Can't believe I'm moving in today... summer is gone already? I didn't do anything...
I ran 2 miles today. :)
Funniest question I've seen on Yahoo! Answers so far:
Missed running yesterday because I was too tired and had no time. Harvest Moon Festival and Terrabyte 3.0 were semi-interesting but not really worth the trouble I went to. Got a few good pictures though!
Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin was awesome. It's now dominating YouTube.
I ran 1.6 miles today! Happy day.
Why are my friends already moving in today?? It's crazy...what happened to summer?!
- 24 -
These last two weeks have settled into a somewhat mundane routine. Since having some consecutive sleepless nights after returning from Taiwan, I decided to revamp my living schedule. I avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and on (no boba...sadness), I restrict my internet usage from more pointless things (aka Word Challenge), and I've taken up jogging. The jogging has actually become quite enjoyable, as I've somehow tricked myself into thinking my day will not be complete without it. So far, I've managed to jog a mile each day (Google Maps is awesome). Today I managed to push myself a little further and got to about 1.2 miles; I was proud of myself but my ankles are not.
My family went out to dinner tonight and we ordered a dish of clams. At the bottom of the dish, we found a lonely, rather awkward rock. We asked the waiter about it and he said they must've not cleaned enough. That's kind of sad.
There's a really large fcking cricket outside my room. I keep thinking it's actually inside, in the dark corner where my computer cables are. I'm going to go insane if it doesn't shut up soon.
Newest addiction: Yahoo Answers. Going for Level 3.
Toodles.
- 24 -
Now that Election Day is mere months away, is anyone else besides me tired of everything?
Sometimes, I can be the biggest nerd imaginable. I mean, who else would read BBC when they're bored? What can I say, I love news and politics.
What's been on my mind lately is the language and media coverage. I've become so disillusioned by both parties this year. This campaign, like so many others, has abandoned all the issues and has become a political circus. All I hear about these days is mudslinging between the two campaigns, each one trying not to be the last one to be attacked. What happened to the issues? Your platforms? Your dignity? I realize the last one's a difficult request for politicians, but for Christ's sake, you're in the national spotlight!
I think the comedian Lewis Black put it best:
"In this country, there are two major political parties. The Democratic Party, a party of no ideas, and the Republican Party, a party of bad ideas."
It's so true. The Democratic Party, for all its talk of change, fails to outline how exactly they'll bring it about. Sure, it's some nice rhetoric to ring in our ears, but what about after that warm feeling leaves my body? I can get that same feeling from soiling myself. Prove to me you have a plan, a REAL, feasible plan to save this country's economy and reputation.
Now, as for the GOP, they're just horribly misguided at this point. I don't think I even want to talk about George W. Bush; too much for one post. Mostly, they're a party of really bad ideas; the last several years have clearly shown that. My liberal bias obviously plays into this, but I don't really care. Deregulating business? Hmm, our economy's in the crapper; I wonder what could've caused this. Global warming doesn't exist. Of course it doesn't, a myth can't drown the polar bears. Gay marriage, abortion, and gun control? Clearly, they are the demonic trifecta from Hell that is damaging our global reputation and weakening the resolve of our allies.
And then there's the hypocrisy. Senator John McCain, I used to admire you greatly. Back in 2005, you were the example every politician should have followed. Back then, you were indeed a maverick. You worked across party lines, stood against torture, and disagreed with the Dubya on his misguided policies. When you appeared on The Daily Show, I had hope in the GOP.
Ever since McCain began running for president, though, he's sacrificed everything he believed in. I realize that he had to pander to his own party and heal the wounds he inflicted as the maverick; so, he's a sycophant. But to then have the audacity to cite his previous actions as indication that he is the true agent of change, that's just pathetic. Only in Washington could such a flip-flopping attitude lasted this long.
His choice of running mate, Governor Sarah Palin, is anything but a good one. She is in every aspect a ticket booster, nothing more than a mere tool in his campaign machine. With President Bush's former campaign advisors on his staff, McCain clearly did not take great care in his decision. Who knows, maybe it wasn't his decision at all. To me, it seems more like the GOP's desperate attempt to exploit the fallout from Senator Hillary Clinton's primary campaign. Women will automatically flock to a woman candidate, right? It shows you how much credit the campaign advisors and McCain give to women's intelligence. Last time I checked, it took more than two X chromosomes to win women's votes.
