the end of this weekend here, leaving only a few left. Wow. Better start packing!

Been rewatching a bunch of movies I've always liked with everyone, and finding not everyone enjoys all of them as much as I do. It's quite interesting to see what people like and don't like about certain things. Movies aren't a good judge of anyone, that I know, but I'm just commenting on the interesting factor of it all.

San Diego for Research, and a Weekend Sunday

Ah. This past Sunday, I went hiking at Griffith Park, which was really nice, and I look forward to when the observatory opens and I can actually visit. Hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later and by the time I get back from abroad. The hike wasn't too bad and Prof Lape suggested a few more trails in the area, that I'll look into when I return from abroad.

Went to San Diego on Monday and Tuesday for Accelrys Training for the Molecular Modeling software, and finally I understand what to do for research and it's becoming really interesting. It's all very exciting!

Rock Climbing

Or as close to it as I'm going to get. Hangar 18 is a pretty neat place, although with air conditioning, it would have been nicer. Hey -- when it's fairly hot outside, it's got to be fairly hot inside - which is way too much heat considering we were being active.

see here (facebook) or here (google web album) for pictures.

The summer is also finally winding down, and I haven't yet decided what I'll do for the end. Home of course, since my ticket is from there to London, perhaps Florida for visiting the grandparents, and perhaps staying at HMC for a bit more after research as well. Can't decide, can't ever decide....

Devil Wears Prada: The book

Ah. A really wonderful book, much better than the movie, and more real. I know in movies they have to cut out all the details because there isn't time, etc., but the nitty gritty really make this book great. And I suppose they cut out the smoking from the movie cause it's just not appropriate, but her smoking causes to burned clothes and hilarity at all moments of the book. It's a girly book, guaranteed, but if you seem the type, you'll like the book. Recap: Book is about a girl who wants to be a journalist, but can only find a job as a fashion magazine editor's assistant, who does random things at her every whim. A horrible, low paying job, and in the end she realizes that friends and family are much more important.

Lists of Things

I found a website, which led to the finding of another, which are sites that hold lists of things in general. Things you want to do, things you've read/watched, etc.

List of Bests... here I've checkmarked the ones I've read or watched, and I found out I'm quite far behind. I'm not wanting to see Psycho or anything scary, but it might be nice to have watched 50% of the top movies instead of only 20. Must get cracking.

42 Things - This website is just a list of things you want to do in general. Quite nice if you like making lists and actually end up accomplishing something or other.

Beware of addiction though, as I did spend some minutes more on checking boxes, etc. learning about myself in the top 100 ranks etc. :) Enjoy.

BBC News: Long hours unhealthier for women

BBC NEWS | Health | Long hours unhealthier for women: "Professor Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University, said men were less likely to be affected by working long hours because they were not expected to multi-task in the same way as women."

A short, yet interesting, article about the effects of long working hours. They say that women who work longer eat more during the day (high-fat, high-sugar junk), drink more caffine, exercise less, and smoke more. Men on the other hand, experience no such changes in their lives, and it seems to be that they like the idea of a long day, yet women have domestic chores after any day, whereas men do not.

Is this what society and our lives have come to? People need to work longer and harder hours to get by in today's society to compete with others who can do the same. Are some traits of genetics just against females?

Lois & Clark and Summer Research

I finally finished watching all of Lois and Clark (at least the first three seasons, the fourth is less than attainable). I guess I have to stop getting hooked on shows, cause I really can't take staying up so late watching. I think it's probably killing off brain cells faster than I'd want them to. Especially since I'd rather spend them thinking or doing something more productive. The show is good, I remember it used to be on cable as reruns sometimes, but that I never really watched it. Eh. Now that it's over, it all seems really sill and far fetched, although I do prefer Dean Cain as Superman over the others, and Teri Hatcher who plays Lois Lane is much less whiny here than in Desperate Housewives. :)

And a breakthrough on research, at least I hope so. Research is interesting, about gas diffusion through polymer membranes, and I've figured out a problem in my modeling strategy -- molecule typing. I supppose I'll have to try it tomorrow during work.

Tipping Point & The World is Flat

A post with two books in one. I do think I'm reviewing too much media on my blog, and not enough other things in life, but oh well. The Tipping Point is another book by Gladwell, the same author of Blink. The book discusses what makes other things happen, including the role of people: Connectors, Mavens, etc. who are the people that make things happen in the world. The examples are numerous, and the book proved to be very interesting discussing all those things. I highly recommend it. It also makes me think that I should be one of those people -- someone who knows everything, or helpful information, or someone who can connect people by knowing a bunch of people and being naturally friendly. Ah, who knows anyway.

The World is Flat discusses that very theory -- that globalization is inevitable and that we cannot stop it, but it's helpful in its own way. Margie (in the beginning of the book) thought that the author was too american in his views and thus biased, but I thought overall he was very balanced and I hope truthful. It was fairly enlightening, cause the news here in America really does only present the one side -- ex. outsourcing. Outsourcing takes place on both sides, and it isn't entirely on the fact that labor is cheaper everywhere else, but lies on the fact that intelligence is increasing everywhere for a lot of people. Such engineers and scientists are now more numerous outside America, and here, there are becoming less and less (especially women). It's all very interesting, and I would have loved to read it in Prof Sullivan's class... aw.

Pirates of Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Ah. Another sequel movie, only to be followed by one more. Probably to be released next year, and although the cliff hanger does exist, it wasn't to catchy for me, so I'm not too worried about waiting. The movie is about our favorite pirate Jack Sparrow and his quest for the "dead man's chest" which holds a live heart, which will get Sparrow out from under the super evil ugly looking pirate by some name I can't remember. This other guy is some kind of watercreature type.

Exciting, lively, with great action and shootings, etc. A movie to watch in the theaters for 2 dollars, sure, but more than that.... I'm not quite so sure.

Arsenic and Old Lace

Watched this movie with Kathleen, who suggested it, and notified me that the library has a "secret" video room where I can get them. Which I didn't know. But now I do! It was an interesting movie, about a man who was the bachelor of them all, got married, and then found out his two aunts were actually sympathy killers (killing old "miserable" men). His ugly, scary looking brother returned home (he'd been killing also), and the Cary Grant (the main guy) debates how to rat out his brother without the aunts. And his other brother thinks he's Teddy Rooselvelt. It's quite funny and the story progresses quite well.

