Inspiration

Across the Universe is a pretty awesome movie. I'm surprised there hasn't been more rock musicals after it came out. Maybe I should figure out one. But after I decide if PV cell research in Australia is what I want to do with my life.

Lyric of the Day:
"Can't you tell that this is all just a contest?
The one that wins will be the one that hits the hardest
But baby I don't mean it
I mean it, I promise
Da da da, da da"
-Pink:"Please don't leave me"

Random Story of The Day:
Types of Drunks I have encountered:
- Belligerent Drunk
- Friendly Drunk
- Sleepy Drunk
- Philosophical Drunk
- The "I'm not drunk" Drunk
- Fake Overacting Drunk

Note to Future Self: People rarely want the truth, and even less uncompromising truth.

Though we try so hard just to make it better, there is always blood.

I am just a boat,
floating on a vast ocean,
without a compass.

Haiku post.

Lyric of the Day:
"It all comes down
to sex or love.
I hate to choose"
-The Static Age:"Trauma"

Random Story of The Day:
Switching from stories that I would like to keep "just in case". Here is one I hope I never have to use.
My friend was interested in this girl, and they were friends. They decided to take a class together. Things were fine until she and her friend decided that they should have him take notes for them when they didn't show up for class. They started getting bitchy with him for not having the notes the way they wanted, and it basically ruined their friendship. The icing on the cake? She was always up on his floor yelling at him, until one day he couldn't find her for notes a day he missed class. He found her in the bedroom of the guy across the hall...

Note to Future Self: You think too much.

The World is on Fire

The world is retarded. For every Fox News, there is a Huffington Post. For every Heritage Foundation, there is a Heartland Institute. People ignore the Iranian election and report on Letterman talking about Palin's daughter. This is madness, and not the kind that gets you free spells.

Lyric of the Day:
"Say that it isn't so
How she easily come, how she easy go
Please don't tell her cause she don't really need to know.

That I'm crazy like the rest of us
And I'm crazier when I'm next to her."
-Jason Mraz:"Please Don't Tell Her"

Random Story of The Day:
Continuing my previous idea of telling stories that may be good to have in hindsight, I give you the best breakup story.

My friend's GF was going to study abroad for nine months. Not wanting to be a burden to her while she was away, he told himself he would break up with her and if she was single when she came back they could consider dating again. Two days after their "breakup" he was skyping her at eight in the morning. After two visits to her in Europe, and the most ridiculous care packages I have ever seen(one including a CD of him singing/playing a song from Wall-E), it looks like they are still together :P

Note to Future Self: Supreme Court Justices can legislate from the bench...

24 Hours in the life

Earlier today I hung out with my friend for his birthday. Its amusing to me that kids who go to a top tier school get their kicks by drinking in the parking lot of a mall. Well at least that made them easier to beat in laser tag(Number 3 on the winning team :D). Karaoke is a ton of fun, and I'm glad I got to hang out with my friends before they leave for the summer.

I just came back from the first Hindu prayers that I have been to for a while. I think Dogma had it right, faith is a glass that needs to be periodically refilled. Everytime I go to a place of worship, be it a temple or a church, I find myself feeling spiritually fulfilled. But even as satisfying as that is, I guess I feel pulled towards feeling the chaos in the world than living contently.

Lyric of the Day:
"Tell your boyfriend,
if he's got beef,
That I'm a vegetarian,
and I ain't fucking scared of him"
-3oh!3:"Don't trust me"

Random Story of The Day:
Today I learned a new drinking game. Watch Mulan, and drink every time they say "Huns" or "Man". "Someday I'll make a man out of you" will pretty much destroy you :P

Note to Future Self: Law school?

Airport Internet

So, I’m at the airport waiting for my flight. Thanks to Southwest’s comfy chairs with electrical outlets, I have my laptop in commission. I even have internet access so this can be posted when I'm done writing!

Today I go back to Maryland. This has been a pretty good break. Even though I missed a couple of possibly crucial phone calls, getting away from last semester was necessary. When I get back, I have a ton to do, including staying with my grandparents, and hanging out with people who are leaving for Europe, and who got back.

I'm even looking forward to going back to the lab. Summer means I can be ridiculously productive, heck I may even be able to cite my mom :D

Lyric of the Day:
"Lets get this party started right,
Lets get drunk and freaky fly,
You with me so its alright,
We gonna stay up the whole night."
-Justice:"The Party"

Random Story of The Day:
For a while, I’m going to be doing a little something different. In case any of the couples I know in college ever get married, I’m going to start putting up amusing stories about them. That was I have a funny story for the wedding :D

One of my friends met this guy in one of her classes. He asked her if she wanted to come with him and “a couple of his friends” to see a movie. Being a cautious person, she asked her roommate if she would come with her to see the movie.

After word trickled to the rooms next door (and to friends who lived even on the top and second floors of the building), a lot of people realized that we all wanted to see that movie. We asked if we could come, and our friend, being the nice person that she is, told us that it probably wouldn’t be a big deal if we all came.

When we got to the theater, she got a call from the guy saying that he was at a restaurant nearby, and that she should join for a pre-movie dinner. As our group walked to the restaurant, I realized something. Dinner and a movie? This kind of felt like a date…

When we got to the restaurant, we met up with the guy who was sitting with his best friend. It turned out that he thought that she was bringing a friend. Our group of eight people accompanied our friend on her first date with this guy :P

Note to Future Self: You once had a list of ten possible jobs. Remember when you had no idea of what you were going to do?

Back Home: Part 4

Yesterday I watched Ghost Town and played Valkyrie Chronicles. Its a pretty fun game, too bad its only on ps3 :'(

Today is Vik's graduation. Its kind of weird seeing my little brother getting ready for college. I hope they are ready for him :P

Lyric of the Day:
"I'm in love with a fairytale
Even though it hurts.
'Cause I don't care if I lose my mind
I'm already cursed. "
-Alexander Rybak:"Fairytale"

Random Story of The Day:
My little brother once took a running leap to catch the garter at a wedding. He was 16 at the time.

Note to Future Self: 23 credits of A. That's all I'm saying.

Back Home: Part 3

Went to the beach today. It was pretty fun, though even after my shower I still smell saltwater. When we got back home I watched Taken(which was better than I gave it credit for), and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button(less awesome than I thought it would be). Sounds like the Eastern Conference championship might be up for grabs, with the Magic actually giving Lebron James a fight for his money. That could be interesting.

I actually checked my grades on Blackboard, and so far I have six As. While I'm still waiting for two more grades back, the fact that I could pull of a 23 credit semester while working 3(?!) part-time jobs is pretty exciting. Too bad it looks like next semester will be more of the same.

Which I guess is fine, because I.am.pulling.it.off!

Lyric of the Day:
"And all I (all I)
Need to know (need to know)
Is that I'm something you'll be missing
(is that I'm something that you're missing)
Maybe I should hate you for this
Never really did ever quite get that far
Maybe I should hate you for this
Never really did ever quite get that..."
-Taking Back Sunday:"You are so Last Summer"

Random Story of The Day:
I was telling one my friends(who I haven't seen in far too long) about the wreck that was me during finals. My post-final destressing involved me finishing a bottle of wine with a friend, watching Angels and Demons with her, and making homemade pizza with her.

Him: So look who found himself a girlfriend in college.
Me: We're not going out.
Him: Wait, really?
Me: Yeah....why?
Him: You had more dates in the past week than my girlfriend and I have had this past month.
Me: They weren't dates. We were just hanging out.
Him: Whatever, just don't tell my GF is all I'm saying.

Addendum: Frikin spellcheck. Destressing is a word.

Note to Future Self: After freaking out about your "worst semester" you somehow managed to pull off better grades than freshman year. You slacker bastard.

Back Home: Part 2

Today I watched Role Models and Mrs. Doubtfire. I also met our neighbors. They are pretty nice people, though it seems the entire family(4 brothers, 2 sisters) just had daughters.

I've started looking at stuff for the GREs, but I'm not as concerned as I should. I gues getting this far in my life has killed the need to aspire that was the driving force for me through high school. Is it better to be driven or to be happy with what you are doing?

If my roommate asked that question I would totally be a dick and say you have to weight the opportunity costs in something that situational.

Lyric of the Day:
"Dig deeper.
Remember all you've been and all you've left behind.
Wave goodbye, my dear.
Dig deeper.
Remember all you've been and all you've left behind.
Welcome home, my dear."
-Coheed and Cambria:"The End Complete III: The End Complete"

Random Story of The Day:
I was looking up random articles on CNN, the BBC, and the Times when my friend IMed me. As I was about to switch from tabs in Mozilla, the article loaded. I was reading an article on the hell that is becoming a doctor when my pre-med friend IMs me XD

Note to Future Self: This summer was supposed to be it.

