Doing my part

shamelessly stolen from Karen's blog:
--

karaoke party, round 1. fight!

Wanna see last night's 5-hour karaoke binge?

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/horcubee/sets/72057594118626271/

Video clip mania:

Round 2 will be next Thursday at our place [note: this is Karen's place, not mine]. Karaoke mike-o-matic. 2000 songs. 30-person cinema. Projection screen and surround sound.

How can you miss this?

I'm getting restless...

... this can lead to no good.

Reliability and Good Standing

Like a house of cards that takes care and time to build up, one slip up can ruin it all.

Crud, I didn't even start on the second story of my house...

Have to make sure my next effort is positioned on firmer ground.

Apparent contradictions

Yes, I said I didn't like Napolean Dynamite that much because I didn't appreciate the fact that "a lot of the humour seemed forced and as like it's making fun of the pathetic and socially inept," which apparently contradicts my prior actions.

First off, where do you get off comparing the hard of hearing to the pathetic and socially inept? (Hooray for changes of subject and boomerang attacks!)

Secondly, note the use of "forced" in my wording. Napolean Dynamite seemed to go out of its way to say, "hey, look how funny I am" whereas the sign language interpreter was hilariously funny unintentionally.

This might lead one to say that I have a sadistic streak that enjoys laughing at the misfortunes of real people.

I say it's just that I have a knack of finding the humour in real life situations.

I'm special like that.

(Yes, now I'm going out of my way... but let's not turn this post into an analysis of self-deprecation)

Movie Reviews (Not from a plane!)

I actually don't go too far off-topic this time around.

Two sentence and partial phrase review of About a Boy and Crash:

Part-way through one made me disappointed in myself.
Part-way through one made me disappointed in others.
Fuck nuts.

About a Boy (thumbs up)
Yes, I can see the parallels. It's scary. But it's not always that way. I don't have the English accent or the barrels full of money to fall back on.

I think Rachel Weisz played her part well. It was just a bit part, but very complementary to the plot, characterization, and film overall. Although I think it would have been better had she been left out of the resolution. But I guess they wanted to end on a happy-fun-joy-joy note.

I dunno though... the kid seemed like a total dweeb to me. Sweet kid. But a total dweeb.

Crash (thumbs up)
Racism is a central theme, but the message seems to be condemn the act, not the people.

The main characters are complex: the ones introduced with racial beliefs and acts end up showing redeeming qualities or moments, and even the ones who appear to have the strongest moral compasses will end up make compromises or poor judgement calls.

It's one of those movies that tries to make you think, but doesn't go to lengths to cram its own moral lesson down your throat.

The dialog was well written as well, I thought.

Brokeback Mountain (meh)
Pacing I thought could have used some help. Run time is 2h 14m. Most every scene could have been shortened by 2 to 4 seconds... the movie seemed to drag on.

Also, I really didn't like Jack. I could appreciate the character, just didn't like him. (Yes, I can see the parallels there as well. Shut up.)

I liked the movie a lot more after they left Brokeback mountain the first time. Up to that point it was a nice-ish

The love story itself I don't think was that well developed. Hard to understand how such deep emotional attachments could survived after 4 years of separation and no contact whatsoever.

Or wait... maybe I can. No... no... I really can't. It's the continual contact that makes it hard. If I could just go cold turkey for 4 years...

Napoleon Dynamite (meh)
I was told by multiple people that this would be a movie I would love. That this just screamed "Bruce's sense of humour".

I don't really like this movie.

It's not that I dislike it, I just don't think it's that good. A lot of the humour seemed forced and as like it's making fun of the pathetic and socially inept. I can see why people would think I would love this movie.

Napoleon's dance scene, however, was 4 different kinds of awesome!

--

Darn it, I need to watch a testosterone filled flick (no, I don't mean Brokeback Mountain again).

(C) Marvin Gaye has the answers to all your problems

"Hey dude, been hearing some rumblings. When you gonna pop the question?"

"I dunno..."

"But you ARE going to, eventually, aren't you?"

"Do you think it's right to promise to spend the rest of your life together with someone not because they're 'the one' but because they're 'the only'?"

