most sobering thing over the weekend: thanksgiving evening, when i call home, my mother picks up and eventually hands the phone over to my grandma, who starts talking (and this is verbatim, mind you), "hello? are you praying for me? i don't think you're praying for me. i'm sick, you know. i have cancer. i got operated on a few weeks back."
i, in total and utter shock, am left speechless.
most non-sobering thing over the weekend: the rum and coke ginormousness i had last night. go bears.
most fuzzy-feely thing over the weekend: nate, on a text message to me, saying, "i'm horny. i miss you. the two are not related."
most non-fuzzy-feely thing over the weekend: after watching a movie and on the way to grab food, some random dude decides to block my path as soon as i make a space for him to go through. goddamned black person. totally unnecessary too. (yeah, fuck my being non-pc.)
productive thing(s) over the weekend: laundy is done (i love the smell of clean clothes... tide does wonders). eighty percent completion of final fantasy x-2. somewhat ahead in reading. finally saw school of rock.
non-productive thing(s) over the weekend: sitting on my ass all of thursday until the evening came along. munching on leftovers while watching jurassic park on dvd. all in all, a combined nine hours devoted to eating.
coolest thing over the weekend: becca made the paper and it's fucking awesome. oh, and thai food.
not-coolest thing over the weekend: issue seven-three of hardboiled going to press, with layout continuing from tuesday evening until friday afternoon.
one thing i've learned over the weekend: hope, don't expect. and "pouring by the seconds" is not a good measure of liquid volume (ie, "one mississippi, two mississippi, three mississippi" is not as good for your system as "that looks like an ounce or two").
one thing i didn't learn over the weekend: wait, that's everything else. next question, please.
people i missed over the weekend: you mean, people i didn't miss.
people i didn't miss over the weekend: you're on my shit list.
on the agenda for today: alias. and ooh, surprises.
on the agenda for tomorrow: kristina's apartment, here we come!
on the agenda for next week: finals! ... ok, not so excited anymore.
on the agenda for december seventh: we find out where we're going for the bowl game!
on the agenda for the rest of december: bowl game! christmas! new year's eve! holy crap!
no sleep 'til ski trip number two?
migblog
11.30.2003
11.28.2003
11.27.2003
The worst thing is I've realized it, but I can do absolutely nothing about it.
-noli
now that i have found someone
i'm feeling more alone
than i ever have before
-ben folds
consider me drowning slowly today.
it was eerie, today. berkeley was ridiculously empty, save for the few stalwart students who stayed for lack of better things to do. (i'm one of them -- i didn't really care much to go home, to eat with relatives i hardly know and talk up my school and be brought down again as they realized that my berkeley education was not going towards an engineering degree or to being a doctor or a lawyer.) today, i woke up from my bed much like normal days, did my usual house things, and relaxed.
i haven't done that in so long, and it was nice and refreshing. a bit lonely at times, when i realized i was checking my mailbox for the sevnth time in a row in forty minutes' time, but refreshing nonetheless.
the sky then turned gray at thereabouts of two p.m., when i had a hunch everyone and their mothers were eating turkey dinner. funny how in the seven years i've been here, i've always considered thanksgiving to be a superfluous holiday, but to some of my friends it's their favorite one, considering who gets to show up and stuff. back when i was growing up, there was nosuch thing as thanksgiving; no such thing as a turkey dinner (as i vividly remember my cousin screaming, "who eats turkey?!?"); no such thing as indians and pilgrims sharing in the bount of the harvest.
and don't get me started with christmas.
thanksgiving, i think, is overrated. not only because of the fact that i'm sitting here in a computer typing when i should be out enjoying other people's company, but there's a certain sense of ridiculousness when you think about thanksgiving: "thanks for letting us plunder your land and rape your women while we pillage your homes and convert you to christianity."
odd how there's no "you're wolcome receiving day" or something.
happy thanksgiving, or something. i'm a little too tired to care.
-noli
now that i have found someone
i'm feeling more alone
than i ever have before
-ben folds
consider me drowning slowly today.
it was eerie, today. berkeley was ridiculously empty, save for the few stalwart students who stayed for lack of better things to do. (i'm one of them -- i didn't really care much to go home, to eat with relatives i hardly know and talk up my school and be brought down again as they realized that my berkeley education was not going towards an engineering degree or to being a doctor or a lawyer.) today, i woke up from my bed much like normal days, did my usual house things, and relaxed.
i haven't done that in so long, and it was nice and refreshing. a bit lonely at times, when i realized i was checking my mailbox for the sevnth time in a row in forty minutes' time, but refreshing nonetheless.
the sky then turned gray at thereabouts of two p.m., when i had a hunch everyone and their mothers were eating turkey dinner. funny how in the seven years i've been here, i've always considered thanksgiving to be a superfluous holiday, but to some of my friends it's their favorite one, considering who gets to show up and stuff. back when i was growing up, there was nosuch thing as thanksgiving; no such thing as a turkey dinner (as i vividly remember my cousin screaming, "who eats turkey?!?"); no such thing as indians and pilgrims sharing in the bount of the harvest.
and don't get me started with christmas.
thanksgiving, i think, is overrated. not only because of the fact that i'm sitting here in a computer typing when i should be out enjoying other people's company, but there's a certain sense of ridiculousness when you think about thanksgiving: "thanks for letting us plunder your land and rape your women while we pillage your homes and convert you to christianity."
odd how there's no "you're wolcome receiving day" or something.
happy thanksgiving, or something. i'm a little too tired to care.