Back Home

So, the FL chronicles begin anew. The day of my flight, I was @ Chris's until 4am. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

First day here I had steak and potatoes for dinner. Twice. I also started watching Kings, which is a great show.

Day 2 was finishing off Kings, and playing PS3. I got farther in my DS games. Dinner was wings with the little brother.

Day 3 was watching "Marley and Me" and "Bedtime Stories". Both movies I got a kick out of. Too bad when they came out I was swamped with work. I also got a new haircut. My mom made macaroni pie and I had some deer salami.

Lyric of the Day:
"I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it's lack of sex
That's bringing me down

I went to a whore
He said my life's a bore
So quit my whining cause
it's bringing her down"
-Green Day:"Basket Case"

Random Story of The Day:
My brother and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings to hang out. When taking our order the waitress seemed unintentionally critical of my order as she confirmed our order.

Her: "So its one order of Jalepeno Mango Wings, and one of Honey BBQ...You guys realize that the Honey BBQ has no pepper, right?
Me: Yeah, I cant stand pepper.
Her: And a root beer and a Hurricane?...You do realize that that is a girl drink, right?
Me: Yes. Yes, I do realize that.
Her: Well your order will be ready in about ten minutes.

I need a more badass palette.

Note to Future Self: Having your blog is kinda like the scrapbook in Marley and Me. Good Idea.

I'll be better when I'm older

I've realized that the longer I'm in college the more I change as a person. But going back to things the way they were before is easier than I would like for somethings, and harder for others. I've been fairly good about shutting in my inner yellow(mainly because it comes with some black), but it seems that whenever I'm stressed it comes back. I wish it were that way with my conviction.

I had this great discussion with a friend about what it means to be Catholic, and his amusement at my leaving the church because of the new pope was refreshing. Having a difference between how you live and how you expect others to live is an idea that i think I have trouble accepting because of my belief in the idea of the philosopher king. There shouldn't be dynamically different standards for different people, should there?

Lyric of the Day:
"And tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above"
-Edwin McCain:"I'll Be"

Random Story of The Day:
One of my friends loves the movie My Sassy Girl. Her roommate didn't remember it being as great or romantic as she was making it out to be.

My friend rationalized it: "Well that last time you saw this movie was with your old roommate and her estranged boyfriend - not the best company for a romantic movie."

Note to Future Self: Pachabel's Canon is kind of romantic :P

Overcommited

I just took two of my finals and I think I may have spread myself too thin this semster. You know how they say ambition is the enemy of success? Maybe there is a reason no one takes 23 credits in a semester.

Lyric of the Day:
"I'm so 3008
You so 2000 and late
I got that boom, boom, boom
That future boom, boom, boom
Let me get it now"
-Black-Eyed Peas:"Boom Boom Pow"

Random Story of The Day:
Our professor explains to the class during a review session that the final exam will be fairly simple. He concludes with "So it should not be a problem for any of you to get a C in this class".

His daughter who he is babysitting, and who has been in the back row raises her hand at the end of class. "Isn't C a bad grade?", she asks in a sincere naive voice.

The entire room of engineering students burst into uncontrollable laughter for 15 minutes.

Note to Future Self: You can learn stuff without taking classes. Remember that.

You can blame it on the goose, gotcha feeling loose

This week has been spectacular. Monday I was at work until 9 after three group meetings. Tuesday I had coaching, and then a Vibs problem set. Wednesday I was working until 3 am on Finance. Last night I was at work until 8, then I had to grade a HW set.

It has gotten so bad that TK thought I had a secret GF :P

At least I can go into ASME and spin broken bearings for an hour to relax...

Lyric of the Day:
"Oh Mother of Pearl
So, so semiprecious
In your detached world

Oh Mother of Pearl I wouldn't trade you for another girl
Oh Mother of Pearl I wouldn't trade you for another girl"
-Roxy Music: "Mother of Pearl"

Random Story of The Day:
We got back assessments in my Management class. Apparently I lack anything resembling initiative and make poor thoughtless decisions. Who knew? I thought I had a natural +7?

Note to
Future Self: Marry the girl who gets the above reference, and isn't embarrassed to say it.

Time is up

Its the end of the semester, and I'm caught up in the deluge of work. Working on group presentations until 4am, problems sets all night, and stress cooking. Looks like its Showtime.

Lyric of the Day:
"Would things have changed if I could've stayed?
Would you have loved me either way?
Dressed to the blues
Day to day with my collar up."
-Coheed and Cambria:"The Suffering"

Random Story of The Day:
Today a post-doc asked me if I was a grad student. When I told him I was an undergrad he asked why I was in the lab at 8 at night. I had no good answer :P

Excerpts from gtalk:
"sorry for using you as a sounding board for my moral dilemmas :-p"
"fuck science man...I need some me time"

Note to Future Self: Shih's video. Remember it.

It never seems to last

Yesterday I hung out with someone who I haven't had the chance to see in a while. I guess being hyper-involved in as many things as you can leaves little time for old friends. Being with them I had flashbacks of a time of my life where things were different and I was a lot less jaded. The sad thing is that this was only two years ago, in my freshman year.

Its also funny how much people can both change and stay the same over time. People can keep the things that made you glad to have been close to them, while at the same time maturing in ways that make you think that they have become totally different people. Heck, sometimes people end up losing the little mannerisms that annoyed you.

Lyric of the Day:
"Clock is ticking while I’m killing time
Spinning all around
Nothing else that you can do
To turn it back"
-Lacuna Coil:"Our Truth"

Random Story of The Day:
I spent this entire weekend trying to find my lost credit card. As I was pulling out my cell phone to call and cancel it, it fell out of my pocket. FML.

Note to Future Self: You are a baller. Don't even think you're not.

Double Posting

This is written only 10 mins after my previous post(The date on the post is irrelevant). I just had an amusing conversation with my roomies about random stuff, and I was told something. "You need to stop making excuses". I do, and it turns out that I have no one to blame for my crappy love life(or lack thereof). Well, things are changing.

I actually started this thinking about telling all the parents of the world to keep their daughters inside because big D is on the prowl. I was considering a resolution to work on my personal upkeep and being more careful with what I say. But then I realized that at this point in my life I refuse to compromise. In my management class we watched Steve Jobs's commencement speech to Harvard, where his main message was "Don't settle". I don't want to be in a relationship where my girlfriend cringes whenever I bring up DnD, Magic, or something dorky. I don't want to have an SO that runs off in the rain leaving me worried. When I'm old and burned out, I guess I'll have to change my opinon, but until then I am the human wrecking ball. of ideas.

Lyric of the Day:
"They say that kid he's got soul.
I’m everywhere that you go.
And I’ve been there, seen that, and I ain't taking you home.
No-o-o."
-Cobra Starship:"Kiss my Sass"

Random Story of The Day:
I have no idea what the hell is happening in class right now. Sadly, I don't care because I got the second best grade on the first exam.

Note to Future Self: Just because ambition is the enemy of success, you should not sacrifice ambition for the sake of success.

Red Dragon

I may think too much. While that may seem like a good thing(and to me it usually is), it comes with a serious set of drawbacks. I end up thinking about things that are touchy for some(Does organized religion make it easier for people to just accept philosophies), to the depressing(How much potential do we lose every year of our existence?), to the demoralizing(Is our purpose to ensure that our children live in a better world, or just that they have more opportunity than we did?).

This causes me to dwell on things I should have moved on with years ago(or at least months). Its just so hard to tell which things have more to it than I have figured.

I also end up giving everything some credit. There is no undefendable assertion in my mind. This becomes a problem because whenever someone dismisses something, I feel the need to defend it.

Well at least I got some stuff going for me. A sweet lab job, amusing roommates, a great view, and 21st birthdays all the time.

P.S. The title comes from a How I Met Your Mother episode where the main character realizes he has the same problem so he does shots to kill his brain. This solution will be investigated further.

Lyric of the Day:
"I’m just a curbside prophet
with my hand in my pocket
and I’m waiting for my rocket to come
I’m just a curbside prophet
with my hand in my pocket
and I’m waiting for my rocket y'all"
-Jason Mraz: "Curbside Prophet"

Random Story of The Day:
When playing video games, we get out of control sometimes. One of my roomates swears, while I end up getting scared that Hunters are going to spring on me if I don't check rooms before I enter. When playing a competitive game, I once told my roomie, "suck it". His response: "I'd rather not"

Note to Future Self: Make sure my wife does not let our kids play hockey.

Best Day Evar!

