The College Years

The Conclusion

2009-05-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

"There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning." Jiddu Krishnamurti

That's it folks! After seven years of higher education, it's time to start growing up. Thanks for everything British Columbia - maybe I'll bump into you sometime in the future :)

- CA

Rockman Rap

2009-04-20T23:31:00.001-07:00

Almost done Law School! Just a couple more essays to go :p

Meanwhile, my procrastination has uncovered an internet goodie that is just... earth-shattering. Has anyone ever thought about doing a Mega Man Rap Opera before? Because this guy did.

(Warning: excessive profanity due to... being a rap)

Awesome. Just... awesome.

"The only thing that could give me cavities is dynamite." - Mega Man

Vigilantes in the Media

2009-03-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how topics you're studying or writing about suddenly appear wherever you go, as if the media is directly responding to your personal work? Social psychologists will be quick to jump in and tell you to stop being so egotistic. They'll probably explain that you're just picking up on these topics more quickly and easily because they're at the forefront of your cognitive processes.

This one clip, however, was just a no-brainer for me:

You gotta love the pretentious self-monologue.

"And yet, nobody accepts me. I am an outcast. A shadow of a man who can find no companionship. No love from others. Fine! If I am to be an outcast, so be it!" - Professor Chaos

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

2009-03-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

Huh? Oh, you're wondering about the weird looking title of this post. It's a latin phrase from the Roman poet Juvenal, literally translated to "Who will guard the guards themselves", or as we more commonly translate it, "Who watches the watchmen?".

For those of you who haven't watched or read (I recommend read then watch) Alan Moore's magnum opus, Watchmen, it is a very deep story set in an alternate history where the Cold War hinged on the existence of the superman. Nixon is president, Vietnam was won by the Americans, and the electric car is a common household item, all thanks to Jon Osterman, the only man in the world who has gained true superpowers.

Unfortunately for Jon, this transformation has caused him to lose touch with humanity - he can no longer experience time from a linear perspective, he has lost most of his human emotions, and he can no longer appreciate the difference between life and death. Indeed, it is the unique and unorthodox personalities of the heroes in Watchmen that become the true driving force of the story, which is why so many critics regarded the graphic novel as a seminal work in the deconstruction of the superhero ideal.

As the trailer proudly announces, Watchmen is known as 'the most celebrated graphic novel of all time', as it is the only work from the comic book genre to have won the Hugo Award. Because it is encapsulated as a graphic novel, as opposed to a set of characters with multiple series and affiliations (ie. Batman), a proposed movie of Watchmen was heavily scrutinized by fans since the film rights for the comic were bought waaaaay back in 1986. There also so many details, text, and dialogue in the graphic novel that a film adaption was largely thought unfeasible.

And yet, a roughly 3-hour Watchmen movie is out in theaters as we (or rather, as I) speak. Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the film's critical reception as follows:
"Gritty and visually striking, Watchmen is a faithful adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel, but its complex narrative structure may make it difficult for it to appeal to viewers not already familiar with the source material."

As for what I thought about the movie, that will have to wait for another day. This post is already getting too long, and I have work to do. I've got a 7,500 word essay to start working on, which I've chosen to be about vigilantes - and surprise, surprise, references to the Watchmen are definitely gonna show up in it ;)

"The book is always better." ~Richard Corliss, Time Magazine

A Newfound Influence?

2009-02-28T22:56:00.001-08:00

I've mentioned this before, but the comic strip Calvi n & Hobbes had a tremendous impact on me as a kid. My sense of imagination was very much crafted by Calvin's imaginary adventures, the strip probably quadrupled my vocabulary (I took many trips to the dictionary), and Bill Watterson's surprisingly deep social commentary opened my eyes to the cynicism and irony of the 'adult world'.

Still, I never thought that the strip influenced my decision to pursue a career as a lawyer.

After all these years, I may have been wrong.

Haha, these are so much funnier now than they were 15 years ago (^_^)
Thanks again Bill!

"I'm not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information" - Calvin

My Dear Wormwood

2009-02-03T00:15:00.001-08:00

“Be not deceived, Wormwood, our cause is never more in jeopardy than when a human, no longer desiring but still intending to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe in which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.”

The Screwtape Letters has always been one of my favorites - who knows how many times I've read it over the years - but it is a difficult book to properly describe.

First of all, I should point out that it is very much a representation of C.S. Lewis' views on Christian theology. Second of all, it is a VERY deep book. In my opinion, this is not a book you would recommend to someone interested in learning more about Christianity, or even to a new Christian. Thirdly, this book is personally challenging and will likely make you feel uncomfortable - maybe even guilty. Lewis himself once said that the book was 'not fun' to write, but he wrote it anyways.

Clearly, the Screwtape Letters is nothing like Narnia, but it is a masterful piece of writing nonetheless. Lewis had an extraordinary sense of imagination and an incredibly thorough grasp of theology, which were both fully utilized in writing this book. The 'book' is actually composed of multiple letters written by Screwtape, a senior demon who acts as a mentor to his nephew, Wormwood. We only read Screwtape's letters, but can surmize Wormwood's communiques from his uncle's responses and suggestions.

This isn't like Dante's Inferno, as in a portrayal of the afterlife, but is instead a contemporary satire that reveals many of the temptations and myths that Christians fall prey to. This is represented through the techniques and tricks-of-the-trade that Screwtape suggests are ways that Wormwood can make his 'patient' (an Englishman living in the 1930s) turn away from the 'Enemy'. Lewis' use of this 'correspondence' style of writing is brilliant - it is like the readers are privy to the enemy's top-secret communications.

What struck me the most about Screwtape is how different he acts from the stereotypical 'devil' who tries to tempt you into committing extravagantly evil deeds. Instead, Screwtape suggests that a demon's primary goal is to befuddle and confuse the 'patient', making him apathetic and ignorant of the truth. In perhaps the most famous line of the entire book, he advises Wormwood that "the safest path to hell is the gradual one."

In the end, it is hard to do the book any justice by writing about it. It can almost be read as a devotional - it is honestly that deep and full of meaning! I highly recommend it as a challenging read that you will simply have to look at line-by-line.

"Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning." - C. S. Lewis

Certified Awesome

2009-01-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

Neil Patrick Harris is pretty awesome.

First of all, he reinvigorated the word 'awesome' on How I Met Your Mother (and introduced new catchwords - legen-wait for it-DARY!). Secondly, he made a big splash in the Whedon-universe as Dr. Horrible in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog. Finally, and most recently, he was one of the bests hosts of SNL in a LONG time, despite the show's dwindling cast.

I was a little worried about NPH hosting SNL, thinking that the confidence of his Barney persona might be shattered by the pressure of live improv. Boy was I wrong.

The real question is - why is this Neil Patrick Harris' first time hosting SNL? He's a natural! For the good of the show, I hope they bring him back soon, and with better skits to work with.As for next week's epsiode, hosted by Rosario Dawson?..... yah, prollly not watching that...

Classic Cool

2009-01-10T23:40:00.000-08:00

Ah, this takes me back - long before I even knew what 'anime' was.
Coming this October!

"Humans worry too much." - Astro Boy

A New Tradition

2008-11-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

(>_<)... Sigh... even after 7 years of post secondary education, I still complain about Christmas exams. Well in this instance, 'Christmas essays' would be more accurate... Ah, whatever. I'll be laughing about this in 23 days, 10 hours, 11 minutes, and 24 seconds! But who's counting? Anyway, that's not the point of this very brief post (just some precursory whining). Instead, how about you and I enjoy this clip from the very amusing Stephen Colbert Christmas Special?

There are definitely (intentionally) cheesy moments and to be honest, some parts drag on too long, but only Colbert could revive the campy Christmas special with so much pizzazz.

In case you couldn't pick out the singers in the group rendition of Peace, Love, and Understanding, in order of appearance, it's Elvis Costello as the singing bear, Toby Keith, Feist, Willie Nelson, and John Legend. Good stuff :D

For those of you who still have exams (I think it's just me now, lol), good luck, and Merry Christmas in advance :D

"Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home." ~Carol Nelson

Ode to the Papaver Rhoeas

2008-11-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

"Oh plastic poppy. Every November I manage to stab myself with your metal pin, forcing me to cautiously move around as you sit precariously upon my front pocket."

Okay… enough of that.

In all seriousness, I'm quite proud of the poppy tradition on Remembrance Day, particularly because of its Canadian roots. As you probably already know, the poppy arose as a symbol of wartime remembrance because of the poem In Flanders Fields, which was written by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in 1915. McRae wrote the poem on a scrap of paper during the Second Battle of Ypres, inspired by the death of his friend, Lt. Alexis Helmer. A few years later, the Royal Canadian Legion initiated the Poppy Campaign as a fundraising program, which continues to provide direct assistance for ex-service people in financial distress, among other purposes.

In my humble opinion, the poppy is one of the few symbols that Canadians truly embrace. It's recognized by many other (former) Commonwealth nations as well, but it is a custom that is practiced in all parts of Canada every year. For a federal country such as ours, which is as multicultural and diverse as you can get, that's pretty inspiring.

So, with that said, Happy Remembrance Day! God bless the men and women who gave everything for the sake of future generations.

The Future Is Now

2008-11-05T10:57:00.001-08:00

The Big Surprise for Me Yesterday?

Well, it certainly wasn't Obama's win to become the 44th president of the United States - that was in the bag weeks ago, it was just a matter of watching the probabilities play themselves out. It wasn't the high voter turnout either, or the unprecedented youth movement - that's been talked about since the nominee race!

What shocked me was CNN's news coverage with.... holograms???

What the Deuce?? I like how CNN just casually refers to it as 'Via Hologram', as if this is a regular form of communication...

Well, according to several news and tech sites, this is how the technology works:

- The correspondent being beamed across the country will have 44 cameras trained on him or her, with 20 computers in the location crunching the video feeds to produce 360-degree imaging data.
- All of this image data is sent to New York, where the images are processed by another array of computers. The computers take this processed info and meshes it with the video from Wolf's side.
- Correspondents see a 37-inch plasma where the return feed of the combined images are fed back to them, letting them see Wolf and the other CNN people.

So, it doesn’t look like the images are actually “projected” onto the floor of the CNN studio so that Wolf can actually talk to the interviewee face to face.

Alright, so much for that then. Looks like Star Wars holograms are still in a galaxy far, far away.

Wait.... hold on a sec...

....

Alriiiiight, I guess I have to say it:

Welcome to the 21st century.

"Technology... the knack of so arranging the world that we don't have to experience it.” - Max Frisch

Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov

2008-11-01T20:22:00.001-07:00

"Did I kill the old hag? No, not the old hag--I killed myself!"

I read Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment almost 7 years ago, and yet I still clearly remember the driving plot of the story. It's not because the plot was particularly groundbreaking or contained any hidden twists at the end - it's because Dostoyevsky did such a masterful job of capturing Raskolnikov's raw emotions as he battled with his guilt.

If you haven't read the book, you can always wiki the summary, but the main conflict in the story is really between the protagonist and himself. Dostoyevsky intended the character of Raskolnikov to represent the dangers of Russian nihilism, particularly its ambition to entrust society into the hands of elite intellectuals. Raskolnikov fancies himself as such an intellectual, and thinks that killing someone for their money would be justified by a sort of Darwinian 'the weak feed the strong' ideal.

Of course, once the deed is done, he quickly begins to lose his sanity as he struggles with the guilty part of his conscience that wants to confess to the crime. The poignant irony of the book is that this internal struggle is more the 'punishment' than Raskolnikov's eventual formal punishment (which actually acts as his redemption - spoiler alert!).

There were so many things I liked about this book - it was the first novel that I truly appreciated for its philosophical value (no, Shakespeare never really did it for me :p). Dostoyevsky's Devils (or The Possessed) is a pretty good read as well, but deals more with political issues, and isn't quite as captivating. Of course, I'd recommend giving Crime and Punishment a read, just try and find one of the more accessible translations. I think I'll finally reread it over Christmas - something to do on the 14 hour flight to the Phillippines :D

“Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

All Hallows' Even

2008-10-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

Whew, this has been a rather mentally draining week, having to stuff my brain with very different areas of jurisprudence.

I'm not quite done yet (one more late night left), but I felt like a bit of a nostalgia break. Thank God for Charles Schultz and Youtube :)

Charlie Brown: Oh brother. When are you going to stop believing in something that isn't true?
Linus: When YOU stop believing in that fat guy in a red suit who goes, "Ho, ho, ho!"
Charlie Brown: Obviously, we are separated by denominational differences.

Reader's Retrospect

2008-10-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to start this series for a while now, I just haven't had much time lately (well, I still don't have much time, but I succumbed to procrastination o_O).

I've literally read hundreds of books over the past 24 years of my bookwormish life - some mandatory, some recreational, some interesting, and some not so interesting. A choice few have had a particularly significant impact on my development as both a student and a human being, and this series is a retrospective reflection on some of these works. Of course, it goes without saying that the Bible has been the most influential 'book' in my life, but I don't think that will fit in a single post :).