11.24.2003
hey ya!
the past five days have been a blur, from thursday on. we played at the pier, then we played at berkeley iceland for big freeze (too bad stanfurd's hockey team isn't as good as their... oh wait, never mind). after that, the phonez and the bones and the baritones all guarded the general vicinity of brh (after a full day of, um, stealing the tree thanks to rally comm), and then, i got two hours of sleep.
i soon went to the berkeley breakfast club, followed by the day city bus, and onward to the bonfire. nothing too spectacular; been there, done that. but it was cool seeing a few people's faces light up -- both literally and figuratively -- when the bonfire erupted, as well as at the end of the rally with the candle stunt and when we all danced to "hey ya" over the loudspeakers.
then, wake up at four in the morning to get to the buses on time... on our way to stanfurd, everyone crashed, the warmth of the bus making the ride oh-so-nice. rehearsal, lunch, march-up; then, the game.
the most frustrating first half ever, if i may say so.
then, the ass-kicking commenced, when we finally ended up twenty-eight to sixteen, the whole cal section "busting" and "exploding" with cheers and hugs and all sorts of yelling. the riot police were brought in, et cetera, ad nauseum, more exuberance outside the stadium. a bunch of us ended up playing for the spiekers (the rich family who gave us a really nice aquatics center), and then, we got back home.
night after night after morning, the sky was just dark. i wouldn't even remember what day of the week it was since it was so confusing. once i got back from the spiekers, i crashed, from nine in the evening to four in the afternoon. (yup. so much sleep.)
thanksgiving dinner at th was, as always, awesome. soon after i got there the sky was dark again. meh.
now it's monday, and i've just finished one of my midterms to be completed. i'm not going home for thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean i can't skip all my wednesday classes like the rest of the world, right?
"don't try to fight the feeling cos the thought alone is killing me right now"
hey ya!
the past five days have been a blur, from thursday on. we played at the pier, then we played at berkeley iceland for big freeze (too bad stanfurd's hockey team isn't as good as their... oh wait, never mind). after that, the phonez and the bones and the baritones all guarded the general vicinity of brh (after a full day of, um, stealing the tree thanks to rally comm), and then, i got two hours of sleep.
i soon went to the berkeley breakfast club, followed by the day city bus, and onward to the bonfire. nothing too spectacular; been there, done that. but it was cool seeing a few people's faces light up -- both literally and figuratively -- when the bonfire erupted, as well as at the end of the rally with the candle stunt and when we all danced to "hey ya" over the loudspeakers.
then, wake up at four in the morning to get to the buses on time... on our way to stanfurd, everyone crashed, the warmth of the bus making the ride oh-so-nice. rehearsal, lunch, march-up; then, the game.
the most frustrating first half ever, if i may say so.
then, the ass-kicking commenced, when we finally ended up twenty-eight to sixteen, the whole cal section "busting" and "exploding" with cheers and hugs and all sorts of yelling. the riot police were brought in, et cetera, ad nauseum, more exuberance outside the stadium. a bunch of us ended up playing for the spiekers (the rich family who gave us a really nice aquatics center), and then, we got back home.
night after night after morning, the sky was just dark. i wouldn't even remember what day of the week it was since it was so confusing. once i got back from the spiekers, i crashed, from nine in the evening to four in the afternoon. (yup. so much sleep.)
thanksgiving dinner at th was, as always, awesome. soon after i got there the sky was dark again. meh.
now it's monday, and i've just finished one of my midterms to be completed. i'm not going home for thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean i can't skip all my wednesday classes like the rest of the world, right?
"don't try to fight the feeling cos the thought alone is killing me right now"
hey ya!
11.23.2003
11.21.2003
11.20.2003
goddamn oldman-newman football was so good!
i'm so glad that i'm on the oldman side of things this year. the final score: oldmen, six touchdowns (what what); newmen, NOTHING.
momo's was amazing. and in about nine hours, i'm going to be at pier 39 for some good ol'-fashioned repartee with the stanfurd band. a few hours after that, the ginormous hockey game that is big freeze, and then, guarding.
don't expect to hear from me until at least sunday night, at the earliest.
no sleep 'til big game.
i'm so glad that i'm on the oldman side of things this year. the final score: oldmen, six touchdowns (what what); newmen, NOTHING.
momo's was amazing. and in about nine hours, i'm going to be at pier 39 for some good ol'-fashioned repartee with the stanfurd band. a few hours after that, the ginormous hockey game that is big freeze, and then, guarding.
don't expect to hear from me until at least sunday night, at the earliest.
no sleep 'til big game.
