May 6, 2011-
Here I am, living in Los Angeles in the Westwood Village, having come all the way from a relatively quiet suburb of Sandy City, Utah. How many people have I met who are related to, know, or are famous people?
Before I even moved to Utah, I knew just three. There's no doubt, just three.
These people are Danielle Shurtleff, daughter of State Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. she went to the same middle school and elementary school with me. I also had classes with her during those times. The other is one of my best friends, Jeffrey Bennett. For those who were in ALPS program or Hillcrest High School, you know who he is related to. For those who weren't, he's related to US Senator Bob Bennett. (Jeffrey, I hope I am not flattering you too much about this.)
I also saw Sarah Hughes in New York City, when I visited in 2005.
What about now? How many more people have I met who have these distinctions of being linked to famous people since moving to Los Angeles?
Actually, tons.
Here are some of them. Two of my friends, Kory and Kristian Kiraly, are related to famous US Olympian Karch Kiraly by father-son relationship. My best friend and roommate, Bryan Kitchener, was a high school classmate to Taylor Lautner, which should be interesting if you watch the Twilight series.
You've also got Chanell Heslop, who's related to both Mitt Romney and Orin Hatch. And there's Kaitlyn Williams, who starred in Akeelah and the Bee, if you know that film.
Wait, is this all? Of course not! You forgot about the UCLA athletics teams. Some of them are celebrities even before college. And don't forget that about one of my earlier posts when I went to see the premiere of No Strings Attached! I saw so many more celebrities from that premiere!
Gosh, I guess this is true, about how Miley Cyrus describes her first experience of Hollywood. Living the LA life has indeed been crazy so far. Yet, I'm having fun at the same time! MLILA (My life is Los Angeles, thanks to my friend Daniel Kaplan, who first used that acronym).
Did I forget? I am jealous of Daniel for meeting up with Anthony Rapp, who had one of the main roles of the film adaptation of Rent!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
From Tuesday, September 11, 2001 to May 1, 2011
May 1, 2011-
Today, on Sunday May 1, 2011, is the day, I shall reflect both my experiences on what happened that day, and my experiences on the day that I first heard these attacks. Let's start with what happened that Tuesday, the day of the 9/11 attacks.
Tuesday, September 11, 2001: 9:15 AM, to September 15, 2001-
I remember that we, as 4th graders, were on a field trip headed to This Is The Place heritage park and Hansen-Clark Planetarium for the day, until all of a sudden when we were on 600 south, we turned back to Granite Elementary School after an official announcement that the trip had been cancelled. I thought we got into school trouble at that time. At first glance, whilst we were on Highland Drive, near my house on the bus headed to those aforementioned locations, I heard noises and shouting on the bus radio saying something about some kind of plane crash, although I admit, I was fairly dumb at listening skills at that time, so I couldn't understand from that situation.
Okay, why did we stay outside of the school for a recess that lasted for 2-4 hours? I was really confounded by why this was the case throughout the day. It wasn't until I got home after school that day, that I would hear the worst of the news occur to us: The World Trade Center (both North and South Towers) was attacked and destroyed by hijackers of Flights 11 and 175, respectively, who were all associated with al-Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden. In addition, Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, and Flight 93 went down into a field in Pennsylvania.
What happened after this? No survivors, but utter catastrophe not only in these attack sites, but also throughout the world as they see the surviving superpower of the 20th century get besieged by these disgraceful and violent terrorists. If you are a Christian, you can certainly call that the Judgment made because of the chaos that followed after these attacks triggered an enormous disaster and social apocalypse.
As I lied on the sofa, listening to more worse details about this unexpected and unprecedented tragedy, I shouted out in a rage against whoever was responsible for these attacks. The next few days involved us writing journals about what it was like to experience such events. There, I condemned Osama Bin Laden and his organization (al-Qaeda) for what they did to us. I admit that I supported George W. Bush for his bravery and intentions of wanting to go after this organization. That's what American Patriotism is all about. It was time to wake up and try to preserved the peace that supposedly existed after 1990.
May 1, 2011: 7:59 PM, to May 2, 2011: 11:39 AM-
It was 7:59 PM, the day I would normally return to my dorm quickly to watch The Amazing Race, as that would normally air around that time. Just as I got there, however, something peculiar and fascinating had happened. History has been set in stone... just now.
OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD.
That's the headline I saw immediately on CNN news when Bryan's TV was on, with Jessie, Mariam, and Ryan Chung all there to listen to this moment. Becky also came over to watch The Amazing Race, but she too, decided to watch this breaking news as well.
