If At First You Don't Succeed...

1.21 Gigawatts!

2007-10-21T21:43:00.000-04:00

This is one of the coolest things I have seen in a very long time. Someone is creating a Back to the Future mod from Grand Theft Auto Vice City, complete with a time traveling capabilities. You can use a DeLorean or train (flying or on ground), or even a hoverboard!

Here's more information:
http://mods.moddb.com/8553/gta-back-to-the-future-mod/

Love this song

2007-07-09T01:14:00.001-04:00

Weezer - Pardon Me Lyrics

i tried my best
i gave my all
sometimes my best wasn't good enough
for you
sometimes i let you go
sometimes i hurt you so
i know that i can be the meanest person in the world

[chorus:]
so i apologize to you
and to anyone else that i hurt too
i may not be the perfect soul
but i can't learn self control
so pardon me! pardon me! pardon me my friend!

i never thought
that anyone
was more important than the plans
i made
but now i feel the shame
there's no one else to blame
for all the broken hearts scattered on the field of war

[chorus:]
so i apologize to you
and to anyone else that i hurt too
i may not be the perfect soul
but i can't learn self control
so pardon me! pardon me! pardon me my friend!

[guitar solo]

sometimes i let you go
sometimes i hurt you sooo!
i know that i can be the meanest person in the world..

[chorus:]
so i apologize to you,
and to anyone else that i hurt too,
i may not be a perfect soul
but i can't learn self control
and in my heart i feel its true
so i'll be there with you!!!

so pardon me
pardon me
pardon me my friend
pardon me
my friend
pardon me
my friend...

Damn Sundays

2007-04-02T00:02:00.000-04:00

Have I ever mentioned I hate Sundays?

Maybe it's because of the fact that when I was a kid my parents made me go to Church against my will. Maybe it's the fact that at one dark point of my life, I actually started to enjoy doing so. Perhaps maybe its because next day is the hideous Monday, time to go back to our stressful lives (whether its school, work, or even worse, both). Or maybe because many establishments are closed, or close early, and you're pretty much screwed (especially if you had a project to deliver on Monday morning). Nowadays that's not much of a problem thanks to 24 hour pharmacies, Staples, and the Internets. But I sure well remember when we didn't have any of those and you had to improvise or get screwed. Who knows, maybe I still associate the bad memories with my current Sundays. Maybe it's because Sundays are supposed to be family days, and everyone pretty much decides to go out. Those few businesses that happen to be open get full of huge families and lots of screaming kids.

Back in High School, I used to wonder whether once I went to college my perspective about Sundays would change. It only got worse, cause hey, at least in High School I could look forward to seeing my crushes again on Monday. Then, in college, I used to wonder if once I finished studying and got a job my perspective would change. You know, not spending a stressful Sunday might be the secret. Once I actually finished my BFA (took me a really long time), I got to work and I also got to slack off for a while, and the feeling didn't change.

Nowadays, I'm about to finish my MFA, and I still hate Sundays. I wonder if there's a deeper psychological reason I haven't taken into account. Any shrinks out there who have an answer for me?

Visual DNA

2007-03-13T01:36:00.001-04:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I sent a letter to Steve Jobs (as if it would make any difference)

2007-02-18T17:55:00.000-05:00

Here's a copy of my letter sent to Steve Jobs. It portrays the nightmare I've been through the last 3 years with my Powerbook G4.

I know the chances of him reading it are slim. But hey, I had to try.

---

Dear Steve Jobs, Apple Support, AppleCare, or To whom it may concern,

I have been a proud and loyal Mac user for around 3 years now. I made my family and friends switch to buying your computers and iPods.

Around two and a half years ago, I bought a 12" Powerbook G4 1.33GHz (Serial number XXXXXXXXX ) which I was really proud of, but various issues have come up regarding its functionality and your customer service that have made me extremely unhappy and dissappointed:

1. Around 2 or 3 months after my purchase, I called Apple support since the computer was overheating and warping. The battery area had black burnt-like spots (on the inside).

