Hey guys, I apologize for the 4 day break between my last posts, but I've been really busy lately as I have been writing a lot of new movies which you shall see soon. Anyway, it is 2:30 AM and there is 21 hours and 30 minutes left in 2008. My initial reaction is WOW. Every year seems to be passing by faster than the last and it's really making me realize how special and unique life is, and should never be taken for granted. Off the top of my head, I'll be talking about sports, politics and entertainment events that occurred this year and I'll also tell you what I've learned and gone through this year.
Starting with politics; what a political year it was. This year was full of political drama, struggle and most of all, controversy. If you're wondering, I did not vote this year, and if you know me, you know my reasons, and if you don't, I don't vote simply because there is no way you can tell me that the electoral college is democratic. Anyway, congratulations to Obama, if I had voted, I would have voted for him and I am happy we finally have a "minority" in the oval office. Kudos to John McCain for his effort, and good riddance to Sarah Palin because she has no place in politics. Then of course came the drama of Prop 8 here in California in which the banning of same-sex marriages became legal. I actually lost a friend arguing over this mess, simply because she was Christian but refused to acknowledge my point of view while she had no logic to her own arguments - good riddance to her as well. As it stands now, there will be a hearing in January to open up Prop 8 again, and I hope that Californians (and Americans for that matter) will finally put an end to formal discrimination and vote NO on Prop 8 when it is re-opened.
Moving on to entertainment; there were quite a few impressive musicians that stood out to me in 2008. Number one of course is Lil' Wayne who sold 1 million copies in his first week with "Tha Carter III" and congratulations to him for taking over rap genre. Another impressive artist is Rihanna who had several number one hits and came out with just overall good music. Many kudos to Leona Lewis for breaking ground here in America and starting her journey to world-wide superstardom - a status well deserved. I was very surprised with how Katy Perry was able to win over a lot of people, but then again, she has a great, unique voice who has a bright future.
Moving on to other music news, what the hell was up with Kanye West this year? Seriously, I don't care. Kanye is a fucking moron who has no place in music except behind the scenes as a producer because that is the only good thing he does. He is a terrible singer who now uses the T-Pain electronic voice profusely, and he (and everyone for that matter) needs to stop with that bullshit. If you can't sing or perform your song live, don't record it at all. Pointless is the only word to describe it. If you think Kanye is a good rapper/writer, you are TERRIBLY mistaken my friend. I can write better lyrics than Kanye West and I put that on my family. Enough of this garbage who calls himself an artist. Listen to Murs or even some old Notorious BIG because they ARE hip hop.
Moving on to movies, I'm going to go ahead and point out the obvious and say that "The Dark Knight" was the most successful movie of the year. I don't normally support Oscar consideration for superhero adventure films to be Best Picture, but if this film doesn't win Best Picture, I will be devastated. There isn't a single movie that was made that was better than this movie in 2008, besides Milk, which I unfortunately have not seen all of. Best comedy goes to "Pineapple Express" and sleeper of the year for title of "a pretty damn good film" is "Gran Torino," "Burn After Reading," and even "Tropic Thunder."
Now on to a very interesting sports year. What an incredible year it was. It all started with the college football national championship where LSU defeated Ohio State. Then it was, to me, the most improbable Super Bowl win in the history of the NFL aside from Joe Namath's guarantee; the Giants send the 18-0 Patriots into the history books (not the way the Patriots pictured) and making them the only perfect team to not win the Super Bowl. This was the biggest sports moment of the year for me...Then there were the drama of the NBA Playoffs where the Lakers and the Celtics both reached prominence once again in meeting each other in the Finals, with the Celtics winning it all...The Red Wings also won the Stanley Cup and proved why they are quite possibly the most prestigious hockey team in the league...Then came the Olympics. This was the year where I was most interested in the Olympics and never did I tune in to be disappointed. The USA Basketball team did not disappoint as they finally won the Gold once again, Men's Gymnastics was something I was very proud of because we were not supposed to finish anywhere near 3rd place, Women's Gymnastics were very entertaining and fun to watch (it's okay Alicia Sacramone) and most of all and most importantly, Michael Phelps, with the weight of the world on his shoulders, shined on the world's biggest stage. Congrats to all who competed...Then came the World Series and the NFL Regular Season and what an interesting season it was (in both sports). The most impressive baseball team of the year was easily the Tampa Bay Rays and many kudos to the Phillies for winning it all. This NFL season was incredible and the single most significant season ending injury in this decade set the tone for a wild season. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm talking bout Tom Brady. Without Tom Brady, the Patriots missed the playoffs simply because they would have either taken the 1 or 2 seed in the AFC, but instead they went 11-5 and missed the playoffs with the incredibly impressive Matt Cassel at quarterback, who should be a starting quarterback and a future star in this league. Then there was the Cowboys. Going back to January, they were supposed to have a rematch with the Patriots in the Super Bowl after losing to them in the regular season, and they fell at home to the mighty Giants. Then they lose nearly all of their games after Thanksgiving and STILL have a chance to make the playoffs in Week 17 and they lose - no check that, they get EMBARRASSED by the Eagles, 44-6. What a waste of money for Jerry Jones. He had it coming. It makes me laugh to see how terrible things have gotten in Dallas. You try to be the Yankees of the NFL and you have enough talent on your team to win Super Bowls for the next decade and you go 9-7 and miss the playoffs. Good riddance.
Anyway, I'm excited for the playoffs and my pre-season Super Bowl picks, the San Diego Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles are still alive! My friend picked the Vikings and the Steelers and our NFC teams square off on Sunday, so we shall see who will be right come February.
Now on to what I went through this year. Like most people, I suffered through tough times and it all started with my younger sister becoming a gang-affiliated, drug-doing whore. If you ever wonder how many siblings I have, I only have ONE. The other two "sisters" I have totally disowned. Second, and it seems like it happens every year, I come up short on money and my mom always has to get into money borrowing issues come payment time. I won't be working until probably the summer of 2009 because I am close to graduating and I want to focus on college, but that time can't come soon enough. I also realized that I might actually be out of my fucking mind, and I don't mind that, it's just that I lose it at the most random times. If you know me, I'm a nice guy and I do my best to entertain you when I am in your presence.
Now I get to look at all of the mistakes I made this year. One was not pulling the trigger on the girl in my astronomy class this past spring. I saw her again this fall and she looks better than ever. Stupid me. Then came Bethany Nguyen. Ahh, yes. Good old Bee. I thought I might actually have had a chance because she led me on, but the whore had a boyfriend all along as I questioned her about long before I started talking to her. If anything, I learned that whores can't be trusted and there is ALWAYS better out there. Anyway, she has no future because she has no motivation and ambition and good riddance to her.
Even though there were tough times this year, there were also very good times. Many parties and get togethers made this year very interesting. I maintained a 3.7 GPA throughout the year and I made it through a 21 unit semester with a 3.7 GPA. I've become even more mature than I have ever been and I lost a total of 25 pounds since January 1, 2008. I've grown so much as a director and screenwriter that I actually feel like I might be able to make an immediate impact in Hollywood. My acting has improved and it will be significantly better in 2009 as it will be my main objective. I learned to appreciate the wonderful family and friends that I have and even though I truly hate all of them, I would do anything for them. I made several new friends and none more significant than my favorite Tabachoi. It was actually a good thing that I pursued her this year, because I probably would have never ended up being friends with her. She ended up getting with one of my good friends, so it all worked out. Besides, we could NEVER be together. She pisses me off way too much for me to put up with her. This year was filled with great decisions and mistakes as every year is filled with them, but may 2009 bring me (and you) great decisions and fortunes and a whole lot less mistakes! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
There's Something Missing (poem, 12/26/08)
There's Something Missing
There's something missing in my life and I can't seem to find it.
