Happy Encounters and the MoMA

I never got complimented
On my singing.
Actually, I've gotten the
Opposite of compliments
On my singing.

But today on my way
To the nursing home
A guy told me that he
Liked my voice.

It made my day.

I had asked someone
To go with me to MoMA originally
Showed up for lunch
With me and Alice Dork.

I love coincidences.

We then went to MoMA
To check out Tim Burton's stuff.
His art is very weird
But very happy-making.

Inspiration is always nice.

Dating Unfuckable (I've Got Dyslexia)

I'm S-I-C-K of
Making plans with
D-U-D-E-S who never
Get back to me.
This F-U-C-K-I-N-G
Sucks.

I don't know if I should
Sit back and relax,
Wait for some people
To P-A-S-S B-Y and
Settle for whatever comes.
This F-U-C-K-I-N-G
Sucks.

Maybe I should until
I get to C-O-L-L-E-G-E
And meet some cool people
Increase my pool.
But P-R-O-M and shit like that
Comes way before move out
And I'll prolly go stag.
This F-U-C-K-I-N-G
Sucks.

Maybe if I ignore them
They will come R-U-N-N-I-N-G
To me, for lack of attention
From a possibility.
My engineering projects becomes
This F-U-C-K-I-N-G
Sucks.

2012 (M.R.)

I'm going to start off by saying that this movie, by far, is the most ridiculous disaster movie that has been made so far. If you thought The Core was silly, wait until you see this.

The premise of the film is the end of the world, which presumably occurs in 2012, on December 21st. Earthquakes collapsing entire states, Yellowstone supervolcano exploding, tsunamis engulfing the earth...yeah, you get the idea. Woops, I might've just spoiled the movie for you. Anyway, the action sequences were amazing, but the film loses points in the science, plot, and morality departments.

As most people know, I am extremely scared of heights. I had a really fun time at this movie, it was like a roller coaster! Especially during that LA plane scene. Man, I was about to start hyperventilating. But the visuals were even better than in Day After Tomorrow, but that's definitely because the world was going to waste at a much slower pace in that movie.

I think the CGI science was the only thing that was realistic-seeming about the movie. The entire "crustal displacement"theory seems a bit unrealistic, especially for it to happen in a span of three years. Also, building massive arks to save the human race in three years in implausible and costs way too much money that even if all the billionaires of the world could contribute one billion dollars, that still wouldn't cover the cost.

And then there's the plot. Three cheers for there having one! Plenty of boos for having a crappy one. I doubt an amateur pilot could do that well among falling buildings and explosions, let alone co-piloting across the Pacific, which, mind you, is larger than the Atlantic. And wouldn't the ash cloud have killed the family by the time they made it to China? Either way, the special effects overpower everything. Then again, they usually do.

The movie presents lots of moral turmoil. The governments of the world elect 400,000 to board these arks to get saved from the apocalypse. I'm going to leave the "why's" of the moral questionability up to you guys.

Overall, I had fun watching this, but it is not one of the better movies on my imaginary list.

Rating: 6/10

Things I Am Thankful For

So since I did it last year, I'm making the annual list of things I'm thankful for.

• This blog: helps me vent and be creative about the things going on in my life. I honestly can't believe I wrote an entry almost everyday this year!
• Human Beings: I love you. I don't love you. I like you. I dislike you. Either way, you entertain me with sheer stupidity and great insight. Even though most of you don't have real names on this thing.
• Loyola: because learning is good and useful.
• MTA: I avoid your buses as much as possible and your subway policies give me so many headaches, but I need to get from point A to point B somehow.
• My parrot: also annoying, but he's adorable and keeps me company.
• Brown University: there's a chance I won't be thankful for it after December 15th but for now I am. I met Spike and Live there and life has been good since. I also met a bunch of other cool people.
  
• Isabel De Los Rios: her blog and sage food advice has been keeping me skinny and a size 4 instead of a size 8. I didn't think I'd ever like quinao or sweet potatoes and can go on without bread for a week.
• Josh Hillis blog: a year later and his workouts are still tough, but keeping me thin.
• Apple: even though my iPod is starting to fail a year later, it hasn't lost all my music yet.
• My Guitar: it's pretty and gives me a feeling of happiness through failure that I can't reproduce anywhere else in my life.
• My Bass: it's kind of ignored but it makes me feel like a rock star.
• Green Day: I heard "American Idiot" the first time when I was in 8th grade. It's been five years and you're still the best band ever and getting me through everything.
• Magazines: help me stay pretty and discover some awesome new music.
• Mary Manning Walsh Nursing Home: I get really nostalgic going there, but nostalgia implies that there were some good experiences amidst the bad.
• Food: it's so yummy and without it, I wouldn't be here. There wouldn't be much of a Thanksgiving without it either.
• Boredom: helps me get productive. That's why I started drawing again.
• Stores: like I said last year, they prevent me from getting arrested for indecent exposure.
• TV Shows: they give something to do and something to get excited about every week. Or everyday, in VH1's case.
• Princeton Review: got me through the SAT testing season.
• Common App: though it's tedious, it makes college apps so much easier. Imagine having to fill out applications by hand to all those schools? Yeah, so don't complain too hard.
  