I learned from this that I'm not a laugh out loud-er. When everyone else laughs, I typically smile, if not smile only inside. I guess it annoys some people, asking me if I think something's funny, but I find that in reality -- I do laugh when things are funny. And I think I get most annoyed by laughs of others. Not everyone, mind you, but one in a few.

Annie Hall

Perhaps this is one of the very few movies we actually own at home that I've never seen. So, it was time to get it from the library and watch it here at school. It was a very... strange movie, about a man Albie (I think that was his name) played by Woody Allen and his relationships, their problems, and all of his manic phobias. He's quite a character in real life and in the film also. The movie didn't have much of a main thought or point except to go about how life unfolds and his relationships, especially the one with Annie Hall who he eventually follows to L.A., the city that he couldn't hate more. New York seems to be the lively hood of the movie, and it becomes idealized often in Allen's films, at least I think so. Interesting, but not worth recommending especially. I can't imagine how my parents love this film. Maybe it has to do with the fact that my mother was from Brooklyn herself, and my father does like NYC. Who knows...

Devil Wears Prada

A movie about fashion, fashion magazaine workers, and doing what you want to do. I do suppose every movie needs a moral after all. It's about Andy who can't find a job as a journalist, so takes a job as an assistant to the magazine editor at Runway (fashion mag.), where she spends all her time helping out the boss, only to find her life falling apart, her sense of fashion growing, and in the end losing sight of her main goal. The movie is quite cute and Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep do wonderful jobs portraying their respective characters. Not a classic movie, nor one that's going to go down in history somewhere, but I've downloaded the audiobook, the book for which the movie was based on (of the same name), and think it's worth a read/listen.

Arrested Development

I finally finished all THREE seasons. Holy moly. I've gone psycho again watching television, but now that it's done I'll... move on to something else I'm sure. Anna suggested that I watch the show, cause I might enjoy the humor of David Cross, who plays the brother-in-law of the main character Michael, who spends a few years (the three seasons) trying to keep his family together. It's quite amusing, and the jokes, if not laugh out loud humor, are right on. The show was cancelled, which is quite sad, except for that fact that I've finally finished. :) I better go look up David Cross himself. Anna and I have similar types of humor, so I do trust her on this one. If you think you might like an odd laugh, check the show out, and you might just enjoy it.

Billy Elliot

Shelley told me to watch this movie, and although I only half remember watching, I couldn't remember the end. But I love it! About a boy, Billy, who wishes to dance ballet, while perservering through family trouble (money), people thinking he's gay, etc. It's quite good, touching, and the dancing is just too fun. And the music is ab fab. I now have to listen to the Billy Elliot soundtrack for the musical before seeing it in London.

Super excited about London too, now that some people are already abroad, and I'm the one missing out. It'll be sad to leave HMC, cause I do like it here, but it'll be an adventure I'm ready for. So I hope.

Settlers of Catan

This is a fabulous game by Mayfair Games, which plays a bit like Risk, or so I'm told, and a bit like Monopoly. There's dice rolling to get the resources you need, and then you can build with them. The goal: 10 Victory Points from a combination of settlements, cities, roads, development cards, and soldiers. It's quite fun, and I have to say I may be addicted. Found the computer game version as well, and although it's not quite the same, it's very fun as well.

About a Boy & Monster's Ball

I've seen "About a Boy" many many times, and finally I give into writing about it. I always thought it a great, interesting, and unique movie, and I do love Hugh Grant. If you haven't seen it you really should. It's about a man and a boy and their interactions with one another and a lot of talk about the line - "No man is an island." It's quite, quirky, funny, witty, and just wonderful. And the soundtrack is to be listened to quite often from now on. :)

Monster's Ball is a different type of movie about the relationship between a corrections officer and the wife of the man he he put to death a bit earlier. It's very touching and calls upon all sorts of emotions - love, sadness, etc. and although no one else seemed to appreciate it, I did like the lack of plot of the movie, and how it just seemed real.

My Neighbor Totoro

Finally, another movie... haha. This movie is really about nothing except the two small girls who enjoy seeing Totoro, who is essentially a huge fuzzy animal. Only children can see him, and he helps the older sister find the younger one, and is their friend for a while. It's really just entertaining with the plot sort of hidden away. It's animated, very cute, and the music is quite catchy. Not a Academy Award winning movie, but very good nonetheless. Watch it for fun!

Brokeback Mountain

A movie I'd put off watching for a long long time, finally got watched tonight. It was fabulous, well done, and very scenic. A touching movie about two men who fall in love while sheep hearding and their trials in trying to keep together even through marriages to others. Touching, and recommended for those times when a sappy movie will do. Aw...

On a side note, it reminds me a lot of Cold Mountain, another long scenic movie that I loved. If you haven't seen either, I advise you to do so. :)

Superman(s)

The old superman movie from 1979 was quite interesting, and it was definitely a smart move in watching it before the newer one. Superman I was very slow and very long, but the plotline was clever at best, as it was probably based upon the comic books after all. A few good lines, and not too bad after all. Although it definitely makes me appreciate the actor who played in the Lois and Clark TV show more.

The newer one has an even more gorgeous actor playing superman, although the plot line is a bit more serious and ends on a sadder note than the traditional happy way. Saw it in the IMAX giant screen with bits of the movie parts in 3D, most of which were cheesy, but in a good way. Definitely recommended (even more so for the IMAX version).

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

This is a wonderful book that I'd been meaning to read for a long time. It's a nonfiction book that had been recommended by Kenn, and a great selling and well reviewed book to boot. The book is about how people can use their subconscious to make decisions that have yielded important information that seems almost like telling the future or reading someone's mind. The break down of people's expressions and actions to their true meanings is very interesting, and would be something useful to study (except for the fact that it might be a lifetime's worth of work). By "thin-slicing," one can determine the true relationship between two people or a true person's reaction to something before they can cover it up consciously. It's all very interesting, and I recommend it to everyone. I'll eventually read The Tipping Point by the same author, a similar type book.