Blimey. I really said it, blimey. I was like, is this true? Did we really find him? I admit that I performed a very close scrutiny to make sure this news was for real since many other news that reported his "death" before today had been all, but a conspicuous deception.
As I listened on, I heard that this was confirmed reportedly by DNA testing and/or facial recognition techniques. From there on, I texted to pretty much all of my close Utah friends about this news, starting with Jeffrey. Actually, I can't believe that he hadn't known about this until I told him, since he always would find out about significant political (and international) news before I would. I'm glad I did let him and his family know about this, since this was a huge news he needed to hear for sure. After all, why not let a best friend know about this too?
Besides Jeffrey, I remember I texted to Albert, David Evans, David Markewitz, Blake, Clare, Annicka, Tyson, Kevin, Nate Leung, Nate Odendahl, Anna, Grace, Sarah, Andy Cheng, Nino, and Daniel Kaplan about this historical moment and their opinions about it. I admit, I am jealous of David Markewitz, since he was there in Washington DC at the White House when this happened. If you know him, look on his Facebook profile for his pictures of him being there to witness and celebrate history with other GWU students and DC people. I guess it was the right decision for him to attend George Washington University in the first place!
I saw from CNN images of American having patriotic celebrations in New York as well, especially at Ground Zero and Times Square. I admit, I wish I were in any of those places to celebrate.
I also wrote my Facebook status about this, and blimey, I think the whole site was going ruckus for hours just because of this headline. I was going to do my homework and watch The Amazing Race directly after dinner, but I ended up staying on Facebook for 4 hours, reading LA Times, NY Times, and other news about all the details about this story. Luckily, I was still able to do the homework I had to do and finish it. I later watched The Amazing Race online the next day.
I admit, every one of my UCLA friends were going crazy and celebratory about this remarkable news.
Unfortunately, though, I did have a fallout with one of my Facebook friends from just this political moment. Parissa Azar, one of my Brighton friends (formerly I shall say-both officially and on Facebook), just de-friended me after I posted my status about my happiness at his demise. I was insulted when she commented that he was nothing but a scapegoat. What a typical supporter she was. When I looked on her profile to see if her wall was open and that she had said her opinions on this historic event, is when I found out that she was Facebook purging nearly everyone who celebrated and supported Osama's death, directly after expressing her condemnation of the Americans for their involvement in the War on Terror. Come on, it wasn't our idea to go in the war in the first place! What an idiot she just became from just this moment. Sure, she's not un-American, but she's a pseudo-American from just saying that she hates this nation today. Where was her American pride all of a sudden?
You ask me what my thoughts were from this event? There were tons of reasons why I am elated (and relieved) from this news. One, one of my fun field trips I could've gone to was cancelled because of his implemented attacks. Two, he has done so many wrongdoings to the entire global society. He was responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center attacks, 9/11 (obviously), 1998 US embassy bombings, and the spread of radical Islam via al-Qaeda beliefs that caused more trouble (in a negative sense) than it was worth to worldwide peace. Not to mention, he didn't just indirectly kill 3,000 people from just the 9/11 attacks, he killed thousands more innocent lives (including even moderate Muslims) from other events including bombings! I know it looks like we had no right to kill anyone, including criminals. But, we had to either capture him, or kill him to make the world safe for democracy in the words of 28th US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson. Ever heard of that saying before? In addition, ever heard of the quote, "The license to kill?"
Finally, with Osama's death, the balance is shifted within al-Qaeda. I know the War on Terror will continue even with this event, but this is a significant progress in our quest to preserve freedom for all. After all, al-Qaeda was not Islam, it was radical Islam. Like what George W. Bush and Barack Obama said, War on Terror was not to fight against Islam in the first place.
Speaking of which, Obama made the best speech he has done in his presidency. I'm glad he made key points including the one I said in the preceding paragraph. He didn't celebrate the victory, of course. He instead explained the real meaning of Osama's death by connecting this with a tribute to the fallen and the victims of 9/11 attacks. That is what a true leader does. That is what a Nobel Peace Prize winner does. This is a credential Barack can never share with anyone else. This speech reminds us that he truly did deserve the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Barack Obama, you officially regained all the support that I lost with your success of finding Osama Bin Laden with a well-coordinated plan, as well as from your speech. I hope you will win the 2012 US Presidential election a year from now.
Give props to the George W. Bush administration as well. I may not like the 2005-2009 administration, but the 2001-2005 administration is the one that established the goals of War on Terror and went for attacking al-Qaeda as a retaliation against Terrorism. Bush was able to unite everyone in the world together in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. This is what a true American patriotism is.
