Don't you mean long live the arrogance?

I was wondering what the backlash would be on the American Muslim population, following the announcement of Osama bin Laden's death.  Sadly, it only took a few hours for the first story of anti-Islamic vandalism to break. Here are the pictures from one of the incidents:

Some time last night someone wrote "Osama today, Islam tomorow (sic)," "Long live the West" and "Free Cyprus" on the Maine Muslim Community Center, after the announcement of Osama bin Laden's death.  I'm not going to point out the obvious unintelligence of the graffitti "artist" (please, note that "tomorow" is misspelled), but they must have also failed to hear President Obama's amazing speech where he discussed and repeated that this is "not a war on Islam," or that in fact bin Laden had killed thousands of Muslims all over the world (including our own country).

Are we not beyond the time in WWII, where we found it necessary to imprison an entire group of Americans based on their ethnicity because of a terrorist attack.  I'm referencing, of course, the internment of thousands of Japanese Americans after the Pearl Harbor attacks.  Have we not learned from our mistakes that this treatment of a minority is both unjust and ineffective? 

Well, apparently some Americans are still stuck in an era, when women were expected to stay home and raise children and African Americans were expected to sit in the back of the bus.  But, tell me, when has it ever been okay to let a minority of extremists define the majority?

I mean. . . let's face the facts: If we defined Christianity by the KKK (who's members believe it embodies Christian ideals) then we'd be a bunch of anti-Semite murderers with white-superiority complexes.  And besides the Neo-Nazis and the Westboro Baptist Church, I don't think that applies to the majority of Christians.  Granted I can't really speak for anyone but myself, but I most certainty hope I am not in the minority.

But the point of this post was not to argue Christianity vs. Islam, or which one is more misrepresented.  This post is to talk about America, which is something I don't do too often.  I'm usually pretty embarrassed by my country, whether it's from our inane coverage of celebrities' lives or our disgusting amount of wastefullness.  I have friends all over the world and they often ask me, "What's up with America?  Are they just in their own little world?"  And usually my answer is "Yeah, we are."

But last night I was so proud of the way our President handled the announcement of Osama bin Laden's death.  He could have been like "YEAH USA! USA!" but he didn't once rejoice this man's death.  He took this moment in history to remember those lost and still suffering from the tragedy of September 11th, nearly a decade ago, and what it really means to be Americans and come together as a nation.  It was one of the most amazing speeches I have ever seen in my lifetime.

And then for narrow-minded, bigotted idiots to go around to a mosque and vandalize it with such hateful words. . . I just. . . I felt ashamed.  I felt ashamed to be associated with these people, because they probably think they're doing the "Christian" thing.

Islam is not the problem here.  Hate is.  Hatred toward a group of people.  That's what fueled Osama bin Laden's campaign of terrorism, not religion.  Any Muslim will tell you that he took a twisted view of Islam and used it to corrupt.  The same way Christianity has been used time and time again over the centurites to instill fear and hate in people's hearts about people who are "unclean" or "un-Holy."

All religions say the same thing in the heart of their message: Treat others like you want to be treated.  It's in Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hindism, Taoism, and dozens of other religions.

I don't think I'd want someone to come to my church and write: KKK Today, Christianity Tomorrow!

Because the KKK understands Christianity no more than bin Laden understood Islam.  And associating the two is arrogant as well as insulting.

Anti-Christian Christian

So today I read this article. For those of you who don't really want to sort through all of it, it basically broke down into three parts:

1. Redefining the word gay
• ‘Gay’ is a left-wing socio-political construct designed to create grounds for fundamental rights [based on] whimsical capricious desires,” said Ryan Sorba, chairman of the Young Conservatives of California. “Gay identity does not exist.”
• “Same-sex attraction,” “Same-sex intercourse,” “Sodomy,” “Unnatural vice,” and “anti-Christian.”
  
2. The gay war
• It's their duty to protect the definition of marriage and protect America's youth from the "gay agenda."
• Also, protect America from homosexual lobbyists.
  
3. Same-sex orientation: ‘hedonism repackaged’ 
• Hedonism - a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good.
• Gays are gay because it feels good, and they should not be allowed to partake in this pleasure because it is morally wrong and disgusting. 

So. . . I'm not going to do what a lot of what my liberal friends would do and outright call this "stupid."

