Moar Updates

That's right, it's another post that is not officially a blog post. I'm just putting this up here just to notify all my readers of many of the upcoming 'changes' to the blog.

1. I will still tinker around with the appearance of this blog - I was looking for a dark theme online, but so far I haven't gotten exactly what I've wanted. As you can tell, I've ironically ended up with the stark opposite. So yeah, be sure to check out some of the gadgets on the side. Share the blog with your friends, take the poll, or even translate it to a different language! I will also be tinkering around in the field of gadgets as well.

2. Less personal stuff - As it says, I'm gonna try and limit the amount of personal information that I put on my blog. Not like addresses, emails, and whatnot, but the things of my personality, how I react to certain things, and whatnot. Why, you may ask? That would be because of...personal reasons ;)

3. Expect slow posting for the next two weeks - Well, I've packed up my bags and I'm headed to Florida for a short vacation! Actually, the first thing that I've gotta to while I'm there is go to a conference, so the vacation aspect of it is actually not that big. Anyways, the point I was trying to make was that I won't be near many computers or laptop (I don't use the mobile app cause it simply sucks!) for a lot of time, which essentially results in less blog posts. I'll try to post some pictures and small thoughts while I'm there, but I probably won't get around to posting many blog posts at my usual rate (1-2 days). One thing that I'll still be on a little more frequently is Twitter, so if you follow my Twitter account, it's all good.

Anyways, these are just some small things that all of you, my readers, should expect for a while. If you enjoy reading my blog, don't forget to share with your friends!

Thanks for reading,

Song of the Week

Green Day is not one of the best bands in the world, this I will admit. However, they had a time when they had a lot of mainstream popularity, especially amongst college students. During that time, they made what most would call 'their best music'. According to the lead singer, the album American Idiot was the album that the worked the hardest on. As a result, it became a very popular record and the effort paid off for the entire band. Green Day is one of the modern bands, that in my opinion, set the bar for rock music.

The song that I chose today is one of my favorite from when they used to be popular. You probably know the entire song word for word, and you might as well sing along.

This is just the video of the song. The music video has a bit of a plot line behind and as a result, it is a few minutes longer than the song. Scroll below this video if you would like to view.

Music Video

So what do you think of the song? Do you have another favorite Green Day song? Let us all know in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading,

A Moment of Ecstasy (Part 2)

This is the second and final part. Be sure to check out the first one here.

I suppose it's fair to say that all good things must come to an end. Good thoughts, good feelings; it is inevitable that all of these good 'things' must lay down to rest. That's how we humans are, as we have to endlessly toil day and night only to have brief moments of pleasure. 

Moving on, my dad came back from India last Wednesday, I was ecstatic when I finally saw him again. All of us went to the airport and waited for what seemed to be forever to meet him again. Thinking back on it now, I guess I didn't exuberantly display my affection for him at first sight, yet I still felt glad to see him. We all were a little shocked when we first saw him, he got thinner when he came back from India, and the plane ride back took quite a toll on him. Following the car ride home, it was time to unpack. Everyone in our house (and by everyone I mean my mom and sisters) were excited to unpack in order to see their brand new saris and other Indian clothes. Along with some of the things that we unpacked, we also brought along many snacks from India. And as these things were being unpacked, I realized that there was essentially nothing that my dad had got for me. My dad got me a lousy shirt from India, along with two formal dress pants that seemed a little too big. He also got me laddu, which is an Indian sweet shaped like a yellow ball. Not only was the shirt 'lame', but the laddu was very dry and tasted bland as a result. I found it to be hard to hide my jealousy when everyone else in the family was acting as if it was Christmas. For a moment, i felt as if I was the kid who got the worst presents from his parents ever. I went to my room and played it off, saying that I had other things to do. It seems as if every excitment that I had, from the AP exam scores to my dad returning, seemed to diminish in that very moment. Right then, that moment of ecstasy was offically over. 

So now I suppose it's fair to say that I'm back to normal. It was nice feeling as if nothing in the world could ever stop me, but now it's fair to say that it's all gone. Maybe it was selfish of me to act that way on that night. After all, I shouldn't have expected anything special in particular from him, but I figured getting crappy stuff might just be worse than getting no stuff at all. Or is it supposed to be the other way around? I don't know, but at that moment back then, something in me was simply let down. It's not that I became depressed, but I became grounded again, I returned to what many people define as 'normal'. 

So I guess that was the end of it.

Thanks for reading,

Song of the Week

Day by day, I feel like I'm becoming a bigger fan of listening music from an older age. Not to say that today's music is lacking in quality (although that could be said of what's played on the radio these days), but the origins of much of today's music comes from the century before. In many ways, these artists helped shape music for what it is today. I suppose you could say that this song is one of many that are the roots for what is known today as rock-n-roll and the blues. 

By the way, this song was also featured on the soundtrack for Pulp Fiction, a very popular movie in the 90s. Pulp Fiction has been credited as one of the greatest movies of all time in film-making history.

Title: You Never Can Tell

  Artist: Chuck Berry

Album: St. Louis to Liverpool

Year: 1964

 

Movie Review: Ted (2012)

An R-rated movie about a Teddy Bear?!?

