Do you live on Avenue Q? "Your friends do, too."
Yesterday a group of us went in to the city to watch Avenue Q, a musical that is widely described to be like Sesame Street but for adults. There is a definite truth in that, but it still surprised my friend with its explicitness. So be forewarned: Avenue Q does not just contain adult language but also adult themes. And an adult scene. Accompanied the whole time by an adult song. So yes, Sesame Street for adults.
But I did enjoy it. It was exactly what I expected - funny, cute (at times), vulgar (usually)... I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite, perhaps because I didn't really feel an emotional connection to the characters. Initially I thought the reason may be because the comedy aspect of it was so large in the whole musical that it overshadows serious, emotional parts of it. But then my sister brought up a good point about the whole thing being about puppets. Did that affect the experience? I mean, we all know that the characters we watch on stage are usually fictional, but having actors hold in their hands the main stars of the show is something else entirely. It's metafictional and thus too self-conscious about how realistic the whole musical is.
Don't get me wrong though. I liked the songs and had a great time. But I'd take Wicked or Next to Normal over it.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
tennis on my body
Man, when was the last time I've played tennis? It's got to be more than a year ago, but this past weekend I hit the courts again and my body definitely feels the lack of conditioning. How else did my wrists and ankles feel sore, and why would my back muscles (ha!) and arms hurt? And this may be a little too much information, but seriously you guys, my butt is killing me. When I walk, I can feel the sore muscles yelling at me there. Wow! Sports can really whip your body into shape. Or just whip your body.
But in other news, today I tried to make apple pancakes for the first time and it was... eh. It may have been delicious perhaps if I had more apples and if the apples were yummier. The pancakes themselves were also a bit too doughy and not fluffy enough, but now I know for next time that whisking is mucho importante. Also, today is the second time I've broken a whisk in this apartment. What a shame. I do love whisks.
But in other news, today I tried to make apple pancakes for the first time and it was... eh. It may have been delicious perhaps if I had more apples and if the apples were yummier. The pancakes themselves were also a bit too doughy and not fluffy enough, but now I know for next time that whisking is mucho importante. Also, today is the second time I've broken a whisk in this apartment. What a shame. I do love whisks.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
cuz waking up's hard to do
I am a college student. I am a poor college student. I am a desperate, poor college student.
So I guess that all just means that I am a college student.
Today I got up at 8:30, left at 9, and went all the way across campus (like literally the farthest you can go) to meet with someone at 9:30 because I signed up to be a research participant. Some of my friends signed up before and got MRIs or got tested in some other ways, but I decided to be more low-key and just did a simple computer test where I just had to answer things as fast as I can. It was kind of interesting, but I came out after only half an hour with my eyes barely open and my mind completely blank. I got so tired just staring at the computer screen.
Anyway, it was an interesting experience and I made $6. Whoo, that's like two bobas!
So I guess that all just means that I am a college student.
Today I got up at 8:30, left at 9, and went all the way across campus (like literally the farthest you can go) to meet with someone at 9:30 because I signed up to be a research participant. Some of my friends signed up before and got MRIs or got tested in some other ways, but I decided to be more low-key and just did a simple computer test where I just had to answer things as fast as I can. It was kind of interesting, but I came out after only half an hour with my eyes barely open and my mind completely blank. I got so tired just staring at the computer screen.
Anyway, it was an interesting experience and I made $6. Whoo, that's like two bobas!
Monday, February 21, 2011
happy birthday ophelia!
This post is dedicated to That Man. She has a sexy assistant (Odona?) and likes to stuff pillows in her jacket to make herself look bigger.
Just kidding. She does it to get into character, but she chooses that large type of character often, that's all. Anyway, it's Ophelia's special day! Go over to her page and say happy birthday to twenty five years of torturing my poor parents. Hurray!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Vanity Fair
Yes, I've finally finished reading Vanity Fair! This is a day to celebrate! It was just so long and with many filler chapters that after a while the book just sat there as if I thought it could read itself (It didn't). Well last night I stubbornly sat myself in bed and promised to finish the whole thing. Not just because I wanted to know what happens to the characters, but also because we're done discussing the book in class and I need to get to Villete by Charlotte Bronte.
