wherever;

worry not little leaf,
swept off a tree branch
in an uplift of gust,
swirling gracefully
in drafts of wind

do not cry.
you are departing on
a journey called destiny

wafting in the air,
traveling swift as hermes
on winged sandals
drifting wherever
the breeze might go

chasing a horizon that
never seems to end,
you begin to wonder
when your destination
will arrive.

but,
it's not called destiny
for nothing.

for the destination is
irrelevant
without the voyage
that led you there.

just a poem.

More Food!

I had to cook the rest of the food for this week to avoid wasting it before we went back home after finals week. So thus, a giant feast of food was left for my me and my roommates. We had omelettes with swiss, cheddar cheese, onions and sausage, hearty Italian sausages, and home cut fries. We also baked a vanilla cake, and a tray of 24 mini cupcakes on the side (we ate 2 prior to taking this picture). We boiled a vegetable soup with a chicken broth base, with softened carrots, potatoes, and onions. Lastly, we had some cuts of beef with a side of home made gravy. Yum!

Technology Ruins

I've noticed that more often than not, my friends are more interested in their text message conversations than talking to me. Although, I admit that I’ve been found guilty of this same crime, isn’t it sad that we’d rather have a conversation with somebody through texting rather than the people we’re currently with? After all, not only is it rude that the person that you’re trying to talk to is staring down at their mobile devices and typing away, but it’s terribly inconsiderate. While I’m trying to talk to this person, he/she is distracted by the influx of text messages, and it’s like I’m in a constant competition with their cell phone. Undoubtedly, electronics and technology has affected us as a society and has weaved its way into the very fabric of our lives. Despite technology’s ability to help us become more “connected”, I can’t help but feel that as a result, we’ve also grown further apart.

For one, our daily interactions with others have become limited, since nowadays we can just instant message, email, call, or text. There’s almost little to no need to make real physical contact anymore, because information and data can be easily exchanged over the internet. Technology has taken over every single aspect of our lives because it’s integrated into every little task we do. For example, papers are commonly typed on computers, research is frequently done over the internet, and shopping is made convenient online. How many areas of our lives still remain untouched by technology?

Dinner!

I live in a cooking dorm because I don't have to be on a meal plan. Although constantly cooking can sometimes be a hassle, the quality of food is so much better and healthier. The money you save in comparison is enormous. The dinner above is of salmon, rice garnished with basil, vegetables, and shrimp cocktail. Delicious. Usually I split the dinner with me and my roommate and her boyfriend. It's easier to cook for three people rather than individually.

Reminiscent

It's been over 6 years ever since my piano teacher, Ami Hakuno, left the Amadeus Music School and stopped teaching piano. Ever since then, I have barely touched my piano, let alone, wanted to. Ami was an excellent teacher for those five years I had her but her schedule was always very busy. During our piano lessons, she would often get interrupted for urgent phone calls. She's performed all over the world in places such as Japan and even has several recitals at Carnegie Hall, here in New York. I would often have to skip lessons because of her numerous performances. One week, she dissapeared without warning. She just got up and left the small little music school I had been going to for six years. I never even got to take my level 5 NYSSMA exam. Despite the other two teachers I've had after her, they could not compare. They often grew impatient with me, unlike Ami who was always kind and willing to help. They joy of piano was out of my life and for the first time, I cried over a teacher.

My piano was sort of like my sanctuary. I felt like it was the only thing I had to show for myself. I've always had a love and passion for music, and piano was a way for me to connect with it. Recently I started learning some songs on my own, but it's not the same. I haven't progressed at all and with that said, life can't help but feel a little empty. I used to dread going to piano lessons but now I realized I've taken it all for granted. I love the piano with my mind, body, and soul. It was part of me and who I am but now I feel like it's been stripped away. I like the way the sounds roll off my fingers and when I close my eyes, it feels like my hands are singing a melody. I feel just lost in a beautiful oblivion and it's like a secret nobody else knows but me...
I miss it sometimes and I guess over the past year, I tried to push it out of my mind. Many of you probably don't know how exactly I feel, but it's just a memory I thought I'd recollect on. Just something I'd reminisce..

Lifestyle Obsession

Living in America all my life made me realize one thing. We are byproducts of a lifestyle obsession. Sound familiar? Think Fight Club.

However, this is only too true. We live through our possessions. It's called materialism. Is this hitting you a little too fast? Well it shouldn't be, because it's nothing new.

You, me, and the rest of the country have been conditioned to the point where for most part, many of us cannot think for ourselves. Wait, wait. Stop right there. Here you might think "But I am not like everybody else,I am unique. I can actually think for myself." Hah! You are about as unique as a toy being mass produced in China. Your thoughts are most likely your own because they have been altered in some shape or form.