I'm lost and I'm confused and there's no way to hide it.
I have an incredible family whom I love and hate at the same time,
And I have amazing friends with whom I always share a good time.
I'm on the verge of being the first in my family to graduate college,
But something is bothering me and I just can't deny it.
It's something very major, but somehow very minor in my life,
And it seems very wrong right now, but somehow also very right.
'Tis the season to be jolly and happy and giving,
But there is something that is keeping me from believing
That this should be a completely happy time for me
Because not everything is perfect because I have no SHE.
I know shouldn't care but then again, I know I should,
But I am losing my mind and I cannot be understood.
I can be happy without HER but I am miserable when she is not here.
I don't know who SHE is, but I know that I miss her when it's this time of the year.
There's something missing in my life and I can't seem to find it.
I'm lost and I'm confused and there's no way to hide it.
I have an incredible family whom I love and hate at the same time,
And I have amazing friends with whom I always share a good time.
I'm on the verge of being the first in my family to graduate college,
But something is bothering me and I just can't deny it.
It's something very major, but somehow very minor in my life,
And it seems very wrong right now, but somehow also very right.
'Tis the season to be jolly and happy and giving,
But there is something that is keeping me from believing
That this should be a completely happy time for me
Because not everything is perfect because I have no SHE.
I know shouldn't care but then again, I know I should,
But I am losing my mind and I cannot be understood.
I can be happy without HER but I am miserable when she is not here.
I don't know who SHE is, but I know that I miss her when it's this time of the year.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
London Dream (12/23/08)
So I slept over my friend's house this past Saturday night (12/21) and while I was sleeping, I had one of the most ridiculous dreams EVER. And for those of you who know me and who have heard me tell you a dream of mine, you know it is already. Anyways, for some reason I remember almost every last detail there was in the dream and I'm gonna tell you about it in story form, just the way I experienced it without adding in any extra craziness or making it sound "elegant." So without further a do, here is what happened...
Me, Eduardo and Alex (both of whom are friends of mine in real life) head to San Jose International Airport for what seems to be no apparent reason (yeah I know it's vague, but I did say it was a dream!). Somehow we each end up with a roundtrip ticket to London which for some reason lasts ONLY 48 hours. So by the time we get to London, we have 24 hours to spend there before we have to get on a plane back to the States.
So we're on the plane, and this incredible hot flight attendant serves me a Coke. I wanted to pursue her badly, but I "wussed" out so to speak, and nothing ended up happening. Before I know it, we land in London and we start to explore the city. Somehow, we end up running into this study abroad program from the States and my friend Sabrina is in the class (she is Eduardo's friend as well). So Eduardo and I go to say "hi" to her, but she acts as if I'm not even there! I couldn't believe it. I was yelling in her face but man did she keep her cool. Must've been something I said to her a while back that made her not want to talk to me, but the point is that she didn't. Now, I did mention that my friend Alex was with Eduardo and I when we made the trip, and this is where it starts to get a little crazy. After I stopped trying to get Sabrina's attention, I turned around and Alex was nowhere to be seen. Eduardo and I actually searched for a good while, but we couldn't find him. We tried to call him but he didn't answer his phone. So after a search for him, we decided that he would be smart enough to call us if he was in trouble, so we decided to explore the city a bit more.
We end up going to a mall and there's a whole bunch of stuff we see that we want to buy, but we don't end up buying anything because it was all too expensive. So, as we're walking around the mall, we meet these four British girls who are shopping as well. Damn, were they fine. Whew. So after a little talking, we end up going to their hotel room where Eduardo takes two girls into one room, and I take the other two into the room next door. Now, I'm not going to get into what happened while I was in the room with these two smoking girls, but I'll tell you the aftermath and what is ultimately another twist in my dream.
So I get done doing my business and I go out the door. I reach into my pocket and all I got is my plane ticket and my passport! The girls took my wallet, my phone and pretty much everything I had in my pocket (we went to London with no luggage - go figure)! So, I am pissed and I pound on the door for them to open it up and they don't make a single move. At this time, I decide to knock on the door where Eduardo went into and tell him that we had to get out of the hotel and start thinking about heading back to the airport because we only had about four hours before our flight back home was going to depart.
I knock on the door and there's only one of the girls that Eduardo went in there with there, and she tells me that he left half an hour ago with the second girl. Wow. Okay now this is pretty damn weird. So, I leave the hotel and start asking people how to get to the airport and no one tells me anything that's of any use to me. By this time, I only have three hours left before my flight takes off and I'm scrambling for a way to get to the airport.
It's pitch dark outside as it is late at night and it is cold as hell and I am in the middle of London all by myself. I see a bum at the corner of one intersection and I ask him if he knows how to get to the airport and the son of a bitch throws up all over me! What the hell! So now I'm running around London in a shirt and sweater full of a homeless man's vomit and I still don't know how to get back to the airport.
I pass by a fast food restaurant and see that the time is 12:30 AM, and that would mean that I only have two and a half hours to get back to the airport. I pass by a nightclub near the fast food restaurant and I ask a man how to get to the airport and he tells me, but I can't understand a word he says because his British accent is so thick. So I ask him to repeat what he just told me and he starts telling me in Spanish for no apparent reason! So then I yell at him and tell him that I speak English and that I am American and that all I want is to get back home and he calls me a "bloody American!" So then I decide to keep walking until I see somebody who might understand what I'm saying (even though I'm speaking English in an English speaking country) . I reach into my back pocket and find that I have five dollars left and I come across a liqour store and I decide to go in there to ask the clerk how to get to the airport, buying a Red Bull while I was at it.
I walk into the store and I grab a Red Bull and I put it on the counter as I reach into my pocket for my five dollar bill. Before I take it out, I try to tell the clerk that all I have is American money, but a naked woman walks into the store and throws me completely off. I know I know. This is freakin' ridiculous but like I said, this whole thing is RIDICULOUS. So, I try to tell the clerk about my five dollar bill but the naked woman puts her arm around me and offers to pay for my drink. I am confused as hell (as you can imagine) and I accept her offer and I ask her if she knows how to get to the airport. She tells me that she has no time to take me all the way there, but she does have time to take me to the train station that will lead me straight to the airport.
She drops me off at the train station and before she leaves, she tells me that it is 1:30 AM. I thank her for the drink and the ride and she takes off. I wait for a few minutes at the station and finally, the train arrives. I step onto the train and guess who I see sitting all by himself? Eduardo! I go up to him absolutely pissed off and I ask him where the hell he's been and what I had to go through just to get on the train. He tells me that he just had the time of his life with the girls at the hotel and that he had no idea why he ended up on the train. Just shortly before the train arrived at the airport, I tell him "I can't believe this. I just can't wait to get home." And he says, "speak for yourself man. I'm staying here." And I assume he's joking around, but he takes his plane ticket out and rips it in my face. My mouth drops and I'm just speechless. The train arrives at the airport and I ask him if he's for real and he says he is. The train door opens and I step out look at him for one last time. The train door slides to a close and I wake up.
It's 9:40 in the morning on a Sunday morning on December 22, 2008. I look over to the other couch and Eduardo is there still sleeping. There's twenty minutes left before the 49ers play the Rams on FOX. Time to make sense of what happened last night and watch some football.
