Sunday, January 25, 2009

finals week/general blabber.

so finals week really sucks
it starts tomorrow and i am insanely worried just about remembering everything i need to remember and getting everything done that i need to get done before term ends.
i feel like this right now: 

ON A LIGHTER NOTE:
Eagle Eye- not really my type of movie, but for some reason i really liked it. maybe it was shia labeouf in all his shining, beautiful glory (if you can't tell already, i sweat him like no other), or maybe the whole "big brother" theme of the movie got me.
you know the old, "someone's always watching" and all that... well it was really intense in that movie, it makes me want to learn more about how much involvement the government really has in out everyday life, whether it be cell phone conversations, things posted on line (hey, this is posted online....) and other seemingly mundane things that we do every day that relates to technology. 
a subject worth investigating i think.
MY KIND OF MAN:


• On a not so Light Note:
--There was a shooting outside an underage night club here in Portland last night. Nine were shot (7 of which were teenagers like myself), two died, and one is still in critical condition at the hospital.
The man who shot all these people (and then turned the gun on himself) must have been obviously clinically insane, for he has no known relation to any of the victims, meaning it was just a senseless act of violence.
All of this horror (and talking about the situation with my parents and a couple friends) got me thinking about gun control in this country, or rather the lack there of. I think back to Columbine, and the ease with which those teenage boys bought firearms at the local Wallmart.
Just yesterday, i was at the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall market that sells donuts and gatorade and cigarettes and stuff like that, and placed right above the cigarettes on a shelf (and some resting on top of the coke cooler) were boxes that contained guns for sale.
SKETCHY.
i was thinking about the ease that it would probably take for someone to buy/steal these guns.
they weren't even behind bars.
this scared me because i think about some of the people i see at my high school every day.
some of the people i see just look so downright unhappy. this doesn't necessarily mean they're sportin' trench coats or anything like that, but they're general demeanor just seems indifferent... something that really freaks me out at times.
i think of how easy it would be for someone to bring weapons to school, and do a lot of damage, whether they knew the full extent of their actions or not.
ANYWAYS, just something i was thinking about.
i think i will write a letter to President Obama concerning the issue of (in my opinion very essential issue) of gun-ownership reform here in the U.S.

• IN OTHER NEWS:
-i can now play guitar hero on medium with an average of about 80-85% of notes hit. i am very happy about this.
here is me and my lovely cousin playing:

-SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE:
it made my heart sing, and my life complete.
i completely love and adore this movie.
see it see it see it see it see it see it see it see it.
and download this: "O... Saya" by AR Rahman and M.I.A. (amazing song from the movie)

-i am going to the beach on thursday night to celebrate my friend henna's 18th birthday with her and some of her friends. it will be a nice little celebration after finals, and should be all around fun.

okay time for sleep now
:) peace + <3 



 

Saturday, January 10, 2009

january 10th, 2009

this is my first blog, i think ever.
since i'm just starting, i'll give a brief little list of some of the things that make me me:

•my dog, stanley. i love her like no other.
•my wonderful parents and extended family.
•the people i feel proud to call my close close friends... cilla, chloe, hammy pants, katie. 
•"almost famous". this movie makes me feel happy whenever i see it, and i feel like everyone should see it.
•the beach. whether be the beach in mexico, or just the oregon coast, whenever i'm there i feel home.
•stenciling.
•thrift store shopping in small towns.
•the song "sunshine" by atmosphere, well actually just atmosphere in general.

2009 just started, and i want to briefly talk about a couple of things of important things that went down in 2008:

MUSIC:
-kanye put out a new CD ("8O8s and heartbreak") in late november, and although i was skeptical after hearing "love lockdown" at the VMAs, i was very pleased with the entire CD. the other single off the record, "heartless" is one of my favorite of the album, but i think the record's strongest tracks are "paranoid" and "welcome to heartbreak". although i'm not crazy about the beat on the latter of my two favorite tracks, the lyrics are really amazing i think. this CD was a completely different direction for west, and although i could have done with a little less autotuner, on a whole i thought the album was really great. 
-my friend katie introduced me to the genius sidebar on itunes. i had never even heard of this function before, and for anyone who hasn't heard of it, here's how it works:
basically, the toolbar hangs out on the right side of your itunes window, and every time you select a song on you itunes, the toolbar will list about 15 songs or so by different artists that are similar to the one selected. the genius toolbar also creates playlists built around one single song. it is truly amazing.  
-this year, common released a new CD ("universal mind control") in early december. i loved common's last album, "finding forever", and listened to it on repeat for weeks. this new album did absolutely nothing for me. "forever" had great lyrical style and depth, and really great mixing and beats. this new one sounds like top 40 rap with little substance, and frankly i was very disappointed. i was ready for some new quality common to listen to, and i got no such thing.

