tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-341870482024-03-05T22:27:23.869-08:00soy sauce and chopsticksi like to move it, move it.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-56573140362129283982009-06-01T17:54:00.001-07:002009-06-01T18:02:46.089-07:00I know you are but what am IIn a strange turn of events, I got my assignment turned around on me. I was sitting in the library with my headphones and someone drops a salt water taffy (I almost called it a sweet water taffy. I always screw names up. I called the movie there will be blood there <span style="font-style:italic;"></span>might<span style="font-style:italic;"></span> be blood. I should make a list of everything that I screw up like that.) on my desk. (Interesting that I'm blogging for my writing class and completely ignore the fact that that parenthetical aside (and here's another parenthetical aside... try to use the word "that" four times in a row in one sentence. prize for the winner) was far too long. my blogging is almost entirely parenthetical asides. (when you use a word to often it becomes meaningless. like the word boy. say that word 20 times and it sounds ridiculous))))) (I don't know how to close off that many parenthesis.) Ok. Start over. That was entirely muddled.<br /><br />So he puts the candy on my table and gives me the thumbs up. I was very confused and tried to figure out if he was someone I knew. Then I literally wondered if he had poisoned the candy. Then I ate it. And it was delicious. I love salt water taffy. I took one from the candy jar on someone's desk today. I also remember a time in Newport Beach when we went to a candy store and the sign said "1 lb unless" ... and then I can't remember what it said. But Katelin Goings read it 1 L Bunless.<br /><br />What a terribly convoluted blog posting. Luckily nobody reads this blog.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-62726932176458830322009-05-25T19:11:00.000-07:002009-05-25T19:16:22.011-07:00Buy someone a coke.For some M COMM is need to buy someone a coke and see their reaction. I haven't done this yet, but when I do it, we're going to do a little twist on it. I'm going to pretend like I'm doing a survey for a class on people's favorite candy bars. Then I'm going to leave and buy it for them and give it to them. Then I'm going to stand over them with a notepad and take notes on their reactions. I'm going to intentionally create an awkward situation for them because I love seeing how people react in awkward situations. Should really weird someone out, but should be pretty interesting also.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-55103630280184472802009-05-03T21:46:00.000-07:002009-05-03T22:02:23.078-07:00M Comm AssignmentTurns out I have to blog once a week for my M Comm class. 150 words a week, straight from my brain to the computer. Whatever I want words to say I'll make them say.<br /><br />Here's a little update on my life in the order that they have happened or will happen:<br />1. Taking spring classes. M Comm and Chinese 441, Classical Chinese Literature<br />2. Doing a fundraiser for the non-profit organizations First Book. Going to be collecting books and selling them to fundraise for First Book. It's a pretty cool organization. They are able to buy the first books for children of low income families for $2. Pretty stinking cheap way to change children's lives.<br />3. Trying to get a job working for the United Way. <br />4. Getting married June 27th in the Manti Temple.<br />5. Going to Washington DC for an undecided internship for fall semester<br />6. Graduating in April 2010.<br /><br />Super lazy blog. I just needed to get it done before I went to bed. Better blog next week.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-26951589541752548772009-04-08T18:11:00.000-07:002009-04-09T08:51:32.482-07:00Summer Reading ListI realized my favorite thing about blogging is input. So here's your opportunity. It's time again to make my summer reading list and I need your input. I enjoy non-fiction over novels, but am not opposed to novels if they're good.<br /><br />Currently on my list:<br />Outliers<br />Hot, Flat and Crowded<br />An Ordinary Man<br />For One More Day<br /><br />Still on my list from last year:<br />The Art of Thinking<br />The Good Earth<br />Catcher in the Rye<br />Kite Runner<br />Mere ChristianityChopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-26956602606090654732009-01-29T16:52:00.001-08:002009-01-29T18:07:21.204-08:00Somethings that I like recently.Here's somethings that I really liked in January.<br /><br />Books:<br />The Last Lecture of a professor from Carnegie Mellon who is dying of cancer. The kind of book that makes you want to go out and make the most of your life.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVJ0uMs2RVaFpN4cG0IRZtm30vuETE436Q5MDIYLQqK2KyTZZZZvfY9w93vhokheSHMGWWDd8TlPJkF0R9APLaB41MdsNaZthB3Q1TzGsWpb0wiymD2WG7rFXFGJA1Wn1Zdd0Vw/s1600-h/last-lecture.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVJ0uMs2RVaFpN4cG0IRZtm30vuETE436Q5MDIYLQqK2KyTZZZZvfY9w93vhokheSHMGWWDd8TlPJkF0R9APLaB41MdsNaZthB3Q1TzGsWpb0wiymD2WG7rFXFGJA1Wn1Zdd0Vw/s320/last-lecture.