Today was an interesting day. It started off with my last ever Friday sleep in until 10 am. I had coffee with a couple people which was pretty fun, but then I had to do a simulation thing for my business class. Because I over analyzed the problem we were given, I ended up with a 60% rather than a 100% that I should have gotten. I guess I'm like Ted in that way(This brain can not be stopped!).

I went to a team meeting where I realized that I was the only one with skills necessary to do multiple parts of the project. This means that I have a ridiculous amount of responsibility. Never mind this is a team where I was told that I needed to let other people take control.

My boss also decided that we need 7 am group meetings. This was fine with me until he told me he needed a 7 am individual meeting with each of us.

Finally, I went to a friend's for her b-day. We hung out for a while, which was great fun since I haven't seen a bunch of them in a while. They decided to go to the bars, which I decided to tag along for since I hadn't ever gone. Not only was I told I couldn't go in, I was also told that even if I got my ID there would be a $10 for guys. *begin rant* The next time a girl talks about not getting equal pay, I need to point out that we do not live in a gender equal society. *end rant*

And to top it all off, I've decided to forget about giving up something this Lent. Apparently I'm too opinionated for my own good. Especially since I feel people in steady relationships would hang out on a Friday night...

Lyric of the Day:
"Please understand
This isn't just goodbye
This is I can't stand you
This is where the road crashed into the ocean"
-+44:"No It Isn't"

Random Story of The Day:
Today my friend told me she was having a get together at her place. I had made a cake yesterday so I brought it over so that we could snack on it. The only people who had cake were my roommate and his gf. FML.

(Those two and one of her awesome friends who has similar tastes as me in terms of candy :D)

Note to Future Self: At 37, single women will want to settle down and have families. Too bad they'll still be crazy control freaks. Thank you Baby Momma.

Uncertainty

Today I had another one of those "What will I do with my life?" days. I still feel as if I have so much potential and I could do anything that I decided to do. Well not anything(I still remember my two day "Could I be a doctor?" thing).

Lyric of the Day:
"Children don't stop dancing
Believe you can fly
Away...
Away..."
-Creed:"Don't Stop Dancing"

Random Story of The Day:
Talking with my roomie and his gf before dinner.

Him: Any strong girly drink is made with vodka.
Me: To get girls drunk, make vodka drinks. Good to know.
His GF: I'm never letting you meet my hot, available friends
Me: That's fine, I'll settle for moderately attractive.
She glares at me disaprovingly
Me: Actually, nevermind. I don't think I have time to date this semester, maybe next semester?

Note to Future Self: Sometimes you think you like candy corn, but the aftertaste is something you can't accept.

Valentines Day

So 1/2 my apartment is part of a couple, meaning that for V-day it was me and my roomie. Too bad he decided to go home for his little sister's birthday :P

With no one else in the apartment I spent the first half of the day not doing much. I actually watched the part of How I Met Your Mother where Ted meets Victoria. That, not surprisingly made me slightly depressed.

Things turned around when I got a call from my friend. I had asked her roommate if they wanted to hang out Saturday(seeing as we were all single with nothing to do), so she asked if I wanted to come over and have dinner. We ended up having dinner, watching a movie and watching Demetri Martin's new show. So apparently all is well that ends well :D

Lyric of the Day:
"You've slipped away like a fistful of sand
You are gone, you are gone, you are gone"
-The Bravery: "Fistful of Sand"

Random Story of The Day: Playing telephone charades, we went from "I just died in your arms tonight" to "Happy girl beats man with lollipop under the sun". That game is awesome :D

Note to Future Self: Model the market as a system with mass. Momentum changes everything.

Surprises

The past week kind of sucked. I had assignments in my classes that really battered the idealistic side of me. In management we looked at the strategy of helping to improve poor neighborhoods for the purpose of exploiting the people there as consumers. My finance class essentially outlined the need for class disparities across the world, emphasizing that having low factors of production(low wage labor) helps to drive economies. With all these things on my mind all I could to was play Pokemon and bask in my powerlessness.(I thought being able to use that world was pretty sweet :P)

Then on Saturday I went over to visit one of my friends who I hadn't seen in a while. Catching up and being distracted by the things that were important in my life made me feel better.

That night as I walked into my apartment I was greeted by more than twenty of my friends charging out of the bedrooms yelling "Surprise!". It turns out my friends had decided that my birthday being in winter break meant that my party should happen when we got back to school. After a great night of lasertag, Rock Band, charades, Bang, and copious amounts of smash brothers, I remembered how awesome humanity was, and the privileges of the life I live.

Sunday I went to BC and watched the Superbowl. My friend is a hardcore Steelers fan, but since they beat the Ravens everyone at his college was supporting the Cardinals. After a full sixty minutes of football we had the Steelers as Superbowl champions and Mike Tomlin as the youngest coach to ever win the Superbowl.

Lyric of the Day:
"You were a child,
crawlin' on your knees toward it.
Makin' mama so proud,
but your voice is too loud."
-MGMT:"Kids"

Random Story of The Day:
My roomates and I play Wii Tennis while pretending to be Roddick, Federer, and Nadal :P

Note to Future Self: For every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. Those who peer into the darkness often are overlooking the light. Balance is key.

Day Two

Updates two days in a row, must be a new thing, right?

Nope, today is an anomaly. It was the second day of class and the first snow day. I had 12 hours, and I only just finished my hw for wednesday. This semester will be awesome.

Lyric of the Day:
"But not everybody knows
That everybody goes
To a better place
And not everybody knows
That everybody could be living their last days
But the hard times will come
and we'll keep movin' on
We're moving on
Keep movin' on!"
-Good Charlotte:"Movin' On"

Random Story of The Day:
A friend came over to make dinner. We were talking about different recipes for vegetarians when he blurts out "You should meet my new girlfriend, she has huge cans of chick peas that we use for curry". Needless to say, halfway through his statement I was in a state of disbelief.

Note to Future Self: Find snow friends. Not a snow bunny, snow friends :P

First Day

New set of classes, which overall was not bad. I have to figure out how this semester will work. Heat transfer looks reasonable, but it will be a pain unless I find a good HW group. Mondays seem pretty awesome, 3 hours of Business and English. I should drop a class, but the only thing I could think of if Vibrations, and that is because I'm afraid of a class with 15% As. Plus another problem set each week sucks.

Lyric of the Day:
"My apologies dear,
For all my mistakes and I’m sure to make more.
Cause I forget to enjoy
the small things in life, I just let them slip by."
-The Hush Sound:"My Apologies"

Random Story of The Day:
So I was convincing a friend of mine to help me find a girlfriend.

Me: So I want a girl who won't yell at me.
Her: So she has to be quiet?
Me: Well, someone who wont make me feel bad.
Her: So she has to be passive?
Me: She also has to be squishy.
Her: So she has to be fat?
Me: So, got any friends that I could date?
Her: Um, You don't need a girlfriend...you need a body pillow.
Me: You are a genius!

Note to Future Self: You want to build robots.

Just another day in the life.

So I went snowboarding yesterday, and it was better than I expected. Granted I fell like 200 times, and my body hurts, but it was an experience. Not one that I think I will repeat soon, but an interesting one nonetheless.

School starts next week and this semester will be interesting. Twenty-three credits plus work. Hopefully my GPA keeps rising :P

Oh yeah, and here is something Elan found:

Lyric of the Day:
"In the night, I hear 'em talk,
the coldest story ever told.
Somewhere far along this road,
he lost his soul, to a woman so heartless..."
-Kanye West:"Heartless"

Random Story of The Day:
My roomate on the phone to his GF:
"Did you just say (some phrase I forget)? I mean it is something that you would say, but I wouldn't expect you to say that now"

Note to Future Self: Make an AMV for RomeoXJuliet to Taylor Swift's "Love Story"

Superman xD

THE LOVE STORY:How To Avoid Trapped Arm Whilst Cuddling In Bed

MLK/Inaguration

Tomorrow we will have a new president. I'm not sure what it will mean for us as a nation, but I am sure that it will be historically significant. Plus, DC is going to be ridiculously packed...
So with two days off I managed to work on my comic, enjoy :

* He also needs to figure out whether he'll talk in first or second person :P

Lyric of the Day:
"Give me the Green Light
Give me just one night
I'm ready to go right now
I'm ready to go right now"
-MGMT remix of John Legend and Andre 3000:"Green Light"

Random Story of The Day:
While watching the AFC championship, Yohance keeps getting trash talk texts from his Raven-supporting friends. When the Steelers win he sends out a message to all of them:"Congrats on getting to the Superbowl".

Note to Future Self: Remember Barney's graph. y>x!!!

On the Road

Gran Torino was awesome. Academy award winning awesome. The Spirit was interesting, but not as impressive. Oh yeah, and the road trip was legendary.