Instead, I wanted to approach this from these people's perspective, the Christian perspective.  For those of you who don't know, I am in fact a Christian.  Although these people seem to be arguing that I cannot be gay and Christian at the same time, and that they are in fact complete opposites and cancel each other out. However, I'm pretty sure we're reading from the same Book, so I thought it'd be cool to go and check out where the disagreement is.

There is No Silence

This is our film for University of South Carolina's first annual Tunnel of Awareness, described as a "Haunted House of Hate," dealing with the different types of discrimination and prejudices present in modern society.  We decided to tackle the slightly controversial topic of the bullying of LBGT youth in America.

This was a very emotional project for me, so I decided to write a letter of thanks to my wonderful cast and crew. 


Dear Cast and Crew,

The DVD finished burning Monday morning at 6:21AM.  Nine hours later it was shown on a TV screen in front of a group of about 10 people for the first time. I've never collaborated on a project like this.  I'm used to being a one-man show, and just taking care of everything on my own, but this time I had to completely rely on other people.

To my lovely and talented actors and actresses, I want you to know I was really moved by your performances.  On and off camera you were amazing to work with, and I can't wait to do more projects with you.  I was really anxious when I first wrote the script because I was terrified no one would want to be a part of a "controversial" film, especially one by a never-heard-of student director.  But I got my dream cast and each one of you really understood your craft, and it took no effort to make you "look good" on camera.

To my sound team, I want you to know that I really appreciated all of your help with the boom and syncing and post-cleaning.  A special note to Nick Ducko, who by some miracle managed to salvage the audio from the locker room scene, constructed a make-shift recording studio in a study room to re-dub lines, and spent all of Sunday with me at the library re-constructing audio from scratch.  I learned a lot about filters and mixers and things I didn't even know existed, and I also learned that I'm much better behind a camera than behind any piece of audio equipment.

To my extras, you guys really came in when I needed you most.  The cafeteria scene really only worked because of you guys.  And it was so much fun getting to direct you.  You were patient and willing to redo takes, stuff that's a lot to ask for volunteers.  So thank you for bearing with me, and I hope you'll always consider being a part of any future films.  It seems to be that free food is a good incentive.

To everyone, I wanted you to know I'm blessed to have had this experience to make this film.  And I know it's a little difficult to watch, but look past the terrible high school language and the slurs.  Listen to the silence because that was the message I wanted.  I wanted the silence to be more deafening than the words.  The words are hollow, meaningless things that teenagers don't think twice about.  The silence is the screaming of everyone who's ever been bullied.  And one voice has the power to change all of that.

A bully screams at you, but says nothing.
A bystander says nothing, but screams at you.
A victim is silent, but wants nothing more than to scream back.

Words are the only thing as powerful in their presence as they are their absense.

So in reality there is no silence because that silence is screaming louder than any insult.

This isn't "my" film, it's "our" film, and I'm so happy I have so many amazing people to share it with. 

Love,
Olivia

Reading Movies

This is in response to one of my friends who doesn’t watch many movies.  I was in a similar boat until college and I’m pretty sure I still pale in comparison to other film studies majors.  Honestly, half the films I’ve watched are because I had to for class.

However, in my screenwriting course this semester we were told to pick our top 10 movies and write about a common line between them.  This list is posted below:

1.  V for Vendetta
2. Mulan
3. Fucking Åmål (Show Me Love)
4. Grave of the Fireflies
5. A Beautiful Mind
6. Departures
7. Ghost in the Shell
8. The Virgin Suicides
9. August Rush
10. El Orfanato (The Orphanage)

If I was to pick one similar theme throughout all of these movies, it is perhaps the symbolism of the mask. Whether they physically or emotionally wear a mask, the protagonists of these films create an alter ego of themselves. However, it is through this altered persona that the protagonist is able to discover something true about their character. Often these characters are forced to wear their masks and are not in full control of their lives until the mask is cast away (figuratively or physically). Perhaps one of the reasons I identify with this theme so strongly is the fact that I, too, had to hide a secret for a long time. This might also explain why I don’t like to name my main characters and almost always like to hide their true identity from the audience.