I'm sorry, do I sound cynical right now? Would you rather close off your minds, feign ignorance, and move on with life? This would be a good option for a majority of people. I don't blame them -- part of human nature is to block out any negative images that may taint the mind. But if by some chance you are still reading, then lend me your ears and open up your eyes a little bit more to the damn truth.

Name brands, fashion, big screen TVs, the latest high-tech gadgets. What is it really all about? America has built an entire economy based on consumerism. Let me enlighten you. By definition (according to Wikipedia), consumerism is "the equating of personal happiness with the purchasing material possessions and consumption."

I want to know, how could our society be reduced down to this? Our lives revolve around these ... things ... these ... objects ... What happens if somebody takes it all away? Are most of us going to be lost without our cars, our televisions, our 200$ pair of shoes? Would we find difficulty in trying to find happiness in the simpler things? Is our society, this day in time, even capable of finding happiness outside of an object? What is the big picture in life? Is it about seeing how many material possessions one can acquire before one dies? Whoever has more, wins?

Okay, I am exaggerating a little bit upon the situation but ultimately, if the trend continues, this will be our society in the near future. Have you also noticed that our generation is "dumbing down"? Please don't get me wrong, I am sure that there are many, many brilliant minds wandering around in the vast ocean of our populated country. However, our standards have been dropped significantly. In my honest opinion, we have adopted the American mentality.

Nervousness

Relax. I've been trying to repeat this to myself about a million times prior. I need something to alleviate my nerves. What can I do to maintain my composure? For in approximately 9 hours from now, I will be taking my exam.

"How well did I prepare?" I ask myself. Not adequately enough. Strike that, just a few hours of studying. Certainly, that is not enough. But even under the circumstance that I were given more time, would I have made use of it? Probably not -- and that is at my expense. Oh dear, the effrontery I have to do such a thing.

Ephemeral. This is just a fleeting moment and it will pass like every other. However, anticipation is pushing me to the edge. Conflict, conflict, conflict. I can't even begin to explain the different surges of emotion I'm feeling right now. I want to please my parents and have them, for once, give plaudits of my accomplishment. With the added guilt that I did not prepare as well I should have, I feel simply reprehensible.

I'm heading off to bed soon after I play a round of Tetris or Soul Calibur II or something. Building Tetrises or punching virtual people in the head seems like a good way to alleviate stress to me.

Spring Creeps In

Spring is often depicted as a rebirth, a renewal. Plants, shaking hands with the sunshine. Trees, growing leaves to cover their naked branches. Birds, making plans to construct new nests after their long vacation in the south. Everything about this season is stuffed with "happy".

Of course, I'm not complaining. Spring marks the nearing of the last day of the school year and best of all, the nearing of summer vacation. Sunshine makes me happy, especially after long periods of gloomy weather.

Winter seems to drag on way too long; cold weather beginning from November and lasting almost 'til the middle of April. I'm tired of the same gray skies that I'm forced to wake up to. We are creatures of habit, yet we so easily become tired of repetitiveness. We demand something new, we demand change.

The weather has been rather bipolar lately and a little too unpredictable for my tastes exactly, but maybe things will smooth out soon.

Caffeine, Dangerous?

I'm sure that many students turn to caffeine during finals week, but did you know that it could be dangerous? Most of us don't give it a second thought.

Caffeine is probably more dangerous than one would think or expect it to be. Caffeine acts as a stimulant and helps increase concentration and awareness. It acts kind of like Ritalin or Adderall except without the need for a written prescription. In fact, caffeine is found everywhere; such as in your chocolate, coffee, tea, soda, etc. Caffeine is in fact America's most commonly used drug. That's right, drug.

Caffeine is an upper. It travels quickly into the bloodstream and can take effect within 15 minutes after consumption. People tend to be more alert and focused on their surroundings. Mental concentration is also increased. It's no wonder so many people turn to caffeine while working.

I confess that I consume a moderate amount of caffeine, but luckily not to the point where I'm dependent on it. They say it takes an average of 4 cups of coffee each day to make a person physically dependent on caffeine. Experts recommend to cut back to 100mg (or less) of caffeine a day.

Truth is, I can't resist caffeine...specially when I'm extremely tired, running on almost no sleep, and have classes to stay awake in and tests to take! With caffeine, things begin to become clearer and just make more sense. I feel like I'm on top of the world and that I can accomplish so much.

But remember, everything in moderation.

A Lesson

One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all."

"One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
"The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed."