"Bullshit. Unless you're the last two people alive, she's not 'the only'."

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't actually. Do you mean she's the only one who laughs at your horrible jokes? The only one who knows you intimately and appreciates you? The only one you're comfortable with sharing thoughts, feelings, and passions with?"

"No, I mean the only one who will do the McNasty with me."

"Oh... this conversation just took a turn for the worse didn't it?"

"The worst part is that it's more like pity lovin' rather than that Marvin Gaye sexual healing lovin'."

"Oh that's a wicked cool song."

"Well, more self-pity. It's like mutual masterbation... not pitying the other person, but trying to feel better about ourselves."

"Baaaby, I can't hold it much longer // It's getting stronger and stronger // And when I get that feeling // I want, sexual healing..."

"I don't think it's very healthy, but... maybe part of me doesn't want to end it."

"Makes me feel so fine // Helps to relieve my mind..."

"It's like I'm caught up in this loop I can't get out of."

"Get up, get up, get up, get up // Let's make love tonight..."

I should end it... I know I should."

"Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up // 'Cause you do it right..."

"Thanks for the talk, man"

"Sexual Healing is something that's good for me // And it's good for me and it's good to me // My baby ohhh // Come take control, just grab a hold..."

More about me

Spent hours fiddling around with the design and layout of this blog... then lost it all.

Screw it.

I'm just going to add a couple items to the "Links" list in the sidebar and call it a day.
(Hooray motivated underachievement! Wait... what's the name of this blog nowadays?)

For the RSS inclined who can't be bothered to actually visit this blog, here are the links I added:

• My Froogle Wishlist
• My Life's To Do List

(Yes, I really do plan on wrestling an alligator one of these days)

Update

What's the count at now?

Eight?

I've lost track.

My Personal DNA Report

I usually don't do these... but it's 4 in the morning, I'm bored and jetlagged.

Oh and that low relative "confidence" score below? You fuckers are all liers :P

Linky: My Personal Dna Report

you are a cautious artist.


ABOUT YOU
--
you are an artist

Your appreciation of beauty, ability to think abstractly, and innovativeness make you an ARTIST.

Never one to be tied to a particular way of doing things, you let your imagination guide you in discovering different possibilities.

You would rather seek out new experiences than stick to your everyday habits, taking in as much of the world as possible.

Your eye for beauty and your willingness to consider different perspectives make your creative efforts interesting—even though you may not realize this yourself.

You prefer to think about things before voicing your opinion, considering a wide, diverse range of options.

While there are forms and styles that you prefer, you tend to keep an open mind when it comes to your artistic preferences.

You are curious about things, interested in the "why" more than the “how.”

You have an active imagination that leads you express yourself in a distinct way.

You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.

You tend to do things on the spur of the moment, not sticking to a set schedule.

You do your own thing when it comes to clothing, guided more by practical concerns than by other people's notions of style.

If you want to be different:

Be more open to risks in your creative efforts, and don't be quick to dismiss the praise of others.

Think about how attention to detail may help you be more sure of yourself.

HOW YOU RELATE TO OTHERS
--
You are Cautious

Being independent, practical, and somewhat guarded with others makes you CAUTIOUS.

You tend to keep to yourself, wary of trusting others with personal information.

The values that you hold are central to your identity—you are a very principled person.

You have respect for the natural order of things, and a good sense of right and wrong.

Investigating the world through observation, as opposed to interaction, is preferable to you.

You have an appreciation for those who have attained a certain level of accomplishment, particularly the rare few who have succeeded honestly.

You are efficient—when you work with others, you get down to business, and fulfill your obligations.

You sometimes wish that others would be more like you—less hindered by their emotions, more respectful, and more private.

If you want to be different:

Finding a few close others whom you can trust will allow you to express yourself more openly, and possibly to learn more about yourself.


YOUR PERSONALITY CHART

This chart shows thirteen personality traits. Each bar indicates the percentage of test takers who entered a lower value for that trait than you did. For example, if Confidence is at 80, that means that 80% of people entered lower values for confidence questions than you did. Based on a sample of 30,000 users.

