Poder de Tres

I stole this poll a while ago when surfing around the 'net.  Little personal survey in threes.  Is this lazy of me?  Filler?  Probably...

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:

1. Mark
2. Jerk
3. Bud (family only please)

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:

1. Card42
2. Mako
3. Kardinalsin

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:

1. My somewhat surreal imagination
2. Being patient
3. Learning to cook and liking the end result

THREE THINGS YOU HATE ABOUT YOURSELF:

1. Procrastination
2. Self-importance
3. The terrible urge to correct grammar and spelling

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:

1. Mexican
2. American
3. Orange County

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:

1. Heights
2. Nuclear disaster
3. Tidal waves

THREE THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND:

1. High-minded alternative philosophy 
2. String Theory (still trying to understand this)
3. Micro-economics

THREE THINGS THAT ANNOY YOU:

1. Inappropriate pluralization or possessive formation of proper nouns
2. Eating with one's mouth open
3. People who drive like they're the only person on the road

THREE THINGS ON YOUR DESK:

1. Rubber ducks
2. Beanie Tree
3. Dried apricots

THREE THINGS YOU SAY THE MOST:

1. I'm just sayin...
2. Dude
3. ...

THREE PEOPLE YOU SPEND THE MOST TIME WITH:

1. Grace
2. Neighbors
3. Family

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR CLOSE FRIENDS:

1. The diversity
2. Intelligent conversation (no, really)
3. For the unique passions they all possess

THREE REASONS YOU'VE BROKEN UP WITH EXES:

1. For being impossibly fickle
2. High maintenance
3. Not being good enough for them

THREE THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE/SAME SEX THAT MOST APPEALS TO YOU:

1. Intelligence
2. Humor
3. Culture 

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:

1. Water
2. Food
3. Air

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:

1. Brown Sweater
2. Brown Skechers
3. Eyeglasses

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS (or artists (at the moment)):

1. Coldplay
2. The Mars Volta
3. Beck

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS AT PRESENT:

1. Dare (Gorillaz)
2. What You Meant (Franz Ferdinand)
3. Stacked Crooked (the New Pornographers)

THREE NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS

1. Finishing a comic strip
2. Uploading a complete webpage
3. Completing my list of requested illustrations

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP (love is a given):

1. Devotion
2. Honesty
3. Selflessness

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE

1. I used to be extremely frightened at the possibility aliens would abduct me nightly.
2. My family used to have a small, caramel-colored yorkshire terrier named 'Alfred.'
3. My first car was a '66 Ford Mustang with a broken fuel gauge.

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX (or same) THAT APPEAL TO YOU:

1. Lips
2. Smile
3. Do I have to even continue with this...?

THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO:

1. Windows
2. Lie
3. Fall asleep before 9 PM

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:

1. Drawing
2. Writing
3. Comics

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:

1. Leave
2. Nap
3. Snowboard (why isn't it snowing yet??)

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:

1. Illustration
2. Product Designer
3. Mechanical Engineer

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:

1. Peru
2. Brazil
3. England

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:

1. Walk barefoot in the Taj Mahal
2. Camp in the Rain Forest
3. Go on safari through the African Plains

THREE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW OR DIE PAINFULLY:
1. Dollar Bill
2. Camel
3. Any volunteers?

Cinematic PersuAsian

We all had a few days off last week. Time to reflect, time to catch up with those we haven't seen in a while, and time to actually sit down and do absolutely nothing for a day or two.  Knowing that a four-day weekend looms ahead doesn't exactly make everyone the most productive person during the preceding work-week or the weeknights for that matter, but it does get you motivated to take care of some random business so you can actually decompress.  In my case, I found it an ideal opportunity to finally catch up on some Netflix that I had left sitting on the shelf for a couple of weeks. 

 

Maybe I should have let it sit for a bit longer.

 

Well, that's not the right sort of stance I should take, but I shall explain.  A few months ago I was in the grips of catching the wave of new cinema coming out of the East Asian countries of Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong.  Notably, this was followed with viewings of Oldboy and Kung Fu Hustle.  Both innovative in their own right, it shows the new inventiveness being brought out by several new foreign filmmakers and their penchant for using computer-generated imagery in new ways.  Both Chan-Wook Park and Stephen Chow inject a different sensibility in each, which is what makes these movies appealing.  Disturbing, frenetic, and compelling in unique ways, these movies did not prepare me for the last couple I just saw.