MOVIES:
-one of my all time favorites this year had to be "the wackness" starring josh peck, olivia thirlby, ben kingsley and mary-kate olsen (hate on her all you want, but after seeing her in "weeds" on HBO i have serious love for her). the movie is set in the summer of '94 and revolves around luke shapiro (peck), who is dealer that trades weed for therapy from dr. squires (kingsley). although kingsley has an awful american accent throughout the entire movie, it was wonderful. i loved the story, the feeling it gave me, and even the colors that are used in backdrops and all that. there is just something about that movie that i connected with, and i have recommended it over and over. i know when most people think of josh peck, they think of "drake and josh" on nickelodeon, which doesn't exactly scream serious actor. but... peck is really good in this movie, and has actually done another indie movie by gus van sant that i love called "mean creek" (2004). it also boasts some great 90's slang (words like mad and dope are used a lot) and a really sentimental sound track (features some greats like biggie, a tribe called quest and biz markie). SEE IT. 
-"nick and norah's infinite playlist". i love michael cera, plain and simple. i have loved him since the the "arrested development" days, and this movie made me feel happy and at home. all i can ask for in a movie. 
-"the stangers". i saw this movie with cilla, chlo and hilly on the first day of summer (the first night after school let out). i went in being scared, but we all left in tears, literally. the bluntness of the scariness really got me, and how real the situation was got me as well (the location of the house, the interaction between the couple etc.) yeah, this movie scared the shit of me, but that's what horror movies should do, cause terror. 
-other notable mention:
-"the pineapple express"
-"teeth" (this movie may not be for everyone, but it was a REALLY good dark comedy, yes comedy...)
-"be kind rewind"
-"zack and miri make a porno" (so cute)
-"role models
i am also really looking forward to seeing "slumdog millionaire"

OTHER STUFF:
-"kath and kim". i wasn't so sure about this show at first, but i came to love it quickly. this show is about a completely trashy mother/daughter pair (molly shannon and selma blair). they wear nasty clothes and love cheese puffs and cable, and they are both hilarious. i watch every week on the NBC website.
-Lundberg sesame tamari rice cakes. i discovered these this past year in the health food section at fred meyer's, and i have loved them ever since. i put two in the toaster for about 4o seconds (any longer and they'll burn), and they are like heaven in a cake. they don't even need any topping, they are perfect all by themselves. 
-in 2008 i discovered the website yearbookyourself.com. here you can upload a photo yourself or a friend and position your face on a hair-do from a different era. below, i am rockin a pretty baller cut from the 60's. ooooh girl.












-this past year i found a store at my local mall called alley cat that sells super trashy, super tacky clothes. but, it did turn out that they held one hidden treasure. they carry (or carried?) the best knock-off chanel crystal stud earrings i had ever seen. they looked exactly like the real thing, but instead of costing around $350.00, they cost right around $7.50. i bought a pair as soon as i found them, but then lost one just a week or so later. i have been checking back often for more, though they always seem to be sold out. copyright infringement, shmopyright shminfringment.
-the art of banksy. he is a british stencil artist who makes some of the most thought-provoking, beautiful and striking work i have ever seen. he does mostly street art, but does pieces for homes and galleries as well (i hear brad and angie have a piece?). i aspire to someday have a fraction of the amount of stenciling talent he has. amazing. http://www.banksy.co.uk/
-the game pop pies on facebook. this sounds downright sad/pathetic, but hey, a girl loves what she loves. my high score is right around 9,600... just about 500 points away from making it on the weekly high scores board. addicting, fun, a great way to avoid doing AP US History for suresies.
-for the end of 2008, i was truly fascinated by celebrity impersonators. i saw an episode of the maury show when i was home sick that featured 5 or 6 top look-alikes. there was "angelina jolie", "britney spears", "bono", "johnny depp" and more. i am so curious about how imitating someone for a profession would affect one's life, and also just all worked up about the uncanny resemblance between danny lopez (impersonator) and the johnny depp (impersonee).
see for yourself:

















that man up there is NOT johnny depp. weird, huh?

-SPROUTS. you know those hippy-type green stringy things that go on hippy sandwiches and stuff? well turns out they are one of the most under-rated food ever. they are good on salads, sandwiches, asian soups, and just in general. mmmmm.