And yet, there are constant reports about her campaign stops. Of women flocking to her, saying she's the woman for them. These same women who support gun control, universal health care, the right to choose, and education reform. Perhaps I've given America too much benefit of the doubt.
As for Palin's qualifications, I don't think there's any real debate about that. Anyone who's seen or heard about her resume knows she's not ready for any of this. As much as I am wary about Washington oldies, I'd trust Joe Biden as a stand-in for president if my life depended on it.
Now, as for media coverage, I think hypocrisy runs even deeper in its veins. For decades, conservatives have cried foul over what they saw as "liberal media bias". And, in their defense, I do perceive it in several news sources. But there really isn't such a thing as unbiased media. In fact, the conservatives have their own platform for trumping their beliefs, Fox News. It's one thing to be biased, but it's a whole different story when you're being just dishonest. Bill O'Reilly can hardly be called a beacon of partiality and truth. He is arrogant, he is ignorant, and he is just downright out of control. Fox News is clearly "conservative media bias" at its most grotesque. It rarely (if ever) criticizes Bush's administration, spreads pointless and false rumors about Obama's religion and patriotism, and spews its hypocritical views like it's everyone's opinion. You called the media unfair and sexist towards Palin? Where were you when Clinton was on the campaign trail? Oh that's right, you were in the same place. How ironic.
Can someone bring us back to the real issues, the real crises in this country? I hardly think an unconventional middle name and a lack of a flag pin are going to endanger national security. The media needs to grow up. Oh, and speaking of Obama's religion. First of all, who cares what Jeremiah Wright said? Does anyone honestly think Obama swallows every word that man has said. I'd put my bet on him being a bit brighter than a doorknob to know sound reason. Second, all this talk of Obama being a "secret Muslim". The real question here is: Who CARES if he was actually Muslim? I'd have hoped we had matured enough to move beyond that issue. Freedom of religion, wasn't it? I don't quite see Obama and bin Laden holding hands. One God, right?
Lipstick on a pig. Palin introduced it, Obama used it, McCain got antsy and released an ad that CBS had yanked off YouTube. The cycle of life, really.
So come this November, if I haven't gone crazy from the frenzy of attack ads, I'll go into the poll booths and ask myself, who's been lying the most to me this year?
Oh, and check these out:
LA Times on Palin
BBC on Lipstick
- 24 -
These last few days passed without me really noticing. With the exception of Michelle driving all the way over here to visit me (which I am eternally grateful for), life has settled back into the same mindless drivel and web wandering of the last few months. I need to get out of the house with my camera and go shoot something.
I'm excited about this month. Apple and Canon are both making major announcements in the coming weeks, and I look forward to what each has to offer. I'm less excited about Apple personally, merely paying attention to how its market image will build/falter based on whatever revolutionary or evolutionary product(s) it will unveil on Tuesday. Canon, on the other hand, is making me very impatient. I've been waiting for them to answer Nikon's D3/D300/D700 for awhile now, and it looks as though--based on various teaser images on their international sites--rumors about a successor to the FF 5D are coming to fruition. I would heavily consider purchasing a FF dSLR if it had faster shooting and better AF. I'm really glad I decided to buy the 30D instead of the 40D back in June. I can't believe Canon actually released the 50D to succeed the 40D, which isn't even a year old yet. Now I've got a better, faster SLR than my previous 350D which is not expensive enough for me to dismiss purchasing a full frame SLR in fear of losing too much money.
I need to be more decisive; I keep missing opportunities because I hesitate out of insecurity or laziness. Of course, I've been saying this for awhile, but hopefully I can set myself straight before the new quarter begins.
Job search begins Monday! Also, I must e-mail my professors about the textbooks during fall; I don't feel like spending several hundred dollars on barely-updated newer editions I'll only touch for 3 months.