 

To say that Audition and Ichi the Killer were different is perhaps an understatement.  What disturbing was in OldBoy was elevated to horrifying.  What was frenetic in Kung Fu Hustle became psychotic.  What did not change, however, was how compelling both films were.  On the surface, you have a couple of B-movie shockfests meant for jaw-dropping, eye-gaping revulsion, but it's not the onscreen bloodbath that is compelling.  These movies are actually decent metaphors for something much deeper and looking past the severed limbs (not even the half of it) and fountains of blood, although difficult, reveals what's lacking from even the most bloated budget films of the West.  What might that be, you ask?  For one, the characters are 3-dimensional with very, very complex personas.  Although replete with visually paralyzing scene after scene, ultimately there was more to take from the movie than hoping I could erase the experience.

 

Which is where my original assessment comes in.  If you thought you were desensitized by whatever Western films have to offer, you have not experienced these films by Takashi Miike.  One might be better off not having seen them not for the images burned into your mind, but for the nagging sense of "WTF?!" that you're left with once the end credits roll.  Some people could find that fact itself reason enough to be turned off, but I kind of like that feeling.  Who says everything has to be Black and White these days anyhow?  I say, the more grey areas we have, the better. 

 

So I'm going to pop more of these into the Queue and see where it takes me.  I dare you to do the same.

Give Thanks

After eating a hearty lunch and a hearty dinner, it's good to be home for a full day with nothing to do. It was good seeing family and eating of course, but it helps you reflect also on the things in your life that you can be happy you have. Your health, your friends, your family, and whatever else makes you happy to be in this world.

Hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving, I know I did.

More to come...

All Right There 'Arry?

A couple of months into the fall/winter movie season and we already have ourselves a winner: The fourth addition to the Harry Potter series of movies, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  Three directors in and it appears to me that the last two actually understand what it means to adapt an enormous book to screen.  Sacrificing what is necessary for cohesion and brevity, both the Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire have done an overly decent job of boiling down the soul of the books, the plots, and the characters into something more promising than the jarring word-for-word translations of Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets.  It's not a knock against the original director, but perhaps it should be.

 

Continuing the maturity set forth in the third film, Mike Newell directs a strong focus on adolescence.  There's anger, there's fear, and there's even the beginnings of young love.  We're introduced to a few new characters, some positively spell-binding special-effects, and plot density aplenty.  Compressed down from 600 pages, Goblet of Fire cannot afford to mince words when it comes to the story, nor can it stand the excess sub-plots lined within the book.  As lean as it appears, it still comes in at two and a half hours.  Maybe overlong for some, I was satisfied with the length.  Maybe a few seconds could have been trimmed here and there, but who knows what was left on the cutting room floor.

 

Coming back to the adolescence at hand, it's safe to say that the young actors who we've watched mature before our eyes have started to look quite comfortable in front of the camera.  The main three of Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson are making names for themselves in these films based on their strengths.  Ron is appropriately flummoxed, Hermione is exceedingly fastidious, and Harry is steadfast as always.  Do we sense that they are comfortable in their skins?  Yes.  Is it sad we do not get to see more of their education unfold?  As a service to the plot, no, but it always did serve to get more enveloped into their 'world' in the previous features.  They've done a fine bit of acting above what they accomplished in Azkaban.  I have full faith they'll carry through in the final three movies.

 

The look, the feel, and the tone of the movie are also markedly different.  One of my friends noted that it was "too dark" but I found it appropriate, given the subject matter.  We're experiencing the same menace at times of danger when it's required and it is only slightly simmering under the surface at other times.  The music is more moody, more brooding.  Almost unnoticed, it's a subtle touch that lends to the weightiness of the subject matter.  We're also treated to some of the best special effects amongst the films thus far.  Seamlessly, the magic that was an everyday happenstance in Azkaban, a marvelous new wonder in Sorcerer's Stone, and an anvil in Chamber, has become awe-inspiring in its elegance.  How far have they come, vision-wise and technology-wise that something new can be brought to the table four movies into the saga.

 

Complaints?  There are few.  Having not read the book in a while, there are some subplots that begged reckoning and I even found myself completely forgetting a few twists and turns, but I still regret that they have not clarified the "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs" label on the Marauder's Map (which happens to be inexplicably absent from the film).  There's terribly little of inter-class conflict and most of the teachers also get almost the same amount of screen-time.  It's all in the name of good storytelling though, as the movie suffers little from the omissions.