In The Heights (N.a.P.)

In the Heights was possibly the best musical I've seen besides Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King. I really liked the singing. And the dancing. And the plot.

Brown Interviewer Man said I'd probably wind up liking it. And he was right. I mean, it was a unique musical, since there was such a mix of cultures and musical styles. At multiple points, Usnavi, the main character, raps, then followed by some Hispanic-type music.

The musical had some touching moments and really funny moments. My favorite characters were Piragua Guy, Sonny, and Usnavi. Yes, they're all dudes, I know. I couldn't really connect with the female characters. Maybe they reminded me too much of people I know.

But I had a really fun time. Except for the fact that I couldn't sit next to Alice Dork. That was way lame.

Drawing (R.P.)

I haven't drawn anything since about 8th grade. I've recently taken it up again because I need a more efficient way to express my feelings. I've taken a great liking to surrealism or ironic art. But also incorporating my favorite lyrics into a piece is fascinating. So far I've embellished upon "Fireflies" by Owl City. The next one is probably going to be on "Before the Lobotomy" by Green Day.

Man Without A Face

He didn't have a face
Because I couldn't picture it.

He didn't have a face.
His feature marred
By the stinging effects
Of some acid or base.
His ears were gone,
How could he hear?

He wore dark glasses
Because his eyes were
Disfigured as well.

He carried a poster about
How he got the scars
And how reconstructive
Surgery would help him.

I wanted to read it,
But it's rude to stare.
Yet I did--just not
At him.

I don't remember
Blinking much,
But then he stood in
My line of vision.

And I could remember thinking,
That it's because of
Scared people like me
He get money for looking
The way he does.

Just like the child in The
Orphanage felt abandoned
And alone because his own
Mother hid him from the
World because of his scars,
Maybe this man feels the same.

Or maybe he's got a strong support
System to help him through the
Bad feelings until he gets his surgery.

I hope people can see passed
The scary scars so that if
He gets the surgery, it's for his
Own reasons, not so he can
Fit in.

My Cookie-Making Adventure (R.P.)

I was sitting around last night wanting to do something productive. But I was in the middle of statistics homework so that didn't go over too well. YET my mind got fixated on the idea of making cookies. So I made some today.

They are delicious =]

Brain Burst

Like starburst,
Except more traumatic.

I didn't know
That I'd get to the point
That there is a difference
Between daily and abnormal anxieties.

A daily anxiety deals
With mainly school.
Like whether I'll do well
Bio or seem like a total tool.

An abnormal revolves
College and the future.
Like whether or not I'll still
End up like this
Or show those damn angry
Feelings that I am better than
They think I am
Because they think I suck.

But I think I know
That I'm pretty
And smart and stuff
And those feelings
Need to stop telling me I'm lame.

Playing Hard To Get

I don't know if I'm trying too hard.
I don't think I'm trying at all.
I think I'm just going with what
Feels right.
Or what seems right, rather.
It's really confusing.

But I guess I'm soon on my
Way towards achieving a
Ph. D. in playing hard to get
And being really aloof.

And I think my iTunes
Hates me.
It's playing all the music
I really shouldn't be listening
To right now.

I think the rain might be doing something
To my brain.

Paranormal Activity (M.R.)

I waited after I tried sleeping to write the movie review. Even though I wasn't totally horrified, sleeping was a challenge. Especially with my upstairs neighbors who are really loud...or is it my neighbors?

Anyway, Paranormal Activity was really fun to watch. I do not want to say that it was the scariest movie I have ever seen, but any movie that elicits a whimper on my part earns some sort of badge. The suspense built-up pretty well; I was on the edge of my seat during every night seat. The actors/ characters worked really well together. Except I think it could have been scarier...with more exorcist-like scenes.

The night scenes freaked me out. Not to the point where sleep was nigh improbable, but I did become more aware of noises going on at night or in the evening. For example, when I got home, there was really loud stomping noises coming from the ceiling. I thought nothing of it and continued doing my statistics homework. Then suddenly, THE WALL SHOOK. I almost cried. Movies like that have a bad habit of making you more aware of noises that probably happen all the time but seem ten times creepier now that you're half-convinced your house might have a demon or a poltergeist.

The couple was really cute. Katie and Micah had much chemistry, but I wanted to KILL him mid-movie when he ignored Katie's terror and warnings about antagonizing the ghost. One woman in the theater agreed with me. She was pretty vocal about it, stating a definite "oh HELL no" when Micah further antagonized the ghost. (I'm trying to keep this spoiler free). If you check the rating for the movie, it is R for language. Sometimes the lines come out sounding like two teenagers trying to one-up each other in number of curse words said, but it makes for great entertainment.

The plot bothered me a bit. It didn't seem to exist. It was one of those "we can't solve the problem, so let's it play out" endings. And the filmmakers could have included more freaky scenes that would freak the couple out when they watched the playback. I think if the movie came out at a much simpler time when explosions and gore were not the only things that scared the stuff out of people, it would be more successful plot-wise.

Overall, it was a fun movie, but seeing it again would definitely just ruin it.

Rating: 7/10