My TODO List for summer (at least what remains...):
Projects
Finish painting I started last summer
Start/Finish a Zelda flash movie
Start a DnD online application
Finish scrapbook I started last summer
Compose a ska song based on a classic
Make the umbreon costume for next year's Fanime
Make the Zelda costume for when I go pick up Skyward Sword
Silk screening!
Video Game wise
Beat Majora's Mask
Play Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Play Soul Calibur III
Beat Twilight Princess again
Beat Spirit Tracks
Get to level 55 in Age of Conan
Social events
Go to San Francisco once
Go to San Francisco twice
Go to Bintang with Baddy team
Go to Band Camp
Teach Steven how to play saxophone
Hang out with Abha at least 3 times
Hang out with Aditya at least once
Hang out with Tim at least once
Hang out with Colin, Karen, Jeremy and Tim at least once all together
Other
Get to 7th kyu in Aikido
Buy a bokken
Learn Groovy on Grails
Learn JavaScript and be awesome at it
Read "March Violets"
Spend more time with the Family
Watch Toy Story 3
Watch Inception
does anyone else think I'm screwed?
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Nidan Test
WAS EPIC!!!!
It was pretty long and ridiculous.
They test more on your teaching ability than actual ability I feel, they'd ask questions like "what angle should your feet be at after the second pivot of ____ technique?"
The name was in Japanese. How hard is that?
Then they'd ask "how would you fall if ste did ____ to you?"
Kareem-san studied for this 2nd degree blackbelt test for 10 years, and for the last year woke up at 6am every day except for Saturday and drove for 40 minutes to the dojo to practice.
I hope he passes!
It was pretty long and ridiculous.
They test more on your teaching ability than actual ability I feel, they'd ask questions like "what angle should your feet be at after the second pivot of ____ technique?"
The name was in Japanese. How hard is that?
Then they'd ask "how would you fall if ste did ____ to you?"
Kareem-san studied for this 2nd degree blackbelt test for 10 years, and for the last year woke up at 6am every day except for Saturday and drove for 40 minutes to the dojo to practice.
I hope he passes!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Weeks late
Yeah, I know...it's been a few weeks, but I've been really busy (I swear!)
Major events since the last time I posted:
Work
- I got my first paycheck after 1.5 weeks of work... $1200 baby!
- I have no freaking clue what I'm doing at work anymore. Everything from now on I have to write in Groovy and Grails, two languages I'm fairly unfamiliar with.
- I have a coworker who is 19 years older than me and hits on me. Oh also, I was told I have to inform you guys he's single. So if you're interested...
Fanime
- I went to Fanime! I didn't take any pictures, but my friends did, so here are some from the private Facebook album.
- At Fanime, I got humped by some huge Soul Calibur fan...and I couldn't escape. It was very awkward.
- Also Melissa, Leslie and I participated in a game show in which we tried to dance and sing to Bad Romance. Crawling on the floor like Lady Gaga is a lot harder than it looks. It should be on Facebook soon.
Friends
- I've been having my dinner dates. Most with people who used to have crushes on me...the last one was pretty awkward. A really touchy-feely guy who kept trying to get me to sit on his lap, but he's the guy you can't NOT like because he's so outgoing. I missed him nonetheless while I was at CMU.
- Mountain View High School graduation was yesterday. I saw so many of my friends there! People who are two years ahead of me, people one year ahead, tons of people for my grade and of course, the grads and their friends years below. It was like A GIANT PARTY!!! I ended up talking to my old alto section leader for quite awhile. I also talked to a guy I used to have a crush on for...a couple years. And I was supposed to help my other friend build a grave for himself becauseeee
- he's making a short film as a portfolio piece for when he applies to work at Pixar! We already agreed I'm going to help him storyboard it and I'm going to be a voice actor hurray!
Activities
- I've been going back to Aikido three times per week hurray! Everyone remembered me and even the new people (who might be technically higher ranked than me now because they actually take the tests) really like me and train with me a lot. I've been told that I'm "confident, cool, and very talented!" by several people. I feel so skilled hehe
- I've been making videos again... if you haven't noticed :)
- My friend Alex coaxed me into spending $40 on another MMORPG...well on the expansion to the best one (in my opinion) that we played together. And yet I haven't played it really since I spent that money. Fuck you Alex.
- I've been drawing again, but the graphite irritates my fingers. Bitch.
On another note...
I FINALLY GOT A DIGITAL CAMERA!