Confidence	LowHigh	16
Openness	LowHigh	90
Extroversion	LowHigh	22
Empathy	LowHigh	34
Trust in others	LowHigh	34
Agency	LowHigh	46
Masculinity	LowHigh	76
Femininity	LowHigh	50
Spontaneity	LowHigh	94
Attention to style	LowHigh	30
Authoritarianism	LowHigh	68
Earthy/Imaginative	ImaginativeEarthy	28
Aesthetic/Functional	FunctionalAesthetic	72

PERSONAL DNA MAP

Below are several personalDNA maps that uniquely represent your personality. Mouse over any part of the box or strip to learn more about the traits that the colors represent.

Cautious Artist

Resolving unresolveds

I'm back in Vancouver. (The answer's still "No")
Forced myself to stay awake until 11pm (7am GMT) (I'm not going to start this with you again)
Then I slept for 8 hours and woke up feeling refreshed. (You're cut off. For reals this time.)
(whenever I type "woke" i end up typing "work"... i suppose the two have been ingrained irrevocably together in my mind...)
But I still don't want to write anything... so here's a blog entry that I wrote 2 weeks ago but clicked the wrong button so it was never posted:

Location: Belfast, Ireland
Date: Saturday March 10
Local Time: 1:08am

I forget what week number this is. Instead of figuring it out, let's just call it Week Guinness!

Note the first:
Yes, I do have news. No, I'm still not sharing (on this blog).

Note the second:
Yes, my goatee is real.

Note the third:
Even halfway around the world I can't get away from your shit. I've moved on, get over it.

Lesson the first:
Don't trust your eyes. It may look sunny outside your hotel room, but by the time you leave, it'll be pouring rain. (Darned crazy weather patterns... experience all four seasons in a day!)

Lesson the second:
Do laundry frequently. You go through alot more clothes when people are allowed to smoke in public places such as clubs, bars, and restaurants. (Forgot how much that sweet, sweet, delicious smell penetrates your clothing and hair)

Lesson the third:
Remember to tell everybody you bring to your room about the automatic mini bar. Move anything off the sensors and you're automatically billed. (Called reception and got it reversed, but it's still just a hassle to do that)

Story the first:
Sat in a bar drinking a harp. Girl walks up, sits on my knee and starts grinding.

Story the second:
Danced in a bar, I make eye contact, she gives me a look, whispers in her friend's ear, points, and giggles.

It's not an "ooh, exotic asian guy" moment. It's a "wtf is an asian guy doing here" moment.

I sometimes forget that I'm not White.

Story the third:
Friday the 10th... best work day yet. Productive and felt important and useful for the first time since I've joined IBM.

Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice To All Creation

It's 1:04am Saturday morning. I have news. Instead of sharing said news, I'll talk of a TV show I caught late one night here in Belfast:

Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice To All Creation.

• There is song and dance,
• There are crazy costumes,
• There is lots of wild sex.

Wild as in wild animal sex. Doggy style is apparently not exclusive to the canine breed. Actually, it appears to be the dominant style in the animal kingdom. (And actually, humans dressed up in animal costumes get it on as well.)

Interesting facts on iguanas:

• Male iguanas have two penises (penii?).
• They also regularly masterbate as to be able to ejaculate quickly when the time comes.
• This is needed because during the act, other male iguanas will come by and shove them off of the female.

More interesting facts on sparrows:

• Male sparrows regularly perform oral sex on their female counterparts.
• This is not foreplay.
• This is to peck out the sperm of the females previous mate.

On dolphins:

• Dolphins are horny, adventerous buggers.
• The bottlenose dolphin is known to do the wild thing with turtles.
• That's right, turtles.
  

On button beetles:

• Button beetle females breed with their sons, who are genetic clones of them.
• Being genetic clones, the offspring do not suffer from the pitfalls of incest because the same sets of genes are passed from both parents.
• This means there is no increased chance of passing on a defective gene as seen in incestuous relationships of other species.
  

On humans:

• Humans are attracted to the scent of people who are genetically different from them.
• This can explain why your brother's fart seems to stink so much more than other people's farts.
• This theory was tested by having men and women wear the same shirt for a few days while excercising vigurously. Then there was a blind smell test.
  

