rock on

One of the great resources to new and upcoming bands purevolume.com. If you were ever a fan of any genre of rock, this is site is one that is definitely worth your time. Anyone can create a page and begin creating a fan base at any time. This site not only contains fairly known artists, but also obscure and otherwise unknown indie bands. It’s a great way for exposure. A few years ago, my cousin had started a band in California. He and a few friends created a page on this site, which publicized their music. This page allowed them to do many more shows than they could have imagined in their city. Although they recently disbanded, he regards the experience as one of the most fulfilling and lively times of his life. I have found numerous bands and watched as they grew into popularity over the course of time. They even have listings of shows by each band. However, people rarely take the time to come all the way to Hawaii to perform. If you have ever been a fan of rock or like supporting indie bands, then this site is definitely for you.

Where would our minds be if they weren’t left to wander? Would we be mindless robots or animals without a heart? Thankfully, we aren’t. Mind wandering is a surprisingly common that hasn’t been studied until recently. Studies have shown that 30-40 percent of our daily lives are spent day-dreaming about an off-topic event or idea. Even as I began to write this post, my mind wandered off countless times. Perhaps it was because of my resistance to homework, but I did involuntarily shift my focus to a video I had just seen on YouTube.

However, what really caught my attention was a small paragraph near the end of the article that discussed how mind wandering promoted creative thinking. As I began to think about the topic, I realized how vital mind wandering is to the success of fiction. It would simply cease to exist without the ability to create an entirely different reality. The ability for our mind to wander gives us the opportunity to do this as our minds can create virtually any situation. An example of this is a book I am currently reading called “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. Based on a story from a man he meets, the author creates and embellishes a story of a boy who survives in a life raft with a 450lbs Bengal tiger. Yeah right. It is fairly entertaining however. anyway, check out the article as it is interesting and relevant to all.

Go Buckeyes

The NCAA Basketball Tournament is the epitome of college sports as it represents all that it is. Pure passion, a love for the game that is often lost at the professional level, and above all, big-time upsets. Who doesn’t love a an underdog such as George Mason rising to the Final Four. It this unpredictability that makes people cringe as they look at their failed predictions of how the brackets would work out. It is teams like this that add to the craziness that is known as the NCAA Basketball Tournament. No other sports hosts as many teams, allowing more upsets and excitement with each passing game. However, what has made this year so special is the upcoming draft class of 2007. Praised as being the most potentially deep draft class ever, they add to the excitement of the tournament. One of these player, Greg Oden, is considered to be the first pick of the upcoming draft. With his fierce rebounding and a beard that makes him look older than Shaq, he is set to go into the tournament with the team that I think will win it all. Go Buckeyes. I personally hope that they accomplish what they could not in football, and win it all, stealing it from the favored Gators. The entire situation actually becomes quite ironic, with the exact opposite happening in football with Ohio State being heavy favorites. Even if they don’t win, the tournament never ceases to entertain, and I certainly feel this year will be no different.

Relax

Is there anything more relaxing than golf? I doubt it. Every weekend, my father and I either head to the practice range or play a round of golf. When stakes are low and nothing is on the line, golf at its purest is one of the most relaxing and contemplative activities one could do. Golf has been my secret hobby since I could first walk and one of the few ways in which I am able to connect with my father. As I drive in the golf cart with my father (who in their right mind would walk all eighteen holes??!), I am able to take in the view (even if the course is unspectacular like the course at Ala Wai) and it mysteriously soothes me. This past weekend we were only able to go to the practice range in Hawaii Kai. The quiet and natural setting of a golf course allowed me to clear my mind as I focused on hitting the large dirt mound in the middle of the range with my pitching wedge. Tension and anxiety that had built up over college and school dissipated as quickly as the swing of a club. It was me and the ball, and 150 yards to my goal.

