Ravings of a Fool
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Yan" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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10:31 pm
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Clean Slate
Just was notified that this post is unclear. What I meant was that my new journal is at:
http://yanzhang.wordpress.com/
so go there. It will be sporadic but should never be dead.
-Yan
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04:57 pm
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On Love
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6405799.stm
Bravery takes many forms... passive, violent, stubborn, or freeflowing. We mix and match these colors when we paint the stories of heroes for the next generation. That is how we humans get by.
Poor couple. I hope they get through it.
-YZ, working on thesis
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02:18 am
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Another Update
(1) You should watch Happy Feet, even if you are a single male. The penguins are accursedly cute that even I felt warmth inside.
(2) In almost related news, global warming is a serious problem, as evidenced by there being no snow in northern VA. To make it even more scary, Boston, MA, had only one flurry this year, the weather statistical equivalent of Shaq making a 3-pointer.
(3) Arrested Development is a hallmark of siutational comedy as Firefly is a hallmark of science fiction. Both exemplars of their respective genres have been cancelled by Fox. Therefore, Fox sucks. I remember being addicted to their saturday morning cartoons as if they were crack, however.
(4) 
(5) The ride down from Boston to VA was only 7 hours this time, thanks to M.Z. and Paul's semi-masterful driving. M.Z., somehow asleep at the wheel, managed to get us home without killing anyone. The boys are back. The question is whether we should invite ourselves to Jimmy's place or M.Z.'s place. In either case, it is warm enough to play basketball.
These updates are getting pretty sparse - usually only when I'm not in school. Last entry was Thanksgiving, this one Christmas. At this rate, I only get one more post for spring break before I graduate.
It is all part of "growing up," I guess. Many of you, including the people who subscribe to me but do not blog anymore, probably know this sentiment. There are just more important things to do, like trying to get a job at an investment bank or going to graduate school. We're becoming our parents, the emotional equivalent of "selling-out."
Let's toast to "real life."
-Yan
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09:52 am
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4 days till School - giving away stuff
1) Duluth is over. Fun and productive.
2) I am giving away more books - catch them before I finish packing at My Give List .
3) GREs. I don't know words.
4) I'm addicted to Comedy Central.
-YZ
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11:30 pm
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Catching up Through Pictures
1. Biking was totally awesome. I haven't ridden a bike in like 100 years, but riding a bike is like riding a bike. You don't forget it.
2. Who is this fool?
3. You can get smart just by osmosis - go to the same program as these two people. I felt like my IQ went up a dozen points or so.
4. The boardwalk here is good for sunrises, apparantly. I will try to go multiple times before it is over.
5. Even though he is a math nerd at heart, Nathan is totally awesome and like the coolest guy ever.
5.5 Nathan really likes to get naked, like all the time. But you really want those kind of pictures you can find them yourself. I'm sure you can figure out how.
6. This picture does not do the justice of showing that Prof. Gallian can bench about 3 times I can. He's one math prof to stay away from in a fight.
7. It should be warned that Ana, the girl in the picture, is about 2 feet shorter than I am. I think it is because she has that much more math in her head than I do. It is really quite scary how good she is.
8. I know I give you shit all the time - but happy birthday, USA.
Wow. It's been so long. I even updated my webpage - see some of you in a couple of months.
-Y.Z.
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12:44 am
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It Takes Something Drastic
It was like that time a couple of years ago, when on a pleasant jog to Woodson High to play basketball with Jimmelz, MZ, and the gang, that I came upon a little injured bird that could not fly. I helped it then, not knowing whether to feel good that I helped the bird or feel bad that I might have helped the bird to feel good about myself.
Time does fly, however. I gave a bit of myself to someone else today. I haven't made a real sacrifice for a while, so the feeling is disturbingly fresh. I don't know whether to feel altruistic, pleased, or regretful. Maybe we'll see after results come out.
Of course, the fortunate and unfortunate part of life is that not everything goes like in the movies. So while satisfaction is not guaranteed, it will make the wait more meaningful.
Happy birthday to me.
-Yan
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02:00 am
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Another List of Nine
1) I dragged C. and Q. to Winterfest. Q.'s chinese caligraphy skills are hilarious - you need to see it to believe it. TCS should be glad I made them an extra $27. For some reason nobody recognized me. I think it was the lack of a visor.
Giggidy giggidy!
I miss you guys. Have fun at grad school.