Nanny McPhee

This movie doesn't get a picture. Why? Because Colin Firth wasn't his usual fabulous self, but instead was only half-fabulous, and thus not worth the picture. The movie was a cute one, made for kids I gather, and instead of marrying a horrible stepmother, he marries well in the end, someone the kids love. It was entertaining though, and although I do like the English, the movie wasn't really English at all, but American at heart. Severly disspointed, meaning that I might have to watch Pride and Prejudice now just to cheer myself up. :)

Glory Road and Prime

Two movies watched. Glory Road is about a basketball coach and his team in Western Texas. The coach of course recruits african-americans for the team in a time when it was contraversial, meaning it is indeed a Disney movie after all, with a moral and all that. Since I do like the sports type movies, it was very good, and I liked the basketball - so it was all in all a winner. Recommended.

The second movie, Prime, has Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep. The character Uma Thurman plays essentially falls in love with a 23 year old, the son of her psychariast (Streep), and Uma's character is 37, so the movie is really about love, age differences, etc, and the ending is quite sad and touching all at once. Funny at the right times, not a tear-jerker, but sigh-ful, and it's done very well. Recommended.

Cars

Another Wednesday, another free movie for me. This one was quite cute, although the people watching and making noises nearby is really annoying. So the car doesn't care about anyone but himself, but learns the beauty of friendship and love. Aw. It's quite cute and the graphics are fairly neat looking, the jokes were pretty much right on, meaning it was funny at times, never too raunchy or sappy. Recommended? YES.

The Break-up

Ah. Totally a movie I should have skipped to begin with. Why in the hell did my father say this movie was one I'd like, and that was funny. Wasn't funny, the scene on the poster never occurs, and was semi-dissapointing overall. Beginning to dislike Vince Vaughn, as the movies that he's in are just not satisfactory. The movie is about the husband and wife who are trying to anger the other, or make the other jealous, when she can't get him to change who he is. And they don't want to leave the condo (although this is a big part of the idea of the movie, it's not really in there too much). I'd say -- not to be recommended unless you're not smart. Just don't do it. :)

Maps.A9.com

maps.a9.com

Since I was just clicking around on A9, the Amazon search engine, I found this maps thing, and since I'm usually entertained by them I went ahead and looked around. Apparently they have photos of sides of the streets for major cities. So I'm thinking, OK, let's look in Chicago (which they have) for my house. And I almost find it. My street is only photographed on the opposite side, but I can see all those houses across the street as if I were walking there myself. Creepy-ish, yet somewhat neat.

They've only got the major cities up, but look around, it is cool.

24: Season 2

OK, so I finally finished the second season. And Devin is adamant about telling me that season 5 is the best, then 4, and then 3, so if I've liked seasons 1 and 2, I'll have to go on watching. It's important for me to restrain myself from watching all the time, cause it's too easy to get hooked, so don't start if you haven't got the time. Otherwise, it's pretty action filled, with plots and evil all around. I would recommend it to most. :)

Farmers Market, Ontario Mills, and back to work

The weekend was spent in only fun ways. Sunday was spent at the farmer's market in the village, which I found to be cute, quaint, yet dissapointing. I do know that Claremont is a tiny village after all, but there was only one stand with bread type items, which I bought, but I expected more bread, cheese, and sausage perhaps. I suppose those are bigger place items, whereas this farmer's market had lots of flowers, fruit, and craft items in the front area.

Ontario Mills was the afternoon Sunday activity, spent in way too many shoe stores for way too long, and I wasn't even the one looking. Gosh. :) And then we played "go go go" if that's even the name of the game, which was actually quite interesting, although I'm almost the worst player. It's a card game with 3 face down, 3 up, and more in the player's hands. Fun!

Monday we asked/coersed Prof Lape into going to lunch with us (she did want to, which was a good thing :) ), and we went to Wolfe's Market. I'd never been there before, but Zane had said they had fabulous cheese, and Tia always went there when we didn't have food, so they liked it, and I did too. I'm definately thinking I need to get myself some nice yummy cheese, which is a good alternative to the ice cream I finished off two days ago. Still tasty, yet not as unhealthy, perhaps...

Busy at lab, and then running on the treadmill, and reading the news (World Cup included). Must be off to get a ticket to London now, yippee!

Match Point

A Woody Allen movie with a serious type of topic -- life, liberty and the persuit of happiness, all told through the English's perspective with killing. So the character more or less marries for money and confort, only to find that he loves another women (or has lust for), and causes murder and mayhem. The end is quite amazing actually. The movie: not quite in the style and comedy as Woody Allen's other movies, but worth watching for the beauty the movie holds if nothing else.

Charlotte Whitton, Quote of the day...

"Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily this is not difficult."

RENT

Another day, another musical. Thought this one was only so-so in terms of comparison to the more classical types of Broadway musicals. The music was mostly annoying with the exception of very few songs, and there were a lot of songs. Surprisingly, the movie was composed of almost entirely songs and any chance for dialogue was cut off by even more singing, mostly in the times you'd expect it. A lot of characters, and a touching story about love and life through a handful of characters who remain friends in the end.

Recommended if you like these types of stories that remain serious and in your thoughts and if you're really into a ton of singing. It was a bit much even for me, but maybe maybe people really love it. I recall the musical really taking off after it's creation -- but that may have been more about the issues it addresses such as homosexuality, bisexuality, HIV and AIDS.

The Pink Panther

The best theme song ever, and I remember loving the cartoon, but I think now this movie just didn't make the grade. Was fairly funny at times, but not worth any money at all, only downloading off the network. Was short and to the point, considering the "inspector" was such an idiot, it was almost hard to watch. Note that this movie may be good for children or the like, but I think I'm just too old for this type of crap.

The movie wasn't even worth the time and bother it took to watch, so please don't go out and watch it now. Fairly disappointed given that I remember the pink panther himself (there is only a diamond of the same name in the movie). Bah Humbug.

XMen3: The Last Stand

Last night, so many people from HMC went to watch this movie. I went too. A much better sequel than Mission Impossible. It was very on with the first two x-men movies, although the dialogue was a bit iffy at times. The plot was fairly predictable at times, and the bit afte rthe credits was surprising considering a fourth x-men movie was not expected by me at least.

In case you need a refresher -- the movie was about the superheroes about "the cure," which was supposed to remove the mutations from any given of the mutants. So, it's very far fetched from the truth of reality and life.