 

I'd say this one is very close to overthrowing Azkaban as my favorite of the four.  See it if you haven't, read the book again to refresh your memory, and know that Goblet of Fire is very much worth the wait.

 

Final Score:  4 out of 5 stars.

Disappointment Abounds and the Esprit De Corps

As soon as I start singing praises, the teams go and let me down. I'm not going to make excuses about two key injuries or many others that I could make, but both the basketball and football teams lost games I was certain they could win.

What a disappointment.

I would pout about the basketball team, but they started the season similarly last year, losing some games to teams they should have dragged all over the court. I would complain that the football team is much better than a 3-point effort, but there have been offensive inconsistencies all season. There's still a lot left to look forward to for both teams. Next year, football-wise and an entire season, basketball-wise.

Sigh.

***
Hockey!

The Kings are actually a first place team this year. Last week, thanks to Ms. Lau, we were able to see a game versus her dear, dear Vancouver Canucks. Thanks to some new rules, some young legs, and a close score, the game was a blast. It wouldn't have been that great had they lost though.

I guess this brings about a good point. Why are we so passionate about sports in the first place? Why do I get upset when my favorite team loses? Why do we hate other teams if there's an existing rivalry? When do we start getting so passionate that there's the use of the royal "we" when discussing a game, a team, a championship? Where does this come from?

There's something to be said for school spirit, home-team pride, and unfettered devotion, but what's everyone elses reason for being so dedicated? If anyone has a good opinion. Let me know!

Blue Tights, Red Cape

If you didn't catch it last night, click here to get a peek at the Superman Returns teaser trailer.  It's available for download to either PSP or iPod right now if you want, or just straight to the computer.  Goes to show you how powerful moveable media can be these days that one of the most anticipated movies of next year is being marketed towards such a specific format.  Interesting.

 

Couple of thoughts.  I saw it first-hand last night via the wonders of TiVo and the synchronicity of Smallville and thought, "What a nice trailer."  It didn't really blow me away, it didn't leave me cold, but it was a good set up.  There's not many clear close ups of the Man himself nor of Mr. Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, but a great shot of the Daily Planet and of some Kansas cornfields.  Anticipation is high that they might return some luster to the franchise just as they did with Batman Begins so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Everything I've seen so far from the casting to the costume has been quite promising and positive, so pessimism for me will be at a low.  With the mixed quality of most superhero-based movies these days, you're either going to get Spider-man or the Punisher. 

 

Please let this be the former. 

6th Man, Trent Never Quits, and Miscellany

Let it be known that college basketball season has officially started in California.  For me, it won't officially start until this Saturday, when the Stanford Cardinal Basketball Team opens play.  Being a former member of the 6th Man Club, one might say that I'm passionate, devoted, and maybe a little insane, but nothing beats being in those bleachers for 2 halves of hard court finesse.  It's a testament to the strength of the program that even without the high-flying, numerous NBA draftees that populate other top programs it can still compete amongst the best of them.  There have been a few that have gone on to be successful professionally, but then again, it's all about the team.

 

The true test this year, will be their success in the Pac-10, their continued health, and maybe, just maybe they can pull off another deep run in the NCAA tourney.  The Pac-10 itself looks like it will be very competitive with stiffest competition perhaps coming from the University of Arizona.  Nothing is for sure before the season starts, so I just like to sit back and watch the show.  Maybe I'll even be lucky enough to see a few games live this year.  Who wants to see a game with me this year?

 

***

 

On a related note, a couple weeks ago when the Stanford football team took a beating at the hands of the top-ranked USC Trojans football team, I was witness to a first half filled with sloppy play, inexperience, and plain lack of heart.  There was one bright spot though, that of the starting quarterback Trent Edwards.  A promising recruit out of Los Gatos, he had a lot of promise coming in every year.  Unfortunately, most of his seasons were hampered by injury. At the start of the season, he was knocked out during the first five minutes of an ultimately embarrassing loss that shall not be mentioned.  From this point on, I think we saw a different Trent Edwards.  Perhaps even a tougher one than I have seen in the past.  Actually, I have not been the only one to take notice, seeing as this article from the Chronicle sings his praises as well.

 

Hit after hit, drive after drive, he kept going.  No matter how deep the hole was, or how strong the defensive line of USC came at him, he never quit.  On the field, off the field, that's an inspiration in itself.  Maybe I espouse too much praise, but you can't discount the effort he's put through all season.  Especially after two very difficult losses in a row.