After sending pictures to prove it, specialists decided that the warranty covered it, so I waited for the return box. After 1 month of waiting, I decided to call Apple Support. To my surprise, they informed me the reason why they didn't send the box was because they never shipped it to Puerto Rico since that service is unavailable, and that my only option was to have it shipped to someone in the continental US, and then have it forwarded to me. If I didn't call, I never would have found out!
(Apple repair numbers: XXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXX)

2. Around May 05, it started to overheat even worse than before. Also, when I touched some of the corners it gave me a small zap.
They didn't find anything wrong, but still replaced the logic board and many parts such as the lids, keyboard, etc. (Apple repair number: XXXXXXXXX)

3. A month later (June 05), more overheating (I couldn't even place it in my lap!). Not only that, but the power cord wouldn't go in correctly, the entrance started to make static noises, would always stay green (even when it didn't have any charge left), and it would burn to the touch.

Being in Puerto Rico at the time, I took it to a local Apple distributor and repair center (since I was tired of the whole shipping and forwarding issues). The store sent it to Apple Latin America and they responded saying that I wasn't entitled to a free repair since they found a small part of the electric connector broken and nudged inside of the connector port (??), and that meant that "I broke the power cord's connector inside". That was completely false, since my power cable was physically unharmed. If there was something lodged inside of the port, it certainly wasn't from my power adapter. I called AppleCare once again, and they were nice enough to take inspect and fix the problem (but they didn't want my power cord). They returned my computer, and my power cord still did not work correctly. I went ahead and bought a new one. Up to this point, various parts of the computer have been replaced (such as logic board, cover lids, etc). I noticed that my display lid was somewhat bent inward (noticeable when I close the computer), but decided to let it go out of frustration. (Apple repair number: XXXXXXXXX)

4. On August last year, I noticed my power cord doesn't fit as tightly as it should in its port. Sometimes it wouldn't charge the laptop, and sometimes it would make that corner extremely hot. I noticed it was due to some warping on that side.

I took it to the Fifth Avenue Store in NY, and after examining the computer they determined that the problem was due to a physical nudge or hit, perhaps that I dropped it. I have never dropped my computer and I told them so, but they insisted that nothing could be done. Also, some of the keys and the hand rest area are suffering decolorization. Apple specialists told me that happened due to watches and rings. I only wear a watch on my left hand, and it doesn't reach where the decolorization occurs.

I still have these issues.

5. Around November of last year, my optical drive stopped working. It wouldn't take any cd/dvd. Called AppleCare, and that was fixed, although my optical drive is as twice as loud now. (Apple Mail-In Service Request XXXXXXXXX)

6. Right now, due to the computer display being bent (see #2), whenever I close my computer display the cover pushes the mouse button. The mouse button has lodged itself way in, and its almost impossible to use it. It acts as a permanent pressed button. As of yet, I have not contacted Apple about this one, and I'm afraid they will tell me this is also my fault.

I'm currently a designer, programmer, and grad student in NY. All my work and life revolves around the usage of your computers. In 2 months I will have my MFA thesis exhibition, and it is vital for me to have my computer working to its fullest extent.

This is why I'm so unsatisfied with your service, and hope that you take my story into account and make things better for us unhappy YET STILL LOYAL mac users in the future.

Thanks for your time reading this. Looking forward to the iPhone and new products.

Sincerely,

Rafael Mejia

Address:
Rafael Mejia
XXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXX

Phone number: xxx.xxx.xxxx
email: XXXXXXXXX

About Bill Plympton

2007-01-27T23:45:00.000-05:00

So last night I went with a friend to The Animation Show. Something that I didn't remember was that Bill Plympton, the guy behind this cool animation, and this other one (among many others), was attending the show. After the show ended, he handed out free tshirts, posters, cds, and dvds to some people in the audience. He also offered everyone a free signed postcard. So far it was great, he was really friendly and answering all kinds of stupid questions made by stupid people.

