Monday, March 30, 2009

2009 World Figure Skating Championships

When I found out about Worlds being held in Los Angeles this year I decided to try to get tickets. Unfortunately for me, most of the competition is held during the week, and the weekend package included the competition on Friday, which is when my class is held. So I got tickets for Sunday afternoon's Exhibition of Champions.

We took the train up to the Staples Center, which beat paying lots for parking and fighting traffic before and after the event.

Here are some of my favorites who performed (in no particular order, with videos if I could find them):

Mao Asada - For some reason I thought she was an Olympian, but I guess I'll have to wait until next year for that to be true! She has all of the grace and charisma required! Her exhibition to Por una Cabeza was flawless and the highlight for me of all the ladies who skated yesterday.

Evan Lysacek - Los Angeles' own! Lysacek took 1st this year and his exhibition to Daft Punk really higlighted his talents. The crowd went really wild when he stepped onto the ice.

Brian Joubert - My sweetheart thought Joubert's exhibition to Rufus Wainwright's Hallelujah was boring, but I thought it was well choreographed and well performed. I found this more exciting performance to Darude's Sandstorm that highlights some fantastic footwork. I'm always impressed with skaters who have great footwork and can really show their mastery of figure skating.

Joannie Rochette - My sweetheart liked her exhibition a lot more than I did, but it was skated well. I guess I prefer female skaters to wear skirts or dresses over pants. Call me sexist.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir - These ice dancers had a cute themed exhibition to Mellencamp's Jack & Diane. Watch for the excellent lift sequence just over midway through this.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White - Another ice dancing pair, you can't fault anyone for picking Queen to skate to.

Tomas Verner - He had a great exhibition choreographed to a mix of Michael Jackson songs.

Qing Pang and Jian Tong - This Chinese pair had a great exhibition.

Oskana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin - This ice dancing pair had a very memorable Matrix-themed exhibition.

The pairs champions had some good exhibitions, but I just can't remember them! So I guess they weren't as memorable for me as the rest. Also performing was a synchronized skating group out of Culver City, and that was really neat to watch.

I had a great time seeing figure skating live for the first time, and I think my boyfriend had a better time than he expected.

Leaving the Staples Center, it wasn't demarcated very well where it was "OK" for fans to walk and where was strictly for skaters and VIPs. So that was frustrating getting yelled at by security guards every three steps. We were just trying to leave!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

I Caved

I caved and bought a Wii. My mind is already spinning at how much money I'm eventually going to spend on it.

Ugh. Hopefully I will at least have fun. I found a copy of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for GC for $30. So I just need to get a gamecube controller and a memory card and I'm set.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Movie Review - Watchmen

What can I say about this film that has not already been said?

I definitely think it would be possible to enjoy this movie without reading the graphic novel, but you would miss all the smiley-face and butterfly references. You'd miss the little bits of back story that are only glossed over in the opening credits.

I liked the new ending because I could not quite understand how a giant squid appearing in New York City would encourage world peace. Then again, I had to go back several times in that chapter to make sure it really was a squid that caused the catastrophe.

Maybe the graphic novel format is just not for me.

Jackie Earle Haley brings Rorschach to life. Every from-the-gut line is uttered as the imagination would have it. I was hoping they would insert the scene where he creates his mask, but I guess I can wait for the director's cut or special edition, if they even filmed the scene at all.

Billy Crudup's turn as Dr. Manhattan is good - he made Dr. Manhattan more sympathetic to me. Not to mention his voice is also perfect for the part, although there is a bit of the uncanny valley going on with his mouth movement.

Patrick Wilson turns Nite Owl from overly pathetic in the graphic novel to someone worthy to scoop up Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) after she's had enough of being around Dr. Manhattan and his detachment from humanity. I know a lot of people were overly disappointed and felt that the placement of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" was misplaced, but I thought it was quite appropriate.

In fact, I thought the music was spot-on.

Back to Malin Akerman, I didn't think she was bad as Silk Spectre. Silk Spectre I and II were not the best-crafted female characters I've ever read. All the important events are there, but somehow I feel Alan Moore doesn't understand women, and his writing reflects that. I thought Carla Gugino as Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre I was fantastic though. There's something about Sally's sassiness that she does just right.
Who am I missing? Matthew Goode as Veidt reminds me a little too much of someone I knew in high school. And Jackie Earle Haley as The Comedian was solid.

Although the film is quite long, the pacing is good and I felt the film's changes and omissions from the source were appropriate, with the exception of the gorification (but then maybe I'm getting too old to watch ultra gore) of several scenes. Many shots are lifted directly from the graphic novel.

