Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Converted
Hi guys, so now I'm basically on Tumblr exclusively now -_- I'll be posting blog posts there, if I even get around to that... I just like the way Tumblr looks and interfaces a lot better than I do blogspot. Lately I've been posting mostly music and pictures anyway, so Tumblr functions better for that kind of thing. It's a good indication of what my life's like right now: way too busy, with only small bursts of peace. Plus, a bunch of you already have tumblrs, so yay. Hopefully the rest of you make them, too. Either way, check it out!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
More time wasting!
Hi, I've made a tumblr: http://alekschang.tumblr.com/
I like to share music and movie trailers and such, so I figured it could be cool. Problem being, I'm not sure how to get comments on tumblr posts, so that aspect sucks. How else am I supposed to know that the four of you out there are reading my posts? =[
Any ideas on whether I should move to tumblr or use both tumblr and blogspot, or just forget this whole tumblr thing to begin with and stick to my old ways? For the time being, please check it out!
I like to share music and movie trailers and such, so I figured it could be cool. Problem being, I'm not sure how to get comments on tumblr posts, so that aspect sucks. How else am I supposed to know that the four of you out there are reading my posts? =[
Any ideas on whether I should move to tumblr or use both tumblr and blogspot, or just forget this whole tumblr thing to begin with and stick to my old ways? For the time being, please check it out!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Genre Battle 1: American Satire
Lately I've been taking my enjoyment of movies more seriously, mainly by simply watching a lot more of them (good ones, of course). Today I tried something that I didn't really plan on: watching two movies that had been recommended to me in the past that are more or less in the same genre. It sort of just happened, but it ended up being pretty fun, so I think I'll start doing that intentionally from now on. If the two of you out there who read this blog are in the mood for a certain genre and can't decide which prominent movie in said genre is worth watching, I'll be here to give my two cents. Plus this is just a nice activity for me; as always, in the end all of this nonsense is for my own enjoyment.
This week's genre: American Satire
"Thank You for Smoking" vs. "Idiocracy"
"Thank You for Smoking" was the clear winner in this battle. I had no idea what they were going for in "Idiocracy." It couldn't have been aiming to be an intelligent satire, because there was nothing original or insightful about this film. All it really did was beat the audience over the head with its same boring message over and over that the human population will grow stupider at the rate it's going. It didn't even provide much of a basis for this prediction, so the film ended up being a vacuous waste of time. So then was it aiming to be a comedy? Though the film had its moments, it never got more than a mild chuckle out of me. The only "joke" the film ever makes is showing people in the future acting stupid, and that isn't even funny the first time it happens on screen. One of these stupid future people you see quite often is played by a blubbering Dax Shepard, who, if you google image him, you'll recognize as an annoying look-a-like Zach Braff. Sad to say, I would have actually preferred Zach Braff. Luke Wilson plays the same character he plays in every film, so no talent from the lead helped, and this film even manages to make Terry Crews seem boring, and that guy's fucking awesome!
On the other hand, "Thank You for Smoking" was pretty damn good. It was clever, insightful, had good acting, and it was funny; basically, it was everything "Idiocracy" half-assedly attempted to be. I like Aaron Eckhart more than ever now! He did an amazing job of getting the audience's sympathy, even though clearly his character bullshits for a living and has no true values or motivation for what he does. It's a movie about a morally polarized issue like smoking, yet somehow tells a story that's morally gray, and that's awesome.
See you kids next time. What genre should I do next?
This week's genre: American Satire
"Thank You for Smoking" vs. "Idiocracy"
"Thank You for Smoking" was the clear winner in this battle. I had no idea what they were going for in "Idiocracy." It couldn't have been aiming to be an intelligent satire, because there was nothing original or insightful about this film. All it really did was beat the audience over the head with its same boring message over and over that the human population will grow stupider at the rate it's going. It didn't even provide much of a basis for this prediction, so the film ended up being a vacuous waste of time. So then was it aiming to be a comedy? Though the film had its moments, it never got more than a mild chuckle out of me. The only "joke" the film ever makes is showing people in the future acting stupid, and that isn't even funny the first time it happens on screen. One of these stupid future people you see quite often is played by a blubbering Dax Shepard, who, if you google image him, you'll recognize as an annoying look-a-like Zach Braff. Sad to say, I would have actually preferred Zach Braff. Luke Wilson plays the same character he plays in every film, so no talent from the lead helped, and this film even manages to make Terry Crews seem boring, and that guy's fucking awesome!