Synopsis:

John Bennett is a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to live as the result of a childhood wish... and has refused to leave his side ever since.

Rated R, 106 minutes

I was one of many people who was excited to hear that Seth McFarlane, creator of the popular TV show Family Guy, would be coming out with his first movie. Coincidentally, a few months ago, I had even taken a survey that asked me which promotional poster would be better for the movie. So, I knew about this movie months before they had even started to advertise it.

Anyways, we decided to go a week after it was released to avoid any large crowds. Unfortunately, we went to see this movie on the  Fourth of July, which resulted in a packed theater. We were forced to find seats in the near front, which in any other circumstance, would have been uncomfortable. However, since this movie wasn't fast-paced or heavy in action, it was easy to get accustomed to.

Moving on to the 'review' part of this movie, I went with three other people who had different comical tastes. However, each and every one of us had a moment where we were bursting out in laughter, myself more than the others. Ted could be considered diverse in the different types of jokes presented in the movie, of course some being more offensive than others. Almost everyone in the theater were consistently laughing at many of the jokes in the movie, although I should say that there weren't that many 'hilarious' moments. If you enjoy watching Family Guy, the humor in Ted is a perfect fit for you. For the rest who may not appreciate or don't watch McFarlane's work on television, you may not have great guffaws, but even then the movie will still be consistently funny. The humor in the movie is also, for the most part, not very cheesy, which was a big plus for me. To sum up the humor in this movie, there is a diverse lineup of jokes and punchlines, yet it does not disappoint expectations.

Let's move on to other parts of the movie. I found Mark Wahlberg as an odd choice for the protagonist of the movie. It's a little odd watching him trying to act like a young pot-smoker along with his teddy bear, or getting romantic with a Mila Kunis much younger than him. Nevertheless, he still acted very well in the movie, based on what he was given. As for Mila Kunis and Seth McFarlane (the voice of Ted) they also did a good job in making their roles as realistic and effective as possible. The visuals in the movie were also good, there were many nice shots of Boston here and there. However, the highlight of the visual aspect of the film was the teddy bear. The way Ted moved, talked, and interacted to its surroundings was very realistically portrayed and well done. In the visual department, the movie does an excellent job of bringing a teddy bear to life.

If you watch Family Guy, you may know how often the soundtrack is filled with many different jazz pieces. Ted is no different. It's quite obvious that McFarlane loves, if not obsessed with, the jazz genre, and the addition of little jazz bits in the movie is a nice change from the soundtracks of other comedy films. Other aspects of the film such as the direction and editing, were also done pretty well, but nothing worth writing home about. 

For his first time as a director and a writer, Seth McFarlane does a pretty good job here. The story was good, the jokes were funny, and the acting was solid. The only few 'criticisms' of the movie that I have since it is well deserving of the R-rating, some of the humor can be offensive to many people. The concept of a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking, teddy bear can be seen as unamusing and not entertaining to some. Since Ted essentially becomes the life of the movie, scenes without him are often mundane and forgettable. Even with that being said, the movie worth watching if you want to have a few laughs (potentially a more 'vulgar' form of humor), or if you enjoy Seth McFarlane's work. This is a very promising start for what could be a very long career for Mr. McFarlane on the big screen.

8/10

It is worth watching again.

Thanks for reading, I would like to hear what you think about this film. 

Oh and since you made it this far, here's the red band trailer:

A Moment of Ecstasy (Part 1)

So it was on Tuesday when it came in the mail. No, not anthrax, just a small envelope with a report, of none other than my AP exam scores.

AP exams were the highlight of my studies in my junior year of high school. The purpose of an AP (Advanced Placement) class is to prepare you for college and even be able provide college credit while in high school. So as you can imagine, there are many students who choose to take an AP class and eventually the exam. Taking the exam is not required, but without it, the class only helps your GPA, and there wouldn't be any payoff for college.

At the beginning of the school year, I was overwhelmed by the amount of AP classes I had to take. As mentioned, they were more rigorous and fast-paced than any of the 'regular' classes in high school. So with five AP classes on my plate, it was the year that I decided to pay attention in the AP classes and pay loose attention to the rest. An AP exam was like a long-term investment, everything you learned and worked hard for the entire came down to a matter of a three hour exam. If you passed it, of course it was all worth it, but if you didn't pass it, well, it was just an investment that didn't have a good return. Another thing about the AP exams was the money, most schools require the student to pay a decent amount for the exam, while they are subsidized by the state to cover a small part of it. Our school paid around $30, but we had to chip in for the rest, and when you're taking five exams, it adds up to quite a large sum. Some of the AP classes I had taken this year were US history, European history, Psychology, Spanish, and Language and Composition (English). US history was probably the most rigorous course of them all, the teacher took it much more seriously than the rest of the other AP topics, we always expected homework, quizzes, and the occasional test. Many students were in for a surprise when they took the course, not many expected to deal with so much work along with the work from all the other classes.

