I saw AnnaMaria, Kaitlin, Alex, and Karina last night.I
It's like I hadn't seen them for a year - not four (+).
Good to know that I can still make them laugh.
We nixed Twilight and saw Quantum of Solace. Glad we did.
It's been a long time; the last movie I saw in theaters was The Bourne Ultimatum.
Funny I mentioned those two together. It's really true how Bond's been re-vamped for the "Bourne generation."
Saturday, November 29
Friday, November 28
Male Scent
P.O.L.L. (Philosophy or Life Lessons)
This is a new section where I expound, profess, express, profound, regress . . . all the usual. [1]
The Axe Effect
Axe/Tag body spray is a product with genius marketing strategy:
"Axe Deodorant Bodyspray is the all-over bodyspray with long-lasting fragrance and effective deodorant protection designed to seduce the ladies. If you spray it, they will come."
In real life, all girls know that Axe smells gross and has no drawing power. All females avoid the scent.
My friend Hannah says this is an example of how false advertising can make people buy anything.
But I say no - Axe is the result of some brilliant feminist infiltration!
Here's how it when down.
Woman A, after a bad experience with a d-bag, is talking to her friends about dating:
Woman A: "He seemed so nice. But then I came back from the bathroom and he was all over the waitress, and in public! I had to run home to wash the skeeze off me."
Friends: "Aww . . . "
Woman A: "There's a lot of strong, intelligent, respectable guys out there, but how in the world am I supposed to separate the good ones from the jerks?"
Woman B who happens to be a chemical engineer: "I know! If we could get them all to wear this anti-pheromone spray I just developed . . ."
Friends: "How do we get them to do that?"
Woman C who happens to be in advertising: "Well . . ."
And they came up with a campaign. They found a target demographic: the kind of young males inclined to believe that they could douse themselves in a $5 bottle of chemicals and therefore induce hordes of females to chase after them. They made it smell bad to girls, and okay to boys.
The avoidance success rate still hovers around 93%. Girls have been able to avoid encounters after sniffs from distances anywhere between 50 and 150 meters. "Nice guy" dates are up 34 percent.
Axe also causes girls to deepen their understanding and appreciation for regular boy smell.
So thank you, whoever is behind Axe.
This is a new section where I expound, profess, express, profound, regress . . . all the usual. [1]
The Axe Effect
Axe/Tag body spray is a product with genius marketing strategy:
"Axe Deodorant Bodyspray is the all-over bodyspray with long-lasting fragrance and effective deodorant protection designed to seduce the ladies. If you spray it, they will come."
In real life, all girls know that Axe smells gross and has no drawing power. All females avoid the scent.
My friend Hannah says this is an example of how false advertising can make people buy anything.
But I say no - Axe is the result of some brilliant feminist infiltration!
Here's how it when down.
Woman A, after a bad experience with a d-bag, is talking to her friends about dating:
Woman A: "He seemed so nice. But then I came back from the bathroom and he was all over the waitress, and in public! I had to run home to wash the skeeze off me."
Friends: "Aww . . . "
Woman A: "There's a lot of strong, intelligent, respectable guys out there, but how in the world am I supposed to separate the good ones from the jerks?"
Woman B who happens to be a chemical engineer: "I know! If we could get them all to wear this anti-pheromone spray I just developed . . ."
Friends: "How do we get them to do that?"
Woman C who happens to be in advertising: "Well . . ."
And they came up with a campaign. They found a target demographic: the kind of young males inclined to believe that they could douse themselves in a $5 bottle of chemicals and therefore induce hordes of females to chase after them. They made it smell bad to girls, and okay to boys.
The avoidance success rate still hovers around 93%. Girls have been able to avoid encounters after sniffs from distances anywhere between 50 and 150 meters. "Nice guy" dates are up 34 percent.
Axe also causes girls to deepen their understanding and appreciation for regular boy smell.
So thank you, whoever is behind Axe.
Sunday, November 16
A Serious Heart to Heart
Where do I see myself in the next 5 years? I really don't know.
Just kidding!
Just kidding!
Saturday, November 15
Thursday, November 13
Quick Interview
Facebook Style Questions
What celebrity do people say you look like?
Diana Taurasi, point guard in the WNBA.
My personal philosophy is...
to go to new places and do things that have never been done before. Also, it's better to burn out than to fade away.
Which sport is the best to watch?
Hockey, gymnastics.
What music should they play at your funeral?
3rd movement of Philip Glass's Symphony No.3, and Cat Stevens's "Peace Train"
I wouldn't mind being stuck in a closet with . . .
a hammock.
What's your favorite candy?
The vanilla sticks that come with Fun Dip.
People think that I'm . . .
really outgoing, but I'm not. I just aspire to be fearless.
What's your favorite 80's band?
Joy Division.
What are three ways you're making the world a better place?
