"Antonio Montana. And you, what you call yourself? "
Pacino week concludes with an over the top departure from the reserved discipline of Don Michael Corleone to the coke king from cuba himself, Tony Montana.
Unlike The Godfather, I've seen Scarface in parts. Like The Godfather, I've heard the quotes and the accent more times than I can remember so it all finally comes together now. I don't feel like picking up a gun or anything, but these movies are certainly pushing me to start dressing a little better.
Some Scarface Trivia: The movie uses the word "fuck" 207 times in all. An average of 1.22 "fucks" per minute.
I never would've realized it without this compilation.
So i'm sick now. First time I've been sick all year. Haven't taken one sick day from any of my 3 jobs I've had this year. I'm 3 months into this job now and today would've been the first day I've considered not going in. But it was just a consideration, I'm medicating and I'll of course be going in to work today.
Soon as I finish this cup of coffee.
Anyway, I guess a little weekend review/recap couldn't hurt.
FRIDAY NIGHT Worked till 8 pm because I'm awesome like that and have no life.
SATURDAY Ran errands. Got some shoes for the big show that night (size 13...fat feet) and did my laundry. Real exciting stuff right?
SATURDAY NIGHT Coworker picked me up and we were off to the big Honolulu AIGA Hawaii 5-0 design award show. My company was one of the sponsors so a couple of coworkers and I got tickets to go.
It was cool, I got to pimp it out for the first time since I got here
The theme of the show was "Sinner or Saint"...take a wild guess which category I fell into
And so it went on. It was held at the Honolulu Design Center. Our company's holiday party will be in the same place so this was like a small preview for that. Decent show. AIGA here seems pretty cool (like I have anything to compare it to) but no one in my department is a member so i don't think I"ll be joining anytime soon.
After the show my coworkers and some others went to a small dive restaurant called "Sidestreet Inn" for some late night snacks. Then home for the crash and burn.
SUNDAY I woke up sick as shit. Not stomach sick from drinking or anything like that but flu sick. I was supposed to go to work for some extra hours but that never happened. Hell, I didn't even go to church. I don't have a bed so I stayed on our couch for most of the day. I drank coffee instead of Tea to keep my throat irrigated with something hot so it wouldn't be scratchy. The problem with that was it was coffee so I couldn't sleep.
I watched The Devil Wears Prada (as lent to me by another coworker) and accomplished nothing else.
MONDAY 11:07 am So much for work today.
Maybe some laundry, some theraflu and then back to bed.
I originally watched this movie at the dollar theater. Almost watched it, actually. I made it all the way up till the last 15 minutes and I had to leave the theater for a not so complicated set of reasons that I don't feel like typing out right now. Through one roundabout way or another though, I found myself with a free copy to watch tonight.
The movie itself was ok. Didn't really take me anywhere special even though there were a couple "ooh, that looks pretty" and "wow, they can do/say/show that in a disney kids movie?" parts. I don't know, I hope Wall•E plays out better for Pixar because everything since The Incredibles has been downhill.
To be honest, I found the little pre-feature animated short "Lifted" just as amusing as the main attraction, which means those shorts are getting better or the feature film is lowering the bar.
Plus I just really like this image.
Next up (before it's time to return it to blockbuster) is another cult classic that I haven't seen yet...
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I'm a disgrace to geeks everywhere. I'm catching up.
I guess now is as good a time as any to start sharing again. I'll start with my forgettable and mundane weekend.
FRIDAY
Nothing special. There's a dollar theater not too far away from the office and I met up with a friend of mine to see a movie there. Good thing about the dollar theater is that your regrets are always nice and cheap. And despite my protests, we went to see The Kingdom. I really want that dollar back.
"Allah hu akbar" and then something blows up. It seemed to me like the premise of the movie was just to cultivate fear and prejudice and I really REALLY want that dollar back. Evening was a natural decline after that. My friend gave me a quick ride home and I spent the rest of the evening at this computer like so...
Pretty wild, no?
SATURDAY
I've said before that coffee is my favorite part of any given day, but every once in a while (usually saturday), I get to enjoy the slightest bit of breakfast. Saturday's breakfast was courtesy of my cousin John's craving for spam. Anyone with the pacific islander upbringing has a solid appreciation for all canned meats.
I have a small room now so I spent the late morning/early afternoon wandering around looking for cheap bedroom furniture. I have a feeling it's just gonna be a bed and a desk in my little overpriced dorm room but even then it's gonna be a couple weeks until I can afford anything. Not much money left over for that kinda thing when you're living from paycheck to paycheck.
I did, however, set aside enough money for this...
This movie was gangster. The weakest part of it was Russell Crowe. It's not even that he's a bad actor or anything but you put anyone else up against Denzel Washington and they really don't stand a chance. Even when he's the badguy you want him to win. "MY man"...good stuff.
