The Human (Disg)Race

2010-09-13T00:42:00.000-07:00

Honesty

2009-11-24T21:39:00.001-08:00

I find that at almost all instances lying repulses me. Maybe this is because I don’t understand it, but I don’t think that is so. I think I get lying and why it is done. I don’t understand it, but I get it, if that makes any sense.
I’m not someone who can do it, at all. I just can’t. I don’t know what it is in me, but much like how the elderly can’t hear high frequency sounds, I can’t lie. No matter how hard I try, I can’t. At least about the big things. I can lie for a joke, but that lie usually consists of something imaginary taking place. I can imagine, sure, but I can’t lie. Not to toot my horn or anything, but I think that things would be better if more people had my inability.
Things would not be easier, but they would be better. You could take every one at their word. To me, it’s frustrating that people won’t take me at my word, even if they know me, because they get lied to so often. It’s not like telling them I can’t lie would help, that in itself is a great lie to a bullshitter.
And Bullshit. That’s just one of the many synonyms that go along with lying. If you are bullshiting someone, you are lying to them. It’s very black and white to me, this lying issue. Maybe it’s because I’m young, maybe due to my inexperience with life, but that’s how I see it at this very moment, and I’m one stubborn guy. I don’t think my view will change that much in time.
I don’t think lying has ever got a good thing done. My sociology teacher today told us that “nothing good happens after midnight,” to which my smart ass self thought “Technically, it’s always after midnight,” but he had a point. Lying, of course, has nothing to do with what time of the night, or morning, it is. But, I think it’s appropriate to say that nothing good ever happens when you lie. Things may feel better, but Vicodin has never helped a bone heal any faster.
Lying is for cowards. Another black and white issue. I’m always curious what people think of other people, because I myself and someone who always has some sort of opinion. I secretly think everyone has an opinion, but it takes some sort of stupidity to let yourself be honest, that’s what society says.
I can’t stand it when people use the word “nice” to describe someone. That means nothing. Almost everyone is nice upon first meeting them. It’s easy to be nice, you don’t hurt feelings being nice. I don’t think you should ever go for deliberately hurting people’s feeling when greeting them, but I think you should let some of your personality shine through.
There’s 6 billion people on this world: face it, you don’t want to be friends with every one of them, nor do they want to be friends with you. Life is short, let people who know who you are right away, and if they don’t like it, they can just go on, being another nondescript face in the crowd. Don’t be afraid to be nice, but don’t be a milquetoast about it, try being honest.
It’s a scary prospect, but try it out. Honesty, though it may be rough at first, goes a lot longer than being “nice”. If you’re genuinely sweet-hearted, than be sweet-hearted, you don’t have to take the word “honesty” to mean being crass. Everyone likes an individual, or they can’t stand them. Either way, they know who they are.
Not that life’s a popularity contest, but how fun is life when someone mentions your name, and the general response is “Who?”. Everyone wants to be someone, and if they think they don’t, they follow around someone who embraces the fact. At least, that’s what I think. I’m just being honest.

Review: Amelia

2009-10-28T23:13:00.000-07:00

This was supposed to published in The State Press, or the State Press magazine, but my Editor had a mix up. So here it is, my review of Amelia:

It’s difficult to produce an outstanding film when everyone already knows the ending. There in lies the problem with every biopic ever made. That’s O.K. though, as long as the life and events the subject of the film experienced are interesting, exciting ones.

The life of Amelia Earhart fits the criteria. Ever since her plane went down somewhere in the North Pacific on July 2, 1937, the world has held a fascination for her and her unique life. Now her story has been brought to the screen in the film “Amelia”, directed by Mira Nair (The Namesake). Unfortunately, the film skips the exciting moments of her life to focus on the sentimental aspects, which, quite frankly, could have been anyone’s story, be they the first female pilot to fly over the Atlantic or not.

Earhart, cheekily played by the always-going-for-the-Oscar Hillary Swank, was quite the pioneer of female aviation during her time. While everyone else was in breadlines, she was flying the First Lady over Washington D.C. and participating in air races. Exciting stuff, right?
Apparently not.

