Christmas 2009

Every other year, it seems like Christmas is celebrated either at my place or at my cousin's. I think the best part about the holiday is that you get to spend a lot of time with family members you normally don't see on a regular basis. For me, since all of my cousins on my mother's side are older than me (interestingly enough, each approximately older by 10, 8, 6, and 4 years, respectively), they have their own lives to manage... work, bills, even children.

My little niece, Waverly, who I've mentioned before in a Thanksgiving post has gotten even bigger. Still, she's only about 1.5 years old. But now, in comparison to her personality a month ago, little Waverly has an attitude now. She's far more open than I've ever remembered, with even more energy, and still with as much brains as she's always had.

My cousin David recorded this video. Waverly's bilingual, which I believe contributes a lot to her intelligence. Split between English and Mandarin, she now understands (albeit limited amounts) complete sentences and can form simple ones of her own. In this video, she pretty much repeats how much she "loves chicken." But at the same time, she constantly repeats the phrase, "love you," after declaring her unrequited love for poultry.

Later on, Waverly plays the role of a little Santa, distributing presents to everyone. As I've mentioned in the Thanksgiving post, she's really keen on Chinese family titles. She is able to differentiate between uncles and aunts from either the mother's or father's side, sisters, grandparents, great-grandparents, great aunts and uncles, and so on. Asking Waverly to deliver a present to an aunt, she'll scamper off with the box in hand and eagerly hand over the gift without wasting any time.

Once she hits 2 years old (the infamous age of the "terrible two"), I wonder how she'll be then?

And here's another family photo taken by my cousin David.

Random Thoughts from People 25-35 Years of Age

(My friend sent me this so I thought I'd share. I don't know how many of you already saw this but if you did, good for you.)

- I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

- More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can
think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell
my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves
me.

- Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you
realize you're wrong.

- I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to
have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and
sticks when they've invented the lighter?

- Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're
going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to
be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the
direction from which you came, you have to first do something like
check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to
yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're
crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

- That's enough, Nickelback.

- I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was
younger.

- Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know"
feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose
not to be friends with?

- Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't
work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically
fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all
know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards
or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

- There is a great need for sarcasm font.

- Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and
suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first
saw it.

- I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually
becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting
90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's
laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little
bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the
only one who really, really gets it.

- How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

- I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than
take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear
your computer history if you die.

- The only time I look forward to a red light is when I?m trying to
finish a text.

- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the
spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to
say".

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron
test is absolutely petrifying.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",
all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod
and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up
to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in'
examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete
idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and
said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

- What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each
other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and
instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I
know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the
person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the
shower first and THEN turn on the water.

- Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,
and you can wear them forever.

- I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

- Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their
profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got
the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if
I do!

- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

- If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring
would probably just be completely invisible.

- Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go
around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly
nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be
a problem....

- You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work
when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.

- Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't
want to have to restart my collection.

- There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are
going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

- I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me
if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I
swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

- I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people
watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will
they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't
watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and
leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

- I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?
Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and
goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone
and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not
seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

- When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she
hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light
internet stalking.

- I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,
then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

- Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising
speed for pedophiles...

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,
but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

- Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still
not know what time it is.

- It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

- I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to
answer when they call.

- Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with
it.

- Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car
keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the
Donkey - but I?d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze
button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time
every time...

- My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would
happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

- It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and
the link takes me to a video instead of text.

- I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they
drive behind obeys the speed limit.

- I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

- I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or
Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

- The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw
they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words,
someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think
about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people
eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by
myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard
before dinner.


Keep waving

-Rehan

Several Nature Photos

I found some photos scattered throughout my main hard drive that I took in the past. I don't know why -- perhaps for artistic purposes -- they are in black and white.

Mostly nature-themed, I think I might actually incorporate some of these photos in Asian Outlook's Conscience section in the first Spring '10 issue. There are others lying around, but these three are probably my favorite ones:


Flower Blossom

Simple and delicate. Much like many nature-themed photos I periodically take, they are direct and definitive, self-explanatory, and genuine.

I only wish I knew what kind of flower this is. It adds a fresh taste, since photos of generic tulips and roses grow boring after a while.






Mantis

When I was a kid, I was absolutely obsessed over an insect called the praying mantis. They were huge, averaging between 4 to 6 inches. If I recall correctly, this photo was taken in Taiwan, where I found a mantis that was nearly the length of my hand (around 6-7 inches).

Now that I think about it, I'm still fascinated with these badass, predatory insects...






Longhorn Beetle

Don't let it fool you, this little insect does not quite match up in size with the mantis. Also taken in Taiwan, near a Buddhist temple, the beetle probably fared no more than 2 inches in length.

Interestingly enough, since this was taken at a temple, visitors and monks alike granted this critter a safe path to the nearby gardens, where it immediately blended into the vegetation.

Article: Hideki Matsui

Asian Outlook is putting out a new issue before the end of the semester. A while ago, I finished a short article after the New York Yankees claimed their 27th World Series title on Hideki Matsui. This article will show up in the upcoming issue.

Godzilla for New York
Jeff Hwang

Asked how he felt after playing one of the greatest games in World Series history, the soft-spoken Hideki Matsui simply said it was “unbelievable.” His team, after enduring 162 games through 181 days of the regular baseball season and 15 games through 29 days of the postseason, the New York Yankees emerged once again as the champions of baseball.

Matsui, 35, became a one-man army in New York’s clinching game against the Philadelphia Phillies on November 4, 2009. Despite missing a significant amount of at-bats due to the lack of the designated hitter position when playing on National League turf, Matsui still hit 8-for-13 (a .615 batting average), including a double, 3 home runs, with 8 runs batted in. However, out of those 8 RBIs, 6 of them came in the clinching game when Matsui went 3-for-4, hitting a two-run home run, a two-run single, and then a two-run double in three consecutive at-bats to cap his explosive night. The performance was tied for a record setter, matching Bobby Richardson’s feat with the 1960 New York Yankees, and allowed Matsui to claim the prestigious MVP award of the 2009 World Series.

