Today's Song
UMI Says- Mos Def
"Tomorrow may never come
For you or me
Life is not promised
Tomorrow may never show up
For you and me
This life is not promised"
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Grad school kills people
I am a graduate student. This will be short. The semester has just begun and I need to save up my words for my thesis.
there is a point where a PhD student changes from a consumer of knowledge into a provider of consumables, however, within the confines of an advisor who consumed information before the information this student used to reach the conclusions they are suppose to "break ground" with. "Think outside the box" as long you still fit into this bigger box with 10 other people that are trying to do well, especially better than you so that they get funding and they get to stay in hell longer. Is that box a coffin? Why don't they tell us it's a coffin on the application.
I am not saying don't go to graduate school. It's great. I value my education and anything I have to endure here is nothing compared to those who came before me and weren't given the luxury of not just higher, but any education. But still, graduate school is such a depressant. Advisors should keep speed on their desks for easy distribution. If you think you are great, smart, and at the top of your game: don't go to grad school. It will remind you how stupid you are. stupid stupid stupid
My opinion may not be popular, but I am an American
Inspiration is a ride at Disney
I took a hiatus from writing. I got mad with it a few years ago, stopped writing anything that wouldn't end up on the corner of some academic's desk. But I was inspired to start writing about my dreams and stuff. In elementary school I wrote a paper on how much I hated eggplants. That was quite possibly the best piece of literature I have ever written to date. Stay tuned for the sequel, soliloquy to a turnip...
Ok with all food jokes aside, this man really opened my panda box and let all these ideas start to think that it was ok for them to be ideas and to get written down somewhere. I spent my entire flight last night from SD to DC writing about my flight. I actually had the attention span to provide a personal commentary to my life in RSS. I have become a dork who carries a pad of paper everywhere... and it's not to write stupid poems about birds and shit.
So to you, my hubby hubby, I owe the reawakening of the dragon. thank you
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Chances I'd Eat My Friends
41%
Really? What's the point to these quizzes. It basically asked me if I was self-sacrificing and ate sushi. From that, I MIGHT eat my friends
Book Review: Orgasms by Lou Paget
Ok so this book use to be called "The Big O" by Lou Paget. I think it's still called that, but not on every book. Different title: same book.
I actually bought this book when I was out in Chinatown with a friend... by the end of the day i realized it was a date and had been under the impression it was platonic and I'm sure picking up this book didn't help- but hey, i was at Urban Outfitter and saw it, bought it, read the hell out of it and now realize what I was doing wrong allll thiiiisss time. Lou Paget wrote this book awhile ago, I think I remember seeing it on my mother's book shelf as a child thinking "Oh, the big O, I bet that's about Elmo." Clearly, I snuck it down and took a peak and Elmo does not do things like that to Big Bird so I let that one go. Revisiting the book as an adult was a better idea.
Paget writes the book like she's talking to you. Not like "Oh put your hand on A and your tongue on B, then your hip on C and swivel." No, it's not an instruction book-- per se. An easy fast read, you learn some techniques for how to please your partner or get them to please you. But most of all, the book lets you in on how to have an Orgasm (which is the point of the book duh). But it's not in all that technique bullshit all those other sex books put it at where you do a whole bunch of twister moves and magically cum. No. That's not even half the battle, that's the notification that a battle is coming. Paget tells you: it's all in your head. Orgasms start in the brain in that: you think sexy, you feel sexy, you are sexy, you orgasm. Just think about what you're doing, simply put. From this technique, you could hump an armrest and arguably get just as much satisfaction as having actual sex.
The book's worth reading, I buy it for my friends. Goes for $12.95 but it's cheaper on Amazon. To buy the book, check out Amazon.com for it
My opinion may not be popular, but I am an American
I actually bought this book when I was out in Chinatown with a friend... by the end of the day i realized it was a date and had been under the impression it was platonic and I'm sure picking up this book didn't help- but hey, i was at Urban Outfitter and saw it, bought it, read the hell out of it and now realize what I was doing wrong allll thiiiisss time. Lou Paget wrote this book awhile ago, I think I remember seeing it on my mother's book shelf as a child thinking "Oh, the big O, I bet that's about Elmo." Clearly, I snuck it down and took a peak and Elmo does not do things like that to Big Bird so I let that one go. Revisiting the book as an adult was a better idea.