I'll do my first book when I'm bored/distracted enough - Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Преступление и наказание" ( ....what a weak attempt at subterfuge).

Stick on the Ice

2008-10-05T23:37:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again (^o^).

Canucks hockey has always been a big part of my TV watching regimen, but with my growing number of 'favorite' TV shows (the list on my facebook has expanded substantially), I'm gonna have to make some compromises so I can actually get some studying done!

The team has changed quite a bit, with Mattias Ohlund being the most senior member remaining (who, by the way, is still my favorite player). These changes weren't very welcome though, as expectations were pretty low with the whole Sundin fiasco blowing up in Mike Gillis' face. This, of course has changed as our franchise-record pre-season has gotten people pretty excited around here.

A couple of new faces that Nucks Fans are keeping an eye on are Jannick Hansen and Steve Bernier, who seem to be fitting in quite nicely. Hansen brings speed and some scoring touch to the checking line, while Bernier can hopefully be the permanent right wing on the Sedin line.

Of course, what's gotten the most news in the past week has been the unorthodox captaincy of Roberto Luongo (who just got a big 'C' painted on his mask). Almost all of the on-ice captain responsibilites will be performed by alternates Mitchell and Ohlund, so Luongo's role on the ice won't change much visibly. Still, there's no question that Luongo's competitiveness and fire will make him a good leader, and hopefully it will help him keep focus on his game as well.

Let's just hope that the preseason doesn't have an inverse relationship to the regular one (o___O).

"By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series." - Steve Rushin

Protagonists are Overrated

2008-09-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

At any given time, the Internet has a number of fads that everyone eventually learns about, and here’s one of them!

GarfieldMinusGarfield is a web phenomenon that posts old ‘Garfield’ comic strips, but makes one big alteration – in these cartoons, Garfield doesn’t exist. What’s the point of a Garfield comic that doesn’t have its iconic Monday-hating cat?

I’ll leave the site’s creator, Dan Walsh, to explain:

“Garfield Minus Garfield is a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb.”

Pretty deep huh? When I first learned about the site, I thought it was just a more sophisticated manifestation of the ‘good ol’ days’ when I used to draw silly stuff on top of the funnies. And indeed, most of the strips on the site are emphatically absurd - nothing says parody like making a major character look like a schizophrenic lunatic with an invisible audience.

Still, there are a few strips that manage to paint a haunting picture of futility and loneliness. Even Garfield’s creator, Jim Davis, has praised the site for enabling him and others to ‘see another side of Garfield’.

Don’t let me get too carried away though – at its heart, GarfieldMinusGarfield is pure parody and fully embraces the contemporary form of ‘absurd’ or ‘nonsense humor’. And it works magnificently well!

Give the site a looksee – you’ll be asking yourself how no one thought of doing this before!

"If cartoonists would look at this more as an art than as a part time job or a get-rich-quick scheme, I think comics overall would be better. I think there's a tremendous potential to be tapped" - Bill Watterson

Sucker for aesthetics

2008-09-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

Yup, that's me!
I actually really like the new zune software (considerably more than itunes), and it has this cool desktop mode that actually has no real functionality...

... besides looking AWESOME.

As you may have noticed, there's a good mix of asian cds in my collection. Unfortunately, I still cannot understand either Japanese or Chinese ( *-_-). I just think of them as instrumental songs... with voices.

And on an admittedly neurotic side-note, I notice that I'm using the word 'awesome' a lot these days. Curse you Barney Stinson! Curse you!!!

"Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tech-astrophic

2008-09-22T00:56:00.001-07:00

Oh Vista.
Everytime I learn to tolerate your existence, you give me new reasons to hate you.

For some reason, my printer suddenly became incompatible with the print spooler service, which basically means I can't print to save my own life. I googled the problem, which apparently has happened to quite a few Vista users, but of course, none of the suggested solutions work. Since troubleshooting over the weekend has not produced anything useful, and I've already been having Vista slowdown problems, my best option seems to be...

...Reformating. Hurray! Nothing quite as tedious and annoying as having to reinstall all of your programs, codecs, font sets, etc.

This is gonna be SO much fun.

"The most overlooked advantage of owning a computer is that if they foul up there's no law against whacking them around a bit.” - Eric Porterfield

Demetri Martin

2008-09-18T12:25:00.001-07:00

So I stumbled upon some of Demetri Martin's standup on YouTube the other day, and I gotta say, he's got some great one-liners.

You might have seen Demetri on The Daily Show before, and he's apparently growing in popularity as an up and coming comedian (don't let that baby face fool you though - he's 35 ^o^).

If you've ever seen Steven Wright's material before, you can tell that it has heavily influenced Demetri's comedy - a very dry and almost lethargic style of joke-telling. However, what makes Demetri really unique is his integration of music, drawings, and visual stimuli in his act.

Here's a few of my favorite Demetri jokes:

I was on the street. This guy waved to me, and he came up to me and said, “I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else.” And I said, “I am.”

A lot of people don't like bumper stickers. I don't mind bumper stickers. To me a bumper sticker is a shortcut. It's like a little sign that says 'Hey, let's never hang out.'

I used to play sports. Then I realized you can buy trophies. Now I’m good at everything.

'Sort of' is such a harmless thing to say. Sort of. It's just a filler. Sort of - it doesn't really mean anything. But after certain things, 'sort of' means everything.

Like after 'I love you'....

or 'You're going to live.'...

or 'It's a boy'.

Also Known As...

2008-09-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

I promise this is the last post I dedicate entirely to wordle! I just thought it'd be cool to do one with all the nicknames I've 'acquired' over the years. Lemme know if I've missed any >:)

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."- Juliet from Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Dubya

2008-09-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

So, big surprise, Oliver Stone is doing a bio-pic on good ol' George Walker. I mean, how could he not? I'm a little surprised that it's supposed to be released before Dubya even leaves office, but there are already so many biographies and books on the Bush presidency that a movie isn't exactly shocking.

I studied Bush's government quite extensively during my four years of political science, and you have to admit that his presidency won't be forgotten any time soon in the history of politics. It's hard to think of a modern-era president who has been more polarizing and influential (good or bad) than George Dubya.

Did you know that during his two terms, he has had nearly the highest and lowest domestic approval ratings of all American presidents? It skyrocketed to 90% following September 11th and the attack on Afghanistan, and has dropped to 28% as recently as June 2008.

That in itself is a fascinating story - how the commander-in-chief managed to lose so much of the public's faith over the course of seven years. Answering that requires a look at very complex influences that led to the false pretense and poor handling of the Iraq War, the delayed response to Katrina, the controversies surrounding Abu Gharib and Guantanamo Bay, the abuse of NSA power, and, just for good measure, Scooter Libby.

Knowing Oliver Stone's heavy leaning to the Left, I'd expect him to paint these issues with a very satirical tone. Quite frankly, I'd be more interested in reading Bush's memoirs - they might end up being an invaluable 'what to do, what not to do' guide for future leaders who must deal with the new challenges of the 21st century. Or it might end up being about baseball (couldn't help myself, sorry :P).

"Every great institution is the lengthened shadow of a single man. His character determines the character of the organization." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A bit of self indulgence

2008-09-08T23:44:00.000-07:00

Quite recently, I've started to become a fan of How I Met Your Mother. The show tends to get overly sappy at times (even for me), but I get a kick from all the scenes relating to Marshall's life as a law student.

This one short scene from season one basically sums up what I'm thinking every night I sit down and read who-knows-how-many pages. So... probably only I will find this funny :D

"Think of me like Yoda but instead of being little and green I wear suits and I'm awesome." - Barney from How I Met Your Mother

Convention Bubbles

2008-09-07T23:29:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered Wordle (I can't believe I never heard of it before), and had some fun with it in a previous post.

Wired decided to do 'wordles' for different speeches given during the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Can you guess which wordle belongs to which prominent politician? (By the way, the font size of the word represents the frequency that word is used).

"In politics, strangely enough, the best way to play your cards is to lay them face upwards on the table." - H.G. Wells

The Rundown

2008-09-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

Registration was a few months ago, so I kinda forgot what courses I'm actually registered in. I also still gotta figure out which course I can write my Thesis for (d'oh!). Should be a interesting, albeit somewhat busy, year!

For my own reference, here's what this year's courseload looks like:

Law and Religion (taught by Berger - sweeeet)
Family Law
Remedies
Jurisprudence
Law of Evidence
Secured Transactions
Legal Theory Workshop (Movies!)
Constitutionalism and Cultural Difference
Contemporary Issues: Media, Entertainment and Sports Law

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.
C. S. Lewis

Here we go, one more time

2008-09-06T01:18:00.000-07:00

It's my last year of school? Ever?
Well then, maybe this time I'll actually update my blog on a regular basis!

Nah, that's impossible. Thanks for coming anyway - I'll do my best to be both witty and pithy as I chronicle my final, bittersweet year of formal education.

"Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him."
- John Locke

Worlde

2008-07-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Heh, I love stuff like this.
Word clouds taken from the BC Rules of Court and 2 Timothy (^_^)

The Fanboy Feature - The Dark Knight

2008-07-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

As if I couldn't write something about the summer's biggest movie.

Yes, even in my current vegetative state, I am still compelled to write my reflections about a blockbuster as singularly good as The Dark Knight (yes, the grammar sucks, that's why I used the word 'vegetative').

It's statistically improbable that you haven't already heard about the film's instant success (I mean, you are using the internet right now, right?), so I won't reiterate the critics' ravings about how good the story was, how amazing the effects were, or even talk much about Heath Ledger's chilling performance as the Joker.

I should say, however, that the Dark Knight clearly raises the bar for the entire superhero movie genre - it's a much darker and more cerebral film than Iron Man or Spiderman ever was. In fact, it's a much more sombre movie than Batman Begins as well, as the bulk of the movie does not rely on the 'invention' of Batman, but on the moral dilemmas that he faces now that he has established himself as an icon.

You don't leave from the Dark Knight thinking "Oh, that one fighting scene was so cool", or "Man, I wish I could drive the batpod". In fact, you don't even leave the theatre with the child-like fantasy of imagining what it would be like to leap around as the caped crusader. Unlike all other superhero films, you don't want to be Batman at all - you pity the character and the burden he's left with. It's rare to experience such a bittersweet aftertaste from a movie, and it's really remarkable that with all the wild stunts and special effects, the Dark Knight's true impact comes from its grounding in real world ethics and it's frightening portrayal of the Joker's madness.

Man, I can only hope the Watchmen will be this good.

NUMBER ONE - Marge vs. The Monorail (Season 4)

2008-06-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is it - NUMBER ONE! Hope you've enjoyed my top ten - honorable mentions to follow.

“Monorail! Monorail! Monoraaail!” Just looking at the accompanying picture of Lyle Langley probably got the ‘Monorail Song‘ playing in your head. Indeed, this episode is number one in my books for being virtually unforgettable and standing the test of time.

Who can forget the hilarious beginning of the episode, with Homer’s scene-for-scene imitation of Fred Flintstone (at least until his unfortunate accident with a chestnut tree)? Phil Hartman’s slick salesman character also fits seamlessly into the Simpsons universe, and you just knew he’d get his just desserts at the end.

All in all, the episode has great timing, a sense of drama that wasn’t over-the-top, and was jammed packed with hilarious moments penned by Mr. Conan O’Brien himself. It’s definitely one of the quintessential Simpsons episodes that demonstrates the unparalleled sense of comedy and story-telling that has made the series so successful.

Oh, and Leonard Nimoy was in it too.

NUMBER TWO - The Last Temptation of Homer Simpson (Season 5)

2008-06-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

“AHH!"
"...I mean, AH-low!”

Another classic Simpsons that’s well known for its quotables (“Hubba, hubba”), but this episode also clearly established Homer Simpson as the lovable oaf that other series have unsuccessfully tried to emulate. Yes, he’s stupid and his IQ seems to drop from season to season, but core to Homer’s character is also his genuine love for his family.

Everything in this episode attempts to push Homer towards infidelity, from his vision that suggests everyone would be happier if he left Marge, to the fortune cookie that urges him to find a new love. This isn’t the only time Homer has been tempted by other women (ie. Lurleen, the country music singer), but it is the first time he questions his faithfulness to his wife. It’s a brilliantly written episode that still has the usual Simpsons’ charm and bag of jokes, but adds a nice touch of humanity that has stayed true throughout the entire series.

NUMBER THREE - Cape Feare (Season 5)

2008-05-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Down to the last three! Considering how messy this top ten has made my blog, I'll have to consolidate them into a single post later. Hope you've enjoyed it so far!

The Simpsons has been pretty good with continuity and revisiting past episodes, but the Sideshow Bob episodes make up a completely separate arc on their own. Sideshow Bob has been the perfect archvillian for the series, personifying both the psychopathic killer and the ‘Wile-E-Coyote’ kind of eternal loser. “Cape Feare” is my favourite Bob episode, as it sticks to the relatively simple plot of the original ‘CaFear’, but also delivers excellent comedic timing. Bob’s lust for murder is made very palpable and disturbing, but it is constantly offset by the injuries he sustains while following Bart around (ie. 9 rakes in the face).