It marked the first time that a Japanese-born player was named the MVP of the World Series. In his final contract year with the Yankees, it may be possible that Matsui’s time in New York has finally expired. The man nicknamed “Godzilla” in both Japan and the United States came a long way, though, with the sport of baseball mixed into his blood at an early age.

In 1977, at the age of three, Hideki Matsui started his baseball career simply by playing catch with his father. When he was ten years old, the future star joined his first baseball team. Originally batting right-handed, Matsui was actually forced to bat lefty after his older brother and friends felt that they were being overpowered by the young star. Consequently, Matsui became the powerful left-handed batter that the baseball world knows of today. He quickly steamrolled through high school baseball teams and eventually claimed the nickname, “Godzilla,” as his own. The young Matsui’s ability was recognized in the Japanese professional baseball league, which led to a first round draft pick to join the Yomiuri Giants—the Japanese team equivalent to the United States’ New York Yankees.

In ten seasons as an outfielder with the Giants (1993 to 2002), Matsui’s name became a label for power hitting. Averaging more than 30 home runs per season (with a single season high of 50 in his final season in Japan) and holding a career average of .304, Matsui epitomized power as fellow countryman Ichiro Suzuki defined contact and speed. Tearing up Japanese pitchers, Matsui was awarded MVP honors three times in the Japanese league (1996, 2000, and 2002). With virtually the entire spotlight focused on him after Ichiro departed for the Seattle Mariners in the United States, it was inevitable that the MLB would eventually set its sights on the star player. At the same time, though, Matsui already had plans to move to the United States after his final contract year with the Yomiuri Giants.

In 2003, after winning the Japanese championship for the third time and claiming his third MVP award, Matsui signed a three-year deal to play left field with the New York Yankees and began his MLB career as seen today. With the loss of star players Ichiro and Matsui, Japanese baseball fans began tuning into American baseball broadcasts more than ever. It was no longer unusual for baseball fans in Japan to wake up on early mornings to catch the night games in the United States.

Matsui, like Ichiro, adjusted to the American style of baseball rather quickly. Reinforcing his role as “Godzilla,” Matsui instantly achieved fame by belting a grand slam in his debut game as a Yankee. Consistently, Matsui settled into his power hitter mode in the United States, without losing a beat since crossing overseas. From 2003 to 2005, Matsui drove in over 100 runs per season. Because of the productivity, Matsui earned himself a new contract through 2009.

Unfortunately, injuries plagued the aging slugger in 2006 and 2008, reducing his offensive output. With his knees shaken up and his speed reduced, Matsui was relegated to the designated hitter role for the majority of his playing time. Nonetheless, when he was healthy, Matsui still proved to be a recurrent power source. In 2007, he continued to maintain his consistency by driving in over 100 runs for the fourth time in five seasons. But even with his successes between 2003 and 2008, Matsui had yet to win a championship with the New York Yankees. As his knees continued to fall out of shape, Matsui was finally taken out of the outfield for fulltime services as a designated hitter in 2009. Regardless, he settled into his new role and immediately set the record for the most home runs in a single season by a Yankee designated hitter, driving out a total of 28.

Everything changed in that fateful year, when Matsui helped carry the Yankees over the Phillies in a 4-2 World Series, claiming his aforementioned series MVP award along with his first championship in a Yankee uniform. As if playing from a storybook, it may be time for Godzilla to bid farewell to New York, with limited options available for the shy and humble power hitter. He can still sign another extended contract with the Yankees—provided that the organization makes the offer, he can sign with a different team, or he can retire and return to Japan as a World Series champion.

For a player who usually stays away from media attention, Matsui made it publicly clear that he wishes to remain in New York. Playing with the idea of a contract extension, Matsui said through his interpreter, “I hope so. I love New York. I love the fans here.”

Sources:
http://www.mlb.com
http://www.yankees.com
http://www.baseball-reference.com
http://www.jockbio.com/bios/matsui

...By the way, Hideki Matsui has one of the largest pornography collections. As quoted in TIME magazine:

"As one Japanese journalist put it, describing Matsui's affinity for such unique Japanese cultural institutions like the no-panties shabu-shabu in Japan, 'Matsui is a horny guy. All of us are horny, more or less. But Matsui doesn't attempt to hide the fact.' Yet another win for the Japanese Everyman."

Thanksgiving 2009

It's always a tradition to spend Thanksgiving break with the family. And like always, a Thanksgiving dinner awaits. In the past, my eldest aunt from my mom's side usually handles the hefty turkey. However, this time around, my cousin Olivia tackled the daunting task.

It's a time of merriment -- other than that of Christmas -- one especially to be shared by family members. Oftentimes, Thanksgiving is celebrated at my home, but for the past couple of years, the holiday celebration's been held at my cousin's. Well, it makes the turkey job much more convenient.

There is a story to be told about this stunning, golden-brown fowl. Originally, roasting the turkey should have taken around three to four hours. To be safe, a plug-in timer was inserted (if you look closely, it's the small red contraption near the top) that pops out when the cooking is completed. Well, a timer's pretty useless if it doesn't tell the chef when the roasting is done. For some unknown reason, the timer was jammed and never popped out from the turkey breast.

Instead, another half hour passed before some investigative work was done. So it turned out our suspicions were correct and that the timer was indeed stuck. Fortunately, the turkey still turned out to be a success. No harm, no fowl... foul. Sorry.

Other than dinner, this was the first time I was able to visit my little niece, Waverly, since early this year. Right now she's about a year and half in age, at the pinnacle of walking and speech-training. Truthfully, I don't know too much about babies or child-psychology in general, but for a 1.5 year-old kid, she is pretty darn intelligent.