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296885522642095938" /></a><br /><br />Tuesdays with Morrie. My favorite book of all time. Fourth time I've read it. Quick read, amazing story, why not? Such a great story about the way that one man was able to touch so many people's lives. A goal I set this month is to read a book about someone who is dying every month. Depressed by the morbidity of the goal, I quickly discarded it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YKoSIbKoqzRyXFcATROInLzM08XDwTR6rZqU3zam5fMEyOlwE9C4mWLnTAhFLLMOaauljdp3c8yaJ0jDqy5lhHRUG4NAcY1RXy6FO90mdXVQCk1SMkHlx1qqOgk8S1xHdeWr_A/s1600-h/tuesdayswithmorrie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YKoSIbKoqzRyXFcATROInLzM08XDwTR6rZqU3zam5fMEyOlwE9C4mWLnTAhFLLMOaauljdp3c8yaJ0jDqy5lhHRUG4NAcY1RXy6FO90mdXVQCk1SMkHlx1qqOgk8S1xHdeWr_A/s320/tuesdayswithmorrie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296886156317401570" /></a><br /><br />Music:<br />Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago<br />The perfect album to listen to late at night when I'm writing in my journal and reflecting on my day. Thanks to James Alexander for tipping me off to them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbgEWk1dBpR2ZWl1OHsrs-NBi3U6z9klOcNvXGNGrEH8qRm7XKhnBYB70-NSZlpxTiuY55mTw452I_ZTij1Eqcb8A9rww33RIQIYALazzOEZZl_Aj8ZPjnB2rQhf50MKOEi4Chg/s1600-h/bon_iver-for_emma_forever_ago-new.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbgEWk1dBpR2ZWl1OHsrs-NBi3U6z9klOcNvXGNGrEH8qRm7XKhnBYB70-NSZlpxTiuY55mTw452I_ZTij1Eqcb8A9rww33RIQIYALazzOEZZl_Aj8ZPjnB2rQhf50MKOEi4Chg/s320/bon_iver-for_emma_forever_ago-new.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296886865642817714" /></a><br /><br />Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion<br />Thanks to wherehouse.com I turned in some of my old high school music cds in exchange for this album, Andrew Bird's new album Noble Beast, TV on the Radio's release last year and Bon Iver's new EP Blood Bank. This is my favorite of the group.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEild0pSwdYkh_mfidK8JNGLkxLQpspFLn8lmn31bk9HwejwaEH83TQICra-pCQSEYcRUrADaQCKTliTZ8qzopBjJyg2nuXbR38sqQyYuvlmQzs0vIhElkwxUfUlOpWlPEcTrghSbA/s1600-h/animal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEild0pSwdYkh_mfidK8JNGLkxLQpspFLn8lmn31bk9HwejwaEH83TQICra-pCQSEYcRUrADaQCKTliTZ8qzopBjJyg2nuXbR38sqQyYuvlmQzs0vIhElkwxUfUlOpWlPEcTrghSbA/s320/animal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296887598579496530" /></a><br /><br />Hypem.com<br />This is a great website. Takes all of the music that people put on blogs and puts it together and tells you who is the most searched artists. Great news for all aspiring early adapters. For all you late adapters out there (me included) they put together a list of their top 50 songs, albums and artists of 2008 and made it all available to stream. Check it out here: <a href="http://hypem.com/zeitgeist/2008/">http://hypem.com/zeitgeist/2008/</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63yecfbHiWFUmWNjz03T5q0iuSHr_ffrDgc26bwfP4LFSGIYU0EsQzGeRpmcYry3Blpu3nGsGik-N75rEGWDGNlAHLNOdFaZQscL-ciNGZqm-aHu-fEcEOHaWQYK9Q7IBAIsz7g/s1600-h/hype.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63yecfbHiWFUmWNjz03T5q0iuSHr_ffrDgc26bwfP4LFSGIYU0EsQzGeRpmcYry3Blpu3nGsGik-N75rEGWDGNlAHLNOdFaZQscL-ciNGZqm-aHu-fEcEOHaWQYK9Q7IBAIsz7g/s320/hype.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296895751770652706" /></a><br /><br />Movies:<br />Prom Night in Mississippi. I've never been to the south and don't understand it at all. This documentary tells the story of a high school in Mississippi that up until 1997 was having segregated proms. 1997 and there's still segregation? So Morgan Freeman offers to pay for their prom under one condition: They integrate. His offer is REJECTED. Flash forward to 2008 and the same offer is made, only difference is that it is accepted. This documentary gets into the minds of kids who want to see change, who are stuck living how their parents would have them, and some who want to see the prejudices perpetuated.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDdT4Cj_gP7avb8G5JlZDfvZFirFvuFxRCawMazD5KRtN6qLYLnnIeoMCW9oMMu-OyryW2_JhCjnIyBvbmRQqxfcEytTRCxYBhYgzEU4vF010q2J9-4Og6K-7gZ6tsBm0rnZCUQ/s1600-h/promnight.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDdT4Cj_gP7avb8G5JlZDfvZFirFvuFxRCawMazD5KRtN6qLYLnnIeoMCW9oMMu-OyryW2_JhCjnIyBvbmRQqxfcEytTRCxYBhYgzEU4vF010q2J9-4Og6K-7gZ6tsBm0rnZCUQ/s320/promnight.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296890252455059090" /></a><br /><br />Be Kind Rewind. I'm an unashamed Jack Black fan. I like just about everything he's done. Big Nacho Libre, School of Rock and Orange County fan. I love this movie not just because of him, but I love Mos Def in his role. This movie is extremely creative and so fun to watch how they film each movie. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3FZYGmWMRSupq1tEz6L8BmN91lG4PeyveMD0yb9Ln5ImnZJSQp9f1u8NkkPR0e6_ZjBy0j9xc7B5OV9mzMoh3hAnXtRNCAkYBWoEKFR0CUxL-YYtA5yO3jul-AymtXk790ZRuw/s1600-h/be_kind_rewind.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3FZYGmWMRSupq1tEz6L8BmN91lG4PeyveMD0yb9Ln5ImnZJSQp9f1u8NkkPR0e6_ZjBy0j9xc7B5OV9mzMoh3hAnXtRNCAkYBWoEKFR0CUxL-YYtA5yO3jul-AymtXk790ZRuw/s320/be_kind_rewind.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296889140091368354" /></a><br /><br />Organizations:<br />The Meaningful Life Club.