Well, as me and my friend waited for him to sign up our postcards, I noticed that the guy in front of me wanted to buy a book which costed $10. The guy handed Bill a $20, and Bill took out his roll of money and gave the guy $5 back saying "its allright if I give you this, right?". Before the guy could reply, Bill immediately turned away and kept attending other people. When my turn came, I made sure I payed the exact ammount. I don't know if it was my imagination, but to me Bill had a look that said "no more?" as he looked at the money in his hand.

My question is, was I supposed to give him more money? I mean, the guy's pretty famous and he does his own cartoons and animations. He's pretty much successful doing what he loves. If he offered to sign up postcards for free, and add signatures to every piece of merchandise he sells, was I supposed to tip him an extra $10?

Anyway, after that me and my friend were a little bit hungry, and it was already 11pm. I needed to get back to write a paper I had due at midnight (besides the fact that the topic was giving me a lot of trouble), but I decided to grab something to eat with her. At my request, we ate nearby the subway station(so that I can come back home as quickly as possible), which was right next to times square, so yeah, we ended up sharing Friday's chicken fingers and fries. A platter of not so good chicken fingers and really greasy fries and 2 glasses of water (not bottled) for a grand total of $18 dollars (plus tip).I got home, and wrote the rest of my paper, which I sent at 3:30am.

About the day I was born

2007-01-27T23:30:00.000-05:00

19 March 1980

Your date of conception was on or about 27 June 1979 which was a Wednesday.

You were born on a Wednesday
under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Life path number is 4.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 6 & 7.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 3, 5 & 9.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2444317.5.
The golden number for 1980 is 5.
The epact number for 1980 is 13.
The year 1980 was a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/16/1980 and ending 2/4/1981.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Monkey.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Wolf; your plant is Plantain.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Pachons, the first month of the season of Shomu (Harvest).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 3 Nisan 5740.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 4 Nisan 5740.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.18.6.13.13 which is
12 baktun 18 katun 6 tun 13 uinal 13 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Wednsday, 2 Jumadiyu'l-Avval 1400 (1400-5-2).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 6 April 1980.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 6 April 1980.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 20 February 1980.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 25 May 1980.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 1 June 1980.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Thursday, 11 September 1980.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 1 April 1980.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 19 February 1980.

As of 1/27/2007 11:24:46 PM EST
You are 26 years old.
You are 322 months old.
You are 1,401 weeks old.
You are 9,810 days old.
You are 235,463 hours old.
You are 14,127,804 minutes old.
You are 847,668,286 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Bruce Willis (1955) Glenn Close (1947) Ursula Andress (1936)
Phyllis Newman (1935) Patrick McGoohan (1928) Wyatt Earp (1848)

Top songs of 1980
Lady by Kenny Rogers Upside Down by Diana Ross
Call Me by Blondie Starting Over by John Lennon
Another Brick In the Wall by Pink Floyd Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen
Rock with You by Michael Jackson Magic by Olivia Newton-John
Funkytown by Lipps, Inc. Another One Bites the Dust by Queen

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 3.83953033268102 years old. (Life's just a big chewy bone for you!)

There are 51 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 27 candles.

Those 27 candles produce 27 BTUs,
or 6,804 calories of heat (that's only 6.8040 food Calories!) .
You can boil 3.09 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1980 there were approximately 3.6 million births in the US.
In 1980 the US population was approximately 226,545,805 people, 64.0 persons per square mile.
In 1980 in the US there were 2,406,708 marriages (10.6%) and 1,182,000 divorces (5.2%)
In 1980 in the US there were approximately 1,990,000 deaths (8.8 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1980 the population of Australia was approximately 14,807,370.
In 1980 there were approximately 225,527 births in Australia.
In 1980 in Australia there were approximately 109,240 marriages and 39,257 divorces.
In 1980 in Australia there were approximately 108,695 deaths.

Your birthstone is Aquamarine

The Mystical properties of Aquamarine

Aquamarine is often used to experience love and mercy. It is said to help ease depression and grief.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)
Jade, Rock Crystal, Bloodstone

Your birth tree is
Lime Tree, the Doubt
Accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress and labour, tends to laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous, loyal.