If you don't know how these exams are scored, here's a brief explanation:

5  Extremely well qualified*
4   Well qualified*
3   Qualified*
2   Possibly qualified*
1   No recommendation**

*Qualified to receive college credit or advanced placement
**No recommendation to receive college credit or advanced placement

So, as you can imagine, my heart stopped for a moment when I saw the letter in the mail. The hour of judgment has finally arrived...via mail. Essentially everything that I had worked for the entire school year was finally here in a small letter. After that moment of shock, I pondered what would happen if I didn't get the scores I wanted. I was aiming for a 4 or 5 in every subject, except Spanish, because I don't plan on taking any type of a language major. Besides, in order to be able to pass the Spanish exam requires fluent speaking and comprehension of the language, and I was nowhere near that level. Yet nevertheless, I aimed for a 2 in Spanish, because that would mean that I knew something after all these years of studying the Spanish language in high school. Another thought that came to my mind was what college would I go to, that is if my scores weren't good enough. Now believe me, I'm wasn't planning on going to Harvard (to put it another way, they probably wouldn't accept me!), but I didn't want to settle for a lousy community college. Most schools accept a 4 or 5 in order to receive college credit, but what if I only had a 3, even worse, what if I didn't pass? These were some of the things that raced through my mind as I took the mail back home. I didn't even want to tell my parents what my scores were, I anticipated the abysmal scores that I would eventually have to confess to the rest of the family members. Of course, if I had gotten good scores, that would be the only thing that I would tell them for days if not weeks.

I dropped the rest of the mail at a nearby table and I went to the office room, my mother was there but she was occupied watching a video on the computer. I figured she wouldn't have noticed me opening the mail, and perhaps I could make a getaway if the scores weren't good enough.  Slowly, unknown as to what may be in the letter, I opened the mail. I glanced within  it and took out the only sheet of paper that was there...

And There it was.

I didn't even have the moment to hide myself in anticipation from the scores, they looked at me straight in the eye. Suddenly, there was nowhere to hide, it was time to face the music.

Two 5's, two 4's, and a 2. Suddenly the only thing I could do was leap in joy, it had been worth it! The endless nights of work, the studying for tests, the projects, all of it had paid off! That moment was exhilarating, any feeling of anticipation and dread that remained had gone away. At that moment, none of the troubles that I had to deal with everyday  mattered. It was a moment in life that I cherished, I knew that there would be many nights where I would reminisce this exact moment, and how it may have potentially changed the entire course of where my life would be headed. Suddenly, I felt like  a hero that could accomplish anything in life, be whatever I wanted to be, do whatever I wanted to do, and as long as I put in the effort towards it, I would get there. This moment liberated a rush of adrealin within me, and as a result, I felt as if I were Superman.

So after the emotional arousal, I called up my sister and I told her the good news, and then my other sister, then my mom, then a few of my friends, then a few of my other friends.  It became harder to hold it all in, so I was walking around my house, thinking of what was and could be. After settling down for a while, I realized that my dad was coming back home from India tommorrow! Yes, this too would be another moment of happiness. My dad had gone to India for more than a month, and I was tired of being the one who had to deal with my mom and her mood swings. I realized the big role that he played in our family every day of our lives. For this reason, our whole family missed him when he wasn't around. Besides, he too must know about the AP scores! It seemed as if everything in my life was turning around at the perfect time.

I felt then that nothing in the world could stop me, nothing at all.

Thanks for reading,

This is part one of two, the next post will be here in a few days.

Feel free to post a comment below, it would also be great if you could take the poll on the right. If you scroll above this post, you'll see some of my recent Twitter posts. It would be great if you followed me on Twitter. However, if you're on the mobile version, you won't be able to see the poll, but you can click the hyperlink above to reach my Twitter account.

Song of the Week

Recently, I was watching the Late Late show with Craig Ferguson. He's one of my favorite late night hosts not only because he is funny, but he can also have meaningful and deep conversations with the guests that come on his show. He also excels at making something out of nothing, considering that his show has a relatively low budget and support from CBS (unlike Jimmy Fallon on NBC). Anyways, I was watching a few clips from his show when I ran into a performance from a band called The Imagineers. Now usually, I don't look at these performances, but it's not very often that a band performs on his show, so I decided to give it a shot. After watching the clip, and doing some research, I found out that he had gone back to his native Scotland, did the show over there for a week, and introduced a local band from Scotland to the mainstream audience, which was really nice of him to do. In my opinion, their music has some of the traditional roots from the past but doesn't fail to think on its own, which makes a really unique sound. I also like The Imagineers because they have a lot of potential to be a pretty decent great band.  The lead vocal's Scottish accent adds a bit of a nice twang to the lyrics for each of their song. I found it to be a little difficult to pin down a specific genre that they belong to; based on what I've heard, it sounds like a mix of blues-y rock and some form of alternative, but that really comes down to your opinion. They have an EP called See As I Say, which came out last year. The following is one of my favorite songs that has been come out from the band so far. Give them a listen and be sure to share with your friends!

Title: Mariana

Artist: The Imagineers

Album: See As I Say (EP)

Year: 2011

More information about the band can be found here

Thanks for reading,