14 megapixels
720p HD video
5x optical zoom
panoramic picture (can only do up to 3 pictures long though)
smile detection (not even face any more)
comes with case and 4GB sandisk
all for $100
I LOVE COSTCO!
That's about it folks. Tomorrow I'm checking out the blackbelt test at my dojo! I'M SO EXCITED! I'll take pics :)
Major events since the last time I posted:
Work
- I got my first paycheck after 1.5 weeks of work... $1200 baby!
- I have no freaking clue what I'm doing at work anymore. Everything from now on I have to write in Groovy and Grails, two languages I'm fairly unfamiliar with.
- I have a coworker who is 19 years older than me and hits on me. Oh also, I was told I have to inform you guys he's single. So if you're interested...
Fanime
- I went to Fanime! I didn't take any pictures, but my friends did, so here are some from the private Facebook album.
- At Fanime, I got humped by some huge Soul Calibur fan...and I couldn't escape. It was very awkward.
- Also Melissa, Leslie and I participated in a game show in which we tried to dance and sing to Bad Romance. Crawling on the floor like Lady Gaga is a lot harder than it looks. It should be on Facebook soon.
Friends
- I've been having my dinner dates. Most with people who used to have crushes on me...the last one was pretty awkward. A really touchy-feely guy who kept trying to get me to sit on his lap, but he's the guy you can't NOT like because he's so outgoing. I missed him nonetheless while I was at CMU.
- Mountain View High School graduation was yesterday. I saw so many of my friends there! People who are two years ahead of me, people one year ahead, tons of people for my grade and of course, the grads and their friends years below. It was like A GIANT PARTY!!! I ended up talking to my old alto section leader for quite awhile. I also talked to a guy I used to have a crush on for...a couple years. And I was supposed to help my other friend build a grave for himself becauseeee
- he's making a short film as a portfolio piece for when he applies to work at Pixar! We already agreed I'm going to help him storyboard it and I'm going to be a voice actor hurray!
Activities
- I've been going back to Aikido three times per week hurray! Everyone remembered me and even the new people (who might be technically higher ranked than me now because they actually take the tests) really like me and train with me a lot. I've been told that I'm "confident, cool, and very talented!" by several people. I feel so skilled hehe
- I've been making videos again... if you haven't noticed :)
- My friend Alex coaxed me into spending $40 on another MMORPG...well on the expansion to the best one (in my opinion) that we played together. And yet I haven't played it really since I spent that money. Fuck you Alex.
- I've been drawing again, but the graphite irritates my fingers. Bitch.
On another note...
I FINALLY GOT A DIGITAL CAMERA!
14 megapixels
720p HD video
5x optical zoom
panoramic picture (can only do up to 3 pictures long though)
smile detection (not even face any more)
comes with case and 4GB sandisk
all for $100
I LOVE COSTCO!
That's about it folks. Tomorrow I'm checking out the blackbelt test at my dojo! I'M SO EXCITED! I'll take pics :)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
At Work
I started my internship today.
I almost missed my light rail this morning, and I got to work around 9:15.
NO ONE was around, so I explored the building (they have a suite in a huge building, but not their own building).
The lady who interviewed me finally arrived. But she's not the one for whom I'm interning for.
Finally, half an hour later, the woman I'm interning for arrived.
She was on her phone and just handed me a laptop and rushed to her office.
I had to call the folks in Scottsdale, AZ to get my password and network set up, and no one else in the office knows what I'm supposed to be doing.
So I guess I'll just wait 'til she's off the phone.
It's been over an hour...
Well, there's $20 free right there.
I almost missed my light rail this morning, and I got to work around 9:15.
NO ONE was around, so I explored the building (they have a suite in a huge building, but not their own building).
The lady who interviewed me finally arrived. But she's not the one for whom I'm interning for.
Finally, half an hour later, the woman I'm interning for arrived.
She was on her phone and just handed me a laptop and rushed to her office.
I had to call the folks in Scottsdale, AZ to get my password and network set up, and no one else in the office knows what I'm supposed to be doing.
So I guess I'll just wait 'til she's off the phone.
It's been over an hour...
Well, there's $20 free right there.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Generational Differences
I don't know if this is normal of kids and their parents, but when I talk to my dad, we tend to get into these philosophical and/or very deep conversations.
Yesterday in specific, we discussed the generational differences between our generation (Generation Y I believe we're called?) and my dad's generation ("baby boomers").