There are 332 days till Christmas 2007!
There are 345 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waxing crescent.

A little less comfortable

2007-01-07T20:47:00.000-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Sundays? I don't know if its because it reminds me of a time when my family made me go to church against my will, because everything closes early (5pm in PR), or even because next day is a school/work day.

I hate the feeling of uselessness I feel today. All my friends are pretty much busy or away, and I'm stuck here in my house because, well, there's nothing to do on a rainy Sunday night. I finally finished cleaning my room, which took forever, but now it looks wonderful. I have a new ceiling fan, better illumination, new comforter, new comfy chair, etc. Can't wait to show everyone. Too bad I get to enjoy it for only 1.5 weeks before I head back to NY. I don't even know if I'll ever see it again once I leave, but feels good leaving it nice and tidy.

Speaking of NY, from what I've heard and seen, weather has been crazy. A few days ago it was 70. Yes, 70 in fuckin January. What the hell is going on? Why does this has to happen while I'm in my comfy little warm island, and not when I'm there. I'm sure when I get there I'll freeze my ass off.

Sigh, I'm feeling blue, and there's no one to talk to. Maybe I should go drink that Nyquil my mom offered for my cough. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

mellon collie (not the song)

2007-01-03T23:31:00.000-05:00

no, i'm not gonna post the song here. instead, i'm just gonna randomly talk about whatever comes into my head until i feel its appropriate for me to shut up.

today was one of those days that everything goes opposite to how you plan it. i woke up around 11:40, and had to be at a tv station by 1. as i was exited my house ready to get into the car, i realized one small detail: there were no cars around. my sister took hers to this christian getaway week or something, which doesn't make any sense at all (since they stay at the same place for the entire thing). my mom was out shopping stuff for our house, and my dad was working. so i had to call a friend and ask him to pick me up and take me to the tv station. once i was there, we were supposed to be out by 2 or 3, and i was gonna go afterwards to the beach with him. one thing led to another, and i ended up getting home at 5:30 (and since i was depending on someone else to drive me here, i had to wait while he got a tour of the entire new digital facilities and servers and radio equipment of the tv station). i felt so dumb as i tried to understand what they told us during the entire tour, and didn't understand anything. it was really cool though. i guess i got stuck with dvd technology in my head, don't know anything about the hdtv stuff or whatever stuff is out there now.

by the time i got back home it was already too late to go to the beach. i also missed going to the bank, and my last day to pay without getting late fees is tomorrow. i started to clean up and try to organize my room, and ended up throwing out around 5 bags of pure crap i've been accumulating over the years. all the shit i found that wasnt really useful, all the big toy boxes, and some toys, all gone. i guess i need to do that more often, i tend to keep all kinds of useless stuff around that don't do anything but occupy space in my closet. reasons: "i might sell it one day" and/or nostalgia. its also been a little hard cause i have a lot of "collectible" stuff from the 90s (comics, books, posters, toys, magazines, etc) and as i throw them out i start wondering if i should keep it. why did everything had to be collectible and numbered bakc in the 90s. i blame it on Superman's death.

later on, my friend called me and we went to drive around and ended up in another friend's house. played some video games, chilled, and then came home. i was feeling kinda happy, even though i'm tired as hell. but then i heard that my friend who was going to come visit me here was not gonna be able to anymore. it sucks cause even though i knew it was unlikely, i already had an idea of the things to do and see, restaurants, beaches, places to go, etc. oh well. i'm not even sure when i'm coming back here, since i intend to get a job in NY sometime this semester. i'm not sure how easy will it be for me to come visit this island once i leave.

anyway, have you ever felt like you don't mean as much to some of your friends as you used to? (note: this has got nothing to do with the friend mentioned above) that's the way i'm feeling about some of my friends here. maybe its because i see them less now. or maybe we don't have so much common things anymore. anyway, it sucks a lot.

