Don't only blame the media for this

I applaud the NYT for this article discussing the lack of research on the media's impact on youths today, but I don't believe that it gets to the roots of this problem. Though the media does have an impact on the viewpoints of young people, I feel that there are other outlets such as parents or school programs that can disseminate truthful and well researched facts.

I spent three years of my life at NYU speaking to other students and learning about topics of sexual health. Yes, you may have seen me at your dorm talking about how to correctly put on and dispose of condoms, or talking about sex toys and orgasms. These are topics and issues that I have grown comfortable with and enjoy speaking openly about. It is important for our youth to understand and to know the truth about sex and everything that comes along with it. Abstinence based sexual education should not use scare tactics to villify the act of making love. We need to communicate and to foster an environment where young people feel comfortable speaking up with their concerns about sex so that they are able to make sound decisions.

What are your thoughts?

Ho Haole, We Go North Shore

Must have been a haole who wrote this New York Times Travel article. Speaking as a kama'aina, the article is well and good, but she called the foreigners Howlie. Teehee. Also, she didn't mention Matsumoto's shave ice or Giovanni's shrimp truck. Major deductions for that. Did I mention that I miss the warmth of the ocean and sandy haired boys?

I'd be good at writing these lists . . .

I'm sure everyone has their own mental lists of the most loathsome people, but here's The BEAST's 50 Most Loathsome Americans of 2005. My favorite quote is,

"The fact that Coulter is considered desirable by Republicans betrays their sick and masochistic nature. We saw Coulter in person this year, and she is a revolting skeleton with a boob job and a grotesquely oversized head, who feeds only on the hatred of her target audience, liberals. Sole redeeming quality is that she is impossible to take seriously--she's really more of a shock comic than a political commentator, whether she knows it or not".

I do find Miss Coulter to be quite comical. I also think that I would be a star at writing these comments. Bitter, cutting, snarky wit. I also want to write slogans for the Blockheads monkey. Gotta love the girls for unlimited mimosas with brunch. Must do more looping. To party, see improv, rock concert, or veg tonight? THAT is the question.

Do you sleep anymore?

I think that Lisa Loeb is my personality soulmate. A Brown alumni petite pro choice feminist singer songwriter. Ah a girl after my own heart and oh so likeable.

Don't Rip Me Off!

I am the Queen of receipt checking, you should be too. Protect yourself.

Who is with me?

First of all, I'm a little bit sad I didn't pick up those Strokes tickets when I had a chance this morning because they were sold out within half an hour for both New York shows. My only hope is that they add a third for that Sunday. I will just buy tickets and figure out a companion later, though a call to John this morning seemed promising that he'd be up for it. Fingers crossed people.

Also in ticket news, I just remembered that I bought these:

and I may not have a companion, so if you're interested, let me know.

Another ticket newsworthy item...My boss is getting me two tickets to Monty Python's Spamalot, which I also may not have a companion for. I thought about just asking her for one ticket to that and saving the other for something else, perhaps Wicked, but that would be greedy. So friends, now you know why it pays to love me.

The lengths people go to for marijuana

Would you look at this photograph and article on smuggling pot into America? Sounds just as nice as my apartment. Why not legalize marijuana already so this doesn't become a problem?

Hot Asian Alert

Not only thanks to my dear buddy xangan Helen, but definitely in response to her latest post, I must post a droolworthy photograph of Takeshi Kaneshiro. Hapas unite!



It might be worth a trip to Taiwan just to glimpse this pretty little face. Speaking of travelling, I'm planning trips. I'm either going to stick to the USA and do something like Florida or just go up to Boston, but I'm also thinking of going all out to Rome or Paris again or Amsterdam. Any ideas? Anyone want to come with?

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Doing some research so as not to misspeak on my law school personal statements, I came across this, and this, and this, and this. It's a wonder that mixed kids aren't more screwed up with all the differing definitions people impose on them. Let us be!

I've always wanted to make movies...

THIS sounds like the kind of game I could get into. My movies would be awesome/action-packed/dramatic/and.down.right.scandalous.

"They're all a bunch of whores" says Lou Reed

Head on over to the New York Daily News to hear Lou Reed's choice words about Factory girl. I bet he's right.

Want to date me?

The weekend is a time where I need some space from this blog, but usually only because I'm not at a place where I have hi-speed internet access available. Here I am though, in full force and looking for people to go out with during the next two weeks. If you are still in the dark as to why, check THIS out. Pretty please with sugar on top. If there's anything in the world that I love, it's food.