My dad concluded that his generation was raised by parents who went through the WWI and WWII, and because of this they were raised as spoiled brats. Their parents, having seen rough times, wanted their children to be privileged. His generation quickly became greedy (hey, remember Enron, and now bp?) and careless with money (look at the good times they went through: the 70's, the 80's, the dot com boom of the 90's...). Hence, the idea that one can buy a car or house without actually having the money because of this idea of "easy money", that is, money that is easily obtained through loans but is not actually the money of that specific individual.
So, he describes, his generation is a bunch of greedy pigs out to get expensive cars and TVs.
He asked me: how would I describe my generation?
I pondered a bit, and thought of this.
Our generation is not as easily labeled in that it is not homogeneous the same way the baby boomers are. With the introduction of the internet and media came an ever changing world. A world in which one year is dramatically different than the last.
For example, take the baby boomer generation. What reflects a culture better than the music and movies of the time?
Every movie in the 80's will depict the girls as having frizzy hair, large hooped earrings, and jean jackets. The guys: football builds, varsity letter jackets, and jeans. Now the question is: is this a stereotype of the 80's, or a sociotype?
I'd say a sociotype.
There was but one major (maybe a few minor ones) culture in the 80's. One that wore such clothes, and listened to Duran Duran. There was no internet there to introduce those people to different styles or music. There was only the radio and TV, both of which had only a couple stations/channels and thus only played what they knew to be the most popular songs/shows.
But what of our generation?
Think about the movies in this generation:
Mean Girl depicts the different cliques in high school, each with their own fashion. Though there was the "nerd" culture and the "plastic" culture in the 80's, that was about it. There were no "popular Asian girls" or "debate team" cultures.
Movies now have main characters in many different groups: goth, punk, nerdy, geeky, "plastic"...etc.
Music reflects this diversity in taste as well.
Just look, my area is popular for hyphy music, SoCal is popular for ska, then there's rap, pop, hiphop, metal, rock, light rock, jazz...all genres that had their times in the past, but also are popular now.
Furthermore, our generation is going through a time of globalization. Americans watch anime. Japanese dye their hair blond. Europe is the hub for dance music. Koreans decided to take that dance music and create K-pop. Indians developed Bollywood. The new Miss USA is an Arab. Our President is black.
Everyone is learning from and adopting culture from one another.
With technology comes a new language. I talked to my Freshman high school English teacher, who informed me that the new line of Freshmen do not know the difference between "nite" and "night", "k" and "okay", "goodbye" and "baibai". The influence of the internet has changed the way we communicate and the way we perceive the world. These kids are still considered part of my generation, but because technology progresses so quickly, they are completely different than I am.
The point? With the ability to develop our own tastes for music and television through an infinite number of international influences (different channels, websites, etc), we can shape ourselves to be truly unique individuals. The influence of the internet changes how we perceive things and how we communicate. We can be total anime geeks that cosplay for conventions. We can be totally obsessed with Rammstein. We can be emo kids or punks, plastics or nerds. And, especially in our area of the world, we have the freedom to develop our interests in high schools that provide us with athletics, the arts, music...any outlet imaginable.
Because of this exposure to new possibilities, we have become a heterogeneous population. A generation in which no year falls in the same category. A generation in which everyone has their own opinions and is able to broadcast it. There is no way to describe my generation.
Except that everyone is a procrastinator and doesn't plan ahead.
What do you guys think?
Yesterday in specific, we discussed the generational differences between our generation (Generation Y I believe we're called?) and my dad's generation ("baby boomers").
My dad concluded that his generation was raised by parents who went through the WWI and WWII, and because of this they were raised as spoiled brats. Their parents, having seen rough times, wanted their children to be privileged. His generation quickly became greedy (hey, remember Enron, and now bp?) and careless with money (look at the good times they went through: the 70's, the 80's, the dot com boom of the 90's...). Hence, the idea that one can buy a car or house without actually having the money because of this idea of "easy money", that is, money that is easily obtained through loans but is not actually the money of that specific individual.
So, he describes, his generation is a bunch of greedy pigs out to get expensive cars and TVs.
He asked me: how would I describe my generation?
I pondered a bit, and thought of this.
Our generation is not as easily labeled in that it is not homogeneous the same way the baby boomers are. With the introduction of the internet and media came an ever changing world. A world in which one year is dramatically different than the last.
For example, take the baby boomer generation. What reflects a culture better than the music and movies of the time?
Every movie in the 80's will depict the girls as having frizzy hair, large hooped earrings, and jean jackets. The guys: football builds, varsity letter jackets, and jeans. Now the question is: is this a stereotype of the 80's, or a sociotype?
I'd say a sociotype.