Lyric of the Day:
"No one on the corner has swagger like us.
Swagger like us, swagger-swagger like us"
-M.I.A. sample from T.I.:"Swagger Like Us"

Random Story of The Day:
Driving down to FL we put our heads out of the car and yelled the name of each state as we entered it. We also yelled at certain streets that we did not appove of.

Note to Future Self: Everything has its upside.

The aftermath of St. Nick

Today I accomplished very little. Got through half of The Elder Gods, watched Futuresport and Forever Mine. Futuresport was fairly entertaining(Got to love Rasta Wesley Snipes) and Forever Mine was your classic romance epic. I also just realized that Smallville is still on TV. Seven Pounds was fairly good, as was playing through the last temple in Majora's Mask 3 times. All in all a relaxing day.

Well at least yesterday I managed to get some pans and a tool set :P

Lyric of the Day:
"What's that you're saying there
Oh well
Rain rushing window pain
Oh well
Can't see what space i'm in
Oh well
But i'm safe inside me here
Oh well"
-Frou Frou:"Old Piano"

Random Story of The Day:
When watching Seven Pounds, I couldn't help but notice that the pager that they gave Rosario Dawson was the same one that they give out at TGIF. Yohance thought that was messed up.

Note to Future Self: Invisibility will be achieved when we can affect the structure of our bodies. Spaced crystals are the key.

Getting into The Spirit

Christmas Eve was basically me catching up with watching stuff online, like Naruto and Lost. I managed top create a pretty nice gift basket for my grandparents.

Christmas involved a lot of good food, and going to see The Spirit. While not the best movie I've seen, it wasn't the worst. Very stylized and cliche. I had good ideas when I started this, but the fact that it is 3am has worked its magic.

Lyric of the Day:
"Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away"
-Hugh Martin:"Have yourself a merry little Christmas"

Random Story of The Day:
So I was going to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas, but I had a couple hours before I needed to leave. I decided to kill time by starting the latest book from my reading list, the new Edding's series. When I paused from reading I realized it was 12:30. For the second time in a row I eneded up watching mass on TV :P

Note to Future Self: Figure out what you want to do.

Milk and Cookies

More like Cookies and Milk, but whatever. I realized earlier this week that I can make ice cream sandwiches myself, an ability that essentially was the only thing I felt I had after my fluids test. Apparently everyone was rocked by it, and my circuits test was do-able so I'm good.

Bowling was a lot of fun, though the entire night made me think of Kal Penn in the Namesake. The scene with him and the girl who went to France and came back super-hot?

I also saw Milk today, which was really interesting. As someone raised Roman Catholic, and who shifter from leaning to the right towards the left it really made me think about religion's place in our society. While religion shapes our morals and values, the degree to which it can be used to change society is debatable. The fact that discrimination is a vital part of society, yet causes injustice sucks.

Lyric of the Day:
"Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams
That you've dreamed of
Once in a lullaby"
-Leona Lewis:"Somewhere over the Rainbow"

Random Story of The Day:
As we're playing Rock Band, we manage to score a 750,000 points. In joy, CC raises him drumsticks and yells "750,000 points!". His momentum from raising the sticks causes him to falls backwards into a lamp and table. No college kids were hurt in the making of this scene.

CC also yells out "1! 2! 3! 4!" before he has a part on drums. Even in the middle of songs...

Note to Future Self: Wedding tattoos instead of rings? Think about it.

Finals Crunch

Tried to write an entry after Fluids wrecked me. It failed,

Lyric of the Day:
"I'm the opposite of moderate, immaculately polished with
The spirit of a hustler and the swagger of a college kid
Allergic to the counterfeit, impartial to the politics
Articulate but still would grab a nigga by the collar quick."
-T.I. feat. Rihanna:"Live your Life"

Random Story of The Day:
Me: I kind of want to see 7 pounds.
Friend's GF: Yeah, Will Smith is so hot!
Me: He is like fifty or something.
Friend: Yeah, we were going to see it, you could tag along.
Friend's GF: Threesome!
Friend: Ummm....that not the word I would use...

Formal to Forms

How can a teacher get away with changing the due date of an assignment 9pm the night before they want it due? I don't even know.

Well, I'm off to work on another lab report.

BTW, Gems Formal was phenomenal. Sometimes you gotta take time and just enjoy yourself.It was good seeing Michelle, bumping into my section(WAVES!), and meeting up people I hadn't seen in a while(campers!). Feeling empowered to voice how you feel is intoxicating, or maybe a result of it.

Lyric of the Day:
"Run and tell all of the angels
This could take all night
Think I need a devil to help me
Get things right"
-Foo Fighter:"Learn to Fly"


Random Story of The Day:
Bruck to class: "And what do we use lubrication for?"
*awkward silence*

Prop 8, The musical

Neil Patrick Harris is the man.

Lyric of the Day:
"So far away we wait for the day,
For the lives all so wasted and gone;
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days-
Through the fire and the flames we carry on!"
-DragonForce:"Through the Fire and the Flames"

Random Story of The Day:
So apparently I have not been missing my lab's group meetings, my PI just hasn't had one for two months. Our first one is today, so I guess I better go make something to show...

The End Complete

So, I just had my second to last GEMS class as an SL. When RT asked who wanted to do it next year, only one person raised their hand.


Wasn't me.



I also made a sick tuna casserole. Pigeon peas + Tuna = delicious. Formal should be entertaining.

Lyric of the Day:
"He was a skater boy,
She said 'see you later boy',
He wasn't good enough for her
Now he's a super star,
Slammin' on his guitar,
Does your pretty face see what he's worth?"
-Avril Lavigne:"Sk8ter Boy"



Random Story of The Day:
"After reading an entire chapter on kidney function, ending with the nervous control of urination, I kinda need to pee"

"And I'll leave you with the house"(meant to say goodbye and failed)

My friends :P

Resolutions

For New Years, I've decide working on my list of resolutions a bit early this year. Here are a couple big ones.

1. I will not be a GEMS SL. Ever again. Except if I get to do 100 with a good friend. My logic for this decision is based on the fact that I've had an amazing time doing 102 and 202. I followed a group of students from Gemscamp, to team formation, up to their preparation for their thesis defense. I don't think I will be able to replicate this experience, especially since I'm not going to be a 102 SL next semester. SLing was something I enjoyed alot, but its not something that I think I can do again. Plus, all those overachiever gems kids who need it for their resume need a chance to SL.

2. I will have my polymerization model done by Thanksgiving. I've been slacking at work due to distractions, be it HHMI, Fluids, or pretending to be a BIOE. I need to work out the kinks in the dynamics and add in polarity. Hopefully I'll even have a decent looking GUI by the end of this semester.

3. I will go to Badminton on Mondays once I recover. This semester I kind of slacked off in terms or going to badminton, but after I injured my ankle I realized that if I were a couple of pounds lighter maybe having to limp around wouldn't be so bad. Plus, badminton was a great way to keep in touch with a couple of friends who I rarely see these days.

4. With a similar idea, I will setup my schedule so I can go to ballroom next semester. Just because I have HW and work doesn't mean I can't make time for something that I really liked. Maybe I'll even be able to organize my old partner coming with me so that the learning curve won't make me look silly as I get back used to dancing. Heck, maybe I'll try to convince a new person to go with me.

5. I will go home this winter. I usually end up coming up with some excuse to avoid leaving campus, but this winter I think I'll head to FL, at least for Christmas, if not my birthday as well. Its my little brother's last year in high school, and I really think should spend sometime with him before he is off to college.

Lyric of the Day:
"His keeping busy, yeah he's bleeding stones,
With his machinations and his palindromes
It was anything but hear the voice
Anything but hear the voice
It was anything but hear the voice
That says that we’re all basically alone"
-Andrew Bird:"Imitosis"

Random Story of The Day:
Heard in the ME lounge-
Tom: There is no way that you could get with her.
Dude: Ignore him, That's just Tom being a dick.
Tom: This is just Tom being honest.

Check out "Silent Library". The Japanese remain amusing.

Can you help me find a way to carry on again?

So, I've decided that I'm far too busy to mantain my comic. However whenever I have a serious set of free time I'll work on one. Promise. Until then I leave you with this.



If I don't have time for a comic do I have time for all the other things I want to do? Who knows, guess its time to prioritize :P

Lyric of the Day:
"Days swiftly come and go
I'm dreaming of her
She's seeing other guys
Emotions they stir
The sun is gone
The nights are long
And I am left while the tears fall"
-All-American Rejects:"Swing Swing"

Random Story of The Day:

"I saw the thing that people think is a cougar. It's not. It's a gigantic raccoon. I mean, a gigantic, scary raccoon. That snarled at me. But a raccoon."
-Me on the College Park cougar

'sruth?