11.19.2003
and then it was big game week, and then it was big game.
monday was good. i didn't do any shb's, so that was my "breather" day. i got to my eight thousand words i was setting up for myself. (man, it's so much harder to write something that has to make sense... it's not like a friggin' paper or anything!)
yesterday, not so much. i ended up doing the walnut creek shb, which was fine (packet songs are so awesome). then i marked my poopsheet, went to rehearsal, had a few drinks at the bear's lair with justin, andi, and jon, and proceeded to have a huge migraine. and this time, it wasn't the alcohol's fault.
i got back home and tried to sleep it off, but the goddamned neighbor from across the hall turned on his stereo system, blasting "courtesy of the red, white, and blue" by toby keith, and sang along at the very top of his fucking lungs. i could hear him. the dull pain throbbed itself back to life, and then i realized i was out of migraine medicines, so i ended up taking a walk.
i found myself back at the bear's lair (lo and behold, the gang was still there). andi and i bonded over headaches while jon and justin found out that they were somehow distantly related because their parents were from the same village in china (who knew?). and then, sashimi at joshuya, where the warmth of hot sake as well as two cups of green tea alleviated my head pains for a bit.
justin helped me back home. i was in no capacity to play at the night rally or attend newman guarding, as much as i wanted to, since, well, if i stood up, i would fall.
hopefully today everything straightens out; there's a few shb's here in the morning, and then hopefully i made the list to momo's tonight (and goddamn oldman-newman football!). tomorrow, there's pier 39, big freeze, and -onez guarding (no sleep), and then, on friday, the day buses, the night buses, and no sleep again as we wait for a four a.m. call time to go to stanfurd.
if i make the list to spieker party, i am so delirious.
the migraine's gone; now i just need to figure out what the fuck happened to the phonez shirts in shipping so that we can do our shiz today.
go bears?
monday was good. i didn't do any shb's, so that was my "breather" day. i got to my eight thousand words i was setting up for myself. (man, it's so much harder to write something that has to make sense... it's not like a friggin' paper or anything!)
yesterday, not so much. i ended up doing the walnut creek shb, which was fine (packet songs are so awesome). then i marked my poopsheet, went to rehearsal, had a few drinks at the bear's lair with justin, andi, and jon, and proceeded to have a huge migraine. and this time, it wasn't the alcohol's fault.
i got back home and tried to sleep it off, but the goddamned neighbor from across the hall turned on his stereo system, blasting "courtesy of the red, white, and blue" by toby keith, and sang along at the very top of his fucking lungs. i could hear him. the dull pain throbbed itself back to life, and then i realized i was out of migraine medicines, so i ended up taking a walk.
i found myself back at the bear's lair (lo and behold, the gang was still there). andi and i bonded over headaches while jon and justin found out that they were somehow distantly related because their parents were from the same village in china (who knew?). and then, sashimi at joshuya, where the warmth of hot sake as well as two cups of green tea alleviated my head pains for a bit.
justin helped me back home. i was in no capacity to play at the night rally or attend newman guarding, as much as i wanted to, since, well, if i stood up, i would fall.
hopefully today everything straightens out; there's a few shb's here in the morning, and then hopefully i made the list to momo's tonight (and goddamn oldman-newman football!). tomorrow, there's pier 39, big freeze, and -onez guarding (no sleep), and then, on friday, the day buses, the night buses, and no sleep again as we wait for a four a.m. call time to go to stanfurd.
if i make the list to spieker party, i am so delirious.
the migraine's gone; now i just need to figure out what the fuck happened to the phonez shirts in shipping so that we can do our shiz today.
go bears?
11.16.2003
now was that a great game, or was that a great game? i thought it was a great game.
the huskies letting us trample them 53-7 was quite an amazing thing. on top of that, the husky band is fantastically cool, and whenever they played it was like a "hey what's up" instead of a "fuck you" (ahem u$c ahem). they would play one of our cadences; we would play one of theirs. and in every exchange, everyone smiled and had fun.
after the game, we all gathered around the west side of the stadium and played a lot of fun things, from their version of "let's groove" to our version of "another star" as well as an exciting round of "everybody's everything." it was really really fun, watching their faces light up as cal percussion played the hip-hop cadence, and seeing us get pulled into whatever running stint the husky saxes were doing for "africano." at the end of the day, we were ridiculously tired, but we marched out of memorial stadium with a lot of new, good friends.
breakoff band was spectacular. i was gone after my seventh beer of the night (then again, who wouldn't be after seven beers?). i was gone when i met up with jon and andi at the bear's lair. soon, it was a haze of zoolander and water and lights... then passing out.
today was pretty cool, when i woke up with only a bit of a hangover (easily cured by a handy-dandy glass of water). i met up with smandrea whom i hadn't seen in a while, and met her roommates when we had lunch in the city. they were doing the tourist thing; i was doing the tour guide thing. and then three rolled around, and i went back home.
sundays are good. too good.
now i chill and finish a few more chapters of my novel (yes, i'm writing one).