How many infants at that age can tell the difference between a circle, square, and a triangle?

How many infants at that age can turn on/off and adjust the volume for a stereo?

How many infants at that age can identify apples, strawberries, bananas, and watermelons? Mind you, this includes the actual fruits, photos of fruits, or hand-drawings of fruits.

I'm sure there are plenty of babies out there who can differentiate many items, but there is one thing that I was seriously, seriously impressed with...

Chinese family trees are notoriously famous for intricacy. It's a huge hassle to remember what each relative stands for. For example, there aren't just aunts and uncles like in the English language. Each aunt on the mother's side and each aunt on the father's side has different titles. Likewise, uncles follow the same trend. However, spouses of every relative also have different titles. An aunt's husband on the mother's side has a different title than that of an aunt's husband on the father's side. Also, generation gaps play roles, as well. In such a case, it is possible for one to have an uncle younger than oneself. Then again, that may be an uncle in English terms, but in Chinese, it's a whole different title. Each cousin has a different title, great aunts, great uncles, great-great aunts, godmothers, nephews and nieces, etc. individually holds a different title. It's a brain-buster.

Back to Waverly, what I'm most impressed with is that she could point out titles to many relatives that were at the Thanksgiving dinner. For example, her mother and father, both uncles (i.e. my brother and me), great aunt (my mother), great uncle (my father), both grandmothers (different titles), grandfather on her father's side, and great-grandmother. Honestly, I'm not even too familiar with the titles. To be outdone by a 1.5 year-old, either I'm mentally disabled or this little girl has serious brains.

I wonder how she will turn out in ten, fifteen years? Hell, I'm not even the parent and I'm wondering.

Google Wave

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their times with family and friends.

So I was looking through many new features and programs of Google and came across this little gem: Google Wave. I'm too lazy to explain the whole thing so I'm going to let Wikipedia do the job for me:

Google Wave is "a personal communication and collaboration tool" announced by Google at the Google I/O conference on May 27, 2009. It is a web-based service, computing platform, and communications protocol designed to merge e-mail, instant messaging, wikis, and social networking. It has a strong collaborative and real-time focus supported by extensions that can provide, for example, spelling/grammar checking, automated translation among 40 languages, and numerous other extensions. Initially released only to developers, a "preview release" of Google Wave was extended to nearly 1 million users beginning September 30, 2009, with the initial 100,000 users each allowed to invite from twenty to thirty additional users.

Wikipedia, November 25, 2009 8:41 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Wave


If you take note of the last part, each person invited is allowed to invite a certain number of additional users. So here's my proposal, if any of you guys are interested in receiving Google Wave (the coolest thing ever that can potentially replace email) and you have a Gmail account, let me know and send me your Gmail address. Jeff, I am expecting a prompt reply particularly from you with your Gmail because if you have Google Wave, contributing to this blog will be a breeze. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6pgxLaDdQw

Guys trust me, this thing is amazing (I don't mean to sound like spokesperson for Google Wave, but it's really cool). Let me know if you guys are interested.


-Rehan

Ponyo On the Cliff By the Sea

Since I figured I have every right to lay back and relax for Thanksgiving break, I decided to stay up and watch a movie that had been sitting in my external terrabyte for quite a while.

I've been virtually a lifelong fan of Hayao Miyazaki's works. As children, many people may remember the director/screenwriter's titles like My Neighbor Totoro (1988) or Kiki's Delivery Service (1989). Other popular titles include Princess Mononoke (1997), the Academy Award winning Spirited Away (2001), and the fairly recent Howl's Moving Castle (2004).

All of Miyazaki's films are animated, featuring recurring character designs and portrayals. At the same time, common themes are incorporated, most prominently those relating to man versus nature, technology, and morality in general. As a result, despite appearing like children's films on the outside, Miyazaki's films are often much deeper in context.

Well, the film I started off mentioning before is Ponyo On the Cliff By the Sea (2008), the latest feature film by the director. It took me a while to find a copy with good English subtitles, but once I found it, I never found the time to settle down and go through watching the movie.

In short, the film starts off with a mute "goldfish" that runs away from her underwater home. As the film progresses, we meet Sousuke, a boy around five years of age, who manages to pick up the lost fish. For some unknown reason, Sousuke decides to name this fish, Ponyo.

Eventually, the audience realizes Ponyo is a magical entity. And soon enough, we have a mixture of transformations (namely that of Ponyo becoming a little human girl), a shady, but quite amusing father (interestingly enough, Ponyo's father is an oddball underwater ex-human sorceror), impending planetary doom, a hot mom (yes, Ponyo's mother -- a.k.a. the wife of aforementioned oddball sorceror -- is a divine sea-goddess/mermaid), crazy old ladies, and a bunch of peculiarities not often seen in reality.

Don't get me wrong, though, this is a children's film (or a family film, if you will). Despite that, though, like all of Miyazaki's works, Ponyo still holds the values and themes that have been featured before. In this film's case, it would be the man versus nature theme. Ponyo wishes to become and remain a human girl. In the process, she unknowingly upsets the balance of nature, unleashing ruthless tidal waves and disrupting sea life. A good part of the film deals with settling such a conflict while analyzing more human traits like responsibility, family, love, and so forth.

In my honest opinion, I'd say it's a very worthwhile film. Yes, it can be a little childish at times, but that's a given with the movie's genre. Other than that, I enjoyed the film's uniqueness that Miyazaki is so famous for. I only wish there are more directors or screenwriters out there in this world that have only a portion of Miyazaki's creativity.

Asian Night 2009

About a week ago, a steady stream of annual Asian subgroup events came along. Thus, it's only fitting that the umbrella group, the Asian Student Union (ASU) gets its fair share of the spotlight.