So it looks like I lied. The art will stay this way until I get a reason to make it better. We could pretend that I see this as a challenge, rather than insight to my lack of artistic skills.

I apologize for the toilet humor in my last comic.
*snicker*
I love bad puns.

Lyric of the Day:
"I'll tell you what you wanna know
But boy you better listen close
People gonna tell you lies
Don't let it come as a suprise "
-The Killers:"Daddy's Eyes"

Random Story of The Day:

Ironic

So I've had the argument over whether "Ironic" by Alanis Morisette is actually ironic one too many times. Looks like its based on your definition of "Irony". I'm gonna claim victory on this one.

Lyric of the Day:
"I just wanna use your love
tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight.
I don't wanna lose your love tonight"
-Katy Perry:"Use Your Love"

Random Comic of The Day:
We all have our OCD moments.
























*Comics 12-15 will be devoted to him coming to his friend with girl problems.
WTF, mate

Comic :D

So I decided to try and create a comic. Lets see if this creativity keeps up. Hopefully the art will get better as I get help with it/when I get my scanner.

Lyric of the Day:
"Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in then you're out
You're up then you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight we break up
We kiss we make up"
-Katy Perry:"Hot 'N Cold"

Random Story of The Day:
True story from college.

City Visit

I stumbled across one of my old works that I found amusing. Here, in its entirety, I present my Joyce imitation City Visit

City Visit

As the car came to a halt I peered through the window. I saw the colorful painting of shop signs and glass windows which shielded all types of different things. I saw a store with a bright red sign that had a bicycle painted on it. “Living in the city must be wonderful”, I thought to myself, as I continued to survey these sights that seemed so foreign to me. As I sat absorbing all of the information on the store signs, I heard the car door open.

“Get out, boy”, my Aunt instructed.
“Yes ma’am”, I answered back reflexively.
“I have business to attend to, so don’t dilly-dally around”
“Yes ma’am”

As we got out of the car, I glanced again at the store with the red sign. A pair of boys, one around my age, and one that looked around seventeen, walked animatedly up to the store. As they opened the store’s door, I heard a small bell ring excitedly. My attention was snatched away from the store by my Aunt who pushed me ahead with her open hand as she headed to where she wanted to go. She was always this way; at home she would make my uncle complete every minor chore before he was able to read his newspaper in peace. I followed her closely, not wanting to be lost in this strange place full of shops and signs.

We came to a stop in front of a tailor, which I could tell by the worn away sign in black and white that was by the door. The slimy-looking white paint on the sign made the picture of a needle and thread hard to see, but the large black letters stood out against the white background. As we walked in, I saw a large dark man sitting behind a countertop full of needles and spools of thread. As he looked at us, his eyes inquiring our reason for disturbing him, my Aunt pulled out a dress from the bag she had been carrying. Seeing that there was business to attend to, the tailor stood up from the rickety stool he had been sitting on.

“’Ow can ah help yew?”, he asked, reaching for the dress.
“The sleeve of this dress was unfortunately ripped two days ago”, my aunt explained as she searched for the tear herself, ignoring the tailor’s open hands.
“Ah think that ah can fix yore dress”, replied the shopkeeper as he examined the dress with experienced but bloodshot eyes.

After my aunt handed over the dress, he started writing down numbers on a small dirty scratchbook. I took this opportunity to glance around the store. There were a large amount of simple dresses on racks around his store, but a section of extravagant frilly dresses caught my eye.
Among them I saw the most remarkable creature. Her bright golden hair had almost allowed her to elude my observation, as it blended in with the gaily colored dresses around her. But her deep green eyes caught my attention, and they captivated me. I stared in wonder at what I had discovered until I was interrupted by my Aunt.

“For the second time, pick up that pin I dropped!” she instructed.
“Yes ma’am”, I absently replied. I reached down and felt for the pin, but kept my eyes on the beauty that had captured my attention.
“Don’ be startled. That’s just mah daughter Darla”, the tailor spoke. The shopkeeper, seeing my attention distracted, had apparently mistaken my amazement for panic. He continued, “She’s just finding a dress for the church play this Sunday”, as if to calm my concern about the presence of other people in the store.

It was at this moment that fate seemed to smile on me. As if reminded of the church’s very existence, my Aunt suddenly declared that it was necessary for the entire family to go to church this Sunday. It is quite possible that my uncle’s recent gambling on Saturday nights in an attempt to escape the house and my aunt had made her think that he needed some religious influence. For whatever reason, it had been decided that I would given the opportunity to see that angel perform on stage. If God had wanted me to go to church, he could choose no better incentive for me. As I came back to reality from my feeling of ecstatic joy, I saw that she had moved behind a rack of dresses. Before I could try to maneuver myself to a position where I could catch another glimpse of her, my Aunt forced me out of the store.

As we walked back to the car, my Aunt with her mended dress and me with my excitements about the future, we saw those two boys coming out of the bicycle store. They were both very happy, and the younger one came out with a new bike. I felt a feeling of pity for them. How could they experience such happiness without being in her presence?

The next few nights I spent dreaming of her performing in the play. She was alone in front the crowd, surrounded by light, her hair shining in the light. I saw her lips moving as she stared into the crowd. Her face radiated her emotions, and her eyes gave feeling to the words I could not hear. With these visions I grew more and more desperate to go to church; to see her perform.

Sunday morning we drove into the city, but we did not go past the shops with signs and entrancing displays. Instead we went to a run-down neighborhood, where the sidewalks were covered in mud and filth. My anticipation did not wane, as passing through this place brought me closer to meeting her again. When we arrived at the church, my uncle parked, and my aunt coaxed us to hurry into the church. We sat down near the back of the church. The thin feeble priest gave a sermon on the importance of faith. As my aunt sat there with her best expression of understanding on, I saw my uncle’s eyes closing. I myself strained to keep my full attention on the priest. As he droned on, I consoled myself by reminding myself the true reason I had wanted to come.

As the sermon’s end neared, my anticipation rose to its peak. I could hardly sit here listening to this clergyman ramble on, knowing that in only moments I would be able to see her again.

When the priest was done with his sermon, and the collection plate passed around, the play began. As each scene passed, I waited for her to appear. I sat there waiting for almost the entire play. Eventually, she came out, looking at the floor and dragging her feet, and sputtered out her few lines. As quickly as she entered the play, she was gone.

I silently cursed my aunt for dragging me to church and I vowed never to come back into the city unless it was absolutely necessary.

Lyric of the Day:
"It's always times like these
When I think of you.
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me."
-Vanessa Carlton:"A Thousand Miles"

Random Story of The Day:
So I met my friends mom, since she wanted to make sure I was a safe driver/not creepy dude and what not. Leave it to me to use a great opportunity to make a mother concerned.

Her mom: "So where are you all going?"
Me: "I figured I'd show the girls some moves."
Her mom:(concerned silence)
Me: "We're going to this Friday night swing event that I used to go to in high school"

Welcome Home

So, I'm back in FL. And I have discovered something amazing. Apollo Justice!

This game is fun and captivating, though sometimes it feels as if it will never end. Thank goodness I've started summer constuctively :D

Lyric of the Day:
"And everybody gets there, everybody gets their
And everybody gets their way
I never said I missed her when everybody kissed her
Now I'm the only one to blame"
-Panic! @ the Disco:"That Green Gentleman"

Random Funny thing of The Day:

In the halls of cynics and dreamers

Cynics are dreamers who are too afraid to dream.

Whether jaded by life experiences, tired of being beaten down by failure, or afraid of taking risks they are hesitant to act. And so they push their fears onto others. Stifling anything that may represent hope to others because if they can not have it, then no one can.

A citizen has rights that are protected by his government.

Lyric of the Day:
"Yeah,
I lose control,
High above the clouds.
It's a wonderful feeling."
-Big D and the Revolution:"To Higher Clouds"

Random Story of The Day:
So, I have 13 shirts for MD day on my bed. Team formation was helluva intense though.

Life goes on

A month after my trip and I'm getting used to being back at school in the US. Test this week. Problem sets every weekend.

Plus, another uneventful Valentine's Day. Life goes on.


Lyric of the Day:
"I could stay a while
But sooner or later I'll break your smile
And I can tell a joke
But one of these days I'm bound to choke

And we could share a kiss
But I feel like I can't go through with this
And I bet we could build a home
But I know the right thing for me to do

Is to leave you alone"
-The White Stripes:"A Martyr For My Love For You"



Random Story of The Day:
Apparently there is "Hug and Indian Day". Made by someone at Acton-Boxborough regional High School. I <3 New England, even though they lost the Superbowl.