I hate watching movies by myself and love to talk during them.  I feel like commentary is one of the best ways to interact during movies. If I can’t talk about a movie then I don’t see the point in watching it.  That’s why movies like Inception are so popular because they produce discussion and make you ask questions.  I love ambiguity and open endings, where a film asks the audience to participate.  Films have the ability to be a powerful visual-audio text if we get over this idea that they are “less than books.”  They’re a completely different medium and not fair to compare.  They can be intellectually stimulating, enlightening and heaven forbid even entertaining, just like a really good book. 

 
So my answer to you friend is this.  If you find watching a movie boring, then watch one with a friend and talk about it while it’s going on.  Films are designed to wash over you, the same way having a bed time story washes over you when you had it read to you as a child.  But when you take an active role and “read” the movie, then it becomes very similar to the stimulation you have when you read a book. 

A Message from the Past to the Future

Alright, so I have finally heard from all my friends in Japan, and can now rest my mind a little bit.  My heart is still breaking for their country, and my prayers are going out to them constantly.

Now, over the past two years I have really fallen in love with the language and culture and people of this amazing and beautiful country.  Therefore, it sickens me to think that there are people from my home country who honestly believe the "Japanese" had it coming due to the Pearl Harbor raid during World War II.

At first I didn't even know how to channel this.  I was so disgusted and so angry that I honestly think I could have happily punched whoever started this ill-conceived, uninformed and heinous "thought" (if you can even call it that). However, I decided that I will be a more mature person about this and simply let history speak for itself.

After the Pearl Harbor Attacks, on February 19, 1942, in Executive Order 9066, President Roosevelt required all Japanese-Americans to be placed in interment camps (in Nazi Germany these were called "concentration camps".) The official reason given for this action was for "national security-to counteract the threat of spying." However, later historical analysis would show that underlying reasons included war hysteria and revenge on the Japanese people for bombing American territory (not "state," Hawaii didn't become a state until 1959), as well as racist feelings against the Japanese that had existed for many years. Over 110,000 Japanese-Americans were uprooted from their homes and moved to temporary camps inland, where they were forced to remain.

Peal Harbor took place as all of you know in Hawaii, where 32% of the population at the time was in fact Japanese.  And very American patriotic Japanese-Americans as well.  In fact, in 1943 some of the prisoners were released to serve voluntarily in the armed services. Over 17,000 Japanese who were able to prove their loyalty to the United States were placed in segregated units that earned great respect and distinguished combat records. One regiment, popularly known as “Go for Broke” or the 442nd Regimental Combat Team became the most decorated combat unit of the war while serving in the European theater.

However, despite the amazing acts of heroism by the Japanese-Americans, racism still ran very strongly throughout America.  So much so that when an agreement could not be made between the US and the Republic of China with Japan to surrender, the US bombed not one but two cities in Japan with atomic weapons.

Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki, with roughly half of the deaths in each city occurring on the first day. The Hiroshima prefectural health department estimates that, of the people who died on the day of the explosion, 60% died from flash or flame burns, 30% from falling debris and 10% from other causes.

During the following months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness. In a US estimate of the total immediate and short term cause of death, 15–20% died from radiation sickness, 20–30% from flash burns, and 50–60% from other injuries, compounded by illness.  In both cities, most of the dead were civilians.

Okay, now that I've given you all the numbers available on what we, the United States, did to Japan.  How about I tell you what Japan did to US?

First off it was an attack on military personnel (i.e. not civilians) and second off there is still a serious debate over whether there was warning given a head of time or not.  And even if there wasn't a warning given by Japan to America, the never-before-seen destruction caused by atomic bombs is hardly likened to Pearl Harbor attack, which consisted of 353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers.  

Four U.S. Navy battleships were sunk (two of which were raised and returned to service later in the war) and the four others present were damaged. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 men were killed and 1,282 wounded. The power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not attacked.

See that's the thing about atomic bombs, you can't just "pick a target," you pick an area, and everything in that space is going to get vaporized.  So as you can see, the Japanese obviously "had this tsunami coming" because they bombed us at Pearl Harbor.  Because natural disasters and acts of war 70 years ago are obviously comparable.

For my poorly informed Americans out there, I highly recommend "reading," it's this amazing concept that some of us started doing around the age of 3 or so.  It "informs" you and stuff.  It's kinda handy for making you not look like an arrogant idiot.

And to all my Japanese friends, I want you to know that you shouldn't listen to what any of those people say, they don't know what they're talking about.  This tsunami is a terrible tragedy and our prayers and hearts are with all of you.  God Bless Japan.  And God Shut-up America.


