Moved!

So I've had a wordpress for awhile now but I've never really done anything to it. I'm gonna start posting every things there but if things don't work out I'll come back here. It's really the same name but instead of .blogspot its .wordpress. Don't worry I wasn't planning on getting points for creativity haha.

moved!

Relationships

I've been meaning to write a post about the things that I've been feeling in regards to boyfriend/girlfriend relationships. This post isn't a wishlist of what my relationship could've/would've/should've been, and neither is this post a definitive checklist for the achievement of the perfect relationship.

Rather this post is more about the insights and lessons that I've learned, realized, observed, and experienced from my relationships, friend's relationships, and visual media relationships through the past 24 and a half years living on the earth.

1) It should be known that there are right/wrong reasons to pursue a relationship, and there are right/wrong things to do in a relationship.

2) It should be known that both persons should refrain from using the "L" word. For a period of time, I started loathing the word "love" when hearing/seeing/reading it from other people after going through a long relationship which started in high school. It really begs the question of whether or not the people uttering the word really understand the meaning and all the implications of it. Myself included, I have made many promises and none of those which I can remember have I kept. All was said and made in the name of "love".

Recently a new TV series inadvertently gave me insight into the mind of women when they hear the phrase "I love you". Watching her facial expression when she heard the words was equivalent to the enlightenment age in Philosophy, a "oh I get it now..." moment, the light bulb on top of my head - you get the idea. If you're in a relationship and you haven't uttered the words, I encourage you to think about it thoroughly before you say it. If you're in a relationship and the words have been said, either from you, the other person, or both, unless you're on the course of or seriously thinking about marriage I'd have to say to prepare yourself for heartache - not because you lost someone you love but lost someone who can't fulfill your selfish needs.

3) It should be known that the words "I love you" is not glue for the relationship to continue to exist. In other words just like a car isn't/can't run on water, a relationship is not held together by the words "I love you"; actions precedes words.

4) It should be known that unless you're living in an area with a population of less than a couple thousand, 99.99% of high school relationships do not last. If you fit that .01% just mentioned I will only applaud and give credit if that relationship will last to the end (marriage) without the involvement of sexual intercourse.

5) It should be known that if you've been involved (meaning have the label of bf/gf) with multiple people within a short time frame (4 years - that's not long trust me), most likely you're not looking for love but for companionship. What is companionship? Well its to satisfy your biological needs physically whether by kissing, holding hands, or sex among other things not mentioned; or emotional needs such as making sure there's someone to make you feel like you're not alone in the world, or that person treating you well compared to other guys among other things not mentioned. Only being honest with yourself can you realize if you are solely looking for companionship than a life long partner.

6) It should be known that all the things above mentioned concerning what companionship is are selfish qualities that do not make up what a true relationship is. A genuine love relationship is about giving a lot more than it is about asking for, but not about giving into those selfish needs. The way to approach the relationship is to not get attached until you know that it has the potential to be your lifelong partner. If by mutual understanding and agreement it doesn't end up going all the way, then there isn't the danger of being attached or heartache.

7) It should be known that if you're not in the relationship with marriage in mind then why are you in the relationship anyway? It only follows that if you're not looking for a lifelong partner then companionship is the only other option. The only end result of companionship is separation and it should follow that there isn't any justification for feeling sad/depressed/upset/angry because the other person was in the relationship for the same reason you are. After all if you've been in multiple relationships within a short time frame, not that I'm encouraging the idea, but what is stopping you from getting involved with another person?

8) It should be known that if the current relationship isn't teaching you anything new, reminding you of the real meaning of love, changing you into someone better and not the same person as you were when the relationship started, then it is a sign that the relationship is not healthy for you, and it's probably not going to work out. Other signs that the relationship isn't going to work and just delaying the inevitable are constant arguments, physical touching, as a means of "assurance", and (but not limited to) the attachment.

9) It should be known that you'll know you are attached if you have what Usher calls, 'got it bad.' Getting attached is also evident if you start acting as if the relationship was going on 6 months when it really only has been 2 weeks.

10) It should be known that the perfect example of a true genuine relationship is the love that God has for us. God offers/offered blessings, sacrifice, mercy, patience, change, and (but certainly not limited to) promises. What more do you want in a relationship than with God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)?
---------------------------------

Any questions or comments will be address in the following post. Thanks for reading.

Summer '08 - Nothing Like It

Usually the best indicator for the end of summer is the college students heading back to their respective education institutions. In its own sense this year has been one of the best summers that I've had. Ever. It was due to the fact that I got to spend it with awesome friends everyday on the 8 o'clock ferry. Since starting my new job at the end of June (immeasurable thanks to those who have helped in this process) the one thing that wakes me up on time in the mornings are the same people on that particular ferry. Then at work the emails begin which makes the whole work day bearable and seems to go by faster.