It is a movie worth seeing if you are into the action of superheroes. Lots of fighting, loud noises, good bass, and fire. :)

Pictures Finally

PICTURES!

I gave into flickr. Add some too and I can see yours.

Nostalgia

Feeling of the day is definately nostalgia. I just looked up the word and apparently it applies to missing things, people, situations of the past as well as describing homesickness -- all the emotions I feel right now. Looked over pictures last night, and realized this morning I made the stupidist mistake ever. I shouldn't have. I feel almost sick to the bone.

Should have a link full of pictures soon if anyone is interested.

Photos

A picture from the Getty

Yahoo Photos

I've begun to post them up (visit the Yahoo Photos link above), but I don't think I'm really a fan of yahoo photos now. Any ideas? Zoto seems pretty cool. Or I could budge and just use flickr like the rest of america. IDEAS?

Growing pains of a child prodigy

BBC Article Here

It's quite an interesting article, mentioning some of the older known child prodigies, as well as a few of the recent ones -- the young boy swimmer, the younger boy marathon runner, and so forth. It'd be good to know your genes are good, but apparently such transitional phases as they grow older are tough.

Is a child prodigy something to wish for?

If you continue to click on the links on the side of the page of the BBC article, you can see about a four year old girl artist, whose paintings actually look quite interesting and involved. BBC said she just giggled when they wanted to talk to her. I suppose it adds to the mystery of it all.

Gamelan

All the gamelan concerts are now finished, and this Friday was spent doing nothing, working for Blanche, getting study abroad things in, and hanging out in general. Quite fun. Rocio came by, which was ab-fab, and we went to Quiznos for dinner. Watched Anchorman with all the others (8 in total), and most parted after that. The rest of us played way too many card games, until the wee hours (wee to me that is) of the morning. And the music continues to blast from some suite downstairs. Damn them.

Tomorrow should be a blast as well, as long as the weather is nice, and everyone stays in a good mood. Here's to hoping! :)

Monsoon Wedding

Ah. Monsoon Wedding. Tia had recommended this as a movie I might like a long while ago, but since I finally got around to getting my ass to the library, I was able to check it out. We watched it tonight in the suite, and although everyone else may not have liked it, I did. The movie definitely needed the subtitles on, as my hearing and coherency isn't so great, but the movie was light, serious, funny, and deep all at once. It was also very colorful, something that I seem to enjoy in movies. And a happy ending is always a good one, even when you know it's coming.

The movie is about an Indian woman who is coming off an affair with a married man, and who is entering an arranged marriage. There are bunches of storylines, mostly ending with love and happiness, yet some involve deeper issues like the molesting of girls, and the obligations of family. All very interesting and a great movie to watch. A definite recommendation if this sounds at all interesting.

Wet Hot American Summer

This movie is pretty neat considering. A lot of actors who went on to make it big, a lot of comedians in fact. It's charming, funny, and a quick movie to watch, and almost without any deep thought. There's some typical bit about be yourself, but besides that it's a bunch of teenagers in their last day of summer camp and the goal of sex, love, and a talent show. A lot of scenarios that are not-likely, but they all really believe, which makes the movie even more enjoyable. A great laugh, and a recommendation from me.

Brit-Think, Ameri-Think

A book I read to learn about the differences in culture between here and England. Which points out many interesting things about American culture that you know deep down, but really don't ponder. Examples include: use of the word "cute," money as the object for everything, democracy as the way of life, etc. Quite interesting in itself, but I wouldn't really recommend it unless you're interested in the subject, cause it's pretty specific.

MI3 and DaVinci Code

Watching a lot of movies lately, or at least once a week. MI3 was fairly typical, and nothing too unexpected considering action is just action, and I was very very tired when we went, and there was way too much non-action parts that made me sleepy. It's one of those movies you remember liking for that time, but then forgetting all about it. Hence I can't recall any great moments, etc.

DaVinci Code was interesting. If you haven't read the book, feel free to go watch. Otherwise, beware. I found the book super gripping and super detailed, and the book is what upset many people regarding religious aspects and so forth. The movie doesn't go so far in depth with the creepy Opus Dei and some other things, and thus may be dissapointing if the book's details were the best part. I liked the movie nonetheless, perhaps since I couldn't remember the book so good. The creepy Silas was pretty darn scary considering he liked to jump out in the most reasonable times, but it really scared Jinsun for one. :) All in all a good movie, fairly long, and enjoyable. This one I'll remember.

In my spare time for these two weeks...

Just having fun with the time left around Gamelan, or at least trying. Going to the Getty today, which should be fun too. Hurrah for art. I wonder if they'll let me bring a camera in, or if that is a no-no.

Made/Decorated cookies, and here's a picture (cool cookies, eh?). Mine was eaten by me, but the others look good too. :)



Other than that, back to life.

packing

So, while most people begin their research tomorrow (Monday), I've still got a bunch of time. Time is on my side finally. Got accepted to study abroad officially, so next semester I'll be off in London. Meanwhile, I've been packing up the things I can live without over the summer, and it turns out it's quite a lot. And with a bunch of boxes already in storage, it seems my room is still full. I think packing is the worst activity or I'm the worst at it. I remember last year, with staying up way way late because I had put it off, or just packed too slow. And storage was super full by then too. It's all quite interesting. I better keep thinking about packing, even if it doesn't happen, so that I can be prepared for another hour or two of it. Darn. And I won't be home in Chicago until August sometime, and I'm going to miss seeing Andreea till the spring, and a bunch of students here till Senior year. I guess driving Andreea to the airport made me think about all this, when she clearly brought it to my attention. I'm sure I'll be fine, it's like the end, but it'll begin all over again many many times in the future, so I can handle this. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. :)

Fill in the blanks thing.

Just cause I'm semi-bored, and only have one final left... (Thanks to Rocio for the formulation.)

10 years ago I was:
- 10. :( Half my age.
- shy
- quiet
- a semi-loser. I spent recess reading books.
- one of those "goody-two-shoes"

5 years ago I was:
- 15
- Entering high school
- fit, active, and a soccer player
- watching TV after doing my homework super quick
- making new friends

1 year ago I was:
- finishing up freshman year
- super uber liking HMC
- planning fun for the summer
- pissed off about rejection
- happy with good grades. (Damnit).