I was reading a photoblog and came upon this simple but effective technique for making better pictures:
From Jeff Masamori's blog:
"For all you aspiring photographers looking to get better, I suggest you this:
Get your camera, go out, and find something interesting. Then think to yourself "You know, any idiot with a camera can take of picture of this thing in front of me, so what can I do to make it special?" Play with composition, aperture, exposure, etc. Get on the ground, or climb on top of something. Be adventurous and you are bound to get something great."
Definitely something that's passed through my head, although he puts it in more bluntly than I normally do. It's that bluntness that makes the difference between the quality of our images though, so perhaps I should adopt more of his attitude.
Disclaimer: The following section will probably only be fully understood/appreciated by a fellow SLR shooter who cares about my slow weaning off amateurish skills/habits.
I'm much more satisfied with my pictures from Taiwan than those from Hawaii. There really is a gradual learning curve for myself. Last year, when I first got my dSLR, I was shackled to the P(rogram) setting, which allowed the camera to decide the best aperture and shutter speed for you--not much better than using the Auto function. Thankfully, I had a really sharp prime lens attached, so even this amateurism leaked through a few portfolio keepers.
Reflecting on my shooting this year, I trace my progress through my various shoots. Ever since I joined The Daily Bruin, I shot only in Manual mode. It was so difficult to adjust to in the beginning, since I didn't fully comprehend the differences in results or how to perfect exposure. But by the summer, I was dialing a slightly smaller aperture to get more of Amy in focus, finding better shutter speeds to catch diffused window light, or realizing the full potential of angling reflected external flash bursts off various surfaces to evenly light Daisy.
I am most proud, however, of my growth in Taiwan. I finally acquired a wide-angle, so I was able to play around with perspective distortion and create different shots from just tilting my camera a few inches from the usual straight-on position. I realized leaving my aperture constant was a poor idea; landscapes came out significantly sharper when I remembered to dial my aperture smaller. Most importantly, I no longer shackled myself to low ISOs. Because I'm a freak about image quality, I regard digital noise to be my greatest peeve after image blur. For too long I kept myself at ISO 100, hoping that if I took multiple, consecutive shots of one image, one would come out the way I wanted. I realized two things: first, that rarely got me the image, and only in good lighting; and second, the 30D's CMOS sensor gave me almost unnoticeable noise at ISO 400, and even ISO 800 yielded clean results. I guess it reminded me of my focus: I'm in it to capture the image I want, not to make a poster-size print. I'd much rather have the perfect shot.
-- end photography self-reflection of growth --
I really want sushi and ramen.
I really want Federer to win today.
I really want to shoot more sporting events. UCLA Fall '08 here I come!
- 24 -
I can't believe I'm still awake. I'm not even in school yet!
I guess I'll recap Taiwan now.
Day 1
- flight back was way too long
- There was a couple behind us in the check-in line; apparently, they were from UCLA. It got annoying when the girl kept whining and getting very touchy with her boyfriend. I wanted to wallop her with my camera.
- barely missed arriving at the same time as Taiwan's ex-president's son, and thus all the media teams in Taiwan
- a dozen mosquito bites in an hour
- old American pop music playing everywhere. I heard "Toxic" at least 3 times in an hour.
Day 2
- watched the DNC live on CNN (thank goodness for English channels on cable)
- SoGo department stores are freakin huge
- got new glasses... they're interesting. I don't recognize myself.
- all the girls here have dyed, permed hair with long, straight bangs = do not like
- cute Taiwanese soap opera actress :]
Day 3
- Taiwanese food market, crazy food violations but fresh food
- bought a ping-pong paddle!
- Taiwan has some really funny tv shows
Day 4
- family lunch
- Maokong outing
Day 5
- Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial Hall; saw Joan there!
- Ximending
- shaved ice <3
- Longshan Temple
- saw 3 dildo shops in one block
Day 6
- went to the countryside
- more mosquito bites
- really cool but really expensive metal figurines
Day 7
- Taipei 101
- eslite Bookstore
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
- really expensive, really good dinner at Pizzapub; got sick from eating too much
Day 8
- Taichung
- awesome Japanese restaurant
Day 9
- shopping
- family dinner
Day 10
- Danshui
Day 11
- last-minute trip to 228 Peace Park and NOVA
- flight back was better; somehow managed to distract myself with two newspapers and The Economist for 6 hours
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