Homer is also especially dim-witted in this episode, and his stupidity plays off of Bart’s paranoia, such as the hilarious scene with the hockey mask and the chainsaw. In the end, the episode finds a great balance between typical Simpsons’ silliness, and dark, Hollywood suspense. It’s a shame that the newer instalments of the Bob saga aren’t half as good.

NUMBER FOUR - Treehouse of Horror V (Season 6)

2008-05-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

The Halloween episodes are a usual highlight of each season, and you can really sense that the writers take full use of the opportunity to play around with the Simpsons’ universe. The ‘Treehouses’ all have their own charm, but Treehouse V really stands out for me for a number of reasons.

First of all, it was fun to see the stories linked by a recurring joke where Groundskeeper Willie is axed in the back while trying to save the children, until he finally acknowledges that “I’m really bad at this”. The episode also has probably the best voice-over cameo of the series, with James Earle Jones voicing the “disturbing”, alternate-universe version of Maggie. Finally, the finale with the inside-out gas and the “One” musical number ends the episode on a surreal note, offsetting the rather upsetting aftertaste of the cafeteria story. The episode easily fulfills the reality-breaking purpose it is supposed to achieve, and delivers countless laughs as a result.

NUMBER FIVE - Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Season 6 & 7 )

2008-05-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, it’s a cop-out to treat two episodes as one, but you can’t really separate the famous Simpsons’ cliff-hanger from its resolution. ‘Who Shot Mr. Burns’ truly represents the Simpsons at the height of its popularity, when the series transcended the traditional limits of a cartoon show.

Part one actually had an intricate web of hidden clues (ie. numerous ‘MS’ references and hints that rule out certain suspects), and was arguably the best season finale of any show at the time. Indeed, you can’t really appreciate how clever the episode was structured unless you get all the details from the DVD commentary.

Part two was also well written, although the finale probably wasn’t as thrilling as most had hoped. Still, part two has, in my opinion, the funniest scene of the entire series – the Moe lie detector test. All in all, it’s a classic Simpsons episode that showed the talent of its creative staff and solidly established the series as a cultural phenomenon.

The Fanboy Feature - Rock Band

2008-05-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

Back in Grade 8, I remember playing drum and guitar games at the arcade, thinking - wouldn't it be cool if you could play them together... like a rock band?

Ten years later, Harmonix did me one better by bringing the experience to the home console.

As one of the more grandiose ventures in recent gaming history (ie. battle-mech cockpit simulator), Rock Band is like literally setting up an arcade in your house. The game obviously benefits from the success of its predecessor, Guitar Hero, but I doubt even Harmonix could have predicted the success of this franchise. Beyond the sales of the hefty game package, Rock Band's downloadable content has also made a mint for Harmonix, and its very, very happy parent, Viacom.

Speaking of DLCs, a lot of buzz followed Motley Crue's decision to release a new song through Rock Band, and whether this was a sign of things to come. With over 2.5 million songs sold through the game, it's not crazy to think that other bands (especially indie bands) will see this new medium as an opportunity for sales and exposure. It's pretty amazing when you think about it - a videogame actualy has the potential to become an entirely new market for the music industry.

Still, like any other videogame, Rock Band isn't for everyone. It does, however, have much more universal appeal than anything else on the market, especially when you consider the wide range of songs that are available.

For myself, it's a great way to relieve some stress and enjoy some good music at the same time. And no, I haven't learned anything about actually playing the guitar. But at the same time, I doubt I could master a real guitar within a week (aka Expert Mode!).

NUMBER SIX - Homer's Phobia (Season 8)

2008-05-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

I remember watching this episode when it first aired and then talking about it at school for the next... oh, month and a half? At the time, I just loved all the hilarious one-liners that betrayed Homer’s desperate homophobia, and let’s not forget the fantastic ending (Bart: He thinks I’m gay?).

In retrospect, I doubt any other show besides the Simpsons could do such a tongue-in-cheek episode without igniting public outrage. It’s not like the episode was preachy or political in any way, but it was a much more taboo topic back in the 90’s than it is today.

However, the episode is on my list for all the vivid memories I have laughing at almost every scene. Who didn’t laugh while watching Homer’s plan to make Bart ‘straight’ blow up in his face, especially at their visit to the steel mill? “Steel Workers of America, Keep reaching for that rainbow!”

NUMBER SEVEN - King-Size Homer (Season 7)

2008-05-07T00:35:00.000-07:00

This is probably the most memorable ‘Homer caper’ episode I know, as in an episode that revolves around one of Homer’s hair-brained schemes. Homer’s views on obesity are so woefully distorted (thinking he’ll be somehow more attractive as a ‘go-getter’), that you can’t help but laugh at his naïveté.

His interpretations of the keyboard and computer prompts are also hilarious – I distinctly remember using the sound clip as my Windows startup noise. The episode has a surprisingly upbeat feel to it even when dealing with the social stigmas attached to obesity, and is overall a very fun episode to watch. A great example of using amusing imagery and physical humor to make a very entertaining episode.

NUMBER EIGHT - Homer Loves Flanders (Season 5)

2008-05-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

This episode brings a lot of great things to the table, including a tongue-and-cheek critique of The Simpsons’ episode by episode formula. The great bit of irony is that while Ned finally gets Homer to like/love him, Ned absolutely cannot stand Homer’s ‘friendship’. The only gripe I have with this episode is that Homer comes off as overly annoying, to the point where I want Ned to punch him, but the episode ends on a very sweet note. The scene where Homer chases Flanders’ car Terminator II style is also one of the funniest of the season.
However, what’s most memorable about the episode is Lisa’s breaking the 4^th wall with her self-referential observation: “by next week, we’ll be back to where we started from, ready for another wacky adventure”.

The Fanboy Feature - Iron Man

2008-05-02T22:51:00.000-07:00

If IRON MAN is indicative of what we can expect from other upcoming blockbusters, then this will be a very good summer to go to the movies.

First of all, I should say that Iron Man is not the greatest movie you will ever see. It also can't really be called awe-inspiring or groundbreaking, even for the growing 'superhero movie' genre. Instead, I walked out of Iron Man thinking that it was one of the most solid movies I have seen in a long time.

As the film must first establish the origin of the character (whom many are unfamiliar with), the creators of Iron Man did an excellent job presenting Tony Stark as a straight-forward, yet poignant hero. Without going too much into the history of the character, it must be said that Robert Downey Jr. essentially IS Tony Stark. He plays the role of the cocky, billionaire inventor perfectly, but manages to still make the character charming and likable. He also shows the human and fallible side of Stark without getting too cheesy for the audience - it's very hard to find any flaws with his performance.

Many reviews have compared Iron Man to the first Spider-Man movie, namely for staying faithful to the comics while allowing mainstream audiences to connect with the hero and his story. I think the greatest similarity between the two films, however, is that both heroes recognize the need to rectify their past mistakes, and this remains the driving force of their foray into heroics. It's a formula that clearly works with the movie-going public, and Iron Man utilizes it very well.

All in all, Iron Man has set a very high bar for the franchise (currently the highest rated superhero movie of all time), so a sequel goes without saying. It would be very interesting if Jon Favreau decides to explore the darker side of the character, especially Stark's descent into alcoholism. I also wonder which villain will be used next, since Iron Man's main enemies are either tech-based like Iron Monger, or just flat-out surreal (see: Alien Dragon and Chinese Magician).

OR, if we're lucky, the film will pick up after the last scene that takes place AFTER the credits. Yes, if you are going to watch this movie, STAY TILL THE END OF THE CREDITS. You might just hear mention of a certain government 'initiative' that has fanboys gleaming with joy.

NUMBER NINE - 22 Short Films About Springfield (Season 7)

2008-05-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

This is another very unorthodox episode, taken in part from the format of “Pulp Fiction”, and in some cases, directly parodying scenes from the movie itself. What makes it so entertaining, in my opinion, is that it allows some of the more secondary characters to really shine.

My favourite segment is the Skinner and Chalmers story, where Skinner tries to pass off fast food as home cooking, and does so with very fast and off-the-collar banter that’s not typical of The Simpsons.

In a way, this hodgepodge of stories is similar to the Halloween episodes, as there is really no core plotline being established. What makes it so unique is that it serves as a writers' sampler, giving the viewers a little taste of everything. In the end, it was structured well so that the stories flowed together seamlessly, and the end result was a very light-hearted and memorable experience for Simpsons fans.

NUMBER TEN - Trilogy of Error (Season 12)

2008-04-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

The unorthodox episodes are usually the most memorable, and this episode is one of the rare gems of season 12. Spoofing movies like Run Lola Run, "Trilogy of Error" actually starts off on a surprisingly dark tone, as we witness actual dismemberment (Homer's thumb) outside of an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon!

The three intertwining stories each have their own layer of complexity, but they are laid out very effectively so that viewers easily pick up
the 'action-reaction' correlations between the stories.

This is due in large to the great pacing of the episode. A lot of events are happening all at once - with Homer rushing to the hospital, Lisa racing to the science fair, and Bart running away from the mob - so you really feel a strong sense of urgency throughout the entire twenty two or so minutes.

All in all, it's a rare episode where viewers interact with the show as they piece together the larger story, and it's a great piece of writing that doesn't get emulated enough these days.

And now... The Top Ten

2008-04-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

I've bought a few of The Simpsons' box-sets so far, partly for the commentaries and partly for nostalgic value. It's funny though - after watching the more 'classic' episodes, I find it hard to watch any of the new episodes. It's clear to me that there has been a significant drop in the quality of writing and the delivery of jokes on The Simpsons, but it's hard to blame the showrunners for this gradual decline. After all, almost every topic and issue has been covered in the past 18 seasons, so the stretch for originality must be that much harder.

But I digress - The Simpsons has been such a great series that I've decided to try my hand at a Top Ten list of my favorite Simpsons episodes.

I'll be doing one episode at a time as time permits, but feel free to agree or disagree as much as you want - ten is far too small a number to cover everyone's favorites.

Summer Reboot

2008-04-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, second year was busy! The whole "second year is easier than first year law" definitely didn't pan out in my law school experience, but at least I got through it in one piece!

I'll try to be more active this time around, so get ready for non-sensical ramblings!

Sportsmanship.

2007-10-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

“I gloat! Hear me gloat!”

Rudyard Kipling

October Start.

2007-09-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

In a few hours September will have come and gone, and although much has happened this month, it feels as though school is only really starting now.

This past week was a restless one, jam-packed with information sessions, firm receptions, and interviews. All of this busyness was for the sake of pursuing a summer position with one of the Bay Street Firms. Although they are 'Bay Street', they are national firms with offices in most major Canadian cities, including Calgary. I can only hope that my return this summer will be one with pre-acquired employment.

Unfortunately, most of my September was occupied with preparing for last week, so it's time to catch up and focus on classes and classes alone.

Here's to the real start of the year.

Must-See TV.

2007-09-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

The Office is back with one hilarious workplace faux pas after another (which is wrought with professional liability by the way)

Here are my two favorite quotes from the season opener, "Fun Run":

Michael: Guess what? I have flaws. What are they? Oh I don’t know. I sing in the shower. Sometimes I spend too much time volunteering. Occasionally, I’ll hit somebody with my car. So sue me.
[*pauses to think*]
No... don’t sue me. That’s the opposite of the point that I’m trying to make.

-------------

Ryan: Did this [hitting Meredith with your car] happen on company property?
Michael: Yes. It was on company property with company property. So, double jeopardy. We are fine.
Ryan: I don’t think you understand how jeopardy works.
Michael: Oh. Right, I’m sorry. What is, “we’re fine”?
Ryan: *Sigh*

Twenty Three.

2007-09-16T01:07:00.000-07:00

So I've been 23 for almost a week, but I can't say that it's much different from being 22. Nevertheless, thanks to all of you who wished me a happy birthday :}

Interestingly enough, the number of people who remembered my birthday this year increased by, let's say.... a multiple of 50. This, of course, was due to facebook's "upcoming birthdays" feature. While it was nice to receive messages and little $1 gifts, basic etiquette prompts me to later repay these people with similar $1 gifts. Mark Zuckerberg, you are one dangerous genius.

I had a nice birthday dinner with my mom, sis, uncle & aunt, plus this little squirmy thing:

Everything was great until the cake came out. What do you think happens when you spell out your name letter by letter to the cake-writer, and even write it out on a piece of paper? Well, if the cake-writer happens to be Chinese, you get this:

Genius. I guess you can't win 'em all.

Finally, 23 isn't really an important number in the grand scheme of things, but do you know that certain mathematical circles know the number 23 as the 'Birthday Paradox' number?

"The 'Birthday Paradox' states that a group of 23 randomly-selected persons is the lowest number where there will be a probability higher than 50 per cent that two people will share the same birthday."

That's kind of interesting... right? Well, at least it's relevant.

Victoria.

2007-08-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back in Vic-City and, surprise surprise, it hasn't changed much. That said, consistency isn't a particularly bad thing, especially the beautiful weather we've had the past couple of days.