Looking to ease situation between Japan and China? Look no further than BOOBS

You have to love the folks over at OhNoTheyDidn't for not only giving us updates on Vaughniston and Britney Spears' latest religious dabblings, but for the international story of an 11 year old Japanese songstress whose breasts may be "soothing" the tension between Japan and China. I hope you all get a a laugh out of this.

Personal Statement

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am currently in the process of applying to law school. I have always been hungry for knowledge, experience, practice, challenge, a student of NYU, the city, and the world. One would think then, that I would have no problem finding inspiration to write this stinking personal statement. It seems simple really, write about yourself, but hot damn that is the hardest thing ever. Lord knows it's just about pimping myself out. Write about accomplishments, challenges, hardships you've overcome, blah blah blah, I just don't feel comfortable doing this. Even besides all this, I am not naturally a writer of papers like these. I write poetry. I write psychology research papers. I can even draft legal letters and documents these days. I am just out of my mind with this short, snappy, convince other people I'm good enough to get into school. Needless to say, I've been on a rampage trying to find any sort of inspiration. So, I'm calling on you all, all three of you who read this, and I know your names, to give me some ideas. Maybe just a few word prompt, a compelling sentence, a topic, themed idea. Help me darlings. I promise to repay you with stellar cookies, brownies, haupia, or mochi.

PSA #1

For your own good and the goodness of movie lovers across the land, please do NOT go see THIS PIECE OF CRAP MOVIE. Forget Tarantino and Takashi Miike, this movie is utter filth with no plot, no likeable characters and rampant, useless gore intended to induce nothing more than vomit. At least Eurotrip offers a comedic portrayal of Bratislava. I'm sure tourism isn't too hot there these days. The only redeeming quality was that is was only an hour and a half long, but I'd still have chosen a bikini wax over seeing that movie, even if it was paid for.

PS - I haven't been home since Saturday morning and it is now Tuesday evening. It feels good to be here, but strange to be alone. I'll post pics of the weekend sometime this week. NJ and Philly occupied my time. How has everyone been?

Left handedness is a blessing.

A friend of mine is apparently attempting to learn to be left handed. His first question to me was, "How do you keep from running your hand over the ink and smearing it all over?". I replied by informing him that my sixth grade science project was inventing a contraption that would prevent ink from being smeared by running your left hand over it as you write. Too bad the thing never caught on. Perhaps I should speak with one of the IP attorneys about patenting my idea anyway.

Thinking of random "facts" that I have heard about being left handed I decided to do a little investigating. Wikipedia's Left Handed page has a plethora of information. Highlights include: only 10% of the population is left handed, left handers may be more likely to have higher intelligence or be mentally challenged, we lefties may be a product of higher than average levels of testosterone in the womb, and may be more likely to be sexual predators against children. Eee. There's also some interesting theories of why right handedness is dominant.

There have definitely been quite a few famous south paws. Some of the most interesting include: former President Bill Clinton, Da Vinci (questionably), Osama bin Laden, Jimi Hendrix, Robert De Niro, Scarlett Johansson, and Angelina Jolie.

Any of you folks out there in the minority like me? Anyone pity me and want to buy me left handed products?

The hardest thing for me to deal with being left handed is having to reach across my body with my subway card to swipe in. Try it next time and see how annoying it is.

Because I'm not an airhead

I know most posts in this blog have revolved around television and the world of celebrity gossip, but believe me, I have quite diverse interests. One of my favorite things to do at work while diligently preparing spreadsheets is listen to OYEZ.org, which provides the audio to cases argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. So far, I've only completed a few, such as 438 U.S. 265 (1978), which is an affirmative action case that concluded that race is a valid criteria for admissions, but still let the white boy into medical school, after being rejected twice, since his GPA and MCATs were better than the minorities that they admitted. Let me just tell you though, hearing lawyers argue their case, putting the puzzle together and just nailing their points is such a trip. Anyone else on the law school path here? I need nerdy friends.

It's . . .

Friday the 13th. Watch out for black cats, walking under ladders, and psycho murderers! Have good times on your three day weekends kiddies and enjoy your freedom from school while it lasts since NYUers go back on Tuesday. I miss school. :(

I wanna be like Dog (and healthy).