(Note: Winterfest is a long-going tradition of the glorious Taiwanese Cultural Society. Yan Zhang highly endorses any activity pertaining to this selfless, hardworking, and generally wonderfrul group of people. Said Yan Zhang bears no official affiliation with the Taiwanese Cultural Society nor any of its members.)
2) If you want some "COCA COCA" "Cowboy Leg" and "every form rape," order them at this site . Prepare to laugh your ass off.
3) Q. made the semifinal tournament for Daniel Negreanu's protege-selection. What an important event! I was his cheerleading squad in my room, providing water, reads on some players, and emotional support. Q. fluctated between 11th and 2nd place in the field of 36 and made the final table in 4th place in quite a smooth and well-played ride, modulo a lost coin flip of 88 against KA. At the final table, fluctuations began to appear, and Quique made some nice plays but was eventually hunted down in another pair versus overcards situation, and eliminated in 7th place. Main lesson? Be careful of the big stacks since they can break you.
Also, I had a during-the-game argument with Q. I argued that heads up, 88 was better against KAo and K7o (with random suits) than if 88 was up against KAo alone. I leave the answer as an exercise to the reader.
4) It is an overwhelming, and highly educational, feeling when someone whom you've always respected shows in a serious situation that he/she is just human. You feel both anger and sadness when you have to replace your image of a hero by that of a pathetic, lying weakling.
I think I grew up a bit.
5) Here is my new hairstyle: 
6) McMullin's math class is awesome. Nowhere else have my homework scores been anything close to what it has been so far (1.5/5, 5.5/7, 6.5/11 respectively), yet I am so damn proud of it.
Masochism is the actual source of mathematicians. The two words even sound alike. Sorta.
7) I think BRedline will go on Spring Break without me while I stay and work. I need to get in touch with my nerdy side.
But I think I'm already pretty in touch with it.
8) The best sandwich in the world can be found at La Verde's Kitchen at MIT. Get the white bread, the chicken salad (make sure you add raisins), and a light layer of lettuce. Make them toast the bread. Pay 5 dollars, and you have achieved Nirvana.
The sandwich is orgasmic.
9) I ran out.
Catch you guys on the flip side.
-Yan
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07:47 pm
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I Banking
No, I haven't sold out yet, bitches.
Today's thought is on the two banking systems offered in The 99 Critical Shots in Pool . Consult the following badass diagram.
The ball at point D wants to be banked into pocket A. There are two systems introduced that supposedly both work:
1) Consider the perpindicular from D to the other side of the table, which hits it at E. Draw a line from D to B (the pocket opposite from A). Approximate the angle bisector of BDE, and then shoot the ball along the angle bisector.
2) Draw the lines AE and BD. They intersect at C. Draw CF, a perpindicular to BE. Shoot ball towards F.
First, we show that (2) is a kosher method (at least mathematically - meaning with no regard for variations in angle due to speed of ball and English). Clearly, it suffices to show that D, F, and G, where G is the mirror image of A respect to B are collinear. Note this condition is equivalent to BG/CF = BD/CD. However, BG/CF = AB/CF = BE/EF = BD/CD (each step by similar triangles), so voila.
Then I went to shoot a bunch of these in Loker. Whoa, actually works. Go math.
Anyway, why does (1) not quite work (at least mathematically)? Well, it basically claims that DF is the angle bisector of BDE (remember, since (2) works we proved that F is the right spot). However, by the Angle Bisector Theorem this implies BF/FE = BD/DE. However, then DE/AB = EF/BF = DE/BD, so AB = BD. This is definitely not always true, since AB is fixed and BD is arbitrary.
So this confuses me, since this system must obviously work for some people. The only explanation I can think of is that while it is a little off, it is a good approximation usually, so that an experienced player's muscle memories automatically adjust for the quirks (you need to do that with any banking system anyway, since pool isn't strict geometry). But yeah, since I think imagining random lines and doing intersections is much easier than making a "phantom pocket" or doing an angle bisector by eye, I think using system (2) is the way to go.
-Y.Z.
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02:02 am
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Letters
Journals are resting places for interests. For today's entry, I'll make an A-Z listing of recent interactions with 26 representatives of one of my favorite, but often neglected, interests - people. They go as they come to mind, so if you actually read this shit, don't feel left out - especially if you happen to be one of the popular letters, say D.
A. is no longer in any of my classes this year. I still see her wandering around campus doing more activities than I could do in two semesters, but such is the choice of life. If I can only be so hard-working.