<br />This is a club that gets its name from Tuesdays with Morrie and is in conjunction with my Business 371 Class. Craig Wilson is my favorite professor that I've had in college. In his class he stresses living simply, consecrating your life to the service of others, and making that possible by becoming financially free. I've become the event director of this club and we have some really cool ideas of ways to make a difference and influence peoples lives around here through service. Our meetings are Weds at 7PM. Let me know if you want to get involved.<br />Somethings that we're getting involved in:<br /><br /><a href="http://kiva.org">Kiva.org</a><br />Micro-crediting or Micro-Financing for those of you that haven't heard of it is lending small amounts of money to entrepreneurs in undeveloped countries to help them break free from the exploitations of loan sharks. Many only need a small amount of money to start their path to financial independence and breaking the poverty cycle. Your donation of $25 (or more) will be paid back in full, so it's not even really a donation. Join the BYU group if you're a fellow coug.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEils4sBZBKUBmeqSzs1uvf1XmZWB94LWI9zIloCobprwxfzFAgLuNUB8Id-wyKfrHWMH2OgTsjN1wWNFfiBoAtXvJj3BrGveaRXobhTSBpmVvsH7JBHx3bZCeKdOW1S351kDX4T8Q/s1600-h/kiva.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEils4sBZBKUBmeqSzs1uvf1XmZWB94LWI9zIloCobprwxfzFAgLuNUB8Id-wyKfrHWMH2OgTsjN1wWNFfiBoAtXvJj3BrGveaRXobhTSBpmVvsH7JBHx3bZCeKdOW1S351kDX4T8Q/s320/kiva.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296895351769246866" /></a><br /><br />Tap Project<br />Did you know that $1 will provide water for 1 child for 40 days? Most don't have access to clean water, so the tap project is calling for restaurants to charge $1 for tap water on March 22nd and have the money donated towards getting children in undeveloped countries the drinking water they need. The project raised $100,000 last year in one day. In New York alone. This year it's going nationwide. Go to the <a href="http://tapproject.org">tapproject.org</a> for more info and to figure out how to get involved.<br /><a href="tapproject.org"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRFq4G65kpMhWMC4kG1U7wZ8bgIAkSa7f5n4QXgSzox5vCkermUM4do0RU4c1_k0mkr4L219Ox9fmUPmgD07q8VX213GSEN6iiLbEDmcxGw5TF-RebbxQ-v_bT5CiuyZ-Br5QFw/s1600-h/tap.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRFq4G65kpMhWMC4kG1U7wZ8bgIAkSa7f5n4QXgSzox5vCkermUM4do0RU4c1_k0mkr4L219Ox9fmUPmgD07q8VX213GSEN6iiLbEDmcxGw5TF-RebbxQ-v_bT5CiuyZ-Br5QFw/s320/tap.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296895463649141618" /></a></a>Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-16192125192356318242008-11-07T03:17:00.000-08:002008-11-07T03:27:01.302-08:00Fire JarsMassage parlors are probably about as common as convenience stores in Nanjing. There's one in particular that my friends go to, and they've gotten to be pretty good friends with them. They've given them English names, helped them with the translation for their frequent massage card buy 10 get 1 free dealies, and go there to just hang out. They're really funny people.<br /><br />I went in there last night for the first time since the first week when I got a massage and got the fire jars. Basically how it works, they have these jars that they light a fire into and then really quickly put it on your back. It creates a suction and they cover your back with these jars like so:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9MZF6bGJTl-UQN2GZR2GyWArvY9QXotLU3N5TdnZ-Vp3faQb3IcCPvgmluUue7UtM4UOE5Fu66XFxh33qidX6WCjZAcG00Q3DCJmEAl2xj7JBrd25qrsIXvBOc5WMojjLPqPwQ/s1600-h/P1010590.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9MZF6bGJTl-UQN2GZR2GyWArvY9QXotLU3N5TdnZ-Vp3faQb3IcCPvgmluUue7UtM4UOE5Fu66XFxh33qidX6WCjZAcG00Q3DCJmEAl2xj7JBrd25qrsIXvBOc5WMojjLPqPwQ/s320/P1010590.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265874903559348770" /></a><br />They leave them on for about 15-20 minutes, slap your back around a little bit and then you're good to go. Afterwards, you have purple souvenirs on your back, the more purple an area is, the more unhealthy it is. So yes, my lower right back is very unhealthy.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6eWZrjY2N7Xh3L0kjeiYJ-Fg-hO1Hkfud9lpZycTFDU4B157eR2G69ycoQCNc2SN80uOkhClez0c3HyJK59QBIGed2sD7JJOTXNO8XxngudTe0qwl5jY-DIziR3daXfSMaxt8Q/s1600-h/P1010592.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6eWZrjY2N7Xh3L0kjeiYJ-Fg-hO1Hkfud9lpZycTFDU4B157eR2G69ycoQCNc2SN80uOkhClez0c3HyJK59QBIGed2sD7JJOTXNO8XxngudTe0qwl5jY-DIziR3daXfSMaxt8Q/s320/P1010592.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265874479764349762" /></a><br /><br />More to come soon. I know I say that all the time. But I'm going to do more frequent, but shorter posts.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-61433623054327933722008-10-05T02:50:00.000-07:002008-10-05T04:02:26.501-07:00Guilin is a beautiful place in China, but Yangshuo is better.So the best part of the study abroad is the schedule. We just got done with a week vacation, and I have another 10 day vacation coming up. But first thing's first. Guilin is a beautiful place in China, but Yangshuo is better. That's a quote from our tour guide's business card, and it's very true.