After today, I shall say this, in the name of the victims of the 9/11 attacks: LONG LIVE AMERICA.
Today, on Sunday May 1, 2011, is the day, I shall reflect both my experiences on what happened that day, and my experiences on the day that I first heard these attacks. Let's start with what happened that Tuesday, the day of the 9/11 attacks.
Tuesday, September 11, 2001: 9:15 AM, to September 15, 2001-
I remember that we, as 4th graders, were on a field trip headed to This Is The Place heritage park and Hansen-Clark Planetarium for the day, until all of a sudden when we were on 600 south, we turned back to Granite Elementary School after an official announcement that the trip had been cancelled. I thought we got into school trouble at that time. At first glance, whilst we were on Highland Drive, near my house on the bus headed to those aforementioned locations, I heard noises and shouting on the bus radio saying something about some kind of plane crash, although I admit, I was fairly dumb at listening skills at that time, so I couldn't understand from that situation.
Okay, why did we stay outside of the school for a recess that lasted for 2-4 hours? I was really confounded by why this was the case throughout the day. It wasn't until I got home after school that day, that I would hear the worst of the news occur to us: The World Trade Center (both North and South Towers) was attacked and destroyed by hijackers of Flights 11 and 175, respectively, who were all associated with al-Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden. In addition, Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, and Flight 93 went down into a field in Pennsylvania.
What happened after this? No survivors, but utter catastrophe not only in these attack sites, but also throughout the world as they see the surviving superpower of the 20th century get besieged by these disgraceful and violent terrorists. If you are a Christian, you can certainly call that the Judgment made because of the chaos that followed after these attacks triggered an enormous disaster and social apocalypse.
As I lied on the sofa, listening to more worse details about this unexpected and unprecedented tragedy, I shouted out in a rage against whoever was responsible for these attacks. The next few days involved us writing journals about what it was like to experience such events. There, I condemned Osama Bin Laden and his organization (al-Qaeda) for what they did to us. I admit that I supported George W. Bush for his bravery and intentions of wanting to go after this organization. That's what American Patriotism is all about. It was time to wake up and try to preserved the peace that supposedly existed after 1990.
May 1, 2011: 7:59 PM, to May 2, 2011: 11:39 AM-
It was 7:59 PM, the day I would normally return to my dorm quickly to watch The Amazing Race, as that would normally air around that time. Just as I got there, however, something peculiar and fascinating had happened. History has been set in stone... just now.
OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD.
That's the headline I saw immediately on CNN news when Bryan's TV was on, with Jessie, Mariam, and Ryan Chung all there to listen to this moment. Becky also came over to watch The Amazing Race, but she too, decided to watch this breaking news as well.
Blimey. I really said it, blimey. I was like, is this true? Did we really find him? I admit that I performed a very close scrutiny to make sure this news was for real since many other news that reported his "death" before today had been all, but a conspicuous deception.
As I listened on, I heard that this was confirmed reportedly by DNA testing and/or facial recognition techniques. From there on, I texted to pretty much all of my close Utah friends about this news, starting with Jeffrey. Actually, I can't believe that he hadn't known about this until I told him, since he always would find out about significant political (and international) news before I would. I'm glad I did let him and his family know about this, since this was a huge news he needed to hear for sure. After all, why not let a best friend know about this too?
Besides Jeffrey, I remember I texted to Albert, David Evans, David Markewitz, Blake, Clare, Annicka, Tyson, Kevin, Nate Leung, Nate Odendahl, Anna, Grace, Sarah, Andy Cheng, Nino, and Daniel Kaplan about this historical moment and their opinions about it. I admit, I am jealous of David Markewitz, since he was there in Washington DC at the White House when this happened. If you know him, look on his Facebook profile for his pictures of him being there to witness and celebrate history with other GWU students and DC people. I guess it was the right decision for him to attend George Washington University in the first place!
I saw from CNN images of American having patriotic celebrations in New York as well, especially at Ground Zero and Times Square. I admit, I wish I were in any of those places to celebrate.
I also wrote my Facebook status about this, and blimey, I think the whole site was going ruckus for hours just because of this headline. I was going to do my homework and watch The Amazing Race directly after dinner, but I ended up staying on Facebook for 4 hours, reading LA Times, NY Times, and other news about all the details about this story. Luckily, I was still able to do the homework I had to do and finish it. I later watched The Amazing Race online the next day.
I admit, every one of my UCLA friends were going crazy and celebratory about this remarkable news.