The new Canucks' jersey launched yesterday, and shouts of disappointment have filled the fan forums. I'm not quite sure what people were expecting - the redesign merely marks the introduction of the edge jersey, not a reimagining of the franchise.

I don't find them particularly unattractive, although the explicit spelling out of our city name seems a bit too idiot-friendly. Luongo's retro equipment matches well with the new design, and Canucks fans spend half of the game watching him anyway. Personally, I'm more excited about seeing Sanford's mask for the first time.

We ate at Nautical Nellies the other night, one of the good seafood restaurants in Victoria. I fully recommend the seafood platter for two, which easily feeds three people with healthy appetites.

I had the Seafood Risotto the other night, which was delicious for the first 10 minutes, until my body started realizing that I was feeding it rice swimming in butter. Other than that, it was a fine meal and a good way to start off another year of frozen dinners and takeout.

Quality Boo-time.

2007-08-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Lucky me got to spend the day with baby Matia, better known as "Boo". Since this is a rare opportunity for me as I am now Victorian, I grabbed my camera and took a whole bunch of Boopics!

Although she just started walking, Boo has quite a few modes of transportation:

1. The Boo-Scooter

2. The BooMobile

3. The Boo-Bike

If only Boo knew how to pedal. Poor Boo :(

Canucks '07

2007-08-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hockey season is around two months away, but that doesn't equate to a lack of hockey news - especially not in the Canucks' camp.

One of the major sources of forum flamings has been the uncertain future of Captain Canuck, Trevor Linden. That ended quickly a couple days ago when he signed a 1 year, $600,000 contract. In my opinion, that's well worth the value of his locker room presence.

Another important, though purely aesthetic, development for Canuck fans is the 'sweater launch' taking place at the end of this month. I'm not sure how big of a change these new sweaters will be - it could be a restyling for the edge jersey or an entirely new emblem and color scheme. I do happen to think that these fan-created (*emphasis*) jerseys are quite stylish:

Finally, the rumor mill in Vancouver continues to be overwhelmed with talk of Peter Forsberg . As far as I know:

Naslund is apparently "trying his best" to recruit his old linemate.
Forsberg is again injury ridden and would start in December at the earliest.
To create enough cap room, a contract like Brendan Morrison's would be dumped.
Peter Forsberg continues to be 34 years old.

That said, like any good Canucks fan, I can't help imagining how ridiculously cool a Naslund-Forsberg-Cooke line would be.

Central Mediterranean.

2007-08-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

Test

2007-02-28T10:03:00.001-08:00

Test

Summer Reminiscence

2006-11-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

"I have liked remembering almost as much as I have liked living"

- William Maxwell

I actually find the opening quote a bit too extreme, but I am too pressed for time these days to find a better quote... Anyway, I thought I'd post some photos from my summer, like I always seem to do on this blog (^-^).

First of all, a blog template note: I realize now that the template I 'borrowed' and altered does not allow me to see the names behind comments. In other words, I can't see who commented on my last post or this post either, so if you could remember to put your name IN the comment itself, that'd be great :)

Anyways, I just downloaded Picasa2, so I've been tinkering with it a little in my spare time. I was pretty impressed with how easy it was to make decent looking photo collages - you just pick the photos you want and click 'create'. Google is definitely gonna take over the world one of these days...

The first collage is made from photos of my Mediterranean Cruise in August. Places we hit included Italy, Portugal, Monaco, Spain, France and England. I'd have to say my favorite city was Barcelona, Spain, because of the shopping and the architecture of the city. Of course, the most exciting point of the trip was when I got the acceptance e-mail from UVic :)

The second collage is of my newest cousin (that makes 15), who has probably tripled the number of hits for my uncle's blog. Everyone calls her 'boo', although her real name is Matia Chen. It's so easy to call her 'boo', but I'm sure she'll want a new nickname once she becomes a little more cognizant. My baby shower gift was the ipod onesie she's wearing in one of the photos - Steve Jobs should be quick to realize the marketing potential of a chubby little Chinese baby (^___^).

Well that's all for now - it's time to start going into overdrive if I'm to survive until December (o__O).

“Justice? -- You get justice in the next world, in this world you have the law.”

2006-10-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Kudos to the novelist William Gaddis for the heading for this post. Try not to read into it too deeply, you'll only end up depressed (^_^)

So I guess I haven't updated this thing for almost half a year... My excuse is that I was just too lazy in the summer, and as for September and October, I've actually been pretty busy :p. Most of you already know that I got accepted into UVic law in August, but in case you were wondering what law school (in Victoria) is like, here are some quick 'factoids':

Law school is three years of schooling plus one year of articling
The 1st year class in UVic Law is about 100 students
The average age of a 1y student this year is 26
All 1st years follow a Standardized class schedule, which is 6 full year courses and 1 half year course.
Most courses just have a lot of readings with one big final and a 'no-hurt' midterm (only counts if your midterm mark is higher than your final mark)
Surprisingly enough, each course has only two 1.5-hour classes per WEEK. I actually get fridays off!
Uvic Law school environment is pretty lax
Law Profs are NOT like the ones shown in 'legally blonde'. They aren't really mean at first but nicer as the movie goes along - they're just nice in general (mine are anyway)
In law school, you're more motivated to do your readings and participate in class discussions - i've probably done more reading in two months than i did in my entire 4th year (^_^)

One thing you realize really early on is the dual nature of law: a balance between legal formalism and personal judgments, and a balance between consistency and flexibility. In any area of law, there is always a counter argument to your argument, a retort to that counter argument, and so on and so on...

It is really interesting stuff, but right now, there doesn't seem to be a lot of ground to stand on in the world of law - I've been told that it will start to make more sense sometime in the middle of second year (a prof told me that too, lol).

So far, I'm enjoying the whole experience of law school, but then again, I haven't taken any exams yet... exams ruin everything >:(

Anyway, drop me a line, but don't ask for legal advice just yet (^_^).

Seattle 2006

2006-05-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hail to the Peerless City,
Metropolis of the west,
The gateway to the Orient,
Whom grandeur hath caressed!

Her men and women active, proud,
Seattle build sublime,
And greater far than ancient Rome,
The matchless for all time.

[excerpt from Seattle's blatantly self-aggrandizing city song, "Seattle the Peerless City"]

Hehe, I thought I'd just throw that out for all you aspiring poets out there. It also hints at the topic of this post - hurrah for foreshadowing!

Sorry for the very long break between posting - I didn't have the energy to dual post on both blogger and xanga the last few months (I am characteristically a very lazy blogger). Anyway, exams have been over for a while already, and I have been enjoying a rather decadent summer break :D

My cousin Joy came to visit us for a couple weeks, and we all went to Seattle for a few days with Tiff and Jer, on our first parent-free vacation! Sightseeing is way more fun when you aren't forced to take mandatory family shots all the time, hehehe.... Neverthess, we still took a lot of photos :p

Hehe, I believe the photos are pretty self-explanatory. We spent most of our time in Seattle shopping in downtown, but we also visited the famous Seattle public market. We took a lot of photos around the surrounding area (it's a really nice view), and we also visited the first Starbucks ever! The two-for-one shot of Jer eating sushi was our dinner at Todai, an all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant where you eat until you have migraines :D

