what the hell?

My grandparents have flown in from Taiwan and are staying at my home back in Placentia. Today they came to Irvine and I took them on a tour of the campus and then we went to go eat.

Also something I have noticed: Ever since I bought this new domain, less people have been coming to visit it :(

The third year of UCI has begun. And to say the least it was very anti-climatic. I had Art History 42A at 11, and it was boring as all the other classes in the series were. I just hope I pull through with a decent grade, but I can't help but fall asleep in their classes. The room has nearly all its lights turned off for the slides and the professor just drones on and on about the subject as though it was about cheese. They don't even slow it down so you can write what they are saying.

The next class I had was Chinese. Interesting class, lots of cuties but they're all asian so I can see why I'm attracted to some of them. But it doesn't really matter 'cause even if I get anywhere with one of them I'll still screw it completely up. One girl that I was partnered with forgot her Chinese over the summer so I guess I am glad for those tutoring sessions to help me practice.

That's it. Later on I went home because my grandparents are in town. I went to go see, Lost in Translation starring Bill Murray. Let's just say if you're looking for major funnay, this movie is not for you. It was okay, but very much drawn out and with lots of unnecessary parts. Lots of the humor seems to stem from the fact that, "HEY ITS JAPANESE, AND LOOK THEY DO EVERYTHING DIFFERENT SO IT IS FUNNY TO US AMERICAS."

Yeah I really don't know what to make of the movie... I guess it was good?

On Wednesday we took another trip into LA to visit Esther again and meet her roommates. When we got to Esther's we had a hard time trying to find parking anywhere near her. We finally settled on this space that was like 2 blocks away from her house. During our search we encountered the same garbage truck at least a dozen times and we also saw people's cars with boots on them. The ones that prevent you from driving your car.

So finally we park and walk to her apartment. We spent a good part of the morning just helping Esther buy and setup her DSL service (Later on I helped her get rid of that stupid MSBlast worm). We eat lunch at the Burger King right outside of UCLA. If you've ever been to UCLA at all, you know which one I'm talking about.

We finish eating there and Donny calls Geoff to see where he is at. We ended up walking past UCLA's frat row and up a hill to finally end up at his apartment. We kind of hang around there until we figure it's time to visit Eliot. Donny stays with Geoff at his apartment while we visited Eliot.

Eliot's room looked almost the same, only the fact that it wasn't the exact room he had last year (bigger?). He still had his MIB and Hart's War posters and all the photos that he had up on the wall. I also got to meet his girlfriend, I wasn't even sure he had one although I guessed as much.

At around 7 we had to head back so we could catch a shuttle back to Esther's apartment. We ordered pizza while I was curing her computer. We ate some Papa John's pizza and then Erik started to jam on E*'s acoustic. We played a lot of different stuff, most notably, Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt.

That was about it for the whole night. Sherry ended up in LA really late and all she was doing was unpacking and moving her stuff. One of Esther's roommates (Eileen) showed up later in the night and her other roommate (Cat) didn't show up until we headed down and exited the elevator. Haha funny stuff that elevator was. Donny and Erik tried to get through at the same time. Funniest thing I saw all night.

Ack, it's pretty late now, I've got my first day of class tomorrow so yeah I'll update this tomorrow

As you may all know, The RIAA has recently begun serving lawsuits against people who allegedly have downloaded illegal music files on Kazaa. Obviously 12 year olds and 66 year old grandmas are obviously terrorists and a threat to the lifestyle of an American!

The 66 year old lady, who was using a Macintosh preventing her from even accessing Kazaa, could still be recharged with her heinous crimes of downloading nearly 2,000 songs! RIAA lawyers had this to say about it.

"Please note, however, that we will continue our review of the issues you raised and we reserve the right to refile the complaint against Mrs. Ward if and when circumstances warrant," wrote Colin Zick, attorney for the record labels, the Boston Globe reports.

See, even if you didn't do anything, you're still not out of the reach of RIAA's nasty lawyers.

So now the MPAA is trying to prevent people from downloading movies online. Part of their current campaign is to show clips right at the beginning of a movie explaining the horrors of Internet "Piracy". Usually it is someone that works behind the scenes like a cameraman or stuntman who describes how they don't make millions and that movie pirating will hurt them immensely. Sometimes even an actor comes on to talk about how this affects them, that is if they can fit it into their busy schedules. Their motto? "Movies are worth it!"

Does anyone see the irony in this? They have Ben Affleck, who has millions of dollars, telling us that we shouldn't pirate movies when we're already in the movie theater with the tickets that we already paid for. How much sense does this make to tell people who actually did pay for the movie that they're terrible people for trying to steal Ernie the Boom Mic Holder hard earned cash.

It also makes no sense how Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez can get paid millions to do shit. Just look at Gigli. That is what is 'causing the movie companies to lose money, if anything. How exactly are we suppose to feel sad when Ben Affleck makes tons of money for playing shitty roles with his now ex-fiance? Those people who work behind the scenes? Well they are most likely part of a union so they get paid no matter what.

