Monopoly Masta!

      Unfortunately for three of my friends, yesterday night didn't go quite as planned. I will gladly explain. After sitting down for good two hours dwelling in the carnivorous land of Applied Therapeutics, I received word that two of our friends will be coming over to visit. I know, I still have another, what, thirteen hours worth of studying ahead of me? But after what happened the night before... I wanted to exact some well deserved revenge.
      This past weekend, I stopped by Barnes And Nobles to buy some board games. I have horrendous aptitude when it comes to such games but I believed that it would be a nice addition to the new place. With that said, welcome to the family, Monopoly and Bananagrams! Don't knock Bananagrams, which some of you might be tempted to do. I absolutely love playing that game. Later that night, my roommate convinced me to play Monopoly with him. Since it was a brand new set, he wanted me to christen it...What a load of bullshit. Behind the scenes, he wanted a chance to exert his dominance in the game. Truth be told, for the next two and a half hours that's exactly what he did. He showed me how far one can walk down the path of the devil because of this game. I believed possession of the soul was characterized by long and arduous bouts of the soul against the devil's hold but I was proven wrong. In just a matter of moments, my roommate traded his amiability and self control for insatiable ruthlessness.
      After obliterating any chances I had at building a Monopoly, he stated that he will think about trading properties only after I land on one of his properties. Let me make that clear. I would have to pay up at least one thousand dollars so that he could give me a monopoly out of pity, since pretty much all the properties he owned had hotels on it. Although I knew the end was inevitable, I played till the bitter end. As the victor, he reserved the right to be called "Monopoly Masta" and, annoyingly, wouldn't let me forget it. But if I knew what was going to happen the following night, I would have gone through all the badgering with a grin on my face.
      To make a long story short, until the next time I lose in Monopoly, you may address me as the long awaited "Monopoly Masta". You should have seen his face after I cleaned him out, it was the face of pathetic defeat. He still had properties, although mortgaged, after landing on my path of utter destruction. But the pride was sucked out of him and humbleness eased back into place. You can also call me the healer. That is, if you want to. It's not mandatory but it's certainly an option. Who knew? Monopoly does sometimes deal success to those who are flagrantly tossed to the side by the Scrooges of society. But you know what I truly got out of this experience? That I'm hours behind in my studies and although it was a strategy game, Monopoly will do nothing for my midterm next week. Agreed? Agreed.

Super Roommate

      It's been a week into the new school year and I finally unpacked my last box of essentials. I'm glad the owners of our last residence told us to beat it because of some financial issues. Don't ask. It's complicated. The good news is, I love it here. I'm probably not going to move out of this place for the next three years. It's just the kind of place that I can enjoy living in. With a peaceful atmosphere, non-confrontational neighbors, and immense amount of parking spaces, which I am not used to in the city area, this place has an aura about it that I can't get enough of. My roommate and I are slowly making this basement, own own. We were quite lucky to find this place actually. 

      Two months ago, before I left for India, we were set to rent a room in a house that was just a block away from where we are now. A couple of days before I set out for my three week trip abroad, I met with the landowner and gave him two months rent which he asked from both of us. It wasn't that bad of a place. I would have had to share the house with seven other guys but at least we had freedom, right? Two days after I landed, I checked my email and sure enough, I received a very "loud" message from my roommate stating that we had a major problem. Supposedly, the douchey landowner, who still had my money, backed off on the deal. As you may guess, this spilled out unwelcome trouble because school was just a little over a month away and I was in another country. 

      But never worry, it was through the hard work of my roommate that we eventually found this place. This is where it gets entertaining. After a couple of long nights sifting many second-rate apartments on Craig's List, my roommate started to become nervous. Concerned, his father told him that he should start looking through the Chinese newspapers that were lying around the house for apartment and house openings. Eventually, that path would eventually lead us to buy a basement with a Chinese oriented family living upstairs. It wasn't that easy though. My roommate had to convince the landowner that his roommate, although Indian, was very Americanized and doesn't make potent smelling dishes for dinner...???...Apparently, the East Asian community doesn't approve the smell of Indian food.

      So, we were about to be rejected because of my stifling method of nourishment, which I don't even know how to make. They eventually caved and gave us the "ok" to move on in. Imagine how I would have felt if they refused him because of me? On the other hand, that wasn't a fair question. You barely even know me. But today, I love where I am because of the hard work of my unrelenting roommate. (He doesn't let me forget it though.) I owe him big time. The more I think about it, the more I believe that we are where we are today because of generosity of the people who decided to support us along the way. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go ahead and spend the next fifteen hours trying to understand Applied Therapeutics. 