The protest picture is kind of out-of-place, but we saw a HUGE parade of people going through the streets on May 1st, in response to the nation-wide protest against immigration laws. That was actually pretty cool, it was like seeing history in the making :p

~~~~~~~~~~~

That's all I feel like posting right now... hopefully I will be able to head back to Calgary for a decent portion of the summer, so I can catch up with the Calgary folk :D. Until then, have a relaxing and productive summer!

The other kind of Project

2006-02-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

I believe this is blogger style #10. Blogger templates just makes it too easy to keep changing things up (^_^)

Anyway, as most of you guys know, I have been planning on going to a project with Campus Crusade to some *cough* asian country. Danny, Scott, Sheridan and Wong graciously wrote me a reference for it :p

One thing that I never considered was that all of these projects start at the beginning of May, overlapping with my graduation ceremony. I really wanted to go with Crusade, but I'm having a tough time figuring out how to handle this conflict. More details can be found on my xanga, which I have resurrected as a blog for the CRU blogring. I'd appreciate your prayers, as I have no idea what I'm going to do until my summer plans get more cleared up :(

Thanks!

The 2004 Collection.

2006-02-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

Hmm, I've been meaning to make this post for a while now - a trip down memory lane, so to speak.

The summer of 2004 (also known as the Summer of Laziness and Unemployment) was mostly spent on improving my HTML and drawing skills. I spent alot of time designing an art website for some reason (d'oh!), and I also mass produced a bunch of photo websites. Most of em are down already (amazingly, my artwebsite hasn't been erased by my uncle yet), but I have most of the html and photos stored in my special "PROJECTS" folder.

Here's a brief archive of these so-called projects:

Project Bailar

Project Birthday

Project Char-Uzu

Project Frenzy

Project Rally

Project Logos
= Amazing Calgary Guys + 2004 Olympics

Yah, I have a thing for cool codenames (^___^)
For those who remember, the Car Rally site actually was pretty cool; it popped up as a new window and had a lot of tables, but I wrote that one directly (no practice html), so it doesn't work anymore :(

Hehe so I just felt like making all of you Calgarians nostalgic about 2004 :D
I still have all the photos from each website if you didn't save em to your hard drive yourself.

Other than that, I guess I'd better get back to studying for my midterms (o_O) !

Nostalgia in Five days

2006-02-16T22:24:00.000-08:00

Another reading week in Calgary, and another week of fun memories (and no reading)!
In order to recap my visit back home for those who weren't there (*cough*Waterloo*cough*), I decided to copy how Wired magazine designs their monthly calendars.

So without further ado...

10th - Took WestJet back home to Calgary. Leather seats + Live satellite TV = why the heck do I keep flying Air Canada ??

11th - Last minute get-together at my house. 2 hours of hoopla devolved into mindless fun where we made up clues for each other to act out. Yet another night where things kept going downhill hehehe...

12th -Went to the new First Alliance Church; had Laksa for dinner (mmm.... malaysian/singaporean)

13th -Actually studied (o_O), and played floor hockey with the guys at night. The guys then filled out a reference form for me; i'll admit they said good things about me, except when it got to the question "How does the applicant relate to members of the opposite sex?" (>_<) - grrr....

14th - Spent valentine's day studying (w00t!!), and eventually dropped in on the guy's bible study. Good conversations sparsed with my usual lame jokes :D

15th - Finally tried out the Xbox 360 @ Sheridan's. Perfect Dark Zero was pretty cool, but Geometry Wars was surprisingly addictive. Went out for sushi for Jeremy's birthday, and later had a 'mini-strath-reunion' with Vanessa.

16th -Watched Team Canada own Germany :D. It was sad that I had to leave Calgary so early, but I'm glad I avoided that crazy -39 weather!

I did remember to bring my camera this time, but I managed to forget to use it alot of the time (-____-). The only photos I took where during Monday night's hockey game - it was fun, but really tiring :o

That's all I have time to post for now. I'll update later after my conference with Campus Crusade (and after my midterms too !). Thanks for hanging out with me Calgarians, I'll make sure to head back sometime in the summer :D

The Mindless Poster

2006-02-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

Hehe, I found this article from Wired quite amusing. The author has a rather nonsensical sense of humor, but its entertaining nonetheless.

Here's my paraphrasing of the article:

Four Foolproof Tips to help you fake an intelligent opinion on Message Boards

The One-Issue Poster

You may not have an opinion about the current issue, but everyone has an opinion about something, whether it's international trade, domestic education or the way cakes in the grocery store look really good but taste like frosted teddy bear fur. Luckily, everything is connected on some tenuous level, so there's no reason to talk about things you don't care about.

The easiest approach is to blame a current or former politician for everything that goes wrong. But even if there's no conceivable connection, you can always take the digression express: "The war between Belgium and Finland only adds chaos to a world already torn by the lack of good delivery pizza in the East Bay."

The Enigma

Don't want to take a stand on a controversial issue, but are dying to contribute to the conversation anyway? Just share a single, vaguely pertinent fact. Context-free data is to an online discussion as raw meat is to a cage full of starving Rottweilers and indignant vegetarians. Say you're looking at an article about gun control. Just pop in and say, "Over 10,000 unarmed people are shot to death by criminals each year."

Are you in favor of gun control or against it? You're not saying, but people on both sides will leap to the attack. You'll be the belle of the brawl. By the way, I just made that statistic up. You can go ahead and make up your statistics, too. It just gives people more to argue about.

The In-Joker

At any given moment, approximately 400 catch phrases are circulating on the web. You don't need any actual wit to adopt one. Even if you're not up on the latest gags, you can always fall back on these standbys: "I, for one, welcome our new (subject of article) overlords." "Needs more cowbell." Or simply "Pwned!"

This serves two purposes. First, it establishes you as a hipster and wry lover of textual hi-jinks. Secondly, these jokes sometimes appear to the casual observer to be making a keen satirical point.

Note: "All your base are belong to us" is a tempting catch phrase, but resist. This phrase will mark you as dated and out of touch, at least until November 2008, when the phrase will become meta-ironically hip.

The Cynic

This is one of the easiest techniques, and one of the most powerful. Just remember this handy phrase: "What did you expect?" Did the president get caught trading endangered tiger skins for high-grade heroin? "What did you expect? Politicians are all corrupt." Did tornadoes grind Topeka into a fine, wheat-scented powder? "What did you expect? It's in the middle of tornado country." Did alien amphibians descend upon Canada and devour everyone amid bilingual pleas for mercy? "Come on, there are 100 billion stars in the galaxy. Did you really expect that not one of them would be home to carnivorous toad-people?"

You can pick just one of these techniques, or cycle through all of them. Either way, you'll have something to add to any subject, no matter how esoteric, complex or boring. Enjoy.

Go For the Gold!

2006-01-28T23:25:00.000-08:00

Hehe, look what I found in London Drugs, of all places :p

It's a cool model/figurine of Martin Brodeur, in his 2004 Team Canada jersey (i guess since its 2004, its from the World Cup of Hockey). I picked it up for really cheap, and my sister got some Jarome Iginla figurine... whatever... (bahahaha >:D ).

Flames Vs. Canucks animosity aside, Olympic Hockey is gonna be awesome (^o^) ! Team Canada plays Italy first (can't think of a single italian player), and watching int'l hockey is always fun - the bigger rink size is sure to make our fastest players stand out.

I hope I don't have any essays or exams during that time (o_O)... I know that I always have finals around playoff time, but I don't wanna miss any olympic hockey - I'll be 25 the next time Team Canada plays!

Anyways, here's hoping Brodeur will be solid the whole way through, and we won't lose any more D-men to injuries. Go Canada :D !

The new face of Canada

2006-01-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

To think that I'd see a non-liberal government within my lifetime :)

So now that we have the "friendly giant" as our new PM, it's time to see what he can do with the restrictions that come with a minority government. Most likely he will have to ally with the NDP on larger legislation issues, but it'll be interesting to see how well he plays his cards.

I'm pretty skeptical about any talk of sweeping changes in a minority gov't, but I am definitely looking forward to seeing what the new torie cabinet will look like. Don't be surprised to find Stockwell Day, or Mr. Calgary himself, Jason Kenney, taking up some spots (nothing high-profile though).

Next week, UBC is going to have a panel on discussing the new government, which I will definitely try to attend. I'll update this post if I pick up anything interesting :D

This post may very well be the only product of my political science degree, hahahaha (^o^)

*Addendum: Based on statistics and probability (this government has the fewest seats for a minority government EVER; torie minority governments are notorious for short lifespans), it will be Steven Harper's negotiation skills that will determine whether or not his government lasts more than 15-18 months. Good luck Mr. Harper - I think you're going to need it (o_O)

Song of the Moment

Mobile - Montreal Calling

What happened to January ?!

2006-01-17T23:15:00.000-08:00

Term Two just seems to be gearing up, but its almost the end of January already!

Anyway, after finally finding out the information about the Campus Crusade retreat in February, I will be able to come back to Calgary for most of the week (Feb 10-16th i think?). Unfortunately, most of you Calgary people still have class then, but I'm sure we'll be able to meet for a night or two.

After msn'ing with Danny the other day, I'm sure there is much to discuss:

Charuzu : me --> defected to the CANUCKS

but thats old news

:D

Tipster : Terrible news

Charuzu : hahaha

Tipster : You do own a Flames jersey

Charuzu : AND a Canucks jersey

Tipster : So you're a two timer

Charuzu : no

i believe the official term is

'bandwagoner'

lol

Anyways, I'll try to organize with you guys a little earlier this time... I have a feeling we're all going to end up in Sheridan's house again :p

There's actually a lot going on this week with UBC Crusade - there's an outreach playing off of the election (with two choices - God exists or God doesn't exist). I guess the point of this more 'publicity-ish' kind of outreach is to make the club known to those who are seeking. It's also supposed to get people thinking about spiritual things, but quite frankly, I find that a lot of university students are already deadset on defending their position on 'spiritual things'. My hope is that we'll find more people who will join the bible studies - the small student-to-student studies are definitely the most effective tool that CCC offers (imo).

Well, I look forward to catching up with all the Calgarians in a few weeks, except for mr.waterloo :p

Ringing it in

2006-01-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

Well, "新年快乐 !", as they like to say.
I took absolutely no photos in the Philippines (it was rather uneventful), so I just found some atypical anime new years art to pretty up the post (^-^).

I think they are tearing down one of the Buchanan buildings or something, because most of my classes are in this remedial building - that is far, far, away from my townhouse. I might try to switch one of my courses just because I don't want to walk that far at 8:30 in the morning.

This is my final term for my polisci degree, and it's pretty anti-climatic. Actually, my marks for this term don't seem to matter all that much - most law schools just take up to 4th year 1st term in calculating the gpa. I'll still try to finish well though, if not for consistency, then for my pride as a... uh.. political scientist :p

Where exactly I will end up going this year is the biggest unknown right now - if everything manages to go right for me, I can hopefully get into one of my choice law schools. In one aspect, I really don't want to move again (i've moved every single year since 2001), but I have to consider what is the best course of action, which will undoubtedly cause loads of worries. Maybe by this time next year, all of these worries will seem trite and ironic in light of the work I am going to have to do in Law School (-____-).

Heh, I'm sounding pretty pessimistic, but I'm actually looking forward to figuring out this next big step in my life. I guess it's time to figure out what this whole 'growing up' thing is all about. Until then, it's more walking, reading, and studying for the next few months

It's Christmas time again Charlie Brown !

2005-12-10T00:53:00.000-08:00

Inbetween the mad rush to finish essays and study for finals, I managed to catch part of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on YTV. Man... it made me feel so nostalgic and old (^-^)!

When I was a kid, I thought the general theme of the movie was just watching Charlie Brown mess up his Christmas play and act like the ol' blockhead that we know and love. I totally missed Schluz's commentary on the 'commericalization of Christmas' that distracts us from the Christian meaning of the holiday (try getting away with a message like that these days !)

It's such an old cartoon, but when you think about it, the subtext of the movie is incredibly poignant and provocative in today's day and age. Poor ol' Charlie Brown, frustrated about the crappy little tree that he bought, cries out:

"Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"

Linus stops sucking his thumb for a second (he even drops his blanket, *gasp*) and responds to Charlie Brown with a word for word reading of the nativity story in Luke 2. Just in case the audience didn't get it, he ends by calmly asserting: "that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown".

Heh, talk about a bold cartoon. I know there's been a lot of controversy over this subject (aka. Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas - the never ending debate), but Schluz made a simple statement - sure, holiday traditions and 'Christmas cheer' all help to make the season something to look forward to, but those things should never replace the need for reflection during Christmas. Definitely something to think about this month :)

~~~

Well, it's off to the Philippines for me again. Hope you guys all can have some fun and relaxation at home (or wherever you may be), and enjoy the cold while I sweat to death in Davao.

Best of luck with exams, and God Bless (^_^)

Chronicles of a Boy and His Tiger

2005-10-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

Well I know how I am going to spend 100 bucks.

My favorite comic series of all time, Calvin and Hobbes, complete in one very cool hardcover collection. This sounds cheesy, but this silly comic strip had a big impact on me when I was growing up - it enriched my vocabulary, engaged my mind with Calvin's little philosophical inquiries (I love the commentaries that Watterson made on mass media), got me into drawing comic strips and cartoons, and literally defined "imagination" for me.

*Charles Trivia !*: In grade 6-7, I wrote and drew 4 issues of a comic book I entitled "The Magnificent Three", a spinoff of all of Calvin's alter-egos: Spaceman Spiff, Stupendous Man, and Trigger Bullet. Pretty geeky, but fond memories none the less.

Speaking of Geeky, I am also adding this book to my 'buy-from-Amazon' list:

Haha, this should make for a hilarious coffee table book: a Ph.D. in robotics wrote the book, mixing in actual useful scientific knowledge with good ol' British humor.

Excerpts from the book are already pretty funny, and the book has some pretty cool 'pop-art' illustrations that go along with its pearls of wisdom.

FIND A WEAPON

Your pathetic human hands are useless here. Choose a blunt or pointed instrument (serrated edges don’t work against metal or durable plastic). Even a simple crowbar can save your life – you can run away while the robot condescendingly bends it into a pretzel shape.

Hehe I think I am the only person who buys these kinds of things (^_^). In terms of what's new in my life... uh not much, essays and law school applications have kept me busy 24/7. Tomorrow I'm going with friends from my club to talk with people about religion and Christianity. I'm a bit nervous about that, but who knows: maybe I can miraculously transform into an extrovert? I think that would be definite prove of a God (^o^)

That's it for me - Best of Luck surviving Midterms :p

A Bit of Art

2005-10-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've posted any artwork in a really long time... I'm usually way too lazy to bother drawing any good quality sketches these days...

No color pics; just some sketches that I decided to scan in while I was browsing through my sketchbooks:

This first one is from first year; for some reason I decided to draw little avatars of characters from the books we read in Arts One. I think I drew them for a card we were gonna give to our professor, but we scratched the card in the end... i don't really remember why.

I drew this one fairly recently... It's my version of Cedric Diggory from The Goblet of Fire. Cedric was a minor character, but I liked him... highly skilled yet very modest and down-to-earth.

*Spoiler Warning*

It was a pretty big shock when he suddenly died in the book. The movie will definitely be good... definitely will be better than the first three movies I would think.

A set of posters came out recently and they look pretty cool - it ain't no kiddy stuff any more >:)

Casa de Pipo

2005-10-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

By the way, Pipo = me. I'm sure some of you remember that all my relatives call me by that name - dun ask me why though :p.
Anyway, I got around to taking a few photos of the townhouse my sister and I are living in:

The space might look bigger than it really is - The first floor is just essentially a large room that includes the front foyer, living room, the dining room, and kitchen (o_O). Of course, most of the furniture and fixtures that you see come from Ikea ^o^, although the coffee table and TV table come from a Chinese furniture store in Aberdeen Centre.

Most of the appliances (fridge, microwave, etc.) came with the place, and I picked out a LCD TV from Costco for a really good price - those Koreans can make a decent flatscreen. The kitchen hasn't been used a whole lot... my sister and I are only starting to learn how to cook some things. I've mostly been experimenting with the George Foreman grill, which I highly recommend for its versatility ^_^

---------------------------------------------------------

Oh yah, I'll be in Calgary for the Thanksgiving weekend, from Friday night till Tuesday morning. I don't get in till midnight though, so I won't be able to watch the game at Danny's house. Hopefully we can find a day when we're all free so we can go do something... I hear its already below freezing over there though (-____-)

I'll give you guys a call when I get in town :D

Wednesdays are cool now.

2005-09-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Every wednesday I have a 3 hour class in the afternoon. Sounds pretty crappy, but the class is on Japanese cinema - we watch a new Japanese movie every week, and have a short discussion afterwards.

In September, we're covering movies by Akira Kurosawa, who happens to be a mighty impressive cinematographer from the 1950s. Last week we started watching "Seven Samurai", a movie about a village of farmers who hire seven samurai to save their village from a group of bandits. It sounds like a simple plot, but the movie has a lot of depth to it, and it's got a healthy dose of comedic relief and samurai 'kewlness'.

This is a great quote:

Gorobei Katayama: You're good.

Heihachi Hayashida: Yeah, yeah. But I'm better at killing enemies.

Gorobei Katayama: Killed many?

Heihachi Hayashida: Well - it's impossible to kill 'em all, so I usually run away.

Gorobei Katayama: A splendid principle!

Heihachi Hayashida: Thank you.

Anyway, I'd recommend this movie if you're ever in the mood for a black and white japanese classic.

Song of the Moment:

Death Cab for Cutie -
Marching Bands of Manhattan

Comes around once a year

2005-09-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again.

No, it isn't crazy hat day. It's my birthday - the big 2-1 to be exact.
I already had a nice little dinner party on my behalf last weekend at Kirin - it was short and sweet, just as I like it.

I got a good amount of hong bao (red pocket) money this year, so I should invest it properly... hmmm, ipod or xbox 360?
Hehe, well unfortunately I can't celebrate too much - the October 1st LSAT is creeping up, so it's back to practice drills for me :_(
Thanks to Eric for his anime birthday e-card - it was highly appropriate (^^)

Song of the Moment

Yui - Feel my soul ~acoustic version~

Revise and Recap

2005-09-10T00:22:00.000-07:00

I think this is chuckang.blogspot.com ver. 05 already.
Anyway, I switched providers, so any images that were on my shaw server are gone, gone, gone :p

It's been about a month since my last post (which is about average for me) - here are some things that have happened since then:

Finished my second summer school course (obviously >:P)

Wow, if I was smart I would've just gone to school in the summer.. I dunno if it's because profs give u more slack in intense courses, if my profs liked my writing, or if I was just really lucky, but I've gotten my highest mark ever in this course. Don't be a fool - take summer school.