Paget writes the book like she's talking to you. Not like "Oh put your hand on A and your tongue on B, then your hip on C and swivel." No, it's not an instruction book-- per se. An easy fast read, you learn some techniques for how to please your partner or get them to please you. But most of all, the book lets you in on how to have an Orgasm (which is the point of the book duh). But it's not in all that technique bullshit all those other sex books put it at where you do a whole bunch of twister moves and magically cum. No. That's not even half the battle, that's the notification that a battle is coming. Paget tells you: it's all in your head. Orgasms start in the brain in that: you think sexy, you feel sexy, you are sexy, you orgasm. Just think about what you're doing, simply put. From this technique, you could hump an armrest and arguably get just as much satisfaction as having actual sex.
The book's worth reading, I buy it for my friends. Goes for $12.95 but it's cheaper on Amazon. To buy the book, check out Amazon.com for it
My opinion may not be popular, but I am an American
Tuan the Sculptor
The other night, my fiance and I were strolling around the gaslamp district and came across this little gallery. The only reason why it stood out so much was because it was lit up like Tokyo at midnight, their electricity bill must be ridiculous.
We went in there not b/c of the art, but b/c we were cold and didn't look homeless. The place was as big as my kitchen and hosted maybe 4 artists in there. Tuan Nguyen was one of them. After pretending to look interested in the paintings for about 10 minutes, the curator told us his story and, whether she was accurate or not, it stuck with us the rest of the night.
I googled him, didn't come up with much but this stuff on wikipedia. The art gallery lady explained that he was born a prince in Vietnam, had all the best instructors and access to everything - including art teachers (which was not taught in Vietnam schools at the time). Then something happened (think this is where the communist conflict comes in) and his family was stripped of everything and he was locked up. Didn't have much to do, ended up making sculptures out of the clay at the prison. Whatever a Vietnamese warden would be called, that person commissioned Tuan (what he goes by, first name only) to do some pieces for his family. From there, he ended up getting released (or maybe he tried to escape? not sure). Some other people tried to leave with him and they were killed. Somewhere in this story he met a woman and fell in love etc etc she was killed and he's never taken on to someone the same way again. Now, after all this stuff with prison and escaping, he was in the Philippines and trying to get to the states but couldn't for whatever reason, but his father had been given a whole bunch of teeth from I believe villagers who wanted to show their appreciation or something... sorry I'm kinda fuzzy on that part of the story. Anyway, Tuan's father didn't have anything to give him so he gave him these teeth and this was what Tuan provided to the immigration people as some type of collateral to get him passage to the U.S. Turns out the teeth belonged to Vietnamese and American soldiers who fought during the Vietnam war and being able to ID the owners would allow thosefamilies to have some closure. So he exchanged the teeth for allowance into America and he is said to attribute his current freedom and life in America to the American soldiers who died.
The gallery director told us this story, so contact the gallery if you wanna know what she told us exactly: their website http://www.ecgallery.com/
I don't know how accurate what we were told was, u'd really have to ask Tuan to know. There's been some talk about putting his life into a movie, but he wasn't too keen on it. They're at it again, and with this story being so movie worthy because and only because of the message of triumph, hope, and luck in it: I hope they go forward with it this time. Even if this isn't even close to his actual story, just thinking that a man can go from having the world to losing everything to still becoming one of the most revered living master artists of this time... then I would be doing his drive injustice by not accomplishing my own dreams. It's possible, through everything and everything, anything is possible.
We went in there not b/c of the art, but b/c we were cold and didn't look homeless. The place was as big as my kitchen and hosted maybe 4 artists in there. Tuan Nguyen was one of them. After pretending to look interested in the paintings for about 10 minutes, the curator told us his story and, whether she was accurate or not, it stuck with us the rest of the night.