Featuring all seven subgroups in Binghamton University -- Asian Outlook (AO), Binghamton University Japanese Association (BUJA), Chinese American Student Union (CASU), Korean American Student Association (KASA), Phillipine-American League (PAL), Taiwanese American Student Coalition (TASC), and Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) -- Asian Night is the annual conglomeration that celebrated Asian culture on Binghamton's campus. It's a plethora of food and performances, all handled by students.

Since each group was responsible for contributing varieties of dishes and performers, I made the effort to take care of the performance aspect for TASC. What can I possibly do?

If you know me, I'd say I'm most confident about my piano-playing abilities.

Unfortunately, performances were limited to approximately 10 minutes at a time. As seen above, the video is 15 minutes long. Knowing we were short on time, I had to rush through the majority of pieces. In actuality, I cut off great portions of the songs. The latter three songs (excluding Heart and Soul), i.e. first movement of the Pathetique sonata by Beethoven, Fantaisie-Impromptu by Chopin, and the third movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, average between 5 to 10 minutes in duration per piece. Yep, the only way to solve that is to condense the songs into wads of noise played at hyperspeed.

Here's the list, alternating between Kevin Su (KS) and me (JH):

JH: Super Mario Bros. Theme
KS: Family Guy Opening Theme
JH: Pokemon Gameboy Theme
KS: River Flows in You (Yiruma)
JH: Final Fantasy VII: Tifa's Theme (Uematsu)
KS: Final Fantasy VII: Tatakau Mono Tachi (Uematsu)
JH: Pathetique: first movement - Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 (Beethoven)
KS: Secret Theme (Jay Chou)
JH: Fantaisie-Impromptu (Chopin)
KS: Adapted Waltzes, Op. 64 from Secret (Chopin / Jay Chou)
JH: Moonlight: third movement - Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27 (Beethoven)
KS/JH: Heart and Soul (Carmichael)

...After being worn out from the piano, I decided to chase a bus following Asian Night's after party. I was justly rewarded with a sprained ankle. Yay! Nights of experience. Gotta love it.

An Amusing Interview

Adam, a friend of mine was working on an article for his class and decided to interview me about a fairly recent ladybug infestation here in Binghamton.

Here's the gist of it, pretty much word for word:

"Hey, I have to write an article for a class on a trend and I know one that was happening was the ladybug stuff. I was wondering if you guys could answer these questions to your best ability. Thank you.

Please be as descriptive as possible and you can exaggerate or say ridiculous things."

A: When did they start showing?
J: October 21, 2009, at approximately 2:30 PM.

A: What was your initial reaction?
J: Somewhat surprised, since a couple of them got on my desk lamp.

A: What did it look like? Where were they?
J: Looked like one side of my room became polka-dotted. Most of them were on my window, though several advanced to the ceiling and walls.

A: What was your thought process in getting rid of them? Thought process in how they got there?
J: I looked for holes near the windows (obviously that's the only way they could get in), but found nothing extraordinary.

A: How did you get rid of them? Difficult? Crush any?
J: I caught each and every one of them by hand. Ladybugs automatically play possum when under threat, so it was easy. I simply nudged one and it fell into a container that I set underneath. Yes, there were a couple of casualties, namely the ones that refused to play dead so I accidentally made them dead for real.

A: Ever think it was a prank? If so, by whom?
J: Nope. There were signs of ladybug swarms in Albany, Syracuse, Boston, amongst other northeast regions.

A: was there any recurrences? reaction then and actions taken?
J: Yes, four days later, around the same time of day. There were not as many as before, but I facepalmed myself and proceeded to escort them out one by one.

A: Ever fear they were going to fly on you during sleep? Accidentally eat one in sleep? Was there any fear? If so, why?
J: Nope. I made sure I got every one of them out of my room. They're red, so they're easy to spot. And if I did miss any and actually ate them, it doesn't matter, since insects are good sources of protein.

I thought it was a pretty entertaining topic, since the memories made me chuckle for a bit.

PAL Masquerade Banquet and TASC Night Market 2009

I can never get tired of annual events at Binghamton University, especially those hosted by Asian Student Union subgroups. But just because I spend most of my time managing my work in TASC (Taiwanese American Student Coalition) and AO (Asian Outlook) doesn't mean I can't go and take a look at what everyone else has to offer.

Already in my third year, this was the first time I attended the banquet hosted by PAL (Phillipine-American League). I pretty much only expected the same food and performances that are present in virtually all banquet-related events.

And I was right. There were food -- good food, mind you -- and performances -- also good performances. It definitely had its interesting elements, with the elegance and formality that served as huge atmosphere improvements.

And as seen above, it's a Masquerade Banquet for a reason. I couldn't help but get into the spirit of things for just a moment.

We get good food for dinner while we look on to the various dance performances in the center of the room. The highlights were definitely on the social aspects of the event than the performances, though, since there weren't too many performers to begin with. I guess dinner can be thrown in there as a highlight, as well.

Then again, when I mentioned good food, I purposely didn't say "great" food. Not to put down PAL and its wonderful event (don't get me wrong here), as I very much enjoyed the night, but TASC is notorious for providing some of the best food in its annual events.

You know you like the flier. Recently I developed a tendency to use recurring character designs in all the TASC fliers. I honestly wonder if the trend will stick?

Well, the annual TASC Night Market seemed to be horribly down at one point. We were aiming to sell at least 120 or so tickets before the opening of the event on November 7th. Into the final week of tabling, the organization sold a mere 50 or so. Then for some peculiar reason -- and I'm simply guessing that people were lazy -- an estimated 70-80 additional advance tickets were sold on the last day.

Oh yes, advance tickets were actually sold out. I never would have predicted such an outcome. And even then, it didn't stop there. An additional 40 tickets were sold at the door on the night of the event, since there were no longer any discount advance tickets. Original plans included about 140 seats for the event. At the end, approximately 160 people showed up.