SUNDAY
My company sponsored me and the other two Advertising Art Directors to attend an InDesign CS3 workshop. The instructor for this 9-4 crash course was none other than Sandee Cohen. A hilarious jewish woman from New York who literally wrote the book on InDesign and a handful of other Adobe programs. You know all those Visual Quickstart books on the little spinny rack at Barnes & Noble that all of us pick up and flip through but never buy? Those are all hers.
Anyway, like I said the workshop went from 9 to 4 but she was so funny and interesting that time just flew by. I was really into it and when it was all over she told us she was headed to the island of Kaui for another workshop. I asked what school she was going to and she said it was a Bhuddist temple. Apparently the monks there are the biggest geeks she's ever met and while they find themselves at a spiritual center they still maintain their connection with modern day software and technology. Reminded me of that time back in the spring when I saw those two monks walking around with the spindle of CDs at Office Depot. Geek monks...who'd have thought?
And that was the weekend. Speakin of geek talk though, I'm back on the scene debating whether or not to get a new computer. Actually scratch that, I am going to get a new computer. The debate is which one to get.
17" Macbook Pro $3,777.00
• 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo • 2GB RAM (get more later) • 200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm • 17-inch High-Resolution Widescreen Display • iWork '08 preinstalled • AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro
Advantage: portable...kinda Disadvantage: small, not as powerful, more expensive, not so portable
or
24" iMac $2,997.00
• 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme • 2GB RAM (get more later) • 1TB Serial ATA Drive • iWork '08 • AppleCare • 24-inch glossy widescreen LCD
Part of my problem is I see whatever I choose as being a metaphor for the rest of my life. A laptop means I'm gonna be on the go and I'll be moving progressively and aggressively from here. The desktop means I'm planting roots and I'm gonna settle into a life here. I know how retarded that sounds but this is how I think sometimes.
The other part of my problem is that I'm poor and I'm thinking outside of my means. Everyone's got to have goals though, right? I don't want a car or a TV or even a bigger room. This though...I think this would be something I'd like to have. And I like to think that I'd make the most of it if I do end up with one or the other, especially since I'll be paying for the whole thing myself.
Hmm, maybe I'd better focus on that first purchase...
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
1. I haven't slept on a bed in 7 months. This past week was the first time I've slept in my own room in a little over a year now. Even then, i'm still on the floor.
2. Every morning for this past year I wake up with at least 3 bug bites in random places. Lucky for me, they are always in places that I can hide. Unluckily for me, they are always in places that are awkward to scratch.
3. Ever since I learned how in high school, I only say the "hail mary" in spanish. Even when I'm praying silently.
4. The only thing I look forward to is my first cup of coffee in the morning. I always make time to enjoy it, even if it makes me late for work.
5. I'd rather watch a movie by myself at home, in the theater, or at my desk in the office than hang out at the beach or go barhopping/clubbing with a big group.
6. Nothing matters to me except the welfare of my parents right now. Anyone who isn't facilitating that is in my way.
Fucked over again by my closest family/roomates when I was counting on them. It's exactly what I deserve, too. I hate them almost as much as I hate myself for putting myself in a situation where I had to rely on them for anything.
Ok, well since I have yet to post that substantial something or other I promised a post or two ago. I thought I'd have a drink or two and start filling in the empty space with some current events:
Event #1
I just watched "Knocked up" for the first time tonight. Yeah, I realize I'm behind the rest of the planet but my cousins rented it and when I got home tonight I was the only one here and it was just sitting there. I'm sure that was the same rationale Jim the pie-fucker used right before sticking his shit into a warm slice of cinematic history.
Anyway, about the movie. Meh. I mean, it had its moments where you're like "yeah...I feel for you, trying to be a better person" and so on and so on. Not even about the main character Ben, but about the rest of the cast too. But I think it stil lost me on the whole beer guzzling weed smoking porn annotating approach to life.
I know it's ironic to say something like this after just coming home from a local collegebar but I was never really part of that scene so I guess I have no way of really relating. But even moreso, I don't think I really want to relate to it. Especially after coming back from the bar. I'm social enough but I don't need alcohol or drinks to kick it off or to accidentally get a woman pregnant. I'm sure I could screw up just as bad if I was completely sober.
But I guess it does give chubby losers like me some slight hope that there'll be someone of the opposite sex cool enough to fall for us. Fiction or comedy, this movie surely wasn't found in the documentary section of blockbuster.
Event #2
Erica: OMFG YOU LOOK LIKE SARUTOBI ASUMA !!!
I'll let you be the judge since I don't watch Naruto and don't know who that is...
She said it's not an insult so I guess its a compliment.
