A blog post about blogging

I went to bed last night in a good mood. I was in such a good mood that I updated my blog an additional time.

Know why? I got my first ever follower! (The good, Blogger kind, not the bad, stalker kind)

In the past, I have started blogs (personal ones and class-related ones) at different Web sites, but the keyword is "started." Such is the case for many things, it is easy to start a blog, but maintaining one can be challenging.

You'd think that when I took a new media class a couple years ago, where I got a thorough introduction to blogging, vlogging, etc. and some hands-on experience to boot, that I'd keep it up. I guess what I really needed was inspiration. An unofficial hiatus from non-academic writing plus a summer internship where I wrote articles and started writing for myself again certainly provided that.

Over the summer, I also started reading blogs regularly, particularly Smitten, which has different writers. One of its main bloggers, Joanna Goddard, stood out to me -- I like her written voice and personality -- and I started checking out her blog. From there, I started checking out other blogs and finally decided to start my own.

I've continue to gain inspiration from other people and have even started following a few blogs. Earlier today, I read a post by Michelle called Advice for New Bloggers at Oh, Mishka. While I'm not necessarily a new blogger, I still took it as a helpful, blog-related pep talk.

In recent weeks, I've started to become more regular about updating this blog, and I hope that I will continue to do so. While I started this blog for myself, knowing that there are people who read it makes it even more worthwhile.

(Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/barnett/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 )

'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.'

Earlier this evening, I watched "Forrest Gump" with at least 11 other people. While I've seen this film many times before, this opportunity was a chance to look at it from a different perspective.

It had been years since the last time I had seen it, so it was kind of comforting to watch something familiar. Also, some of the other people had never seen this film before, and many of them are international students, so it was cool to share that experience with them and sort of see it through their eyes, which is basically what this movie is all about: seeing life through the eyes of one unique man, one unique life. Though events have been re-imagined in this film, it's a good conversation starter for those who are unfamiliar with U.S. history.

One of my favorite moments in this movie takes place at the Washington Monument, which I got to see from afar when I spent this past summer on the East Coast. This photo came from a weekend trip to Washington D.C. with my younger sister when she flew from our home state of California to visit me.

One weekend was definitely not enough time to spend in D.C. For instance, we didn't have a chance to get up close to the Monument, nor did we see the Lincoln Memorial or any of the different war memorials. Plus, there's more to D.C. than museums, monuments, and memorials . This is all the more reason why I should return someday!

A whole new world

That's me flying without a magic carpet. No really, it is.

In the virtual community Second Life, everyone can fly (among other things). I first heard about this Web site two years ago in a new media class, but yesterday was my first time actually trying it out. When you are creating a new profile, you can select a first name and then choose from a list of last names. You also choose a base look for your avatar and can later personalize his or her physical appearance and clothes.

Not long after activating my account and arriving at the "starting point" called Help Island, I exchanged hellos with a fellow new member who approached me. Moments later, this person used this tasteful come-on: "can y fuck you?" (his exact words, not mine)

There are a lot of things wrong with this picture. Besides the missing "I" in that request (which he continued to misplace time and time again each time), it's such a direct, rude statement to say, especially to someone you don't even know. If he (I assume it's a "he") was in an equivalent place in real life (or first life, as it's known in this community), would he use the same approach and language with a woman who he has never met before? Would he use such language to her face? Would he really expect someone to fall for such a line? If so, then's he has really got to work on his game, not to mention his manners.

When I asked him why he wanted to do that, he replied that he wanted to know what it was like in this "game." Maybe that's a problem: Some people forget that on the receiving end of communication in this so-called game, or in the online world in general, there's a living, breathing, thinking, feeling person. Sometimes what people say to each other online shocks me.

In Second Life, there are preset gestures you can do such as laughing or blowing a kiss. If there was a gesture for hard slaps across the face, then I'd keep using against him because he kept following -- or should I say stalking -- me around with the same request. He was not long joined by another guy who said, "yes, give me your ass." What is wrong with people?! I was feeling very nervous and uncomfortable during all this, even making such audible gasps that my roommate wondered what was wrong.