After spending 15 hours in the Old Union, fatigue was simply part of the routine. This wasn't to say no one else was tired. Working hard all the way through, the food turned out to be exceptional (though one of the dishes, not entirely sure which, was a tad salty), the design crew finished everything on time, and there were little to no major setbacks. I can definitely say that "success" is the perfect description.

Maybe when the time comes, I can leech some photos and upload them here.

2009 World Champions New York Yankees!

Short and sweet, it was a playoff series that I will remember for a while. Right after the 27th out, I quickly ran over to my laptop to order a brand new championship hoodie.

But damn, it is expensive. Knowing the impatient bastard that I can become at times, I couldn't help but choose the 1-day shipping option for the hoodie. In actuality, I probably won't have the hoodie until next week anyway, since all championship products are still currently on back-order.

The excitement put some new inspiration in me. I might just write about the World Series MVP Hideki Matsui for Asian Outlook magazine's next issue. Seriously, batting .615 by going 8-for-13, with a walk, a double, 3 home runs, and driving in 8 runs in 6 games (with limited plate appearances in Philadelphia) is enough to garner the honors.

Greetings From Buffalo

'Sup. I'm lost here. I don't know what's going on.

But Becky's here. So all is well.

For now.

The hell is Rehan?

Dickhead.

Early Halloween: Masquerade XII

Celebrating the spirit of Halloween a week early, the twelfth annual Halloween Masquerade hosted by the Asian fraternity, Pi Delta Psi (ΠΔΨ), proved to be worth the money and the time. Although the party died down a tad earlier than I expected, it was generally pretty entertaining.

Yes, I'M A BANANA. With cheap, homemade maracas (I realized authentic ones are quite the wallet-emptying), I intended to pose as the pixelated dancing banana that is notoriously affiliated with the Buckwheat Boyz song, "Peanut Butter Jelly Time." It was definitely an excuse for people to take pictures with me. I can't recall how many times I had to pose for photos upon entering the club.

But other than that, people that I went with dressed up as the lemur King Julien from the movie, Madagascar, a kung-fu penguin from said movie, Misty from the Pokémon animation series, a sleeping bag, a doctor by the name of "Dr. Shots," the Bear Jew from the Tarantino film, Inglorious Basterds, a drill sergeant, a stereotypical school girl, and others amongst others. Of course, that's limited to the people I came with and the people I knew within the vicinity.

There had to be at least 500 attendees, mostly within the Binghamton University area. However, there were also countless people (I asked, of course) from Syracuse University, Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Stonybrook, and perhaps from many other places, as well.

Well, now I can say that I look forward to Masquerade XIII in Fall 2010.

YouTube: The Cat Betrayed His Girlfriend

For some reason, to me this was just absolutely hilarious.

Three Italian Cities - Rome, Florence, and Venice: Part V

Okay, I really should finish this up. For a family trip that was taken over two months ago, this arc is due for a wrap-up. If memory serves me correctly, I last left off at the city of Pisa. In total, I've covered Rome, Vatican City, Florence, and Pisa. Aside from the previous two main stops (Rome and Florence), one last major city to visit is Venice.

After breezing through Pisa, a quick rendezvous back to Florence was required in order to catch another bullet train. Good-bye to the merciless sun, good-bye to the endless museums and Renaissance splendor. Well, not really. In Italy, there is virtually nowhere you can go that's without a museum or art gallery of some sort.

Venice, Italy
From the scalding sun, the family and I found ourselves next to bodies of water. Of course, this meant drastically lower temperatures, soothing winds, and... the smell of sewage.

As seen in the photo, there is not a vehicle in sight (might be a little biased from this angle). Instead, everyone, even normal citizens, travel solely by boat. There are boats serving as buses, boats serving as cabs, boats as tour guides, boats as merchants, and - never excluded - police boats. With all these boats scattered through rivers, humorously enough, there are occasional water traffic jams.

The real "must-have" experience in Venice falls on the gondola rides. Yes, it is hideously expensive, as is everything in Europe. However, €100 for a family ride on the gondola is somewhat leaning toward the absurd side. As mentioned before, a euro is approximately 1.5 times the amount of a U.S. dollar. Do the simple math: that's $150 for a twenty or so minute ride. It's a sad excuse of a tour, since the gondolier (one who steers the gondola) spends most of his time staring into space, idly paddling the gondola through the narrow waterways.

Regardless, the experience is still one-of-a-kind, no matter how ridiculous the payment for it is. The neighboring view, especially around sunset, is breathtaking. Ignoring the occasional sewage stench, the gondola rides are pleasant.

The last photo turned out particularly nice. Had it been taken about half an hour later, the colors of the sky definitely would have turned out far better.

In comparison, the night view differed greatly in comparison to the sights in Rome and Florence. In the former two cities, most regions are dimly lit... and for the lack of a better term, quite sketchy. However, this was what I've seen in the Venetian night:

Must be the water...

Of course, there are museums and galleries scattered throughout Venice, but for some reason, the experiences simply differ from those in Rome and Florence. I'm not saying any is worse than the other - in fact, I'd consider them equal - but the time spent in Venice was truly unique.

For any classical music fan, this white facade is what is left of the home of Antonio Vivaldi, the baroque composer. And in case anyone who reads this doesn't know who Vivaldi is, I've taken the liberty to add a composition here. More than likely it's recognizable. If not, well, I'm beat.

And there are countless mask and costume shops dotting the streets of Venice. At certain times of the year, supposedly there is a longstanding tradition that incorporates parades, costumes, and masquerade-like events. I didn't look too deeply into it, though.

Finally, pigeon-feeding. Well, you can feed pigeons anywhere, but it isn't often that you can actually have a pigeon on your shoulder or your hand. They're light, they're friendly, and they are really, really, really warm.