The Beautiful Society

Is anyone else sick of Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears? I am. Our society is becoming overrun by stars who survive on looks despite dubious values. I don’t believe that I am a role model for a true man of character, but I feel that our perspective has become skewed by an overemphasis on fashion and television channels devoted to the rich and famous such as E! A prime example is Anna Nicole Smith. The media has been in a frenzy over sudden death and her child. I may not know all the details because I have not paid attention to all the news and hype, but I personally view the entire build-up by the media as extremely excessive. The countless news articles have piled up for weeks, sadly taking precedence over news that concerns the general population. I personally have become sick of hearing about her. And often wondered what made her so special other than the fact she was power hungry when she married for money. There are numerous examples of when brawn and beauty rule. Take a look at the my yahoo page. Fashion and Pop culture news are listed above both business and health. I believe it is this over-emphasis that has caused our society to focus on people that are more aesthetically pleasing than those who are pleasing to talk to. I admit that I enjoy “eye-candy”, but I make an effort to still see a person’s personality, whether it be good or bad.

This rant led me to some questions, such as are people considered to be beautiful more successful? Some researchers advocate that there is a direct correlation between beauty and brains. I admit that I was a bit surprised by the results. I already knew that beautiful people were more likely to succeed in society, but I had thought that this was solely due to appearance rather than intelligence.

“Their claim, which amounts to a Grand Unification Theory of Beauty and Brains, flows from four assumptions that guided them as they examined data collected in dozens of scientific studies conducted over the past three decades around the world, which means their findings apply more or less universally. (Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but researchers say that there is remarkable agreement in many cultures about what beholders find appealing.)

The first two assumptions posit that intelligence and beauty are inheritable. Those are genetic "gimmes" -- there's lots of data showing that the kids of smart people are likely to be smart, just as the offspring of attractive people tend to be lookers, too.

Then Kanazawa and Kovar tackle the key assumption -- that beautiful women are more likely to marry men with higher status. Again, that seems obvious, but it's also empirically true. One longitudinal study of people in Oakland, Calif. , found that attractiveness among women was the "strongest determinant of their husband's occupational status." A more recent national study in the United States also found that women's physical attractiveness "has a significantly positive effect on their household income, although it has no effect on their own income." Another U.S. study found that prettier women marry men who have significantly more education, another marker for higher status, Kanazawa and Kovar reported.”

Despite these findings, I still firmly believe that our society is dominated by looks rather than personality in most cases, and hope that people see a person’s true self.

Ignorance is certainly not bliss

Zippys is so cheap. WARNING: Watch what you order. If you want to know how to successfully cheat your consumer out of a few extra bucks, pay attention the Zippys menu board. Now, I can speak firsthand, because I spend at least eight hours every Sunday behind the counter there. Ever since summer, I witnessed the scam known as Zippys. So it isn’t actually a scam, but who in their right mind would pay three dollars for two thinly grilled slices of spam? Apparently, ignorant consumers who are only concerned about receiving their food in less than five minutes, then endlessly complain about how they wanted chopsticks instead of forks, and break out in a full sweat while demanding your manager. If I learned one thing from Zippys, it is to be assertive. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, no matter how ticked off the customer may get. A correctly placed order is always better a wrong one, no matter how impatient or frustrated the customer may become. You see, when an incorrect order is placed, the manager must physically come to register and remove the order with a manager card, which is run through the credit card slot – known as the dreaded “over-ring”. A printout of the order is then made, and is then taped to the register, shaming you for the remainder of the day – which is why it is so imperative that orders are correct.

Sundays are typically slow, as people generally stay home or church. This usually brightens my day, because a slow day means less work. However, on one particularly sunny afternoon, an elderly woman with thick-rimmed glasses approached the counter and effectively ruined my day:

Me: Hi, how can I help you?

Lady: Can I get the Zipmeal Spaghetti? (a two pound container containing only spaghetti noodles).

Me: The Zipmeal spaghetti contains only noodles, is that okay?

Lady: No I want Spaghetti?

Me: There is also a spaghetti meal that comes with noodles and the meatsauce…is that what you want?

Lady: Nonono, I want spaghetti.

Me: So, the zipmeal spaghetti?

