Song of the Week #34: Beat Crusaders – Moon on the Water
Sorry I was late on this one. I was being busy or lazy again. 
For many, the end is near and the future remains uncertain. I thought this song would be fitting to go with the times this week. This song was featured in BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad. I haven't watched the anime nor have I read the manga however.
"Even though I feel the end...What a fool...I don't know bout tomorrow...Old love affair...Couldn't let myself to go...You are there...Smiling in my arms all these years"
- So much of the song works for me. Haha.
Lyrics:
Full moon sways...
Gently in the night of one fine day.
On my way...
Looking for a moment with my dear.
Full moon waves.
Slowly on the surface of the lake.
You were there...
Smilling in my arms for all those years.
What a fool...
I don't know 'bout tomorrow...
What it's like to be.
I was sure,
Couldn't let myself to go.
Even though i feel...
The end.
Old love affair...
Floating like a bird resting her wings.
You were there...
Smiling in my arms for all those years.
What a fool...
I don't know 'bout tomorrow...
What it's like to be.
I was sure,
Couldn't let myself to go.
Even though i feel...
The end.
Full moon sways...
Gently in the night of one fine day.
You are there.
Smiling in my arms for all thoses years...
Adherence and Compliance
For me, it's hard not to revert back to my old self. When little annoyances begin to add up, such as having your garbage bin and recycling bin being blown away, it's hard not to start feeling a bit negative.
Indeed, it is hard to get back up from failure but I think it is just as hard to succeed. I fall complacent and lax when I shouldn't. The real challenge is in making sure I keep moving forward and grow, no matter what level I am at. There's no point if I take one step forward but two steps back. (Haha, overused indeed.)
I need to remind myself I'm trying to turn over a new leaf this year. I was kicking ass before but now I'm regressing. I must remind myself not to seek unhealthy escapist behaviour and face the challenges life puts forth before me. But most importantly, when things don't work out well, laugh it off. Life is unpredictable. The future could be a nuclear wasteland or at the rate of today's technological innovation, the advent of nanomachines could make the current fields of education, engineering, and medicine obsolete. All this preparation and planning will be for naught. So, just be happy in the moment and laugh at the unpredictabilities. Holding an image of eternal gloom or expecting an ideal perfect future are both equally unhealthy.
It's easy to write all these things down as I have done so in the past. The hard part is doing them and I know I probably contradicted myself in front of someone who's reading.
So, yes, I got to get back to doing what I was doing - effecting personal change. The now is what matters and I can't keep procrastinating and avoiding the challenges. There are so many areas of life I need to improve upon. And I know there are far too many bridges I've allowed to rust and deteriorate. I just don't know where to begin until I fix myself.
Right now, losing my recycling bin and garbage bin certainly made living conditions a bit more annoying. I could start throwing my recyclables into the garbage bags (yes, a perfect act to perform on this day) or I could head out somewhere far without a car and get a blue bin during exam time. Or I could let them form an overwhelming pile in the kitchen. Or... none of this crap matters right now and I'll just going back to campus and study with people and music. People - who are all chasing their own ends just like I am. Music - something I can drown myself in and brings me peace.
"Don't worry be happy" was a phrase that sounded ignorant and pretentious but I know now that it holds much deeper truths than I realized.
Lifelessness
Forced memorization of concepts and specific statistics that do not connect or relate back to the real world sucks the life out of me.
If I look dead, if what comes out of my mouth doesn't make sense, if I don't say anything, if I respond inadequately, if my speech is broken and incoherent, and if I am being redundant, just know that it is only for a couple of weeks.
For me, something about devoting all my mental abilities toward strictly memorization and recall (cause that is by design inherent to the system and not because I don't know any better) "zombifies" me and makes me an awkward person to be around during this time of the year. Do know that I realize my awkwardness... but only after the fact, unfortunately. I see this happening to other people too and I totally understand. It's not a big deal and I won't make it out to be. Just laugh it off as I do, for there are brighter days ahead for all of us.
That is all.
---
Random thought:
Bandwidth caps by Internet Service Providers (like Bell and Rogers in Canada) are becoming increasingly anti-competitive to Internet video streaming companies (e.g., Youtube, Hulu, Microsoft's XBox Marketplace, Sony's Playstation Network). It is in the interest of Bell and Rogers (those are the only two big ISPs in most of Ontario - very uncompetitive already) to keep us subscribed to cable television and pay their ridiculous fees while shutting out competition from the Internet. They are already controlling the speed of certain types of traffic through "traffic shaping". With HD streaming and online movie rentals and downloads on the rise (part of the reason why Blockbuster's in trouble), bandwidth caps will limit growth and the free flow of information and creativity in the future.