I smile at strangers, I listen to problems, and I eat vegetarian.
What's your dream job?
Astronaut.
Do you sleep on your side, back, or stomach?
Stomach.
What's the first thing you do when you wake up?
Go back to sleep.
What's your favorite restaurant?
Salvador Molly's.
How old were you the last time you trick-or-treated?
19. I love Halloween.
I feel naked without my . . .
choreography journal.
What's your earliest memory?
Trying to eat carpet.
Quick! Write the last sentence of your biography.
Then she ascended into the heavens.
What celebrity do people say you look like?
Diana Taurasi, point guard in the WNBA.
My personal philosophy is...
to go to new places and do things that have never been done before. Also, it's better to burn out than to fade away.
Which sport is the best to watch?
Hockey, gymnastics.
What music should they play at your funeral?
3rd movement of Philip Glass's Symphony No.3, and Cat Stevens's "Peace Train"
I wouldn't mind being stuck in a closet with . . .
a hammock.
What's your favorite candy?
The vanilla sticks that come with Fun Dip.
People think that I'm . . .
really outgoing, but I'm not. I just aspire to be fearless.
What's your favorite 80's band?
Joy Division.
What are three ways you're making the world a better place?
I smile at strangers, I listen to problems, and I eat vegetarian.
What's your dream job?
Astronaut.
Do you sleep on your side, back, or stomach?
Stomach.
What's the first thing you do when you wake up?
Go back to sleep.
What's your favorite restaurant?
Salvador Molly's.
How old were you the last time you trick-or-treated?
19. I love Halloween.
I feel naked without my . . .
choreography journal.
What's your earliest memory?
Trying to eat carpet.
Quick! Write the last sentence of your biography.
Then she ascended into the heavens.
Monday, November 10
Ancestry
It's some kind of Heritage Week here at CC.
Mom and Dad, where are we from?
I'm Irish, Polish, French-Canadian, and Croatian. I want to know exactly where we come from.
Especially Croatia. You know, I would like to identify most strongly with my Croatian ancestry.
Poland
I have no idea.
Ireland
County Cork and County Mayo. But what towns?
Croatia
Cittavecchia, the Italian name for Stari Grad, a town on the island of Hvar in Dalmatia, Croatia.
Correct?
France/French Canada
Also no idea.
Mom and Dad, where are we from?
I'm Irish, Polish, French-Canadian, and Croatian. I want to know exactly where we come from.
Especially Croatia. You know, I would like to identify most strongly with my Croatian ancestry.
Poland
I have no idea.
Ireland
County Cork and County Mayo. But what towns?
Croatia
Cittavecchia, the Italian name for Stari Grad, a town on the island of Hvar in Dalmatia, Croatia.
Correct?
France/French Canada
Also no idea.
Friday, November 7
Whoa. Fullerton.
Two of Sammi's best friends from Orange County are visiting this weekend. They are Allison and Sandra. I know them slightly because they helped me with Sammi's birthday present[1] over the summer. They came in late last night, and they're sleeping on our futon / floor pads.
I told them I was from Portland, Oregon, but I was originally from Fullerton, California. Allison said, "Me too!" She looked familiar, but probably only because I'd seen her picture on Sammi's Facebook page.
Everyone but me got to sleep in this morning. After my class, we met up back in the dorm room before lunch, and Allison asked if I had ever played soccer. Specifically, Fullerton Rangers Youth Soccer. She was unsure about why she kind of recognized me. But that was all I needed to go on.
We were on the same team when we were 12.
Intense.
Footnote:
[1] For Sammi's birthday, I handmade a book containing things that she loves.
I put in old Greek myths, poetry, quotations by her favorite writers (Dumas, Homer, Steinbeck, Whitman), the Coffee Psalm, her favorite short story: A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas, jokes, wordplays and puzzles, and Did You Know?s. I also contacted all of her best friends to ask them, "What is your favorite spoken word?" I put a list of those in the book. How did I find out who her best friends were? I used Sammi's Facebook. I looked to see who she designated as her "Top Friends," and who she conversed with the most in the digital world. Then I emailed those people behind Sammi's back. It was very sneaky
I told them I was from Portland, Oregon, but I was originally from Fullerton, California. Allison said, "Me too!" She looked familiar, but probably only because I'd seen her picture on Sammi's Facebook page.
Everyone but me got to sleep in this morning. After my class, we met up back in the dorm room before lunch, and Allison asked if I had ever played soccer. Specifically, Fullerton Rangers Youth Soccer. She was unsure about why she kind of recognized me. But that was all I needed to go on.
We were on the same team when we were 12.
Intense.
Footnote:
[1] For Sammi's birthday, I handmade a book containing things that she loves.