B. decided to ditch me this summer for the temptations of Big Business, which I hope he finds helpful. I also worry for girls there.
C. is coming to Boston in a month. It's gonna be great, except for the weather. Spoiled Calasian brat.
D. just saw me last night. We had a fun discussion on reading books and reading people. I find his advice direct and valuable, and hope his parents could give him a break.
E. only sees me at the Adams table anymore, which is quite unfortunate. I really liked his recent Xanga article on Xanga articles. I wish I could insert more life into my journal.
F. amazes me even more than she used to, knowing how shy she is only adds more intrigue given her flexbile talents. Some think her of arrogant - I think her of having ascended from the need for attention.
G. is trying to get into grad school. I wish him luck - he has been a good role model to me as someone who was not always lauded with praise, but kept striving forward to achieve mastery in his skills.
H. to me is the example of courage. He can remain unscathed by problems and remain laughing in the face of danger. He can also play 69o from early position and get away with it.
I. will always be my "old sister", whether she knows it or not. She'll be in picturesque England next year, drinking tea with Hardy and talking integers with Ramanujan. I should turn envy into motivation.
J. is resilient, saucy, and confident. She reminds me a bit of N., with a touch less of naivette replaced by boyish energy. But how important are first impressions? I would like to get to know her better.
K. is also coming to Boston in a month. Hopefully we can work it out so we'd kick it with C. it will be summer of '05 all over again.
L. is short.
M. saw me at the pool table a week ago, where I had some of the worst games of my Loker career. She laughs happily now. I forgot what her tears look like.
N. saw us at Lamont. His capacity for forgiveness is incredible, and he is definitely much more in control of his emotions than I'd give him credit for. Math nerds like me should keep this in mind.
O. asked me physics questions. I realized I don't know much physics anymore.
P. checkraises like a bitch.
Q. and I stopped talking. I asked Neal about him, and even Neal hasn't talked to him in a while.
R. puts quotes of other people into his profile, and doesn't talk much about himself. Whatever facts he say are always right, and whatever statement he makes are always deep. I have much to learn from him.
S. plays a sick defense, though we lost to Room 406. We'll get psuedo-revenge the next night, but the next league game is still weeks away.
T. didn't come join us Sunday, but only because he sacrificed hours of his valuable time to help make more than five hundred kids happy. I wish I grew some balls and helped him out.
U. is an uncommon letter for people to start names with.
V. was drunk when he walked into the elevator with us, though he refused to admit it. He is hilarious.
W. talked to me once in the hallways and once on AIM this semester. Last semester, we probably talked 20 times in the hallways and 200 times on AIM. I am an asshole.
X. sat at Mather working with his friends on some stat homework. I couldn't really help him, and we didn't talk about old times. But we talked, at least.
Y. is the coolest ever, for obvious reasons.
Z. saw me in Lowell. I asked the boy to get me pizza. He went obediently and told me they ran out. I miss the dude.
Take it easy,
-Y. (Y.) Z.
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11:08 pm
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Playing it High
Gave an impromtu tour of the square, yard, Widener, and the statue to a group of three-years-ago me's. Recommended to them Nine Tastes.
Cashed in the table with a dress shirt, black gloves, no visor, jeans, sneakers.
I'll get back to you, journal. Life is too fast.
-Yan
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06:23 pm
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Playing Catch
If there is rain, then somewhere else there is a drought. Concentration is a resource that I consistently fail to consider when I evaluate risk, and writing has been a drought when I had to put attention elsewhere. But I'm at least going to give a few drops of water here before I wander back to finals ($%$@# retarded scheduling system). Of course, the delay of putting down feelings onto paper saves up mundane thoughts and condenses them into saturated wisdom. For example, I've realized through a long and relaxing winter vacation three things:
1) Language is strongly affected by immersion - not just learning a new one, but losing nuances of the old one. Besides the fact that I lost all abililty to speak ebonics, my "normal English" has deviated substantially from those of old friends who ended up elsewhere and those of new acquaintances. It was refreshing to hear another English, or two another Englishes.
2) Jing is the biggest banana I know. Though it took me a long time to realize this.
3) God made the only mistake he had ever make (besides possibly creating Man) when he created MZ.
Good times, everyone. Shoutouts to Jing, MZ, Han, Jerry, Sifu, Sifu's UVA friend who gave me a ride home (ha), Doo (and little Doo), Cao, N., his girlfriend, Richard (and Alexandra). I remembered a bit more of how fun the old days were.