My boyfriend, who recently started using Second Life for a class, saved me by teleporting (yes, teleporting) me to his location. Our avatars then ended up going to a club-like place called Dance Island, where we danced together for the first time ever -- fun times.

All in all, while I can see possible benefits to Second Life, such as real-time online communication through vivid imagery, I'm still getting use to it. My first impression of this second world was very awkward, but it improved from there.

Now, if only I could get my boyfriend to dance with me in real life, making that a reality. Borrowing a line from one of my favorite films, he would quote Mr. Darcy: "Not if I can help it."

'Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live.'

"... If you live" is the key phrase, people.

That Mark Twain quote is from a piece called "Taming the Bicycle," and that's exactly what I've been doing over the last few weeks: attempting to tame a bicycle (specifically a Mongoose).

You see, up until now, I had never ridden a bike without using training wheels, which, according to an avid biker who can tackle hills, is not the same as biking at all.

After more than a decade-long gap, I've given bike riding another go with a special teacher (said avid biker) -- this time sans training wheels. I've definitely realized from firsthand experience that training wheels are just a crutch to lean (or roll) on. There's a lot of balancing on two wheels that needs to happen to make it successful.

Learning to ride a bike is hard work, and it can be so frustrating, nerve-wracking, and scary when you're just starting out. However, once you get the hang of it, it can be exhilarating to travel at a pace faster than you can travel by foot -- believe me, I know.

It can also be quite painful, as I learned the hard way Friday when I fell down not far from my end destination. With scrapes, scratches, bruises and a sore knee that is currently giving me a slight limp, I'm definitely going to take it easy and take a break for now.

However, I'm still alive and have not yet regretted trying to tame a bike. The bike sure isn't going to tame me.

(Photo by wvs)
(More bicycling quotes from Quote Garden)

Flier: Pancake Breakfast Fall 2009

A few days ago, I wrote in a blog post about fall, mentioning an event I'm co-organizing with a fall theme. After 10 drafts, with some of the changes more dramatic than others, I finally have a flier for Pancake Breakfast!

Over the past few years, I've designed newsletters (fall 2o08, spring 2008, fall 2007), as well as fliers and other printed material for my workplace. While I had some experience with QuarkXPress and InDesign from designing layouts for student newspapers, desktop publishing was something that I got into during the last few years, and I definitely enjoy it (even when it can be hard to go through multiple drafts).

When I check out Web sites such as Wedding Paper Divas, I think it would be great to create things for other people and their events. In the future, I'd like to post more of my work on this blog.

Abercrombie & who? Exactly

Picture this: You're walking down the street ... oh, let's say you're on 5th Avenue in New York City. Amid the sea of jaywalkers, skyscrapers, and yellow taxi cabs, you see a black-and-white image on a side of a building: the biggest bulge in the biggest pair of jeans you've ever seen.

Got your attention right? Clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch certainly has a way of doing that -- or at least they did. TIME magazine called them the "World's Worst Recession Brand." While retail stores in general have been suffering during this economic time, it seems like A&F has been hit especially bad.

I remember back when Abercrombie & Fitch topped the poll of favorite clothing brands for a middle school yearbook -- and naive, little, no-name-brand me had never even heard of it.

Oh, how "the mighty" have fallen.

Besides the preppy look not being much in style nowadays, the clothes are, even now, relatively pricey -- definitely not appealing in this day and age when bargains and deals even more important than ever.

Don't worry about A&F too much, though. They still get attention now and then. Sexualized images and the occasional shirtless male model at a storefront may not raise as many eyebrows nowadays (I've seen racier pics from American Apparel), but the brand does still have some notoriety attached to it.

A 19-year-old Muslim woman from Tulsa, Okla. is suing the clothing brand for refusing "to hire Ms. Elauf because she wears a hijab, claiming that the wearing of the headgear was prohibited by its Look Policy." Look Policy is just a euphemism for company dress code.

What's really amazing is that in a statement to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Abercrombie & Fitch said, "Under the Look Policy, associates must wear clothing that is consistent with the Abercrombie brand, cannot wear hats or other coverings, and cannot wear clothes that are the color black."