On the other hand, "Thank You for Smoking" was pretty damn good. It was clever, insightful, had good acting, and it was funny; basically, it was everything "Idiocracy" half-assedly attempted to be. I like Aaron Eckhart more than ever now! He did an amazing job of getting the audience's sympathy, even though clearly his character bullshits for a living and has no true values or motivation for what he does. It's a movie about a morally polarized issue like smoking, yet somehow tells a story that's morally gray, and that's awesome.
See you kids next time. What genre should I do next?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The In-Between 4
Hello. I don't really know what to say about my life right now, because I'm just kind of waiting for shit to happen. I didn't want to wait until then to post, though, so I figured I'd at least post a song I'm really into at the moment.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The In-Between 3
Ah, so I totally failed at the In-Between -_-. Sorry, to whoever was waiting to read those entries, like Maria in the Philippines! Well, my explanation for this absence fits in with what's been with me, so here goes...
I started a journal. Shelley gave me the idea as a way to get to bed, since I'd been having trouble sleeping at the time, and I've been keeping up with it ever since. Partly due to the time I've spent writing in it and partly due to all of my thoughts going into it, I've been rather distracted from blogging. I definitely love to blog and keep the few people who keep up with my life filled in, so I won't abandon this altogether.
I will say that journal writing has some advantages over blogging that are nice. It's nice to be able to write anything without fear of repercussion (unless your roommate's a nosy asshole, I guess). Sometimes my entries become an even more of a disorganized mess than these blog entries, but it's a little liberating to write so carelessly. There's also a certain charm to sitting in bed with my back resting on a pillow, scribbling away in my shitty spiral notebook with the same blue pen every night, having to stretch my hand out every now and then after it cramps from writing too quickly for too long. One drawback, though, is if someone were to read my entries after I died or something, they'd have a hell of a hard time deciphering my hand-writing -_-.
I've also just been crazy busy in general. This summer's been fun, but it's definitely been the fastest summer of my life. It's already August, which for us Berkeley kids, means class starts three and a half weeks! Holy crap, I'm panicking. Join me, won't you? At least looking back on summer, even though I didn't do everything I hoped I would, I still think it was one of the best summers of my life, as well, which adds to the profound sadness of it concluding so soon.
Hrm so rather than try to play catch-up, noteworthy event: last night I accompanied David to San Francisco because his cousin who's leaving to teach in Turkey was having a going away party of sorts, and he wanted someone to talk to there. It was at the piano bar at John Foley's, which seemed interesting, so I said I was down. Oddly enough, the night ended up nothing like I'd expected it to. My friend from lab, Amy, called me up and asked if I wanted to get dinner or something, so I ended up just inviting her along. The funny thing was, I had thrown it out there expecting her to not be too interested in coming all the way to SF with me and my roommate to his family thing, but she said she was down. A healthy taste for adventure-- now isn't that cool?
The night took another interesting turn once we finally got to the place. We didn't realize that we had to be 21 to even enter the place! Ugh, why must I be only 19?!?! David Anderson, why couldn't you have been born 2 years later/why couldn't I have been born 2 years earlier? Anyway, the way things ended up playing out was actually pretty cool, though. David and I were talking about it afterward, and had it been just us two, he would've had to say hi really quickly to his cousin and then leave as to not keep me waiting outside for too long, and then we would've just went home and had a pretty uneventful Saturday. So while David went inside to talk to greet his cousin, Amy and I just walked around SF, window shopped, looked for places to eat later, etc.