The US government has already put motions against such practices by ISPs on their agenda (read: Time Warner). Canada needs to do the same but unfortunately the CRTC and Parliament likes to sit around and twiddle their thumbs on this issue. Competition breeds innovation. Make our companies want to improve their aging network instead of allowing them to impose caps on us. Japan and Australia already have networks with speeds up to 100Mbps or more. At this rate, Canada is looking to be left behind in this fast pace of technological innovation. (All those seconds saved loading a page, sending a huge document, and clearer video conferencing really add up in the workplace.)
Random thought #2:
Copyright law needs some major modernizing. But this issue can span novels. And I got to go.
Michael Bay is Epic
Bad Boys
The Rock
Armageddon
Pearl Harbor
Bad Boys II
The Island
Transformers
What do these have in common? Michael Bay directed them all. I've seen all of these films and in hindsight, there really are a LOT of pointless explosions, car chases, rolling cars, exploding cars, slow-mo, shaky camera movement, needlessly intense dialogue, and a "hint" of product placement ('cept The Island - that was one long subtle commercial if you didn't notice). But a lot of those those are what make a summer movie a summer movie. Mindless entertainment!
I think this video best describes parodies his style:
Although it lacks explosions, if the real Bay wanted to, he could indeed make the act of eating cereal... epic. The cereal could have exploded at the end - but that's hard to pull off for a typical Youtube user.
Anyway, with the upcoming sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I hope I can actually see what the heck is going on in the action scenes this time around. Giant robots fighting and close-up shaky camera shots I do not like.
Song of the Week #33: Fink – Sort of Revolution
Sorry for being late. You know, it's that time of the year again. For some, it's the last time to be super stressed while others have a few years to go. However, if it's not exams, it's probably taxes and chasing receipts or meeting accountants. April really is a stressful (and rainy) month. And around this time, we ponder how far we've come, where we are now, and where we are going (for the summer, and far into the future). So, I thought this song fits well for this week. This is Fink's "Sort of Revolution" from his upcoming album (May 2009 release) with the same name.
In other news, I've upgraded to a queen-sized memory foam bed. It arrived today and the manual suggested I have another person to help me with it. Pfft, I assembled it myself cause I'm awesome. Bye bye, back pain - you had a short time to grow but now you must go away. "In the night, dream delight..."
Lyrics (typed them up myself since I couldn't find any - hope I didn't misinterpret but I probably did, haha.)
Come so far
Feels so real
All this time waiting for it
Who we are
Where we're going to
All this time preparing for it
Mmm...
Come so far
Mmm...
Come so far
So just...
Let me know when we get there
If we get there
Let me know when we get there
If we get there
Come so far
There's no going back
All this time
You were running from it
Where we are
Where we're going to
And on the night
A sort of revolution
And on the night
A sort of revolution
And on the night
A sort of revolution
And on the night
A sort of revolution
Song of the Week #32: Keri Hilson (f. Kanye West & Ne-Yo) – Knock You Down
Sometimes love comes around and it knocks you down...
But here's the important part... the key idea... this part is crucial:
Just get back up.
---
Heh.. not again..
Ohh.. this ain’t supposed to happen to me..
[Kanye West]
Keep rockin, and keep knockin
Whether you Louie Vouitonn it up or Reebokin
You see the hate, that they’re servin on a platter
So what we gon’ have - dessert or disaster?
[Keri Hilson]
I never thought I’d.. be in love like this
When I look at you my mind goes on a trip
Then you came in.. and knocked me on my face
Feels like in I’m a race
but I already won first place
I never thought I’d fall for you as hard as I did
(as hard as I did, yeah)
You got me thinkin bout our life our house and kids (yeah)
Every mornin I look at you and smile
cause boy you came around and you knocked me down.. knocked me down
[Chorus]
Sometimes love comes around
(love comes around love comes around)
and it knocks you down
Just get back up
When it knocks you down
(knocks you down)
Sometimes love comes around
(love comes around)
and it knocks you down
Just get back up
When it knocks you down
(knocks you down)
[Ne-Yo]
I never thought Id
hear myself say (ooh)
Ya’ll gon head
I think I’m gonna kick it wit my girl today (kick it wit my girl today)
I used to be commander and chief
of my pimp ship flyin high (flyin high)
til i met this pretty little missile that shot me out the sky (ohhh shot me out the sky)
Hey, now Im crashing, don’t know how it happened
But I know it feels so damn good
Said if I could back, and make it happen faster
Don’t you know I would baby if I could
Miss independent (ohh, to the fullest), the load never too much
she helpin me pull it
she shot the bullet that ended that life
I swear to u the pimp in me just died tonight,
girl sometimes love
[Keri Hilson]
[Chorus]
Sometimes love comes around
(love comes around)
and it knocks you down
Just get back up
When it knocks you down
(knocks you down)
Sometimes love comes around
(love comes around)
and it knocks you down
Just get back up
When it knocks you down
(knocks you down)
[Kanye West]
Tell me now can you make it past your caspers
So we can finally fly off into NASA
you was always the cheerleader of my dreams that
seem to only date the head of football teams
and I was the class clown that, always kept you laughin
We, were never meant to be baby we just happen
so please, don’t mess up the trick.. hey young world I’m the new slick rick
they say I move too quick, but we can't let the moment pass us
Let the hourglass pass right into ashes
let the wind blow the ash right before my glasses
So I wrote this love letter right before my classes
How could a goddess ask, someone that’s only average
For advice
OMG, you listen to that bitch?