Event #3
I have to flex my Karaoke skills tomorrow night for a coworkers going away party. Word got around the office that I can sing when i have to so now it's showdown in chinatown for the local williamhungs and Springfield's secret weapon: Nelly Clarkson.
That's all I got for now. I'd better go lie down so I can oversleep for work tomorrow.
A student went to his meditation teacher and said, "My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I'm constantly falling asleep. It's just horrible!"
"It will pass" the teacher said matter-of-factly.
A week later, the student came back to his teacher. "My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It's just wonderful!'
"It will pass" the teacher replied matter-of-factly.
maricel: you must raise them on the beast coast in order to live maricel: and collect their attitude maricel: you have to be mean to survive maricel: i know this
me: hahaha me: i want them to be happy like me
maricel: hah! you're not happy maricel: you nutcase
This story was one of many quoted throughout "way of the peaceful warrior"
An old monk and a young monk were walking through a forest when they came to a river bank and saw a beautiful young woman standing at the edge of the bank.
The woman told the monks that she was afraid to cross the river because she might slip and be carried downstream. She asked if one of the monks might help her across.
Now it so happened that these 2 monks were members of a sect which practiced celibacy and they had both taken vows never to touch a member of the opposite sex. But the old monk, sensing the extreme anxiety of the young woman, lifted her onto his back and carried her to the other side of the river.
The young woman thanked him and went on her way. The 2 monks continued on their journey, but the young monk was shocked and disturbed at having seen his older companion break his vow so nonchalantly. Finally, after 3 hours of walking and thinking, he could contain himself no longer and he burst out, "Tell me, old man, what did it feel like to break your vow of so many years? What did it feel like to allow sensuality to tempt you from your spiritual path? What did it feel like to have her smooth warm thighs wrapped around your waist, her breasts brushing against your back, her arms around your neck and her soft cheek almost one with your own? Tell me, old man, what is it like to carry such a beautiful young woman?"
The older monk remained silent for several steps and then said, "It is you who should tell me what it is like to carry such a beautiful young woman. You see I put her down hours ago at the river, but you are still carrying her."
In the book, it was used to prove the importance of focusing on the moment and not letting yourself being distracted into the past or the future. There were lots of anecdotes and tales like this throughout the story, told to the hero to illustrate some point. This one just kinda stood out to me.
Yesterday I caught the bus after work and watched a free showing of Peaceful Warrior.
A couple days before I bought the book (Way of the Peaceful Warrior) because I heard it was a great read and so far it has been. I wanted to finish reading it before watching the movie but a free showing is a free showing. It's a great story and I'm still reading the book intently. It reminds me a lot of The Alchemist which is probably one of the most inspiring stories ever written.
Come to think of it, there's been kind of a repeating pattern in all the movies I'm taking a shining to...
Looks like 2007 is turning into the search for inner peace.
I've been on this rock since December 2006 and it's now March 2007. To date I haven't gotten a state ID, a Hawaii driver's license or a new social security card (my original one went to micronesia). These are things I've had all the time in the world to do but haven't for one odd reason or another. As important as these things are though, each one of them has taken a backseat to the bigger issue: NO JOB.
At first it was a matter of pride. "I made THIS much back home doing THIS kind of work and so it shall be unto Honolulu". Snap back to reality, the places I wrote to and called couldn't care less whereas the offers from retail stores far and away were more than happy to offer starting salaries of $7.45 and up.
Barnes & Noble and Starbucks were the first to offer and the first to not work out. More pride I guess. I didn't think I had any left after seeing my living conditions and day to day lifestyle but turns out there was still enough to keep me from taking the jobs. So I kept looking.
Next up were the Applestore and FedEx Kinkos. These were the upper-levels of retail as far as I was concerned. Both made offers and even though I would've preferred Apple, FedEx Kinkos offered more money ($12/hr...I made more as an intern) and a full time position as opposed to apple's part time. But a weird thing happened on the way to the mall and a couple of friends suggested doing both jobs simultaneously. Suicide I thought. But on the other hand, it would've meant more money, so I caved to the idea that more money was worth the time served.
I took the FedEx job with the intention of becoming a signs & graphics/prepress guy. What they gave me was higher paying, more prestige and absolutely NOT in line with what I had applied for. They wanted me to be a sales guy.
The manager said, "I see something in you, I haven't even looked at your design work but you've sold me on your ability to communicate. I want you out there suited up and growing FedEx Kinko's presence on this island".
Riiiiiiiight. At the end of the second week, before completing my training but after the staff meeting where my boss told everyone how key and integral I would be, I walked into the office shook his hand and said "thanks but no thanks" and walked out. In at 8:30 am, out by 8:45. That was a good day. A surprisingly very good day.
