Inappropriate Timing

Hey internet.

Sorry I've neglected talking to you for a while, the homework monsters seem to be out to get me.

Truthfully, I should be doing AP Gov homework right now, but I am not.
So is life.


...


I really don't have anything to talk about


random (procrastination fueled) statements:

-I dislike Calculus
-I love whipped cream
-I've applied to USC
-I dislike applying to colleges
-I fear that this year will permanently stomp out all traces of optimism that still lurk in the depths of my subconscious
-I like jackets
-Erasable pens make me happy

http://www.morethanmedicine.us.gsk.com/blog/images/procrastination.png

...I should get back to those notes I'm avoiding


bye for a few months

College

GAHHHHHHHH

The dreaded senior year college posting. Kill me, please.

On a different note, it dawned on me today that I haven't written on this blog for a very good chunk of time and that's just sort of sad, isn't it?

Anywho, I thought I'd kick off my momentary return to blogging (because let's be honest I'll forget a week from now that I have a blog) with some college talk.

Here's where I'm looking at right now:

1. Claremont McKenna College
2. University of Southern California
3. Occidental College
4. Carnegie Mellon
5. University of Pennsylvania
6. Oregon State University

As of right now, I have 3 reaches (Claremont, UPenn, Carnegie), 2 fits (Occidental, USC) and 1 safety (OSU)

Help me find another fit and another safety? I want to apply to 8 schools all together and I would've preferred 4 fits and 2 safeties and reaches each. Honestly USC and Carnegie are both between being fits and reaches, I'd say USC is more of a fit because of the alumni association, but Carnegie likes students like me a bit more.

AH COLLEGE STOP FREAKING ME OUT!

Best Thing I've Ever Seen

I've officially decided that this is my favorite show

It's called Ni Hao Kai-Lan (Hello, Kai-lan)

It's essentially Chinese Dora the Explorer.


That's right, her best friends are a tiger, a koala and a hippo (the hippo flies).
There are a couple other friends like the owl and the monkey.

Their names are:
-Rintoo
-Tolee
-Hoho
-Lulu
-Howard


That's right, the last one's name is HOWARD.


here's a link, go watch it now.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDY2OTA5ODQ=.html

Retreats = Love

I love the beach

When Insomnia and Boredom Collide

In case anyone was wondering, I frequently go to bed after 2 AM in the morning. Unfortunately, I have to wake up around 6:15 AM every morning as well. This generally leads to me being quite tired and irritable.

Today, however, is a saturday/sunday and I'm still up simply because my sleep pattern is so screwed up that I can't even get a good night's sleep on the weekends.

My solution? Make a recording of one of my favorite songs: Just For Now by Imogen Heap.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxTxODEjC3E



Keep in mind, the high notes are far from being pretty. Try to ignore them as much as physically possible.


Note: I recorded audio and then video so I am lip-syncing in all of the videos, which explains the majority of the discontinuities and I used some basic audio editing software to put all of the parts together so try to ignore when the music skips a beat and when the song deviates from the original.

Wuxia Dramas

Okay, before you read this, I want you to promise me that you'll get all of your mental asian jokes out now.

I understand that I'm very very asian. We all understand that I am very very asian and we don't need to focus on how very very asian I am.

Now, let's discuss Wuxia Dramas.

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Okay, let's be honest, anyone who's ever seen a Chinese TV show in the US probably wasn't terribly impressed. They tend to focus on topics that an American viewer would find only in series like Days of Our Lives and Passions here. Chinese dramas are no where near being universally acclaimed, to say the least.

However, I must confess, I'm desperately in love with them.

Actually, I lied, I'm just in love with the fighting ones.

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Okay, to summarize, a Wuxia Drama is one that is set in a slightly heightened reality where warriors have supernatural fighting abilities. For example, Hero and House of Flying Daggers were both Wuxia films and most of the dramas are also set in that imperial era of Chinese history as well.

There actually isn't a single reason for Takeshi to be in this blog, but he's just so gorgeous...
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There are two things that I love about Wuxia: Awesome Fighting Power Skills and Horrible Acting.

The first one is actually pretty cool. I love the way the cinematographers use the fighting scenes to flaunt their talents.

The second makes it fun to watch. Nothing beats mocking the way that the couples interact. Once you've seen a chinese drama kiss, you'll never be able to go back to American ones.


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Now you may ask, what inspired this rather pointless and shallow blog? Let's put it this way, whenever a break rolls around, I find that I become obsessed with whatever latest Wuxia series is out.

As of right now, the newest adaptation of a novel by my favorite Wuxia author is out, plus my producer/director of choice also happens to be filming this one. It's called 倚天屠龙记, translated as The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre.


That guy has the most unfortunate hairdo I've ever seen.

So far I'm about 8 episodes in (roughly 8 hours). Something special about almost all Chinese Dramas: it's just one gigantic long movie. TV shows in China tend to contrast American TV Shows because they usually are not able to stand alone. If you were to randomly watch an episode of a Wuxia drama, you would be very VERY confused.

Anyway, I felt like I should post something and this was the first thing I thought of. Enjoy your holidays and maybe join me in watching a Wuxia once in a while.

(500) Days of Summer

"The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman. Bitch."

From the moment I saw these words flash across the screen, I was smitten. 'Days of Summer' continued the courtship with the inclusion of Regina Spektor's "Us" as the underlying score during the introduction of boy and girl.

They had me at "This is not a love story. It's a story about love."


I'm in love with this movie.


For those of you who have ever been to a chick flick with me should know that my general reaction to the movie general consists of a lot of cringing and the occasional inappropriately placed burst of laughter. I do not like chick flicks.

I went into (500) Days of Summer assuming the worst. While the trailer intrigued me, I was not expecting it to have me glued to the screen. I can safely say that this is the first movie in years that I have not gone to the bathroom in the middle of (it's a great feat, believe me).

I recently purchased my first soundtrack via iTunes ever simply because this movie is so perfect in its acting, visual appearance and sound. I'm very glad to have discovered The Temper Trap. 'Sweet Disposition' and 'There is a Light that Never Goes Out' tie for my favorite, although the rest of the album is not far behind. I don't think that I've loved a soundtrack as much as this one since Garden State's.

On top of everything else, Joseph Gordon-Levitt AND Zooey Deschanel cannot be more perfect in their respective parts. I forgot how much I loved Gordon-Levitt and well, let's face it, Zooey Deschanel can do no wrong.

Regardless of what my peers may say or even top movie critics, my opinion is set in stone: (500) Days of Summer is by far the finest film I have seen this year.

Go watch it. Now.

"Joseph Gordon-Levitt, you sexy beast..."