Oh, and jeez I didn't realize how few good restaurants there were around the Union Square area. I guess it makes sense since it's mostly for shopping, but still, we couldn't find anywhere good to eat, so we ended up just going to Mel's. I've been there so many times, but to be honest I'm not really sick of it. Oddly enough, this was the first time I utilized the $12.99 cheeseburger/fries/milkshake combo. I'd failed to see it every previous time I'd been there -_-. Anyway, we had some delicious Mel's, and then went home to hang out with the suite (or apartment-mates, whatever they are and forever will be "the suite" to me).
Fortunately, everyone seemed to like Amy, so we had a pretty good time. We partook in some nice "beverages." I finally got around to try a shot monster/vodka. It was pretty good, and my heart didn't explode! Though I only had like one shot of it. Who knows if I had, say, 6 O_o. We ending up watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off. That movie never ceases being funny ^^. Amy seemed to enjoy it, so I'm glad about that. After the movie ended, I walked Amy home pretty late at night. Luckily she doesn't live too far away, and it wasn't too cold out. Admittedly, it was a tiny bit unnerving to back alone through the empty streets, but at the same time it was kind of cool. Why is it that everything I remember from every horror movie I've ever seen rushes into the forefront of my mind when I'm in a situation like that? -_- So all in all, a good Saturday evening.
GAH and I still have to watch Inception at some point.
Oh, and I've been enjoying new/revisiting old electronic music lately:
-Digitalism (Idealism, Frances =D)
-Copy (Hair Guitar)
-Pendulum (Hold Your Colour)
-Fatboy Slim (You've Come Along Way, Baby)
I started a journal. Shelley gave me the idea as a way to get to bed, since I'd been having trouble sleeping at the time, and I've been keeping up with it ever since. Partly due to the time I've spent writing in it and partly due to all of my thoughts going into it, I've been rather distracted from blogging. I definitely love to blog and keep the few people who keep up with my life filled in, so I won't abandon this altogether.
I will say that journal writing has some advantages over blogging that are nice. It's nice to be able to write anything without fear of repercussion (unless your roommate's a nosy asshole, I guess). Sometimes my entries become an even more of a disorganized mess than these blog entries, but it's a little liberating to write so carelessly. There's also a certain charm to sitting in bed with my back resting on a pillow, scribbling away in my shitty spiral notebook with the same blue pen every night, having to stretch my hand out every now and then after it cramps from writing too quickly for too long. One drawback, though, is if someone were to read my entries after I died or something, they'd have a hell of a hard time deciphering my hand-writing -_-.
I've also just been crazy busy in general. This summer's been fun, but it's definitely been the fastest summer of my life. It's already August, which for us Berkeley kids, means class starts three and a half weeks! Holy crap, I'm panicking. Join me, won't you? At least looking back on summer, even though I didn't do everything I hoped I would, I still think it was one of the best summers of my life, as well, which adds to the profound sadness of it concluding so soon.
Hrm so rather than try to play catch-up, noteworthy event: last night I accompanied David to San Francisco because his cousin who's leaving to teach in Turkey was having a going away party of sorts, and he wanted someone to talk to there. It was at the piano bar at John Foley's, which seemed interesting, so I said I was down. Oddly enough, the night ended up nothing like I'd expected it to. My friend from lab, Amy, called me up and asked if I wanted to get dinner or something, so I ended up just inviting her along. The funny thing was, I had thrown it out there expecting her to not be too interested in coming all the way to SF with me and my roommate to his family thing, but she said she was down. A healthy taste for adventure-- now isn't that cool?
The night took another interesting turn once we finally got to the place. We didn't realize that we had to be 21 to even enter the place! Ugh, why must I be only 19?!?! David Anderson, why couldn't you have been born 2 years later/why couldn't I have been born 2 years earlier? Anyway, the way things ended up playing out was actually pretty cool, though. David and I were talking about it afterward, and had it been just us two, he would've had to say hi really quickly to his cousin and then leave as to not keep me waiting outside for too long, and then we would've just went home and had a pretty uneventful Saturday. So while David went inside to talk to greet his cousin, Amy and I just walked around SF, window shopped, looked for places to eat later, etc.