Unfortunately, though, I did have a fallout with one of my Facebook friends from just this political moment. Parissa Azar, one of my Brighton friends (formerly I shall say-both officially and on Facebook), just de-friended me after I posted my status about my happiness at his demise. I was insulted when she commented that he was nothing but a scapegoat. What a typical supporter she was. When I looked on her profile to see if her wall was open and that she had said her opinions on this historic event, is when I found out that she was Facebook purging nearly everyone who celebrated and supported Osama's death, directly after expressing her condemnation of the Americans for their involvement in the War on Terror. Come on, it wasn't our idea to go in the war in the first place! What an idiot she just became from just this moment. Sure, she's not un-American, but she's a pseudo-American from just saying that she hates this nation today. Where was her American pride all of a sudden?
You ask me what my thoughts were from this event? There were tons of reasons why I am elated (and relieved) from this news. One, one of my fun field trips I could've gone to was cancelled because of his implemented attacks. Two, he has done so many wrongdoings to the entire global society. He was responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center attacks, 9/11 (obviously), 1998 US embassy bombings, and the spread of radical Islam via al-Qaeda beliefs that caused more trouble (in a negative sense) than it was worth to worldwide peace. Not to mention, he didn't just indirectly kill 3,000 people from just the 9/11 attacks, he killed thousands more innocent lives (including even moderate Muslims) from other events including bombings! I know it looks like we had no right to kill anyone, including criminals. But, we had to either capture him, or kill him to make the world safe for democracy in the words of 28th US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson. Ever heard of that saying before? In addition, ever heard of the quote, "The license to kill?"
Finally, with Osama's death, the balance is shifted within al-Qaeda. I know the War on Terror will continue even with this event, but this is a significant progress in our quest to preserve freedom for all. After all, al-Qaeda was not Islam, it was radical Islam. Like what George W. Bush and Barack Obama said, War on Terror was not to fight against Islam in the first place.
Speaking of which, Obama made the best speech he has done in his presidency. I'm glad he made key points including the one I said in the preceding paragraph. He didn't celebrate the victory, of course. He instead explained the real meaning of Osama's death by connecting this with a tribute to the fallen and the victims of 9/11 attacks. That is what a true leader does. That is what a Nobel Peace Prize winner does. This is a credential Barack can never share with anyone else. This speech reminds us that he truly did deserve the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Barack Obama, you officially regained all the support that I lost with your success of finding Osama Bin Laden with a well-coordinated plan, as well as from your speech. I hope you will win the 2012 US Presidential election a year from now.
Give props to the George W. Bush administration as well. I may not like the 2005-2009 administration, but the 2001-2005 administration is the one that established the goals of War on Terror and went for attacking al-Qaeda as a retaliation against Terrorism. Bush was able to unite everyone in the world together in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. This is what a true American patriotism is.
After today, I shall say this, in the name of the victims of the 9/11 attacks: LONG LIVE AMERICA.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Random Thoughts #2
April 24, 2011-
Another set of thoughts I'm going through right now. Here they are. :P
-I just realized that a month from now, I would no longer be in what was called the adolescent years. How did I make it this far to be a year closer to being in the 20's all of a sudden...?
-Four midterms in the same week. That's what I call, an ULTIMATE stress and hell I went through. I guess I am glad that I never applied to CalTech or Stanford for that matter.
-Facebook... I think my addiction to that site is dying out rather quickly. Why is that? I haven't been talking so much on Facebook over the last several weeks. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that I had that one month absence during January through February.
-In response to the midterms I had this week, I want to chill this weekend. However, I have an unfinished business that I am getting a lot of pressure from-summer plans. Ah... joys of being a college student who has to carry on his own burden of responsibilities...
-Ask me about my swimming abilities, and you'll know that they are rusted. I just barely played Water Polo this week, and I unfortunately didn't expect the pool to be that deep... I thought it was going to be 4-5 feet deep, when I found out that it was actually 5-6 feet deep. I unfortunately suffered a calf cramp during the game... ugh.
-I think it's suffice to say that we (LA Lakers) can get out of the series as long as we still have the same rhythm we've had during games 2 and 3. Who said that we would trail by the 3rd game after dropping the first one like the San Antonio Spurs (my backup team) did today?
Another set of thoughts I'm going through right now. Here they are. :P
-I just realized that a month from now, I would no longer be in what was called the adolescent years. How did I make it this far to be a year closer to being in the 20's all of a sudden...?
-Four midterms in the same week. That's what I call, an ULTIMATE stress and hell I went through. I guess I am glad that I never applied to CalTech or Stanford for that matter.