<br /><br />Our trip to Guilin and Yangshuo started out with a 24 hour train ride. If you're thinking that that sounds like it would be miserable, you're wrong. Given the choice between a 14 hour plane ride from America with in flight meal/movie and stewardess and the sleeper train, I would choose the sleeper every time. The downside? Loud Chinese people and stinky. The upside? Loud Chinese people, the trains go through the night, and you can roam around and talk to people. The trains are just rows of beds, so the majority of the time spent on the train is sleeping, reading, playing games if you're with other people, or looking at Chinese people or vice versa. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnv_lEFGGfP7Di43HWP19u_KePmdJMMTKOfajlf-S1LdnZkzzndO1SmRBfR98rKIagmyHO6nZwAAZGC7oao-biumn3KaFXFd6CIVRUFm8h3yHBQCEfr8ZeAXOv6Sk03LOPLHVqfQ/s1600-h/P1000398.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnv_lEFGGfP7Di43HWP19u_KePmdJMMTKOfajlf-S1LdnZkzzndO1SmRBfR98rKIagmyHO6nZwAAZGC7oao-biumn3KaFXFd6CIVRUFm8h3yHBQCEfr8ZeAXOv6Sk03LOPLHVqfQ/s320/P1000398.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253609561990143138" /></a><br /><br />The 10 of us hopped in taxis and "bread cars", which are mini mini vans. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJucBqgq4djSr-JA3sApVrgQGzn0IuBfvA1byM-1G73LR6dQ6MlJ1L71dkIuAyTsQmwiU226vpSQzz1g3z8YtXmiheG3aNKX0GP6_0KklGIGEwieduKLdCMPEU7ao8E4NV6YO_Pw/s1600-h/P1000408.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJucBqgq4djSr-JA3sApVrgQGzn0IuBfvA1byM-1G73LR6dQ6MlJ1L71dkIuAyTsQmwiU226vpSQzz1g3z8YtXmiheG3aNKX0GP6_0KklGIGEwieduKLdCMPEU7ao8E4NV6YO_Pw/s320/P1000408.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253610913901841154" /></a><br />And headed to our hostel. I was surprised how cool Guilin was. Really cool mountains, and there was one with a little hole in the middle. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqwhVFtJ3GJipmYWHC2-i3Bkm3_f_Duw5uJslBJmZyeun2balgs_kVlIjogCLp9vOp7L3ibkiq3PZEhAUDnk_HLUYqWR6Ax-s8CFW1oCpLyz-kUBp7Ln080WNs-aoxVxQhL3YeQ/s1600-h/P1000410.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqwhVFtJ3GJipmYWHC2-i3Bkm3_f_Duw5uJslBJmZyeun2balgs_kVlIjogCLp9vOp7L3ibkiq3PZEhAUDnk_HLUYqWR6Ax-s8CFW1oCpLyz-kUBp7Ln080WNs-aoxVxQhL3YeQ/s320/P1000410.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253611487206852210" /></a><br /><br />After that we got some dinner, walked around a bit, found a market and bartered a bit and then called it a day.<br /><br />The next day we went to seven stars park. It was pretty cool. A bit too much like a theme park. Still very cool. Right when you walk in, if you look to your left you'll see this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dCPCOeXxjjwDGVjK4kbI9yKW2Xdo18VklVc8jiiAVS1LtJSZosCz1y0Ox5fYCflL1khL1dsJiLFeQWY9EQmQNnm7Bdjxr9H0ot7Iqw-iIPbTSVw2sRk_zKPxmWe9aZ2DEOOKYw/s1600-h/P1000437.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dCPCOeXxjjwDGVjK4kbI9yKW2Xdo18VklVc8jiiAVS1LtJSZosCz1y0Ox5fYCflL1khL1dsJiLFeQWY9EQmQNnm7Bdjxr9H0ot7Iqw-iIPbTSVw2sRk_zKPxmWe9aZ2DEOOKYw/s320/P1000437.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253612215319356850" /></a><br /><br />We kept walking a bit and saw this little booth where you could take pictures with peacocks. We were all going to take the picture, but realized that it cost 5 yuan (about 75 cents), so everyone except us three backed out.<br /><br />There was a waterfall. I wanted to stick my feet in it, but it seemed kind of gross. Brinley stepped in it on accident.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2OZ36vy51o1Enn-DPHEXySW6MCmuTDiFvRAymy0OwdD3TYJ_7sMri7fRxLu-0Gr4I57Q_S86_RpcJ0qRNDOff5LMzT9I8HKs_l8ksrw6fKcb3z-FnnMlyIjdeTafhqeHbnqgkw/s1600-h/P1000444.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2OZ36vy51o1Enn-DPHEXySW6MCmuTDiFvRAymy0OwdD3TYJ_7sMri7fRxLu-0Gr4I57Q_S86_RpcJ0qRNDOff5LMzT9I8HKs_l8ksrw6fKcb3z-FnnMlyIjdeTafhqeHbnqgkw/s320/P1000444.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253612988695776290" /></a><br /><br />It's a very green place.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52azu6xRBx10oGUPQGEV6ygRuJh3Z6XISVOmhS9nyGELPqlYhpeLhMI-gZL7U74QuIOWjcNlKVmJdgVhlnNPv2xhyCP0CLmPTjwAZnN97LDgvg7SlqckKMjBW4yJRz5VBRGbZ8A/s1600-h/P1000459.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52azu6xRBx10oGUPQGEV6ygRuJh3Z6XISVOmhS9nyGELPqlYhpeLhMI-gZL7U74QuIOWjcNlKVmJdgVhlnNPv2xhyCP0CLmPTjwAZnN97LDgvg7SlqckKMjBW4yJRz5VBRGbZ8A/s320/P1000459.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253615774169439074" /></a><br /><br />Camel's are perhaps God's ugliest creation? But I still got on one for 10 yuan. Notice the droopy hump.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwC581jf5Xr5O-MU8UT7lY4lI72BiwaVNP5ooIPTuqb15F9gn7QGrv53BIJnIQYALcPTMF1iqNyFSHQUi6dG0diPXUo-_51dyN8gbFMhfi3BQKWhV76T-Otq9khkSPBC-citnjvg/s1600-h/P1000478.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwC581jf5Xr5O-MU8UT7lY4lI72BiwaVNP5ooIPTuqb15F9gn7QGrv53BIJnIQYALcPTMF1iqNyFSHQUi6dG0diPXUo-_51dyN8gbFMhfi3BQKWhV76T-Otq9khkSPBC-citnjvg/s320/P1000478.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253617929871550178" /></a><br /><br />The panda's at the zoo that they had are the big attraction. I've heard that zoo's in China aren't that great to go to. In fact they're depressing. I found that out first hand with this panda, trapped like a prisoner. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUbkrAAvxAgdC31gBlaNsisGpTKSxYeDpPYiWeSEaj3_1vE4hRU4q6YMHHKzdgbi14112GKHSEtscXoTIPL4tIE0B0ks4YSUIxzJVIm2MI89DWeF2aycZg8J4-gaB8MY7k4YcKw/s1600-h/P1000483.