This post is for you guys in making my summer more enjoyable than it would've been, for the pinkberry moments, e-mail spams, lunch gatherings, bubble gum chewing, e-prays, and everything else I missed.

Top row from left to right : Florence, Jenny, Pol, Rachel
Middle row from left to right: Sybil, Dave, Simon, George
Bottom row from left to right: Joanna, George, Victor
Not pictured: Andrew

Random

Funniest random thing I saw today:
Six NYC Police Officers got on the bus to go three stops down. They looked so awkward and I got the feeling that everyone else felt it was awkward too lol. I mean what NYC PO take public transportation aside from the subway?


Just browsing through my iGoogle and Microsoft Photosynth caught my eye. It's pretty neat really and I'm thinking of giving it a shot. Check it out here. Basically a short description is that you take massive amounts of photos ranging from detailed to far shots so that when it all compiles together it creates a sort of a one-dimensional-3D online view of whatever it is that you took massive amounts of pictures of. Just go to the website and look at it yourself haha.

Responses and Random Pictures for the Month of July

As speculation for the next Batman movie is flying around on who wants to play what character, and possible characters, this article to me stuck out the most because i would've never guessed or considered this particular actor fit for this type of movie genre (if they were serious to have the next villian as The Riddler that is).
Check this article out

In response to the Anon comment from the previous post, the person was absolutely right that there's no guarantee that Christopher Nolan would return for the third Batman - in fact it was three years since Batman Begins. Christopher Nolan takes his film projects one step at a time so i would not be surprised if it took another three years or more for the next Batman to arrive but I'm pretty confident that Christopher Nolan would see through Christian Bale's contract for the three Batman films.

---------------------------------------

Sorry but since I started work I haven't been carrying my camera around so the camera phone was all I have.




(from left to right)
1 - Since I started working around City Hall I've managed to at least be around the camera, film, and some cast members of various shows but mainly Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Shown are actress Kathryn Erbe and Vincent D'Onofrio.
2 - Some candidate came in and she brought in bootleg Pocky lol. I had to take a picture of it
3 - I doubt anyone wants to take a tour of Staten Island. The tour is only close to an hour and the only site they visit that i can remember is the Alice Austin house but I know that it's mostly the North Shore. I think the price is about 45$ or something - ripoff and boring.
4 - At work I've been buying snacks at the vending machine but this pretty much made me stop. The picture was taken on July 28th 2008... -_-"




(from left to right)
1 - Ugly Betty staff chairs
2 - Eric Mabius
3 - Eric Mabius (and when the person moved...) Rebecca Romijn
4 - I couldn't get a good shot of America while she was heading toward the car since they were filming underneath the arc. So I only got the left back-side of her head.
*honorable mention* - Judith Light was there as well but since she was almost literally walking next to me (it was almost as if no one knew she was part of the show as Mrs. Meade) I didn't want to be rude and shove a camera in her face.

" WHY SO SERIOUS ?! "

The title is a line from the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I highly encourage you to check out the movie before it comes out on DVD/Blu-ray. This is one of the films that shouldn't be watched when it comes to the discs but on the big screen. The purpose of this post isn't to JUST give praise to the film, but rather after watching the film and describing some of the most memorable moments to my brother I realized that a lot of thought went into the movie in certain areas of thought, relativity, philosophy/acting, and irony. So if you're reading my post and have not watched the movie... SPOILER ALERT !!!

If anyone hasn't watched the movie I'll warn you one more time - SPOILER ALERT !!! Now that I've gotten that away lets go to the movie plot analysis.

From the picture above whoever created this poster/advertisement was a genius. It summarizes all that the movie represents. Batman being in the middle perfectly depicts the notion of being a vigilante but yet in order to do so, requires some taking matters into one's own hands - which to many of us civilians (whether in the movie or real life) feel there are no exceptions to the law. Harvey Dent being on his left and the Joker on his right represents the classical idea of good and evil respectively, though in the end even the best of us falls.

I was never a fan of the Rachel Dawes character in the Batman installments but her role at least was not in vain for the second of three expected films. I initially suspected that the writers for the movie needed some way for Harvey "Two-Face" Dent to legitimately account for how he's destined to become "Two-Face", and that was to kill the Rachel Dawes character. But after some thought it seems that it would be the only legitimate way because of the character that Harvey is - a public protagonist that stands for good, justice and the end of corruption - along with having the new addition (referring to Dawes) as being Harvey's would-have-been wife, only to be killed is what pushed Harvey over the edge.