Do the Mario!

Were you hooked on da brothers?
Did you get down and Do the Mario?

Yes on both accounts for me.

If not, then "Well excuse me, princess!"
(Oh shit, oh shit, this is freaking awesome!)

Pretty pretty pictures

Location - Belfast, Northern Ireland
Local Time - 4:05pm

Some people wanted pictures. While I haven't been in a picture taking mood, here's a few. Pictures follow the captions.

Next time somebody tells you that you don't know how to park, tell them you learned to park in Ireland. (Seems like you can park in any direction you like, and ON the sidewalk is better than OFF the sidewalk as the streets are so narrow)


Outside of the empire club. Tuesday night comedy nights draws a huge crowd from the local university. Went there with co-workers Bob and Sahill. It was snowing like crazy. Sandra, Carol, and 3 rounds of Guinness kept us warm through the night... until the ladies ditched us to meet up with some of their guy friends.

Oh well, we still had another round of Guiness coming to drown our sorrows in.


I like the crayon-like snail crossing. Looked like it was part of Queens University of Belfast... the child-care centre maybe? Didn't look too closely.


City hall. A block away from my hotel (Holiday Inn) and right dab smack in the shopping district.



Story time #1:

In efforts to kill some time before dinner, a co-worker and me hit the mall.

As I walk inside, this red-headed lady tells me that right now, everything in the store is 20% until 9pm. I thank her for this information. She then asks if I'd like a free drink? I say that would be great. She then asks,

Would you like some orange juice or a beer?

So there I was, drinking a free beer inside the mall. I made it a tourist moment and had the red-head take our picture. Maybe I should have taken a picture with the red-headed lady that actually gave me a beer... but despite being red-headed, she wasn't that hot.



Story time #2
I have nothing against sign language or the deaf. However, I can't help but laugh when I watch sign-language-closed-captioning that is offered for certain programs on television here in Ireland.

I'm not laughing at the hard of hearing. I'm laughing with them! Check out the video below.



It's as if the dude translating into sign language is some hilarious jerk-off who is making fun of the speakers. It's awesome for all the wrong reasons.

For Your Eyes Only

Location - Belfast, Northern Ireland
Local Time - 3:02pm

I've been told that commenting on my blog isn't working... I tried it out and it appears to be fine. Najin, darling, honeybuns, sausage pie... it's just you. I think you need your pink hippie glasses back, your new ones don't seem to be doing the job.

In retrospect I suppose I had a predisposition to disliking Elizabethtown... Orlando Bloom + Kirsten Dunst + Grumpiness of a 10hour flight in economy-class (should have flown business class). I might give it a 2nd chance later on, but until then my "awful" verdict stands.

And yes I could have emailed this to you instead of posting it to my blog, but... like... same with you... so... nya nya nya.

Book Review: When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese woman's journey from war to peace.
Author: Le Ly Hayslip

Warning: I tend to drift off topic... as usual.

While the writing style left me wanting - especially after Wayson Choi’s endearingly crafted All That Matters and the entertaining perspective of Style’s The Game - the subject matter and content of Le Ly Hayslip’s Heaven and Earth was quite provocative.

The story recounts Hayslip’s life from peasant village girl to street-wise (or at least, less naïve) urbanite. From loyal Viet Cong beliefs to gradual appreciation for American GI’s, especially compared to the corrupt and amoral Vietnamese bureaucracy.

I had a discussion once with my parents about their distrust of basically everybody, even other Vietnamese people. Actually, ‘especially other Vietnamese people’ and especially when doing business. My father said the Communist government and societal structures not only encourage, but require illicit behaviour if you wish to live well. Really, I just think he thinks every world a person speaks is a lie unless it corresponds to his own thoughts.

Back to the book (kind of), apparently there is a movie rendition of Heaven and Earth directed by Oliver Stone. I watched it back in 1993 when it was released in theatres. I didn’t recall this until after I had finished reading it. Apparently the movie spans both of Hayslip’s autobiographical books (the second being “Child of War, Woman of Peace”) and takes many liberties trying to condense 2 books into 2 hours of film. That probably explains why certain parts seemed eerily familiar as I read through it. At the time, I just thought it was some half-remembered story of my parents that was tickling the back of my mind. The only thing I really remember was a bit part that Tai Thai had in the movie as Jimmy. Apparently it was a big thing that this Vietnamese music star had a 2 second scene in a Hollywood movie. Groan.