According to this film, the most intriguing events of her life were those that involved romance, for that’s the main focus of the entire thing. For every one minute of aviation, it felt as though there were 10 of Earhart smooching with her husband, the famed publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere), or cheating on him with the aeronautics instructor at the Unite States Military Academy, Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor).

The fact that Amelia, the wife, was doing the cheating and being open about it, when that was generally the role of the husband in the 1930’s is interesting and all, but I think setting the women’s altitude record at 14,000 feet and then repeatedly breaking it is a little more noteworthy.

The film starts out by examining Earhart’s life from about the age of 32, with her meeting Putnam in his office. It is not explained as to why she is in Putnam’s office, but they’re just so gosh darn cute when they flirt, who cares?

It then skips around, cutting back and fourth to present day, then to Earhart’s famed trip around the globe, back to present day, with a cheesy news-reel transition thrown in here and there to remind you that yes, this film is indeed set in the 1930’s.

There is so little character development, it hurts. The Amelia we meet in the beginning is the same one who crash lands in the Pacific at the end. We don’t see her grow up, we don’t see her mature, nothing. She is introduced in the movie in her early thirties, and she dies just short of her 40th birthday, leaving the film only about a 10 year span of her life to examine. The only examination of her personality we get are little glimpses of her being the stubborn personality that made her so fascinating, and then an inspirational line, reminding us to not give up on our dreams.

It’s during the scenes that include a plane when the film truly shines. The aerial shots of Earhart flying the over the many wonders of the world are gorgeous, and when things start going bad in the cockpit, your gut tightens in excitement. Unfortunately, most of the feats Earhart pulled off in a plane are covered by the spinning newspaper transition, so often found in early 1900’s period pieces. If we got to see those events, instead of being rushed through them, the film would have no doubt been a much more memorable thing.

If there are any redeeming things about this film, it’s the ending, when the film is stripped of all its romance, and we are left with the fateful tale of Earhart’s disaster over the Pacific. When her radio doesn’t work, the anxiety is authentic and unavoidable. They do a great job with the authenticity of it Amelia’s last moments.

So well done, in fact, you almost forget that they made everything up to that point seem tacky and unimaginative.

Out of Place

2009-10-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is a can of some type of microwavable Ramen. I'm in college, so ramen is a very familiar sight in my surrounding. I was in my girlfriend's dorm room, and her roomie had this gem of a ramen sample.
  Take a gander at the label. The first thing it says: Nong Shim. Ok, that makes sense, it's going for the whole oriental thing, so some white guy making up the name Nong Shim and pasting it all over the label to make it look more authentic is acceptable.
  Now, let's go to the bottom. It's got some Chinese calligraphy on it. My knowledge of calligraphy goes as far as me writing "gung ho fat choy" with tempera on red poster paper when I was in Kindergarten, and I'm guessing I'm in the majority (at least in the US, I know, I know, Mandarin is the most spoken language on Earth.) on this one. So, this again serves the purpose of making this cup of ramen noodles look authentically oriental, even though the two symbols probably say "cat" and "walrus" on them, and the thing was probably manufactured in Mexico.
  The middle is where it gets good. Right there, in big letters, is the word "Picante". That's right, "Picante". Last time I checked (It was on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2009 at 4:12 P.M.), the word "Picante" was Spanish for "hot".
Yeah, Spanish.
  After all this business trying to make this lousy cup of ramen seem authentic, they go and mess it all up by sticking "Picante" on the label. Maybe they're trying out the new genre of food, "Mexanese fusion". I heard that's big in Brazil.
  I just don't understand what persuaded them to go with the word "Picante". Things were going so well, I mean, Nong Shim, calligraphy, they almost had the trifecta. If they had even went with English and slapped "hot" on there, I think it would have at least been a nudge in the right direction. A lot of English is spoken over there, I've heard. But instead, they go south of the boarder and choose "Picante". And I'm pretty sure that first symbol in the little box just says "OFF" sideways.
   Overall, nice try Nong, but i'm just not "picante" about the idea of a mexican-style, hodgepodge, oriental ramen.

CORRECTION: Apparently, I am retarded, and can't tell the difference between Korean and Chinese. So sorry to all of you out there who read this and thought to yourself "What a retard, that's OBVIOUSLY Korean. Blowhard." Again, my apologies for being a dunce.