The Crow

      As a result of not being able to sleep last night, no matter what I tried to do, I went ahead and decided to watch a movie. I mean nothing worked. The soft sound of waves hitting the rocks on a beach, sleeping on my face, hiking up the fan a couple of notches all seemed to fail me. Of all the movies I have on a growing list, I picked Alex Proyas' "The Crow", which was released in 1994. Why "The Crow"? The first reason being, I have yet to watch a movie that stars a superhero by the name of Crow, until today morning obviously, so the plot line must be original. Secondly, I have a soft spot for ass-kicking, crime fighting, justice providing, death dealing superheros. And finally, as I was watching one of Vlogs that I subscribe to, I found out that Brandon Lee, who plays the main character, actually died on set. So, I believe that this movie is one of those several movies that you have to watch before you expire.

      Lee plays the role of an up and coming musician and to-be-newlywed, Eric Draven. Due to a housing issue with the city's most vile of criminals, his fiancee was brutally raped and beaten in front of his eyes. Draven came in on what was happening and was sent, mercilessly, to his untimely death and his fiancee died hours later. Now, Draven is back to see the death of each of these criminals through as The Crow. Bear with me on this one. To me, the Crow was Nicholas Cage's "Ghost Rider", Michael Jai White's "Spawn", Ben Affleck's "Daredevil", and Heath Ledger's "Joker", all packed into one character. But all of these movies came out years after the release of this movie. It could be very much possible that the main characters of these movies, in part, originated from the character of The Crow. Except "The Joker" of course. 

      I, personally, loved watching this movie. The musical composition of this movie was beautifully manipulated and handled by Graeme Revell. As we speak, I am replaying the shit out of Revell's "Return to the Grave." That piece is not as dark as it sounds, trust me. Although based on an eerie theme, there were scenes that put a smile on my face. Aside from some empty acting from Ernie Hudson and one or two movie mistakes, this movie is a must see. Now about Brandon Lee, the son of the late and coveted Bruce Lee. Because of an improperly prepared gun on set, Lee was accidentally shot on scene. Hours later, he was pronounced dead at New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Wilmington, because of an bullet intrusion to the spine. 

      There is no doubt in my mind that if Lee was still alive today, he would have the actor to watch on the big screen. His unique ability to be taken seriously, even with a bit of humor, makes him an actor with a lot to offer. The movie went on a hiatus for a while but Lee's family pushed for the movie's release in his remembrance. Proyas and Lee's stunt double, Chad Stahelski, did a great job covering up and keeping Eric Draven alive without a trace of Lee's absence. Will I watch this movie again? Yes, most definitely.

I will post the link to Revell's "Return to the Grave" on my "What I'm listening to right now" column. Check it out. 

Dan in Real Life

      One of the many crimes of man is to remake movie plots of older and better movies, thinking that one can substitute actors and get better feedback from the audience. Don't do it! All you screenplay writers, use your combined intellectual power and come up with one original plot please. The thing is, I'm having trouble watching and enjoying older movies because I've already watched at least one movie, that released in the past year, that has a similar plot version. What movie am I referring to? Yesterday, one of my friends was curious to what I had to say about a movie that he liked very much: Peter Hedge's "Dan in Real Life", that came out in 2007. So obviously, I wanted to write a good review about it, so as I was watching it, I gave the movie the benefit of the doubt. After thirty minutes of the movie, I felt as if I watched this movie before. I started guessing what was going to happen in the next scene and to my disappointment, I was correct. But aside from all this, if I had a time machine that could take me back four years and, simultaneously, clear all the modern bias I have residing in my head, I would use it to watch this movie. Because if it was 2007, I would have liked it.

      Consequently, I will attempt to talk about the movie as if I didn't watch Luke Greenfield's "Something Borrowed." Steve Carell, the star in "Dan in Real Life", teaches the audience how hard it is to be a single father of three children and deal with the messy, life scrambling "Minotaur" that is love, especially if love comes in the form of your brother's new girlfriend. To me, there's always this sense of unbelievability when it comes to Carell's acting. But in this movie, he proved himself to be of a higher caliber, not too high, but higher. Partially because of the scenes that I thought were "bare" and required more of Carell's animated touch. He, undoubtedly, had more chances to really "wow" the viewer, but I guess the screenplay didn't really give him enough space to work around.
      Those who were responsible for the casting of this movie made it very obvious how this relationship dilemma was going to pan out, without actual lines being recited. To know exactly what I'm talking about, I want you to look at the photo above and tell me who's the better couple. With this in mind, there was only one way that this movie could come about; with an uneasy attraction between the characters played by Carell and Binoche. Regardless, I was continuously smiling at the chemistry between these two actors and unrelenting charisma that Carell never fails to bring to the table. Carell succeeded in making me feel afraid and helpless if I was put into his character's shoes. If I was going to watch a late night movie on the ol' big screen with a lady-friend, "Dan in Real Life" will be one of the first I would reach for. But would I watch it again, by myself? No, not really. But I do hope to live by Carell's ending lines of the movie. To know what they were, shed all your modern bias by the microwave when you're heating up the popcorn, and watch it.
   

