Hard Knock Life

$118 million dollars later and still dubbed a "disappointment."

Sigh...

Bad Taste Bears

So today my boss decided to run through the list of the 100 worst movies ever on Rotten Tomatoes.

As we were going through, I started to realize that I've seen a lot of them. A lot a lot. This would probably amount to about 100 hours of pure crap.

It got better when a few of them were projects that I worked on. So more like hundreds of hours spent on swill.

Awesome.

"Simma Down Naw!"

I'm pretty sure I have ADD.

I may need a Green Card for that.

Life is Beautiful

It's kind of nice that I'm addicted to this song on my birthday. It definitely beats the 2001 ringer "Deathly."

I would post the entire homage to the piece but it's got a debbie downer subject matter that my extremely superstitious self would rather avoid - today.

I'll post it tomorrow.

For now, I'll just enjoy this...

It's amazing where I'm standing.
There's a lot that we can give.
This is ours just for a moment.
There's a lot that we can give.

So close...

Baptism By Fire.

I'm not sure if I've already done a post with this title but it's what I was first told when I started interning and it's probably my favorite motto to date.

I've never felt more pressure to learn faster to produce quicker and to be better than this week. And for some psychotic reason, I love it.

I'm sure I'm going to burn out in 3 months going at this pace, but man it's pretty fun in a super ass tiring way. I particularly can't complain for another month since watching Hannah Montana all day is something I consider far from being hard work.

I also feel my creative bottleneck slowly starting to chip away. Baby steps though.

Focus.

Instead of making a long laundry list of specific 2009 resolutions (for which I will probably fail at), I'm going to boil it down to one simple thing:

Focus.

Focus, focus, focus ... in every aspect of life. It's almost reminiscent of 2003 and my GYAT plan (Get Your Act Together), which, btw, I consider a success.

Don't get me wrong. I'm still going to party like a rock.

In fact, I might be rockier than ever, since if you're going to do it, focus and do it right.

For now, I'm just going to focus on healing my ass since I injured it again snowboarding. I love my traditional trip to Utah, but my traditional ass injury is no fun. I wonder if I have an extended vertebrae or something (a tail?!?!), because I seem to mess this part up a lot. The comforting part though, is that I'm not alone (Missouri loves company!), since I found a butt pad for snowboarders. I'm excited about said pad and can't wait to try strutting around the slopes like J.Lo.

This time around, I actually got to see three films at Sundance, all of which I really enjoyed (Art & Copy, Mystery Team, I Love You Phillip Morris). An awesome bonus prize was Rodrigo Santoro showing up with Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor to the Phillip Morris screening. Good grief, risking organ loss might be worth it to go to Brazil.

Ahh, tomorrow.

Jan. 20th. Big day in the world.

Big day in the life.

Focusing.

I Live to Serve...

The Day is Darkest Just Before the Dawn...

I re-watched "The Dark Knight" in IMAX today and damn, it was even better the second time around. As much as I really don't want it to come close to Titanic's record, that is some brilliant film making right there. And for about 2.5 hours, I actually didn't feel unsettled for once.

Gahhh, I feel like I'm experiencing some quarter life crisis. I just feel antsy all the time and my brain never really wants to shut off. I find less pleasure in things I used to love, like loafing, TV, and even movies. I think I really need to just get on a plane...to anywhere. I'm contemplating just dart boarding it.

I know. I'm a total crazy workaholic. I need help.

Obi-wan?

It's Not the Triumph, but the Struggle.

Wow, I haven't blogged in forever and a day.

Simply put, I haven't had the time nor motivation to really do so. It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, with some insane ups and downs, lefts and rights, and honestly, backwards and forwards. I'm tired, amped, and a lil' bit crazy running on fumes, adrenaline, and pure psychosis. "I'm all jacked up on Mountain Dew!"

The Olympics started today and after watching the opening ceremony intro, I'm beyond pumped. These guys are the real deal. Their entire existence is based purely on mere seconds for a chance at glory, hence that kick ass quote up top. There's some real food for thought: Everyone works for the juice, but maybe all we can really do is enjoy the squeeze?

And damn, does it taste sweet.

Syndicated!

Happy 100th post!

I was thinking of what could be special enough to blog about as a topic for my 100th post, and I've decided to just blog about my 100th post.

8 months and still going. I am as surprised as you are.

Finger Lickin' Good

So yesterday I finally wrangled enough people together to go with me and eat Ethiopian food. I have to say, it was pretty tasty. It reminded me a lot of indian food which I loveeee, but even more authentic as you are forced to eat it with your hands. Literally, no utensils or plates. Just one giant platter where they put all of your food on and a plate of some injera (sour spongy bread, which is supposedly very crumpet like according to one of my friends). The whole place smelled like incense, was covered in crazy paintings and decorations, and attached to a market next door. Said friend proceeded to buy some crazy old chocolate bar that we had never heard of. I, myself, resisted from buying a shady bag labeled "hops" in hopes of starting my own brewery.

After Ethiopian we stopped by MILK. MILK is probably my favorite dessert place other than Yogurtland. I had me the usual blue velvet cake, ice cream, and a few cookies too. They have THE best cookies. I'm a little obsessed with now trying to find a recipe to replicate them.

The OD of sugar before bed was a horrible idea. I woke up feeling like shiite and honestly felt like I've been on a glucose crash all day. Luckily it was a slow day, but I'm struggling to get through it.

I think I shall try to go home and chef it tonight.

Thar She Blows!

The "she" would be me.

I've been suffering from what I thought was a hangover, to what I thought was food poisoning, to what I'm pretty sure of is the stomach flu.