Me, Eduardo and Alex (both of whom are friends of mine in real life) head to San Jose International Airport for what seems to be no apparent reason (yeah I know it's vague, but I did say it was a dream!). Somehow we each end up with a roundtrip ticket to London which for some reason lasts ONLY 48 hours. So by the time we get to London, we have 24 hours to spend there before we have to get on a plane back to the States.
So we're on the plane, and this incredible hot flight attendant serves me a Coke. I wanted to pursue her badly, but I "wussed" out so to speak, and nothing ended up happening. Before I know it, we land in London and we start to explore the city. Somehow, we end up running into this study abroad program from the States and my friend Sabrina is in the class (she is Eduardo's friend as well). So Eduardo and I go to say "hi" to her, but she acts as if I'm not even there! I couldn't believe it. I was yelling in her face but man did she keep her cool. Must've been something I said to her a while back that made her not want to talk to me, but the point is that she didn't. Now, I did mention that my friend Alex was with Eduardo and I when we made the trip, and this is where it starts to get a little crazy. After I stopped trying to get Sabrina's attention, I turned around and Alex was nowhere to be seen. Eduardo and I actually searched for a good while, but we couldn't find him. We tried to call him but he didn't answer his phone. So after a search for him, we decided that he would be smart enough to call us if he was in trouble, so we decided to explore the city a bit more.
We end up going to a mall and there's a whole bunch of stuff we see that we want to buy, but we don't end up buying anything because it was all too expensive. So, as we're walking around the mall, we meet these four British girls who are shopping as well. Damn, were they fine. Whew. So after a little talking, we end up going to their hotel room where Eduardo takes two girls into one room, and I take the other two into the room next door. Now, I'm not going to get into what happened while I was in the room with these two smoking girls, but I'll tell you the aftermath and what is ultimately another twist in my dream.
So I get done doing my business and I go out the door. I reach into my pocket and all I got is my plane ticket and my passport! The girls took my wallet, my phone and pretty much everything I had in my pocket (we went to London with no luggage - go figure)! So, I am pissed and I pound on the door for them to open it up and they don't make a single move. At this time, I decide to knock on the door where Eduardo went into and tell him that we had to get out of the hotel and start thinking about heading back to the airport because we only had about four hours before our flight back home was going to depart.
I knock on the door and there's only one of the girls that Eduardo went in there with there, and she tells me that he left half an hour ago with the second girl. Wow. Okay now this is pretty damn weird. So, I leave the hotel and start asking people how to get to the airport and no one tells me anything that's of any use to me. By this time, I only have three hours left before my flight takes off and I'm scrambling for a way to get to the airport.
It's pitch dark outside as it is late at night and it is cold as hell and I am in the middle of London all by myself. I see a bum at the corner of one intersection and I ask him if he knows how to get to the airport and the son of a bitch throws up all over me! What the hell! So now I'm running around London in a shirt and sweater full of a homeless man's vomit and I still don't know how to get back to the airport.
I pass by a fast food restaurant and see that the time is 12:30 AM, and that would mean that I only have two and a half hours to get back to the airport. I pass by a nightclub near the fast food restaurant and I ask a man how to get to the airport and he tells me, but I can't understand a word he says because his British accent is so thick. So I ask him to repeat what he just told me and he starts telling me in Spanish for no apparent reason! So then I yell at him and tell him that I speak English and that I am American and that all I want is to get back home and he calls me a "bloody American!" So then I decide to keep walking until I see somebody who might understand what I'm saying (even though I'm speaking English in an English speaking country) . I reach into my back pocket and find that I have five dollars left and I come across a liqour store and I decide to go in there to ask the clerk how to get to the airport, buying a Red Bull while I was at it.
I walk into the store and I grab a Red Bull and I put it on the counter as I reach into my pocket for my five dollar bill. Before I take it out, I try to tell the clerk that all I have is American money, but a naked woman walks into the store and throws me completely off. I know I know. This is freakin' ridiculous but like I said, this whole thing is RIDICULOUS. So, I try to tell the clerk about my five dollar bill but the naked woman puts her arm around me and offers to pay for my drink. I am confused as hell (as you can imagine) and I accept her offer and I ask her if she knows how to get to the airport. She tells me that she has no time to take me all the way there, but she does have time to take me to the train station that will lead me straight to the airport.
She drops me off at the train station and before she leaves, she tells me that it is 1:30 AM. I thank her for the drink and the ride and she takes off. I wait for a few minutes at the station and finally, the train arrives. I step onto the train and guess who I see sitting all by himself? Eduardo! I go up to him absolutely pissed off and I ask him where the hell he's been and what I had to go through just to get on the train. He tells me that he just had the time of his life with the girls at the hotel and that he had no idea why he ended up on the train. Just shortly before the train arrived at the airport, I tell him "I can't believe this. I just can't wait to get home." And he says, "speak for yourself man. I'm staying here." And I assume he's joking around, but he takes his plane ticket out and rips it in my face. My mouth drops and I'm just speechless. The train arrives at the airport and I ask him if he's for real and he says he is. The train door opens and I step out look at him for one last time. The train door slides to a close and I wake up.
It's 9:40 in the morning on a Sunday morning on December 22, 2008. I look over to the other couch and Eduardo is there still sleeping. There's twenty minutes left before the 49ers play the Rams on FOX. Time to make sense of what happened last night and watch some football.
new poem I wrote titled "Memory" (12/23/08)
This is a poem that I wrote on 12/23/08 and it's basis is the human function of remembering. Tell me what you think about it and tell me what you think it's about! Thanks, enjoy!
Memory
Memory is my enemy.
No! Memory is my friend.
Memory gets the best of me.
But memory makes me grin.
Memory is where SHE is. That's why I hate memory.
But memory is where SHE is. And that's why I love memory.
Memory won't let me forget - that's my problem.
But memory helps me out so that I can solve them.
In the end, my problem with memory is that it won't let me forget.
But then again, I love memory endlessly because it will always help me remember.
Memory
Memory is my enemy.
No! Memory is my friend.
Memory gets the best of me.
But memory makes me grin.
Memory is where SHE is. That's why I hate memory.
But memory is where SHE is. And that's why I love memory.
Memory won't let me forget - that's my problem.
But memory helps me out so that I can solve them.
In the end, my problem with memory is that it won't let me forget.
But then again, I love memory endlessly because it will always help me remember.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
December 18, 2008
So today I had two finals or "finals" to attend to at school today and the first one was an actual exam for my Organizational Communication class at 715am. I was a little late to the exam, which alright because all you really need is an hour to finish it, and that I did, and never in my life have I ever felt more relieved after writing my last sentence in a work that would close out a class or semester or school year. I honestly think I aced that exam and I am going to end up with a B in a class that is IMPOSSIBLE to get an A in (trust me).
Writing that last sentence got me thinking about how my last semester at SJSU is going to be, more specifically, when I write the final sentence (or fill in the final bubble on my scantron) of my exam, I cannot imagine how crazy I am going to feel, knowing that I had just written the last sentence of my academic career (as an undergraduate). Today got me even more excited for graduation at SJSU and it poured more fuel into the fire that is my desire to graduate with a master's degree in film production at UCLA or USC.
Although this was an incredible day, there was one reason why this day was almost a disaster: somebody deleted my edited movie at the Clark Lab! Damn. I worked 14 hours editing that movie and at least HALF of it is gone. Luckily, I did burn one copy of my movie and my friend Alex will be making copies for myself and my actors so I am very thankful for that.