So I ask you this, who's more of a pirate? Someone who had to pay $10 to see a movie and then later decides they want to rewatch it or the movie exec. who made you pay $10 and decides thats not enough for him 'cause he now has to start lighting his cigars with $10 bills instead of $20s? You decide.

On a related note, the RIAA/MPAA is also trying to "educate" kids from 5th to 9th grade about the terrible terrible bad bad pirates (wouldn't they be better off learning about real pirates, like Sir Francis Drake?). How are they planning to teach them?

In the role-playing activity Starving Artist, for example, groups of students are encouraged to come up with an idea for a musical act, write lyrics and design a CD cover only to be told by a volunteer teacher their work can be downloaded free. According to the lesson, the volunteer would then "ask them how they felt when they realized that their work was stolen and that they would not get anything for their efforts."

Wait, so how is this any different than it the current situation? Just replace "students" with "musicians" and "volunteer teacher" with "RIAA" and you have the same exact thing. So how does it feel Timmy?

So in case you haven't noticed, I have a new domain, the new site address is http://shuan.justrockandroll.com

Edit: Time is screwy, hold on

I moved into my new Irvine apartment late Friday night to avoid the bumrush of freshmen who would come on the weekend. So I was well settled in by the time the wave of people came.

Friday night I didn't do much, just setup my computer and move around some of the stuff in my room so that we could get everything organized. Our subletters over the summer were horrible people... well, maybe not that bad but still not very good tenants. They left a mess and didn't pay me my last month's rent. At least he left his (old) TV here so I can watch football games on Sunday.

Saturday night Jeanette invited me to some kind of dinner thing that her mom setup in Irvine. I wasn't sure what kind of dinner it was but it was free food! Little did I know when I got there that it was something for her mom's buddhist temple. Haha I was scared about these things because I never feel comfortable attending these functions which are religious in nature. Still it was okay because it wasn't like anyone was harassing me about why I wasn't a buddhist.

Afterwards we went back to Jeanette's apartment to hang out a bit before going to Shawn's party. A whole bunch of CA members came by to go with us to the party.

When we got there there were only a small crowd of people playing cards in the corner and a few others scattered about. The only person I knew was Kat from CA. There were also three guys who were from Shawn's last party but I couldn't remember their names. As the party progressed I got more and more social :) but I was sad 'cause almost everyone from CA had left after maybe an hour at the party. But it was cool cause like I said, there were cool people there :) Fay came by later as well! Haha that girl is awesome (possum).

The next day (Sunday), I had lunch with Jeanette, Fay and Allan at this Greek restaurant. The food was okay but nothing spectacular. Maybe I just didn't like the food but the meat tasted funny. I guess that's what you get when you eat meat that they make by rotating it around a pole heightwise. Later on when I got back Donny IM'd me for an unscheduled trip to LA to visit our friend Esther's apartment. So Donny, Erik and I headed up there to join up with her and Kenny. We hung out for a bit and Esther made us some pasta and ice cream. What a great host! :)

After a stop at In'n'out, we were suppose to hang out Geoff Parker but he bailed on his to be with his lady, Lady Liquor that is. Instead we met up with Robin and Damien Demian from high school. Robin was still as cool as ever. I never knew her that well in high school other than the fact we had Benner Junior year, still she has treated me as some friend that she has known for years ever since we've graduated. Maybe it's just that she's so nice, either way it's all good. Had a nice talk with her and Esther about school.

I think I am extending this too long so I will try to summarize Monday.

Erik came to CV. Ate Carls Jr. Went to Josh's apartment. Jammed. Went to AV. Visited Jeff. Visited Kenny's room. His Roommate suggested we goto eat at Pat and Oscar's. Goto Pat and Oscar's. Eat good food. HATE THE FACT THAT THEIR BATHROOM TILES REFLECT SO MUCH. Went to watch Old School on the lower lawn. Went back to my apartment.

Today is Tuesday.

Edit: For those reading below, I do not hate Radiohead. I think I'm gay for them right now. They play such sad songs (Exit Music, True Love Waits), rock songs (Electioneering, Myxomatosis) and even songs that are 3 songs in one (Paranoid Android) Oh yeah and also a slew of radio hits (High and Low, Creep, Karma Police, Paranoid Android, Optimistic, There There). I use to have a copy of the Kid A CD in my car Senior year of high school and that was almost all I blasted for most of the year. I loved that album (although disliked Amnesiac).

Gay for Radiohead.

It is no longer possible to have an original opinion on Radiohead.
You've absorbed the deified albums, quarreled over the rock critic pontifications, frowned at the guarded, combative interviews. Thom Yorke's ugly-stick-beaten mug has peered at you from the pages of every magazine known to man; his every word and every note has ignited its own individual Internet flame war. Mass media has bombarded us with Radiohead critique, rendering us unable to generate an unfiltered opinion of our own.