in other news, i recently saw an awesome psychodelic movie called Mirrormask. I highly recommend it, but be aware its a really different movie. It reminded me of Wizard of Oz vs. Alice in Wonderland and The Talisman. Really trippy crazy ass cute fucked up movie from Neil Gaiman and the Jim Henson Company (Dark Crystal, Labyrinth). Also I loved the chick on it, Stephanie Leonidas.

playing: nothing, but can't wait to get my hands back on the wii
last game i played: guitar hero 2
last cd/band i listened to: stereolab
current room state: purgatory

Postsecret

2006-12-31T09:43:00.001-05:00

If I would've sent a Postsecret, it probably would've been similar to this one.

If you don't know what Postsecret is, please do yourself a favor. Postsecret

Here's to 2006

2006-12-30T03:34:00.000-05:00

2006. What a year!

- Lived in 5 different places during a 2 month time span. Ended up moving to what is probably the best place in Queens... Astoria. Cheap too!
- Discovered I am noisier than I originally thought. Or maybe my roommate is just really picky and dramatic. Still expecting her to tell me "Rafael, you're breathing too loud! I'm trying to sleep here!".
- The year I got hooked with series such as BSG, My Name is Earl, Psyched, Heroes, and Lost (actually that last one happened during Dec 2005).
- This year allowed me to meet really awesome friends, especially a very special one that has become one of my coolest closest friends in the world.
- Met the love of my life. Soulmate. I don't care it sounds cheesy.
- Discovered what true love really is, only to let it slip. Still facing the consequences. Still trying to make things right. Don't know if I'll succeed, or if I've failed already.
- Discovered Shaken Iced Tea Passion Lemonade, grande, unsweetened, cold.
- One word: Wii.
- Lots of drama at 2am.
- Lots of chuletas fritas con mojito, cupcakes, jamba juice, mexinese (although it became less and less as the year progressed), japanese, mexican, and chinese foods. I need to start cooking again.
- Speaking of foods... EL WONG DE BIG! Soup Dumplings!! Fun Noodle!!! DIM SUM!!!! Pure greatness.
- Rockafeller christmas tree and the Macys window displays (thanks Jen).
- Learned physical computing. Lots of LEDs and awesome projects.
- Learned how to sew. Made some cool wireless plushies.
- Still not sure what I'm doing for thesis.
- Still no idea what I will do after thesis, yet for some reason I'm fine with this.
- Sudoku and Flickr obsessions.
- Rediscovered passion for graphic novels.
- Writing a movie script can be though as hell.

UPDATE:
-Converse (thanks for reminding me)
-Number of times I got on a plane: 12

These are some of the things I can think off. I'm sure the list will grow as I keep remembering stuff. So many fucked up and good things happened. It was a really tough year, and I surely learned a lot (both in school and out). 2007, here we go.

This is for you (you clearly know who you are)

2006-12-16T04:18:00.000-05:00

Blinded (When I see you)
by Third Eye Blind

Just an old friend coming over now to visit you and
That's what I've become
I let myself in though I know I'm not supposed to but
I never know when I'm done

And I see you fogging up the mirror
Vapor round your body glistens in the shower
And I want to stay right here and go down on you for an hour
Or stay, and let the day just fade away
In wild dedication, take the moment of hope
And let it run, and never look back at all the damage we have done now
To each other

Cause when I see you, it's like I'm starring down the sun
And I'm blinded
There's nothing left to do
Still I see you

I never believed that things they happen for a reason and
They never go as planned
I wanted to thank you for a vision that was lost that you returned but
You're passed do you understand

Now her appetite is blown, little else is known
Except she a little angry, grabs a towel and looks away
And heat fades with the day
And I fall down on what to say,
Oh something clean let me be clever
Hey oh well whatever
But that's not what I mean
When where we've been has left us burned
Still I won't turn now from a fight you know I'll never win

So when I see you, you know all the things I've done
Well I'm blinded
Like I'm staring down the sun
When I see you
It's like I'm staring down the sun

Time passes and it tells us what we're left with
We become the things we do
Me I'm a fool, spent from defiance, yeah you got me but
I didn't give up on you