Speaking of my actors, I don't know that Christina or Adam actually read this stuff, but if you are making a film, CONTACT THESE TWO people! Adam is an awesome actor is more than capable of playing a lead role and he should definitely see a lot of work next year. And then there's Christina. I met her in beginning acting two years ago, and she was already a great actress then, but her improvement has been astronomical. She is going to be a star and there is no reason why you wouldn't be seeing her in big budget Hollywood films very soon.
So I showed my movie to my class and they seemed to like it a lot. It was a parody of my beloved professor Amy Glazer, and she also enjoyed it and I was very relieved that she was, because I really did not want to hurt her feelings. But like I said, she liked it a lot and she's even going to show her husband what I made =).
Well, as you already know, I am officially off of school for the next 5 weeks or so, so if you want to do something, let me know! Hope you enjoyed my post, but I'm gonna start watching the Colts-Jaguars game on NFL network, so have a good night!
Writing that last sentence got me thinking about how my last semester at SJSU is going to be, more specifically, when I write the final sentence (or fill in the final bubble on my scantron) of my exam, I cannot imagine how crazy I am going to feel, knowing that I had just written the last sentence of my academic career (as an undergraduate). Today got me even more excited for graduation at SJSU and it poured more fuel into the fire that is my desire to graduate with a master's degree in film production at UCLA or USC.
Although this was an incredible day, there was one reason why this day was almost a disaster: somebody deleted my edited movie at the Clark Lab! Damn. I worked 14 hours editing that movie and at least HALF of it is gone. Luckily, I did burn one copy of my movie and my friend Alex will be making copies for myself and my actors so I am very thankful for that.
Speaking of my actors, I don't know that Christina or Adam actually read this stuff, but if you are making a film, CONTACT THESE TWO people! Adam is an awesome actor is more than capable of playing a lead role and he should definitely see a lot of work next year. And then there's Christina. I met her in beginning acting two years ago, and she was already a great actress then, but her improvement has been astronomical. She is going to be a star and there is no reason why you wouldn't be seeing her in big budget Hollywood films very soon.
So I showed my movie to my class and they seemed to like it a lot. It was a parody of my beloved professor Amy Glazer, and she also enjoyed it and I was very relieved that she was, because I really did not want to hurt her feelings. But like I said, she liked it a lot and she's even going to show her husband what I made =).
Well, as you already know, I am officially off of school for the next 5 weeks or so, so if you want to do something, let me know! Hope you enjoyed my post, but I'm gonna start watching the Colts-Jaguars game on NFL network, so have a good night!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thoughts on Rap
Hello there, for those of you who have read my first two posts, sorry for the delay for this one, but I've been really busy over the past few days, so I haven't been able to have time to post a new blog. Nevertheless, here's a couple of things about rap and if you are a football fan, don't forget to check out my blog below this one.
Rap. Ah, yes. One of the most popular, if not the most popular music genre among people in the 18-34 range. Now for those of you who know me, you would know that I really REALLY do not like mainstream rap - or top 40 music in general for that matter. But, as I imagine that most of us go through it at least once if not a few times a week, I got tired of listening to the CD's in my car, so I decided to listen to the radio one day. Man. It was terrible. I tuned into WILD 94.9 and my ears were blessed with the sound of the rapper known as Plies (of course I'm being sarcastic here).
The song was called "Bust It Baby Pt. 2" and it featured R&B sensation Ne-Yo (whom I actually think is a talented artist by the way), and the very first line that Plies had in the song absolutely threw me off of my focus of trying to drive safely (not that I ever have to focus to drive of course (= ), and I actually couldn't believe what he said. This line alone led to me to a realization of how terrible rappers are nowadays. Anyways, this is what he said: "if I wasn't married to the streets, it'll be you//your lips, what make you so cute." Wow. Seriously? Is this what rap has come to? You have to got to be kidding me. First of all, with his rapping style that sounds like he's moaning, he doesn't have the right to claim anything to the streets. Okay, so let me get this straight; you're not going to pursue a woman you like because you are married to an inanimate object (street)? How much sense does that make? Even more so, how is the next line of your song going to be "your lips, what make you so cute?"
Okay, back to my point here. Rap is terrible. Don't you ever call Plies, 50 Cent, Rick Ross or Soulja Boy "hip-hop artists." It is a slap in the face of the legends that created not only an incredible genre of music, but a lifestyle as well. There is no room in hip-hop for terrible rappers like Plies and Rick Ross and there is sure as hell no room in hip-hop for gangsters who think they are tough because they can't fight a man by themselves, so they have to carry a handgun to make themselves feel good. This is what rap is for. A hip-hop wannabe, whose lifestyle and prestige will never come close to what hip-hop stands for.
Rap. Ah, yes. One of the most popular, if not the most popular music genre among people in the 18-34 range. Now for those of you who know me, you would know that I really REALLY do not like mainstream rap - or top 40 music in general for that matter. But, as I imagine that most of us go through it at least once if not a few times a week, I got tired of listening to the CD's in my car, so I decided to listen to the radio one day. Man. It was terrible. I tuned into WILD 94.9 and my ears were blessed with the sound of the rapper known as Plies (of course I'm being sarcastic here).
The song was called "Bust It Baby Pt. 2" and it featured R&B sensation Ne-Yo (whom I actually think is a talented artist by the way), and the very first line that Plies had in the song absolutely threw me off of my focus of trying to drive safely (not that I ever have to focus to drive of course (= ), and I actually couldn't believe what he said. This line alone led to me to a realization of how terrible rappers are nowadays. Anyways, this is what he said: "if I wasn't married to the streets, it'll be you//your lips, what make you so cute." Wow. Seriously? Is this what rap has come to? You have to got to be kidding me. First of all, with his rapping style that sounds like he's moaning, he doesn't have the right to claim anything to the streets. Okay, so let me get this straight; you're not going to pursue a woman you like because you are married to an inanimate object (street)? How much sense does that make? Even more so, how is the next line of your song going to be "your lips, what make you so cute?"
Okay, back to my point here. Rap is terrible. Don't you ever call Plies, 50 Cent, Rick Ross or Soulja Boy "hip-hop artists." It is a slap in the face of the legends that created not only an incredible genre of music, but a lifestyle as well. There is no room in hip-hop for terrible rappers like Plies and Rick Ross and there is sure as hell no room in hip-hop for gangsters who think they are tough because they can't fight a man by themselves, so they have to carry a handgun to make themselves feel good. This is what rap is for. A hip-hop wannabe, whose lifestyle and prestige will never come close to what hip-hop stands for.
Thoughts on the NFL's Week 15
If you watched any of the games with any playoff implication this past week (Week 15 in the NFL), then chances are that you saw a pretty good game (besides the Eagles-Browns and Patriots-Raiders games). I'm going to go through every division briefly to discuss what happened this week with a major emphasis on the AFC North and how the playoff picture looks right now. So, let's start with the NFC North shall we?
NFC North
I'm not going to talk about the Vikings who had an easy win in Arizona or the Bears here because they aren't really the two teams with the most drama going on right now. With that being said, I'll discuss the Packers and Lions, starting with the Packers. They have lost five straight games. Look alright, you can say whatever you want about how different the offense might be with Brett Favre no longer around, but face it: the Packers made the RIGHT move by giving Aaron Rodgers the job this past off-season. They may not be going to the playoffs, but with Favre inching closer to 40 years of age, they might not have had more than two to three seasons with him under center. If they had chosen Favre, Rodgers would have walked away in free agency next year and the Packers would have Matt Flynn (who really looks like Matt Damon, you should Google him) as their quarterback of the future. Need I say more?