We all pave our own paths, whether they be good or bad. This story goes to show that we choose the kind of people that we want to be.

Starcraft

Even though I know I should be concentrating on studying for finals, I still have this undying itch to play Starcraft. I don't have Starcraft 2, so I'll still have to settle for playing SC: Brood War, but it's just been so long since I've last touched a video game. Sure, I've played some games on my Nintendo DS or PSP and snuck in some games of Tetris or Dance Dance Revolution, but I don't really consider those video games. They're casual games for the every day player.

It's not like they don't involve some level of skill, but the kind of skills that these other games use are nothing like the ones you use when playing Starcraft. Starcraft utilizes micro and macro managing. It depends on the player's reaction times, decision making, and uber micro (term for how quickly a player can skillfully use their keyboard & mouse). The game is dynamic and can make a turn around. It's a real time strategy so each second really counts. It gets pretty intense. Did I mention this game is hugely popular in Korea?

Professional Starcraft players in Korea are treated like athletes. It's ridiculous watching their action replays. I'm still amazed at how they manage to defeat an army using a single unit. That takes a lot of micro managing.

Gotta Love My Roommate

She drew this on our whiteboard after I caught a cold. I had a good laugh.

They say laughter is the best medicine. Too bad that's not true when laughing is just irritating the problem. Even though I'm pretty sure I originally caught my sickness from her in the first place, I'm glad that she's at least there to somewhat take care of me.

The Tank & Other Thoughts

Sorry if I sound rather unenthusiastic when speaking. I've been hacking up a lung and coughing non-stop that it's been difficult to even get through this video without having coughing fits. But to recap, I just talked about how it's unfortunate that we didn't get to fulfill every idea that we had because of the large scope of this project. Nonetheless, it was an interesting experience.

Bruno Mars Concert

I understand this post is a bit overdue, considering I saw Bruno Mars in concert here at Stony Brook two weeks ago. The opening acts before him were Plan B and Janelle Monae. I've never heard of Plan B before, but they're a group from the United Kingdom and I'm so glad to have heard them in concert because I love their music! They did a cover of Stand By Me originally by Ben E. King, and to top it even put a spin on it by doing a dubstep remix.

I was excited to hear Janelle Monae live as well. I've heard of her before because a friend of mine introduced her to me a few weeks prior. I honestly couldn't believe she was coming to our school. Her music videos show off her dancing moves; she's very good with her feet. She had great stage presence as well, although the music wasn't very clear from the bleachers.

Lastly, the one we've all been waiting for. The jaw dropping acts of Bruno Mars. I think my ears were going to explode from hearing all the fan girl screaming. He dedicated the ending of "Just The Way You Are" to a random girl picked in the crowd and I could see every other girl was just melting upon hearing his voice. He and his band did a cover of Billie Jean to the background music of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit which was a nice and interesting mash-up. I really loved it, considering they're both great songs. I thought that it wouldn't be worth it to stand on line for concert tickets, but ultimately, I'm glad that I ended up attending.

Speed Sketching Continued #5

I got really tired after drawing so many of these. I actually still have a lot of people left in my queue whom I promised drawings for. I don't know when/if I'll ever complete them but I definitely need to draw one for one of my friends who's transferring after this semester is over. I only have three more left after this set.

Speed Sketching Continued #4

A lot of these images were produced with inside jokes in mind or catered slightly towards their hobbies or personalities. The first one displayed is of my roommate who has a knife collection, so I decided to draw her with an evil demeanor holding a knife. The second one is of my friend Joe, whom I used to call the Pokemon master, and the last one is dedicated to my friend Jeff who not only enjoys liquor and sandwiches, but has also broken a chair simply by sitting on it.

Speed Sketching Continued #3

As you can see, I've done a LOT of these kinds of drawings. I often sketch/draw to relieve stress and doodle often between studying for long hours. My notes are littered with small doodles. It's also one of the few things I can do while still paying attention to the professor's lectures.

Speed Sketching Continued #2

Prepare for a mass of incoming drawings.

Speed Sketching

Ever since my friend gifted me my tablet on my 19th birthday, I haven't hesitated to use it. If you haven't heard of what a tablet is, it's an input device that's used like pen and paper. I've done lots of crude sketches in Photoshop for several of my friends since. I allotted no more than 5 minutes per drawing to keep everyone's drawings consistent.

Story of my Life

Drew a little comic describing my life at school.
I know procrastination is a bad habit for many students at University. But the internet is just filled with so many interesting things to distract you! I know for sure that a lot of my friends are doing similar things on their computers such as browsing through funny pictures, lurking on Facebook, or playing video games.