I thought I had the stomach flu before, but honestly I've never come across anything like this. I'm finally on the road to recovery which is why I can even blog again, but for a few days I wanted the sweet release of death. Constant nausea and intense malaise, and the added bonus of everyone telling you, you look like shi*. Not to mention the actual blowing part...

I'm sure my forcing down of Yogurtland twice over that period of time did not help matters either. But honestly, so worth the pain.

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

Get away from me Mr. Sandman!

He's been on my ass all day and I cannot for the life of me, shake him. I'm stuck in a perpetual stupor today, despite having a ridiculous amount of caffeine (3 cups of tea, and a large coffee). It's a miracle I'm not shaking like a salt shaker, instead I'm fighting the urge to just close my eyelids for a sweet second, really hard.

Maybe it's because I did not get to sleep in at all this weekend. On Saturday I woke up to get my car washed, prior to having brunch, and hauling ass to my haircut. Then I did the usual goofing around until 4am on a Saturday night.

Five hours later I met up with some people to find the elusive CA waterfall. On our travels, I ate shit on some unsteady dirt and basically scraped a 1/4 of my calf off. Since we had no first aid kit, I took Amanda's sage wisdom from She's the Man and rubbed some dirt in it. Then I caught a double feature before retiring around 1AM.

And now I'm a dead body.

Note: The Junk Punch revenge scheme is one of the funniest things I've ever heard of.

I Know Your Secret, Shel Wei!

So I had my second "celebrity" encounter this week at the local Starbucks today, a half block from my house.

I walk in at 7:30AM to pick up my Pike Roast and I see this tiny asian girl who looks awfully familiar. After I gawk for a few more seconds, it comes to me. It's Anna Wu from Chuck!

I think she noticed that I was staring because after we made brief eye contact, she turned to the guy she was talking to and kind of slumped into her chair and brought her hand to her face. Ok, honestly, was that REALLY necessary. It's not like I was going to be like "OMFG, YOU ARE ANNA FROM CHUCK! LET ME KISS THY GROUND YOU WALK ON!" Anyway, it was more puzzling that she was in my hood (I mean she might have gone to my HS for all I know, we all look alike), so I decided to Yahoo-stalk her once I got into work.

Well, Julia Ling is actually Shel Wei. And according to sources online she went to Temple City High School. She is actually my age and for all I know I could have played tennis against her at some point while we were in season. She also went to UCLA (an engineering major).

That is where our similarities end because she is now on TV making a buttload of money. She also got to meet Sarah Michelle Gellar while doing a guest stint on Buffy. Essentially, she crushes me.

BUT, I still wouldn't kiss the ground she walks on.

The Cracks in Our Foundation

Since, I believe in educating the masses, I will let you in on a little secret:

Sake + Tequila + Vodka + Whiskey do not mix.

I found this out the hard way at a Kate Nash concert last night. Yes, Kate Nash.

I would like to tell you how good she was in concert, but honestly, I don't really remember. Nor do I remember unloading all over the table at Denny's afterwards. Or losing my driver's license.

Just another Wednesday.

Note: Katsuya is so LA it is ridiculous. Paparazzi outside and all. Dave Navarro sat right next to us. Awesome.

Sweating (Out) the Small Stuff

I did the Revlon Run/Walk for Women's cancer over the past weekend, and as much as I was dreading it (waking up early on a weekend, rainy weather, no effing parking), I have to say I felt spiritually rewarded during the whole experience.

It wasn't really the sheer volume of the event, although I was shocked at how many people there actually were, but it was more the interpersonal connection of seeing these people with various names attached to their backs of those that they were walking for who have or had cancer.

It was a good empathetic experience for me I guess, since I easily get wrapped up in my daily existence and freak out about the littlest things. It made me realize that, honestly, in the grand scheme of things, nothing really matters if you don't have your health (or more importantly, if my friends and family don't).

Eat your heart out Deepak Chopra.

(Mid) New Year's Resolutions

I'm having an annoying ass day(^10), so rather than vent and fester over matters that I have no control over, I will re-direct my efforts towards some self-improvement.

How totally zen and cathartic of me. *applause*

I never bother with New Year's Resolutions because honestly, who the hell ever keeps up with things for a year. But I'm feeling like I need a little more failure in my life so what the hell.

Goals for the rest of the year:

1. Run a mile in 10 minutes.
2. Read 10 books (20% done).
3. Write a paper longer than 10 pages.
4. Be able to "stand" on a surfboard 1% of the time.
5. Play one song on the guitar.
6. Watch "The Thing" (I've borrowed it for 2 years...)

I'm tired looking at it already.

To be or not to be...

People born today:

Jessica Stam
Daniela Hantuchova (same year!)
Jaime King
John Cena
Kal Penn
Barry Watson
Shirley Temple
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Oh, and about a bajillion porn stars for some reason.

Disco Inferno

It's here. That good ol' Cali heat has made it's way back through the Global Warming that has plagued us (It hailed in March!).

If the weather stayed as it is now, I would be a happy camper. 80's in the day, 60's at night. Good, good stuff.

But it won't. Soon, I will be sweating in bed (without blankets) in my 90 degree room, emptying the water that my portable air conditioner leaks, praying for that Bostonian chill once more.

...The Old Man is Snoring.

Ever since I have gotten my car it hasn't been clean for more than a week. And once again, I am supposed to get my car washed (well, serviced, washing comes with part of the package) on Saturday and it is predicted to rain on Sunday.

This is actually a slight improvement as the last time this happened, I drove out of the dealership as it began to sprinkle on my car. That light mist sprinkle too, just enough to get your car wet so the dust flies around and sticks onto it.

I would put off the whole thing but honestly what's the point. If I don't get it serviced now it'll soon be April. April Showers. Which means that the same shit will just happen again as I drive around unsafely with what I feel are overused brake pads.

Le Sigh.