Now on to the Lions. Where do I begin? As much as I thought that I have wanted an NFL team to go 0-16, I've realized that I hope there is never a team that goes winless. Sure, it's fun to point and laugh at Lions fans when (yes that is WHEN this happens because they play New Orleans and Green Bay in the last two games) they go winless, but let's be logical here, this would be absolutely terrible for the league. How can you possibly let an NFL franchise who can't even win one game be in the league? It's not attractive to potential NFL fans and it especially doesn't get the non-football fans of Detroit interested in watching their home team play - not that they would be interested anyway, but a winless team makes it worse.
NFC South
This division has shaped out to be the best division in football this year. I'm gonna talk about the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons here. Starting with the Panthers; I just want to say how impressed I am in their new found running game with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. They have embarrassed NFL defenses for the past several weeks and this Panthers team is a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
How about those Atlanta Falcons? Going into this season, I honestly thought that they would be the worst team in the league, even more so than Kansas City. But man was I wrong. I did not buy into Matt Ryan at all, especially after ESPN's Todd McShay hailed him as a better quarterback coming out of college than Jay Cutler, Matt Leinart and Vince Young. Now McShay may not be able to argue that Ryan is better than Cutler, but I will be the first to admit that I was wrong about Ryan being a fraud. He's a legitimate NFL quarterback and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game, if not the Super Bowl within the next five years. I actually hope they make the playoffs this year, because I feel for their fans and they did not deserve to have Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino betray them like that.
NFC West
Not a whole lot to talk about here except for how terrible the Cardinals looked against the Vikings. The Cardinals performance was a testament to how overrated they are (not offensively but as a team), and they will be sure to see a first round exit this year in the playoffs. The 49ers played another solid, competitive game, but two 16 play drives that result in THREE total points won't win you any games. PERIOD. I must say that I was really impressed with how the Rams played against the Seahawks, but then again, they played against the 32nd ranked pass defense in the league (that's dead last in the league for those of you who don't know how many teams there are), and they did play at home. I'm just saying.
NFC East
I'm not going to talk about the Eagles because they are not as interesting as the Cowboys and Giants at this time. Let me start with the Cowboys, who are actually in the lead for top wild card spot in the NFC. They looked really impressive against the Giants on Sunday night and I think that they are the ONLY team that can prevent the Giants from getting back to the Super Bowl this year. Granted, they do have to win their last two games against the angry Baltimore Ravens (whom I will get to very soon) and the resurgent Philadelphia Eagles (in Philly), but they can do it. If Marion Barber can get healthy, you'll see Cowboys-Giants III this year in the NFC Championship Game.
I don't want to say a lot about the Giants, but I will say that this loss at Dallas should not present any worries. As long as Brandon Jacobs can get healthy, I think that they will get back to the Super Bowl. But the keyword is IF. They can definitely win without Plaxico Burress, but if you watched the game against the Cowboys this past week, you saw how one-dimensional they are on offense without Brandon Jacobs. It's quite simple: with Brandon Jacobs = Super Bowl berth (NFC Championship Game berth at the very least) and without Brandon Jacobs = 2nd Round exit.
AFC East
Again, I don't want to stretch this blog out so I won't talk about the irrelevant Bills or the luckily overrated Jets. I will say though, that the Dolphins are the most surprising team in the league this year behind the Falcons and I would love to see them win the AFC East. Now on to the Patriots. Big kudos to Matt Cassel for having the performance of his life just days after his father passed away. I can't imagine having to go back to work just days after one of my parents passed away, and I really admire his courage and willingness to play. By the way, if you haven't noticed, if the Patriots win their last two games, they will finish 11-5 - and miss the playoffs (which I will get to in a bit).
AFC West
Honestly this division isn't worth writing about, but I will say that I am very disappointed in San Diego, the Denver Broncos will never be consistent, the Oakland Raiders have officially claimed the title of "Worst Team of the Decade," and that I feel sorry for Herman Edwards because he is a great coach who happens to be leading a terrible team.
AFC South
Again, not a whole lot to say here, but the Colts are one of the hottest teams in the league and they can never be counted out. The Titans are overrated and the Steelers will definitely prove that this Sunday. The Jaguars are the biggest disappointment of the year behind the Chargers. And finally, if the Texans had a little more defense, they would actually be contenders because they are the hottest team in football in the last 4 weeks.
AFC North
Okay, now one of the biggest reasons why I decided to write about football in this blog. No need to worry, I'm not going to bore you with comments about the irrelevant Browns and Bengals. Let's talk about easily the most controversial play of the season which happened in the closing minute of the Steelers-Ravens game this Sunday. If you didn't see what happened, you need to see what happened. For those of you who know me, you know that I love the Steelers. My heart belongs to the 49ers and they will always be 1st in my heart, but I LOVE the Steelers. But I will admit, they got away with one in Baltimore. Did Santonio Holmes really have the ball across the goal line? I don't know, and NO ONE really knows. But I do know this: there is NO way you can overturn the call on the field (which was a catch down at the 1-yard line) if there is no conclusive video evidence (which there was none).
Why do I emphasize this section of my post so much? Because it truly alters the NFL Playoffs. Think about it. If the Ravens win that game against the Steelers, they take 1st in the division, the number two seed in the AFC and ultimately provide a road trip that no team in the AFC would like to take (not that any team wants to go Pittsburgh either). How does this alter the playoffs? Well, look at this weekend, if the Steelers beat the Titans, they take over the number 1 seed in the AFC and the road to the Super Bowl would have to go through Pittsburgh. This scenario would not even be possible if weren't for the Steelers win over the Ravens. Not only does Pittsburgh escape having to play a wild card game, they also get a bye week and could possibly play at home until they get to Tampa (the Super Bowl). Who else loses in all of this? The Titans. If the Ravens won this past week, they would have secured the number 1 seed and the road to the Super Bowl would have to go through Tennessee. Big BIG turn of events.
In closing, the NFL playoffs look very interesting. As I said earlier, the Patriots have a chance to go 11-5 and miss the playoffs this year, which would be an absolute travesty. Now, I really don't like New England but they are getting robbed here. How is it that the Denver Broncos who could finish 8-8, have a home playoff game in the first round and the 11-5 Patriots not even get into the playoffs? For the Patriots to not get in is a travesty and exposes a huge weakness in the NFL's playoff system. They should keep all 8 divisions for scheduling purposes (ex. the 49ers play the Rams and Seahawks twice a year), but they should make the top 6 teams (by record) in each conference get into the playoffs. This prevents teams in terrible divisions such as the Cardinals and Broncos from taking spots from more deserving teams like New England and Atlanta (who could also go 11-5 and miss the playoffs, but their situation is a little less shadier than New England's).
With that said, my Super Bowl prediction at this point in the season would have to be the Steelers (I say this unbiasedly because their defense this year is quietly one of the top 10 defenses in a single season in NFL history) versus the New York Giants. Ben Roethlisberger should play really well in the playoffs after being sub-par in the regular season and if there is any team in the league that knows how to battle adversity, it's the New York Giants.
NFC North
I'm not going to talk about the Vikings who had an easy win in Arizona or the Bears here because they aren't really the two teams with the most drama going on right now. With that being said, I'll discuss the Packers and Lions, starting with the Packers. They have lost five straight games. Look alright, you can say whatever you want about how different the offense might be with Brett Favre no longer around, but face it: the Packers made the RIGHT move by giving Aaron Rodgers the job this past off-season. They may not be going to the playoffs, but with Favre inching closer to 40 years of age, they might not have had more than two to three seasons with him under center. If they had chosen Favre, Rodgers would have walked away in free agency next year and the Packers would have Matt Flynn (who really looks like Matt Damon, you should Google him) as their quarterback of the future. Need I say more?