There was but one major (maybe a few minor ones) culture in the 80's. One that wore such clothes, and listened to Duran Duran. There was no internet there to introduce those people to different styles or music. There was only the radio and TV, both of which had only a couple stations/channels and thus only played what they knew to be the most popular songs/shows.
But what of our generation?
Think about the movies in this generation:
Mean Girl depicts the different cliques in high school, each with their own fashion. Though there was the "nerd" culture and the "plastic" culture in the 80's, that was about it. There were no "popular Asian girls" or "debate team" cultures.
Movies now have main characters in many different groups: goth, punk, nerdy, geeky, "plastic"...etc.
Music reflects this diversity in taste as well.
Just look, my area is popular for hyphy music, SoCal is popular for ska, then there's rap, pop, hiphop, metal, rock, light rock, jazz...all genres that had their times in the past, but also are popular now.
Furthermore, our generation is going through a time of globalization. Americans watch anime. Japanese dye their hair blond. Europe is the hub for dance music. Koreans decided to take that dance music and create K-pop. Indians developed Bollywood. The new Miss USA is an Arab. Our President is black.
Everyone is learning from and adopting culture from one another.
With technology comes a new language. I talked to my Freshman high school English teacher, who informed me that the new line of Freshmen do not know the difference between "nite" and "night", "k" and "okay", "goodbye" and "baibai". The influence of the internet has changed the way we communicate and the way we perceive the world. These kids are still considered part of my generation, but because technology progresses so quickly, they are completely different than I am.
The point? With the ability to develop our own tastes for music and television through an infinite number of international influences (different channels, websites, etc), we can shape ourselves to be truly unique individuals. The influence of the internet changes how we perceive things and how we communicate. We can be total anime geeks that cosplay for conventions. We can be totally obsessed with Rammstein. We can be emo kids or punks, plastics or nerds. And, especially in our area of the world, we have the freedom to develop our interests in high schools that provide us with athletics, the arts, music...any outlet imaginable.
Because of this exposure to new possibilities, we have become a heterogeneous population. A generation in which no year falls in the same category. A generation in which everyone has their own opinions and is able to broadcast it. There is no way to describe my generation.
Except that everyone is a procrastinator and doesn't plan ahead.
What do you guys think?
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tira Costume Progress: 10%
So...you all know I'm going to be Tira from Soul Calibur III for Fanime (I've been literally talking about it since August).
Here's my bidaily update (is that a word?)
Since then, I've added the feathery neck part and the white cuff things...
I've also gotten a wig, that I tried dying with fabric dye and sharpies, crayola markers and watercolor paints.
It's 2 shades lighter than it should be.
Will post tomorrow!
Here's my bidaily update (is that a word?)
Since then, I've added the feathery neck part and the white cuff things...
I've also gotten a wig, that I tried dying with fabric dye and sharpies, crayola markers and watercolor paints.
It's 2 shades lighter than it should be.
Will post tomorrow!
Belated Mother's Day
My mom really wanted to do something "Mother's Day-ey" with me, since I wasn't back in CA during Mother's Day.
So first we went to our town's local 60 year old Pancake House.
Man, one thing I don't miss about CA is how expensive everything is! A plate with a single pancake on it is $11.45. And I got blueberry crepes: $10.50.
For a family of three, our BREAKFAST was over $45. What.
But I gotta say, our breakfast came with A LOT of fruit, all of which is quite pricey.
Then, depressed after spending so much money, my parents and I went to a winery 10 minutes from my house. I used to go there as a Girl Scout, but I haven't been there since 8th grade-ish. Apparently my parents have been bored without me and have been going there quite often...
So Adventure #1: Kar goes to the Picceli Winery!
The trail around the Winery (it's super huge...goes on for miles :) )
GIANT LEAVES! (Another WE DO 'EM BIG HERE kind of thing)
Prettyy
So first we went to our town's local 60 year old Pancake House.
Man, one thing I don't miss about CA is how expensive everything is! A plate with a single pancake on it is $11.45. And I got blueberry crepes: $10.50.
For a family of three, our BREAKFAST was over $45. What.
But I gotta say, our breakfast came with A LOT of fruit, all of which is quite pricey.
Then, depressed after spending so much money, my parents and I went to a winery 10 minutes from my house. I used to go there as a Girl Scout, but I haven't been there since 8th grade-ish. Apparently my parents have been bored without me and have been going there quite often...
So Adventure #1: Kar goes to the Picceli Winery!
The trail around the Winery (it's super huge...goes on for miles :) )
GIANT LEAVES! (Another WE DO 'EM BIG HERE kind of thing)
Prettyy
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