Oh, and jeez I didn't realize how few good restaurants there were around the Union Square area. I guess it makes sense since it's mostly for shopping, but still, we couldn't find anywhere good to eat, so we ended up just going to Mel's. I've been there so many times, but to be honest I'm not really sick of it. Oddly enough, this was the first time I utilized the $12.99 cheeseburger/fries/milkshake combo. I'd failed to see it every previous time I'd been there -_-. Anyway, we had some delicious Mel's, and then went home to hang out with the suite (or apartment-mates, whatever they are and forever will be "the suite" to me).
Fortunately, everyone seemed to like Amy, so we had a pretty good time. We partook in some nice "beverages." I finally got around to try a shot monster/vodka. It was pretty good, and my heart didn't explode! Though I only had like one shot of it. Who knows if I had, say, 6 O_o. We ending up watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off. That movie never ceases being funny ^^. Amy seemed to enjoy it, so I'm glad about that. After the movie ended, I walked Amy home pretty late at night. Luckily she doesn't live too far away, and it wasn't too cold out. Admittedly, it was a tiny bit unnerving to back alone through the empty streets, but at the same time it was kind of cool. Why is it that everything I remember from every horror movie I've ever seen rushes into the forefront of my mind when I'm in a situation like that? -_- So all in all, a good Saturday evening.
GAH and I still have to watch Inception at some point.
Oh, and I've been enjoying new/revisiting old electronic music lately:
-Digitalism (Idealism, Frances =D)
-Copy (Hair Guitar)
-Pendulum (Hold Your Colour)
-Fatboy Slim (You've Come Along Way, Baby)
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Wisdom from an Unexpected Source
"You know the advantages of a one-sided crush? Firstly, you won't spend money. When you're dating, you exchange gifts, and that needs lots of money. There are no restrictions so there's lots of freedom. There's no need to always consider the partner; it saves that effort. I have no expectation of anything from the partner, so just watching them is enough. When I want it to stop, I can stop at any time. Since I'm the only one who will be sad sad, it's better. Anyhow, those who have one-sided crushes are those who lack the courage to love."
Monday, July 5, 2010
The In-Between 2
So I followed through with "The In-Between"! This post was a little late because I realized that posting at the end of the weekend makes a lot more sense, since a lot of what's interesting about my week happens on the weekend, and I'd rather write about those things when they're fresh in my memory.
This week was my first week with 2 labs, which was a little challenging, but definitely doable. I enjoy organic chemistry a lot more than I thought I would. Maybe it's because the material is still fairly simple, but it's definitely more enjoyable than general chemistry. I think it's because things make more sense, whereas chem 1a was this annoying, vague mash-up of different concepts and principles that they kind of just threw at us. Or maybe it's because Pedersen is a badass, and he could just about teach anything and it'd be interesting and clear. If there's anything that's served as an extra incentive to go to lecture in the mornings, it's been this cute girl that sits near where I sit. Unfortunately, from the few times I've interacted with her, it seems doubtful that things will go anywhere with her, but nonetheless it's fun when someone in a crowd of hundreds stands out to you. It gives you something to look forward to seeing in the morning haze of Pedersen's monotonous voice, bond-line structures, and very uncomfortable tables.
Friday and Saturday were fairly uneventful, but pretty relaxing. I got a decent amount of my ochem problem sets done with. I haven't touched anything for lab... god do I hate ochem lab. It's really only made tolerable because of two things: for once, I have a partner who's likable and competent, and actually a little cute, too.
Today I went to see fireworks. Unfortunately, David, Andy, and Xavier were too busy/unwilling to come with me, Jeff, and Yuxi =[. We were originally going to take the bus, but realized we were running too late after dinner, despite having inhaled our hamburger meat as fast as we could. We actually started running towards the bus station, then ran back home and took the car -_-. We picked up Teruki and Michelle and headed to pier 39, and got back at around 2 AM. How could going to see fireworks take upwards of 5 hours was what David wondered when I shuffled into our room not so long ago. Well let me tell you, cars on the 4th of July = headache.