Eight trips to Ikea, Four trips to Linens&Things, Three trips to Costco, and Two trips to Home Depot

In other words, I finished moving. The place is still missing a few things, but it's more or less shaped to our liking now; by 'our', I mean my sister and mom's liking... I just ordered a few coffee table books - a taschen architecture book, a book about business cards, and the book of exodus ala Brick (not u Eric... but Lego ^^). I'll post photos of the place later.

Family road trip to Portland (aka P-town) and Seattle (aka Emerald City)

Here come the photos:

At some tourist spot in Portland

At the Farmer's Market in Seattle

Eating @ Todai - buffet sushi and seafood >:)

The first Starbucks Evah !

At the Experience Music Project in Seattle... a pretty cool museum for American music

My sister and the crazy guitar... upside down pyramid thing....

I like Banana Republic.

Space Needle

The fish throwing guys!

Words of wisdom from KC

... and finally, the mandatory artsy shot (^o^)

Photo Addendum

2005-08-05T01:36:00.000-07:00

Hmm I didn't know about this blogger photo add-on... it's much better than the old way of doing it, especially since you can actually post multiple photos now...

Anyway i'm posting some extra Philippine photos here cuz i'm too lazy to log onto imagestation as well hehe

The banana boat ride was a.. painful experience.. we managed to all fall off 5 times within 30 minutes, although my sister managed to fall of an extra 2 times nehehehe
It probably wasn't the smartest move for nick and me to both sit in the back either :p

Weird....

The ol' familia

Anyway, I'll keep this post a short one... I finally finished that project on fast track proceedings, so I can hand it in tomorrow :p Then i'll have to spend the weekend writing an essay (another one on Iraq lol), and cram like mad for the final on friday. Then its moving time... ugg moving stuff from my room here to the new place will be a pain... but i get to try and be like edward norton in fight club and ikea the place up (wow wat an obscure reference).

Once this course is done, I'm thinking of posting alot of photos from this year and last summer on my imagestation account... so thats incentive for u calgary ppl to go make an account. I know you all wanna relive memories of Eric's dancing prowess >:)

Song of the Moment

F.I.R. - 無限 (Infinite)

Oh yah, the baton

2005-07-27T02:29:00.000-07:00

As promised, I'll pass this 'mp3 inventory baton' around...
pretty self-explanatory, just copy and paste (^o^)

‧ Total volume of music files on my computer.
Uh... probably around 20 gigs + old mp3s on CDs...

‧ Currently playing.
move - Rage Your Dream

‧ The last CD I bought.
Garnet Crow - I'm Waiting For You

‧ Five songs(tunes) I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me.

Do As Infinity - what you gonna do ?

My favorite song from my favorite jpop band (^_^)

Matt Redman - heart of worship

My favorite worship song

YUI - i feel my soul

New favorite.. got me back into jpop recently

Rene Liu - hen ai hen ai ni

Uh.. this is the only song I can sorta sing @ karaoke, lol

? - forbidden love

I have actually never heard this song sung or played by whoever wrote it, but I borrowed the piano music from my cousin and I really like the melody. I played it so much that it's more or less memorized (^-^)

‧ Five people to whom I’m passing the baton.
Sheridan
Eric
Wong
Mike
Chiann

Uh these are the only ppl I know who might actually take the time to do this hehehe..

(er yah.. i pretty much stole the entire layout from you Winnie, hehe)

Back to Western Civilization!

2005-07-27T01:59:00.000-07:00

Ugg.. i'm posting pretty late (stupid jetlag) so I'll keep this short.

Back from Davao, Philippines, where my grandparents gather their children and grandchildren almost every year. I've been there so many times that the trip has become boring, but I have to admit that it was much better this time around. My uncle installed DSL into the house (finally!), and we didn't have to go to a single extended family dinner! Instead, I spent my time there bumming around the house, catching up on my reading, watching Korean and Taiwanese channels, playing badminton, hockey, and golf, joining in a couple of dance lessons, swimming, and playing WoW and Halo 2. Having a wireless network throughout the house makes things soooo much better.. I hate feeling disconnected for three weeks and missing out on everything.

For example, if we didn't have internet, I wouldn't have known that
HOCKEY IS BACK !!! sweeeeet...

(hehe the pic is from a car rally...that's me in the Canucks jersey btw)
Its been so long since I saw a hockey game... can't wait for the new season to start. I don't really have much of an opinion on the new shootout rules, as long as it's hockey, it's fine with me...

Uh hopefully this won't affect my GPA, hehehe...

Well I have actually taken several photos during my trip, but I decided to post them on Imagestation. I keep forgetting to use this site.. it's pretty good for larger collections of photos. Click on the photo to get the link, but you'll need to make an Imagestation account to access it (it's not that hard :p).

I'll add some better photos to the album once I steal some of the photos off of my sister's camera... they're all still in Davao while I left early for another summer course. Aaargh midterm in a week already?? Term 1 will seem slow and easy after this (-__-)

Catching Up With My Old Saxaphone Buddy

2005-07-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, today was a treat :)

I had lunch with Danny, Matt, and Anne before Danny headed off to Indonesia for his missions trip. I also got to meet little Lemuel for the first time, Matt and Anne's 2-month old baby.

Hehe, he's got quite a bit of hair.. just like his dad :P
It was great catching up with everyone; I haven't seen Matt or Anne since their wedding!

Haha, i have to admit, it was a little weird watching Matt as a father... he's still the same ol' fun-loving, back-breaking bear hug guy (^_^). They had a bit of a scare when Lemuel was born, but thank God that he seems to be doing okay now (his voice is definitely strong :p). Matt and Anne are hoping to enter the mission field in the next four years - until then, I'm sure they'll have their hands full raising their son :). Makes me wonder what i'll be doing in four years... probably articling (-____-)

We also saw Danny off at the airport before he flies to Singapore (and later to Indonesia). Haha i warned him about their gum (yes guM, not guN) policy... last time I went, I spat out my gum in a trash bin and everyone stared at me like some sort of felon (o_O). He told me in a few years he could 'cook' my books for me... i stared at him for a while, thinking he had gone crazy (it's apparently an accounting term which I obviously never heard of before). I'll bet he'll have tons of fun over there :)

Hmm.. well i'd better get back to my essays/exams that are closing in very quickly... why did I take these intense summer courses again? Maybe i'm the one going crazy :p

Essays in the summer ?? Madness (o)

2005-06-26T23:56:00.000-07:00

Hmm... so this is summer school...

Heh I just started last monday and my midterm is on wednesday already :p
Each 3 hour class is equal to a week of classes in a normal term, and yet people still skip anyway - doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of taking an intensive summer course? ( heh w/ever, they can just boost up the average >:) )

Anyway, I had to sign up for this course since I'm leaving for the Philippines in a couple of weeks... that's gonna be ohhhhhh so much fun... cuz you know... after going TWENTY TIMES... it's not boring at all... and I REALLY enjoy my grandma giving me the same old lectures.... (<-- very bitter & sarcastic grumbling)

Well at least I got to catch up with the Calgary gang (^_^)
The weather over there was ... kinda apocalpytic actually... In all seriousness, there was a bunch of flood warnings because of all the heavy rain ( I hope its died down by now). Hehe, it seemed sunny on one day, so we tried to play a game of soccer - of course, once we were in the middle of an open field it started to hail like crazy (-_-)...
Other than that, my break in Calgary was pretty fun.. I was doing well in poker until Meera cleared us all out ( Honestly, who gets a four of a kind in texas hold em?? ). Heh, it was nice seeing you guys... hope the bible study goes well :p

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera to Calgary (again)... I DID, however, take some photos at my friend's R/C booth at Driven to Perform (mod show). My cousin and I brought our Mini-Z's and helped look after the practice track; hehe we kinda cheated... our cars have upgraded motors, so they're faster than the practice cars (but they didn't know that :p)

I'm not very big on Mod Shows... I definitely preferred the Pacific Car & Light Truck show. Basically, there was an army of R34s, S2Ks, one Ferrari and one Lamborghini :p

Hehe, when I got back home from Calgary I found this tacked onto the bathroom door:

Har dee har har. My uncle strikes again :p

Song of the Moment

The Bravery - An Honest Mistake

Changing Gears

2005-05-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

Only a week left before the LSAT... it's a little daunting, especially considering how seriously LSAC administers the test (there's apparently ~30 minutes of registration/bureaucratic crap you have to go through before you touch the test). Based on practice LSATs, my marks have ranged from around the 70th percentile to about the 90th percentile, so consistency (in the higher end) is key.

The 2 Logical Reasoning sections are the easiest to score consistently on: they're broken up into ~25 individual questions, so if there's a question that's taking too much time, you just skip it and try to come back to it later (its only one mark after all). Reading Comprehension and Logic Games are more in the air, as they're both composed of 4 major sections, so sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're not. I think the most important thing is to stay calm and go through the test without looking back - all of the questions are perfectly manageable, it's just a matter of time management.

Anyway, I'll be glad when that's over on the 6th... then I can focus on other parts of my summer:

Work: My major project right now is to research about the fast-track (rule 66) procedures that are being fine-tuned in the Supreme Court of Canada. I think this will be really interesting and useful - it will probably become more of the norm over the next few years.

Summer School: I finally get to take the course on Int'l Security... hopefully my term paper on the Ballistic Missile Defense will come in handy during this course.

Devotions: I've been meaning to spend more time on my devotional life... I'm going to the Campus Crusade bible studies @ UBC, but that's not enough... I need to buy a good book and work on my daily commitments.

Find a gym or something?: Not surprisingly, I don't exactly have a very disciplined exercise schedule right now. I haven't even been playing that much badminton lately... so I dunno, I gotta find a way to go get more exercise in the week :p

Oh yes, and from the 7th to the 17th, I'll be back in Cowtown:

This will be the only time I can spend in Calgary this whole summer, so I'd better make good use of it, huh? Actually I know everyone's busy with work and school, and I have to catch up on reading and research as well, but I'm sure we'll be able to meet once or twice to hang out ( btw meeting me at the airport does NOT count... I still feel bad for those japanese women who were greeted by a bunch of flames players waving around 'marry me' signs ). Heh, either way it'll be good to see everybody again - too bad the big 'E' defected to the east hehehe.

That's enough blogging for today... I'm not gonna touch this thing until I finish off that LSAT!

Song of the Moment

Asian Kung-fu Generation - Blackout
(Not gonna upload it since
I'm the only one who listens
to Japanese music :p)

Long Weekend Fun (^o^)

2005-05-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

1. Friday - Premium Outlets, Tulalip WA
Left early Friday morning to see the new premium outlets near Seattle with Mike and Sherry. There are so many bad drivers driving across the border... and going at 140 km/h too. The outlet itself wasn't too bad.. the Banana Republic and Calvin Klein outlets probably were the most worthwhile stores there. Lots of shoe stores there too (puma, nike, sketchers, aldo, etc.). We got back in time to try Feenie's for dinner; pretty good place, but don't order the calamari (-_-).

2. Sunday - Matt's (Surprise) Bday Party
A bunch of people from St. Andrews held a surprise bday party for Matt at the quads. We managed to genuinely surprise him too, which is pretty amazing, considering how they baked the cake in his dorm and I had to phone Chiann about 10 times on her cell to keep tabs on Matt. We spent most of the night playing a VERY competitive game of Cranium (well no fights broke out at least), and most importantly, my team won (^o^) ~mwahahaha!

3. Monday - Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith
In celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday, I watched the third episode of Star Wars ( I dun really care about the queen...). There was a bit of a lineup, but we had no trouble finding decent seats for a 2:30 showing. The movie was much better than eps 1 or 2, in terms of story, fight scenes, and even acting. I think Ewan Mcgregor shined in all three movies - he made Obi Wan a really interesting character that was fun to watch. My major criticism about the movie is how they tried to jam all the 'linkage' parts at the end of the movie in order to bridge ep 3 with ep 4. There were also some parts in the movie (mainly the emperor parts) that were so over the top that people bursted out laughing. I definitely don't regret watching the movie, but it'll be weird to try to watch all 6 movies in a row.

4. Tuesday - Delirious? Benefit Concert
Sam invited me at the last minute to go to the Delirious concert at the coliseum, which I gladly agreed to ^_^. He got the tickets for free (they originally went for 35 bucks each), and we got decent seating as well. The first hour and a half was pretty lame though - the first opening act was a DJ and a dance team who didn't exactly energize the crowd. We also had to sit through a raffle draw that went very slowwwly... The opening band ( I totally forget their name, it was something in latin) was pretty good for a local band, but the main singer seemed really nervous. The concert started around 6:30, but it wasn't until 9:00 that Delirious? finally came onto the stage. It was definitely worth the wait though- they gave a really good live performance, even though Martin (the main singer) couldn't hit some of the higher notes because of a cold. Listening to live versions of 'Rain Down', 'Majesty', and 'History Maker' was awesome... they even put the lyrics up on the screen so the whole crowd could sing along. Heh , one of the most memorable moments was when people began to wave their cell phone screens instead of lighters during one of Martin's ballads ( he later said "you all think you're a clever bunch. do ya?" in his british accent). All in all, an enjoyable concert that was definitely worth going to (^_^)
---
The long weekend was fun, but now it's time to refine my LSAT skills : only 2 weeks to go :o !