Yesterday I:
- Studied for history final
- Watched Gilmore Girls with Zane and Tia (on the real TV)
- thought about finals being over...
- Walked down to Pomona to turn in Linguistics
- Bought nothing at Huntley

5 snacks I enjoy:
- chocolate
- chips
- ice cream
- cookies
- pretzels

5 songs I know all the words to:
- A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles
- Wonderwall, Oasis
- Rocket Man, Elton John
- Man of the Hour, Pearl Jam
- The Electric Version, New Pornographers

5 things I would do with 100 million dollars:
- Invest it
- Save it
- Pay off all family debts, and let my dad retire somewhere warm
- Donate it, or do something to make a difference
- Gamble it all :)

5 places I would run away to:
- Chicago
- Home
- The botanical garden in Lincoln Park in Chicago
- The beach/lake
- far far away...

5 things i would never wear:
- Shirts with perverted phrases/pictures
- anything super leather (shoes excepted)
- a shawl
- hats (except baseball caps, or at least try to avoid wearing hats in general)
- way to high boots

5 favorite TV shows:
- Gilmore Girls
- Crossing Jordan
- Wonder Years
- Everwood
- Seinfeld

5 bad habits:
- procrastination
- pointing out things I shouldn't be pointing out
- opening my mouth without thinking
- whining
- sighing

5 biggest joys:
- friends
- family
- reading
- relaxation
- sunshine


5 fictional characters I would date:
- Mr. Darcy
- Lloyd Dobler, see "Say Anything..."
- Jess (from Gilmore Girls)
- James Bond --> exciting!
- The guy in Amelie

The end is near?

Or at least closer. 3 finals left. By 10 PM, I'll only have one left, thank goodness. All my crap is also calling my name to pack it all up. This is going to be one huge hassle.

Why do I love Foxtrot?

Cause it's so ON.

LOGO

When I learned LOGO at some math program once, we found it useful for making tesselations that would go all over the page, and everyone got to make a different design. It was hard, interesting and challenging for us middle school kids. But who would have thought anything about it, including its origins and any real use.

Popagadget(cool site) talks about LOGO and some drawing device

Neato!

A History of Violence

So, I've been watching movies instead of working, so what. This movie was fairly gory, well maybe really gory, but it wasn't violent the whole movie, and the movie itself was an interesting story and touching in the end. Not a feel-good type of movie, but it was really well done and the acting wasn't half bad. Can't say much for the effects, just a bit of guts and blood, but I'd say a great move nonetheless.

Busy-ness

Ah. Having my E80 presentation at 8AM meant that I felt the rest of the day could be wasted on fun. Now I've got to crack down, work hard and study. Damn it. Yesterday was a ton of fun though, and I should have taken more pictures to remember it by. I should just take more pictures in general. Indeed.

School is almost finished, and if I'm crazy, I could be done on Wednesday, or hold off till Friday. Probably Thursday seems the most likely, and it'll be packing time real soon. Apparently I have too much stuff and too little storage space. So a nightmare is about to begin.

Good luck to everyone else. :)

Reformatting

Reformatting means I get to start iTunes all over again. And I began with those without albums, meaning I just hit all the Bob Dylan. Why do we grow up to be more and more like our parents? Is it inculcated onto us by our parents, or do you think it's written into the genetic code to make us end up liking the things they like, only after throwing fits as children, etc. Oooh. It would have been great to live in the 60s and see Woodstock live, and be there and experience life. Ah.

Back to Bob Dylan and his thoughtful words, and high on drugs voice. Go listen to something like "everybody musy get stoned" for a quick intro.

Any thoughts?

The end is near...

So, after realizing that I needed to pick courses for the upcoming semester for HMC, and then for study abroad, I got caught up in so many decisions. Do I care about a meal plan? What is my take on religion/religious services and the family I'm to stay with for a few days? My hobbies, my interests, my preferences... golly!

As far as classes go... Abroad or here, I'm not quite sure. And I'm getting very excited about the whole thing - new people, new places, new things to see and do. I also Link-plussed a bunch of books on England, travel guides, books about culture, and once classes finally finish I'll have time to actually read. The summer should be fun no matter how it all works out.

I've got a big-deal E80 presentation left, a community service project, paperwork (of course), a lesson plan to make and think about, and finals galore! It's all coming together and it makes me full of glee. Gleeful? hm. Maybe not. Oooh, I've babbled too much now. Turns out that babbling is something done by children that is naturally instinctive except for linguistically deprived children (whose cases are quite sad).

There are important things to do as well, so I best be off and at least pretend work. :)

Flowers and a Word

The things that can make or break a day include:

Flowers, and aren't they pretty and uplifting...


and then one word from some asshole, and the day is done.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Brussels protest over MP3 murder

It's really great when people can come together for a reason. A good reason like this poor boy's death. No one does this in America, or if they do, I never hear about it. We have marches against political activity, be it war or people, but never something so far from home yet close to home at the same time. All of it makes me feel gloomy.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Brussels protest over MP3 murder

Summer

The summer is approaching, making me wish more and more that I was already done with the work for this semester. Too bad I'm busy procrastinating. My plans for summer are hopefully to be worked out in the coming week, all in all considering it's almost already here in 3 weeks. WOW. I can't believe the semester is over already.

I suppose I ought to go back to working considering the weekend is almost over too. Darn on that part.

Ten Commandments of the Female Nerd@Everything2.com

Ten Commandments of the Female Nerd@Everything2.com: "Thou shall be user friendly.
Thou shall love thineself, for thou art a rare and noble breed, and worth it.
Thou shalt never use thine sex or thine superpowers for ill.
Thou shalt not start drama, for it is the bane of all nerd-dom.
Thou shall know thine shit, and not rely on thine sex appeal to keep thyself in good standing with the non-mammaried nerds.
Thou shall have good fashion sense, if it pleaseth thee, and if not, thou shalt not care, regardless of social convention.
Thou shalt not mother thine colleagues, for they are well able to care for themselves.
Thou shalt not take shit.
Thou shalt not care if a man giveth thee shit, and if a woman giveth thee shit, thou shalt not take it personally, for they know not what they do.
Thou shall be generally awesome, and all shall love ye (and despair)."

Interesting...