Downsides to that move:
1. Less money from a part-time job 2. That place is right where I catch my bus so every day I'm outside the window hangin around 3. The same day I walked out I had to go back a couple diff times to send faxes (nice and awkward)
Upside:
1. Chance to find another (better) job 2. Focus on screwing up at Apple instead of screwing up both 3. More time to get all the aforementioned documentation I didn't get already
So now it's just the applestore, so hopefully I can smile and make some money while looking for another 9-5 job. Funny little anecdote from the FedEx Job: A coworker mentioned how Hawaii has the lowest unemployment rate of the entire country, but what they don't tell you is that people here are working at least 2 or 3 jobs just to get by so of course there's no unemployment! It was even funnier when she said it because she's Thai and has a wicked accent.
Yesterday when I came home from work I got a call from my cousin Cindy. She heard from her sister in Guam who heard from my mother's sister in Micronesia that my dad was rushed to the hospital out there. Words like "Dad" and "hospital" in the same sentence make me feel helpless. I should've known better than to trust the grapevine but nevertheless I ran across the street and bought some phonecards to call them. I can't even call from my cell, I have to dial a 29 digit phone number to talk to my family.
Anyway, he was fine. He went in for a scheduled checkup and his blood pressure was high enough for them to want to keep him overnight, but he opted for medication and went home. The reason I bring this up is, first and foremost, it scared the shit out of me. And second, that medication he's taking is a substitute for the meds he was on out in Washington. His supply ran out as it did many times in DC, but back there I would usually kick in and buy it for him if he couldn't afford it himself (micronesian health insurance sucks so hard). These days though, our entire family has to contribute a little just to afford mom's meds. Dad quietly bowed out of the picture until he was almost hospitalized and I just quit my day job. Some big help I turned out to be.
I'm living out of a suitcase in an overcrowded apartment but for the most part, settled now. I have a part-time job and don't have to pay any rent (yet). There's a right thing to do here but I can't seem to lock it down for some reason. Oh yeah, I missed church 2 sundays in a row. Can you believe that mess? I can't. Wtf is going on?
Here's hoping things get better in the near (post-lent) future.
Short takes from the past weeks:
This kicked ass from start to finish
Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men has been great. John Cassaday's art has been solid too.
Hot, delicious, and Lent-friendly
And for no reason other than his ultimate coolness
And I guess that's it for now until something funny or eventful happens.
Also, this is probably the funniest show in the history of television
Much more sex and politics in the film. Straight sex to offset the homoerotic tour de force of 300 chiseled (airbrushed) men in their underwear and capes grappling. Politics because they fight persians just like we (America) do. Good movie, but read the book first.
So much else going on at the same time, but I think I'll have to write about it later.
Watched 40 days and 40 nights again tonight. I don't think I've seen it for at least 3 or 4 years now, but I figure it's good to watch during Lent (even though it really doesn't have much to do with actual Liturgical practice of Lent).
The story is about a guy who takes a vow of celebacy for the 40 days and nights of the Lenten season and then subsequently meets a girl like his second day into it. It was an amusing movie, but that's not what this is about.
This is about a girl named Shannyn Sossamon
The "girl" of the movie, I'm crushing so hard on her (her character?) it's sad.
According to the wiki, Shannyn Sossamon is "of French, Hawaiian, Dutch, English, Irish, Filipino and German descent; her maternal grandmother is Hawaiian-Filipino, and her maternal grandfather is English-German".
I have a weak spot for mixed girls and that has to be one of the maddest mixes I've ever heard of. Also, there's something to say about a girl who looks so good in regular bummy clothes. Yeah, mixed bums are what do it for me.
/crushing on a B movie character //carefully ignoring the "married/mother" part of the wiki article
There is a fundamental difference between hairspray and spray-on underarm deodorant. Unfortunately for me, I have had to learn that the hard way. Twice.
So I acidentally sprayed hairspray under my arms (twice), which sucks. But as I felt the sily & soy protein formula taking hold of the hair under my arms, I decided that I should just follow through and put the deodorant on there anyway because finesse doesn't do much in the way of anti-perspiration. But the resulting funk of the mix led me to believe that a little AXE body spray was necessary to balance out the body responsive/extra protective combo that only a haircair product and antiperspirant could provide.
Three different spray-on products in one area of the body.
Out here in Honolulu, on the first friday of every month, the art community opens the doors of all it's downtown art galleries for a semi-street festival viewing. Self guided tours lead into different galleries where the artists hold discussions, food and wine are served, and many new exhibits debut with a plethora of people ranging from the college age to senior citizens weaving through one another to get a glimpse of what's "hot" on the honolulu art circuit.
Here're some quick blurry snaps
Wish I coulda spent more time there. Maybe bring some of my friends or maybe a date. Ah well, there's always April.