And FYI, everyone calls theses birds pigeons, but they're actually doves. More specifically, these feathered critters are the Columba livia, or the Rock Dove. Unfortunately, I think we're at a point in time where this is irreversible and Rock Doves are simply good ol' pigeons.

Aside from experiences that have become bound to Venice, every Italian city deserved a dining tour. Since Venice borders water, what better place to grab seafood in Italy than Venice?

The first dish was the true oddity of the bunch. It's spaghetti, but it's unlike any spaghetti I've ever seen. I didn't dare order it, but my little brother didn't mind his teeth turning black for half an hour. Cuttlefish spaghetti. If the black came from its ink... that's troubling. However, the report was that it was delicious. Critics said it was, and so did my brother.

Aside from the jet-black spaghetti, the standards (and above standards) included lobsters, various sea bass, king prawns, and so on. The total cost for one dinner? With appetizers, the entrees, and drinks factored in...

Around €300. Yikes...

For every entry that I've written about Italy, it's never enough. The experiences that I managed to find myself in while in Italy were boundless. Staying there ten days may not have been enough either. In due time, I may gather either friends and family for yet another visit. Yes, it was dreadfully hot. Yes, it was overwhelmingly expensive. Yes, there are other cons to the trip, especially if you grow tired of the endless paintings and sculptures. But for me, at least, the pros outweigh everything else. I wouldn't say it's a once in a lifetime experience (then again, maybe it is), but it was definitely worth every moment... and drop of sweat.

Meanwhile, I might make a pathetic attempt to grab a trip to either London or Paris. If you've visited the major Italian cities, you might as well visit the other major European cities. Wallet-emptying experiences, but I'll take them... maybe within the next few years.

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Until next time, Europe!

Gaming: Kingdom Hearts

If there is one game that I don't understand, it is Kingdom Hearts. It's not like I don't understand why it's amazing and entertaining, but what went on in the minds of its creators. Why on earth did Disney work hand-in-hand with the Japanese video game titan that founded the Final Fantasy megaseries, Square (now Square Enix), to produce such an oddity of a video game? It's a ridiculous idea that ended up utterly brilliant.

This is the original Kingdom Hearts, for those who are not familiar with the series:

This was the origin of the hybrid Disney-Final Fantasy role playing game that became a surprising phenomenon. I happened to be one of many people who were caught off guard with such a concept. Cartoon characters for little children mixed with flashy warriors, mages, beasts, and critters targeted for teens, young adults, and adults alike? Amazingly, the concept worked and the game series has achieved global success since 2002.

The first Kingdom Hearts installment started a fantasy story about a boy named Sora, who lived on his tropical island home alongside his friends Riku and Kairi. Sounds like a very simple, straightforward story ideal for followers of Walt Disney. But no. Weird entities that embody pure darkness called "Heartless" fall into the lives of our three friends, tossing them into an epic adventure. In the process, Sora, Riku, and Kairi are separated. Our hapless protagonist, Sora, finds himself a chosen wielder of the "Keyblade," a key-shaped sword that represents the powers of light. Now Sora goes on his quest to find his friends, fight off darkness and the Heartless, figure out what the hell this supernatural world called "Kingdom Hearts" is, how to grow up, how to control his feelings, and everything else that can possibly fit into a single Playstation 2 CD.

Oh, along the way, Sora teams up with Donald Duck and the silly Goofy. In this game, though, Donald is a magic wielding fighter and Goofy is still goofy, except he has a big shield and likes to ram himself into enemies that get in the way. Still like a Disney story? Well, the princesses (i.e. Jasmine of Aladdin, Ariel of The Little Mermaid, Aurora of Sleeping Beauty, etc.) are there. The villains from many major stories are there. Tarzan still swings around on vines in his jungle. Alice is still completely confused in Wonderland. But what happens when you mix in Final Fantasy aspects?

Now we have the enigmatic, antisocial, superhuman Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII who dons his blasphemous monster-sized sword, the somewhat emo, brash, though quiet Squall Leonhart (simply named Leon here) from Final Fantasy VIII, child versions of Tidus and Wakka from Final Fantasy X, and the list continues. The Final Fantasy series lies in stark contrast to typical Disney storylines. There are no damsels in distress represented by the princesses. Likewise, there are no Prince Charmings. There are no cliché climactic endings (usually) that have the protagonists suddenly getting epiphanies in order to deal the main villains any final blows. Instead, the series tend to lie in dark atmospheres, emotional surges and upswings, life and death issues, individuality issues, subtle political and/or radical messages, and a whole myriad of topics normally absent in Disney-related media.

With the aforementioned Final Fantasy elements combined with Disney elements, we now have this hybrid RPG that can pretty much please players of all ages. It is still a story about a boy who's on a mission to find his friends and go back home. But in addition, we have darker topics about figuring out personal identities, understanding emotions, questioning morals and justice, and so on and so forth. Instead of just playing a happy-go-lucky game based on Disney concepts, now we have this just partially happy-go-lucky game that is also curiously interesting in its heavily plot-driven story.

Back in 2004, when I first played this game, I found myself sucked into its universe pretty much two or three hours into play. By the time I hit around a cumulative 30 hours of gameplay, I was 100% finished. No, that does not mean I simply beat the game... I beat the game to a point where there was absolutely nothing left to do except stop playing. In RPG terminologies, my characters were maxed out, I found every single item possible, I completed every optional quest available, and I had nothing left to do. So what now?

Oh yes, coincidentally, the second installment for the series hit the stores late that year. However, I never went forward until sometime until 2005 when I picked up the second game, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for Nintendo's Gameboy Advance. Just to go ahead, I beat the game, but I wasn't quite obsessed enough to reach 100% completion. It's still a great game, but I guess I had better things to do then?