Strangely, my biggest disappointment was when Silk Spectre shoots the big evil mastermind at the end of the film. In the graphic novel (at least in my recollection of the graphic novel), she is crying and pissed. In the film Silk Spectre was just pissed. I thought it undermined the scene a bit.

If you have the barest inkling to see the comic book hero mythology deconstructed, please go see this while it's still in theaters. The cinematography alone is incredible. I don't think it's particularly necessary to read the source before watching the film, but you will probably have a better understanding of the film if you do.

Sister Missionaries

The time had come. It only took them around 6 1/2 years to find me. Or rediscover me, or whatever.

A long time ago, I had plans. If they ever visited me, I would mess with them. I would show them and their religion the wrath (or mirth) of the once-initiated. I would make them rue the day they decided to darken my door.

I have a feeling someone ratted me out. Whether it was a relative, or a friend, or a somewhat nosy neighbor, I don't know.

It was a perfect Sunday afternoon. My sweetheart and I had just returned to my apartment after eating lunch and shopping at an India Sweets. The heaviness of the meal made my eyes droopy, and I opened the blinds in my bedroom to let warm sunlight in while I dozed on my bed. My boyfriend was more content to play games or surf the internet or do whatever it is that boys do with their girlfriends' laptops when the girlfriends aren't watching.

I heard the knock. It was odd, considering my only visitors are my boyfriend and my neighbor, and my neighbor was out of town. My sweetheart came into the bedroom, uncomfortable to answer the door at a home that was not his own.

I checked the peephole before I opened the door. I saw two young girls, with big black badges that said, "We are the bringers of Christ! We will give you the Word Of God and you will listen to our message!!!" They must be desperate if they are sending such sweet things into the mission field to tract.

Oh Christ. My wit escaped me.

I opened the door, and to my surprise there were not only two but three young girls huddled in the narrow hallway. Sister Chica and Sister Sweet Spirit, and some other random woman who seemed vaguely familiar to me. They introduced themselves, and said something. . . introductory. I seemed to have missed all that.

"Actually, I'm a former mormon."

"Oh really?!? (they have those?)" the girls squealed. "Why did you leave?"

I muttered something about doctrinal and cultural issues, but I could have gone on and on. Proposition 8. Mountain Meadows. Joe Smith and his peepstone in the hat, or his multiple marriages to already-married and young (14, was it?) women. How about the fact that, if I had drunk their kool-aid, I would probably be married with at least two children, with no education and no career.

I could have brought up problems with book of mormon archeology, or book of abraham nonsense. I could have brought up their weird temple (i.e. masonic) rituals and dead-dunking practices.

But no. I let them go. They are young, and earnest. Most importantly they would not have understood.

The random member, who was not badged, asked me what my name was again. Oh, they are good at social engineering, those Mormons. I gave them my first name even though I could have said that I never told them my name to begin with.

Sister Sweet Spirit asked repeatedly if there was anything they could do for me, and made sure I had a book of mormon (I lied, as my copy of the book of mormon is at my parents' house, and the only reason I haven't burned it yet is because my grandmother gave it to me and wrote something kind inside the book). Sister Sweet Spirit earnestly bore her testimony, which went something like this:

"I know blah blah is true blah blah Book of Mormon blah blah Jesus blah blah truth blah blah blah" and went on for at least 3 minutes. I don't actually remember anything that she said, because I zoned out after the first "I know blah blah is true".

They will most probably come around again. I've thought about looking up their mission president and asking nicely not to have them bother me. I'm not interested in ever going back to that religion. My lifestyle and point-of-view is completely unharmonious with a Molly Mormon lifestyle. It would kill my spirit to give up my individuality for their religious ideal, and that is completely unacceptable to me. However, any contact initiated by me will only encourage them. I only spend half my weekends at my apartment, and most of the time I am not at home.

After they left, my boyfriend was surprised that I was not mean to them, or "messed" with them. He had a beer that he did not even want to drink cracked open, ready to shock demure LDS sisters into never coming this way again. Sitting on the couch, almost shaking, I said,

"I need a drink."

Friday, March 13, 2009

Time To Develop The Deflector Dish!

Space Junk Barely Misses ISS

Come on, you knew this was coming. It's time to start developing deflectors so we can go to Mars. Or something. I'm still in my Star Trek headspace.

Next up will be the warp drive. You know it.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

New Star Trek TV Series Proposed

(6 is theoretically a lucky number for me. Somehow this seems fitting to be my 600th post.)