the huskies letting us trample them 53-7 was quite an amazing thing. on top of that, the husky band is fantastically cool, and whenever they played it was like a "hey what's up" instead of a "fuck you" (ahem u$c ahem). they would play one of our cadences; we would play one of theirs. and in every exchange, everyone smiled and had fun.
after the game, we all gathered around the west side of the stadium and played a lot of fun things, from their version of "let's groove" to our version of "another star" as well as an exciting round of "everybody's everything." it was really really fun, watching their faces light up as cal percussion played the hip-hop cadence, and seeing us get pulled into whatever running stint the husky saxes were doing for "africano." at the end of the day, we were ridiculously tired, but we marched out of memorial stadium with a lot of new, good friends.
breakoff band was spectacular. i was gone after my seventh beer of the night (then again, who wouldn't be after seven beers?). i was gone when i met up with jon and andi at the bear's lair. soon, it was a haze of zoolander and water and lights... then passing out.
today was pretty cool, when i woke up with only a bit of a hangover (easily cured by a handy-dandy glass of water). i met up with smandrea whom i hadn't seen in a while, and met her roommates when we had lunch in the city. they were doing the tourist thing; i was doing the tour guide thing. and then three rolled around, and i went back home.
sundays are good. too good.
now i chill and finish a few more chapters of my novel (yes, i'm writing one).
11.12.2003
what do you mean it's already wednesday? you mean yesterday wasn't sunday?
god, i love going to the city. after getting back from the basketball game last night i spent the night at rockridge and was apparently lulled to sleep by "what would brian boitano do" from south park: bigger, better, and uncut. it was awesome. and getting back from that, sam and i decided to head out to the city, where sam could get stuffs for his altar and i would hang out at one of the most vibrant cities in the world.
the bart ride to the city was great. i started my list of "one hundred things about me" (look for it soon to be posted on this very page as well as a concurrent screening at my website), had a good lunch at lori's diner, coincidentally happened upon olatunji (one of my really cool classmates from portuguese one-oh-one last semester), and had a peppermint mocha with sam after a trip to fell street and gough to visit the psychic eye shop.
i got back to berkeley just in time for angela to interview me for her asian american studies class on race, gender, and identity. she asked a lot of questions about cal band and hardboiled, a lot of which i think i vocalized pretty well. i tried to stay as neutral as i could, favoring only a few points over the other, but in the end managed to define "asian americanism" as something out of my hardboiled core application from last semester.
i soon went back to the city, headed this time to church and duboce to partake in a dinner party with eli and all them folks. good food, good times, good stuff. his worlds almost collided with his law school buddies and his old roommates. it wasn't anything too bad; though there was this one chick (bonnie, i think her name was) who used to be a princeton cheerleader. and she had a mouth on her.
after some craziness with a few cars, the muni, and the bart ride back, i finally made it back to the apartment, heading straight for the fudge oreos since they sounded oh-so-good at the moment. and now, i'm still two papers behind, three vocab sheets staring me in the face, and a test next week i have not studied for. (god, big game week is next week already! and big game rehearsals start tomorrow!)
this saturday is going to rock your socks off. i hope literally.
mud, mud, i love mud. i absolutely, positively, love that mud. i can't go around it, i gotta go through it. wonderful, fabulous, super-duper mud. (those redding kids are awesome.)
i think it's time for another beer.
god, i love going to the city. after getting back from the basketball game last night i spent the night at rockridge and was apparently lulled to sleep by "what would brian boitano do" from south park: bigger, better, and uncut. it was awesome. and getting back from that, sam and i decided to head out to the city, where sam could get stuffs for his altar and i would hang out at one of the most vibrant cities in the world.
the bart ride to the city was great. i started my list of "one hundred things about me" (look for it soon to be posted on this very page as well as a concurrent screening at my website), had a good lunch at lori's diner, coincidentally happened upon olatunji (one of my really cool classmates from portuguese one-oh-one last semester), and had a peppermint mocha with sam after a trip to fell street and gough to visit the psychic eye shop.
i got back to berkeley just in time for angela to interview me for her asian american studies class on race, gender, and identity. she asked a lot of questions about cal band and hardboiled, a lot of which i think i vocalized pretty well. i tried to stay as neutral as i could, favoring only a few points over the other, but in the end managed to define "asian americanism" as something out of my hardboiled core application from last semester.
i soon went back to the city, headed this time to church and duboce to partake in a dinner party with eli and all them folks. good food, good times, good stuff. his worlds almost collided with his law school buddies and his old roommates. it wasn't anything too bad; though there was this one chick (bonnie, i think her name was) who used to be a princeton cheerleader. and she had a mouth on her.
after some craziness with a few cars, the muni, and the bart ride back, i finally made it back to the apartment, heading straight for the fudge oreos since they sounded oh-so-good at the moment. and now, i'm still two papers behind, three vocab sheets staring me in the face, and a test next week i have not studied for. (god, big game week is next week already! and big game rehearsals start tomorrow!)
this saturday is going to rock your socks off. i hope literally.
mud, mud, i love mud. i absolutely, positively, love that mud. i can't go around it, i gotta go through it. wonderful, fabulous, super-duper mud. (those redding kids are awesome.)
i think it's time for another beer.