 

This weekend is where it counts though.  What can I say, "Beat Cal!"

 

***

 

OK, I'll try to stop with the sports talk, but what's wrong with a little something new around the ol' blog.  I've been thinking about a few things to add content-wise.  Lazy me, I haven't taken the time to execute them.  Didn't I talk about something different happening a few years ago?  Anyone have suggestions?  I promise it will be worth your while...

 

Make Keens Blog

I second the motion brought forth by Bill: Make Keens Blog!

Death Cab at the Wiltern

Mini Death Cab
Originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

My computer crashed when I was writing this nice post about these nice boys from Seattle, Death Cab for Cutie and their nice performance at the nicest of venues, the Wiltern. I'll dispense with the usual lengthiness and go for a concise rundown of the festivities.

Opening band from Montreal, Stars played a good set full of songs of their latest album Set Yourself on Fire and maybe a few others I hadn't heard before. Very solid opening act, I was entranced by the single, solitary dance the violinist knew and the head tattoo of the drummer. Aside from the almost assymetrical inclusion of a trumpet, their music translates well to the stage. Check out their album if you haven't already.

The main act, Death Cab, displayed a cohesiveness one would expect from professionals, but I was particularly enthralled by how practiced they seemed. Not mechanical at all, these boys know how to perform. Playing many tracks from Plans, it was a crowd-pleasing set for everyone. Even after they pulled out a few songs from the original effort, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, the momentum of the crowd's enthusiasm never let up. I was singularly nonplussed that since the majority of the crowd could have been three-quarters of my age they could be such huge fans in the first place, but it's a testament to the level of quality they produce in the first place. Wouldn't it be great if all acts could gain new listeners as loyal as their original followers?

Great show, they pulled together an amazing encore and even brough Stars back onstage for Transatlanticism. Stirring and emotional, it'll go down in the books as a solid show.

Death Cab for Big Boy

Big Smile, Big Boy
Originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Did I mention we ate at the finest establishment closest to the Wiltern, Bob's Big Boy? A fantastic restaurant my family used to frequent post-Mass, the only change has been the quality of their printed Menu. I scarfed down a Reuben and lemonade for my troubles and got a photo with said Big Boy himself.

Random Internet Survey Post

Rosey Toes celebrates a birthday this week.  As a present, I'm taking the survey from her site and posting it on mine.  Isn't that gracious?

1. Name someone with the same birthday as you:
Supina! My next door neighbor freshman year.

2. Where was your first kiss?
Does anyone really want to know?  I don't think it's that special.

3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
Hrm, I've kicked a hole in a wall at school.  I'm not normally a destructive, vindictive person.  Maybe I'm a ticking time bomb.

4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Not with intent.  I've accidentally struck someone unwittingly though.  I felt horrible...

5. Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people?
Yea, Karaoke was a mandatory skill in high school.  It still is apparently.

6. What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Smile, amongst a bunch of other things.

7.What really turns you on?
Intelligence… HOTT!

8. What do you order at Starbucks?
Chai.  Not too bitter and naturally sweet.

9. What is your biggest mistake?
My biggest mistake has to be filling this little survey out right now.

10. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
Never, that sounds like a psychological problem.

11. Say something totally random about yourself.
I get motion sickness on planes and boats only.  2 directional movement in transportation is ok. 3 directional?  Notsomuch.

12. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
Someone once told me I look like Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park.  Weird.

13. Do you still watch kiddy movies or T.V. shows?
Harry Potter counts, I guess.  So does Wallace and Gromit, but these movies are meant for all ages, right?

14. Did you have braces?
Yup. 2 whole years for nice, straight teeth.

15. Are you comfortable with your height?
At times, but I also wish I could be a tad taller.  Like Skee-lo!

16. What is the most romantic thing someone of the opposite sex has done for you?
So saccharine, the people that read this blog would instantly vomit.

17. When do you know its love?
You know when you lose all sense of reason and feel completely helpless to control your emotions around said person.

18. Do you speak any other languages?
Spanish, somewhat.  Japanese, minimally. Learning others as I type.

19. Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
Never, I can get pretty dark after long exposure to the rays of the sun.

20.What magazines do you read?
Wired and maybe a random issue of Rolling Stone when it interests me.  I'll also pick up an issue of ID, Sketch, Draw!, or How.  How artsy.

21. Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Yup.

22. Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
Not yet...

23. Do you watch MTV?
Sometimes even though I'm sick of their reality shows and I blame them for Tom Green and their fake Orange County show.  It's like a train wreck though, just can't pull your eyes away when channel surfing.

24. What's something that really annoys you?
People who eat with their mouths open.

25. What's something you really like?
Cheese, ice cream, art, movies, and comic books.  There's plenty more I'm sure.

26. Do you like Michael Jackson?
Thriller-era Michael, definitely.  Neverland Ranch Michael?  No.

27. Can you dance?
I'd like to think I have rhythm, but it's been refuted many times.

28. What's the latest you have ever stayed up?
I've stayed up all night many a time.

29. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
No, thank goodness and knock on wood.

30. Do you actually read these when other people fill them out?
Yea, I like to see how people think.  Is that creepy? 

Return to Gotham

View of East River
Originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Right. It's been a couple days and I've finally been able to decompress a bit from our whirlwind trip to Manhattan and parts thereabouts. Fun was had, much food was eaten and many pictures were taken. Check out the Flickr Photoset for more in depth photo analyses.

As far as specifics go, we spent Friday resting from our arriving flight and meandering about the Airtran navigating our way through the subway to the Upper East side abode of our very good friend, Anusha, who was gracious enough to keep us as her apartment-guests for the weekend. After resting our somewhat weary feet, I crashed from the effects of my dramamine and didn't wake up again until sunlight poured into the apartment.

What came next was a short trip crosstown into the East Village for a tour of Parsons, a brief visit to the eclectic shop Mxyplyzyk and an awesome lunch. From there, it was off to The Met via bus.

The museum itself is very large. Perhaps the largest I've been too, but unfortunately, we were unable to experience the vastness of it all due to our walking everywhere and due to time constraints. This also led to us missing out on the awesome experience of seeing any Central Park foliage. A little disappointing, but with the unusual warmth and rain of the last few weeks in New York, there wasn't as spectacular color as one might expect.

The main event of friday was eating at the excellent restaurant, Babbo. In the least amount of words: exquisite. The service was terrific, the food delicious, and there was plenty of ambience to spare. Mario Batali truly outdid himself with his flagship restaurant and being there made me want to see what his other restaurants have to offer as well.

Too full for any more food or activities, we retired and prepared for a massive saturday full of shopping, a trip to the Chelsea Market, and a requisite trip to Toy Tokyo before watching a dismal drubbing of the Stanford Cardinal football team at the hands of the number 1 team in the nation. Nothing to be ashamed of as the second half was much easier to watch than the first.

At any rate, we closed out our trip with a trip to Queens for dim sum in Flushing, an Indian Market in Jackson Heights, and a mad dash to JFK on the R train, the G train, the E train, and the Airtran yet again.

New York was better than I remember. As an adult, I can actually enjoy the late night pizza, the fascinating vibe of the city, and the experience of wandering about on our own just finding our way wherever we want to go. Seeing Parsons did make me think about the possibility of moving back east and the unknown future that I have to face. I've written about this apprehension in a previous post so it doesn't need to be reiterated that the first step is always the most difficult. Being there, however, made it seem much more a reality than ever. The solace I can take now is that I truly have nothing to lose by trying and ultimately, I have the most supportive and loving girlfriend who will support me no matter what. In this I find strength and confidence. So New York waits for now, just as I left it: bustling and hustling ahum with the vigor of an old and dense urban energy.

Holiday!

We're off for a few days to the east coast. Going to see some friends, eat some good food, and watch the alma mater try and rebound from a tough weekend.

Places I'm looking forward to seeing? The Met, the foliage, and the food. Blog report will follow when we return!

Red 5 to Red Leader

Thanks to my good buddy Dollar Bill for tipping me off to the newest company to make its foray into the world of comic books, Red 5 Comics. They're looking for new pros willing to audition themselves. Do I go for it?

Well, here's the rub: I need more work to show off. Really, I'm making the effort to build a respectable portfolio, but procrastination really hurts me more than anything. Is that the diligence one pro told me about? Not really.

What advice do people have for me to whip myself into shape? Anyone?

ADDENDUM: Scott Morse is the latest artist to go into self-publishing. This has to be motivating for the reason that I love Scott Morse's work and that anyone can really do it. Check out the press release at Scott's Blog.