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUbkrAAvxAgdC31gBlaNsisGpTKSxYeDpPYiWeSEaj3_1vE4hRU4q6YMHHKzdgbi14112GKHSEtscXoTIPL4tIE0B0ks4YSUIxzJVIm2MI89DWeF2aycZg8J4-gaB8MY7k4YcKw/s320/P1000483.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253622102920111298" /></a><br /><br />Well, it takes forever to post pictures. That's guilin. And I have tons more from yangshuo. I'll post them on Tuesday since I only have one class that day. Until then.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-4162872004658842572008-09-17T19:39:00.000-07:002008-09-21T02:54:35.151-07:00CHINA!!!!!!!!!!So I flew into Shanghai about 2 weeks ago now. I was expecting to see a crazy skyline similar to flying into Hong Kong, but instead I saw this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmqQjXeOWbenRlqBIbNT4EgkbevO0ftUs-ZPBnyvNsh6LR4BXSTVlKz92yORNpHI7Zy3vqhamlNs8iJDvXCXQeBbhFQqfrNe21Ps_39jkTDsOCcDM431l5A_Zi3V-gKe2O_IVsg/s1600-h/P1000017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmqQjXeOWbenRlqBIbNT4EgkbevO0ftUs-ZPBnyvNsh6LR4BXSTVlKz92yORNpHI7Zy3vqhamlNs8iJDvXCXQeBbhFQqfrNe21Ps_39jkTDsOCcDM431l5A_Zi3V-gKe2O_IVsg/s320/P1000017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247187699453020754" /></a><br /><br />I really felt like I had been tricked. So, after landing, 7 of my classmates and I got on a bus and onto the freeway for a 4 hour bus ride. And this bus ride comes after a flight to from Oakland to SLC, SLC to LAX where i slept over night in the terminal, LAX to Vancouver, then Vancouver to Shanghai. Oh yeah, here's the 8 of us in Vancouver:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmYXn6KUa8asy9rF3tnEm5dS8YEL4vag6_HcNb1SGU2Hi3v_RU0byr-R1Heq3hINNkFMyUWygp_mmlSMEv7h6jKVBgcjf63GM_708r0iTFA47OUIihndE7F3x6PEkJe9f3_hqbg/s1600-h/P1000014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmYXn6KUa8asy9rF3tnEm5dS8YEL4vag6_HcNb1SGU2Hi3v_RU0byr-R1Heq3hINNkFMyUWygp_mmlSMEv7h6jKVBgcjf63GM_708r0iTFA47OUIihndE7F3x6PEkJe9f3_hqbg/s320/P1000014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248410553102071778" /></a><br /><br />After the bus ride we got into Nanjing and it was just what I was hoping for. Huge buildings. Bright lights. Bikers and Scooters that double the amount of cars (and there's a lot of cars). Oh man was it exciting. So we got into our hostel and got settled and slept.<br /><br />The next day we ate at a little place. It looked like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3iB1q24YCz3zUh-tp4TAEQsCJ6Bo3Lj8Vr0QeA-1lv9ArzjZf1i3rr3xZFs2Vo0ygjNoQ2iuwwVrJ-K_v-R27EZhsJ0tpjr2wc65MInBPT0LRWdmrp7AMetFtB5-BAkeLBQjng/s1600-h/P1000031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3iB1q24YCz3zUh-tp4TAEQsCJ6Bo3Lj8Vr0QeA-1lv9ArzjZf1i3rr3xZFs2Vo0ygjNoQ2iuwwVrJ-K_v-R27EZhsJ0tpjr2wc65MInBPT0LRWdmrp7AMetFtB5-BAkeLBQjng/s320/P1000031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247196140629934322" /></a><br /><br />It was basically just a little tile area of someone's "house". It just had a little tin roof over it. It was some delicious noodles and beef that cost about 80 cents American.<br /><br />Afterwards, we got settled a bit. So we went to walmart. And yes. Wal-mart does have a strangle hold on China as well. It's probably twice as crowded as any American Wal-mart that I've ever been in. It was a very stressful experience.<br /><br />Did I mention I love the food here? This is my favorite place:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTN_3vcmuWwk-9Pzymz88Maq3j5rQ3UZlo0Ot0pV3gk_otnus3RnYLDKOrGDc5qLwn_pcNypMK7eZHXTsB-LQQQJnsii1N3Qmfbx22VIgYaU9sXTYSAsVPfCQuXcn1GaBP-YxHQ/s1600-h/P1000063.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTN_3vcmuWwk-9Pzymz88Maq3j5rQ3UZlo0Ot0pV3gk_otnus3RnYLDKOrGDc5qLwn_pcNypMK7eZHXTsB-LQQQJnsii1N3Qmfbx22VIgYaU9sXTYSAsVPfCQuXcn1GaBP-YxHQ/s320/P1000063.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248409625103430034" /></a><br />They have fried rice and chau mein that's like the tastiest thing I've ever eaten for like 75 cents. And it's kinda crazy. This place doesn't have any front walls or windows. That thing on the right is the kitchen. They just cook everything right out there for you. The cheap places are the best places too. We went to an expensive place to eat (we paid about $5 american each) and it was probably the worst meal that I've had here. Actually it definitely was. The place was very nice, but the food was kinda bland and the portions were small. Plus the food was ugly.<br /><br />Anywho, I have some other stories, but I haven't loaded those pictures yet, and I need to pack. We're getting ready for to go on a trip to Huang Shan. There's supposed to be beautiful. Really scenic mountains and what not. I'll write more when I get back.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-65675529833867314442008-06-04T22:23:00.000-07:002008-06-04T22:24:12.746-07:00blogging again.I think that I might start blogging again.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-66655165832509362092008-02-26T12:19:00.000-08:002008-02-26T12:29:15.701-08:00I love a good pyramid scheme.So this isn't quite a pyramid scheme, but if you know me, you know that I love free things. Yesterday, I went out with two of my roommates and got free stuff from our starving student cards. After we got home, I checked my favorite website, www.amiestreet.com, and found free music. It blew my mind. So you need to know 4 things about this website.