Speaking of the end of the movie, the ending is the only outcome that would have made the movie coherent, logical, and true to the title of the movie. Alfred even made a reference to the end of the movie when he said that Batman can make all the decisions that no one else can make because he is what he is by doing all that he has done.

All throughout the movie you should have realized that Batman was forced to make many Utilitarian (a decision that has the best possible outcome for all scenarios) choices. As in the case of "giving to the demands of the Joker" because people were dying left and right, and saving that one person's life who knew the real identity when the world wanted him dead to save everyone in hospitals. All the decisions in the end led to a world where Batman was not considered a vigilante, a knight in shining armor but rather "The Dark Knight".

The writers also masterminded the logical flow of cause and effect towards the ending of the film. Regular movie goers wouldn't probably have not paid attention to the detail but being a huge fan of Batman help me notice endings that fit the movie and endings that are just to end the movie. All the while Batman is fighting between the obvious evil, all the citizens were fighting along side but in a sense of themselves. The following scenarios encourage this idea:

The "I believe in Harvey Dent" catch-phrase summarizes the hope that the citizens of Gotham need and need to stand behind amidst the internal corruption in the city...

That very same hope was again declared and enforced publicly in Bruce Wayne's fundraiser...

And that very same hope was the reason why Batman imposed the idea on Commissioner Gordon that it was Batman who killed captured and killed Harvey Dent (A little detail here regular movie goers might have missed is that Harvey Dent to all the civilians was missing after the hospital incident until they end of the movie). If the civilians realized that Harvey "Two-Face" Dent became a bad guy, all the hope of a better Gotham would've been shattered...

And that hope for a better Gotham wouldn't have been more clearer than in the "social experiment" set up by the Joker with the two Staten Island Ferry bombing detonators. One can tell that both boats were eager to live, that although the vote was in favor of detonating the convicts no one wanted to get their hands dirty and carry that conscious, and even though in the beginning it was very hectic upon hearing the announcement from the Joker the convicted banked their lives on the hope of the law-abiding citizens - almost to the point where they knew when it came down to it that they deserved what they got if their boat was detonated, and that also when the big black guy said "give me the detonator and I will do what you should have done 10 minutes ago" and threw the detonator out the window.

A quote by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity says, "Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for the sort of man he is..." - that quote cannot ring any louder in the movie.

The acting by far was the best in all around superhero movies. Yes the character played by Robert Downy Jr. was superb but one person can only carry the movie so much - whereas the cast for The Dark Knight had three great actors (Batman as a character is a negative when it came to acting but lets be serious... would anyone really take Batman seriously if you heard a soft toned voice like Christian Bale's?) and two of which play off each other very well

Christian Bale - as Bruce Wayne
Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger - as Harvey "Two-Face" Dent and the Joker respectively

Christian Bale plays a very good Bruce Wayne - stuck up, and feels that money can get him anything... not that much to say about him since this is his second movie.

There isn't much to say concerning the part that Heath Ledger played because well, its obvious and any sort of description praising him for a great performance would be unjustified. The only thing I will say is that anyone who asks the question, "Is Heath Ledger or Jack Nicholson a better Joker?" - to which the answer is that each was great in their time and their interpretation of the Joker by far exceeded the expectations and doubt that anyone had on depicting an insane, mindless and morbid character.

I'd like to make a point to give credit where it's due and that is the role played by Aaron Eckhart. There can be only so much killing and so much ultimatums from the Joker without having some real purpose behind all that he does and A.E. did a great job in portraying a relentless beacon of hope against all that is evil, until the last 30 minutes of the movie that is. A.E should definitely be up for at least a nomination for best supporting Actor in a movie for his role as Harvey "Two-Face" Dent.

In retrospect the movie even though it's called The Dark Knight, isn't so much about Batman ironically but rather one can sense the film becomes more about Harvey and the Joker, while Batman is just there for the ride, getting caught up in all that Joker plans against Harvey.

Lastly since there will be a third Batman in the Christopher Nolan films, I'd like to present my case and theories for the third installment.

1 - I believe that Batman's third installment will be a battle between the Joker and Batman himself. Why? For a couple of reasons and the main one being that unlike the original Batman in the mid 1980s, Joker in this film does not die. It is understood that the S.W.A.T. team has custody of him.

Another reason is the idea that the Joker hinted at Batman just after he is thrown off the roof, caught and left hanging upside down. He says something along the lines that he and Batman are destined to be arch-rivals in a sense that the epitome of Good vs. Evil is Batman and the Joker respectively.