11.10.2003
so-crates. fast break. pants yourself in the face. totally bodacious, dude. triumphant. msg-comm.
the oregon roadtrip to eugene was a mighty success (once again, with the exception of our highly inconsistent bears). it all started off with sec's comm boding over at michelle's place, and we were all pretty much conked at around two. call time for the bus was five-thirty.
besides being ass-early, the bus was packed full of people. there were fifty-two bandsmen plus the driver, but seat capacity in the bus was only fifty-two. including the driver. one person had to sit at the aisle the whole time. and after a few hours of unconsciousness and drizzle, we eventually reached redding, where we played for an elementary school and earned ourselves a free lunch. the kids at redding were so enthusiastic and excited about our being there; every time we did a horn flash, their faces would light up; every time we danced, they giggled; and every time we were just mingling in workshops, they asked for our autographs. it was a really good feeling seeing them smile so big. not to mention that they all sang to us, too.
after redding, the "party" officially started: after steve finished onramp, the drinks started, and pulp fiction was on the vcr. the rest of the way was pretty much the same, looking out at the scapes of northern california and oregon and taking in some really nice views.
we reached eugene at around five or six in the evening. there was a constant drizzle -- not too bad, not so wet and not so cold -- but we managed with only a few layers of clothing and keeping close together for body warmth. a bunch of us ended up spending a chunk of the evening munching on wendy's, and then hanging out at our room at the hotel and looking for porn shops in the immediate area. we searched the phone directory, but it seemed as if the closest video store was a mile away, so we tried for the seven-eleven across the street to see what we could find.
lo and behold, right next to the seven-eleven was a video store of unbridled seediness. we headed straight for the porn, and after a few minutes of consensus-making, we settled for wicked rain and cornhole cowboys. we soon headed over for some debauchery at the other complex, where the drinking and the pot and the smoking was. it felt a little weird, since i had already drank so much but was not feeling anything. a few rounds of fuckshitbunny, a gin and tonic, and i was out for the evening (at least, in the debaucherous sense).
around one in the morning we -- bruno, will, ling and i -- all took a stab at a cbk. let's just say the results will be in at wednesday rehearsal, when we all look uber-spiffy with our brand new university of oregon shirts and we're sporting something else other than our instruments.
the next day, sam, julie and i went to downtown eugene for the picc-a-dilly flea market, where we ended up procuring some random-ass shit, like a knife, a few crystals, old lapel pins, and huge bags. a few moments later, we were in the middle of eugene, next to the public library, and soon after, at the fifth street marketplace. after a good lunch and some more browsing, we headed toward the university bookstore, meeting up with some folks along the way. we soon found ourselves heading towards autzen, and then back to the hotel for a bit of downtime.
the game was disappointing, although the lights blew out for one portion of the game, giving us somewhat of another halftime. we just ended up playing for everyone there.
after the game, we were invited by the oregon band to partake at their pizza party. good times -- they're really good people, although i don't think it quite registered that they knew that we are really good friends with the university of washington, too. in any case, i ended up getting a hat from one of the clarinet players. we sang toast to thank them; they sang their alma mater right back. and, like they said, in the end, the band always wins.
i passed out soon after we got back from the place. and the ride back was sweet and sound. drinking songs abounded, jeopardy came around, a round of "get as naked as miguel" was enjoyed, and the views on the bus of the surrounding area come sunset was beautiful. tinges of gray and blue and orange and purple seared the skies as we passed the giant front that had been haunting us since oregon. the shroud of mist that enveloped the trees near grant's pass was astounding; and the sun setting past the mountains in a grand sunburst was awesome.
we got back to berkeley rather uneventfully (just in time for dance block auditions, coincidentally). at least it wasn't raining, and it wasn't ass-cold. i was just glad to be back. but anytime i sat down anywhere, i felt as if i was still going on forward momentum, even when i was juct checking my email or watching alias (which, by the way, was really good).
now it's monday afternoon, and there's no class tomorrow. i think i'm just going to turn in my paper today, go to the basketball game, and just rest. i am so tired. and so behind.
and to think of it, i wouldn't mind living in eugene or going to school there. it seems like a pretty chill place. but i'm still happy that the sun is up here at berkeley.
the oregon roadtrip to eugene was a mighty success (once again, with the exception of our highly inconsistent bears). it all started off with sec's comm boding over at michelle's place, and we were all pretty much conked at around two. call time for the bus was five-thirty.
besides being ass-early, the bus was packed full of people. there were fifty-two bandsmen plus the driver, but seat capacity in the bus was only fifty-two. including the driver. one person had to sit at the aisle the whole time. and after a few hours of unconsciousness and drizzle, we eventually reached redding, where we played for an elementary school and earned ourselves a free lunch. the kids at redding were so enthusiastic and excited about our being there; every time we did a horn flash, their faces would light up; every time we danced, they giggled; and every time we were just mingling in workshops, they asked for our autographs. it was a really good feeling seeing them smile so big. not to mention that they all sang to us, too.