<br /><br />1. Music starts out free.<br />2. It gets more expensive as more people get/buy it.<br />3. It caps out at $9.98<br />4. Their selection used to be bad, but it's getting better and better.<br /><br />So here's some of the music that I got for FREE.<br />Architecture in Helsinki,Badly Drawn Boy, Belle and Sebastian, Blonde Redhead, Cat Power, Dizzee Rascal, Interpol, The National, The New Pornographers, of Montreal, Pavement, Pixies, Ratatat, Sigur Rós, St. Vincent, Tapes 'n Tapes, Thom Yorke, Yo La Tengo<br /><br />I got all of these for free. Most aren't free now, because people got them for free. But they are cheap. Plus as new music gets added, it will be free. So, if you want to join, email me. I'll send you the link. When you join you get $5 for free. Plus I'll get $2.50. But the main thing is the free music. I've gotten so much free music, and I feel selfish if I didn't share my secret.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-55985353447761866032008-01-31T12:12:00.000-08:002008-01-31T12:20:51.118-08:00My New Year's ResolutionsWe're almost in February. The fact that I am only now getting to writing my new year's resolutions is not a sign of procrastination, (it probably is) but a sign that I am actually still thinking about them.<br /><br />So here's the ones I need to re-resolve:<br />- Study of Chinese. Characters and Book of Mormon<br />- Gym time - Pump and basketball<br />- Diet - Don't eat out more than twice a week. Drink more water. Cook at home.<br />- Finances - Budget. I did get a great one from FHE on monday.<br />- Reading more.<br /><br />Other stuff I want to get into and haven't started yet:<br />- Rock climbing<br />- Knitting<br /><br />Stuff I'm doing ok on:<br />- Morning and evening prayer<br />- Scriptures<br />- Daily Journal.<br /><br />Stuff that I'm going to get into this year once the weather changes:<br />- Tennis<br />- Horseshoes<br />- Bacci ball<br /><br />Here's to 2008.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-41261768245743951382008-01-03T09:03:00.000-08:002008-01-03T09:50:35.225-08:00My triumphant returnHello blogland. Over the last few months, if you've checked my blog, (don't worry, i know you haven't) you've seen that same dang youtube video on the top. I've tried to change that. Look in my edit posts thing. There's several started blogs that I didn't ever follow through with. But I think I have something worthwhile. <a href="http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/apostle-urges-students-to-use-new-media">Elder Ballard told me to blog</a> after all. After reading this address from Elder Ballard, I was confused. I wondered why he would choose such a topic for a commencement address. But then I had I had a funny experience to make me think otherwise. <br /><br />As most of my friends from high school and all of my college friends (I go to school in Utah. Let's not forget that) know I am LDS. (see: Mormon, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, The) Especially in this time where we have an LDS presidential candidate (Mitt Romney. Pick up a newspaper sometime. It'll do you good) the topic of the LDS church is in the forefront of the media. There's a lot going on, a lot of half truths being reported and a lot of misconceptions being perpetuated. Here's my stab at resolving some questions. <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">This isn't necessarily an attempt to convert you (but seriously you should join our church) but just to resolve some questions.<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> </span><br /><br />Recently I went home and had dinner with one of my really good friends since middle school. Over the years we've had many talks about many things. She knows my family very well. And so this past time talking with her, I was shocked at a question that she had for me when our topic of conversation turned to marriage (it happens even outside of provo): "So do a lot of your friends in Utah have more than one wife?" I was shocked because this wasn't someone that I met on the street. This was one of my closest friends of many years. And this is a pretty basic misconception that I didn't realize that people close to me would have. <br /><br />Well just to set the record straight, here's what our prophet says about it:<br /><br />"This Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church. . . . If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church." <br />At various times, the Lord has commanded His people to practice plural marriage. For example, He gave this command to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon (Doctrine and Covenants 132:1).<br />In this dispensation, the Lord commanded some of the early Saints to practice plural marriage. The Prophet Joseph Smith and those closest to him, including Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, were challenged by this command, but they obeyed it. In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff received a revelation that the leaders of the Church should cease teaching the practice of plural marriage. <br /><br />K? So that's that.