Now on to the Lions. Where do I begin? As much as I thought that I have wanted an NFL team to go 0-16, I've realized that I hope there is never a team that goes winless. Sure, it's fun to point and laugh at Lions fans when (yes that is WHEN this happens because they play New Orleans and Green Bay in the last two games) they go winless, but let's be logical here, this would be absolutely terrible for the league. How can you possibly let an NFL franchise who can't even win one game be in the league? It's not attractive to potential NFL fans and it especially doesn't get the non-football fans of Detroit interested in watching their home team play - not that they would be interested anyway, but a winless team makes it worse.
NFC South
This division has shaped out to be the best division in football this year. I'm gonna talk about the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons here. Starting with the Panthers; I just want to say how impressed I am in their new found running game with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. They have embarrassed NFL defenses for the past several weeks and this Panthers team is a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
How about those Atlanta Falcons? Going into this season, I honestly thought that they would be the worst team in the league, even more so than Kansas City. But man was I wrong. I did not buy into Matt Ryan at all, especially after ESPN's Todd McShay hailed him as a better quarterback coming out of college than Jay Cutler, Matt Leinart and Vince Young. Now McShay may not be able to argue that Ryan is better than Cutler, but I will be the first to admit that I was wrong about Ryan being a fraud. He's a legitimate NFL quarterback and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game, if not the Super Bowl within the next five years. I actually hope they make the playoffs this year, because I feel for their fans and they did not deserve to have Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino betray them like that.
NFC West
Not a whole lot to talk about here except for how terrible the Cardinals looked against the Vikings. The Cardinals performance was a testament to how overrated they are (not offensively but as a team), and they will be sure to see a first round exit this year in the playoffs. The 49ers played another solid, competitive game, but two 16 play drives that result in THREE total points won't win you any games. PERIOD. I must say that I was really impressed with how the Rams played against the Seahawks, but then again, they played against the 32nd ranked pass defense in the league (that's dead last in the league for those of you who don't know how many teams there are), and they did play at home. I'm just saying.
NFC East
I'm not going to talk about the Eagles because they are not as interesting as the Cowboys and Giants at this time. Let me start with the Cowboys, who are actually in the lead for top wild card spot in the NFC. They looked really impressive against the Giants on Sunday night and I think that they are the ONLY team that can prevent the Giants from getting back to the Super Bowl this year. Granted, they do have to win their last two games against the angry Baltimore Ravens (whom I will get to very soon) and the resurgent Philadelphia Eagles (in Philly), but they can do it. If Marion Barber can get healthy, you'll see Cowboys-Giants III this year in the NFC Championship Game.
I don't want to say a lot about the Giants, but I will say that this loss at Dallas should not present any worries. As long as Brandon Jacobs can get healthy, I think that they will get back to the Super Bowl. But the keyword is IF. They can definitely win without Plaxico Burress, but if you watched the game against the Cowboys this past week, you saw how one-dimensional they are on offense without Brandon Jacobs. It's quite simple: with Brandon Jacobs = Super Bowl berth (NFC Championship Game berth at the very least) and without Brandon Jacobs = 2nd Round exit.
AFC East
Again, I don't want to stretch this blog out so I won't talk about the irrelevant Bills or the luckily overrated Jets. I will say though, that the Dolphins are the most surprising team in the league this year behind the Falcons and I would love to see them win the AFC East. Now on to the Patriots. Big kudos to Matt Cassel for having the performance of his life just days after his father passed away. I can't imagine having to go back to work just days after one of my parents passed away, and I really admire his courage and willingness to play. By the way, if you haven't noticed, if the Patriots win their last two games, they will finish 11-5 - and miss the playoffs (which I will get to in a bit).
AFC West
Honestly this division isn't worth writing about, but I will say that I am very disappointed in San Diego, the Denver Broncos will never be consistent, the Oakland Raiders have officially claimed the title of "Worst Team of the Decade," and that I feel sorry for Herman Edwards because he is a great coach who happens to be leading a terrible team.
AFC South
Again, not a whole lot to say here, but the Colts are one of the hottest teams in the league and they can never be counted out. The Titans are overrated and the Steelers will definitely prove that this Sunday. The Jaguars are the biggest disappointment of the year behind the Chargers. And finally, if the Texans had a little more defense, they would actually be contenders because they are the hottest team in football in the last 4 weeks.
AFC North
Okay, now one of the biggest reasons why I decided to write about football in this blog. No need to worry, I'm not going to bore you with comments about the irrelevant Browns and Bengals. Let's talk about easily the most controversial play of the season which happened in the closing minute of the Steelers-Ravens game this Sunday. If you didn't see what happened, you need to see what happened. For those of you who know me, you know that I love the Steelers. My heart belongs to the 49ers and they will always be 1st in my heart, but I LOVE the Steelers. But I will admit, they got away with one in Baltimore. Did Santonio Holmes really have the ball across the goal line? I don't know, and NO ONE really knows. But I do know this: there is NO way you can overturn the call on the field (which was a catch down at the 1-yard line) if there is no conclusive video evidence (which there was none).
Why do I emphasize this section of my post so much? Because it truly alters the NFL Playoffs. Think about it. If the Ravens win that game against the Steelers, they take 1st in the division, the number two seed in the AFC and ultimately provide a road trip that no team in the AFC would like to take (not that any team wants to go Pittsburgh either). How does this alter the playoffs? Well, look at this weekend, if the Steelers beat the Titans, they take over the number 1 seed in the AFC and the road to the Super Bowl would have to go through Pittsburgh. This scenario would not even be possible if weren't for the Steelers win over the Ravens. Not only does Pittsburgh escape having to play a wild card game, they also get a bye week and could possibly play at home until they get to Tampa (the Super Bowl). Who else loses in all of this? The Titans. If the Ravens won this past week, they would have secured the number 1 seed and the road to the Super Bowl would have to go through Tennessee. Big BIG turn of events.
In closing, the NFL playoffs look very interesting. As I said earlier, the Patriots have a chance to go 11-5 and miss the playoffs this year, which would be an absolute travesty. Now, I really don't like New England but they are getting robbed here. How is it that the Denver Broncos who could finish 8-8, have a home playoff game in the first round and the 11-5 Patriots not even get into the playoffs? For the Patriots to not get in is a travesty and exposes a huge weakness in the NFL's playoff system. They should keep all 8 divisions for scheduling purposes (ex. the 49ers play the Rams and Seahawks twice a year), but they should make the top 6 teams (by record) in each conference get into the playoffs. This prevents teams in terrible divisions such as the Cardinals and Broncos from taking spots from more deserving teams like New England and Atlanta (who could also go 11-5 and miss the playoffs, but their situation is a little less shadier than New England's).
