DT35

One keyboard to rule them all,
One keyboard to find them
One keyboard to bring them all
and on the ladder pwn them.

Week of CNY!

The beginning of each quarter is always a juggling act on a roller coaster.  Add CNY to the mix?  Then it's juggling + roller coaster - seat belts.  My body finally broke down and now I'm trying to recover before my trip to NY.  Oh, but I should have more pictures after this week.  There's a parade in Chinatown this Sunday and lots of eating will occur.

Aother New Year's Resolution.  Make New Year's Resolutions AFTER CNY!

Oscars!

The Oscars are just around the corner, and much like any "connoisseur" event, it's much better if you do your hw.  So before February 26th, I would love to see the following films.  This doesn't include the entire list of nominees, but these are the ones that interest me most.  I have about 30 days to take on these 8 movies that interest me the most, so roughly 2 pieces a week shouldn't be that rough.  And here are the nominees, in no particular order:

Hugo: Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.

People in my major will NOT stop talking about this!  Scorsese's first film in 12 years not starring Leonardo DiCaprio; James Cameron openly praised this as the best use of 3D, even trumping his own films; and ELEVEN Oscar nominations.  Not only does the movie seem to inspire conversation, people seem to want to research the original book and time period.  Should be a good one.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.


Gary Oldman.  Gary Oldman.  Gary Oldman.  He has NEVER won an Oscar before.  WHAT?  Since I first watched him in Leon: The Professional, I have never been disappointed by his performance.  And he's had A LOT.  Sure, it's going to be tough to win the leading actor category, but man would it be sweet.  Oh, and the plot sounds perfect for him.


The Tree of Life: The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence. 


The plot sounds simple enough, but Brad Pitt and Sean Penn are two actors I can just watch.  Even if they have the smallest roles, they're strong examples of undeniable screen presence.  Plus, my twitter was aflame about this and I really should've caught this on the plane.


The Ides of March: An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail.


During this year of elections (Taiwan just had one), this movie should be incredibly relevant and get us in the mood for the end of the year.  Also, Clooney's accolades just doesn't slow down.  His trophy room must take an awful lot of time to clean by now.


The Descendants: A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident.


Another Clooney movie!  This trailer actually caught my eye with subtle acting that doesn't permeate comedies/soaps enough.  Alexander Payne (director of Sideways, About Schmidt) usually nails this perfectly.  Also, set in Hawaii.  I need to see some sunshine/beaches in my life right now.


War Horse: Young Albert enlists to service in WWI after his beloved horse, Joey, is sold to the cavalry. Albert's hopeful journey takes him out of England and across Europe as the war rages on.


Spielberg!  Unbelievably, his first film to be edited digitally!  He also does war/drama films like no other, so this should be an enjoyable one.


The Artist: Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.

Along with Hugo, this movie has suddenly taken the Oscar race by storm.  10 noms and by gods, it's a silent film!  I don't even know how my viewing experience of this will be, but I'm ever so curious.


The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom: Survivors in the areas hardest hit by Japan's recent tsunami find the courage to revive and rebuild as cherry blossom season begins.

Tears will be shed.  But when I'm mentally prepared, I do enjoy movies that celebrate human tenacity.  Aftershock was my last disaster movie and there was not a pair of dry eyes in the theater.  Let's see what happens this time.

Happy Chinese New Year!

First big CNY party in the states and my facial muscles are still twitching 24 hours later.  Smiling politely, laughing uncontrollably, scrunching frowns at the recap video...oh man, asian antics make me giggle just thinking about it.  And I am not wearing a tie next year.  Did my neck grow chubbier?  So long hospitality industry, may I only wear a tie once a year.  Definitely more pictures of the party to come, but maybe with myself edited out.  But most people clean up VERY nicely, kudos to their make up skills.  All in all, a great night.  Gong xi fa cai everyone!

Prayer, Taoyuan Airport

One advantage of being a smaller island nation with moderate resources is the necessity of interacting and trading with neighboring countries.  Some may view it as a hindrance, but the doors that are opened can't be denied.  And whether you have firm beliefs about the world or not, few things are more comforting than unconditional acceptance. 

To personal victories

It's not easy to keep going.  I'm saying this in the second quarter of my life, but I can't imagine it to be any less true across the board.  It's a trial, but it's also everything worth having.  Sometimes I choose the left, but often times, I have to turn right to go left.  Today is a right kind of day.

Change, but not at the cost of freedom

Wikipedia is going down for a day in protest of SOPA/PIPA, and I believe most people support Jimmy Wales' logic.  Piracy is a serious issue, but taking away freedom is definitely the path to the dark side.  I'm actually quite surprised that such an aggressive bill came at this specific time frame.  Most of us probably aren't entirely guilt free when it comes to piracy, but I was rather happy to note at the end of last year, I barely had any incentive to resort to piracy.  Free services like google docs, pandora, hulu, and sites like "http://www.canistream.it/" help a lot.  And I was especially pleased with the introduction of reasonable price points.  Netflix, Spotify, Kindle, Steam, and various apps all have fees that I gladly pay.  It doesn't feel like price gouging.  It feels good to support art.  So while I'll be at my dumbest tomorrow (and possibly shirking all social contacts), ah, what's that quote by Gabe?  "I will personally burn everything I've made to the fucking ground if I think I can catch them in the flames."

Back to school: Enter the Dragon

Our school mascot is the Dragon, which is pretty fitting for this year.  Having your baby next year means getting the Snake for the zodiac.  Not as cool.  Quick, there's still roughly 3 months to find someone and have a baby to make the deadline.

MLK Day

While the Occupy movement ultimately seemed like a protest without clear demands/solutions, the "town hall" nature of the rallies was something to keep in mind.  People need a place to express their thoughts, vocally and artistically.  Sometimes it takes a collective to feel okay to shout out loud, but extremes never last long.  Compromise between government and people should be reached so voices aren't confined to breaking points.  A place to remind, a place to express.

A photo a day, keeps the doctor away

New New Year's resolution, 15 days late.  Going to post a picture on here everyday, along with mailing my family.  This was taken in Singapore over winter break at Jee and Pete's place.  Baboo and Bibim never look at the camera.