Plot-wise, at the end of the first Kingdom Hearts -- spoiler warning -- Sora reunites with his friends, Riku and Kairi, but it was only for a brief moment. Worlds split, weird things happen, and they get separated again. Unfortunate red-haired girl Kairi luckily returns to their island home, but she was miserable without her friends. Aw. By the way, we get the message that she developed some romantic feelings for our protagonist Sora. Oh, the drama intensifies.

Anyway, in Chain of Memories, we resume Sora's journey back to his friends and home. Donald and Goofy are still with him, and their quest takes us to a mysterious castle that houses very mysterious people in trenchcoats. From here, the already heavy plot from the first Kingdom Hearts now become overwhelmingly thick and juicy. For the sake of spoilers, I'll only say, it's a pretty ridiculous ride. The already dark tones from the first installment become magnified. Issues regarding emotions, general feelings, morality, friendship, etc. fall into the spotlight and become reoccurring themes.

At the end of Chain of Memories -- spoiler warning -- Sora is put to sleep in order to regain memories that he was losing since the beginning of the game. His friend Riku remained rampant, fighting friends and enemies alike. Kairi idly sat at home, unbeknownst to her that her memories of Sora were fading as well. Once the climax struck, the plot only skyrocketed. Cliffhangers weren't for me, but as soon as the game was over, I knew there was another installment in the works.

Well, what do you know? It was a given that another installment was on its way, but back then, I never knew it was going to hit U.S. soil so fast. Christmas of 2005, Kingdom Hearts II hit stores. I wondered, though, if Chain of Memories was the second game to be released, why wasn't this "Kingdom Hearts III?" I didn't mind, but I guess it made sense after I realized Chain of Memories was meant to be an in-between game for filler purposes.

Usually, the first for many series tend to be the best. As stories drag on, the creators feel less creative and the series drops dead and rots. However, in the case of the Kingdom Hearts series, the creators felt more and more creative. In turn, I found Kingdom Hearts II the best of the entire series. Not only does the plot just keeps pounding into the players, the entire storyline just overrides the gameplay and the series started to feel like a movie. That's not to say there were no great gameplay elements, believe me, playing the game was a huge plus. Even though I finished the game a few years back around 2006, the universe that Kingdom Hearts drew me into is still fresh. Ah, I guess I should mention that just like in the first installment, I managed to eat up around another 30 hours of my life in order to manage my way to 100% completion of the game.

Characters tend to be reoccurring in the series, but if there are any familiar faces, whether they belong to the Disney world or the Final Fantasy world, constant cameos can only put a smile on your face. They sure did for me. Wondering how Simba from The Lion King can play a role in the story? How can Yuna from Final Fantasy X influence the storyline (technically she didn't do much, but it was an interesting cameo)? Honestly, this game pretty much epitomizes creativity.

Like its previous installments, Kingdom Hearts II was driven heavily by plot. Now the game represented action, adventure, fantasy, drama, romance, and comedy in its storyline, in addition to all the aforementioned themes and concepts. It's still Disney-like with its good versus evil themes, as well as the basis of the game, light versus dark. The Heartless are still weird and Sora's Keyblade is still doing the talking. The introduction of the mysterious trenchcoat-donning characters back in Chain of Memories representing the Nobodies (the counterpart to the Heartless) only add to the already thick plot. Taking it as purely a children's game is a legitimate opinion. Likewise, taking it as a more complicated game with somewhat more mature aspects is just as fair.

Rest easy, everything is resolved at the end. Not only did virtually everything from the earlier installments improve with the release of Kingdom Hearts II, but a warm, happy... dare I say it... Disney-like happy ending greeted the audience.

In summary, it's a damn good series...

But no. No, no, no. Disney and Square Enix were not finished yet. In mid-2009, they released Kingdom Hearts Coded for mobile phones in Japan. Obviously, since I can't read Japanese, there was no way for me to play the game.

I can handle that, though, since from outside reviews, this mobile game was a filler. Even though it's technically a sequel that moves past the conclusion of Kingdom Hearts II, I don't think I'm missing too much. It generally recounts the past events of the series in a short, puzzle-style format.

Apparently Disney and Square Enix were still not finished yet. Here we are in late 2009 and we have yet another installment for the Kingdom Hearts series. Titled Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, what? ...What? Ask me what "358/2" means.

Is it 358 divided by 2? So it means 179 days, right? I don't think so...

Is it 358 days viewed from 2 characters' points of view? In the process of playing the game... I haven't noticed that.

Is it 358.5 days? That makes the least sense... I doubt it.

Since this game was only recently released, I'm currently about three-quarters of the way through. I probably could have completed it by now, but since I'm used to RPGs, I tend to try and do every little side quest, find every little detail I can, prior to forwarding the main plot. Perhaps I can figure out what "358/2" means by the end of the game.

This is no sequel to Kingdom Hearts II or Kingdom Hearts coded. Rather, it is a prequel to Kingdom Hearts II and, by canon, on the same time plane as Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Instead of starring Sora, it focuses on Roxas, Sora's Nobody. To clarify, the Nobodies that I mentioned before when I talked about Kingdom Hearts II are entities that are created whenever Heartless are created. Way back in the first Kingdom Hearts, spoiler warning -- certain happenings resulted in Sora becoming a Heartless and then reverting back to his original self. However, during that time, players never knew that a Nobody version of him was born at the same time, somewhere far away. That Nobody would be Roxas, who initially made his debut in the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II and later played significant roles in the story's plot.

But now in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, players get to play as Roxas. Personally, I think this is a way that the creators up at Disney and Square Enix feel is the easiest way to tie up loose ends and plot-holes that may have formed in the last few installments. Since I'm a man of detail, so far that's my judgment, as there are parts of this new game that do help me understand some details in the past installments.