Sources:

Yes, I used Wikipedia, because every American who has the ability to use Twitter and make stupid comments has the ability to use the Wiki search bar.  I wanted to make it easy for you guys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor_advance-knowledge_debate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor#cite_note-108
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/442nd_Infantry_Regiment_%28United_States%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_American_internment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

20

So I turn twenty officially in six hours, but the Facebook landslide of birthday wishes has already begun, so I thought it best to go ahead and get the inevitable birthday post out of the way.

For the first time ever, I made myself a birthday present.  It's a personal website.  I'm going to be doing some experimental writing exercises and trying to get feedback on what concepts, topics, material, etc. people like to read about.  I'm also using it as a creative pool to get my ideas down and then be able to discuss them.  But we'll see how it goes.  I'm just determined to not let it turn into a LiveJournal or anything like that.

And as far as my actual birthday goes... I'm spending a vacation weekend with my family.  I don't know what the plan is for tomorrow, but I do believe my mum is planning some kind of super secret special dinner.  And for those of you who don't know, my mother is one of the most amazing cooks of all time.  She seriously missed her calling.

This has been my first vacation in four years, and it has been lovely.  Before Dad and the little sister (as well as the dog) came to join us, we had 24 hours just to ourselves for some mother-daughter bonding time.  We sat and enjoyed each others company.  We listened to classical music, drank tea, went for a walk at sunrise and napped.  I considered it a very productive, successful and relaxing 24 hours. 

But of course it wasn't stress free.  With all the destruction going on the other side of the world, I can't help but worry.  I'm still praying for all of my friends and their families and still waiting very anxiously for one of them to contact me.  But all I can do is pray for Japan, and hope that they can really come together as a country and maybe even the world come together to help everyone. 

It's a very humbling feeling to know that while I'm celebrating my 20th, there are people in Japan who might not get to..... And honestly, my biggest birthday present in the world right now would be if my friend Mari would message or email me back.  Her family is one of the most incredible ones I've ever lived with, and I am indebted to them so much.  So keep praying for Japan, and if you can send a few extra prayers to the Maeda family. 

地震 (Earthquake)

So last night I was on twitter when I noticed that #PrayForJapan started to trend.  Now as some of you may or may not be aware, I am in love with this country.  From its culture to its people I have not found anything I dislike about it except for perhaps sweet pink rice. 

So when I saw the news about a devastating earthquake I wasn't able to sleep a wink.  I have friends all over Japan and have actually been to Tokyo myself and will be going again this summer.  The destruction and devastation going on right breaks my heart.  I was messaging all my friends to see if they were alright.  Most of them seem to be, although I'm still waiting anxiously to hear from a few of them. 

The fact that Japan is asking for help is a huge deal.  They're a very self-reliant, self-sufficient country, so for them to be asking others for help means that they realize the magnitude of the situation.  However, I know that their leaders are some of the brightest minds in the world and that they do incredibly well under pressure.  I have faith that they will keep as many people safe as possible and try to keep this travesty from taking more lives than it already has.

Japan has an amazing ability to come together as a nation, and I know they will pull through this.  I feel helpless watching from the sidelines, but I'm sending my prayers out to them.  にっぽんがんばって！

So if you have a spare moment to read this, then please take a spare moment to think about Japan and pray, wish, whatever you do to send positive energy for them, please.

Speak Up

There are these moments in life where you know you're about to do something important.  You can feel the anticipation building, the excitement mounting, and the anxiety settling.  There's this sense that something is going to be much more important than you ever realized.  

I'm storyboarding tonight.  For the first time I am drawing out the scenes to my first script that I will be directing.  I can see every scene and hear every word.  And I'm starting to realize the expectations I'm going to have with this production.  

People are expecting it to be as good or better than "Nonfiction."  I know that.  But I don't think it'll even be fair to compare the two pieces.  They're different styles, different approaches, different messages. But at the same time, I know the expectations are there, and I definitely welcome them.

I am used to selling myself short so I can set myself up to exceed someone's lowered expectations.  I'm a hustler, just like my dad.   Only we don't do it for money, we do it to save face because we're terrified of disappointing people. 