For a place of employment, dress codes are understandable, but head scarfs, with religious importance attached to them, are quite different than run-of-the-mill baseball caps. Also, here's a question: Is being consistent with the Abercrombie brand having to do with just wearing moose-logoed shirts or being consistent with the image that the brand is selling: Sex?

Here's an even bigger question: What's wrong with black clothes?

(Photo by FaceMePLS)

Fall in love with fall

Fall / autumn is my favorite season, and as of Tuesday, a.k.a. the autumnal equinox, it is officially that time of year.

I like the transitioning weather: It's still sunny, but not too hot. The air is cool and even brisk, but it's not yet freezing. I also like outfits, layering articles of clothing on top of each other. Plus, any excuse to wear a scarf is all right with me! Also, nature is especially beautiful during this time of year; I like the colorful leaves!

Fall is very much the theme for an event that I'm co-organizing called Pancake Breakfast. It's an outreach event / fundraiser in which for one Sunday (in this case, Oct. 25), a dormitory becomes like a restaurant, and the residents of the dormitory cook, serve, and entertain hundreds of people all morning. In the past, there can be 300 or 400 people who walk through the doors of this building -- crazy. This will definitely be the biggest event I've ever planned in my young life so far.

There's a lot of preparation and work involved, I've noticed, in putting together this sort of thing. At this point, among other things, I'm finishing off the flier. In the future, I'll design the actual menus that will be on the tables and the programs that guests will receive. As things become finalized, I'll post these paper goods at this blog. The flier definitely fits the fall theme with its multi-colored leaves. From what we've gotten so far for the decorations, leaves and other fall-related colors (red, orange, yellow, brown) will play important roles.

It's pretty overwhelming just thinking that this event will be here in about one month. I hope I'll still like fall when all this done.

(Photo by suneko)

23 years young

It has been about a week since I had turned 23 years old. This is not exactly a milestone year in itself (unless you consider writing 09/14/09 as pretty cool), but in terms of how it was celebrated, my birthday kind of was.

For one thing, I visited Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for the first time (the above picture is from the nearby beach) this past weekend. The Boardwalk has carnival-style attractions, such as rides, games, and goodies, in a timeless and family-friendly setting. I usually don't go to amusement parks, but this was fun, especially with good company. No matter your age, you can't help but feel like a kid (in the best way possible) when you're riding roller coasters, screaming along each twist, turn, and dip.

For another thing, I was at my family's home on my actual birthday date. I hadn't been to my hometown since March for spring break, though I had seen my family a couple times since then. It's amazing how nostalgic you can feel about a place, even when it came to sleeping in my old room -- never mind that I practically fell off the bed when I rolled over and found out (too late) that my bed was no longer right next to the wall like it once was.

Nostalgia was definitely part of my birthday, so much so that I even took the time to find out what time I was born on my actual birth date and how much I weighed. On a day when I'm supposed to be focusing on my present age (and perhaps looking to the year ahead), it's kind of cool to think that 23 years ago, I was born -- it's as simple as that.

Many happy returns

The phrase, "Many happy returns," can mean "have many happy more days, especially birthdays," according to The Phrase Finder.

While my birthday is indeed around the corner, I'm using the phrase in a more literal sense in this situation: After more than a one-month absence, I'm finally updating my blog. A lot has happened during that time period.

For one thing, my 3-year-old (and first ever) laptop's hardware malfunctioned, and considering the laundry list of issues it already had (broken CD-ROM drive, USB ports that don't work, fraying adapter, battery doesn't recharge, etc.), it was about time to get a brand-new machine, which I'm using right now.

There was about a two-week gap in which I didn't have my own laptop at all, in which I waited for my family to give me the new laptop in person. In this day and age, especially with the convenience of things such as wireless Internet, not having a certain piece of technology can be challenging.

Also, it has been hectic with school and work that sometimes it can be and feel overwhelming. However, I've also had chances to relax, such as during the recent Labor Day weekend. The photo above is an example of such a time for relaxation: a nighttime cruise around the San Francisco Bay (That's the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, while I'm in the foreground) with a very special person. I've definitely become more appreciative of taking breaks. Everyone needs to stop and take a breather.

Breathe in, breathe out. Inhale, exhale.