Another reason why I believe the Joker will be part of the third installment is because an introduction of a new villian such as maybe Mr. Freeze, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, Bane, and the Penguin are all lame and would take away the kind of atmosphere and feeling that the writers and Christopher Nolan worked so hard to create for the audience to be immersed in.

The reason why Christopher Nolan's Batman series is such a success is because of that atmosphere and feeling the audience can relate to. As they watch the two films anyone can relate to the idea that everything that happens in the movie, either has happened (as in the case of corruption of the internal workings of political and government agencies) or has a chance of happening (a ferry boat bombing, a hospital threat, etc). With the introduction of Mr. Freeze, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, Bane and the Penguin all take away that seriousness and swings toward the lighter and more comical sense that Batman Forever and Batman and Robin portrayed (both of which were terrible movies).

I haven't developed an opinion of Cat-woman yet... but I feel its a possibility. But lastly for any Batman fan, the Joker will always be Batman's arch-rival and enemy. Just like X-Men's arch-enemy is Magneto, Batman's arch-enemy is the Joker. The only problem that my theory comes across is finding another Joker... I don't have a solution for it and it is the basis for my second theory.



My only other theory for the third installment for Christopher Nolan's Batman series stems from the Joker theory - and that is Batman dies. For real I honestly believe that Christopher Nolan did such an excellent job of recreating the Batman hero for the new generation, that it would only be right and symbolic of the writers to end the "trilogy" so to speak by killing Batman off as Christopher Nolan planned to only direct three Batman movies.

All in all, The Dark Knight is the best superhero movie of this decade. I used to go around saying it's the best superhero movie of all time but I also happen to like Tim Burton's version of Batman and that still ranks as number one in super-hero movies.

Anyone that says Iron Man was a better super-hero movie and only basing that on visually tantalizing stimulus to the eyes loses all credibility when it comes to judging what is good and what is a bad movie. I liked the Iron Man film but the movie was not as intricately weaved and complex in terms of storyline and the villian in the end was just as predictable as the sun rising every day.

Can't wait for The Dark Knight to come out on Blu-ray.

" LET'S PUT A SMILE ON THAT FACE !! "

Random Photos for the Month of June 2008, The best of my EuroTrip, and The Coronation of Napoleon

Here are the photos for the month of June. Most of the pictures from my Europe trip are on my Facebook so I'll post the best picture from each place that I've visited as a summation.


Golden Flow... sometimes I wonder if people who create names really think about whether or not it has other connotations to it. Then there's the phrase that goes after it doesn't help with regards as to what the Golden Flow product is if it's "the taste we grew up on"




I can't believe the dog is still here from the last time I posted about it! The price from when I took it back in April was $7.99 and now they raised it a dollar to $8.99 -_-







So this was pretty interesting when I spotted it. There seems to be four cameras hoisted on the roof of the chevy cobalt - anyone who has any sort of photography or film background please feel free to fill me in on this contraption lol









Three of the Four Waterfalls in NYC, "Presented by the Public Art Fund in collaboration with New York City." This is Olafur Eliason's art project and I'll acknowledge his creativity but I don't really find it all that fascinating aside from being pointless. Neither do I think it's really worth the four months that it'll be here (June 26th - October 13th).



I had to get my Mercedes Benz brakes fixed so the tune-up shop is the Ray Catena in Edison, NJ. They have free fast internet, a fridge for cold soda, juice, and water as well as two different types of sandwiches and wraps. The picture on the right you can see that they have bagels in the morning for those who have appointments in the morning. Everytime I go I have to be Asian and grab all that my two hands can fit lol. Usually its like two sandwiches and two bottles of water haha. I guess when you get a luxury car you also get treated luxuriously.

------------- The Best of EuroTrip 2008 -------------

London's Buckingham Palace.








The Vatican in Rome









Florence Cathedral, otherwise known as Basilica di Santa Maria Del Fiore






The Gondola ride in Venice








The Milan Cathedral








The insanely clean waters of Switzerland








The Mona Lisa by Leonardo DaVinci at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The Peeing boy in Brussels, Belgium











The Clog making factory in Holland








The Diamond Factory (Coster Diamonds) in Amsterstam which houses the diamond encrusted tennis racquet and ball.

------------- The Coronation of Napoleon -------------

The above picture is a painting done by Jacques-Louis David done at the request of Napoleon. Some quick tidbits about the photo. This was the first of two that Jacques-Louis David did. The second painting was exactly the same except some minor differences to which I'll show at the end of the post. The obvious difference is easy to point out so I'll leave that for you to catch it.