Song of the Moment

Delirious? - Rain Down.wma

Living on Campus again?

2005-05-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

After looking at dozens of homes around the Vancouver area, we ended up zeroing in on the Esse Townhomes on UBC Campus right next to Carie Hall). It's kinda ironic - I said goodbye to most of my St. Andrews' friends figuring that I would rarely see them the next year, and now I'm gonna be living next door to most of them :P. I really liked living on campus this year though, so I'm happy that we managed to find a nice place close to the centre of UBC. There are so many perks that come from living on campus: easy access to the library, to the Birdcoop gym, to club activities, and most importantly, no everyday commute!

Hopefully our offer for the townhouse will go through... as of now, there doesn't seem to be any reason to think otherwise. It'll be a two bedroom house for my sister and I, and my mom will probably drop by during the year as well. If all goes well, we'll be able to move-in by the end of August, and we can start to 'ikea' the place up (^o^)

Starting the Summer . . . . ( >^o^)>

2005-05-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

Being lazy and having fun all day was nice... but it's time to buckle down already (*o*). It sucks that gas is so expensive now (~102 cents) cuz i'll be doing a lot of driving this summer...

I'm starting to take my LSAT course a lot more seriously now - first, because I accidently misread the times for my saturday class (whoops), and second, because I got WASTED by the first practice exam. Reading comprehension and even logical reasoning isn't all that bad... but Logic Games are the worst! A logic game usually involves a bunch of different people, items, and actions; a list of rules you have to follow; and you either match the entities, or figure out different ordering, etc. It doesn't sound all that difficult, but you get a really small amount of time for each one... only practice will help with that one.

I've been playing a lot of badminton recently too :p I'm Sloooooooowly getting better at it, but it's alot of fun and it's pretty good exercise. My dad actually bought me a badminton bag on his way back from Davao... too bad I don't actually own a raquet (o_O). Mwahaha.. a perfect excuse to buy a Yonex with the ol' credit card...

And Sundays are starting to become a highlight of the week again with the return of Family Guy (and Stewie!). Last Sunday's episode had Stewie doing the robot, and it was the funniest thing I've seen on TV in a long time (^o^). He hasn't been very evil lately though - I miss the days when he threatened to kill people for putting sprinkles on his ice cream, hehe.

I'll also be house hunting (again) with my mom this coming weekend... hopefully we can find a nice place soon (maybe i'll even get to live there in the summer :D).

Whoops forgot about this thing :P

2005-05-02T23:45:00.000-07:00

画像置き場

Wow it's been a while since I touched this thing huh...
Not a whole lot has happened since my last post...
I finished all my essays on time, and my profs were
quite generous with their marks this term ( ^o^ whew!)...
Exams were kind of hectic as usual.. hopefully i'll get
all my marks sometimes soon

I tried studying with a group from Campus Crusade this
year... it actually helps most of the time - you tend not
to nod off as much when there's ppl around who can
hear you snoring ( *___* )

I moved out of my dorm already... that took FOREVER!
It was kinda sad to say goodbye to my dorm mates and
my room, but I'm hoping that we'll find a nice apartment/
townhouse/house in vancouver for next year (^_^)

Heh like i said before, this summer will be quite busy:

LSAT Course (which started on Saturday already)
The actual LSAT (June 6)
Two Summer school classes in July and August
Volunteer Work for May and June
July = Philippines and hopefully Japan (for the expo!)
Catching up on important reading (for Law and Polisci)
Start preparing for my bible study next term (I'm planning to help lead it.. hopefully that works out)

I'd also like to get back into drawing... but only if there's time.
It's not much of a priority right now... and I don't really feel
motivated to spend time coloring again (>__<). Heh i'll write a better post sometime soon... I'm just writing a quick one before I fall asleep :p Here's to a productive and hopefully fun summer !

One-Hour Blog

2005-03-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

I've been giving myself an hour break everyday (to make sure I don't go crazy from cramming my brain full of research) and today I felt like finally posting up some pictures on my blog (^_^). I also got tired of the winter banner, so I changed it with some random photo - I'll prolly give this blog a proper update once my essays are done.

Not much has been going on besides working in koerner for the past week or so... I managed to finish my poli 220 essay a day early which is amazing, b/c I've never finished an essay that early before (*o*). So now I'm working on my history essay, which will be considerably longer, but the prof has been pretty thorough about how he wants it written, which is a relief. My US presidency prof replied to my proposal, and told me I'd have to narrow down my topic a lot more, even for a 12 page essay. I have a week to write that one, but I'm still having trouble coming up with a feasible thesis...

On friday was Ben's 20th birthday @ Shabuzan - it was pretty fun, and there was so much food!
( > *____*< ) We had all u can eat hot pot and korean BBQ, and it was like an endless cycle of meat and seafood... eat, order more, eat, order more, etc. for two hours. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera to the restaraunt, so no pictures of the actual food (^_^). We still had cake afterwards too:

I also had a quick dinner with Mike and Sherry on Saturday @ Japone. Hehe, I bombarded Sherry with questions about China for the entire meal... if ony she had lived through the Cultural Revolution hehehe (^_^). I haven't been to Japone in a while... I still think they have the best chicken teriyaki ever. It's a pretty small place on Oak and 65th or sth (somewhere between park and 70th), but it has nice decor and good grilled food.

I'm trying to post a few more pictures this time (although I seem to mainly be talking about food...). After all, it would be pretty lame if my blog was nothing but my complaining and venting (^w^). Here's a couple of wannabe-artsy photos I worked on in CS:

The weather really has been nice here lately... no depressing rain, just sunny, warm weather with a nice breeze. At least my walks between my dorm and koerner have been enjoyable ;)

I want another reading break (>o<)

2005-03-08T01:08:00.000-08:00

Of cos, I mean I want a break from reading...

This is an edited version of the post i put up a few days ago, because the previous post was... well.... incredibly boring. I'll try to make this edit a bit less dull (*o*) !

Right now, my second desk (i have two desks in my room cuz its a double room) has a stack of 25+ books for the different essays that I have coming up. I won't read all of them obviously... I just need to find a decent amount of quotes and facts to back up my theses.
The other day my history prof e-mailed me something interesting : the "UBC Library Online Term Paper Research Clinic", which I never knew existed, is now taking appointments for online help. At first I was pretty cynical... but now I'm seriously considering registering for an appointment. I went through 3 books last night that I found for my globalization essay, and I found that two of them were completely useless (they were more like economic textbooks, which I definitely don't want to read through) and the other one seems a little to anti-Western for my liking.

I have four general essay topics to work on right now:

Hist 125 : China's Cultural Revolution VS. East Bloc countries after the fall of the SU. This is actually more of a comparative essay on two books written on these subjects; the hard part will be figuring out why China held onto communism while most of the SU countries turned to democracy during the 1990s.

Poli 220 : Globalization in Third World Countries.
Bleh, this is a really broad topic... I will try to find useful case studies and focus on the 'economic' and 'cultural' side of globalizaion . I'm a bit worried about this one based on my midterm... i don't think my TA likes my style of writing, he's also really meticulous (-____-)

Poli 328 : US-Canada relations compared to US-UK relations
This will probably be the most interesting essay for me... which is good cuz its the longest at 14 pages. I will have to pull out alot of data and info to fill 14 pages... I'm thinking of going to the research consulting thing for this one.

Poli 342: This class is on the critical race theory, so I might actually write an essay about the different 'races' that north american chinese fall under nowadays. I guess this could be CBCs (like myself), Hongers, FOBS... you know, the different catgeories we seem to use nowadays to describe asian canadians and/or asian americans. This will be hard to find concrete research about... but I'll try to back it up or at least compare this form of racialization with some of the more regardable critical race theories (how they were formed, why they exist, etc.)

Midterms are so weird... i thought i would do bad on my US presidency midterm and much better on my Poli 220 midterm, but in the end it turns out i did better on my US presidency midterm. My TA was really picky about my poli 220 essay-exam.... i only had an hour but he expects me to cover all these extra aspects, and was super picky about semantics as well. I ended up with a B+, which is manageable, but i have to do much better on the following exam and the term paper.
If i want to get into Law it works like this for me:
A = acceptable
B = better do Better
C = crap i'm already screwed
D = Dead Meat

I can't believe theres only 3 weeks of school left ! that really makes me nervous about these dumb essays...
My bible study with campus crusade is growing each week, which is pretty cool, and I've come to rely on it for encouragement and a sense of calmness. Please pray for me, that I won't procrastinate, that I can find the sources I need, and that I can write in a matter best suited for each topic. Of course, I'll pray for you guys too ! Good luck with midterms and final assignments everyone: hopefully we'll end this year on a good note (^o^)

Beware the Ides of March

2005-02-27T22:34:00.000-08:00

Yup... the title of this post is a line from Julius Ceasar...

I've been complaining about all the term papers I have to do in March, but now that its around the corner, it's time to suck it up, bury myself in research, and write four good essays. As long as I keep focus, I should be able to pull it off... then its exam time already, and that's third year. Each year seems to go by faster and faster (*o*)

My reading break in Calgary was pretty fun... it was half and half hanging out and studying.

First Friday : Got in late at night, and most of the gang went over to my place. Just did some catching up and played pool.
First Saturday : Slept in :p (my dorm bed sucks so much compared to my bed at home). Went to Jeremy's birthday dinner and church afterwards. Eric got baptized (hehe althought they almost skipped over him) and I spent the rest of the nights with my parents, who left on their cruise early sunday morning.
First Sunday : Started studying... and it snowed in the day ! Drove through the snow for bubble tea later in the night.
Monday : Went to chinook with the gang... we headed to Sheridan's house later for poker and taboo.
Tuesday : Study Day
Wednesday : Visited STS with Tiff and Jason... went for sushi at night (for Jeremy's birthday again). It was pretty ~oishi too hehe (^o^)
Thursday : Another Study Day
Friday : We actually went to the International Bobsleigh Competition @ COP.

It was definitely an interesting experience... they sure like yelling to psych themselves up before a run (@_@). Went to my house afterwards.
Saturday : A church service I was very grateful to attend... Pastor Ryan gave his last sermon as a pastor in our church, and it was sad to see him go. He's definitely a talented speaker, and I'll miss his sermons. I also saw the new First Alliance building... it's huge!
Sunday : Headed back to Vancouver to study for midterms!

I had a lot of good times... but I had to study too. My US presidency midterm was pretty tough.. the other midterms were pretty doable.

Oh yah, I changed up the music section on the side -->
All the sites i used to go to for jpop and mandarin music have died off :(
Right now i'm just looking up songs that I heard on the OC on Limewire, hehe.

Hehe I'm a lazy blogger...

2005-02-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

Heh, the time between my posts is getting longer and longer...

I'm spending my reading break back at home, which I'm really happy about... I haven't been here since October ! Unfortunately, UBC's break was early this year, so it doesn't coincide with UoC's break :( I also have all my midterms immediately after this week, so I have to spend alot of time actually reading during the... uh... reading break. Aiya... what can you do ?

I spent a little time doing some art... still trying to practice how to draw girls (I REALLY suck at drawing girls). The pic below obviously wasn't done freehand... i copied a pose from the manga I"s (I literally traced it over on adobe). I had fun coloring it in and changing the hair / face / clothes though (^_^). The hair took a lot of hit-and-miss blurring & smudging... one of these days i'll learn how to do it properly :p

I also learned the usefulness of the 'paint daubs' filter... it has a pretty nice effect.

Man, after these midterms it's all, well, uphill from here. I have to start researching like crazy for my term papers: I've never done 4 simultaneously before, so that should be TONS of fun. I already signed up for a LSAT course from April 30th to May 30th, and I'll be taking the LSAT at the beginning of June. Hopefully things will go well... I will probably take a summer school course while I'm in Vancouver. I'll also have to look for volunteer work and a part-time job for later in the Summer (when I'm actually in town).

Last, but not least...

Happy New Year ! (^o^)

New Year, New Challenges (o_O)

2005-01-23T20:09:00.000-08:00

Ugg... I just got over a nasty cold that's been going around in my dorm.

I haven't gotten that sick in a really long time - I forgot how much it sucks (-____-)

Anyway, this term is going to be really different for me... I'm stockpiling on 3rd year polisci courses, which means that March is going to be one killer month. I have 4 research papers due around the same time in March, and they're all worth at least 40% of my mark. I definitely have to be really good with time management this term...

I'm also concerned about all these things that I have to get done in the summer. I'll most probably have to take some summer courses (also polisci (>_<)) and start preparing for the LSATs. I'll probably take this Kaplan course... but the hours are really inconvenient, they're either early in the morning or late at night. It wouldn't be a problem if I was still living on campus in the summer, but I doubt I'll be doing that (especially if they tear down my dorm o_O).