What else? For general catching up purposes, I'll list 9 things:
A) MZ taught me more about life with his ludicrous theory. He is the hilarious, but not a maniac. I think all women should marry him. MZ. To Infinity.
B) Just writing this before flying back from San Antonio. AMS/MAA joint meetings were huge this year, breaking the 4000 barrier to be the biggest meeting in history (or something). It is kinda nice having two, if not more, people with Erdos number 1 come up to your poster. Oh yeah, and I won 33.34 dollars.
C) Don't turn on the bathwater and then watch an hour-long documentary on the Boston Marathon Scandal, because you'll flood your bathroom floor with at least an inch of hot water. Though there is a plus in that you get good wrist and back exercise by toweling all the water off the floor and wringing them into the toilet. Then you take the fucking bath.
D) Mad propz to Filene's Basement.
E) Who answers 11 questions in a row then spends all three lifelines on the next only to get it wrong? Poor dude. I would done much worse of course cauz I clearly think the Cajun are Spanish (AP Spanish says of course it would be pronounced as "ka - hoon")
F) If you arrive at a poster session 30 minutes before the presentation, and with no poster (just uncut printouts), you have to take full advantage of your two procrastinator friends. So you get two guys to cut the material, and someone else to glue. You should frantically first cut as much crap as possible since the cutting bottlenecks the gluing so you can get a pipeline going, which is why you get two people to cut in the first place. also, if you only have one pair of scissors and one gluestick, you can make the third guy go steal scissors from someone else who is more screwed than you.
G) I rap like a white guy.
H) Right.
I) ...
Happy new year. See you after finals.
-Y. "Y.Z." Z.
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10:07 pm
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Pomegranate
I discovered a new way to eat a pomegranate - shredding entire pieces out of the shell after a few vicious cuts. The kernels naturally attach themselves to each piece of the fruit's flesh. I could then savor each piece by suckling on the entire cut, spitting out the shriveled fruit (and an order of ten or twenty seeds) with it into the trash can.
The rushes of taste are great, but after only six or eight bites, the pomnegrande was gone. What made me savor it so much more last time when I would tiresomely take out each kernel one by one with my fingertips, then suckle on each seed until I notice the futility of turning a dry seed into juice?
-Yan
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08:11 pm
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Harvard BRedline Coffee Cup Write-up
For the first tournament appearance of Harvard "Breadline" BRadline, It is a delightful surprise that Roh "Roh" did not oversleep and delay the team. It is unfortunate that he did not attend the tournament. What actually delayed the team was the non-appearance of the ubercaptain Will "Awesome" Chen '06, who showed up smelling of alcohol and not quite knowing why he was up (happy birthday Will) after a long conversation with Adam and Jimmy on the phone that was not quite in any comprehensible language (maybe it was Lisp). But with these trifles out of the way, only a sleepy three hour ride that the freshmen will soon be accustomed too separated the eager #1-seeded Bredline from the quaint fields of Safety School.
The freshmen wished to depart only a few seconds after exiting the doors of the cars, only now realizing that they are in New England. It takes a year to learn, I suppose, but knowing that the cars were not going back by themselves, the freshmen started their endzone drills, ready to fire up against the other four teams in the tourney under the guidance of last-minute appointed captain Jimmy "Who Captains" Jingaling Sun.
The spoiled A-team who did not need to come until much later due to their rank-1 seeding from probably having appeared in some tiny tournament called "Nationals" (GO REDLINE) were probably imbibing alcohol or making merry elsewhere as a continuation play to Will's birthday celebrations. This included the strong backbone of last year's Bredline (AJ, Dan, Gabe, Aaron, Jie. . . good luck with the A-team) and a handful of freshmen which will be investments for the future of the team. The B-team was unfazed, for when Y. "Y.Z." Z. has to step up as second-handler, there is no place to go but up, and this was the opportunity for new and old members the team to really coordinate.
The first game started offright against Brandeis-B, who came out decently strong but soon had their spirits drenched - not by the uninvited downpour but by the fierce "no soup for you" attitude of the BRedline. Jimmy "Who throws Push-passes???" Sun had no problems handling the disc in this weather, and moved it up smoothly through the points with some freshmen getting good experience on handling such as Parth "not Roh", and Jue "not a Jew". Eli "tall" Sevenson-Falk really stepped up as a defensive presence, with quick D's, elegant grabs, and successful catches in the endzone. Mark "the next Gabe" established his the-next-Gabeness with also being very tall in this game. Worth noting was that he was harassed by an asian dude that poaches, but only after one lesson from Will "Josh McCarthy without hat" Chen, he adapted and took advantage of the dude to convert a score. Go freshmen. Nate "not Bernard", John "not Barkett" B., and Prahbas "Piranha?" all show good fundamentals and cutting sense. Anyway, we won 13-7, even with some dubious decisions to go Zone-D, which the freshman have never actually done. This will eventually prove useful.