Lady: (nods)

As you probably guessed, she wanted spaghetti with the meatsauce. She quickly became irate and demanded her money back as she threateningly glared at me. I got the manager, who was forced to do the dreaded “over-ring”, and I shamefully stood behind my register the rest of the day. Point: cashiers have feelings too.

Uncle Morty's Dub Shack

Who says foreign film is inaccessible? It surely isn’t anymore, or at least not when it’s dubbed by men who are looking for a few laughs. Now, I wouldn’t classify this show quality television, but it sure is worth watching if you want to break away from sub-par reality shows and men who always fall short of winning one million dollars. The show is focused around a mini storyline following a few quirky characters, with breaks where
Asian films are dubbed into a comedy. It stays away from making predictable and cheesy stereotyping of Asians and focuses on creating a silly storyline that is surprisingly engaging. The title “Uncle Morty’s Dub Shack” characterizes what type of show it is. The title sounds off the wall, which is exactly the type of show it is. If you have digital cable, it is on IAtv, which is one station above Comedy Central. Here is a short clip, showing the sheer stupid yet comical genius of “Uncle Morty’s Dub Shack”.

Do you succumb to temptation?

I wanted to write a quick review of a book that I recently read. It is titled “The Devil and Miss Prym” by Paulo Coelho. I typically enjoy thrillers, but this book was extremely different as it is about a mysterious man who goes to a remote village to test out his theory. Troubled by past experiences, the man believes that people are inherently bad. He uses this as a justification for all that has happened in his life. Anyway, he reaches the city and buries eleven large gold bars. He then finds a young lady that lives in the village and tells her of his plan as he shows her a few of the gold bars He tells her that if the town commits a murder within the next week, the gold is theirs. They could murder anyone, old or sick. Either way it would prove his theory true. However, if she decides to keep quiet, then he will turn the tables on her and tell the village himself of his plan and that the girl kept it a secret, endangering her life. This would also prove true, that she was the one who would be filled with deceit. “Given the right circumstances, every human being on this earth would be willing to commit evil.” This village is resisting the technological advances of the world around them, and these gold bars would ultimately save the village. The girl eventually tells the town of the man’s sinister proposition and they go to work, deciding what would be best. I’ll stop the summary in case someone actually wants to read this book. The book brought up many questions in my head, such as whether I believe this theory to be true. I personally believe that people are inherently good, but through society and a series of experiences we learn bad behaviors and actions - we are born as blank slates, armed with only basic human instincts. These instincts arent bad and allow us to accept. However, over time we may develop certain biases or tendencies that can be categorized as bad.
The book is well written and effectively captures the dilemma of the girl, as she debates over whether she should tell the village or not. The author does a great job of building tension as the story develops, although I felt that he really lost me because the story was quite anticlimactic. After a great plot and build-up to the final scene, it seemed as if the author simply did not know how to effectively end the book. Overall, it is a very different book with a plot that is extremely unique. The topic of temptation really made me stop and think as I read each page and made me wonder what I would do in each situation. If we disregard the ending, I would recommend this book for the philosophical and spirtual questions it brought up and made me wonder how others would handle the situation or how they felt about the statement that one of the main character make when he says that people are natually bad.

The Odd Post

Although this may initially sound strange, one of my hobbies is to read the “Odd News” on Yahoo. My homepage is set to my.yahoo.com, and one of the main sections of the page contains the “Most Commonly Viewed Oddly Enough” articles. Whenever I open up firefox, the odd news section always pops up, and I find myself uncontrollably reading it. Each article either leaves me with deep questions, or a sense of relief that I am not that stupid. Whatever the story may be, they are typically fairly interesting. For example, I read an article the other day that quoted a book that told its readers to clean the toilet for good luck. This Japanese book, which was inspired by Buddhist teachings and Feng Shui teaches readers how to attract good fortune using cleaning products. It gets even better as the cover of the book has short testimonials saying “I won the lottery!” and “I got pregnant!”. The book went farther by saying that a beautiful toilet can even make one more beautiful. Perhaps that good overall hygiene and maintenance of the bathroom can lead to taking care of one’s self? I didn’t exactly gain any sudden revelations from the article, but it did lift my spirits.