Back in the US(SR)

Just got back from my Australia trip. Cute animals, awesome beaches, great sunsets.


Lyric of the Day:
"Yeah, the night's not over
You're not trying hard enough,
Our lives are changing lanes
You ran me off the road,
The wait is over
I'm now taking over,
You're no longer laughing
I'm not drowning fast enough."
-The Strokes:"Reptilia"



Random Story of The Day:
In Australia\ I hugged a koala. That is all.

Merry Christmas :D

Watching the Papal Mass on TV I still feel moved by the spirit of the season. It's easy to criticize people for their religious views or idealistic world views, but the fact that they retain them can make you feel warm inside.

For someone who, you know, spends his time trying to fight perceived "ignorance" it's kind of interesting to sit there and soak it all in. Curse you cynicism and your lures.

Well, I'm off to make a semester video/pack. Peace.

Lyric of the Day:
"He was always giving her attention
Looking hard to find the things she mentioned
He was dedicated
But most suckers hate it
That girl was fine
But she didn’t appreciate him
"...
Everybody put up your hands
Say 'I don’t wanna be in love'
'I don’t wanna be in love'
Feel the beat now
If you got nothing left
Say 'I don’t wanna be in love'
'I don’t wanna be in love'
Back it up now
You got a reason to live
Say 'I don’t wanna be in love'
'I don’t wanna be in love'
Feelin' good now
Don’t be afraid to get down
Say 'I don’t wanna be in love'
'I don’t wanna be in love'"
-Good Charlotte:"Dance Floor Anthem(I Don't Want To Be In Love)"


Random Story of The Day:
I spent 4 hours of Christmas watching basketball, only to see the teams I like get crushed. Curse you fantasy basketball!!!

Knights of Fire and Ice

Realizing that you were wrong is hard. Accepting it is even harder. Its one of those moments where you have to swallow your pride, shake your mind free of delusions, and accept the truth. Too bad illusions of grandeur are so goddamn beautiful, right?

What about "knowing" that you're right. Or at least having the conviction that someone else is wrong but will not listen to you. Watching a friend set themselves up for failure is one of those things that frustrates you. You want to stop them from doing it, but what if you're not right?

Fire = Passion;
Ice = Judgement;

Both part of the same Conviction.

Well, on the bright side I only got one B this semester. And Avenue Q was amazing. So was Rock Band at Jeff's.


Lyric of the Day:
"Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell,
It was love from above, that could save me from hell,
She had fire in her soul it was easy to see,
how the devil himself could be pulled out of me,
There were drums in the air as she started to dance,
Every soul in the room keeping time with there hands,
And we sang…"
-Santana ft. Chad Kroeger: "Into the Night"



Random Story of The Day:
I'm watching Elan play Hellgate London. He's a marksman(a ranged class) focusing on precision shooting.

Me: Marksmen suck
Him: What are you talking about?
Me: Basically you just camp spawns.
Him: Dude. It's like Diablo Counterstrike.
Me: I'm just saying a real man would just rush in and kill those demons with an axe of something
Him: Stop being a jerk.
Me: Why, going to cry at me little girl?

Moving; People, places and things.

Remember how I said I was going to talk about freedom and morality after reading Night Watch? That was an accidental lie, sorry.

I'm moving back to CP, which I don't know if I dread or look forward to. Becoming distant with high school friends again is going to hit me hard. Sure we can try to stay in contact, but honestly nothing beats face to face conversations. Meeting up with college friends is exciting, but the knowledge that they will end up distant in a couple years is disheartening.

Change is annoying...


Lyric of the Day:
"So don't let the world bring you down.
Not everyone here is that fucked up and cold.
Remember why you came and while you're alive
experience the warmth before you grow old."
-Incubus:"The Warmth"



Random Story of The Day:
Joe goes with Jeff to see the Breakfast Club at midnight. I go to sleep at 3. At around 5 am I hear a noise and open my eyes enough to see Joe walk in. I go back to sleep and get up at 7:45 for my 8am. Gotta love College :D

VFest and Reflection

First thing first. Virgin Fest was amazing. Interpol was ridiculous. As was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Panic! was enjoyable, and Regina Spektor was pretty amazing. The Fratellis made me want to get their album and CSS and LCD soundsystem make me want to have dorm dance parties. I love my combination of luck and the freedom that comes with living five states from your parents.

I've been watching Honey and Clover, and I've kinda been throwing around new ideas. After things have failed, people have 4 options. Try the same thing again, give up and try something else, give up entirely, or wait for the situation to change. The first is a sign of insanity and goes against science, so lets throw that out. The last is too much of a passive approach, which means while I would be inclined to do it, it cannot be seen as the best solution.

So the question becomes try something new or give up. That depends on the situation, correct? If trying something new has diminished success rates due to previous failure should such an approach even be tried? How much must we desire success to be driven to try again? Where is the "logic police" that stops us if our struggle becomes futile? Does this then mean that giving up entirely is the best and most secure answer? Yay for anime-driven catharses!

Join us next time when we discuss about the restriction of freedom as manifested after reading Lukyashenko's Night Watch..

Lyric of the Day:
"Show me the dirt pile
And I will pray that the soul can take
Three stowaways
Vanish with no guile
And I will not pay
But the soul can wait
The soul can wait"
-Interpol:"Pioneer to the Falls"

Random Story of The Day:

At Magic Nationals Collins and Ryan refused to get pictures taken in front of the gigantic Cho-Manno because they didn't want them on Facebook. Got to love my friends :D

Otakon 2007 Recap

This recap will probably take a couple of days to get put up, but it'll probably be pretty decent.

Here we go!
Wednesday:
Hauled ass to Baltimore. Got to my grandma's at 9:30. Went to Home Depot at 9:57(It closes at 10!) to get supplies. From 10:30-2am worked on my costume with Collins. It felt good to be back at his house getting ready to dork out. Played KoL and Magic in my breaks.

Thursday:
Woke up at 10. Went to Toys R' Us and Walmart to get guns for my costume. Chris got a duffel bag from a thrift store for like $1. Phil came with us just because we were going to Toys R' us XD. Went down to the city at 4-ish. Chris and I hung hung out with Nonye and Chima who arrived early. Davon popped in and out since he knew lots of people who were around. We waited for O and Ryan to get there then headed to line up for passes. We kinda cut in line with Collins and O, but the guys behind them didnt care, which was awesome. We went back and got ready for the next day, which meant staying up until 6 talking. Good Times!

Friday: I

Saturday: forgot

Sunday: this

Lyric of the Day:
"Lose control
Increasing pace
Warped and bewitched
Intention erased

Whatever they say
These people are torn
Wild and bereft
Assassin is born"
-Muse:"Assassin"



Random Story of The Day:
So one of my friends at Otakon decided to dance behind some girl for like ten minutes. A couple of us told him it was a bad idea, but he waved us off. The girl turns around and it turns out its a guy in a schoolgirl costume!

Florida; The escapade continues!

(Day 6): Went to Kissimmee to buy Magic and made a little sliver combo deck I'm kind of proud of. When I get back to MD I can't wait to test it with the guys. Otakon is going to be frikin awesome! Bumped my little brother's car in the parking lot, but it was nothing a little compound couldn't take care of. Helped the family unpack the new house some more.

(Day 7): Went to Orlando to set up for Magic Day on Saturday. Got a new laptop bag at Florida Mall. While I was there I picked up the first three books in the Night Watch series. The movie was sick, so I imagine the books must be good.

When I got back I helped make dinner for the family. Curried Crab and Dumplings. It was really good, especially considering my diet for the past year :P Played Paper Mario 2 for a bit as things were cooking.

The last days were a blur, but included lots of good food.

Lyric of the Day:
"Say that you're into me,
let me know how it will be
If you don't know just say so
I'll wait till the perfect time
think of all the perfect lines
I'll make sure if I let you know"
-Hello Goodbye: "Call N' Return"

Random Story of The Day:
Dad comes into my room. We have to carry Vik's car to fix the AC(extremly necessary in FL).

Dad: Throw on your clothes, we're going now.
Me: I'm coming?
Dad: You're driving.
Me: Where is it?
Dad: St. Cloud
Me: Where is that?
Dad: South of Harper's Cove
Me: Where is that?
Dad: You take Narcoussi
Me: Where is that?
Dad: Follow Boggy Creek to the left
Me: Where am I taking this left?

Back on the Internet!