New Follower Jitters

      September 1, 2011 marks the day when this blog received its first follower. Once I saw the news on my dashboard, I felt great and there was happiness just radiating out of me. Man, was I ecstatic. I called and messaged some of my best buddies and let them know what was going on and how excited I was. Then after descending from Cloud Nine, something else set in and took the emotion's place. Slowly, I started to become nervous and self-conscious. Uninvited questions started to tear through my train of thought and made things more complex. Would this person like what you have to say? Is your  blog going to be geared toward this person? Will you change yourself, like you have before, just to please people?  Are you going to be satisfied? Do you feel like the chase is over? Maybe it's not a big deal to some, but it's something I have been dealing with for a long time.
      There's something you should know about me. I'm always up for trying new and exciting things and I will be attached to this particular "thing" by the hip for a while. Then, I'll hit a milestone and then the thrill is no where to be found. Let's just take blogging for example. One of the main things about blogging is that people, that are not familiar to you, will read what you have to write. After this, they have to determine whether or not they will follow you so that when they sign on to their respective account, they are able to see any of your new entries that you posted. If the answer is "no" then the process stops here. If not, they have to either copy your URL identification and paste it in the managing section of their reading list. Or maybe there's a simpler way that I am not familiar with. There's always an easier way. Having a follower is one of the biggest accomplishments a blogger will have. Once I find out that there is a person who is interested and following what I have to say, I start asking myself; What should I look forward to now? If I have no answer to that, then it's on to the next best thing.
      After thinking about all the work that this person had to do to follow this particular blog, I started to become nervous. What do I have to do to keep this person interested so that he doesn't angrily eradicate me from his reading list? After talking with a good friend of mine, I started to remember exactly why I made this blog in the first place. This blog wasn't made to please people and force me to change to the beat of other people's hearts. It's main purpose was for me to share what I think and my experiences. If I lose that, then this blog will just be another unnecessary burden on my life. The very point other people come to follow your blogs is to experience a new way of thought and the person you are. If you lose your sense of identity, then you become the generic, lifeless, bland reading material that you promised yourself that you'll never become.
      Unfortunately, I have a loose sense of identity. Throughout my life, the only thing that stayed constant about me is my bad sense of fashion. Everything else just changes with the tide, it's why being consistent is so difficult to me. It may have been the way I was programmed or maybe I'm just a guy that bores easily. But nevertheless, this blogging experience has been great and is something that I do want to continue. If I ever do start slacking. I give you each permission to give me one backhand across the face until I regain my senses.

At War with Inconsistency

      There are things I absolutely hate about going back to college but then there are things I don't mind returning to. Trying to explain the feelings that flow through me when I meet my, tight knit, couple of friends is very difficult. It's just us four guys. We have known each other since our orientation three years ago and I still have a vague memory of the first time I met each of them. If you're not someone that I talk to on a daily basis, I most likely won't be able to recognize you the second time I see you. Not even if we talk for two hours the night before. Don't expect me to know your name, it won't happen. If you understand that then you'll know how important still having a memory of how we all started out is to me. These guys bring me to a place of peace, no effort involved. When we're together there's this sense of fullness that I get and it's a feeling that I want to have for a long time.
      Unfortunately, you have to take the good with the bad. You can't bribe reality. To me, going back to school means more half-hearted all-nighters and motivational videos to narrowly get me by. To find success this year in school, I have to be a new person with a new way of thinking. I can't take things lightly anymore and I have to be mentally rejuvenated. My discipline is as structured and polished as one of a fourteen month old baby. That has to change and it is changing as we speak. Playing keep up this semester is key because of the heavy course load and fleeting time. It'll be too easy for me to be left behind. Guess what? A total of three classes has passed me by and I have went to all of them. Thank you. Thank you. What's more? I didn't go to sleep yesterday until I finished reviewing the lectures that I had the "pleasure" of attending. First day of school and already attaining herb status? But this is what's going to happen every night for the next year and a half. This is what better happen.
      As of yesterday, I'm officially at war with my problems with consistency. I will be on top of my classes this semester and I will break this vicious cycle of mine. I have no other choice. At the rate I've been going, I've been acting like I could wing it and make it to the finish line. It's not going to happen this time like it did many times before. I might just get kicked out of the program if I don't rid myself of that attitude. It's time to grow up and show up.

I Still Remember

      This one is dedicated to one of my best friends who is going through a rough time right now. He just got out of an almost three year strong relationship. It's going to be tough but it wasn't your fault. Remember, life's a long time. Just know if you need anything, your boys will always be here for you.

I Still Remember

It hasn't been that long

Since I saw a full smile on your face.

Yet it only took an instant

for you to give up the chase. 

I still remember the time.

Remember? When I would have given even my heart to you?

You meant the world to me.

Yet you, so easily, tore me in two. 

In me hides a longing for things to be as they started out,

When you said "I love you" because you wanted to. 

Here I am bearing out my heart

But you won't listen to me will you? 

Why'd you chose distance over me?

Why'd you chose the silence over my own voice?

Are you satisfied

To have played with my mind and pride like they were toys?

I still remember who you used to be,

Now just a foreigner by your own frivolity.

But I won't shed another tear for you, not one.

Watch me, I'm moving on with all my dignity.