But I can't follow in my dad's footprints forever and for once I'm not going to sell myself short.  I have an amazing cast, a solid script and the mentality that I can pull off this production.  This is going to be different than anything I've ever made before (film aside), because for once I have set expectations for myself. 

This story has come to mean so much more to me than just having been my first script or my first time seriously directing a film.  This story is about the power one voice can have to save a life.  It is about every child who's been bullied and every child who's seen it.  

This is everyone's story, whether you were the bully or the victim, the bystander or the superhero.  This is everyone's story and how there's hope for everyone if one person can learn the power of their voice.  

So I leave you with one of my favourite Bible verses tonight, because while some Christians may not see eye-to-eye with me, there's no denying we're both reading from the same book. 

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

for the rights of all who are destitute. 

Speak up and judge fairly;

defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31: 8-9

I was needy in middle school and high school and even college.  I needed someone to stick up for me when it seemed like the entire world was against me.  And eventually I made some amazing friends who did.  So trust me, to everyone and anyone who will ever read this: it gets better.  You just gotta stick around long enough to see it.

Jump Start

Alright, so I'm back!

After a month of running around like a chicken without a head, I have finally found the time to take a step back and see where I am (and more importantly where I'm going).

Okay, so for the short and sweet version of the past month of escapades I will provide the following outline :

1. Switched Majors (ironically from physics to film).
2. Entered a the CampusMovieFest 5-Minute Movie Film Festival (see my entry Nonfiction).
3. Played catch up to make up all the work I missed in the 3 classes I added to my schedule.
4. Wrote my first college narrative piece ever.
5. Wrote for fun for the first time ever.
6. Went to Waffle House for the first time ever. 
7. Filmed my friend's America's Next Top Model Audition. 
8. Went and hung out with the girlfriend for an amazing weekend.
9. Wrote 60 pages of a my first full length feature script.
10. Outlined 3 feature length film concepts, 2 TV show concepts and 2 short film pieces.
11. Got asked to make my short film There is No Silence for USC's Tunnel of Awareness.
12. Held first ever cast call.
13. Cast four amazing people for the parts of Jock Boy, Quiet Girl, Mean Girl and Lesbian.
14. Had sushi night with her favourite Japanese teacher ever and all of my amazing residents. 
15. Made this fake trailer for a fake movie for my Japanese class.
16. Took a deep breath and started Spring Break with an epic 15 hours of sleep.

So those are some of the highlights from the past month.  I've updated the blog to match the feel of my new website that I just launched. So you should go there and check out what I've got going on.

Okay, so that's about it for catching everyone up to speed.  I will be posting about my trip to the beach and trying to keep myself to 3 posts a week rule from now on out.  Now that I've finally got a chance to see everything, I feel more confident than ever that I will be able to get a handle on this whole social media networking thing.

It Happens

So I'm doing this Campus Movie Fest thing at USC.  It's a five minute short film competition, that I found out the day before it started and my friend Ayush asked me if I was interested.

Now, his question was most certainly not the catalyst in what may appear to be a sudden change from physics to film this semester.  Instead I saw it as more so the straw that broke the camel's back.  Over break, I was questioning a lot of the reasons behind the direction I was taking with my life.

Science, it's not easy by any means, but once you struggle for the 4 years of your undergrad and get that degree, job security, money flow and overall stability is pretty much guaranteed in America.  The government is always going to want people who can make weapons or new high-tech computers.  And maybe in the next decade or so they'll even start caring about alternative energy research. Just maybe.

However, over the past year and a half of doing research... I've realized that while my mind finds it absolutely fascinating, my excitement comes from reading articles and presenting my results.  Not from actually performing the research.  I actually found the process to be quite tiresome and uninteresting.  Which is unfortunate because I've wanted to be a scientist since I was about seven years old.

And I could go into teaching, but I'm not the type of person who could honestly work a 9 to 5 job.  I know that, my friends know that and I think even my family knows that.  I do my best work when I'm allowed to throw all my time and energy into one project from start to finish and do it all in a burst.  If I was a professor at a university, then I'd be doing fifty different projects at one time and not really going very far with any of them for years.

There's a lot of draw to film for me.  There's the technical aspect of editing and understanding the mechanics to make a "pretty picture."  But there's also this free will that goes along with the video camera.  It's not the same as taking a picture, where you're trying to catch that one moment, which I completely respect because it's a difficult task to master.