So to sum things up? Although I didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I might (due to a certain somebody's personal recommendation) it's a good read full with insights. Warning: certain parts can get pretty brutal; however, it is never gratuitous.

Week 7 & 8, 2006

Current Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Local Time: 10:50am

Items of note:

• London, Ontario:
  
  • Oh Black people. Hahaha.
    
    
  • I disgust myself sometimes. If you only knew.
    
    
  • Food, food, food, food...
    

• Last week in Vancouver
  

  • Said goodbye to Bobo. The teeter-totter of jealousy has teetered; how long before it totters?
    
    
  • Read "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places" then read Tina's email from Tanzania. Conclusion: I'm lucky.
    
    
  • Spas, moisterizer, chap stick, pink shirts, and help shop for tampons. What of it? Wanna fight?
    
    
  • Pet peave: broken implied promises. It's not breaking the implied promise that annoys me, I'm more frustrated at myself for assuming there's an implied promise. Sometimes I think I should stop believing in people.
    
    
  • I begin to wonder "What if I never come back?" For the most part I think I would love it... for the most part, since I would have two regrets. I wanted to address them both before I left. Instead, I talked of one and tried to push the other out of mind.
    

• In Belfast:
  
  • So 2 Sundays ago I got on a plane to Ontario.
    A few days later as I adjust to the time zone,
    I hop on a plane half way across the country to Vancouver.
    A few days later as I adjust to the time zone,
    I hop on a plane half way across the globe to Belfast.
    
    In a span of 10 days, I’ve drank more coffee than I have in my entire life.
    
    
  • There’s a heated debate in Britain about adopting the metric system over the imperial system. What the fuck?
    
    One person argued that you wouldn’t go to France and say you can’t have baguettes anymore. W... T... F?
    
    
  • Fire alarms in either middle of the night or early in the morning equally suck.
    
    
• Movie reviews from high in the sky:The flight was horrid. Dude next to me smelled like fart. I’ve seen a handful of movies on planes.
  
  
  • Elizabethtown
    Awful. Orlando Bloom has no substance to him. I haven’t liked him in any of his movies that I’ve seen. Also, I have a really hard time finding Kirsten Dunst to be attractive. And what’s with that camera clicking motion her character has? Is it supposed to be cute? There’s a fine line between cute and annoying. They should totally kill her off in the next Spiderman movie.
    
    
  • Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
    Art direction was nice overall, especially the world of the dead. I found the musical numbers to be uninspired and the plot pacing and narrative to be both jarring and plodding at times. Johnny Depp is still awesome.
    
    
  • Shakespeare in Love
    I liked this movie. It’s a unique fictional take on the development of Romeo and Juliet… or Romeo and Ethel and the Pirate King as in its apparent originally intended state. The Queen Victoria scenes stole the show.

Quotes:

• On travel beginnings:
  C:"I'm in a new town, expenses paid.
  I'm surrounded by good people.
  I'm surrounded by good food.
  I'm actually learning something.
  . . .
  I'm feeling like shit right now and hiding in my room
  (okay... maybe not so funny to some)"
  
  B:"why....?
  shit?
  puking?
  or girl stalking you?
  drunk as hell?"
  
  C: "all of the above?"
  
  
• On wink, wink, nudge, nudge:
  "So what are YOU gonna do about it?"
  
  
• On other unholy connections:
  "My personality is like spinach because..."
  
  
• On 'no dude, it doesn't work that way':
  "So you'll have the double whammy!"
  

I know, I know.

I'm doing it anyways.

Afterall, I'm in a different time zone.

Week 6, 2006

Items of note:

• Getting the karaoke itch. Damn you coughing illness! Damn you to hell!
  
  
• I thought my finances looked a little funny.
  I looked over my last couple credit card bills in more detail.
  I pored over my last couple automatic cell phone bill payments.
  Conclusion? Aww, fucknuts.
  