I googled him, didn't come up with much but this stuff on wikipedia. The art gallery lady explained that he was born a prince in Vietnam, had all the best instructors and access to everything - including art teachers (which was not taught in Vietnam schools at the time). Then something happened (think this is where the communist conflict comes in) and his family was stripped of everything and he was locked up. Didn't have much to do, ended up making sculptures out of the clay at the prison. Whatever a Vietnamese warden would be called, that person commissioned Tuan (what he goes by, first name only) to do some pieces for his family. From there, he ended up getting released (or maybe he tried to escape? not sure). Some other people tried to leave with him and they were killed. Somewhere in this story he met a woman and fell in love etc etc she was killed and he's never taken on to someone the same way again. Now, after all this stuff with prison and escaping, he was in the Philippines and trying to get to the states but couldn't for whatever reason, but his father had been given a whole bunch of teeth from I believe villagers who wanted to show their appreciation or something... sorry I'm kinda fuzzy on that part of the story. Anyway, Tuan's father didn't have anything to give him so he gave him these teeth and this was what Tuan provided to the immigration people as some type of collateral to get him passage to the U.S. Turns out the teeth belonged to Vietnamese and American soldiers who fought during the Vietnam war and being able to ID the owners would allow those
The gallery director told us this story, so contact the gallery if you wanna know what she told us exactly: their website http://www.ecgallery.com/
I don't know how accurate what we were told was, u'd really have to ask Tuan to know. There's been some talk about putting his life into a movie, but he wasn't too keen on it. They're at it again, and with this story being so movie worthy because and only because of the message of triumph, hope, and luck in it: I hope they go forward with it this time. Even if this isn't even close to his actual story, just thinking that a man can go from having the world to losing everything to still becoming one of the most revered living master artists of this time... then I would be doing his drive injustice by not accomplishing my own dreams. It's possible, through everything and everything, anything is possible.
Monday, January 14, 2008
What's going on? Parent-child homicide
Some people who are killing their kids: the CNN stories
Banita Jacks in D.C.
Lam Luong in Mississippi
In each case, there were 4 kids. In each case, all 4 were killed by one parent. In one, the homicides occurred following an argument with the spouse. In the other, it's assumed the parent committing the homicide is suffering mental illness.
What's going on? Who knows. The D.C. case is responding by firing social workers, which I'm not sure if that's all together fair. Those people get limited training, not enough pay, and a huge workload with way too many cases. For the D.C. Mayor to pin it on them and say it's totally their fault... not fair.
Could it be having so many kids? There are lots of families who have that many kids and more who don't go throwing their kids off bridges.
Is there really a way to legitimately say "we can fix this kind of problem this way"? Did this type of stuff happen 50 years ago? Does it happen in other countries? Which ones? Why? More questions than answers, and I don't really have much of an opinion on this one. It's just sad. Those poor kids.
Banita Jacks in D.C.
Lam Luong in Mississippi
In each case, there were 4 kids. In each case, all 4 were killed by one parent. In one, the homicides occurred following an argument with the spouse. In the other, it's assumed the parent committing the homicide is suffering mental illness.
What's going on? Who knows. The D.C. case is responding by firing social workers, which I'm not sure if that's all together fair. Those people get limited training, not enough pay, and a huge workload with way too many cases. For the D.C. Mayor to pin it on them and say it's totally their fault... not fair.
Could it be having so many kids? There are lots of families who have that many kids and more who don't go throwing their kids off bridges.
Is there really a way to legitimately say "we can fix this kind of problem this way"? Did this type of stuff happen 50 years ago? Does it happen in other countries? Which ones? Why? More questions than answers, and I don't really have much of an opinion on this one. It's just sad. Those poor kids.
An east coaster's day in L.A.
Ok, so to me, an East Coast girl born and raised on the foundations of the work and toil of the power elite and the value of education: L.A. is just a shiny wannabe version of... well, everything. My opinion may not be - actually probably isn't - fair. But I still think that L.A. is the fly trap to every individual who wants to "make it big" by being "someone else." It's fake. Fake boobs, fake actors, fake smiles, fake friends, fake. I don't think it's "L.A." that's fake- I just think it attracts and caters to a certain personality type. bzzzzap there goes that bright blue bug killer again...