Well, this is my fourth-ish day in FL and my family finally got the internet set up in the new house. Lets summarize what I've been up to so far:

(Days 1-3): First thing we did after I got here was go to Miami for the weekend. I had two Venti Soy Caramel Macchiatos(I forgot the "Iced" :P) on the trip there. Even with that caffeine I still managed to catch some sleep. On the plane I read the first 120-ish pages of the 6th Harry Potter, so I got through a bunch of it on the 4 hour drive to Miami. I also managed to play some FFTactics Advance and Pokemon FireRed(My little brother was stuck). We stayed with a family friend who had an amazing condo right next to Miami Beach. It was pretty amazing, especially since I hadn't been in warm salt water in forever. I think I love waves and choppy water, because the calm rolling of the beach was boring to me. Either way the weekend was fun and I got a bit darker.

(Day 4): I played MK and RE4 on my little brother's Wii. Finished Harry Potter. Helped move and unpacked some boxes in the house. Swam with the family in our house's pool. I'm kind of glad my parents have gotten their "final house". Though now that leaves them to talking about how their Grandkids can come visit them and swim in the pool...

(Day 5): Messed around with our network at home and played Warcraft 3 with my brother. I realize that I kind of suck at the game. And that my little brother is pretty good at it. Woe is me.

We also went to get my little brother registered for class. I realized there that I still resented my family going to FL. Moreso than the fact that I felt abandoned, I think the fact that things are happening for them without me being around made me feel insignificant. Plus my alternate Hopkins student future will always loom over my head when I think of FL. Ah well, all is well that ends well, and things are pretty good right now. I'm living in an apt working for a program I actually like.

We went to the old FL house and cleaned up. There was alot of vacuuming to be done, which ended up being my job. With my brother's injured leg and my parents getting older I think I kind of wished I were down here.

Lyric of the Day:
"meguri-kuru toki ni
yakusoku wo ubaware-sou
kono ryoute sashi nobete mo
kokoro wa hanarete"

(Translated)
"I feel the changing season
will see my promise broken.
Even if I reach out with my hands,
my heart will stay distant."
-L'Arc~en~Ciel:"Blurry Eyes"

Random Story of The Day:
While my family fliped through my pictures:

Brother: "Whats funny is even though there are so many pictures of girls on your bed, you've probably never gone with any of them."

Mom: "Are you sure your friends aren't gay?"(In response to Ryan's BG for me)

Dad: "So you took off any pictures with drinking before showing us, eh?"

Epilogue

And so my story unfolds, in what appears to be a poem but clearly should not be. Too bad I despise stream on consciousness for its unreadability. Such is life; the choice to ignore things that we dislike doing ends up ultimately making life harder.

I'm leaving for FL pretty soon, which is exciting. Though I haven't gotten as far on my reading list as I would like to be pre-trip. This list looks like:

The Gunslinger series
(Sixth and Seventh Harry Potter?)
The Golden Compass series(Before the movie!)
(The Hitchhiker's guide?)
Night Watch series(After the movie!)
Runaway Jury
The Food Taster

Suggestions? Concerns? Utter loathing of something on my list?

Lyric of the Day:
"Hey
I used have a little bit of a plan
Used to
Have a concept of where I stand
But that concept slipped right out of my hands
Now I don't really even know who I am
Yo, what do I have to say
Maybe I should do what I have to do to break free and
What ever happens to you, we'll see
But it's not gonna happen with me"
-Fort Minor:"Believe Me"

Random Story of The Day:
Gtalk is pretty great. So is AIM.

Dinesh: so yeah, we're going to have a big movie night this summer at some point; wedding crashers and KKHH back to back
Ekta: KKHH? ...
Dinesh: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Ekta: I know, I'm just.. are you serious?

Me: so here's the plan...(the plan)
Collins: genius
Collins: it is perfect
Collins: jk
Me: jk as in we have a problem?
Collins: nah nah
Me: ok, you scared the shit out of me
Collins: sorry sorry
Me: there was a big "FUCKKKK!!!!" that exploded in my mind

Walking with my shadow at Night(Part 2)

Walking down to Regents another choice;
Should I pass by Patterson,
hovercraft-building and midnight math "raids".
Nope, those experiences were all about grades.

So towards Stamp I trek,
A walk almost too familiar by now.
"Friday nights at CP", Rocky Horror at the Hoff,
Dinner before Gems, all went down there.

Past the stadium that looms to my right,
A trigger for thinking my mementos.
Shirts from Orientation, Blackout, and Relay,
All remain safely in my closet.

Right in front of stamp a new choice,
A three way fork in my path.
Not the hill to the right that I hate,
nor though the various levels do I go.

Cutting to the left path,
past what will always be the "Comm building",
courtyards where Maryland day tents were,
a place where ninjas rushed performers once.

Across Campus drive I journey.
Its amazing to think to myself,
that once that was the one part
of this entire campus that I knew.
(And from Magic of all things)

Past "Stonehenge" I have to travel,
Remembering all that happened in GEMS102.
To think that all those presentations
led to me doing Icebreakers with my own group.

In front of McKeldin I pause.
Research for Islam and Gemstone,
Undergraduate research day,
And being there for friends.

Booksales on the steps of Tydings,
104 discussion in Key about SAHDS.
I find myself slightly amazed,
One semester has made these places have meaning.

Far to the left I see the chapel,
A place of life and my initiation into Gemstone;
A reminder of human mortality;
A symbol that happiness can exist in this world.

I walk towards the Commons shop,
where hours were spent finding cake ingredients,
making sure to avoid the Point of Failure.
Well the physical place, at least.

Susquehanna stand before me,
The last memory on my journey.
Cramming for Physics tests during lectures
even though my successes proved futile.

As I take the elevator up, I think;
When next will I remember all of these things?
My answer is bittersweet; probably not too soon.
Nite Ride will make this journey a thing of the past.

Lyric of the Day:
"This is the point from which I will die and succeed
Living the struggle, I know I'm alive when I bleed
From now on it can never be the same as before
Cause the place I'm from doesn't exist anymore"
-Immortal Technique:"Point of No Return"

Random Story of The Day:
The best moments on AIM in a while:

a black comet: this is pathetic
justbobdanish: me or you?

Elan: whats happening?
me: not much; making monkeys/cutting paper
Elan: cool cool
me: you?
Elan: working, kinda
reflecting on my life
and basically i figure i need to be more awesome

Interlude

Part of me wants to finish that silly poem, part of me realizes it could go on for a couple more posts. I'll decide later I guess :P

Today was my first day without anything to do. No prior engagements, nothing planned to do in my apartment or on campus. So after playing Tales of Symphonia for a while, and picking up the Gunslinger for a couple minutes, I decided to clean up my hard drive. Apparently I only have 1 Gig of free space on my main hard drive and 3 GB on my secondary. I guess tomorrow I'll organize my music/fix up my Itunes...

Lyric of the Day:
"Please sleep, my darling, sleep
Your cry for inspiration
Never reaches ears on distant stars
And every night, our lonely planet
Slides across the universe
And I won't pretend I understand"
-+44:"Little Death"

Random Story of The Day:
A conversation at the pool:
Me: Swimming is fun.
ET: I dunno, I think I might go get my book.
Me: No one reads at the pool...
ET: They are (points to an elderly couple reading)
Me: I'm sorry, no one under 70 reads at the pool.
ET: (nods to the people next to us) Well apparently all people our age do is hit on girls and make out in the pool
Me: ...which is probably more entertaining than your idea

Walking with my shadow at Night(Part 1)

Two in the morning and I return to campus,
The place where I've spent my last year.
A place, by now, so familiar;
I feel I'll never forget it.

The HHP is the first thing I pass,
"Symbolic" I think as I smile to myself.
My continuing tradition of Badminton
housed in the same building as Ballroom

Going up to the stairs near the pool,
The scent of chlorine in the air.
Embarrassment, Regret, Hope, Self-Amusement,
Many thoughts past my mind being here.

I pause as I walk past the Diner;
Memories of countless dinners with friends,
Literal hundreds of times shared;
some amusing and others the opposite.

Straight ahead, I see Ellicott,
My near past and future neatly rolled in one.
Looking towards the coming year,
with the joy from the last still not gone.

Soccer fields to the left,
where once we sledded.
Now, summer has come
and things are changed.

Late nights we've spent,
hurriedly taking the elevator from the eight floor,
an then running though building's front door,
all at the reception of "stadium side"

I look ahead and see the paths diverge,
multiple paths to the same end,
with different experiences on your journey
seem almost poetic in their very existence.

To the right I could pass the CSPAC,
Where I've invited myself to several plays,
Who knows when next I'll go.
Perhaps some friends of mine will be on stage.

Instead I choose the path usually traveled,
that is more known and that feels safer.
Returning to the known?
Seems that even my adventurous spirit can waiver.