Harvey Mudd College - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

After a big todo about MIT stealing the Caltech Cannon, read this.... "There is a long-standing rivalry between Harvey Mudd and the nearby Caltech; except this rivalry is basically unacknowledged by Caltech." This is funny. Why? Becuase HMC thinks that Caltech and itself are rivals. People are thinking of some kind of revenge.

Harvey Mudd College - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Is it irony, lying, or something else?

The people I hate are those who say they'll never do something, and then do it. Its one thing to dance around a topic in not deciding about it, to be wishy-washy, etc., but it is even another to go against everything you once stood for or against. What makes people change their minds so much? Is it the changing of the tides, aging, and realization that one wants their own life to change? Now - I do think hate is a strong word, so maybe I did lie in the beginning – and speaking of a lie…

Are these people just lying to themselves, lying to others on purpose, or just because they aren't sure and would rather say something than nothing? Is the goal in life to appease others or to suit oneself?

Or are people just hypocrites? It’s really hard to tell, and I hate to judge, but it just happens. Hypocrites are those that go around doing this sort of thing… or do they just do these things and seem like hypocrites to avoid something or another at that given time.

Perhaps I’m just a hypocrite myself, and too mean and pessimistic to realize otherwise.

Flock

Heard of flock? It's pretty neat. I downloaded the between alpha and beta version, and was pretty impressed. I suppose it's even more useful for those who are addicted to del.icio or flickr, etc., and less so for me. It's very pretty, much like firefox overall, and is a wonderful idea. And then I uninstalled it. It's nice to see, and then wait for the final version... These things always dissapoint me, but I really don't need the hassle of even another browser.

...

In case you're lacking human contact, but still have man's best friend..

pet plus dog leash

This is really semi-creepy. The leash has a hand hold, as a substitute gf/bf, as if you missed the contact. It's all done as a part of a project to get animals closer in social interaction to the owners.

I think this hand/leash thing just scary. If you need this kind of contact so badly... please don't do this.

Good music makes the world go round...

Or makes happiness spread just the little-ist bit. The Rolling Stones 500 Top Songs that I found on the network is just perfect. If someone really compiled the list, they are way on!

Life is tough, friend comes to visit, CSP weekend and ASP creeping up as well as more work on the horizon. And there's always room draw to cheer everyone up.

:)

Time

"People find life entirely too time-consuming."
- Stanislaw J. Lec

Pictures

So, I too went through the ones I had, so so many, and chose a few to share through Yahoo. And thanks to my camera, the pictures are huge and it took forever. Well, not exactly forever, but you get the jist. See for yourself.

Yahoo! Photos - San Francisco Slideshow

Happy Endings

An interesting movie about a whole lot of characters. Yes, the plot is reminiscent of soap operas (which I watch only when they are disguised otherwise), but all in all it was fairly fascinating and semi-realistic about life interactions. I can't imagine the bravery and openness some feel, but it also brings to mind the terrible things done to people in humanity.

Watch this movie only if you feel like a complicated movie with tons of story lines, that ends happy, yet only happy in a strange sense, and not in the "happy ending" kind of way if you get what I mean.

San Francisco Blast

So, spring break is still continuing, except now the real work begins, meaning the homework pile I left to finish during break. San Francisco was really fun, we did all the tourist things, saw most everything, and had gales of laughter. The drive up was a pain, and the drive back was easy. It's really nice to spend a few days with no stress, and just enjoy fun and life.

Pictures to come soon. Maybe.

24

A good ending to the first season. It's all my fault I got super addicted and had to watch the whole season, and I'm up to debating whether to continue with more. Unless I watch the whole season (24 40 minute episodes) I don't think it's possible, and that's a hell of a long time to waste.

Looking forward to the upcoming week with Spring Break, the rest should be nice.

Quote of the day

So I steal these from my google homepage. So what...

"The world only goes round by misunderstanding."
- Charles Baudelaire

Wowser

I really had stop re-reporting the news. Maybe I should just let the journalists do their job. Today was the WEST conference here at school run by another and yours truly. Went off almost without a hitch, enjoyable and all that jazz, only to result in very tired helpers. So tired...

A day of no work, means there's much more for tomorrow. I really had better crack-down and realize that work is important. There's so many other things to get done too.

And spring break is soon, so that's good too. :)

Feeling Hungry...Cannibal film banned in Germany

No one believes me about this story, but I remember when it was on the news a few years ago. Apparently the other man (who got eaten) shared some of his body with Meiwes before offering himself up for the kill. There was some video that was airing on the internet about it, but I thought it better not to watch. So now the movie's coming out, or perhaps not.

The world is a strange and interesting place. What makes cannibalism so interesting? Is it that it's not often done, and spurs our curiosity...?

BBC NEWS | Europe | Cannibal film banned in Germany

When we run out of real news....Bush 'waving when fell off bike'

So, what happens when we run out of real news: we talk about old news, when our honored president falls off his bike and hits an officer. LaTiDa. More articles on the side about Bush's bruises and choking scare as well as when he fell off the Segway. Terrible now.

Shouldn't they be discussing something important?

BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush 'waving when fell off bike'

Jack and Diane

Some songs you just love, love to appreciate, really enjoy.

"Oh yeah life goes on
Long after the thrill of livin is gone
Oh yeah say life goes on
Long after the thrill of livin is gone, they walk on"

It just is interesting the way music influences life. Some people don't listen, some people don't hear, and others just don't care, but I'm not one of those. Maybe I stand out in my own group, referencing life to music and music to life. Maybe it's outside the realm of normality, or maybe it's a personality trait. I'm not a music expert, but I appreciate what I can.

So it's true, what the music says -- in this case where life does go on.

It feels like a lifetime

Do you ever stop to think about how time quickly passes. Considering people live to 80 (which is a very low estimate considering I just read an article about how life expectancy is increasing and people will have to retire at 85 and not 65), my life is almost a quarter complete. Not only has it seemed so quick, but it also seems unaccomplished. I'm not talking about the Jane Austen kind of accomplished, because I let that idea go a long time ago, but I mean the accomplished that makes one feel good about themselves. That I've done well in life and am overall happy.