after redding, the "party" officially started: after steve finished onramp, the drinks started, and pulp fiction was on the vcr. the rest of the way was pretty much the same, looking out at the scapes of northern california and oregon and taking in some really nice views.
we reached eugene at around five or six in the evening. there was a constant drizzle -- not too bad, not so wet and not so cold -- but we managed with only a few layers of clothing and keeping close together for body warmth. a bunch of us ended up spending a chunk of the evening munching on wendy's, and then hanging out at our room at the hotel and looking for porn shops in the immediate area. we searched the phone directory, but it seemed as if the closest video store was a mile away, so we tried for the seven-eleven across the street to see what we could find.
lo and behold, right next to the seven-eleven was a video store of unbridled seediness. we headed straight for the porn, and after a few minutes of consensus-making, we settled for wicked rain and cornhole cowboys. we soon headed over for some debauchery at the other complex, where the drinking and the pot and the smoking was. it felt a little weird, since i had already drank so much but was not feeling anything. a few rounds of fuckshitbunny, a gin and tonic, and i was out for the evening (at least, in the debaucherous sense).
around one in the morning we -- bruno, will, ling and i -- all took a stab at a cbk. let's just say the results will be in at wednesday rehearsal, when we all look uber-spiffy with our brand new university of oregon shirts and we're sporting something else other than our instruments.
the next day, sam, julie and i went to downtown eugene for the picc-a-dilly flea market, where we ended up procuring some random-ass shit, like a knife, a few crystals, old lapel pins, and huge bags. a few moments later, we were in the middle of eugene, next to the public library, and soon after, at the fifth street marketplace. after a good lunch and some more browsing, we headed toward the university bookstore, meeting up with some folks along the way. we soon found ourselves heading towards autzen, and then back to the hotel for a bit of downtime.
the game was disappointing, although the lights blew out for one portion of the game, giving us somewhat of another halftime. we just ended up playing for everyone there.
after the game, we were invited by the oregon band to partake at their pizza party. good times -- they're really good people, although i don't think it quite registered that they knew that we are really good friends with the university of washington, too. in any case, i ended up getting a hat from one of the clarinet players. we sang toast to thank them; they sang their alma mater right back. and, like they said, in the end, the band always wins.
i passed out soon after we got back from the place. and the ride back was sweet and sound. drinking songs abounded, jeopardy came around, a round of "get as naked as miguel" was enjoyed, and the views on the bus of the surrounding area come sunset was beautiful. tinges of gray and blue and orange and purple seared the skies as we passed the giant front that had been haunting us since oregon. the shroud of mist that enveloped the trees near grant's pass was astounding; and the sun setting past the mountains in a grand sunburst was awesome.
we got back to berkeley rather uneventfully (just in time for dance block auditions, coincidentally). at least it wasn't raining, and it wasn't ass-cold. i was just glad to be back. but anytime i sat down anywhere, i felt as if i was still going on forward momentum, even when i was juct checking my email or watching alias (which, by the way, was really good).
now it's monday afternoon, and there's no class tomorrow. i think i'm just going to turn in my paper today, go to the basketball game, and just rest. i am so tired. and so behind.
and to think of it, i wouldn't mind living in eugene or going to school there. it seems like a pretty chill place. but i'm still happy that the sun is up here at berkeley.
11.06.2003
so i saw the matrix. (for details you would not want spoiled, i suggest you just keep reading. otherwise, highlight the text below and it'll all be revealed to you like one of those secret message things.)
and what the fuck was that? i mean, reloaded was a much better movie compared to this. it wasn't a stellar ending to a trilogy; it was mediocre at best. fine, the story ended, but then what? it leaves so many minor details just hanging out in the open.
i accept the fact that neo and trinity both died at the end of the movie to serve their purposes as the archetypal hero-as-sacrifice characters. i also accept the fact that this was much more an ensemble piece than the other two movies. in the first, for example, you had the crew of the nebuchadnezzar, getting picked off one by one, seeing some people you would have been attached to just die. (i must admit, mouse was a favorite of mine. and switch.) in the second, you had trinity, neo, and morpheus. the oracle, sometimes. but then now, it's everyone and everyone, agent smith and all the agent smiths in the program, along with that kid neo saved and captain mifune and niobe and ghost and the captain of the hammer.
what i don't accept, though, is the role of the merovingian and all the other "minor" characters. that could have been expanded so much, along with persephone's character (although monica belluci i guess deserves only two lines if she's just going to show her gadonk-gadonks anyway). the trainman, sati, the oracle, seraph. seemingly minor characters were suddenly introduced and reintroduced that we had no chance to like them, let alone like them enough to feel something whenever they perished.
and major characters also got the shaft: morpheus got 'moted to being niobe's second-in-command; link became a gunner; zee became an infantry soldier. trinity dies. neo gets blinded. and bane, the guy who smith assimilated into in reloaded, was much more... unimportant in the third one. the councilmen of zion were overrated, and the presence of this "machine god" was overplayed. and don't get me started with that blatant jesus reference when neo sacrificed himself to get rid of the smith program -- a cross of light over his torso, and then a sun reference. whoop-de-doo.