Walking down to Regents another choice;
Should I pass by Patterson,
hovercraft-building was enjoyable

So towards Stamp I trek,
A walk almost too familiar by now.
"Friday nights at CP", Rocky Horror at the Hoff,
Dinner before Gems, all went down there.

(To be continued...)

Lyric of the Day:
"When will stupid learn
Fire's gonna burn
Think of consequence
Then you move when its your turn"
-Weezer:"Haunt You Every Day"

Random Story of The Day:

I love when I feel comfortable enough with a friend to preface an AIM conversation with "I apologize in advance for the needless mocking of you I am about to engage in." Sorry Lim, but you know it was hilarious.

Also "macking babes" and "making babies" are two letters off, thats kinda interesting. You learn many lessons when talking to TKO online :P

Conflicting Interests

Lately I've been kinda busy. Whether its doing HW for Accounting, hanging at Ryan's until unreasonable hours in the morning, or having lunch with Ammar, TKO, or Michelle. Working for Gemstone has also been a significant part of what I do, and while it can get fairly repetitive the flexibility of my job has been worth it. Plus I get to work with the incoming freshman!

Class has been entertaining, as I guess with good company even the most repetitive class can become something you look forward to. I'm not going to say that passing notes with ET has made this one of my most enjoyable classes, but it kinda has. I'm doing fairly well in it, considering I have an A as of now.

As great as things are now, I'll admit that I'm starting to miss being able to hang out with my friends. Elan and Collins have gone off to work and on vacation. Joe, Ryan, Jen, and a bunch of other people have 9-5s which means getting together is limited to the weekends. Yikes, Jason, and Aziz are all in other states. This makes me want the summer to move a little faster.

But then comes days like today where I find myself wishing the summer to slow down. I want more days at the pool with Ekta. More chance encounters with Ammar, Sarah, and TKO. More Aim conversations with Joe and Elan. With the scent of chlorine still in my hair, I want another of today.

I wish I knew what I wanted.

Lyric of the Day:
"Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win
But the battle wages on for toy soldiers "
-Eminem:"Like Toy Soldiers"

Random Story of The Day:
Ryan and I went to Rita's after hanging out for the day. When it gets time to order the girl serving us to take our order, she takes his and, without a pause, mine.

A second later she comes back with our orders and asks "Are you seperate or together?". Ryan's friend who is working in the back yells out,"They're definitely together!". The girl smiles and gives us an amused look, then gets our seperate reciepts.

Pirates and Problems

"All is well that ends well." I hope that actually works in real life or things could suck next year. Just remember kids, I've always got a plan.

On to this weekend's debauchery.

Friday: Took the day off! We went to pirates dressed as pirates; The Four Horsemen as well as our resident Gunslinger and TKO. It was quite fun, especially since the movie was pretty good and we didn't get too many crazy glances.

Getting there on time was helluva difficult though, since we decided to leave later than we should have. Mr. Anderson's picnic was quite interesting, 'cept for me realizing that I clearly am not an outdoor person. I guess thats why I should work in an office :P

So yeah, we got caught in beltway traffic, ut ended up missing like ten minutes of the movie overall, so things were not as bad as they could have been. We had dinner in a sports bar after, which was quite fun. It also served as a time when those few who remembered cameras got pictures.(Note to self: Get those pictures)

Saturday: Went to Mele's end of the year party. Dan kinfe fight scared the shit out of me. Elan and I winning a game of pool against actual good people was also a highlight of the night. So was cheating in Apples to Apples. Not that I did.

At night, we be on Vent. We be playin' Dota.

Sunday: Since I spent the night by Elan, I had to go home to clean up some. Packed up books, and ended up reading the Dark Tower for 20 mins. Went to Connor's bday thing, which was fun though I only knew two people there. Man of the Year was pretty good, and Rigged War is sort of fun, so was Jenga poker.

Being there meant I missed ninja tag, which to be honest wasn't heartbreaking for me. I think I've outgrown running around with swords in the forest, or I realized that it was fine for me not to want to do that with Elan and Corey. Came late to Elan's, played some Dota. Owned with Pandaren.

Monday: Woke up at Elan's at 12. Grandparents coming back at 4. It is 2:19 and I'm still blogging. Woe is me.

Lyric of the Day:
"It was a beautiful letdown
When I crashed and burned
When I found myself alone
Unknown and hurt
It was a beautiful letdown
The day I knew
That all the riches this world had to offer me
Would never do"
-Switchfoot:"The Beautiful Letdown"

Random Story of The Day:
Dancing to the DOTA song with Collins and Elan :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ-TZk4gPKM

Good news for people who like ironic news

So the semester is over, and even though I was looking forward to being able to relax, I'm spending craploads of time working. This semester was good times for the most part, though there were some stressful/retarded times. At least I only used 2/3 of my stupid things to do a semester this semester!

Let's look at the highlight reel.

-Crazy Europeans: Let's have an insane Math class with a cool Swiss/Italian teacher who has no idea what a curve is! At least this was responsible for Tim and I hanging out more. No more midnight math for me! I'll miss those guys...

-Joe's new no-sleep policy: I think I've learned to sleep with the light on. Man, I'm such a good roommate. Best thing ever was hearing "Joe, finish your food!" when TKO saw his row of half-finished doubleshots.

-Team LIFE: Think of an idea, get it approved by your favorite teacher, get people to vote on it. This was so stressful, as you can see by what I realize were extremely bitchy journals. At least I have Ryna and the status of team leader :P

-Valentine's Day: Giving boys roses is like giving little kids guns. Hilarious in theory, a bad idea in practice. At least no one died.

-Holi: What's the best part about going to an event like Holi after most of the dye is gone? Pushing girls/Joe into pools of dye water. And slip and sliding.

-GTV: Planning summer camp was actually quite fun. I can't wait to work with Jmoss again. Who knows, I may even end up joining Maryland Shakespeare players!

-Bridges: Built two by myself. Felt good, but it will probably take its toll on my grade. Statics as a whole sucked. Probably had to do with knowing no one in my class. A lesson is learned, but the damage is irreversible.<--Stolen from webcomic Ryan reads :D

-Housing next year: Well, Lim and I are moving across from Revolver, but next to problems. Who the hell chooses to live next to the RA? Joe and I, apparently. Yikes and Jen are living on the Women in Engineering floor...This should be amusing :P

-Cakes: Driving near the VA border with TKO and Clee to get a cake was a ridiculously fun experience. So was the "surprise" party after. Everyone had fun and enjoyed it I think. Making TKO's cake was also a fun experience, even though Revolver did more for it that I did. But that's cuz I went to see Brokeback Mountain. Even if it wasn't with everyone I thought it would be with :P

-The Angels of Death: The best 4 person team in Gemstone. Returning from LAID we had Big D and the always amazing JMoss. Add in two dashes of work ethic, one with the ability to edit and worship a TA (ET), and one with the ability to get the word ethnical passed as ethical(Yikes), and you have the most powerful strike force assembled in Gemstone. Hopefully I get to hang out with these kids more next semester(but not to the point where they tire of me :P)

-Irony in Physics: I got a high A- in a 3 credit class, and a solid C in a 1 credit class. The result a 4 credit B+. There is no justice...and thus the title of this entry

Lyric of the Day:
"Hey, you know they're all the same
You know you're doing better on your own (on your own)
So don't buy in.
Live right now
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough
For someone else"
-Jimmy Eat World:"The Middle"


Random Story of The Day:
I almost slept at the office today. Joe ruins all my fun :P

Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades...and finals come

So today was one of my less glorious days. Slept through Statics(forgot to set my alarm), did alright on a physics test, got one check plus out of four journals in Gems.

Well at least I went to Badminton for the first time in months, which highlighted how out of shape I got...

And finals are coming...

Lyric of the Day:
"We're all the same
And love is blind
The sun is gone
Before it shines

And I said if the answer is no
Can I change your mind"
-The Killers:"Change Your Mind"

Random Story of The Day:
Playing smash people shout the weirdest things..

TL: Don't patronize me, bitch!

RO: You're big, dumb...and fat!

AR: Oh look, you can't stop sucking...

R4L

Today was Relay for Life, but rain made is get canceled early. Fun times with the random people I met there, even people who I didn't expect to be there. Carried a tent full of stuff quarter of the way to Ellicott. Played football with E2. Learned some things, explained some things. Hung out with fun people. Good times all around.

Lyric of the Day:
"Fuck buying flowers for graves
I'd rather buy you a one way non-stop
to anywhere
find anyone
do anything
forget and start again, love
She said she won't go
(and that's that)"
-Streetlight Manifesto:"A Better Place, A Better Time"

Random Story of The Day:
I walked past Kristy, Joey and Dori at least 5 times going back and forth from Relay and Ellicott...