There are not many people who would willingly subject themselves to more than eight hundred pages for hours and hours, but those who do are great lovers of the book. Here are the pros:
1. Vanity Fair was funny and smart.
2. There were pictures (I know!).
3. You could certainly apply what you learned from the book on your own perspective of the world.
Cons:
1. Good lord, it was longer than long.
2. There are many unnecessary bits, typical of serialized novels (Yes, inferring to Dickens here).
3. If you're looking for the ideal, perfect character, this is A Novel without a Hero.
There have been questions about the last point, whether the novel is without a hero may be because it suggests that the world is full of dirty characters or perhaps Thackeray is pointing out a heroine, genderizing a role that never was established before only because it is usually assumed to be filled by a male. Enter Becky Sharp, woman extraordinaire. In manners and appearance she is the epitome of femininity, but at the same time she tramples the weakness and helplessness that females as individuals typically represent.
Did I like the book? The first read was all right, but I think I'd have to skip all the skimming if I want to make a defiant stand on the book.
There are not many people who would willingly subject themselves to more than eight hundred pages for hours and hours, but those who do are great lovers of the book. Here are the pros:
1. Vanity Fair was funny and smart.
2. There were pictures (I know!).
3. You could certainly apply what you learned from the book on your own perspective of the world.
Cons:
1. Good lord, it was longer than long.
2. There are many unnecessary bits, typical of serialized novels (Yes, inferring to Dickens here).
3. If you're looking for the ideal, perfect character, this is A Novel without a Hero.
There have been questions about the last point, whether the novel is without a hero may be because it suggests that the world is full of dirty characters or perhaps Thackeray is pointing out a heroine, genderizing a role that never was established before only because it is usually assumed to be filled by a male. Enter Becky Sharp, woman extraordinaire. In manners and appearance she is the epitome of femininity, but at the same time she tramples the weakness and helplessness that females as individuals typically represent.
Did I like the book? The first read was all right, but I think I'd have to skip all the skimming if I want to make a defiant stand on the book.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Picture of Dorian Gray
It's Oscar Wilde's only book and has been widely read because the school education system here thinks it's a fantastic book. But why is it that I have never read it until now? Anyway, not bad.
Granted, I did skim a lot of the beginning because I still have Vanity Fair to get through. But The Picture of Dorian Gray is easy and quick to read (Is this because I have something huge and thick to compare it to?), and after hearing my sister's trauma with it I have to say that it is not as scary as I thought.
In fact, I actually think I may have liked it. It's a didactic kind of book, one that discusses life and perspectives on it, how one should live or look at one's life; it questions the real and the significant and trivializes many things that we take very seriously (as books often do). It may have felt a little too lecturing at times, especially when Lord Henry is talking, but I enjoyed reading it all because it was still an interesting take on the world.
But! I can see why Ophelia hated it with a passion. While Dorian belittles the world and derives pleasure from his newfound hedonism, we the reader soon belittle Dorian's views as well. We, in fact, become Dorian. And while we're reading about how Dorian has been corrupted and can never change again (er, sorry to those who haven't read it yet...), we get tired and feel perhaps skeptical at just how radical it all quickly becomes. It's like following a character until we get tired of him. Was I tired of him? In the middle I was, until... Well, until nearer to the end. His naivete in the beginning was tiring as well, to be fair. I guess what I'm trying to say is Dorian is a tiring character. But interesting to follow, nonetheless.
I did like seeing the progress with the painting though. Can I say I totally expected the ending?
Recommend? Sure, why not. I'm not in love with the book, but I can see the appeal.
Granted, I did skim a lot of the beginning because I still have Vanity Fair to get through. But The Picture of Dorian Gray is easy and quick to read (Is this because I have something huge and thick to compare it to?), and after hearing my sister's trauma with it I have to say that it is not as scary as I thought.
In fact, I actually think I may have liked it. It's a didactic kind of book, one that discusses life and perspectives on it, how one should live or look at one's life; it questions the real and the significant and trivializes many things that we take very seriously (as books often do). It may have felt a little too lecturing at times, especially when Lord Henry is talking, but I enjoyed reading it all because it was still an interesting take on the world.