With that said, my Super Bowl prediction at this point in the season would have to be the Steelers (I say this unbiasedly because their defense this year is quietly one of the top 10 defenses in a single season in NFL history) versus the New York Giants. Ben Roethlisberger should play really well in the playoffs after being sub-par in the regular season and if there is any team in the league that knows how to battle adversity, it's the New York Giants.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Ideas for Semester Break Activities
So, it's that time of year again. The time of year that college and some high school students wait so anxiously for, just for it to slip away in a matter of weeks. That's right ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about winter break. Now, although many students have jobs which can limit their semester break enjoyment, and few still take a class or two during the break, that does not mean that you cannot enjoy your break by any means. Here are a couple of suggestions for those of you who are on break right now, and if you are not then maybe you can try some of these activities sometime (all of these suggestions can apply to any person on break in general, but this is a little more limited to those who live in the Bay Area):
1) If you usually work in the morning during semester breaks, chances are that your only chance for enjoyment is going to come during the afternoon to early to mid evening. If this is you, you don't have as many options as those who can afford to put sleep aside, but one option you have is miniature golfing. Yes, that's right. Of course, there are some of us out there who just feel the need to be competitive (including myself), but this game is meant to be fun! Not only is it fun, it's not that expensive ($11.99 per person for TWO 18-hole courses on weekends before 5, and $7.99 a person on weekdays before 4). Look, you know you would rather spend +/- $10.00 on golfing than a movie (that you're not sure is going to be good).
2) Go see a movie! Okay, I know I mentioned previously that you should probably spend ten bucks on golfing instead of a movie. But look at it this way: if there's a movie that looks really funny or interesting to you, you should definitely go see it right away, because chances are that it will only be in theaters for a few weeks (you can go golfing any time).
3) Go ice skating. Okay, okay, this might not be a very cool thing to propose to the fellas for you gentlemen, but if you can make it a group thing with girls, then it's a great thing to try. It's $11.75 a person right now at Logitech Ice (in San Jose on South 10th Street) and you can really skate for as long as you want, as long you start a while before the public skating sessions end.
4) Go to the snow! Alright now this might seem a little expensive to some of you, and the fact is that it really is only IF you want to ski or snowboard (and do not own skis or a snowboard). After talking to a friend of mine this past week, I've learned that there are a few parks (mainly in the Lake Tahoe area for those who live in the Bay Area) in which you would only pay around a $10 entry fee to be able to ride sleds and just mess around in the snow. This is perfect for those who don't wish to snowboard or ski because this lets you enjoy the snow without having to really do anything you don't want to do. Of course, you would have to lodge there unless you have a burning desire to get home right away, but if you can afford it, it's definitely worth it.
5) Go workout. Some of you might already do this, but for those of you who don't, please do. Look, I know first hand how tough it is stay mentally motivated to keep working out, but trust me, if I can do it, you can too! I've weighed as much as 215 pounds and now I weigh 165, with the biggest weight cut being a loss of 30 pounds from February 2007 to April 2007 (no mistype there, it really took just 3 months). Nutrition and exercise is a huge part of feeling good not only physically, but mentally as well, and everyone needs some type of exercise, no matter how big or small they might be.
6) Go do something for people in need. Now if you don't have the time, but got the money, then donate a little, it doesn't have to be much, a dollar can literally make a difference in a needy person's life. It's the holiday season so go out there and be Santa for somebody. You can volunteer at a homeless shelter and help feed them, join a Big Brother type program where you can counsel and guide children, or if you can't do either of those things, you can easily donate canned foods (or any kind of food for that matter) to Second Harvest Food Bank. Your thought and generosity can and will light up someone's day, so go out there and make someone feel good.
I know some of these things might be as some might say "a given," but these are only suggestions. There are MILLIONS of things you can do. Play video games, dance at clubs, sleep or do drugs (I seriously hope your winter break doesn't come down to this). Like I said, I'm trying this blog thing out for fun, and I'm just sharing my thoughts with you because writing is actually enjoyable for me. Thanks for reading. Happy Winter Break and good luck on finals!
1) If you usually work in the morning during semester breaks, chances are that your only chance for enjoyment is going to come during the afternoon to early to mid evening. If this is you, you don't have as many options as those who can afford to put sleep aside, but one option you have is miniature golfing. Yes, that's right. Of course, there are some of us out there who just feel the need to be competitive (including myself), but this game is meant to be fun! Not only is it fun, it's not that expensive ($11.99 per person for TWO 18-hole courses on weekends before 5, and $7.99 a person on weekdays before 4). Look, you know you would rather spend +/- $10.00 on golfing than a movie (that you're not sure is going to be good).
2) Go see a movie! Okay, I know I mentioned previously that you should probably spend ten bucks on golfing instead of a movie. But look at it this way: if there's a movie that looks really funny or interesting to you, you should definitely go see it right away, because chances are that it will only be in theaters for a few weeks (you can go golfing any time).
3) Go ice skating. Okay, okay, this might not be a very cool thing to propose to the fellas for you gentlemen, but if you can make it a group thing with girls, then it's a great thing to try. It's $11.75 a person right now at Logitech Ice (in San Jose on South 10th Street) and you can really skate for as long as you want, as long you start a while before the public skating sessions end.
4) Go to the snow! Alright now this might seem a little expensive to some of you, and the fact is that it really is only IF you want to ski or snowboard (and do not own skis or a snowboard). After talking to a friend of mine this past week, I've learned that there are a few parks (mainly in the Lake Tahoe area for those who live in the Bay Area) in which you would only pay around a $10 entry fee to be able to ride sleds and just mess around in the snow. This is perfect for those who don't wish to snowboard or ski because this lets you enjoy the snow without having to really do anything you don't want to do. Of course, you would have to lodge there unless you have a burning desire to get home right away, but if you can afford it, it's definitely worth it.
5) Go workout. Some of you might already do this, but for those of you who don't, please do. Look, I know first hand how tough it is stay mentally motivated to keep working out, but trust me, if I can do it, you can too! I've weighed as much as 215 pounds and now I weigh 165, with the biggest weight cut being a loss of 30 pounds from February 2007 to April 2007 (no mistype there, it really took just 3 months). Nutrition and exercise is a huge part of feeling good not only physically, but mentally as well, and everyone needs some type of exercise, no matter how big or small they might be.
6) Go do something for people in need. Now if you don't have the time, but got the money, then donate a little, it doesn't have to be much, a dollar can literally make a difference in a needy person's life. It's the holiday season so go out there and be Santa for somebody. You can volunteer at a homeless shelter and help feed them, join a Big Brother type program where you can counsel and guide children, or if you can't do either of those things, you can easily donate canned foods (or any kind of food for that matter) to Second Harvest Food Bank. Your thought and generosity can and will light up someone's day, so go out there and make someone feel good.
I know some of these things might be as some might say "a given," but these are only suggestions. There are MILLIONS of things you can do. Play video games, dance at clubs, sleep or do drugs (I seriously hope your winter break doesn't come down to this). Like I said, I'm trying this blog thing out for fun, and I'm just sharing my thoughts with you because writing is actually enjoyable for me. Thanks for reading. Happy Winter Break and good luck on finals!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
BCS Title Game
Hey everybody! Welcome to my post-communication theory blog! I'll be posting stuff everyday ranging from sports, entertainment (my film reviews included), my insight on handling any tpe of problem,, and I'll be posting stuff about relationships and love as well. Anything and I mean ANYTHING you want me to talk about, email me at jimtin8@gmail.com and I will post for you! I am a good listener (in this case reader) and I can give you any kind of insight on anything. Without further a do, here is my first post:
First of all I am very disappointed in my school's football team (San Jose State Spartans) in that we could not get into a bowl game this year. We had a decent season and I think we deserve to go a bowl game if Colorado State got into one. Anyways, this is my opinion on the choosing of the two National Title participants for this year, Florida and Oklahoma. Look, I get it Longhorns fans, you beat Oklahoma. And you know what? I absolutely agree with you - head to head should definitely count in choosing the conference champion (in this case, choosing the Big 12 South winner who would presumably beat the Big 12 North winner and head to the National Title Game). However, this is exactly why I don't believe that Texas got a raw deal. The Longhorns want head to head to count, but they forget that they lost to Texas Tech. Your argument is "oh but Texas Tech got routed against the team we beat," but look at it the other way; you got beat by the team that lost by 30+ points to the team you beat. If you count head to head, Texas Tech, although they got dominated against Oklahoma, deserves to be in the picture as well.