Next up was our once and eternal enemy, Tufts-B. As A.J. "Not B.J." Johnston claimed, our goal was to not make them ever want to touch the disc again, as we probably did last year destroying them. This year looked a little different, for they had good athletism and a couple of decent handlers. Making several mistakes, Bredline watched as three points slipped by. We quickly catch up a point, but it was quickly gained back by Tufts. Many exchanges later, we find ourselves dangling at 5-7 with Tufts-B taking half. The spirit was also not positive this game, with Eli calling lots of. . . stuff and Adam "ARR" Kapor going psycho ready to kill at times. But this is Tufts, so it is good. We trade points for the longest time ever, with a ridiculous point capping the game at 9-8. Jimmy, after some questionable decisions earlier, steps up and manuevers the disc with Eli, Dan, and the freshmen up the field for a long 9-9 tie. Just as the two teams discuss if soft caps were win by two or one, the hard cap sounds and it is universe point. A strong line containing all returners and a couple of freshmen get up, fired, only to see Dan "also tall" Gale do a perfect point block on the Tufts-B handler - only to have the huck deflected up and home to a tall Tufts person. We bite our lips and shake hands with Tufts. We will have another chance soon.
INTERLUDE - We get a byenessness. Harvard Redline plays around with Fordham. Jie "Small man with a big Game" Tang gets run over by some guy who obviously thinks he was Grant "Bruiser" Darcy - but HA JIE STILL HAS THE DISC and so he goes out with glory, replaced by an even smaller man Chuck "tiny man with a huge game" Lei that craftily schools Fordham in the art of passing five inches off the ground. We also notice among other things a huge miss-then layout grab by Aaron "Who Lays Out?", the pure awesomeness of that new guy named Joey, and overall a very strong A-team that will soon win, quite easily, all four of their games.
Our third game is against Yale, who just lost in universe point against Dartmouth. We lost against Tufts, and we were not going to lose again. This time, we score the first three points with vigor. Doug "Spirit" and Parth continue to contribute as handlers, the former with good transition offense in general and the latter with a great endzone-grab over one of the Yale handlers. Chris "Moneymaker" M. demonstrated some great D. as well in this game and the next one, pumped up after the Tufts loss with great cuts and D's. Of course, we don't even need to mention Kapor, who was frequently a go-to man cleaning up everything in the endzone.We will give Yale credit - they are tenacious. It is universe point again at 8 - 8, but we clean it up in the endzone and get the final point (I think Kapor was involved, but forget details, sorry).
The final game was against Dartmouth, when Jimmy volunteered to go whites and make everyone else change so he could put his whites in action. We also overheard someone say "told you, all smart schools call 'same' when you flip discs" and the retort "that's because you aren't flipping correctly". That was hilarious. Anyway. We fire up from the momentum to a 5-1 lead, and basically keep it there. We also went Zone-O several times, and good handling from the handlers and wings successfully moved the disc downfield even though we had never before practiced as a team. Furthermore, we even threw a few zones of our own, with Doug, Kapor, and Eli doing great cups. Noted are good defense from freshman Louis "tall Asian" and a really quick reflex turn-around D from Eli, who continued to contribute great defense to the Bredline. They pull close, about 7-4 when we took half, but never got much closer when we take the game from them, by then the A-team had already finished cleaning up.
Finis.
-Y.Z.
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07:14 pm
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Revenge of China
If your Chinese is decent you can actually have a lot of fun understanding how some of these came to be.
http://winterson.com/2005/06/episode-iii-backstroke-of-west.html
http://middlekingdomstories.blog-city.com/crazy_subtitles.htm
Posts with more literary substance might resume soon, but school is annoying.
-Yan
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10:32 am
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Shiz
My sassy confiscation of MZ's computer to use internet was not without its surprises: MZ's 56K is about five times as fast as my 56K. Thank God for the fact that not all machines are created equal.
However, just as my eyes hit paradise, the ass now arrives behind me to ask for his computer back. What a bad host.