I put in old Greek myths, poetry, quotations by her favorite writers (Dumas, Homer, Steinbeck, Whitman), the Coffee Psalm, her favorite short story: A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas, jokes, wordplays and puzzles, and Did You Know?s. I also contacted all of her best friends to ask them, "What is your favorite spoken word?" I put a list of those in the book. How did I find out who her best friends were? I used Sammi's Facebook. I looked to see who she designated as her "Top Friends," and who she conversed with the most in the digital world. Then I emailed those people behind Sammi's back. It was very sneaky
Saturday, November 1
Block 3: Elementary Chinese
I know you all want to know how the class is going.
This is the quiz from Day 2:
I'm unofficial study buddies with Connor, my next-door-neighbor. His roommate George is fluent. We memorize characters for hours in my room, and bang on George's door for pronunciation help. Shan-Shan, my friend and Molly McGee's former roommate, is fluent, too, so she helps me with characters. However, she speaks with a southern accent, almost Cantonese, so I don't ask her for any help with pronunciation. For example, she pronounces her own name "San-San."
Across the hall is Rosie, who has rosy-colored hair. She's in the class.
Paul's in the class, too. He is the unicycle enthusiast from Maryland. My friend Joel is his R.A.
I love the teacher, Hong. She is really good, and patient, and we can understand her thick Chinese accent, and it's fun to say something to make her giggle.
There's 10 people in the class, 5 boys and 5 girls. Four are sophomores, the rest are freshmen. A few of them have been to China, but on the first day no one knew more than a few words. Now at the end of Week 1 we know a bunch of words. No one's too shy to ask questions. We meet every morning from 9 to noon, and on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays from 1 to 2pm. The afternoons help, and they're not nearly as long as science labs. The visiting student from China helps teach these. Her name is Lu.
To answer the question on how I'm doing: it's pretty fantastic. I'm never behind, and often ahead. The only person doing better than me is Rosie, and she has two adopted sisters from China.
Starting Monday, we aren't allowed to use our English names. Jiang Hong Laŏshī (Professor Hong Jiang) gave us names that sound similar to our given names. Kathryn Rafter is now Kaīlĭng Rèn. Since you put the surname first in China, it's really Rèn Kāilĭng.
My first name, Kāi Lĭng, means "open leader." The initial Kai-Ling that the professor came up with meant "graceful gentleness." Paul, Connor, and Rosie said it definitely did not describe me. No worries, because I found a better name by accident. During lab I put my name in the wrong pinyin on a document, and it generated different characters. Hong told me what they meant, and she said I should keep them.
The surname Rèn means assign, appoint, office, or responsibility. It's a somewhat common name.
I don't think Hong Laŏshī (Professor Hong) will call me Rèn, so I'll probably just get everyone to shorten Kāilĭng to Kāi.
This is the quiz from Day 2:
I'm unofficial study buddies with Connor, my next-door-neighbor. His roommate George is fluent. We memorize characters for hours in my room, and bang on George's door for pronunciation help. Shan-Shan, my friend and Molly McGee's former roommate, is fluent, too, so she helps me with characters. However, she speaks with a southern accent, almost Cantonese, so I don't ask her for any help with pronunciation. For example, she pronounces her own name "San-San."
Across the hall is Rosie, who has rosy-colored hair. She's in the class.
Paul's in the class, too. He is the unicycle enthusiast from Maryland. My friend Joel is his R.A.
I love the teacher, Hong. She is really good, and patient, and we can understand her thick Chinese accent, and it's fun to say something to make her giggle.
There's 10 people in the class, 5 boys and 5 girls. Four are sophomores, the rest are freshmen. A few of them have been to China, but on the first day no one knew more than a few words. Now at the end of Week 1 we know a bunch of words. No one's too shy to ask questions. We meet every morning from 9 to noon, and on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays from 1 to 2pm. The afternoons help, and they're not nearly as long as science labs. The visiting student from China helps teach these. Her name is Lu.
To answer the question on how I'm doing: it's pretty fantastic. I'm never behind, and often ahead. The only person doing better than me is Rosie, and she has two adopted sisters from China.
Starting Monday, we aren't allowed to use our English names. Jiang Hong Laŏshī (Professor Hong Jiang) gave us names that sound similar to our given names. Kathryn Rafter is now Kaīlĭng Rèn. Since you put the surname first in China, it's really Rèn Kāilĭng.
My first name, Kāi Lĭng, means "open leader." The initial Kai-Ling that the professor came up with meant "graceful gentleness." Paul, Connor, and Rosie said it definitely did not describe me. No worries, because I found a better name by accident. During lab I put my name in the wrong pinyin on a document, and it generated different characters. Hong told me what they meant, and she said I should keep them.
The surname Rèn means assign, appoint, office, or responsibility. It's a somewhat common name.
I don't think Hong Laŏshī (Professor Hong) will call me Rèn, so I'll probably just get everyone to shorten Kāilĭng to Kāi.
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