But! I can see why Ophelia hated it with a passion. While Dorian belittles the world and derives pleasure from his newfound hedonism, we the reader soon belittle Dorian's views as well. We, in fact, become Dorian. And while we're reading about how Dorian has been corrupted and can never change again (er, sorry to those who haven't read it yet...), we get tired and feel perhaps skeptical at just how radical it all quickly becomes. It's like following a character until we get tired of him. Was I tired of him? In the middle I was, until... Well, until nearer to the end. His naivete in the beginning was tiring as well, to be fair. I guess what I'm trying to say is Dorian is a tiring character. But interesting to follow, nonetheless.
I did like seeing the progress with the painting though. Can I say I totally expected the ending?
Recommend? Sure, why not. I'm not in love with the book, but I can see the appeal.
Monday, February 14, 2011
happy valentine's day!
What is the best thing about today? It's not the love in the air or the affectionate gestures; and it's certainly not the chocolates that are just waiting to go on sale the day after. No, it's the fact that February 14 is just another day. And today, it's just another gloomy day with sporadic showers of rain and a coldness in the air.
Just kidding.
If you love Valentine's Day (ha, get it?), then good for you! If you don't, then don't suck the fun out of it for others. I'm going to look at this day from a more historical standpoint and go back to a question that many of us ask and never follow up on: What exactly is Valentine's Day?
When I was in high school, I learned something about how today was named after Saint Valentine and he stands for love for some unknown reason. Yeah, no one knows how exactly St. Valentine and romantic love came together. I think we do know that Valentine was a martyr though, so if someone asks you to be his or her Valentine, think twice before answering.
Anyway, not knowing the origin of the day doesn't stop anyone from celebrating it, but its history that I so wanted to divulge is forever lost. I thought maybe that I just couldn't remember any information from school, so today I decided to look it up on Google and I found... Yep, I found nothing. I still have no idea why we have today designated as the day of love.
But it's been celebrated for centuries now, so if anything Valentine's Day has created its own history just for being recognized every year. Ah, the power of tradition!
On another note, happy 8th year to Ophelia and Jimmy! Look what they did for their anniversary.
Just kidding.
If you love Valentine's Day (ha, get it?), then good for you! If you don't, then don't suck the fun out of it for others. I'm going to look at this day from a more historical standpoint and go back to a question that many of us ask and never follow up on: What exactly is Valentine's Day?
When I was in high school, I learned something about how today was named after Saint Valentine and he stands for love for some unknown reason. Yeah, no one knows how exactly St. Valentine and romantic love came together. I think we do know that Valentine was a martyr though, so if someone asks you to be his or her Valentine, think twice before answering.
Anyway, not knowing the origin of the day doesn't stop anyone from celebrating it, but its history that I so wanted to divulge is forever lost. I thought maybe that I just couldn't remember any information from school, so today I decided to look it up on Google and I found... Yep, I found nothing. I still have no idea why we have today designated as the day of love.
But it's been celebrated for centuries now, so if anything Valentine's Day has created its own history just for being recognized every year. Ah, the power of tradition!
On another note, happy 8th year to Ophelia and Jimmy! Look what they did for their anniversary.
Friday, February 11, 2011
T.G.I.F.
Thank Grandma It's Free! I'm talking about this candy that came with an advertisement for peer counseling. I was walking by on Sproul, minding my own business when a nice lady came up to me and offered me a flier with the magical words, "Do you want free candy?"
Do I!
Except I completely forgot I left it in my bag until now when I was thinking about acronyms for TGIF. But really, thank the earth's rotation it's Friday because I am burnt out.
Why? I mean, I only had three papers to write this week and more than 300 pages of reading. I shouldn't complain though, I mean Vanity Fair is pretty good. It could be worse, like Heart of Darkness.
Oh wait. That's the last book on the syllabus. I guess that means it will get worse then.
On the Milhouse side, today I busted out the plaid button down my sisters sent up to me via UPS (the box with my name stamped on it all over its poor brown skin). I love it!
Do I!
Except I completely forgot I left it in my bag until now when I was thinking about acronyms for TGIF. But really, thank the earth's rotation it's Friday because I am burnt out.
Why? I mean, I only had three papers to write this week and more than 300 pages of reading. I shouldn't complain though, I mean Vanity Fair is pretty good. It could be worse, like Heart of Darkness.
Oh wait. That's the last book on the syllabus. I guess that means it will get worse then.