Still, I know people who want to be a part of it. I don't fault them for it- America glamorizes and idolizes that flashy stuff. Anywho, I went there for the first time this weekend. And despite the fakeness, I had a whole lot of fun and everyone I met there - whether it was fake or not - seemed reallllllyyyy happy to be in L.A. Refreshing compared to the depressed guldrum "I hate my life and that's so cool" attitude on the east. No wonder midwesterners are impartial.
Ok, so my day was planned out by my wonderful fiance who "surprise!" took me to heaven. Literally, I met God. This place was fantastic - at Hermosa Beach. Glen Ivy Hot Springs is rep't as one of the best spas SoCal has to offer and lemme tell you - between the "relaxation room" with apples and cucumber slices everywhere and the hot stone 50-minute massage topped off by chocolate covered cheesecake and strawberries w/sparkling champagne and 30 minutes to take a 4-nozzle hot shower afterward... angels, every last one of the employees at this place were heavenly messengers. If you haven't gone- go. It's worth the money
Next, I was shuttled over to Alhambra. I met my fiance at salsa dancing so we both dance- and the whole plan was to just go the L.A. to dance (but it was really to go to heaven, the dancing was a ploy). Here that fakeness smacked me in the face. I have never seen so many people look so mad to be dancing. Like, really pissed off angry faces. Mean face. All of them. Too cool to smile. "I am too cool to look happy, I must spin 8 times. spin spin spin. I am amazing." I was looking around like "whooooaaaa" really, I was "like whoa". What about the music? What about dancing because you love it? Naw, it was dancing to make other people want to hate and envy you. I was sad for a moment, mourning the absence of soul in these people. But then I just danced it off with my fiance and a few other L.A. people I danced with (who were actually very nice, it was the better dancers who had the happy-allergy). Again, had a great time and grew a greater appreciation for my dancers back home. The venue was really very very very nice though- Granada, it's called - dancing on the main floor, outside on the patio, and upstairs if you wanted to. Nice floor. Live band was great too. But damn, who dances salsa in big sun glasses and a matador shirt?
My weekend was topped off by great food at this Cuban bistro (as the Chargers kicked the ass out of the Colts' mouths... sad) and this little Soul Food place (Angelenas their catfish was OMG). Spoke to the Liberty Tax girl on the corner for a minute, then drove on home. What a weekend.
So my impression of L.A. : what I expected. But I need to see more of it to get a better idea of what it's really like. And I don't mean driving around Compton or something - I'll stick to the tourist spots.
My opinion may not be popular, but I am an American
Still, I know people who want to be a part of it. I don't fault them for it- America glamorizes and idolizes that flashy stuff. Anywho, I went there for the first time this weekend. And despite the fakeness, I had a whole lot of fun and everyone I met there - whether it was fake or not - seemed reallllllyyyy happy to be in L.A. Refreshing compared to the depressed guldrum "I hate my life and that's so cool" attitude on the east. No wonder midwesterners are impartial.
Ok, so my day was planned out by my wonderful fiance who "surprise!" took me to heaven. Literally, I met God. This place was fantastic - at Hermosa Beach. Glen Ivy Hot Springs is rep't as one of the best spas SoCal has to offer and lemme tell you - between the "relaxation room" with apples and cucumber slices everywhere and the hot stone 50-minute massage topped off by chocolate covered cheesecake and strawberries w/sparkling champagne and 30 minutes to take a 4-nozzle hot shower afterward... angels, every last one of the employees at this place were heavenly messengers. If you haven't gone- go. It's worth the money
Next, I was shuttled over to Alhambra. I met my fiance at salsa dancing so we both dance- and the whole plan was to just go the L.A. to dance (but it was really to go to heaven, the dancing was a ploy). Here that fakeness smacked me in the face. I have never seen so many people look so mad to be dancing. Like, really pissed off angry faces. Mean face. All of them. Too cool to smile. "I am too cool to look happy, I must spin 8 times. spin spin spin. I am amazing." I was looking around like "whooooaaaa" really, I was "like whoa". What about the music? What about dancing because you love it? Naw, it was dancing to make other people want to hate and envy you. I was sad for a moment, mourning the absence of soul in these people. But then I just danced it off with my fiance and a few other L.A. people I danced with (who were actually very nice, it was the better dancers who had the happy-allergy). Again, had a great time and grew a greater appreciation for my dancers back home. The venue was really very very very nice though- Granada, it's called - dancing on the main floor, outside on the patio, and upstairs if you wanted to. Nice floor. Live band was great too. But damn, who dances salsa in big sun glasses and a matador shirt?