  
• Paper does not burn clean. The charred, blackened remains leave stains you won't notice at first - but sure as Shirley, they are there. Damned smudges. They're everywhere.
  (Don't you dare make Lady Macbeth allusions!)
  
  
• I've have the same handful of recurring dreams for years now. (Spiders, pearl and straw teeth, ninja hijinks, single parenting, and that one where you're running but your legs have no strength and your slowing down because your body is gradually turning into a mush of delicious blueberry jello.)
  
  Anyways, add another recurring dream to the list. There's this thing I'm trying to pull closer, but instead I'm pushing it away. For some reason I think the more I push, the closer I'll get. But alas, a push is a push is a push. I miss you so damn much. I think about you all the time, no matter who I'm with. It's unhealthy. It's unfair. Somebody make me stop.
  
  
• If I go to France... does that mean I have to wear a beret?
  No?
  Well... can I wear one anyways?
  (I'll talk more about this later)
  
  
• Brother's engagement party; fun. Build-up; annoying.
  
  

Quotes:

• On disgruntling real-world experiences:
  C: "hah, so can we gauge future career success in children by their ability to colour within the lines and connect the dots in order? cause that's what i feel like i'm doing"
  
  
• On interrupted sentences:
  B: "I'm going to London (cough) (cough) (hack)..."
  X: "SWEET!"
  B: "(cough)... Ontario."
  X: "Oh."
  
  
• On things that never are:
  "It's not the same."
  
  
• On cutting insight:
  I: "u must be pretty good at picking up girls... but bad at keeping them"
  B: "Is that what you really think of me?"
  I: "I'm half joking"
  B: "Only half?!"
  
  Yeah, I'm not that great at picking up girls either, haha.

Week 5, 2006

"Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle."

- Ken Hakuta

Ken Hakuta brought Wacky Wallwalkers to North America. Damn those were wicked cool. Worked best if you hucked them at mirrors. I can't believe that there's no internet shrine dedicated to this tremendous feat of human ingenuity! Dagnabit people! Show some respect!

Items of note:

• Chúc mừng năm mới!
  
  (To the tune of the meow mix jingle)
  Food, food, food, food,
  Food, food, food, food,
  Food, food, food, food,
  Food, food, food, food.
  
  I less than three this time of year (Dine-out + Lunar New Year)
  
  
• Street signs and billboards talk to me.
  
  
• I thought I was getting better, but all of a sudden it took a turn for the worse. I should probably get it checked out.
  
  
• It's been 17 years. Never again. I promise.
  

Quotes:

• On what makes this time of year so special:
  "I'm a fan of many, but gluttony has to be my favourite sin."
  
  
• On what really matters:
  The "special" quote.
  No, I'm not sharing this one because I know you're reading this, you stoler.
  You stole!
  Quit stoling, you stoler!
  
  
• On unintended consequences:
  Billboard: "Bait cars are everywhere"
  Me: "Quit taking up parking spaces!"
  

[Book Review] The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists

(Warning, this review gets tremendously off topic... and LONG!)

Yes, I've polished off another book. It's not a game. From this book, you can see:

• a narrative on the hamartia of apparently infallible idols.
• a warning of the devaluation of people resultant from the deconstruction of behaviours - viewing people not as "human" but as equations of various inputs and outputs to be solved.
• a lesson in evaluating changing goals and the goal fulfillment process.
  
• pointers to help you to "sarge".
• entertaining literary prose and laugh and smile along as you relate to AFC's, one-itis, and the desire to become a PUA.

The main theme I drew from this non-fiction book was as a warning to the dangers and temptations of becoming a social puppet rather than a unique person.

The narrator at one point comes to the realization that his desire to better himself, his friends, and his peers in his community never flourishes because their goals are all different. He wanted to learn so that he can pick up and sleep with any girl he wanted, yes, but also to bring that essence of confidence and execution to all other facets of his life. The others learning goals were aligned differently.

(And the off-topic-ness begins... feel free to stop reading here.)

edit: cut and moved to comments section. I didn't like what the length of the post did to the layout.

(Back on topic... resume reading.)

Oh, and as for the book? I liked it.