very predictable, too, was the dialogue in this movie. one would think that by putting in a ship's name as the logos (which, coincidentally, is greek for "talk") that there would be a great discourse this time around. there was no architect monologue. there was no oracle spouting off cryptically awesome shit. no, what we had was everyone saying "i believe" and trinity going "nothing" when there's so much subtlety that could have been toyed with. but no, the wachowskis decided to be blunt and blatant.
even then, though, the blatancy is roundabout. the easy-peasy direction of the plot, from the existence of the human race to the chase scene to neo's arrival at machine city, was supposed to be straightforward. but there were a lot of misguided twists and turns, some things that could have been done without and some things that could have been added to add more depth and dimension to all the characters that were introduced.
i would have liked to see more of the matrix in this movie. all i got was a nasty real world.
there are some awesome moments in this movie, i must say. trinity's ascent into the heavens to see the sun before she dies is wonderful. neo finally showing some emotion (albeit blindness) was good. the explanation of the the program to neo of things such as love and karma made me think and appreciate what philosophy teaches. visually, it's stunning; the scapes are eerie and dense, the colors are subdued and heavy; content-wise, the action paces itself well, but the story itself is muddled; and finally, the length of the movie was in itself somewhat of a burden.
i would say, see it for yourself. you'll either like it, or you won't. chances are you'll like it if you're a die-hard fan who bought both the animatrix as well as the videogame, but if you're just regular joe like the rest of the world, you won't. it's too broad a spectrum that the movie's addressing.
the ending was open-ended. that, i liked. but they really should just stop when they're ahead.
and in other news, miguel has booked a flight to london for spring break. i'll be leaving on the twenty-second of march for heathrow international airport, coming back the twenty-ninth. i think it's the most important impulsive decision i've ever made this semester.
i'll be in oregon for the weekend cheering on the bears in eugene. it'll be ass-cold, ass-wet, and ass-early. i'm really just looking forward to the bus ride and eventually the debauchery that will follow in oregonia.
i need to write a paper tonight. and i need to turn it in tomorrow. i think that'll be the challenge of the night, really, just finishing the paper and figuring out how i turn the damn thing in to my professor when i'm leaving at five-thirty in the morning (and the class doesn't start until one o'clock).
and now, time to munch, pack, and scribble. ah, i love multitasking.
and what the fuck was that? i mean, reloaded was a much better movie compared to this. it wasn't a stellar ending to a trilogy; it was mediocre at best. fine, the story ended, but then what? it leaves so many minor details just hanging out in the open.
i accept the fact that neo and trinity both died at the end of the movie to serve their purposes as the archetypal hero-as-sacrifice characters. i also accept the fact that this was much more an ensemble piece than the other two movies. in the first, for example, you had the crew of the nebuchadnezzar, getting picked off one by one, seeing some people you would have been attached to just die. (i must admit, mouse was a favorite of mine. and switch.) in the second, you had trinity, neo, and morpheus. the oracle, sometimes. but then now, it's everyone and everyone, agent smith and all the agent smiths in the program, along with that kid neo saved and captain mifune and niobe and ghost and the captain of the hammer.
what i don't accept, though, is the role of the merovingian and all the other "minor" characters. that could have been expanded so much, along with persephone's character (although monica belluci i guess deserves only two lines if she's just going to show her gadonk-gadonks anyway). the trainman, sati, the oracle, seraph. seemingly minor characters were suddenly introduced and reintroduced that we had no chance to like them, let alone like them enough to feel something whenever they perished.
and major characters also got the shaft: morpheus got 'moted to being niobe's second-in-command; link became a gunner; zee became an infantry soldier. trinity dies. neo gets blinded. and bane, the guy who smith assimilated into in reloaded, was much more... unimportant in the third one. the councilmen of zion were overrated, and the presence of this "machine god" was overplayed. and don't get me started with that blatant jesus reference when neo sacrificed himself to get rid of the smith program -- a cross of light over his torso, and then a sun reference. whoop-de-doo.
very predictable, too, was the dialogue in this movie. one would think that by putting in a ship's name as the logos (which, coincidentally, is greek for "talk") that there would be a great discourse this time around. there was no architect monologue. there was no oracle spouting off cryptically awesome shit. no, what we had was everyone saying "i believe" and trinity going "nothing" when there's so much subtlety that could have been toyed with. but no, the wachowskis decided to be blunt and blatant.
even then, though, the blatancy is roundabout. the easy-peasy direction of the plot, from the existence of the human race to the chase scene to neo's arrival at machine city, was supposed to be straightforward. but there were a lot of misguided twists and turns, some things that could have been done without and some things that could have been added to add more depth and dimension to all the characters that were introduced.
i would have liked to see more of the matrix in this movie. all i got was a nasty real world.
there are some awesome moments in this movie, i must say. trinity's ascent into the heavens to see the sun before she dies is wonderful. neo finally showing some emotion (albeit blindness) was good. the explanation of the the program to neo of things such as love and karma made me think and appreciate what philosophy teaches. visually, it's stunning; the scapes are eerie and dense, the colors are subdued and heavy; content-wise, the action paces itself well, but the story itself is muddled; and finally, the length of the movie was in itself somewhat of a burden.
