Missing the Music

I haven't seen a musical in a while. I watched Glee the other day and realized just how much I miss theatre. I have been trying to figure out what show to get tickets to and came across this youtube clip. I will admit that despite the general buzz surrounding the show (Jersey Boys) I really had no clue what it was about. But after watching the performance at the Tony's I will admit to being intrigued...

Adoption

I was recently surfing the Internet and noticed just how many times the use of the word "adopted child" came up. It was particularly prevalent in terms of explaining a family's child in terms of a family's biological children. It was a bit disheartening. As an adopted child myself when asked who my mother was I never hesitated to answer - my adopted mother was/is/will always be my mother. Designating that a child is the "adopted child" sounds as though while they are that family's children they are really not their family's kids - at least as not as much as their biological kids.

I remember reading an article once with Michelle Pfeiffer. It was the actress's second interview with the same interviewer (though years earlier). The interviewer mentioned that they remembered Pfeiffer correcting them that her daughter was not her "adopted daughter," but merely her daughter. That thought struck me. As an Asian child brought up in an entirely white family it was never really a huge question about whether I was adopted or not - that being said people seemingly need the label in order to make sense of what they see.

Needless to say it's all just my opinion and perhaps some people are more comfortable being called the "adopted child." As for me I will just continue to refer to those who are adopted as children...

Exercise

I need to work out soon...


Maybe this will motivate me


See more videos on modelinia.com

Letting Myself Off the Hook

The dreaded daily planner. I am currently sitting next to mine as it mocks me. Looming over me, I will admit there are days when I am scared to even open its cover to reveal its contents. Seemingly innocent it's the equivalent of the "Daily Chore Chart" from my childhood. Its check-list of items enormous, it seemingly taunts me at my inability to even get through half the items.

To be fair, I recognize that I create these unrealistic check-lists. That somehow when creating these lists I imagine myself living in this fantasy world where I wake up early, run 10 miles, help feed all the hungry, shelter stray kittens, read entire encyclopedias, and have time to be back home by 6 to scrapbook it all... Needless to say that is not my life (or anyone's).

And while my life certainly holds its fair share of procrastination time I also have the tendency to wear myself out. As such I have decided to designate today as the day I let myself off the hook. While I know there are items I need to complete (dishes, homework, thank you cards...the list goes on) I also realize that allergies, poor sleep, and stress have all led to a minor burnout on the part of this new graduate student. I looked around today at my classmates - all seemed to share the same sentiment. No one quite prepares you for this going into graduate school and perhaps you can't understand it unless you experience it firsthand.

So here's to tomorrow, the day where I figure out how to bring about world peace, discover a cure to an incurable illness, fix the ozone layer, and accomplish all my homework : )

(photo -freedigitalphotos.net)

Reflection of the Day

I feel like this past month I have been neglecting key elements of my life and have been quite lazy in other areas. Chalking it up to having relocated I find myself in a state of passiveness which I am starting to resent. Its been a month now that I've been in Chicago. It scares me a bit how quickly time has passed, it seems just yesterday I was unpacking my things. It also scares me how little things have changed. That will change...

Honeymoon is over, the luster and shine of being in a new place has been replaced by the knowledge that work is still work no matter where you go. Stress and anxiety will follow you regardless of location - same feeling new place. That being said I am loving the city, it still gives me a sense of renewal and hopefulness that I feel I was lacking back in Boston. I am confident that this month will bring about more change (good or bad) that will hopefully bring me out of this passive state.

Today I am grateful for my understanding of what I have taken for granted. I came home to find a sign on my door declaring that due to construction my building would be without water. Needless to say my day plans are now shot, I then proceeded to complain all day. Upon further reflection I realized how much I take for granted that when I turn on the tap water comes out. Instead of bemoaning that for eight hours of one day I will be without water I should be praising the fact that for the rest of the time it does. Needless to say this puts my predicament in a greater light.

So here's to hoping that the next month will bring about just as many revelations, changes, and accomplishments...

New Moon

Alright I'll admit it I didn't read the entire Twilight book. With all the hype surrounding the second movie installment New Moon - I feel like I should probably start reading so I wont be totally out of the loop. The newest trailer was just shown at the Video Music Awards on MTV. All I can say is - (a) Dakota Fanning looks incredibly creepy in this film, (B) it looks a lot cooler than the first one, (c) clearly both a and b having something to do with what I presume is a larger budget than the last film.

Zachary Quinto

No for the five billionth time I don't watch Heroes! It seems since the show started everyone has asked me why not - mainly because I'm not a huge TV watcher and because adding more fuel to the fact that I am a complete nerd would possible cause an inferno...and then I watched Star Trek (yes I understand how hypocritical I sound in this statement but the Star Trek franchise was well established before the concept of Heroes was even hatched). Needless to say I was blown away by not only the film but by Spock (aka Zachary Quinto).

So on a whim (okay while putting off reading the encyclopedia-like stack of psychology books I have to read) I decided to see if he's been in anything else. Of course as soon as I type in his name a ton of Heroes stuff pops up. I was vaguely aware he was in the show, what I was not aware of was that he was a serial killer who plays in peoples brains...you might have me hooked right there.

An actor who can play a serial killer as well as play one of the most recognizable characters of geekdom and still look good doing it...count me in.

Forgot to mention funny. I've seen the hostage tape he posted on http://www.funnyordie.com/ but this fan made video really made me smile....

Coraline

Netflix may just ruin my life. I just started my subscription and I already have a ton of movies in my dvd queue, not to mention a ton in my instant queue. After watching Starship Troopers for the five hundredth time I decided to pop in the dvd that was actually mailed to me....Coraline

Now I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan. So needless to say when this movie came out in theatres it was with the best of intentions that I missed it on the big screen. I regret it now after having watched it at home last night. The movie follows a young girl named Coraline (Dakota Fanning) who moves with her family to a set of apartments called the Pink Palace Apartments. Her parents (Terri Hatcher and John Hodgman) are overworked and have little time to spend with Coraline so she decides to explore her new house. There she discovers a tiny door that leads to another house that looks exactly like her own only better. This world is inhabited by her 'other' Mother and Father (also voiced by Terri Hatcher and John Hodgman). These parents are attentive to her, giving her things, and playing with her. Needless to say Coraline spends more and more time with her 'other' parents. Eventually they ask her to stay with them with just one catch....she must sew buttons in place of her eyes like they have. When Coraline refuses this starts to cause problems and she begins to see that the other world may not be such a perfect place.

This movie was fantastical in the way that only a Neil Gaiman movie could be. Shot in stop-motion animation the pure joy of viewing this movie was enough for me. I agree with most people in saying this movie is definitely not meant for small children. It can definitely get quite creepy at some points in the story, and the stop-animation only adds to this factor. That being said I loved the movie! Its definitely worth picking up if like me you didn't get to see if in theatres. (bonus: the dvd I got from Netflix had an optional side to view the movie in 3-d!)