Towards the background the woman in the middle of the row that looks important - that is Napoleon's mother. Story has it that her and Napoleon got into an argument beforehand and she never showed up for the actual event and Napoleon had asked David to paint her in. In the row above Napoleon's mother, and to her right (our left) there's a guy that looks like he's taking notes during the ceremony. That's Jacques-Louis David and in front of him are his three daughters.

There was something about this painting when I first saw it at Versailles that captured me and won my heart. So at the gift shop when I came across the puzzle it was just something I had to have. So I bought it but i haven't opened it up yet till just now lol.

The picture below was taken at Versailles, the second of the Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David done about nine years later after the first one.

Lazy... and Happy Birthday !

I have a lot of ideas and things I planning to write about but I'm just lazy... I'll just leave you guys with two entertaining things. An American Idol star and a random comment from a "Pervert". Enjoy !

*out of nowhere this person says*
"I don't mean to be perverted or anything... but your pants are pretty tight!"

Flo Rida ft. TPain - Low (as sung by Joshua Lam)
*note - I was shocked when I heard him sing randomly so I decided to record it lol*




Happy Birthday to my cousin Ed
and Happy Birthday to my mui Joanna (7/16)

LOST

So after two months of not seeing LOST, I'm glad that I waited this long to see it because the season finale never fails to leave me hanging for more. For anyone who has not seen LOST or happens to be a hater, you can find out what the buzz is all about because ABC.com has all the episodes from all four seasons so anyone who has not caught the bandwagon can now join and be up to date.

But seriously... LOST is awesome. I can't think of another TV show that is like it with such intrigue and mystery or at least comes close. I'll admit that there were some bad episodes or some boring ones (especially after I started watching Heroes), but the writers for ABC's LOST stepped up their game for this season.

If you haven't seen the season finale... I'd probably advise you to watch it the week before the new season comes out - you'll thank me ^_^

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank you Lord for the chance to be blessed with today's technology, using it for your glory. I thank you for the opportunity to use this blog, with the capability to publish posts in advance so that I don't have to say a certain thing at that moment in time.

This prayer I bring to you I lift up my sister in Christ, Jenny, for she will be teaching Sunday School. In all that she has gone through during the past couple of years in which You have molded her, I pray that she would be willing to give it all to you. Letting go of any fears she may have about leading a group, and leaning on your strength Lord because there is only so much we can do on our own. I pray that she would have a willing hear to be used as an instrument to get your message across because once we start teaching and relying on ourselves we start bringing glory to ourselves.

I also lift up a fellow brother in Christ, Simon, who has been feeling burdened. Lord you know what it is that is occupying his mind and although we know it in our heads that you are sovereign, forgive us for not fully believing that as we worry about things in life. I pray that you would give strength and encouragement to Simon whatever way possible and that he would feel refreshed because your Spirit is upon him.

Lord I want to lift up the youth on sunday who will hear the second part of the Foundations series and that they would be encouraged to read your word and seek to hold precious the words you have spoken in the Bible. I pray for open eyes so that they may see your glory, open ears that they would hear and open hearts that they may obey what they hear.

In Jesus name,
Amen

Random Photos for the Month of May 2008

I know I haven't been updating but here are some pictures that were taken during the month of May I thought was pretty random. I'll be on vacation so I wont be updating for awhile. Here are the places I'll be in Europe for the next week and a half or so:

London
Rome
Florence
Venice
Milan
Luzern
Paris
Brussels
Amsterdam

Enjoy the pictures!

I was at a travel agency picking up the vacation itinerary and happened to come across this poster of a province in Thailand. It's pronounced "poo-ket" but thats not what came to my mind at first lol.


















Well I never would've thought that this corner on Baxter and Canal in Chinatown would close down but apparently it has and the reason is for safety measures....








An old Chinese superstition is that if you make 1,000 paper cranes, your wish will come true...








The pictures speak for itself lol.









Was walking around in Chinatown when I saw an elementary school kid doing his HW on the sidewalk next to his parent's newstand...









Haven't seen old school Vespas in awhile...










And for the last photo... while picking up Jeff from Penn State, came across this truck. It's just asking for a kidnapping to happen lol.



See you all when I get back !

^_^

More Ragnarok Online screenshots

So we decided to mess around with more pictures and poses and here is what we came up with.

















1 - Since our merchants were all dress in black and Jeff's Assassin Cross was black why not take a picture of a "gang" lol

2 - Dave has a gunner and we used the @die command to the fullest lol.

3 - More dead bodies and we used the merchants to look like Death Angels

4 - The Liu Dynasty has taken over...

5 - Okay so what really happened here is that after i took the picture for number 4... a monster came by and killed all the merchants LOL. It was hilarious just witnessing it haha. So it was perfect for a new shot which is what you see.