I get myself into a variety of messes all of my own accord, and this just makes it all the worse. I never imagined life unfolding in this very way. I think I've now just come to the conclusion of settlement, that it'll all be all right in the end, that it really doesn't matter and essentially I've turned myself off from feeling. At least for the most part.

So does this mean life is long or life is short?

All this makes me think of those that die young. How does the song go again? Only the good die young? Hm. Why? Why should their lives be so short, and the idea itself just makes me sad. All those people dying of hunger, from nature, from accidents, etc, and they can't go on with life.

sleepy vs. sleep

Ah. Tiredness, a personal friend of mine. And how that I've finally got my rest, what's there to do? Still fall asleep all the time? It really is just strange. Spending lunchtime doing the homework I had forgotten/not remembered becuase I missed that part of class wasn't the best thing either. If only.

If only I could be awake - really awake and observe without the tiredness.

So goodbye old friend, and I do hope to never see you again.

Back at HMC: Watched enough, now back to work!

Well, school and classes are well underway. Due to the lack of lab this week (I think), it's turning out quite nicely in fact. The classes I'm taking seem interesting, and at least are holding my interest for now, which is sufficient enough. Tia and I spent the days before class started watching movies: Rumor has it, and Closer. Closer was the more serious of the bunch, about relationships, or so Margie said, but I think it just a bit strange. People can really be so confusing and fickle (even to themselves) which the movie displays very well. It's tastefully done which always adds to the movie itself, and overall the movie was: good.

Life gets busy quick, and these businesses change my focus quick.

A Million Little Pieces, the book I'm now skipping...

So, I saw this book once in the bookstore, well once or maybe a few more than one times. I also read reviews online thinking that in due time, as in eventually, I'd like to read it. Now, I know books about drugs and their results are typically depressing overall, but the reviews looked good.

Now I'm wholly dissapointed. Sales went way up after an Oprah recommendation. An Oprah recommendation means absolutely zero to me, but not to the rest of our intelligent America. And now the book is highly disputed as pure fiction sold as fact. Oh well. I don't like hubbub about my books anyway. Oprah has ruined my favorite book of all time, making it into an American fueled classic rather than the true classic it once was. Poor poor East of Eden.

Anyway, back to life, and soon back to Harvey Mudd and classes that have become closed. Damn them all!

In two wonderful days: Three Movies

Two days with enough movies to keep me happy. The days were fun and enjoyable and to those-- thanks!

Casanova: Semi-good, whatever that means. A bit cheesy, although good entertainment nonetheless, and I am always a sucker.

Pride and Prejudice: A tried and true classic. Wonderful as always albeit a bit longer than I remember (5 hours for those who haven't been as lucky). And I never did before notice a few things in the movie including a drunken husband who is always passed out in quite a few scenes. :)

Constant Gardner: The saddest of the bunch. A fabulous movie, that everyone should see. Highest Recommendations! It's about a man who tracks down until he finds the story behind the death of his wife. And what did it? Drug testing on humans in Kenya. Sad and touching and just a wonderful film.

Empire Falls (the novel)

A truly wonderful book that took me quite a while to read. Still debating whether I should watch the miniseries they made for HBO based on the book, or if I should skip it entirely. It's about a town "Empire Falls" that really went down the drain and the people who stayed when they should have left, only to remain under the old Mrs. Whiting's thumb. It really is sad, touching, and well written, and brings up all the right emotions in the right places. And then end is pretty much bittersweet, but it's really a fabulous book.

To Recommend: YES

Violent games 'affect behaviour', now proven?

BBC NEWS | Health | Violent games 'affect behaviour'

It's an interesting article. People always assumed this was true, but now they've got some brain activity. Seems this could effect more things that thought before. Judges who played video games might be those harsher on punishments for the "evil guys," although it might turn out that they are less harsh for things like murder. I suppose only time will tell.

Celebrities boo.

Something that amazes me is people's obsession with celebrities. Our news is full of them, and the People magazine on the airplane was really boring. I mean how many colorful pages are really interesting without any words. The few words there were about boring things to boot - the Lacy Peterson case (old and tired I'll say), some girl who fundraises to give "prehugged" stuffed animals, and articles about new babies, weddings, etc. between the stars. Bah Humbug I'll say. I do like watching these people in movies and shows and so forth, but I really good give a rat's ass about them in real life. They are just people after all, and though we report them doing drugs and getting in trouble, shouldn't we be concerned with the average Joe?

frozen

Well, back in Chicago, and I hate to say it's cold again. Florida was warm and sunny as usual, and it makes me miss California. And now there's only a few days left until I get back, and everyone gets back in fact, and I don't know if I'm really ready. Aw.

Other than that, ready to see more movies and study more french before school begins. And hopefully read all the books I've checked out from the library. Or not. Haha. Whoo.

WIFI Rabbit

This is crazy...

http://www.nabaztag.com/vl/FR/nabaztag_whois.jsp

picture

Kristen and Elaine having fun (?, haha)

home for now

Still here in Chicago. Been hanging around the house mainly, and becoming fairly bored as is regularly obvious.

The Island: An interesting idea (the cloning), but the movie itself was just so-so. Watched the first quarter with two of them running, thinking there was something really wrong with the movie, but it really was just stupidity on my part.

Brothers Grimm: Not at all what I expected, but good. I liked it a lot, and although the bugs always freak me out, it was semi-interesting. Not really satisfying in the end, but that's allright. None of the movies I've been watching have really been fabulous.

Haha. Will post pictures soon. Whoopdeedo.

driven up the wall.

The Company: I don't know what I expected, but a true dissapointment unless you want to watch them dance around for most of the movie. Thought there'd be more revealing stuff about the dance company, but no. Pretty colorful though.

Serenity: OK. Better after the show for the movie itself was lacking. Good to end the show though, considering it didn't end with anything really. And satisfying for the cult I suppose.

The party season is almost over thank goodness, and I'm seemingly ready to go. And I've bought more books, always a highlight. Still still to bored to read them. And my huge magazine stack is almost finished, so I'll be off and reading them soon enough.

More movies...

Mad Hot Ballroom: very cute, very happy for the kids who were taught dance in grade 5. Makes me kind of sad that I dislike the dance teacher at Claremont so.

King Kong: Big and loud and long. And great. It really is such a touching story, although everyone knows what's to happen to our friend the gorilla in the end. Beautiful nonetheless.