i would say, see it for yourself. you'll either like it, or you won't. chances are you'll like it if you're a die-hard fan who bought both the animatrix as well as the videogame, but if you're just regular joe like the rest of the world, you won't. it's too broad a spectrum that the movie's addressing.
the ending was open-ended. that, i liked. but they really should just stop when they're ahead.
and in other news, miguel has booked a flight to london for spring break. i'll be leaving on the twenty-second of march for heathrow international airport, coming back the twenty-ninth. i think it's the most important impulsive decision i've ever made this semester.
i'll be in oregon for the weekend cheering on the bears in eugene. it'll be ass-cold, ass-wet, and ass-early. i'm really just looking forward to the bus ride and eventually the debauchery that will follow in oregonia.
i need to write a paper tonight. and i need to turn it in tomorrow. i think that'll be the challenge of the night, really, just finishing the paper and figuring out how i turn the damn thing in to my professor when i'm leaving at five-thirty in the morning (and the class doesn't start until one o'clock).
and now, time to munch, pack, and scribble. ah, i love multitasking.
11.04.2003
oh, yeah, who's seeing the matrix revolutions ONE DAY EARLY?
oh that's right, it's ME!
let the jealousy wash over you like the semen in a bukkake flick. go bears.
oh that's right, it's ME!
let the jealousy wash over you like the semen in a bukkake flick. go bears.
11.01.2003
i thought about it, and i went to the party at spruce. it was a shindig, a smashing hootenanny, to be sure. i wore the mullet and my shirt that read, "come back when you're pretty" to give a presence of the white trash community. and about three strong drinks later, i was causing quite the scandal with fellow second-years in the house's living room.
after that, becca and i headed on over to jeremy and rod and jimbo's place, where they were watching twenty-eight days later and boozing it up some more. a drink later, i was out on the chair; next thing i remember, mulan was playing on the television and i migrated over to the floor.
then i woke up on the couch, and it was eleven this morning. (yeesh.)
a nice nap, a long shower, and a good foodfest later, i headed on over to the city to play at a wedding (oh, how cute!) and head back after playing three songs. hmm. wonder if they got their money's worth out of the twelve of us who were there. in any case, it's now saturday evening, the beginning of a new month, and i'm desperately trying to keep control of everything. i feel really exhausted, and in three weeks, i will be almost dying of lack of sleep. (no sleep 'til big game!)
the magazine went to press yesterday, meaning the very first sex issue of hardboiled will be released out into the berkeley wilds this next week. hopefully the student response is good; i'm hoping to raise some eyebrows and rabblerouse some more people out there. the first issue was good, and i have a feeling this one will be even better. and then, there's also x, which meets this thursday. it's nice to have your voice heard and validated by thousands of people out there.
and speaking of good things, i was a subject in jeremy's portraiture assignment, and my proofs turned out to look really good (not to be so vain, but he made me look really good in those pictures!). i'm gonna ask him if he can print some more copies or print a few more pictures for me. i think my mom would like those a lot. i'm smiling in a lot of them.
god, i don't want to move out of this apartment, but i have a feeling i'm going to have to take that option and run with it. andrea's apartment has an opening; angel's has an opening; any other givers? i'll be a taker, price negotiable.
and then it was saturday night. oy vey.
after that, becca and i headed on over to jeremy and rod and jimbo's place, where they were watching twenty-eight days later and boozing it up some more. a drink later, i was out on the chair; next thing i remember, mulan was playing on the television and i migrated over to the floor.
then i woke up on the couch, and it was eleven this morning. (yeesh.)
a nice nap, a long shower, and a good foodfest later, i headed on over to the city to play at a wedding (oh, how cute!) and head back after playing three songs. hmm. wonder if they got their money's worth out of the twelve of us who were there. in any case, it's now saturday evening, the beginning of a new month, and i'm desperately trying to keep control of everything. i feel really exhausted, and in three weeks, i will be almost dying of lack of sleep. (no sleep 'til big game!)
the magazine went to press yesterday, meaning the very first sex issue of hardboiled will be released out into the berkeley wilds this next week. hopefully the student response is good; i'm hoping to raise some eyebrows and rabblerouse some more people out there. the first issue was good, and i have a feeling this one will be even better. and then, there's also x, which meets this thursday. it's nice to have your voice heard and validated by thousands of people out there.
and speaking of good things, i was a subject in jeremy's portraiture assignment, and my proofs turned out to look really good (not to be so vain, but he made me look really good in those pictures!). i'm gonna ask him if he can print some more copies or print a few more pictures for me. i think my mom would like those a lot. i'm smiling in a lot of them.
god, i don't want to move out of this apartment, but i have a feeling i'm going to have to take that option and run with it. andrea's apartment has an opening; angel's has an opening; any other givers? i'll be a taker, price negotiable.
and then it was saturday night. oy vey.
you feel so small sometimes
miguel
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