My weekend was topped off by great food at this Cuban bistro (as the Chargers kicked the ass out of the Colts' mouths... sad) and this little Soul Food place (Angelenas their catfish was OMG). Spoke to the Liberty Tax girl on the corner for a minute, then drove on home. What a weekend.
So my impression of L.A. : what I expected. But I need to see more of it to get a better idea of what it's really like. And I don't mean driving around Compton or something - I'll stick to the tourist spots.
My opinion may not be popular, but I am an American
Friday, January 11, 2008
2 a Days
So yes, this is my umpteenth attempt at doing this whole "blog" thing. But inspired by my writer of a fiance, I have taken to the road again. Writing writing writing tidbits of things that you MAY or PROBABLY won't be inclined to read. Unless you really have that much time to just sit on ur ass doing a blog search and come across something I've written and think it witty enough to contact me about it or "comment" of how titillating. But everything (usual disclaimer) on here will be my opinion and typically my and every other intelligent person's opinion, so read on. I call myself a thinker, you may just call me arrogantly opinionated, but hey, everybody's got their shtick. (note to self: expand my vocabulary so I don't rely so much on right-click-thesaurus. thanks)
Ok, here's the headline: "It's happened again." What exactly happened again? Ask CNN and they'll tell you that some new 20something grade school teacher has poisoned the mind of America's virginal youth... oh deary deary my. Bull shit. What has been absent from every article reporting on these young teachers knocking boots with their students is the student: THE STUDENT. Do you really think that a teacher - a young, beautiful, PE teacher to add- has the ability to corrupt a young teenager on the path to knowledge and pure living? let's think.... ok, let's think longer... keep thinking, you'll get my point
Think about these kids.
1) A lot of them, per Mary Kay Letourneau, are apparently from less-than-ideal backgrounds. The 14 year old kid who's family is setting himself up for an ivy-league education is not fucking his teacher in the school parking lot. He's either not fucking her or fucking her in the apartment that his parents have bought him. Perhaps the kids who are willing to go that far with a TEACHER was not taught at home "Hey, don't fuck your teacher." Moot point? Probably would at least leave an imprint if followed by "Or I'm kicking your ass!" Parents need to be strict, hey mine were.
2) Myspace and facebook. Yes, I said it. I am referring to the very holy books of generation X that I myself even spend more time than I should stalking my friends on. And what does this have to do with teacher fucking? Sure, it's an avenue to be "friends" with your teacher online. Great. Big whoop. you get their number, it's all over anyway. No, I'm refering to the shit kids have access to on those things, particularly myspace. Tila Tequila, for one. I saw her page. I even felt encouraged to go take off all my clothes and take pictures of my abdomen afterward. Strippers, porn stars, and your every day honey just trying to make it Tequila style is on there. And how do kids have access? Add em as a friend, doesn't matter if you know em. But the point is this: kids have front seat access to shit tellin them that it's ok to be sexual, even at a young age. Are they under 16? Doesn't matter, they can enter an age that says they are older than they are and get access to all sorts of stuff. And parents don't check it, this isn't like the little chat rooms we had 10 years ago.