Icarus is not a tee shirt or a swan song, no
He is born again and it's not easy being me
But I can't promise I will mend or bend
When you believe that we are fixed now from our birth
And I've just fallen back to earth
Still you know I'll try again
Cause I believe that we are lucky
We are golden we're stolen manners
In the days when we were one

[Chorus]
So when I see you, despite all that we've become
I'm still blinded
But I'm still staring down the sun
When I see you
I'm blinded

The Magic Dance

2006-12-15T01:04:00.000-05:00

Today was my final presentation for Thesis Studio 1. I don't feel like it went great, but it didn't go bad either. I can say I'm pretty satisfied in general. Afterwards, me and a couple of school's closest friends went to get pizza at a fancy restaurant, but it was good. It was a pretty intense day, plus I had only like 4 hours of sleep (which for me is almost as bad as not getting any sleep at all, I need my 8 hours), but I made it. We all did. Sigh, now all that is left is one more week of class, and then I can truly rest for a month.

Anyway, for some weird reason I've had Bowie's Magic Dance in my head for the last few hours. Great cheesy song for an awesome movie (Labyrinth).

Magic Dance
by David Bowie

You remind me of the baby
What baby? baby with the power
What power? power of voodoo
Who do? you do
Do what? remind me of the baby

I saw my baby, crying hard as babe could cry
What could I do
My babys love had gone
And left my baby blue
Nobody knew

What kind of magic spell to use
Slime and snails
Or puppy dogs tails
Thunder or lightning
Then baby said
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Put that baby spell on me
Jump magic, jump (jump magic, jump)
Jump magic, jump (jump magic, jump)
Put that magic jump on me
Slap that baby, make him free

I saw my baby, trying hard as babe could try
What could I do
My babys fun had gone
And left my baby blue
Nobody knew

What kind of magic spell to use
Slime and snails
Or puppy dogs tails
Thunder or lightning
Then baby said
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Put that baby spell on me
Jump magic, jump (jump magic, jump)
Jump magic, jump (jump magic, jump)
Put that magic jump on me
Slap that baby, make him free
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Jump magic, jump (jump magic, jump)
Jump magic, jump (jump magic, jump)
Put that baby spell on me (ooh)

You remind me of the baby
What baby? the baby with the power
What power? power of voodoo
Who do? you do
Do what? remind me of the baby

Dance magic, dance, ooh ooh ooh
Dance magic, dance magic, ooh ooh ooh
Dance magic

What kind of magic spell to use
Slime and snails
Or puppy dog tails
Thunder or lightning
Something frightening

Dance magic, dance
Dance magic, dance
Put that baby spell on me
Jump magic, jump
Jump magic, jump
Put that magic jump on me
Slap that baby make him free
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Jump magic, jump (jump magic, jump)
Jump magic, jump
Put that magic jump on me
Slap that baby
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic
Slap that slap that baby make him free
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)
Dance magic, dance (dance magic, dance)

Oh, what a night

2006-12-12T01:48:00.000-05:00

Tonight Tonight
by the Smashing Pumpkins

Time is never time at all
You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth
And our lives are forever changed
We will never be the same
The more you change the less you feel
Believe, believe in me, believe
That life can change, that you're not stuck in vain
We're not the same, we're different tonight
Tonight, so bright
Tonight
And you know you're never sure
But your sure you could be right
If you held yourself up to the light
And the embers never fade in your city by the lake
The place where you were born
Believe, believe in me, believe
In the resolute urgency of now
And if you believe there's not a chance tonight
Tonight, so bright
Tonight
We'll crucify the insincere tonight
We'll make things right, we'll feel it all tonight
We'll find a way to offer up the night tonight
The indescribable moments of your life tonight
The impossible is possible tonight
Believe in me as I believe in you, tonight

Lithium

2006-12-11T00:10:00.000-05:00

So I've been feeling extremely crappy lately. Maybe its stress, maybe its love, maybe its that time of the month. Who knows. I really doubt this song has anything to do with what's going on in my life, maybe a little bit. But it's been on my head for hours. That's good enough for me.