Apparently someone, somewhere thinks it would be a good idea to reboot the Star Trek TV series, ala the new Star Trek film. Is there anyone else besides me who thinks this is a bad idea? From the article it sounds like they want to make it campy and silly, which tells me that they missed the point. Yes, there are silly episodes of Star Trek, but that was not the point.

I know I've mentioned this before, if not on the blog somewhere than in conversation. Star Trek is about the future, and not just any future. It's about a future filled with hope, and being decent people. It's about being a decent person and working through very real issues while maintaining decency.

I really enjoyed the Next Generation episode Lower Decks. Someone on the Slashdot thread mentioned Star Trek: Klingon being a great seed for a series. Many of the ideas that center around a captain and his starship (or space station) have been explored, and it would be great to see the same bright future from a different perspective. I'd personally love to see a series based on the Lower Decks episode, or from the Romulan point of view.

If anything I think Paramount should let Star Trek sit for a few more years before trying to revive it. On the other hand, I hope the new movie is successful, if only because it means that there will be a movie or series in the future. It would be awful if the concept was completely abandoned.

Friday, March 06, 2009

New Star Trek Trailer Out



Star Trek was one of the things that saved my soul in high school. I started with DS9, then moved on to TNG. These stories fueled my hope for my future at what is a difficult time for most.
I was thoroughly disappointed with Rick Berman's treatment of Roddenberry's brainchild, and with most of the TNG films. To me they sapped the core essence of Star Trek and left it as an action-filled, empty shell of what it once was.
Recently CBS posted the entire classic series of Star Trek online, and I've been enjoying those episodes for what they are. Not all of them are great, and some of them are even silly, but they had that special essence of what Star Trek is all about.
I was disappointed when I heard the new film was going to be a reboot, even though I was excited to hear they were going to have a Romulan villain. I was even more disappointed with the first few trailers that were released. The new trailer has only confirmed my suspicions that the new film will not be Star Trek, only something marketed as such and missing the soul, the meaning, and the themes that Star Trek should have and explore.
The set design has grown on me, but I feel the uniforms were only there to warm up the sterile bridge set. I'm disappointed over the whole Uhura getting-it-on thing. Eric Bana as Nero is a joke.
Sure, I will go see the film. But I don't think I'm going to like it.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Taiwan - February 8, 2008


This morning we went to a temple to pray for a prosperous new year. I was particularly frustrated this morning, mostly over being tired and lacking a clue in general.

Note: I was mostly frustrated at my non-understanding of Taiwanese Buddhist/Ancestor worship rituals. Instead of telling me what was going on, or why we do certain things, I was just told to do something. I really wanted to learn more about my Taiwanese heritage on this trip, and being told to "just do it" without getting any background irritated me to no end.

Sometime in the afternoon we were picked up by an old classmate of my mom's and we went to his house for dinner. His new son-in-law is a pilot for China Airlines and is very happy with Boeing planes, saying they were more reliable than those made by Airbus. (There was a big scandal involving a commercial plane during this time, and I remember it was interesting to get his perspectives on that)
After dinner we went to Lugang where the entire town was decked out in red lanterns. The night market was very crowded and we ended up going through the historical part of town instead.
Returning to my mother's friend's house, we hung out with their family. Their four kids (all adults older than me) interact very harmoniously and it's easy to envy their close relationships. It was definitely a lot of fun watching them play hearts. (Actually it wasn't hearts, I'll have to look it up)

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Taiwan - February 7, 2008


Today we usher in the year of the Rat. According to some online horoscope, this year is supposed to be especially auspicious for me (a pig), with 11 favorable months and 1 unfavorable. With the Taiwanese being particularly superstitious, I think I should at least keep it in mind even though I don't particularly believe in it. Besides, I like the idea of having an awesome year!
I went to dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant with my cousin and his wife. I had "French smoked duck breasts" on noodles in a cream sauce. Western food Chinese-style is overly rich, and slightly strange.

After the restaurant we went to a tea house with a group of my cousin's friends. They ordered a tea latte for me, although others ordered more traditional teas. I did get to sample a couple of the more herbal/medicinal teas, and I think I preferred those to an average tea latte I could get in the States.

One of the teas I sampled (ordered by a guy) was supposed to be very good for women. "That's because my friend is a girl", my cousin teased. It was a good-natured joke.