On the Milhouse side, today I busted out the plaid button down my sisters sent up to me via UPS (the box with my name stamped on it all over its poor brown skin). I love it!
letters in the mail
I love Confessions of a Shopaholic. I love Becky Bloomwood and can totally identify with her. Sometimes she has crazy weird ideas that you just can't understand, and then there are those moments when you think, "Wow! This fictional character's sure a genius!"
I don't remember in which book she writes this, but Becky pitches an idea about a service where you pay them to send you things in the mail. Letters, gifts, flowers, whatever. It's just something nice to go home to after a hard day, and even if you're really paying people to send you stuff (so you're sending yourself gifts, essentially) it still cheers you up and makes you feel unhappy. Of course until you realize you're desperate and sad and lonely. You know, that's when it gets sad.
Anyway, I wrote a card to my friend back in LA for Valentine's Day because she couldn't be up here this weekend when she wanted to be. Also because I miss her, but that's beside the point. She's funny and nice and always has the lookout for good sales and cheap prices. I wonder if she'll think the card's a waste of postage?
I don't remember in which book she writes this, but Becky pitches an idea about a service where you pay them to send you things in the mail. Letters, gifts, flowers, whatever. It's just something nice to go home to after a hard day, and even if you're really paying people to send you stuff (so you're sending yourself gifts, essentially) it still cheers you up and makes you feel unhappy. Of course until you realize you're desperate and sad and lonely. You know, that's when it gets sad.
Anyway, I wrote a card to my friend back in LA for Valentine's Day because she couldn't be up here this weekend when she wanted to be. Also because I miss her, but that's beside the point. She's funny and nice and always has the lookout for good sales and cheap prices. I wonder if she'll think the card's a waste of postage?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
kit kats? why?
To be honest, I don't even like Kit Kats all that much. But Anna bought me two king size packs from Walgreens and I realized that wafers taste good.
Look! A Kit Kat 'stache!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
ruminating on schoolwork
Because what can be more fun than that? Welcome to my first post, everyone. I've been thinking about creating this for a while for just my everyday, run-of-the-mill thoughts, but it's the sheer need to brainstorm for my paper that's actually got me to press the "create" button. So hurray for school and its initiative powers!
Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. I'm taking a research seminar focusing on poetry and music and we're supposed to turn in this think-piece paper on Friday about what we want to write our research paper on. Is it nerdy that I'm choosing musicals? (Yes.)
So here's the question of the day:
Do you realize that in musicals, there are often songs that incorporate speech sections where the characters just talk? That's quite normal, but how about the parts where they're actually singing? Does it ever sound like speak-singing to you? Besides clear articulation of the words and avoiding natural slurs and other artistic inflections that pop singers like to use, how does the actor in the musical sing in a style that walks between speech and song? How does the speaking sections of the song sound rhythmically? Are they different from singing, and why or why not? In fact, is there any possible way for you to be able to sing and talk at the same time?
It sounds like it does though. But how and why? Talking has natural rhythm and uses stresses too, but it doesn't sound like singing. What exactly is the difference if both have musical attributes?
It got me thinking about poetry in the lyric form. Obviously when lyrics are extracted from the song and just seen on paper, they appear like a form of poetry (with odd bits like the chorus - I mean, unnecessary repetition for poems at least. Who wants to read that over and over?). But not all poetry can be sung like lyrics can. So when you read the lyrics, how is it different from singing the lyrics?
Did I confuse you yet? Until next time then.
Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. I'm taking a research seminar focusing on poetry and music and we're supposed to turn in this think-piece paper on Friday about what we want to write our research paper on. Is it nerdy that I'm choosing musicals? (Yes.)
So here's the question of the day:
What is the difference between talking and singing?
It sounds like it does though. But how and why? Talking has natural rhythm and uses stresses too, but it doesn't sound like singing. What exactly is the difference if both have musical attributes?
It got me thinking about poetry in the lyric form. Obviously when lyrics are extracted from the song and just seen on paper, they appear like a form of poetry (with odd bits like the chorus - I mean, unnecessary repetition for poems at least. Who wants to read that over and over?). But not all poetry can be sung like lyrics can. So when you read the lyrics, how is it different from singing the lyrics?
Did I confuse you yet? Until next time then.
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