-Facebook... I think my addiction to that site is dying out rather quickly. Why is that? I haven't been talking so much on Facebook over the last several weeks. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that I had that one month absence during January through February.
-In response to the midterms I had this week, I want to chill this weekend. However, I have an unfinished business that I am getting a lot of pressure from-summer plans. Ah... joys of being a college student who has to carry on his own burden of responsibilities...
-Ask me about my swimming abilities, and you'll know that they are rusted. I just barely played Water Polo this week, and I unfortunately didn't expect the pool to be that deep... I thought it was going to be 4-5 feet deep, when I found out that it was actually 5-6 feet deep. I unfortunately suffered a calf cramp during the game... ugh.
-I think it's suffice to say that we (LA Lakers) can get out of the series as long as we still have the same rhythm we've had during games 2 and 3. Who said that we would trail by the 3rd game after dropping the first one like the San Antonio Spurs (my backup team) did today?
Monday, April 11, 2011
Random Thoughts...
April 11, 2011-
Okay, I don't have a specific subject for this post, but I thought of just putting in the thoughts I'm going through at this moment...
-Half or a little over half of my LDS friends have gone... to where? You know, to their mission spots or MTC. Now I am ready to see what, four to six more of my friends leave like this. Andrew Forrest, Matt Durrant, Dallan Carter, Wesley Hoover, Brad Walker, Josh Peart, Curtis Brown, Steven Meitler, Brock Rasmussen, Ben Hugo, Logan Pfau, Elliott Barth, and Scott Hebertson have all already left. Now, I have to witness my fellow Ultimate Frisbee friends Jon Mortensen, Michael Affleck, and Seokhee Burningham leave like this. I will also be witnessing few more of my close friends leave within months as well. Yes, I am especially talking about Nathan Odendahl, Jeffrey Bennett, Carter Hesterman, Austin Ellis, and Bjorn Jones.
-Los Angeles Lakers on a losing streak after winning 17 games with only a loss in between? No comment at all. At least I am planning not to watch the last few games so that I can save it up for the playoffs. Even if we do not win this season, god forbid Boston Celtics win this season. Maxine, I know you live in Boston and support these idiots, but I must abide with my original loyalty. That is... you know the answer.
-Utah Jazz getting eliminated from the playoff spot? What did I tell you Jazz fans who trash-talked me all my life? Your elimination in the hands of us (LA Lakers) is echoing my earlier post "NBA Preseason vs. Official Season!"
-StarCraft II is so hard to adapt to. I haven't been able to adjust to fast-paced computer games like this quite yet. In fact, my record to date for 1v1 matches is 5-10. As you can see, not good at all, even for beginners. I have already been on a losing streak many times, especially when I was on a 6-game losing streak. To be really honest, I'm glad to have gone against Albert Chen, who is a maniac at this game; however, I feel insulted by his remarks on my skills. It's just like I attained a friend who acts almost like my father who is arrogant. I know he's good, but he's too good for his own good. You know what? Give me time, then I might be more effective than now... ugh.
-I just barely began finding a job. Why? It's because I don't want a relatively empty vacation aside from my Guatemala trip to help out with one of my club projects (Engineers Without Borders) this upcoming September.
-All core classes this quarter? I guess I gave myself another challenge: try to get through only classes for my major this quarter. Thank god I do not have a literature-based class this quarter. To be honest, I'd rather be done with those by now. English literature is just never my forte.
-Have I mentioned this? I see so many homeless people down in Westwood Village every time I go there for shopping. This gives me a good idea about Los Angeles in general. It's in the same position as New York City in the 1920s during the Jazz age. If you've read The Great Gatsby (one of my favorites if you don't know by now), then you'll get the idea I'm trying to emphasize. Thank goodness that Westwood and its surrounding areas (particularly Beverly Hills and West Hollywood) are not the Valley of Ashes. In fact, they're almost, if not completely, like East Egg in the novel. If you are saying anything about gang presence, then there you go. You know that South LA is definitely the Valley of Ashes.
-Sirens, sirens, sirens... Just the everyday noise you hear from my dorm. Not to mention, you can also hear helicopter noises as well. Ah... the joys of living so close to UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center...
Okay, I don't have a specific subject for this post, but I thought of just putting in the thoughts I'm going through at this moment...