I also wanted to join my friends for a mission trip this Summer. It would be in Ecuador with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) most probably... hehe it'll certainly make me nostalgic of our grade 9 trip. I want to go, but it's difficult to figure out logistics six months in advance. I really need to get all this LSAT stuff done this summer, and I am sure that I will have to go to Philippines again ( this will be like my 20th trip to Davao ?? trust me, it's NOT fun.. ) God willing, I'll be able to find a way to get everything done and join the guys (and gals) in Ecuador.

I'm definitely starting to feel the pressure of getting into Law... I did ok last term, but there is definitely room for improvement ( the difference between and 81 and an 85 is HUGE ), so I have to find a way to do better. I have to make sure to keep on my readings, see the prof a lot about the essays and course material, and not have any regrets about badly using my time. That's easier said than done of course..

On a much different note, if you are into animation and/or art, you should try and see the korean movie Wonderful Days. The film has a really beautiful blend of 3D and 2D art... some of the lighting effects are just incredible.

The movie came out a few years ago, but I bring it up now since its coming out in theatres in North America, under the name "Sky Blue". They have movie stills and a trailer at the official site, found here. It will probably only be shown at Tinseltown or something... but it is worth watching or at least downloading (^_^)

Wah... this was a pretty long post...

Hehe, sometimes it is useful to own a blog to vent on...

GT4 Photo Mode with my car? Sweeeet.....

2005-01-10T01:28:00.000-08:00

My cousin recently got the HK version of GT4, and its a pretty crazy (good) game. The best thing about it is that it has my car (^o^) ! I'm tempted to buy a PS2 just for this game, but i'd rather save my money for the PSP...

Anyway, GT4 has this new photo mode, that lets u take 'photos' of cars during a race or on specially rendered backgrounds. It's an incredibly thorough feature: u can control things like focus and shutter speed, and you can choose between 64 camera angles of your car at any given moment. The car models are more or less photo-perfect, and the new backgrounds are reallly reallly nice.

You can even stick in a USB Key and transfer these hi-res pics to ur comp.

Here's shots of my car (2003 Accord V6 Coupe) in Times Square, Arc De Triumph, Las Vegas and (i think) Brookyln respectively:

Too bad they didn't have the Honda body kit for the car.... then it would be exactly like my car (^_^)

Christmas Cruise 2005

2005-01-10T01:26:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas come and gone... and another year come and gone as well (^_^)

I've never spent Christmas on a cruise before, and it was an... interesting experience. The worst part about the whole trip was how rough the seas were; I don't think i've ever been on a ship that was so rocky for such a long period of time (and we've been on quite a few). It was very unsettling at times... especially when you can see the waves crashing against the boat from your cabin (o_O). Luckily for me, my poor sense of balance came in handy, and I never really got seasick :)

There were only a few stops during this cruise, which was nice for a change, and I thought they were pretty good places to visit.

1) Half Moon Cay - Holland America's private island that has incredibly blue water

2) St. Thomas - All the moms and the girls in my family were severly disappointed as the shops closed at 1:00pm on the day that we were there (I was, of course, happy to have our shopping time cut short)

3) St. Maarten - An island that is actually half-French / half-Dutch. The whole island has an interesting look to it, with tons of shopping traps. Our tour bus went by a nude beach which was a NASTY experience (>_<)

It was a shame that most of my family got seasick for half of the cruise, but I'm glad that we didn't have to go to the Philippines again... the 14 hour flight back and forth really kills me :p

The dumbest moment of the cruise: On Christmas day at 9:00AM, the cruise director makes an announcement that 'NASA has spotted an unidentified flying object heading towards our ship'. Right now, that sounds pretty dumb, but when you're half-awake it sounded like a freaking terrorist attack was about to happen. She then said ' it seems that it is a bearded man on a sled'. Har dee har har. Next time make your lame jokes later in the day, or at least not on as a PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT. (-__-)

Anyway, for me, the cruise was actually pretty relaxing. I wasn't really very hungry thanks to the constant rocking of the ship, and my cousins and I got to use the gym pretty regularly. All in all, it was a good break... now it's time to hit the books again! ;)

2005-01-10T01:21:00.000-08:00

the... day of chocolate ?

2005-01-10T00:25:00.001-08:00

My little cousin ( with her LV umbrella ?? )

2005-01-10T00:25:00.000-08:00

Me and my family

2005-01-10T00:24:00.001-08:00

St. Maarten

2005-01-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

My mom and my sister at the St. Maarten Port

2005-01-10T00:23:00.000-08:00

First formal night

2005-01-10T00:22:00.000-08:00

Good thing we packed the essentials (PS2 and two laptops)

Christmas on a boat (o)

2004-12-23T06:24:00.000-08:00

Ah... all done (^_^). Right now I'm in a Holiday Inn in Ft. Lauderdale Florida (hogging the business centre) waiting for our bus to the docks. For the next week, we'll be on the Holland America Zuiderdam for christmas with my whole family (26 of us). I'm just glad that exams are done and I can rest a bit...

Hoorah Christmas is (almost) here !

2004-12-18T01:35:00.001-08:00

Whew !

I survived my 3 in a row, and suprisingly, i think i should do

well on all of them, even the third one (^o^). Right now I'm

in a bit of an incoherent state, but luckily i get 3 days to

study for my poli 380 exam.

I downloaded the second trailer that was released for final

fantasy advent children. If you don't know what ff:ac is, its

a sequel to the FF7 story, except its a cgi movie, NOT a game.

If it was actually a playable game, that'd be insane (o_O)...

It's pretty cool... brings back old memories ( that was the

first rpg i ever played ^_^ ), and the CGI is really good.

Its what the final fantasy movie SHOULD have been !

Definitely will want to get it if it comes out on dvd, and when

it comes out on UMD.

What's UMD ? Its the format for the Playstation Portable coming

out ( yah they're releasing movies on it too )

Man.... i'm looking forward to this break.

Merry Christmas everyone !

Hoorah Christmas is (almost) here !

2004-12-18T01:35:00.000-08:00

Wah... I haven't even started yet (@_@)

2004-12-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

Bleh, my first exam is not until this wednesday, then i have 2 more on thursday and friday, and my last one on tuesday. So far I've been studying pretty consistently, but theres a lot of reading to cover... especially history (>_<) grrr....

Friday I studied until 1pm, then my cousin picked me up so i could pick up my car ! Hurrah ! It looks as good as new, although it has that toxic paint fume smell to it now (o_O). I put it through its paces later that night.. hehe... no problems so far.

Also took a break on Friday night; played a little bit of badminton, and saw Ocean's Twelve.

It's very very different from Ocean's Eleven... I think so anyway...

Its a really funny movie though, the dialogue is great for the whole thing. I'm pretty sure its the best movie out right now (what else, Blade Trinity ???). When ur done exams, go see it ;)

Ai.... back to studying...

Good Luck everyone, Christmas is almost here !

It's that time of the year again... bum bum bum !

2004-12-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

Oh look, another collage (^o^) !

Yup yup, last friday was the St. Andrew's Christmas Banquet. It was pretty fun, although the wine wasn't all that good (-_-)... oh well, i'm not exactly a connoisseur hehe.

It was good to let loose a little before exams.. I got to sleep at 3, but I still woke up at 7 to get started on my studying.. I also had one last essay to finish, but at least they're all done now !

Man, you'd think by third year that you'd be used to finals... but they're still scary, almost 50% of your mark is decided by a few days (o__O). Well, you know what they say about the third time... it's a charm... or something..... I actually dunno what I'm talking about (-__-)

Nehehe, I wanna try this cherry vanilla black tea that my secret santa gave me... should be useful for the next couple of weeks (^_^)

Oh yah and to all of these people...

... plus the others that I didn't draw for Meera's card ;)

Sorry I can't make it back this Christmas ! My last exam is on the 21st and my flight leaves on the 22nd, so it's pretty much impossible... heh I already have my ticket for February though.

Good luck on exams, and I'm sure u guys will have lots of fun without me (^_____^)

And to *certain* people who are reading this post... you should probably be studying now, huh ? hehehehehe j/k.... (^-^)

Things are looking up !

2004-11-30T13:57:00.000-08:00

Heh... i've been kind of stressed out lately, but I guess that's typical at this time of the year...

but today I finally got my Poli 240 essay back (the Burke one that I complained about before)

I got 79%, which is an okay mark, but the highest mark was only an 83%!

I was really worried about it, since he said that the marks ranged from 45 to 83 (o_O). He made me wait for 15 minutes to get my essay back, too...

But I'm really happy with my mark... its definitely the biggest thing I had to do this term, and I did it relatively well (Yay !). I also got my Hist essay on the holocaust back today, and got an A on it. Wah, if I keep it up, I might actually have a shot of getting into Law ! (^O^)- w00t !

Finally it seems like I'm starting to get more consistent grades, with essays neway.

So right now, I'm very very...

happy... :p

On Sunday, I was in aberdeen and bought pretty much all of the candy canes that Sweet Factory had on display. I was saving them for Friday, but I just felt like giving them out today.

I haven't been in this good of a mood for a while :)

Things are starting to look more red & green (^__^)

2004-11-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

In other words, it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ! Everyone in our dorm is participating in Secret Santa ( there's only ~34 of us ), and in addition to getting a gift, secret santas have to decorate their person's door when they're not around. These little creations popped up in the last few days :

See that pink one in the top right corner ? Haha that was done for a guy's room... and frankly, he had it coming ( he crossdressed for halloween... of course thats gonna come back to haunt him later on ). That barbie thing on his door is actually a chocolate advent calendar, which is actually a really good idea (o_O) why didn't I think of that ?

This is the door I did for Adam. He's totally convinced that a girl decorated it for him .... i'll take that as a compliment (^_^)

And today I came home after a long talk with ICBC ( btw, its pretty much a sure thing that I won't have to pay for any damages, thank God ), and I came home to a nicely decorated door. Its blue and shiney (*o*)...

Arigato secret santa...

I gotta buy a gift for my secret santa person this weekend. We're exchanging presents next friday, after a formal christmas dinner (O__O)... hehe should be interesting...

Aiiii....i hafta start studying for finals already !

And now for something completely different !

2004-11-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Bleh, my blog has been so whiney / depressing lately... I need a change of pace.

Hehe this photo always makes me laugh (^__^)

... Cuz Mimi (my sister) is so GROSS in it ! mwahahahaha !

I dunno, at times like these I should really rely on my favorite verse:

" Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"

(Philippians 4:6-7) ^_^

Yup... I need peace right now thats for sure.... i want my headache to go away too (-___-)

By the way, Schindler's List is a really good movie ( of course it's very graphic and violent, hence the R rating ). Europa Europa is MESSED UP. Don't watch unless you have to... it's one of "those" european movies (@_@)

The College Years

The Conclusion

Rockman Rap

Vigilantes in the Media

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

A Newfound Influence?

My Dear Wormwood

Certified Awesome

Classic Cool

A New Tradition

Ode to the Papaver Rhoeas

The Future Is Now

Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov

All Hallows' Even

Reader's Retrospect

Stick on the Ice

Protagonists are Overrated

Sucker for aesthetics

Tech-astrophic

Demetri Martin

Also Known As...

Dubya

A bit of self indulgence

Convention Bubbles

The Rundown

Here we go, one more time

Worlde

The Fanboy Feature - The Dark Knight

NUMBER ONE - Marge vs. The Monorail (Season 4)

NUMBER TWO - The Last Temptation of Homer Simpson (Season 5)

NUMBER THREE - Cape Feare (Season 5)

NUMBER FOUR - Treehouse of Horror V (Season 6)

NUMBER FIVE - Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Season 6 & 7 )

The Fanboy Feature - Rock Band

NUMBER SIX - Homer's Phobia (Season 8)

NUMBER SEVEN - King-Size Homer (Season 7)

NUMBER EIGHT - Homer Loves Flanders (Season 5)

The Fanboy Feature - Iron Man

NUMBER NINE - 22 Short Films About Springfield (Season 7)

NUMBER TEN - Trilogy of Error (Season 12)

And now... The Top Ten

Summer Reboot

Sportsmanship.

“I gloat! Hear me gloat!”

October Start.

Must-See TV.

Twenty Three.

Victoria.

Quality Boo-time.

Canucks '07

Central Mediterranean.

Test

Summer Reminiscence

“Justice? -- You get justice in the next world, in this world you have the law.”

Seattle 2006

The other kind of Project

The 2004 Collection.

Nostalgia in Five days

The Mindless Poster

Go For the Gold!

The new face of Canada

What happened to January ?!

Ringing it in

It's Christmas time again Charlie Brown !

Chronicles of a Boy and His Tiger

A Bit of Art

Casa de Pipo

Wednesdays are cool now.

Comes around once a year

Revise and Recap

Photo Addendum

Oh yah, the baton

Back to Western Civilization!

Catching Up With My Old Saxaphone Buddy

Essays in the summer ?? Madness (*o*)

Changing Gears

Long Weekend Fun (^o^)

Living on Campus again?

Starting the Summer . . . . ( >^o^)>

Whoops forgot about this thing :P

Essays in the summer ?? Madness (o)

Christmas on a boat (o)

It's that time of the year again... bum bum bum !