But film is the before and after of that one moment.  You develop an entire story or emotion or idea leading up to that pinacle "snapshot" moment and then you allow the subject to relax or fade to black or in the case of M. Night Shamalan twist and contort in every which way (not always with the best of results).

Film allows me to show others the way I see the world for however brief or long it may be.  I haven't put a film together in two years after I committed myself to the realm of science.  But I've felt unsatisfied for a long time and now I'm starting over from scratch.  I'll be sure to be posting my by Tuesday, so be on the look out.  It won't be anything spectacular, just me and one of my many inspirations having fun together.

Bye-Bye, Box

So with classes underway and having felt out my schedule for the first couple of days, I couldn't help but feel a little suffocated.  Since my first day of class freshman year, I have felt like I was in a box.  I tried decorating the box and bringing friends into the box, but when it came down to it... it was still just a box.

Having come into this semester with a new mind set, a new perspective and an old dream, I could finally see this box and felt frustrated that I would not be able to break out of it.  And then today happened. 

I had one of the most important conversations in my life with my dear friend and mentor Dr. Robyn.  It was chance that we were able to see each other, and I doubt I will ever regret the next hour that passed by.

I told her everything that's been going through my mind over the past month:  the stress of school, the pressure to do science, the need that I have to please everyone and never seeming to fully succeed.  I told her about the dreams I would have as a little kid about these people I had never met and stories I had never heard.  About these crazy thoughts and day dreams and doodles that I have notebooks filled with.  And I told her about feeling like physics is where my mind is but not where my heart is.

So in the few hours before drop/add day was over, I made the decision that I'm going to take a break from physics this semester and do a little soul searching.  I signed up for some media arts classes and am going to give film my time and dedication this semester.  If nothing comes of it, then nothing comes of it, but for right now I feel like this is what my heart is telling me to do.  My mind is fighting it, but for once in my life I'm not going to care what everyone else thinks and just do what I feel.

I had bad feelings about this semester and now I can't even go to sleep because I'm so excited about class tomorrow!  If that's not indication enough that I made the right choice, then I don't know what is.

Right after I made my decision, I called Haviland (yesterday was our anniversary) and we talked for a bit.  She mentioned how tomorrow is the first day of her senior year, and I couldn't help but think that tomorrow is the first day of my freshman year.  One and half years of college down and I'm pretty much starting all over again and I honestly couldn't be happier. 

I don't know what this semester will bring.  I don't know what story I'm writing anymore.  My outline is out the window and I almost feel as if I'm in the breeze with it.  I'm going into tomorrow with an open mind and ready to tackle whatever comes into my way next.

Also, I've entered into this 5-minute movie contest thing, which starts in 10 hours.  Man, this semester is like no other.

1 + 1 = 2

So after two snow days and a 2 hour delay, I finally had my first day of classes.  Modern Physics, Japanese and Philosophy of Science.  And I was happily surprised at how interesting all my classes were.

Modern appears to be a bit more about the history of quantum theory as opposed to the actual derivations.  But hey, how's complaining?  Japanese was pretty laid back.  There's only five of us in the class and I'm under the impression that as long as I keep up with the reading, there won't be too much to worry about in terms of understand.

I should note here that I'm taking the highest level Japanese class because the lower level one didn't fit my schedule (thank you Modern).  So I'm a little bit nervous in terms of my comprehension level, but the challenge might be good for me.

And then Philosophy of Science... the source of my title for today.  I'm starting to think this may be my fvaourite course for the semester.  Right off the bat, we started delving into what categorizes a "theory" vs a "fact." And why science is unlike anything else humans have been involved with.

In all other types of philosophy, the outside world directly affects our thoughts, morality and the perspective with which we view ourselves.  However, while the source of science may come from the external world, the results of science are of pure human conception.  We change the world by changing our perspective.  When a new theory replaces an old one, it's not just simply "correcting" our world view, but ultimately changing it.


There is no "right" or "wrong" answer for science.  It is all about perspective and interpretation.  And why there will always be debates amongst philosophers as far as classifying these questions, speculations, theories and "truths." 


So while the idea of one object added to another object produces two objects came from the visual interpreation of counting, the actual constructs of 1, 2, + and = will have the same meanings regardless of what the external world does.  In a sense, humans have created their own filter to process information from the random outside world in order to form a clearer concept.  To use the cliche, humans essentially use science to make order from chaos.