Lithium
by Nirvana

I'm so happy 'cause today
I've found my friends ...
They're in my head
I'm so ugly, but that's okay, 'cause so are you ...
We've broken our mirrors (Alt: We broke our mirrors)
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care ...
And I'm not scared
Light my candles, in a daze
'Cause I've found god
Hey, hey hey [x6]

I'm so lonely, but that's okay, I shaved my head ...
And I'm not sad
And just maybe I'm to blame for all I've heard ...
But I'm not sure
I'm so excited, I can't wait to meet you there ...
But I don't care
I'm so horny, but that's okay ...
My will is good
Hey, hey hey [x6]

[x2]
I like it - I'm not gonna crack
I miss you - I'm not gonna crack
I love you - I'm not gonna crack
I killed you - I'm not gonna crack

I'm so happy 'cause today
I've found my friends ...
They're in my head
I'm so ugly, but that's okay, 'cause so are you ...
We've broken our mirrors (Alt: We broke our mirrors)
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care ...
And I'm not scared
Light my candles in a daze ...
'Cause I've found god
Hey, hey hey [x6]

[x2]
I like it - I'm not gonna crack
I miss you - I'm not gonna crack
I love you - I'm not gonna crack
I killed you - I'm not gonna crack

Once again...

2006-12-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

So it's been a really long time since I last posted.

It's kinda funny how I always post the same line. The fact is I barely post anything anymore. Blame it on school, thesis, Wii, who cares. Sometimes I feel like writing so much crap, but after a while the crap is off and I've said what I had inside. Time to move on.

So for a while now I've been thinking how do I work around this problem of mine, and this is my solution (for now): I'll post song lyrics that I have in my head. They might have to do with my life's current affairs, someone else's, world events, or it might simply be one of those songs I get stuck in my head for hours (days?) and won't just go away until I actually browse it around in my iPod. Also, sometimes I will leave comments on the songs and why they relate to my current affairs.

It would be interesting to get comments on these lyrics, and even better to get responses in lyrics.

Let's see how long this one lasts.

2006-09-11T02:58:00.000-04:00

Television

When I was a kid, I used to spend countless amounts of time sitting in front of the TV, like any other person I've ever known. Sometimes I would order a pizza, and lay there with 5 or 6 rented movies and the AC on. Other times, I'd browse through the channels with amazing speeds. When there was someone with me, they would argue I was channel surfing too fast, and then I'd try to slow down to a channel per second.

When I went to college, I would still see a lot of movies, but I stopped watching cable. Perhaps it was that I became more busy with studies, or maybe I just lost interest in shows. People wondered why I didn't see Friends, or Sex and the City. The only show I would still watch was "The X-Files", and sadly it went downhill when Duchovny left the show. Ever since the show ended, I remained away from TV for years. I would only go to the movie theater, or rent movies (mostly for free, due to the fact that I slaved for a while in Blockbuster Video as a Customer Service Representative... "Thank you for calling Blockbuster Video, where you can reserve your copy of Scary Movie 2 for only $5. This is Rafael, how can I help you?").

A couple of years went by, and from time to time friends would introduce me to shows I've been missing. Among the best: Star Trek: DS9, Babylon 5, Adult Swim, Futurama (I actually started watching Futurama when it first aired, but I wasnt that interested cause I found the characters way too odd, compared to the Simpsons. Funny cause now Futurama is one of my favorite shows), and horrible shows like one episode of Seinfeld, one episode of the dreadful Everybody Loves Raymond, etc.

Anyway, all I'm trying to say with this post is sorta like a confession, since I think that once again, I'm addicted to Television. Not literally, since I barely turn the dreadful thing on. But thanks to youtube, the Internet, and friends with lots of time in their hands (enough time to burn entire seasons on DVD), now I'm addicted to a nice variety of awesome shows. Here are a few:

1. Lost. 5 out of 5 icees
2. Battlestar Galactica. 6 out of 5 icees (Thanks Julio)
3. Scrubs. 4 out of 5 icees
4. Psych. 4 out of 5 icees
5. South Park. 5 out of 5 icees

Coming Soon:
Futurama (new seasons!)
24 (even though I haven't seen this, I'm sure It'll hook me up once I start).