Spirit in the Sky!

Twas the night before Christmas... and oh man, I don't do that.

Instead went to see King Kong. A terrific movie, a bit ashamed to go with my brother, but this is life.

In the words of Norman Greenbaum

Going up to the spirit in the sky;
That's where I'm gonna go when I die.
When I die and they lay me to rest,
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best.

(without the jesus bit, because I'm not one of those Jews for Jesus.)

dodo what?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4556928.stm

The dodo was found, or at least its bones were. I remember this bird being discovered in the dictionary perhaps and was the creativity for a game invented a long time ago. It was also the butt of our jokes. Poor bird becoming extinct and all.

Christmas, ah.

Saw this link:

(if you like audio books, and are dutifully celebrating the upcoming holiday)
http://thepenguinpodcast.blogs.com/podcast/



Reminiscent of the story of Jesus' birth we heard on NPR. ON NPR. How's that for non-religious america.

the sun.

So. The power extends beyond friends. To mother nature! And the sun. It melted a good bit of the ice, so now it's just dirty dirty Chicago as usual. And with the sun comes happiness? We hope so.

Saw Memoirs of a Geisha. I thought it excellent. Anna thought it colorful and pretty looking. She thought it was good too, but it really was just too wonderful for words. And since we didn't know what was coming, it really makes the movie better. Happy too, making it fabulous!

the power.

Turns out friendship is a mighty fine thing. And it's power is fabulous. Thanks to all of you who really care.

Watched Sense and Sensibility, which is a good movie I suppose given that I think I've seen it before, and never took the time to finish the book. But at least I tried to read the book, and that's a good thing of course.

If only I wasn't feeling so lazy, then I could start the stack of books I've got piled all up pretty like...

Symmetry in a mate?

A BBC news article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4550000.stm

They said it was not clear whether it was the degree of symmetry itself, or an associated characteristic such as co-ordination, or the abilities needed to perform a complicated dance move - or better rhythm, was the key.

They add: "Does dance ability correlate with reproductive success? We plan to address this question with long-term data from the same study population."

Dr George Fieldman, a psychologist at Buckingham Chilterns University College who specialises in research into sexual attraction, said: "It's certainly true that people look for symmetry in a mate.

song

You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Lennon/McCartney

Here I stand head in hand
Turn my face to the wall
If she's gone I can't go on
Feeling two foot small
Everywhere people stare
each and every day
I can see them laugh at me
And I hear them say

Hey you've got to hide your love away
Hey you've got to hide your love away

How can I even try?
I can never win
Hearing them, seeing them
In the state I'm in
How could she say to me
"Love will find a way?"
Gather round all you clowns
Let me hear you say

Hey you've got to hide your love away
Hey you've got to hide your love away

Sad

No - this isn't seasonal affective disorder. Just the regular kind. Plain ole sad, perhaps with a bit of torn up as well.

Given up?

Ah. Not so far as to say yes, however I seemed to have wholly slacked off all semester. Consider me not done, but perhaps done with the book blog. I'll just put them here to save myself the trouble :).

Semster was good, finished thank goodness, and that's perhaps the best part of all. Now home in Chicago once more with almost nothing to do.

Watched Great Expectations (BBC series) which was very interesting, and especially considering I hadn't read the book (shame on me? But Dickens is sometimes so dull.) the ending was fascinating. And good thing for the old man BBC commentator letting me know what was going on!

Read The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera while traveling home. Recommended by Kenji, but the book was most strange. And after talking to the people sitting next to me on the plane (two girls who had studied abroad in a theology school in jamaica), I almost felt bad. Such a interesting book comparing love and the love of love and so on. Maybe I did miss the point, I'll have to ask someone who's read it, unless someone wants to tell me. Oi.

And it's freezing.

Good Quote of the Day

Punctuality is the virtue of the bored.
     -Evelyn Waugh

Daily Activities and It Runs in the Family

I’ve spent the past few days sitting around the house mostly, with the exception of yesterday, and a few odd events along the way.  Yesterday Kristina came and we went to Penny’s Noodles to be met by Aya and her mother, and we all had lunch together.  Then Kristina and I came back to the house and watched TV and read the newspaper and hung out basically.  I went to the library a few days ago also, checked out some crocheting books, which I copied patterns out of, and a fiction novel which I finished off in 2 hours or so, but isn’t really worth mentioning.  

Rented It Runs in the Family yesterday and watched it during dinner with my brother.  It was a really interesting movie about a jewish family that was highly dysfunctional and had a whole lot of things going on at once.  I also liked the ending which was pretty much open, which sometimes I don’t appreciate, however it worked well I thought.  It wasn’t all that crappy, and although in the “comedy” section – wasn’t all that funny either.  But a good movie I’ll say.

I’m pretty much packed, up to 44 pounds for my suitcase, cutting it a bit close… and leaving tonight for California.  I’ve packed my bags, and I’m ready to go… [isn’t that some song??].  

Elementary School friends, then the Air and Water Show

Elementary school friends are definitely of a different caliber, or lie on a different place on the friend/relationship scale.  I spent the whole day [Saturday] with 3 others, and some of the day with one other who had to leave early, but we spent it in the usual fashion – meeting for lunch, seeing a movie, schmoozing outside for quite some time, relaxing back in someone’s house, eating more, talking more.. until we have to go.  It’s an interesting thing to feel so comfortable, but it makes sense considering I’ve known them since 1st grade, or in Elaine’s case – since 7th.  

We saw Must Love Dogs, a super cute romantic comedy movie that was touching and adorable and all things otherwise that’d come to your mind.  There were some really funny parts, made us debate internet dating as a valid form to find someone to spend one’s life with, and made us all warm and fuzzy inside.  Movies like this, although they may remain in some peoples “closets”  (aka – they have a secret love for the movie), are made to be enjoyed the way they are.  Not educational or really meaningful, but nice and sweet.  

It really was a fun day.  

Sunday I spent most of lounging around, but then we went to the air and water show on the roof of some building nearby the beach.  It really was a great view, and I have lots of photos of the landscape around, and only a few of the parachute jumpers.  OK, the planes are really tiny and just big in their loudness and I knew the pictures would be useless anyway.  

Photos will be put up here.  See for yourself.