Sunday, February 21, 2010

"Do you know what a B and E is?"


I was watching Dane Cook's performance, Vicious Circle, recently, and he did a segment about a B and E-- a break and enter as a matter of fact. He wanted to do a B and E when he was younger and he gave a monologue about his entire journey through his almost B and E. The entire monologue was absolutely hysterical, but it got me thinking-- what do victims of a robbery feel?


There is always a feeling of perfidy about people out there, after all, they say you can only trust yourself. But then again, when a criminal does want to perform an illegal action, he must feel some kind of scruple because everyone has a conscience, do they not? Usually there is something in their past that provokes them to take part in these actions. A show, Criminal Minds, gets into the head of the criminal and tries to decipher his surreptitious ways. Like CSI, there are crimes being made and crimes attempted to be solved. But unlike CSI, there isn't much forensics, but more psychology, which I think it a great twist on a similar shows like these.

A robbery could disparage a home physically, but a family emotionally as well. They have no trust in the people around them, especially their neighborhood, which could be devastating. Thank God Dane Cook didn't perform his B & E-- although a great story, it could really hurt a family!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Going for the Gold



Watching the Olympic games is one of my favorite pastimes I share with my family. Well, usually my father doesn't even watch with us and my brother goes to sleep early, so I guess it is just a pastime I share with my mother and sister. The thing I love about the Olympic games is that you may feel as if some of their techniques are near quixotic; impossible and unreal, but they accomplish them regardless.

But on the other hand, there are many disappointed faces when watching the games. All of the athletes put in such hard work and practice into their sport and when one mistakes follows another, they cede and their confidence is crushed. Although sometimes the coach's faces show deprecation of his athlete's mistake, he must be proud either way. After all, many of the athletes are either parvenues of their own country or internationally; their faces are known world-wide after the Olympics.

I guess you could call me an Olympic fanatic, for I stay up, eyes glued onto the TV screen, during the late hours of the night. Another thing I find interesting about the games I that some athletes feel supercilious to their competition. For example, Yevengy Plushenko from Russia felt superior to the other athletes because of his title as the gold medal champion of men's figure skating, but Evan Lysacek proved him wrong. What I loved about Lysacek was that he was colloquial; he was like an average American, just like us. When he found out he won the gold, he simply uttered, "No way." I think seeing an athlete this way sheds a new light on him.

The fact that success comes with the amount of hard work one puts in is surely credulous after the many events at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics games. I can't wait to see what the rest of the games hold!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

"His was like a vodka shot and a snort of coke kind of thing."

Johnny Weir may be the most fabulous man to ever skate on ice. He is an anathema to some people and an icon to others, but for me, he is my pretty little gazelle. I don't know what it is but he has a genuine charm that seems to draw me in every single time I see his face. On one hand, like every other skater, he gets maladroit when put under pressure, but he always puts in 100% and ends up giving everyone a great performance. Every performer has a feeling of sang-froid every time he steps onto the ice, but it is the skater who overcomes that fear that is put on top.

My favorite performance by Johnny Weir was when he skated to Pokerface by Lady Gaga. I can't even begin to explain the energy and the eccentricity that pours out of the performance. If one goes on Youtube, he or she can see the dossier of performances that Johnny has been involved in, from the Olympics to national competitions and even going to Korea to spend time with Yun Na Kim, a Korean figure skater. He goes further than a skater usually does during his career. There are some things about him that are cryptic, such as his orientation, but his skills and effort on the ice are truly evident.

I love Johnny Weir on levels that most of you probably won't understand.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Mother, I am a dreamer



I love sleep, I absolutely do. Unfortunately, my mother castigates me when I sleep in after 10am. But what I don't understand is that if I continue to sleep in my room, I am not bothering anybody, therefore it is a win-win situation. In addition, when I do wake up, I'm quite laconic; my responses consist of grunts and "yeah." I am not an obstacle to anybody, so let me sleep!

I guess my parents expect me to be ebullient like my brother in the morning, but hell, he's nine years old. This expectation usually turns me into a malcontent because it causes me to sleep even later-- just to tick them off... it usually works. I think there are two main reasons why I enjoy being in deep slumber so much. One, I love being snuggled up in my blanket with that warmness that you feel in the morning. Also, when ten minutes actually means another half hour, possibly falling back asleep.

And second, I love dreaming, I really do. Even when I don't remember my dreams, they're so vivid. If there was a moratorium on dreaming, I probably wouldn't go to sleep because my dreams are the only place where things are more interesting than my daily life. Sometimes I dream about not being able to see or talk, and other times I am in bizarre situations. All in all, dreaming is something I love and I am so thankful I have the ability to do so.