So, what does that mean then? The voters (except for the computer rankings) got it right. Oklahoma's non-conference schedule is the strongest out of themselves, Texas and Texas Tech, so they deserve to play for the title (that and because they are the most dominant team right now in terms of scoring). Does that mean I think they should be number 1? Absolutely not. Florida is without question the best team in the nation. Their road to the national title was a lot more difficult than. Oklahoma's because they actually had to face tough defenses. Sure, they lost to Ole Miss at home, but they have absolutely dominated EVERYBODY since then, embarrassing their opponents (except Alabama). This is also why I think Tim Tebow should win the Heisman again, because his body of work is more impressive than Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford - he faced really tough defenses and still put up good numbers.
When it's all said and done at the BCS Title game, there will be one logical idea on people's minds - a playoff. I know the arguments against a playoff but in reality, we don't have one in college football because of money (ESPN just made a multi-year deal to broadcast BCS bowl games). My prediction for the national title game is Florida 41, Oklahoma 28.
Now I want to know what you think! Should Texas be in the title game? Why? Who gets your vote for best team in the nation? Feel free to leave a comment. Irrelevant and absurd comments are not welcome here and will be deleted immediately. Get a life, don't send me B.S. grow up. Thanks for reading!
First of all I am very disappointed in my school's football team (San Jose State Spartans) in that we could not get into a bowl game this year. We had a decent season and I think we deserve to go a bowl game if Colorado State got into one. Anyways, this is my opinion on the choosing of the two National Title participants for this year, Florida and Oklahoma. Look, I get it Longhorns fans, you beat Oklahoma. And you know what? I absolutely agree with you - head to head should definitely count in choosing the conference champion (in this case, choosing the Big 12 South winner who would presumably beat the Big 12 North winner and head to the National Title Game). However, this is exactly why I don't believe that Texas got a raw deal. The Longhorns want head to head to count, but they forget that they lost to Texas Tech. Your argument is "oh but Texas Tech got routed against the team we beat," but look at it the other way; you got beat by the team that lost by 30+ points to the team you beat. If you count head to head, Texas Tech, although they got dominated against Oklahoma, deserves to be in the picture as well.
So, what does that mean then? The voters (except for the computer rankings) got it right. Oklahoma's non-conference schedule is the strongest out of themselves, Texas and Texas Tech, so they deserve to play for the title (that and because they are the most dominant team right now in terms of scoring). Does that mean I think they should be number 1? Absolutely not. Florida is without question the best team in the nation. Their road to the national title was a lot more difficult than. Oklahoma's because they actually had to face tough defenses. Sure, they lost to Ole Miss at home, but they have absolutely dominated EVERYBODY since then, embarrassing their opponents (except Alabama). This is also why I think Tim Tebow should win the Heisman again, because his body of work is more impressive than Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford - he faced really tough defenses and still put up good numbers.
When it's all said and done at the BCS Title game, there will be one logical idea on people's minds - a playoff. I know the arguments against a playoff but in reality, we don't have one in college football because of money (ESPN just made a multi-year deal to broadcast BCS bowl games). My prediction for the national title game is Florida 41, Oklahoma 28.
Now I want to know what you think! Should Texas be in the title game? Why? Who gets your vote for best team in the nation? Feel free to leave a comment. Irrelevant and absurd comments are not welcome here and will be deleted immediately. Get a life, don't send me B.S. grow up. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Movie Review of Oliver Stone's "W." (Week 8, Blog 3)
It's 1:23 in the morning and I've just gotten back from watching Oliver Stone's latest picture "W." which chronicles the life of current president, George W. Bush. While I was watching the film, a couple of things actually stood out for me, things of which correlated to what chapter 23 of the text is about: narrative coherence and narrative fidelity.
According to the text, narrative coherence is basically when characters act consistently and leads the listener (or in this case, the viewer) to believe that the story is true. Having said that, there is NO narrative coherence in this film. With the exception of Josh Brolin (who does a solid job in portraying Bush), every character is absolutely blown out of proportion. In other words, the character actions in the film were not consistent enough to make me believe in the story.
While the film does have an example of narrative coherence, it also has an example of narrative fidelity. According to the text, narrative fidelity is when a story "strikes a responsive chord" within the listener (but again in this case, the viewer). According to Fisher, a story has "fidelity when it provides good reasons to guide our future actions". While I learned nothing new from Stone's picture, I was aware of the emphasis he put on the film. He emphasized key points in Bush's life in which Bush clearly showed that he was never, is not and will never be qualified to be the President of the United States. I would certainly assume that Fisher would see the narrative fidelity in this film, in which Americans, with good reasons presented before them, will be able to make better decisions in the future with regards to voting the right man (or woman) into the country's highest honor.
I realize this blog is totally unconventional from what we usually do in this class, but I felt the need to express this. I personally did not enjoy the film because it is blatantly biased (in support of Bush) and it simply places all of the blame on his advisers through his eight years as President, thus assuming that Bush should not be held accountable for anything, even though he makes the final decision. I surely hope that you can understand where I am coming from, whether you are in support of Bush or not, and I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
According to the text, narrative coherence is basically when characters act consistently and leads the listener (or in this case, the viewer) to believe that the story is true. Having said that, there is NO narrative coherence in this film. With the exception of Josh Brolin (who does a solid job in portraying Bush), every character is absolutely blown out of proportion. In other words, the character actions in the film were not consistent enough to make me believe in the story.
While the film does have an example of narrative coherence, it also has an example of narrative fidelity. According to the text, narrative fidelity is when a story "strikes a responsive chord" within the listener (but again in this case, the viewer). According to Fisher, a story has "fidelity when it provides good reasons to guide our future actions". While I learned nothing new from Stone's picture, I was aware of the emphasis he put on the film. He emphasized key points in Bush's life in which Bush clearly showed that he was never, is not and will never be qualified to be the President of the United States. I would certainly assume that Fisher would see the narrative fidelity in this film, in which Americans, with good reasons presented before them, will be able to make better decisions in the future with regards to voting the right man (or woman) into the country's highest honor.
I realize this blog is totally unconventional from what we usually do in this class, but I felt the need to express this. I personally did not enjoy the film because it is blatantly biased (in support of Bush) and it simply places all of the blame on his advisers through his eight years as President, thus assuming that Bush should not be held accountable for anything, even though he makes the final decision. I surely hope that you can understand where I am coming from, whether you are in support of Bush or not, and I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Chapter 22: Victimage (Week 8, Blog 2)
One of the most interesting concepts I found in chapter 22 of the text is the concept of victimage. According to Griffin, victimage is when one names someone or something outside of himself and places the blame of personal or public problems on that someone or something. I found this concept interesting because just an hour before I had read chapter 22, I watched a show on VH1 in which memorable reality show moments were reviewed. One of the moments came from "America's Next Top Model," in which one of the contending models fainted right in front of Tyra Banks (one of the judges). The fainted model was taken to the hospital while Tyra spoke with the other models who had just witnessed what had happened. Instead of saying that the fainted model was a victim of something like anxiety, Tyra turned it around and made herself the victim and blamed her shock of seeing the model fainting on the fainted model. By the text's definition, it is clear that Tyra made the fainted model her scapegoat.
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