-Half or a little over half of my LDS friends have gone... to where? You know, to their mission spots or MTC. Now I am ready to see what, four to six more of my friends leave like this. Andrew Forrest, Matt Durrant, Dallan Carter, Wesley Hoover, Brad Walker, Josh Peart, Curtis Brown, Steven Meitler, Brock Rasmussen, Ben Hugo, Logan Pfau, Elliott Barth, and Scott Hebertson have all already left. Now, I have to witness my fellow Ultimate Frisbee friends Jon Mortensen, Michael Affleck, and Seokhee Burningham leave like this. I will also be witnessing few more of my close friends leave within months as well. Yes, I am especially talking about Nathan Odendahl, Jeffrey Bennett, Carter Hesterman, Austin Ellis, and Bjorn Jones.
-Los Angeles Lakers on a losing streak after winning 17 games with only a loss in between? No comment at all. At least I am planning not to watch the last few games so that I can save it up for the playoffs. Even if we do not win this season, god forbid Boston Celtics win this season. Maxine, I know you live in Boston and support these idiots, but I must abide with my original loyalty. That is... you know the answer.
-Utah Jazz getting eliminated from the playoff spot? What did I tell you Jazz fans who trash-talked me all my life? Your elimination in the hands of us (LA Lakers) is echoing my earlier post "NBA Preseason vs. Official Season!"
-StarCraft II is so hard to adapt to. I haven't been able to adjust to fast-paced computer games like this quite yet. In fact, my record to date for 1v1 matches is 5-10. As you can see, not good at all, even for beginners. I have already been on a losing streak many times, especially when I was on a 6-game losing streak. To be really honest, I'm glad to have gone against Albert Chen, who is a maniac at this game; however, I feel insulted by his remarks on my skills. It's just like I attained a friend who acts almost like my father who is arrogant. I know he's good, but he's too good for his own good. You know what? Give me time, then I might be more effective than now... ugh.
-I just barely began finding a job. Why? It's because I don't want a relatively empty vacation aside from my Guatemala trip to help out with one of my club projects (Engineers Without Borders) this upcoming September.
-All core classes this quarter? I guess I gave myself another challenge: try to get through only classes for my major this quarter. Thank god I do not have a literature-based class this quarter. To be honest, I'd rather be done with those by now. English literature is just never my forte.
-Have I mentioned this? I see so many homeless people down in Westwood Village every time I go there for shopping. This gives me a good idea about Los Angeles in general. It's in the same position as New York City in the 1920s during the Jazz age. If you've read The Great Gatsby (one of my favorites if you don't know by now), then you'll get the idea I'm trying to emphasize. Thank goodness that Westwood and its surrounding areas (particularly Beverly Hills and West Hollywood) are not the Valley of Ashes. In fact, they're almost, if not completely, like East Egg in the novel. If you are saying anything about gang presence, then there you go. You know that South LA is definitely the Valley of Ashes.
-Sirens, sirens, sirens... Just the everyday noise you hear from my dorm. Not to mention, you can also hear helicopter noises as well. Ah... the joys of living so close to UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center...
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Powell Library Incident
March 14, 2011-
Tis was another day, in the library studying for my Math 32A final, when one day, I was suddenly multi-tasking. That is to say, I was studying the proofs and theorems that were going to be on the final and watching over someone else's stuff for 40-50 minutes at the same time.
Okay, before that time had elapsed, I suddenly heard a vibration. Thinking it was a text message from one of my friends or my mother, I opened my phone. It turns out it was a call from my mom!
Now, normally I wouldn't be calling in the reading room like this, where I was preparing for my math exam at that time. Unfortunately, to get up and talk outside would mean someone would steal either my stuff or that person's belongings that I was watching over. She apparently had to tell me important things, especially about reminding me about ordering SuperShuttle to go to LAX when I return for Spring Break.
I couldn't hang up the phone at all, because she said it was too important for me to even not listen. So I stayed on for as short as possible. Finally, that person in which I was watching over his stuff came back after about 5 minutes into the conversation. Unfortunately, I think I was talking maybe too loudly even as I am whispering. And suddenly, according to Ryan Samii, one of my friends who happened to be present in the reading room at that time, someone sitting behind me in a cubicle started to record the last 10 seconds of my cell phone conversation at the same time everyone in the reading room (let's say, about 100-200 students in the library including Ryan since he witnessed my incident) stood up and looked at me.
Uh oh, it looks like I was on the verge of getting in trouble for talking on my phone, so I simply said this:
"Mom, I'm in the library right now, I have to get back to studying now!" (Hangs up)
And, gosh, everyone was like laughing at me after saying that and I was like, "I'm embarrassed! I'm embarrassed!!!!!!!" Afterwards, I got a standing ovation for doing something I didn't know I was doing apparently. I thought everyone laughed because of the way I broke the prime rule of the reading room: No cell phones in the library.