The photo is of a cup of tea and a "suncake" from Taichung.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

The One Before "The One"

This whole social network "spying" will be the end of me. It's led to the discovery of my being "the one before The One" for three of my exes now. Maybe three is the charm, and I will eventually end up marrying my current boyfriend (who is a real sweetheart). That might be awfully romantic. And I really like having romantic notions that don't end in heartbreak.

"The one before The One" is not a term I coined. I think I stole it from someone else. I didn't steal it from this book you can get in the UK, although I'm pretty sure she didn't come up with the term either. The term applies to the girl (or boy, I want to be equal opportunity here) who your ex dates and then subsequently marries immediately after the relationship with your awesome self dissolves.

Perhaps not immediately after, but the point is that in their linked list of relationships, it was you and then "The One".

This most recent discovery, he was a real doozy. He was my first real serious relationship after college, even though now I don't think he ever took me seriously and the relationship didn't last 6 months. He convinced me to let him move in with me while he looked for a place closer to his work, and didn't even tell me that he had found a place less than three weeks later. I found out when we were hosting a friend and his new landlady called him to tell him when he could move in. I was too shocked and he was too drunk for any yelling or throwing stuff out to do any good.

Shortly after that he broke it off, over the phone. Didn't give me any reason. My neighbor wisely said to me: "He didn't give you any reason because his reason is that he never really loved you."

Really? He manipulated and lied to me so that he could move closer to work?

That's pretty much it. I found out later that I was his third "girlfriend" since his divorce from less than a year earlier. And 18 months after dumping me unceremoniously he is marrying the woman he met after me. On the day before my birthday. I'm lucky that my birthday falls on a Monday this year.

This discovery made me want to vomit.

I haven't even shared all the shit that happened after the dumping, like when he took a girl to The Huntington Library on their first date; something I had begged him to do with me and we never did. He told me about it the morning after an post-breakup fuck (which was not exactly my best idea ever).

It took me a year before I felt comfortable to start dating again. I thought I was "over" him, that I had spent enough time to mourn and sort my shit out and move on. That I had sacrificed enough Friday and Saturday nights crying over what I thought I had and never did.

I ought to feel happy for them. After all, at least I'm not the one spending the forseeable future with him. I'm not dishing out the cash for a wedding in Malibu right when the economy is taking a swan dive.

Yet I feel lacking. I hope someday I can be "The One" for someone special. That we will have a close and loving relationship, and my romantic notions will not be for naught. I know that relationships are not easy, and that people (least of all myself) are not perfect and self-actualized (like on Star Trek). But I think I make a great girlfriend (my current sweetheart tells me so) and I still believe an equal relationship without lies is possible.

Taiwan - Update

I wrote this on February 13, 2008, en route to Los Angeles after my trip:
I have to admit I've been lazy in keeping this up-to-date; I'm not sure where I should start. Looking back at what I've done I realize I've seen a lot, even though throughout my trip I felt like I wasn't doing anything most of the time.
I feel awful about that. All my life I've been wanting to know, to see, what happens next. I need to appreciate the present. (Note - I'm starting to realize that I need to do this with my life in general; I suck at appreciating the present.)
The next time I travel, I need to do a few things differently.
1) Bring a travel towel. While not necessary, it would be nice to not rely on the towels of hosts.
2) Bring "real" travel clothes. A few companies make great quick-drying clothes, which would have been nice here considering no one has a clothes dryer (but everyone has a clothes washer?).
3) I need to be a little more organized with where I want to go and what I want to do. I think this caused one of my biggest frustrations.
4) Along with #3, I need to learn to communicate more effectively, and to be more patient when I get "lost in translation". Often we would go to do something and this wouldn't get communicated to me for whatever reason and I would get frustrated. Alternatively, I need to learn to be OK with not knowing what's going on.

One of my recurrent frustrations with the "tourist sites" in Taiwan, with the exception of Taipei 101, is the lack of postcards (and stuff in general) promoting the site in question. Taipei 101 and the National Palace Museum both have places to leave mail; Taipei 101 having a cute mail/postcard drop-off point and the museum having a full-fledged post office (Yet the museum didn't have "normal" postcards. What gives?). (Note - Photos are from the Taipei 101 postcard drop-off on the observation deck. There was a Chinese drop-off and an English one.)

Also, I need to petition the contact lens fluid people (Alcon at the time, now it's Clear Case or something like that. As long as it's not basketcase!) that they need to make 3 oz. containers of their products. I ended up throwing out over a half bottle when I went through security in Taipei because I guess they are on the "security theater" gel-and-liquid-bandwagon too.