Even with all this writing, most of it will make absolutely no sense unless the games are played and experienced first-hand. To get the most out of the games, attention and patience are necessities. Anyone with zero attention-spans will have subpar experiences. I know my attention-span is limited, but I guess it's sufficient since I really enjoyed the series. It comes with my most enthusiastic recommendations. True, I am still in the process of finishing Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, but so far it's enjoyable. When I do finish it, I don't doubt that it will be the last installment to hit the game shelves...

Power 90 Extreme

Power 90 Extreme, or P90X for short, is a rigorous - and can I say, downright merciless - workout plan that stretches over 90 days in three 30-day periods. Like many training methods, P90X focuses on cardiovascular, strength, and stretching exercises.

Twelve forms of workouts are included in the P90X plan:

1. Chest and Back
2. Plyometrics (nervous system)
3. Shoulder and Arms
4. Yoga X
5. Legs and Back
6. Kenpō X (form of martial arts)
7. X Stretch
8. Core Syngergistics
9. Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps
10. Back and Biceps
11. Cardio X
12. Ab Ripper X

Just to clarify, the "X" merely stands for an over-the-top version of the workout. For the most part, each session lasts about an hour. That's only ideally, though, since time used to warm up and cool down are factored in, as well as extra time for those who cannot fully keep up with the workout (pause button is amazing).

Only three days in and this is the first time I've felt overwhelmingly sore since my high school fencing team's hell-week in freshman year. In other words, it has been a whopping six years since I pushed myself this much. 87 more days to go through cycling these workouts.

Cold Cold Cold

It's getting cold. And behold, it's cold season.

For every kid at school, parents are pulling out every strand of hair for them. With the H1N1 virus on its way start a pandemic, this will be a season that's going to be cold in more than one way.

But first, there is no harm in stocking up on Vitamin C and whatever medicinal herbs people can get their hands on. Other than that, there are two very common tasks that many people, especially college attendees, overlook. Sleep and washing hands.

Of course, there's no need to be obsessive and wash hands every ten minutes, but people should at least thoroughly wash their hands whenever they go to the bathroom and before they sit down to eat. It's merely a habit and a good routine to keep.

On the other hand, sleeping may be a more difficult habit to keep up. It sounds a little silly, I mean, who doesn't like to sleep? But it's not really the amount of sleep that everyone gets, but it's between when a person sleeps that matters. Just because a person sleeps throughout the day in four phases of two hours at a time for a total of eight hours does not make it healthy. It is vastly different than sleeping for eight consecutive hours at a proper time.

Sleep prevents colds. It has been proven in the past that sleep contributes to boosting the body's immune system. So if you don't want piggy flu... get those six to ten hours of daily sleep and wash those hands.

As for me, I'll keep those habits... while I drink my orange juice and slurp my chicken noodle soup.

Three Italian Cities - Rome, Florence, and Venice: Part IV

Oh, geez, I completely forgot that I was in the middle of recalling my trip through Italy. Sadly - from my point of view - I actually had to double check what I had covered in the last few posts regarding the trip...

Pisa. What's there to see in the city of Pisa? Standard Italian shops, some churches, and simple restaurants and snack bars are givens. But when "Pisa" is mentioned, it usually has some relation to The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Honestly, there isn't too much to see in Pisa except for the famous tower. However, the tower itself is quite entertaining. I don't mean within, on top of, or next to the tower either.

Pretending we're pushing over the tower was as fun as Pisa can get. Honest to God. Beneath the cloudless sky and unrelenting sun, this was entertainment. Usually, when you see people standing two-hundred feet away from a building, attempting to topple it by screwing with perspective, you'd think they may a little strange.

Looks like we weren't the only strange ones...

That just about wraps up the city of Pisa. It was a mere detour in the three-city trip around Italy. This was just because of the infamous Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is pretty much a must see in any Italian trip.

The Joys of Insomnia

Everyone, I guarantee, everyone experiences insomnia at some point. It does not matter how healthy you are (or how healthy you think you are), it does not matter how wonderful and consistent your sleeping schedule is, and it does not matter if your willpower is so strong that you can force yourself to sleep on cue... or a reverse narcoleptic response.

Anyway, it's not like I make a habit out of insomnia, as it only happens every few days. If I'm lucky, maybe once a week. Of course, the main culprit is obviously screwing up my sleep schedule, i.e. waking up between 2 to 5 p.m. and very few people do that. But when it does happen, as many insomniacs know, the journey to restful sleep is a daunting one, as you feel like you're wasting more energy by trying to sleep than actually forcing yourself to stay awake. That said, instead of lying idly in my bed, eyes wide open and brain cells hyperactively leaping all over my mind, I chose to do some work. Smart? Maybe, maybe not. The only risk in doing so is that I may not remember everything that I did/read... or I may get hungry from thinking too much.

But here's what I got out of tonight. I chose to do two things: read William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and Virgil's The Aeneid. Both can be considered really, really, old literature (Shakespeare's dating back to the 17th century and Virgil's to pre-Christ years) that, not surprisingly, I am forced to read in my English classes. Regardless of the fact that my degree-required classes include a Shakespeare class and whatever, I actually held some interest in the subject matter before I registered for these classes. I've read several Shakespeare plays, including the all-too-well-known The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and regrettably, only a portion of Macbeth (which I swear to God, I absolutely will finish one of these days). I purchased a copy of The Aeneid quite a few years prior to attending this class... but I never fully read the piece.

So hurray to insomnia, as it led me to covering some ground on my readings. No way could I finish The Merchant of Venice, let alone the 400-page The Aeneid, in one night, but at least I got to the point where the plots have become clear and I don't need to fry my brain every three paragraphs in order to figure out what on earth the stories' respective characters are talking about. Not to be hasty, but right after The Merchant of Venice is over with, King Lear, Henry VI, The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter's Tale, and a second go-around for both Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream are due up... oh, boy.

Recall that I mentioned a possible risk for working into the late hours include hunger. I'll admit... I do feel like devouring something right now. Peace.