I believe in TV's writers again.

2006-09-10T19:47:00.000-04:00

This shows how much I care for Myspace. Here's a copy of my first bulletin post:

I've had this myspace account for months now, and this is my first bulletin post ever.

I don't really get here too often, except when people leave me comments or send me stuff, and I get email notifications. Other times, I get extremely bored. I can spend hours chatting on msn or reading rss feeds, but I can't stand more than 1 or 2 visits to this website per week. I still haven't figured that one out.

So if I don't go replying bulletins or blogs or comments (or any other means of myspace communication, don't think its personal). It's just that the myspace craze hasn't hit me (yet?). And just in case, yes, I still consider you my friends...

Of course, that last line was for all of those myspacers that might get offended at the fact that I don't give a fuck about something that is very important to many of them. Many times I've thought about what is it about myspace that makes me cringe every time someone asks me why I don't like it. Here are some possibilities:

1. EVERYONE is in it. Celebrities are 1000 times more (because every fan makes a celebrity page as if it were the real deal).

2. Blinged profiles. Everyone seems to have their pages customized to their preferences. Gotta admit, some look really nice, and its nice to add a nice background to the profile. Yet most are just a collage of gifs, pics, movies, links, messages, etc that the owners seem to like. Some you can't even read the text because the font color is the same as the background color. I'm no artist or designer, but anyone knows that's a no-no. If you're one of those who just throws everything you find on the net into your myspace, at least try to make it look organized or good.

3. Slow. Mostly because of #2.

4. Promotion. Myspace is one of the most HEAVILY AD-BASED promotional websites I've ever seen. Of course, that's how they're getting $ back. Still very annoying. There was even that ad-virus that affected millions.

5. Bands that want to be your friend. Isn't it supposed to be people the ones who wants to be friends with the bands? I mean, there are some great bands out there, and myspace is a great way for starting bands to get out there and gain some fans. But its kind-of annoying when I get daily friend requests from bands just because I seem to listen to music that sounds like them (or so they think).

Those are the top 5 that come to mind. I'm sure I can find some more if I really think about it.

Now the big question: If I don't like myspace, why do I still have an account and wasted an entire blog post on it?

Answer: I have an account because all my friends also have one, and when they post things I can leave them comments. Also, on very few occations, I've contacted someone that I haven't seen or talked to in ages, like a childhood friend. But that barely happens.Yeah, I think that's about it.

Dramatic answer: One of these days, I will commit a Myspace suicide. Not the "an hero" kind of suicide, in which kids kill themselves after people tell them they're not cool enough. I will simply delete my account, and let the myspacers live in harmony amongst themselves.

2006-09-04T16:33:00.000-04:00

Will I find inspiration? Or will inspiration find me?

For a few months now I've been thinking and worrying about my upcoming thesis year. All thesis students should start the fall semester having at least a clear idea and some research done on what they want to do for their projects, or at least that's what the teachers and faculty remind us on a daily basis. The more they remind us, the more I feel like shit, because I don't have the slightest idea what will I work on. There are a couple of topics and fields I'm interested in pursuing, but I don't know if they are thesis-material. I've been looking out for any signs that might inspire me on what should I work upon, but those signs have not arrived yet. Worst of all, I have to give a formal "kick-off" presentation 3 days from today about my thesis topic and research.

As a side note, from all the friends I've spoken with, 95% don't know what they're gonna do either. The other 5% have a general idea or concept, but don't know how will they implement it.

2006-08-20T03:09:00.000-04:00

Which FF Character Are You?

2006-06-27T21:41:00.000-04:00

Here I go again. This must be my 20th attempt of creating and maintaining a blog. Let's see how far does this one go.