Probably the worst (or what everyone else said is funniest) part was this: I was unaware that I performed an action that stood up against Alexandra Wallace's rant against Asians using cell phones in the library in the so-called video "Asians in the Library." I hadn't even seen or heard about that video, even as Jimmy Li told me to watch out for her, in which I didn't have time to see because of final exam studying times.
Later, when I talked to Marilyn McGowan and Jason Mayer on the way back from Powell, word is that both of them and everyone else has heard about my phone call. Oh dear, did I just become an unknown celebrity for just that incident? Am I going crazy at all?
It was then, that Marilyn told me everything about Asians in the Library video and how everyone thought I was THE Asian in the library Alexandra Wallace was talking about.
It turns out that everyone laughed because they all heard about that video and were very glad that I talked on my cell phone (albeit unintentionally due to me not hearing about the video) in the most genuine way.
Okay, I finally admitted my incident to my roommate and best UCLA friend, Bryan, as well as Brandon Chan and my other roommate, Ivan. They laughed so hard that they even said that this was the best break from studying after hearing my story of the incident. Later on, I found out that the last 10 seconds of my call (where I said I'm in the library and that I had to go back to studying) was recorded according to Christos and Ryan. Oh no...
To be honest, this is the one time I don't even want to become a celebrity from just this. Crap, since the call got partially recorded....
After hearing all this though, I'm finally glad that I was able to stand up against Alexandra that apparently no one else did. It's all good.
Tis was another day, in the library studying for my Math 32A final, when one day, I was suddenly multi-tasking. That is to say, I was studying the proofs and theorems that were going to be on the final and watching over someone else's stuff for 40-50 minutes at the same time.
Okay, before that time had elapsed, I suddenly heard a vibration. Thinking it was a text message from one of my friends or my mother, I opened my phone. It turns out it was a call from my mom!
Now, normally I wouldn't be calling in the reading room like this, where I was preparing for my math exam at that time. Unfortunately, to get up and talk outside would mean someone would steal either my stuff or that person's belongings that I was watching over. She apparently had to tell me important things, especially about reminding me about ordering SuperShuttle to go to LAX when I return for Spring Break.
I couldn't hang up the phone at all, because she said it was too important for me to even not listen. So I stayed on for as short as possible. Finally, that person in which I was watching over his stuff came back after about 5 minutes into the conversation. Unfortunately, I think I was talking maybe too loudly even as I am whispering. And suddenly, according to Ryan Samii, one of my friends who happened to be present in the reading room at that time, someone sitting behind me in a cubicle started to record the last 10 seconds of my cell phone conversation at the same time everyone in the reading room (let's say, about 100-200 students in the library including Ryan since he witnessed my incident) stood up and looked at me.
Uh oh, it looks like I was on the verge of getting in trouble for talking on my phone, so I simply said this:
"Mom, I'm in the library right now, I have to get back to studying now!" (Hangs up)
And, gosh, everyone was like laughing at me after saying that and I was like, "I'm embarrassed! I'm embarrassed!!!!!!!" Afterwards, I got a standing ovation for doing something I didn't know I was doing apparently. I thought everyone laughed because of the way I broke the prime rule of the reading room: No cell phones in the library.
Probably the worst (or what everyone else said is funniest) part was this: I was unaware that I performed an action that stood up against Alexandra Wallace's rant against Asians using cell phones in the library in the so-called video "Asians in the Library." I hadn't even seen or heard about that video, even as Jimmy Li told me to watch out for her, in which I didn't have time to see because of final exam studying times.
Later, when I talked to Marilyn McGowan and Jason Mayer on the way back from Powell, word is that both of them and everyone else has heard about my phone call. Oh dear, did I just become an unknown celebrity for just that incident? Am I going crazy at all?
It was then, that Marilyn told me everything about Asians in the Library video and how everyone thought I was THE Asian in the library Alexandra Wallace was talking about.
It turns out that everyone laughed because they all heard about that video and were very glad that I talked on my cell phone (albeit unintentionally due to me not hearing about the video) in the most genuine way.
Okay, I finally admitted my incident to my roommate and best UCLA friend, Bryan, as well as Brandon Chan and my other roommate, Ivan. They laughed so hard that they even said that this was the best break from studying after hearing my story of the incident. Later on, I found out that the last 10 seconds of my call (where I said I'm in the library and that I had to go back to studying) was recorded according to Christos and Ryan. Oh no...
To be honest, this is the one time I don't even want to become a celebrity from just this. Crap, since the call got partially recorded....