So what does this guy do? He gets 5th graders to draw what they hear in Radiohead's music

But slowly, they begin drawing. One kid starts scrawling a guitar; the girl next to him immediately begins copying -- an apt metaphor for music criticism.

BWAHAHAHAAHA

LINK HERE

500 posts. I think that is a very good milestone to have reached in the world of personal blogging. Most people I know have been real fickle about maintaining a sort of online journal for this long. Hell, reaching 100 meaningful entries is an accomplishment, or even posting with some form of consistency.

Although I can't say every single post I've made was funny, or meaningful, or had a point; I can tell you that whenever I look back at some of those entries it retrieves a part of me that was stuck in my subconscious or maybe I had forgotten. I think this has been the driving point in me constantly posting. For it to be a record of my existance and of what I've done with my life so far.

But what is the point of this all you say? I guess there is no point but for a record of the past three odd years of my life. There is only one (big) difference between this type of journal and a pen-and-paper journal: the fact that people can publically view these thoughts. And I think that is something that is missing from this site. I mean I am not very anonymous on this website. Everyone who reads it regularly knows who I am so it is a hard thing to try and write down what I am really feeling and I am stuck with writing how the day went on and any quick anecdotes I may have had.

My only regrets about this site, the fact that the Internet wasn't what it was back in 1997 and thus my inability to have started this back at the beginning of my high school career. Although I had something similar to this written in a Word document with a password on it which only contained the name of the girl I had a crush on back in 7th grade, written in Wingdings and of another girl who I had a crush on in 8th grade (No neither one reads my site nor is it people where one can easily guess). The Internet back in 1997 wasn't what it is now. It was a much different entity where the only other person who I knew had ICQ was Kenny He and where AIM was non-existant. If somehow I could have done that I would have stopped writing in it the day I graduated from high school and just see the progress of 4 years of high school.

The second and last regret is making this thing public. I guess I should have some private journal too, but what I post in the public entries usually reminds me of what I need to know.

Another thing I wonder during the whole time I've written on this site is what would have happen if I had not gone to Troy and instead stayed at Valencia. Would I have been happier at Valencia or at Troy? I am sad about all those 'close' friends that have drifted out of reach of a phone, a simple e-mail or IM or random appearance at a Supermarket. I have a hard time making chit-chat but it's such a necessary social skill that you have to be able to make with the bullshit. While I definitely cannot answer that question of Troy or Valencia because of the improbable situation of time-travel I think the friends that I've made in high school were worthwhile friends. I'm always thinking what my friends think of me. Do they think that I am a good friend to them? My friends have treated me well and I'm thankful for that so I'm hoping that I've at least affected their lives in some ways for the better.

And to those friends that have drifted from me since middle school or high school: I'm sorry that it was that way. I heard recently from a certain girl that I've definitely changed since middle school. I really don't see that. I was so incredibly goofy in middle school and I still am. I don't feel like I've changed at all although people will probably tell me otherwise. So I guess a question to my friends would be, "Am I that much different from when you first met me to now?" I would really like an honest answer to that question....

And with that, I think I will stop because I've written far too much

So yesterday was the last day of ICS 171 sans finals. There was this project due as well at midnight so I had to pull an all-labber in the ICS labs. Well I didn't finish because this thing, I managed to complete the 2nd part but not the first. So I went home at around 10 to just get the hell out of there and turn the project in. All I have left to do is study for the final on Tuesday.

Also, I missed the NFL season because of this project. But eh, Washington vs NY Jets... not exactly the most exciting of games but c'mon the first game of the season and I missed it :(

Edit: I forgot to mention a few things.

The glow from the lights in UCI give off this nostalgiac type of feel. When I look at them it reminds me of so many things that has happened the past two years. The one thing I associate them with most from Freshmen year was after leaving the ICS labs.

When I left the ICS lab on Thursday, it was dark outside, which reminded me of Freshmen year, 1st quarter where the whole ICS H22 class would be literally stuck in the ICS labs until 1:00 or so, whenever it was due. I also remember going to the Denny's a lot before it was shut down by Kerpal and his two types of chicken.

Sophmore year, most of my memories about the lights are walking down from Campus Village to go to the bridge to walk over to the University Center to get some boba at Cha. Ah, the classic Cha Run. Such good memories from Erik and I walking down to the bridge talking about various things.

So I guess the point of this was that I get so nostalgic about everything I see. I don't really enjoy things when they are currently happening. Not until some time has past and something I see triggers that memory do I miss those times.

When I went to eat sushi with Don, Jimmy, John Shin, Derek, Gary, and Victor. I drove to Don's house for the first time in a while. All I could think about were the parties we had in his house from the past two years. Looking at it now and then thinking back to when the place was full of people and how we totally trashed his house... haha just kidding Don...

Wow, it's already September. How quickly that came.

Pirates Vs. Ninjas?