<br /><br />I guess I'm back. Check in soon for my new years resolutions (which i've mostly set. I'm giving myself until Sunday when I get off vacation.) Toodles.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-64873802328003337922007-07-26T03:55:00.001-07:002007-07-26T03:55:53.885-07:00Who knew Karen from the Office is indie?<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/-tknrTkxBeU' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/-tknrTkxBeU'/></object></p><p>Please take note of her dancing.<br /><br />Also, who knew my roommates would get into a drunken fight at 3AM?</p></div>Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-12572438163889377692007-07-21T23:54:00.001-07:002007-07-22T00:00:32.537-07:00the finer thingsthings i never regret doing:::vs.:::things i always regret<br /><br />reading:::wasting time on the internet<br />buying cds or shoes:::all the useless things that make my credit card bill high<br />trying to learn guitar:::watching tv<br />going to bed early:::staying up too late<br />working hard:::procrastinating<br />serving other people:::being a jerk to people<br />going to museums, plays, etc.:::watching 4 episodes of sportscenter in a row.<br /><br />if this is so, why don't i do the things i never regret more often?Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-45181395562064102562007-07-14T20:15:00.001-07:002007-07-14T20:15:48.056-07:00i like that.i just shaved my legs. feels good.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-61724533144991453682007-06-12T09:20:00.001-07:002008-12-10T09:00:24.279-08:00psuedo-celebrity sightingk, so she's probably not a celebrity at all. but i did see this on the pitchfork website, meaning about a million hipsters nationwide did see her. (the girl on the left)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPK_76cIEX_5psSHNfPqrY2cIjSE-h6KpfmgHb_j2Yd1QKr1HJS9JCeT94ZzEaTECsdhbbPUqFMeaPJHIcobU-ws4lChJLo0vk0ZgjPrt1S-5WBJAz6Y1Z1sc_Ofh93c26D6aSnQ/s1600-h/852948842.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPK_76cIEX_5psSHNfPqrY2cIjSE-h6KpfmgHb_j2Yd1QKr1HJS9JCeT94ZzEaTECsdhbbPUqFMeaPJHIcobU-ws4lChJLo0vk0ZgjPrt1S-5WBJAz6Y1Z1sc_Ofh93c26D6aSnQ/s320/852948842.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075214366785560018" /></a><br /><br />i did know her in high school. i thought about asking her to senior prom, but didn't. now i wish i did so i had a cool connection to her. and i'm always trying to make connections to (psuedo)celebrities. unfortunately this is as good as i've got right now.<br /><br />other pathetic celebrity connections/sightings include:<br />- saw steve young speak in a fireside.<br />- was in the same ward as former 49er's tight end Greg Clark<br />- Went to the same high school (much later) as the blue power ranger.<br />- Saw sportswriter for LA Times, J.A. Adande at the Jazz/Spurs game 3.<br />- Saw Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond at the Elite 8 game in San Jose.<br />- Saw canto pop icons "The Twins" in the Sha Tin Town Centre in Hong Kong.<br />- I am Japanese. Also Japanese: <br /> - Miss Universe<br /> - Daisuke Matsuzaka, most hyped rookie of baseball.<br /> - A million other baseball players.<br /> - Brian Katsumoto, painter of a sweet Joe Montana print I found in DI<br /> - Takeru Kobayashi, though he recently lost his hot dog eating title.<br /> - The girl in the american apparel ad.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-88580117804364363102007-05-29T11:06:00.001-07:002007-05-29T11:07:45.922-07:00senioritisI'm a senior by credit, but I haven't even applied for my major yet. Is it bad that I don't care?Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-59844362188429017922007-05-22T11:05:00.001-07:002008-12-10T09:00:24.378-08:00I'm neglegent.I bought a pair of fingernail clippers yesterday and lost them. My nails are still long and it's driving me nuts. I really don't think that there is anything that drives me crazy more than losing things or having long fingernails. But both happening at once? This is just a bit more than I can handle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRdB134vaIle2v9CZ2qXtGS_6NTrh1QtIyu5HgUUD5w617BKILmNY5agd-LvlQEpenJA728rOfQeg1Hg_CCUapi3_pKPPNQGo5bITj71VhtygRp8b1ZXHYAF5583D13Qp3XhKvg/s1600-h/billy10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRdB134vaIle2v9CZ2qXtGS_6NTrh1QtIyu5HgUUD5w617BKILmNY5agd-LvlQEpenJA728rOfQeg1Hg_CCUapi3_pKPPNQGo5bITj71VhtygRp8b1ZXHYAF5583D13Qp3XhKvg/s320/billy10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067448625598893122" /></a><br />Luckily, one of the things that I recently lost and also recently found is my Tae Bo tape that my sister gave me. Billy Blanks is going to whip me into shape.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-22176561861283438902007-05-21T16:47:00.000-07:002007-05-21T16:53:32.072-07:00can't judge a book by its cover.I've been shocked at how many people that I've met recently that I originally judged to be someone that I didn't want to talk to, then talked to them and found out that they were really cool. I wonder how many people see me and don't want to talk to me, but talk to me and find out I'm nice. Or vice versa.