Whoa it’s me
Baby this is tragic
Cause we had it, we was magic
I was flyin, now I’m crashin
this is bad, real bad, michael jackson
now I’m mad, real mad, joe jackson
you should leave your boyfriend now, Imma ask him
[Keri Hilson]
Say u gotta put the good with the bad, happy and the sad
So will u bring a better future than I had in the past
oh Cause, I don’t wanna make the same mistakes I did
I don’t wanna fall back on my face again
Whoaa, whoaaa
I’ll admit it, I was scared to answer love's call
Whoaa, whoaaa
and if it hits better make it worth the fall
(When it comes around)
[Chorus]
Sometimes love comes around
(love comes around)
and it knocks you down
Just get back up
When it knocks you down
(knocks you down)
Sometimes love comes around
(love comes around)
and it knocks you down
Just get back up
When it knocks you down
(knocks you down)
Won’t see it coming when it happens (hey)
but when it happens you’re gonna feel it, let me tell you now
you see when love knocks you down
Won’t see it coming when it happens
but when it happens you’re gonna feel it, let me tell you now
you see when love knocks you down
yeah
The G20 London Summit 2009
Guess who is missing? Yup, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Good thing the other leaders noticed he was gone and they met up again for a second photo op just for him. Way to represent Canada, Harper (or not)!
(Though for the second shot, both Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono were missing.)
Ok, this isn't really THAT newsworthy as the media is making it out to be.
Expedia Space
There will come a time when this is no longer an April Fool's joke. Will it be in my lifetime? I don't know. But why limit my imagination to Earth.
Integration, Interconnectivity, and Identity
WordPress, Gallery, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and everything else. I think these are things I'll be using a lot in the future and having them all in one place for updating will make life easier for everyone and make it easier for me to maintain an online identity.
We're already seeing signs of integration as one can make a blog entry and have a story crossposted on Facebook and Twitter at the same time. Facebook Connect aims to do that kind of integration. Instead of commenting on the site, comment on Facebook and it'll be seen in both locations.
If I am to seriously maintain an online presence and keep in touch wherever in the world life takes us, across the multitude of social networking sites, the current layout needs some major fixing and additions. Flash is cool but not a great medium for effective communication and I've made far too many concessions just to make it work. With netbooks and cell phone browsing on the rise, less flashiness and more simple and clear delivery is crucial.
About the Gallery
I'm looking for a good web-based gallery manager. The one I'm using, Gallery2, is bloated, slow, and tries to do too many things at once. (Every image in the current gallery requires 25 to 30 database queries. Very slow unless I rent my own private server.) And the software I install on to my computer doesn't let me manage captions and it can't seem to properly handle apostrophes. It's also running on slow-ass Java that crashes on the slightest hiccup.
Did you know I could sell pictures using Gallery2? Will I ever use that feature? No.
If I could find an easier and more efficient way of uploading pictures, then the gallery wouldn't be so slowly updated nor would it be so annoying to navigate. It also was recently messed up when I upgraded my blogging platform, WordPress, to 2.7.1.
I've been looking at Google Picasa, Flickr, or MyPhotoAlbum but I still prefer hosting my own images and movies on my server - not with some other company. The method must have software I can install onto my computer to "sync" photo albums between my computer and the web server. I still don't know how it will be incorporated to this site's layout. I might have to overhaul the layout again this summer since I'm still not too keen on using <IFRAME>'s.
Inline frames prevent me from using AJAX pop-ups. You know those blogs that have a full version of the picture pop up and the background darkens when you click the thumbnail? I can't do that with the way things are here. Going to a separate page puts it in the frame or stops the music. And opening up a full new window is annoying and often blocked.