From finding parking to navigating traffic to finding more parking, we probably spent a majority of the night in Jeff's car. Luckily, I wasn't driving so I got to relax carelessly in my seat. Despite not having actually done much for the time we were out, I had a lot of fun tonight. I love getting lost or stuck in traffic with friends. I'm fortunate that I have friends who are fun to be in mundane situations with. Really, Jeff and Yuxi can make just about anything interesting and entertaining, and Teruki and Michelle are plenty cool. A radio blasting Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson and the latest guilty-pleasure pop hits helps, too.
By the end of the night, I felt as though I had enjoyed my 4th of July to the fullest. I was worried that I'd be feeling down, since my 4th of July last year was just so much fun. It's funny, actually. When David and the others had decided to not go, I had a moment where I was sitting on the floor, putting my shoes on, and I had to choose whether or not to stay home as well. I was a little worried that going out wouldn't be that fun and that I'd just be a downer, but looking back I would've regretted not going, so I'm really glad I put my shoes on and just went with it. In the future, I think I'll try to always opt to put my shoes on, as I spend enough time with my feet warm in my slippers.
This week was my first week with 2 labs, which was a little challenging, but definitely doable. I enjoy organic chemistry a lot more than I thought I would. Maybe it's because the material is still fairly simple, but it's definitely more enjoyable than general chemistry. I think it's because things make more sense, whereas chem 1a was this annoying, vague mash-up of different concepts and principles that they kind of just threw at us. Or maybe it's because Pedersen is a badass, and he could just about teach anything and it'd be interesting and clear. If there's anything that's served as an extra incentive to go to lecture in the mornings, it's been this cute girl that sits near where I sit. Unfortunately, from the few times I've interacted with her, it seems doubtful that things will go anywhere with her, but nonetheless it's fun when someone in a crowd of hundreds stands out to you. It gives you something to look forward to seeing in the morning haze of Pedersen's monotonous voice, bond-line structures, and very uncomfortable tables.
Thursday night Jeff's friend Nikki and her roommate (whose name I can't spell and won't attempt) came over for dinner. Andy and Xavier made chicken curry and ox-tail soup, which were both really good. I'm glad I live with guys who like cooking and are good at it. I really enjoy having company over for dinner. I have a feeling when I'm old and settled down, I'm going to be a Monica and invite people over to my house or apartment all the time.
Friday and Saturday were fairly uneventful, but pretty relaxing. I got a decent amount of my ochem problem sets done with. I haven't touched anything for lab... god do I hate ochem lab. It's really only made tolerable because of two things: for once, I have a partner who's likable and competent, and actually a little cute, too.
Today I went to see fireworks. Unfortunately, David, Andy, and Xavier were too busy/unwilling to come with me, Jeff, and Yuxi =[. We were originally going to take the bus, but realized we were running too late after dinner, despite having inhaled our hamburger meat as fast as we could. We actually started running towards the bus station, then ran back home and took the car -_-. We picked up Teruki and Michelle and headed to pier 39, and got back at around 2 AM. How could going to see fireworks take upwards of 5 hours was what David wondered when I shuffled into our room not so long ago. Well let me tell you, cars on the 4th of July = headache.
From finding parking to navigating traffic to finding more parking, we probably spent a majority of the night in Jeff's car. Luckily, I wasn't driving so I got to relax carelessly in my seat. Despite not having actually done much for the time we were out, I had a lot of fun tonight. I love getting lost or stuck in traffic with friends. I'm fortunate that I have friends who are fun to be in mundane situations with. Really, Jeff and Yuxi can make just about anything interesting and entertaining, and Teruki and Michelle are plenty cool. A radio blasting Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson and the latest guilty-pleasure pop hits helps, too.
By the end of the night, I felt as though I had enjoyed my 4th of July to the fullest. I was worried that I'd be feeling down, since my 4th of July last year was just so much fun. It's funny, actually. When David and the others had decided to not go, I had a moment where I was sitting on the floor, putting my shoes on, and I had to choose whether or not to stay home as well. I was a little worried that going out wouldn't be that fun and that I'd just be a downer, but looking back I would've regretted not going, so I'm really glad I put my shoes on and just went with it. In the future, I think I'll try to always opt to put my shoes on, as I spend enough time with my feet warm in my slippers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)