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-65921851427267818402007-05-15T04:13:00.000-07:002007-05-15T04:24:54.485-07:00insomnia for the first time.I've always had such a wonderful sleeping cycle. I don't know why I am up right now. Is it so I could wake up and listen to my new (old) jewel cd? Pieces of you is a great album, I won't deny that, but I don't think that's what got me up. Maybe it is stress induced insomnia due to my test today in history of creativity and tomorrow in accounting? Does the fact that I didn't study at all last week when I went home have anything to do with it? Is it because when I went home I fell in love with a million girls in san francisco that I will never see again? Perhaps it is because at the ripe age of 23 i'm quickly growing impatient with my life, not because I don't think it's great, but i'm constantly wanting more. My maxed out credit card, empty gas tank and squeeky breaks on my bike might have something to do with it. The warriors being down 3-1 certainly isn't helping either.<br /><br />5am seems to be the best time to study. It's peaceful. The world is still.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-34081958833806903142007-05-14T09:23:00.000-07:002007-05-14T09:33:49.386-07:00mother's dayI went home for mother's day. I took her to the warrior's game. What kind of mom would want that as a present? Basically, my mom is my favorite person in the world and the older I get the more I appreciate her. Also, the older I get, the more I see myself in her. I have her spaciness, terrible sense of direction and jumpiness. I have her zaniness, random mind and a tiny portion of her care for other people. I've learned so much from her unspoken example and her spoken counsel. She has such a gift for making people feel comfortable and special. <br /><br />I'm such a mama's boy. I always have been. Even in middle school when everyone started to get embarrassed to be seen with their mothers, I would still walk with my arm around her at the store or in the mall. (I was taller than my mother by 7th maybe 6th grade.)<br /><br />I was just thinking yesterday how lucky I am to have her, because she is a breast cancer survivor. 12 years already. But that's a different post for a different day. <br /><br />Happy belated mother's day to all current and future mother's.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-86226630712506170602007-05-10T12:42:00.001-07:002007-05-10T12:42:36.593-07:00i don't think there's anything betterthan pad thai. i really can't get enough of it.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-78427231192220712432007-04-23T07:36:00.001-07:002007-04-23T07:39:26.543-07:00If the confession blog was still around...I would confess that I used to play Magic: The Gathering. I would also confess if I a) had cards and b) could find someone who wanted to play, I probably would get really into it again.<br /><br /><div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/33HBEjQht3c' name='movie'></param><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/33HBEjQht3c'></embed></object></p></div>Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-22058420332223272872007-04-15T22:42:00.000-07:002007-04-16T08:02:18.784-07:00please don't read this without commenting.I'm compiling my summer reading list. The list is based solely on friend recommendations. Just a little precursor, my book taste is a little different. I like to feel like I'm learning or being inspired when I read. This means I like non-fiction (loved the tipping point for example), self-help (i'm currently enjoying 7 habits), cultural feeling type of books. (i like the life of pi, though I'm not done), and uplifting, insightful types (tuesdays with morrie is a fave.) I guess a couple other random books that I like a lot are the outsiders, the perks of being a wallflower and to kill<br /><br />So the list is as follows:<br /><br />Nate B.:<br />?:::April 1865<br />milton.friedman:::free.to.choose<br />c.s.lewis:::mere.christianity<br />jared.diamond:::guns.germs.and.steel<br /><br />Jake S.:<br />pearl.buck:::the.good.earth<br />john.lewis:::walking.with.the.wind<br />?:::arc.of.justice<br />terrell.givens:::by.the.hand.of.mormon<br /><br />Trent M.(me):<br />malcolm.gladwell:::blink<br />earnest.dimnet:::the.art.of.thinking<br />yann.martel:::life.of.pi (finish it!)<br />george.orwell:::1984 (finish it!)<br />j.d.salinger:::catcher.in.the.rye<br />katherine.peterson:::bridge.to.terabithia<br /><br />i appreciate your contributions.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34187048.post-21620044331183897402007-04-12T14:49:00.000-07:002008-12-10T09:00:24.554-08:00I bleed green and gold.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5xp6xZ8AT7D8mIbqqiGP2yyNtK8k19E5mlOAmsO45MvVSuHmotLbCP0Lhcxe_BbM6loHhR9Pp42DVFaC57gSXw1vbV-wcvRjjGDjjy3u4VXvf4hQ8Iz5GyMgQK7j-jZAWcKQpw/s1600-h/100px-OaklandAthletics_100.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5xp6xZ8AT7D8mIbqqiGP2yyNtK8k19E5mlOAmsO45MvVSuHmotLbCP0Lhcxe_BbM6loHhR9Pp42DVFaC57gSXw1vbV-wcvRjjGDjjy3u4VXvf4hQ8Iz5GyMgQK7j-jZAWcKQpw/s320/100px-OaklandAthletics_100.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052662312275460370" /></a><br />I am a die hard Oakland A's fan. I want to go home and beat my record of 8 hot dogs on dollar dog wednesdays.<br /><br />The only thing that's really keeping me alive is wiffleball, tennis, volleyball and any other random sport that spring has brought.Chopstick Mano.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02421152628745013970noreply@blogger.com2