Well, I'm alive, and I should have real internet soon. Sorry if I've been ignoring people. AIM will also be back at that time.
-Yan
P.S. Can someone tell me what the hell happens at the end of Joyce's "Two Gallants" (Dubliners)? It really screws with my mind.
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07:11 pm
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Take a Breath
Not having internet for a month is an even more demanding test than simply keeping myself off of AIM, though I occasionally reward myself with a half-hour session at a local library when I can get a ride. Sorry for not answering emails.
Hobbies are candles that burn with passionate flames which flutter dangerously and die down with an occasional breeze created by the turbulence of life. However, once in a while, an errant spark relights the wick, and the passion starts from where it leaves off.
I lit a couple of more candles this past month, thanks to the extra time offered by the lack of internet and TV. It truly is a warm feeling sitting by the candles.
-Yan
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03:00 am
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Infernal Affairs
In The Great Santini, the main character's son beats him at basketball for the first time in his life. There were both sadness and happiness in this memory. That scene remains lucid even after a few years.
The first time recognizing the vulnerability of a childhood hero is just sad. The first time seeing vice in him is a knife grating against the walls of the heart.
"Once, I thought I was someone special, since I cared and did things for other people. But now, I realize that I'm a man with weak willpower. A very very ordinary man with weak willpower."
At least he is honest.
-Yan
Infernal Affairs - as a goodbye, I show this Hong Kong cinema masterpiece to my friends at the Trinity REU. I think they enjoyed the "intellectual soap opera" (as Melanie put it). Each time I watch it, I see new things I didn't catch the first time.
Observation: It is Elva Siu.
Quote: "I chose."
Question: Why the alternate ending?
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11:26 am
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A Few Good Men
There are indeed a few good men left in this world.
Observation: Tom Cruise shows exactly how to bypass the "friends" ladder and how to get on the "sex" ladder - just treat the girl like crap, and then suddenly pretend to be nice when she is vulnerable.
Quote: "The Truth? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"
Question: Why do I feel like Jack Nicholson was the right one in all of this?
-Yan
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09:35 pm
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Let Go
with slithering sass I forfeit the battle against the daymare
an unseeing burnt black eye opens to face the sun
Before Sunrise, sitting in the adolescent version of daycare
like the songs of sirens, daylight beckons the lost pup to run
shoulders passing southern beauty molded from San Antonio flesh
the backpack heavy as stones without substantial items to report
as if the Austin wind does not portent more mess into my mesh
in the distance the Small Ben strikes a melodic dischord
biting the lips to ease the back strain from yesterday
twitching up the Stairway of Heaven, the Voice cajoles me
breaking the diverse paradoxic monotony of work and play
I meet the stray cats at the Gate (just the University center, without lock and key)
I offer crumbs though I have eaten no bread of my own
and bid them off shelterless against the gathering rain
for what use is transgressing generosity when I'm relaxing faults to condone
with just pen and Shiner to fool myself into forgetting the pain
P.S. Hitch, Before Sunrise
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05:59 pm
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A Fast Week
Three more weeks remain for San Antonio. In all likeliness, they will go by faster, reinforcing the paradox that is associated with more interesting passages of time. At least the most depressing day has passed - I hope. The rest will be a slippery slope. Whether it will be one of regret or of joy I do not know, though I do hope that I have power to steer life in my desired direction.
Seven Samurai - another watch of the masterpiece. I gave this as a birthday gift to the walking IMDB, Enrique Trevino.
Observation: for a film to be epic, it must capture the rise and fall of an epoch - maybe I should watch The Battleship Potemkin.
Quote: "Killed two."
Question: What was the purpose of the camera angle in Kambei's acceptance of the rice?
Mean Girls - I hate rewatching movies, but Lindsay Lohan and Rajiv Surendra beckoned me back.
Observation: Some of my friends are very very bad people, but they are my friends. Aaron said something to the same effect.
Quote: "There are two kinds of evil people in this world. Those who do evil things and those who see evil things and don't try to stop it."
Question: Am I Cady? Are you Cady?
Batman Begins - I would put this on par with Spider-man 2, if not better.
Observation: Wayne receives pretty hardcore training, though nowhere near as electic as the comics had him (and Samurai Jack dutifully paid tribute to this).
Quote: "Why do we fall, sir? So that we might better learn to pick ourselves up."
Question: is donning the image of a playboy the ultimate act of humility for someone who embodies justice?
Too much to think, too much to write. My lack of penmanship is inadequate to express my wishes.
-Yan
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