3) My final point. These kids are BOYS. Yea, there are girls getting molested too, but how many of them are in the news. Those kids get traumatized, these boys get trophies. I have friends, yes me, who banged a teacher either while we were their students or after graduation. It has happened, this is not new. And a lot of those boys GO FOR THE TEACHER. First it's hey, lemme hang out in your office after hours so I can talk about how "troubled" I am, then it's hey, let's be friends on myspace, then it's hey, come meet me at this park near my house, my parents won't know- i just want to talk. Then yada yada yada the kid has banged his teacher. These kids are not little corrupted angels. Shit. If a kid (like the one in Florida) can orchestrate getting a cousin to drive him and his teacher around in the back of his SUV so they can "do what it do," then no, they're not being preyed upon
So my point: sure, the teacher's are messin up by having sex with their students. Definitely, no question about that. It's not like they tripped and fell on the dick, some kind of choice happened and clearly went the wrong way. But listen... look at these kids too. Our media (yes, the MEDIA whoaaaahahaha whooooooahahahahahah) show these kids that sexuality is where it's at and that fuckin is cool and fucking a teacher, man- you must be the shit if you can take it that far. Treat the teachers, yes. But we're all to "blame" somewhat for what we expose our kids to. Treating the problem means treating the WHOLE problem- not just the part that's easy to criticize.
My opinion may not be popular, but I am an American
Ok, here's the headline: "It's happened again." What exactly happened again? Ask CNN and they'll tell you that some new 20something grade school teacher has poisoned the mind of America's virginal youth... oh deary deary my. Bull shit. What has been absent from every article reporting on these young teachers knocking boots with their students is the student: THE STUDENT. Do you really think that a teacher - a young, beautiful, PE teacher to add- has the ability to corrupt a young teenager on the path to knowledge and pure living? let's think.... ok, let's think longer... keep thinking, you'll get my point
Think about these kids.
1) A lot of them, per Mary Kay Letourneau, are apparently from less-than-ideal backgrounds. The 14 year old kid who's family is setting himself up for an ivy-league education is not fucking his teacher in the school parking lot. He's either not fucking her or fucking her in the apartment that his parents have bought him. Perhaps the kids who are willing to go that far with a TEACHER was not taught at home "Hey, don't fuck your teacher." Moot point? Probably would at least leave an imprint if followed by "Or I'm kicking your ass!" Parents need to be strict, hey mine were.
2) Myspace and facebook. Yes, I said it. I am referring to the very holy books of generation X that I myself even spend more time than I should stalking my friends on. And what does this have to do with teacher fucking? Sure, it's an avenue to be "friends" with your teacher online. Great. Big whoop. you get their number, it's all over anyway. No, I'm refering to the shit kids have access to on those things, particularly myspace. Tila Tequila, for one. I saw her page. I even felt encouraged to go take off all my clothes and take pictures of my abdomen afterward. Strippers, porn stars, and your every day honey just trying to make it Tequila style is on there. And how do kids have access? Add em as a friend, doesn't matter if you know em. But the point is this: kids have front seat access to shit tellin them that it's ok to be sexual, even at a young age. Are they under 16? Doesn't matter, they can enter an age that says they are older than they are and get access to all sorts of stuff. And parents don't check it, this isn't like the little chat rooms we had 10 years ago.
3) My final point. These kids are BOYS. Yea, there are girls getting molested too, but how many of them are in the news. Those kids get traumatized, these boys get trophies. I have friends, yes me, who banged a teacher either while we were their students or after graduation. It has happened, this is not new. And a lot of those boys GO FOR THE TEACHER. First it's hey, lemme hang out in your office after hours so I can talk about how "troubled" I am, then it's hey, let's be friends on myspace, then it's hey, come meet me at this park near my house, my parents won't know- i just want to talk. Then yada yada yada the kid has banged his teacher. These kids are not little corrupted angels. Shit. If a kid (like the one in Florida) can orchestrate getting a cousin to drive him and his teacher around in the back of his SUV so they can "do what it do," then no, they're not being preyed upon
So my point: sure, the teacher's are messin up by having sex with their students. Definitely, no question about that. It's not like they tripped and fell on the dick, some kind of choice happened and clearly went the wrong way. But listen... look at these kids too. Our media (yes, the MEDIA whoaaaahahaha whooooooahahahahahah) show these kids that sexuality is where it's at and that fuckin is cool and fucking a teacher, man- you must be the shit if you can take it that far. Treat the teachers, yes. But we're all to "blame" somewhat for what we expose our kids to. Treating the problem means treating the WHOLE problem- not just the part that's easy to criticize.
My opinion may not be popular, but I am an American
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)