After hearing all this though, I'm finally glad that I was able to stand up against Alexandra that apparently no one else did. It's all good.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Opinions on the 83rd Academy Awards
February 27, 2011-
Okay, here are my overall opinions on the 83rd Oscars overall:
Winners who didn't deserve these awards:
-Melissa Leo for Supporting Actress because of what may have happened during her acceptance speech.
-The Social Network for Best Original Score because, well, you know already. The King's Speech or Inception deserved it more.
-Alice in Wonderland for Best Art-Direction because come on, that film's art direction isn't even close to being as good as any of the other nominees in that category! In fact, it should've gotten 0 of 2 awards instead of 2 for 2.
As for others, Christian Bale definitely deserved this Oscar as he is long overdue for a prestigious award like this. Natalie Portman and Colin Firth also deserved these wins, as they are definitely good actors for their respective films. In fact, I don't think anyone else could've pulled off performances for these roles better than they could!
For Inception, thank goodness for the 4 Oscars it received. It FULLY and RIGHTLY deserved these oscars better than any of the other films nominated in these categories Inception won in. Aaron Sorkin deserved his Oscar too, as it was an interesting story about Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg.
I couldn't have agreed more about The King's Speech winning the oscar for Best Picture. I know I haven't seen either this film or The Social Network yet, but they are both great films. However, I was more intrigued with the former's story than the latter's, and I am glad that The King's Speech took home the big prize.
As for James Franco and Anne Hathaway, they did a great job for their first time of hosting the Oscars. I understand there wasn't that much of a chemistry between them, but I can't blame them for that, given James's busy schedule on weekdays.
Okay, here are my overall opinions on the 83rd Oscars overall:
Winners who didn't deserve these awards:
-Melissa Leo for Supporting Actress because of what may have happened during her acceptance speech.
-The Social Network for Best Original Score because, well, you know already. The King's Speech or Inception deserved it more.
-Alice in Wonderland for Best Art-Direction because come on, that film's art direction isn't even close to being as good as any of the other nominees in that category! In fact, it should've gotten 0 of 2 awards instead of 2 for 2.
As for others, Christian Bale definitely deserved this Oscar as he is long overdue for a prestigious award like this. Natalie Portman and Colin Firth also deserved these wins, as they are definitely good actors for their respective films. In fact, I don't think anyone else could've pulled off performances for these roles better than they could!
For Inception, thank goodness for the 4 Oscars it received. It FULLY and RIGHTLY deserved these oscars better than any of the other films nominated in these categories Inception won in. Aaron Sorkin deserved his Oscar too, as it was an interesting story about Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg.
I couldn't have agreed more about The King's Speech winning the oscar for Best Picture. I know I haven't seen either this film or The Social Network yet, but they are both great films. However, I was more intrigued with the former's story than the latter's, and I am glad that The King's Speech took home the big prize.
As for James Franco and Anne Hathaway, they did a great job for their first time of hosting the Oscars. I understand there wasn't that much of a chemistry between them, but I can't blame them for that, given James's busy schedule on weekdays.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Letter to my Family, Friends from Hobby Activities, Hillcrest and Skyline Friends, UCLA friends, Certain Brighton friends, and Bioscience friends
Dear all,
It's been 1 month and 2 days since I left Facebook after deactivating my previous account. And I must say, I've missed you all dearly, since I am assuming I lost touch with about half of you as soon as left on that day.
To all of my friends I've mentioned in the title of this post, I am happy to tell you that I will return to Facebook this upcoming Sunday! However, I won't return using my old account, since I felt that I've encountered too much trouble with the previous account during that time. Instead, I plan to create a new Facebook account under my school email address. I can't wait to talk to you all again!
I hope that I won't run into the situations I encountered on my last account. There will be plenty of people I didn't mention in my title that I won't recover since I plan to try to keep my new profile as private as possible.
Again I want to say to those people I mentioned in the title, I've missed you all so much!
-Kent Yang
It's been 1 month and 2 days since I left Facebook after deactivating my previous account. And I must say, I've missed you all dearly, since I am assuming I lost touch with about half of you as soon as left on that day.
To all of my friends I've mentioned in the title of this post, I am happy to tell you that I will return to Facebook this upcoming Sunday! However, I won't return using my old account, since I felt that I've encountered too much trouble with the previous account during that time. Instead, I plan to create a new Facebook account under my school email address. I can't wait to talk to you all again!
I hope that I won't run into the situations I encountered on my last account. There will be plenty of people I didn't mention in my title that I won't recover since I plan to try to keep my new profile as private as possible.
Again I want to say to those people I mentioned in the title, I've missed you all so much!
-Kent Yang
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