An example of a thought provoking article was one that dealt with sex offenders. The state legislature of Ohio pushed for a law which would force sex offenders to fluorescent green license plates so that they would be easily identifiable in the state. Although I agree that people have the right to know and in fact should know who these people are, I think this is being a little extreme. A lifetime of humiliation for one crime is hardly fair. Plus, it is not only humiliating to the offender but also his/her family. If they ride in the car, people may get the wrong impression of them. Anyone who rides in the car becomes susceptible to criticism and false perceptions, which I believe is unfair.

There are also the strangely sexual or just plain odd news that occasionally appears, such as when a man tried to revive his deceased father who had been dead for over two years. Such articles humble me, as I realize how lucky I am to function normally. With each article comes the opportunity to not only understand the strange world around me, but also my views on such topics, creating a deeper understanding of myself.

The links to the two articles mentioned above:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070301/od_nm/japan_luck_dc;_ylt=AvV00NiU7eK_B.pLo.TpuQcSH9EA
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070301/od_nm/usa_crime_sex_plates_dc;_ylt=AhpsH4sxYonY.bJmIrIMoY4SH9EA

Baller

I actually did play the essay game, and happened to come across a topic that I thought would make for an interesting essay. Fantasy Basketball. Not only is it an engaging hobby for millions of bored and lonesome men around the world, but it is also a profession. Official fantasy basketball analysts are constantly providing its users with notes and official news that gives them the edge to win in a tight head-to-head league match-up with their longtime rival from across the street. What I found interesting in the hobby was how people disregard personal values for numbers that allow them to boast to their friend about how Stephen Jackson from the Golden State Warriors “dropped 18 points, 7 assists, 3 steals, and four rebounds” all after entering the game at halftime because of a court appearance where he recklessly fired a gun several times outside a bar. People become engrossed in not the players themselves, but the numbers that each player produces. I admit that I am guilty of such bragging as I have become completely involved in the game too. For the past few months, it has been one of the most discussed subjects among friends as we discuss players and brag about who is “hot” and mourn over our injured players. I once read a great quote on a forum that said fantasy basketball was the sport of nerds. A person responded by comically agreeing with him. Although I don’t agree completely with his claim, I do agree that many people who do become involved with fantasy basketball are nerds. In fact, the sport, if you can even call it one, does require traits that are most commonly found in nerds. A successful fantasy team takes lots of hours of research and planning. The fantasy game is filled with many different possibilities, so it is important to take many things into consideration when creating a team. Each statistic is taken into category (percentages, rebounds, points, and even more obscure stats such as technical fouls), creating a complex and multidimensional game. What is also taken into consideration is a player’s salary, with fantasy owners having to deal with the problem of salary caps. I think that this would make for a very unique and interesting essay topic because fantasy basketball effectively simulates the problems and methods of real managers and coaches. The game isn’t perfect, but still provides an abundance of fun and has helped me to avoid boredom numerous times.

It's Definately Senioritis

I’m not going to lie. This past quarter, I have experienced heavy doses of senioritis. Endless procrastination and a lack of concern basically sum up the third quarter of my senior year. It is not that I am completely unmotivated, but that I finally have a semester that does not affect my chances of getting into college as much as the previous ones. Its not that school has lost its importance, but that other things carry importance as well. This view on life is the reason I am now hurriedly trying to write four posts for my blog at 10:45pm. I also have a big test for math tomorrow, which I currently know nothing about. Up until this year, I have surprisingly liked math. I enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment as I solved a difficult equation that required me to think outside the box. However, I have felt differently this year. Not just because its my senior year, but because calculus is just so tedious. I find that it has absolutely no practical applications, unless I want to become a physicist, which I really don’t.

I have also found much more practical ways of spending my time. Whether I am perfecting my basketball shot or experiencing a different universe on my playstation while playing Final Fantasy XII (a game I strongly recommend), I have effectively removed school from my mind. I guess that moderation is important, like the Guiness commercial, and I think I will spend a little more time focusing on school.