I'm sure some of you have heard of or seen Dog the Bounty Hunter. I wrote it off at first thinking it would just be some trash-talking hulk of a man, reformed criminal with a hero complex. I couldn't have been more wrong, in fact Dog is an exemplary human being. Sure he's rough around the edges, a man with a hardened criminal past, but he shows an amazing amount of kindness, empathy, and forgivenes. Bottom line is, he really understands what has happened to these people, he sees beyond their crimes and mistakes and is deeply committed to trying to help them see what they are doing to themselves. He cares about people and for the most part, once the person is in his hands, treats them with respect and goes beyond the call of duty to give them as pleasant of an experience as they could have before going back to jail. Every episode I see of this show, I am more and more impressed by how wise and genuine he is. This year I'm trying to take some lessons from Dog.

In other news, America <3s Fat People. "It turns out health is a wonderful topic to talk about," Balzer said. "But to live that way is a real effort." Wellie wellie wellie well, I am very much afraid of becoming the picture of American obesity since society has equated heaviness with disgust and lack of control, not that I agree with it. It is a bit strange to see the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. Of course fat people should be accepted, but why broadcast and brag about possibly being quite unhealthy?

Recently there have been a few very revealing conversations at work about body image and our culture's obsession with thinness. It seems that America has become a polarized nation. I am not convinced that we have really hit the peak of the obsession with cadaverous bodies and I'm pretty sure we're not all going to go out and hug a fat person, but it does sort of seem like happy medium can been reached. Really my biggest concern is that myself, family, and friends are healthy and happy. In fact, I just joined NYSC. Want to be my gym buddy?

Celebrity Bashing Blogs Make Me Blush (with delight)

So, after a hiatus of about three years, I apparently have become a Village Voice fan again. Yesterday there was this article pushing the best of the best celebrity gossip blogs. Now, the analysis of celebrity gossip blogs in an alternative news source seems pretty appropriate, but none of those descriptions matter to me, my faves have always been ONTD! and PITNB. So if you're jonesing for an article about which celebrity blogs are witty and which are bitchfests, or just want to hear more about Angelina's Pregnancy, check them out. Any celebrity blogs out there that I'm still in the dark on?

Sharing is Caring

This Village Voice article features a comrade of mine from NYU. Their plight seems reminiscent of the "brotherhood" in 1984, but the International Free Culture Movement has been going strong and growing since 2004. Fred, with his co-founder and fellow members of Free Culture @ NYU keep a running blog of their events should anyone in the NYC area want to take part. I highly recommend checking these out, whether you are someone who's interested in Intellectual Property laws or just someone who enjoys being able to share burned CDs.

You're so vain / You probably think this song is about you

Breakdown . . . Celebrity Facial Recognition (CFR).

So, in the name of science and vanity I show my face in hopes of deciphering which "celebrities" I resemble.

Here I am:

. . .

and I am 62% Ayumi Hamasaki, who is a sassy Japanese pop singer and idol!

59% Elisha Cuthbert of The Girl Next Door and 24 fame.

58% Elizabeth Taylor. Woohoo lots of marriages.

57% Ziyi Zhang. If I only had a Hero like she did.

Tied with 57% is Lara Croft herself, Angelina Jolie.

56% old school movie star Greta Garbo.

I am 53% sexy starlet Kim Novak.

And, last but not least, I am also 53% Preity Zinta, who is surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, the only Indian woman I resemble (besides mom!).

Do you agree with any of this? Take some time out and check yourselves out. Let me know your celebrity twinsies.

Boy do I know some people who could be taken down for this . . .

Annoyance may now be illegal? No comment besides the fact that I know people who will be affected by it.

Hawaiian Sun

Why would one ever choose to leave this behind? You tell me!

Secrets of Bloggers

One thing that I've learned about blogging, at least for me, is that inspiration strikes in waves. Thought after thought, topic after topic to debate flow freely from the mind. The key to being successful with this pursuit is to refrain from giving it all away at once. Pace yourself. When topics float to the surface, take note of them, but by no means should you blog it all out at once. I believe this wil be my ultimate demise and the reason this "blog" will ultimately fail to mean anything to anyone. Just today I had thoughts about blogging about: 1984, my inexplicable WSJ subscription, lingerie and why women wear it, photographs, the importance of sexual education in schools, and writing poetry. Maybe someday I will get around to it all, or maybe the inspiration to write is gone.

I will leave y'all with a Times article that I enjoyed. In fact, I taught a whole recitation about it for Intro to Psych. The Cuteness Factor.

Bloggerific!

So, I am the type of person who starts a lot of these blog type things and signs up for every silly friend connecting service. So one may ask, why should anyone believe that I will keep this up? The truth is, I couldn't tell you. I am not quite sure that this will last and I'm not quite sure what the purpose will be and I'm quite certain that no one will be interested in it. Perhaps 2006 will be my muse for written communications. Oohlala!