So for all those Fairly Oddparent fans out there, Timmy nearly destroyed reality as we know it when he wished that 2 + 2 = 5!  I feel as if we would have been safer if we'd gone with Cosmo's answer of 2 + 2 = FISH, mostly because of this beauty:

Snow Day

Well, it's doesn't snow in South Carolina everyday.  Thus I deemed it appropriate and absolutely necessary to go outside at least THREE times today.

First, I went with my best mate Cathy Hardin to go and get in touch with our artistic side.  The results weren't too terrible considering it was my first time using my new camera.  Here's my favourite shot from my first session.

日本語 (Japanese)

I was cleaning up my room for the New Year and about to wipe off my calender, when I decided that my exam schedule looked kind of pretty and I should take a picture to remember it.  So this is my poor attempt at an "artistic" photo.

I haven't spoken much about my love of Japan.  Now it's not all about having been an anime otaku back in my middle school days.  Actually, after 9th grade, I really didn't watch much TV in general.  So when I told my parents that I was going to take Japanese my freshman year of college, it came to them as quite a shock for a couple of different reasons.  The first of which stemming from the fact that I was terrible at languages in high school.

Faith

Last night, I held a Qur'an for the first time in my life.  One of the most amazing people I've met throughout my time as a Resident Mentor is my friend Arjamand, who just also happens to be Muslim.

But before I delve into this story, let me start with a little background about me. 

Now Playing!

Lights... Camera... Action! That's the new theme for my hall this year.  I came up with it while I was home over break after the realization that I would not be having a film class this semester.  My new resident Taz and I started putting up the main decorations and I must say, they're looking pretty snazzy!

 

These are some of my many doordecks in the process of being made.  I ended up making 23 of them.  SO MUCH RUBBER CEMENT!!!

This work of beauty was my idea but made my by trusty side kick Taz.  I think this block piece really captures the essence of film in 9 pieces of black construction paper, tape and a red dot.  So have a look and I'll be posting updates as bits and pieces get completed.  So that's all for tonight... Enjoy!

Down and Dirty with Diversity

So when I had Diversity training at USC back before the Fall semester it seriously lulled me to tears.  Even if I hadn't literally just jumped off a plane from Tokyo, I think I would have still surrended to the mind numbing "Game Show" tactic used to try and teach Resident Mentors how to respect each others differences.  What ensued was a lot of chuckles, snoring or right out disrespect for the people willing to share their stories.  I stand guilty as charged.

However, today, it was different.  There was no game show.  There was no laughing.  There was a big black screen telling us all the things that we didn't want to see or heard or think about.  Every slander and prejudice the human race has ever managed to concoct was flashing before my eyes.  Then the testimonies started.  One by one, our fellow residents and staff began to tell their stories, each one a tear jerker.

New Semester

Alright so this is a snapshot of my textbooks for this coming semester. I have mixed feelings about how this semester is going to go. I'm jam packed with math and science, with a sliver of Japanese (it's that itty bitty coloring book between Modern and Calculus). This is my first semester without my beloved Baba-sensei as well as no film class to help balance out the stress on the left side of my brain. However, I have two great physics partners and I'm determined to make a success of this semester. With all that being said, please admire the sexy picture of Sir Isaac Newton on the cover of my Vector Calculus book.

Don't bother being jealous. None of us even stood a chance. This man was way too into academia to have time for the likes of mere mortals.

New Year's Resolution - Getting Started

New Year's Resolutions. You know, those things that everyone sets at the beginning of January and most people are done with by beginning of February? Well, instead of my usual "eat healthier" and "run more often" promises, I'm going into this New Year with a little more forethought.

I like a lot of things, ranging from physics to film from linguistic theory to crazy little Pocket Monsters. I read more scientific journal and Wikipedia articles than pages from my text books. And I have an opinion on every movie I've ever watched and every bill trying to get passed in legislation.

The title of my blog doesn't mean I'm only going to talk about quantum mechanics or the latest Box Office hit, but instead it's supposed to encompass the huge range of topics floating around my head. Plus it's alliteration (throwing in some linguistic humor there).

So if you'll bare with me as I attempt to figure out this whole "blogger" thing, I promise that every now and then I may surprise you with an interesting story or two. Who knows? I might even get you to crack a smile or laugh (even if it's at my own expense).