Finals Time! - Fall 2009

So finals are coming up and I'm somewhat-stressed, somewhat-not stressed, depending on the exam I'm thinking about. That's right, I only have 2! For English, we just had to turn in our portfolios and I got out of taking the Psychology final because I did everything on time and have an A (technically an A-, I think). Anyways, I have one exam Saturday: my History 125 class (the Social History of American Popular Music in 20th Century America), and I'm not too worried, he kind of showed us what would be on the exam, so I just have to find all the info and put it in one place to study study study for it. I'm mostly worried about my chemistry final next Thursday, as the professor said it was going to be hard. So far my 3 tests all are B-'s and I just don't want to mess up and tip my grade over to a C. Anyways, becuase of the long break I'm just going to go ahead and go home after my Saturday exam just because I might just go crazy here at UNC! Thus, I'm missing a review session but I think it'll be for the better regardless...Everyone good luck, and same for me!

New Moon Parody - CollegeHumor.com

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

So this video was posted on MSN's site and I saw it like a week ago, and it made me laugh after having seen "New Moon" (as I mentioned previously). The parody video successfully recreates the two hour movie into one minute with the criticisms I had previously talked about. The main girl even got the main character's real-life mannerisms down! From the "didn't I already go through this?" to the wolf being a dog, this video was dead-on with its humor. Even real Twilight fans can't deny that this was at least somewhat entertaining.

The Blind Side (2009)

So I also saw this movie over my Thanksgiving Break with my sister and my grandmother. I didn't really go in with high expectation for the movie; just figured it'd be another cliche sports movie. While at times, you feel those cliches working into the film, the movie is really good, entertaining, and heartwarming. Knowing it's a true story doesn't hurt either. Seeing the compassion extended by one family to help a struggling boy find what family truly means and help his reach his dream made for a wonderful film. Sandra Bullock was really funny and good in this film--totally believable. You may not be expecting it, but this film is better than the average sports film and easily flys by in its two-hour time slot! Though I must admit the poster is a little cheesy...But definitely a must-see!

New Moon (2009)

So over Thanksgiving Break, I went and saw "New Moon" with my grandma and sister. Let me make one thing clear though, I'm not really a fan of the movies or books (haven't even read them). Still, both the movies are okay but really do best when tension builds up with action. Otherwise, the series is obviously not geared towards me. In this movie, though, not much happens. Basically, there's a repeat of the whole "I'm dangerous, you can't be around me" thing with now the wolf instead of a vampire. It picks up towards the end when the main character must go to Italy to save the vampire, but it's over and done in like 5 minutes. Overall, it was a decent movie that kept my attention but nothing to rave about.

The Box (2009)

So a couple of weeks ago, I went and saw "The Box" in theaters. I wasn't super excited to see the film or anything, but I thought it would be decent. While the plot and initial phase of the film hook you in, the rest of the movie just leaves you scratching your head. Now I'm all for the confusing movie that then in it's climax makes sense and it's like "wow". This, however, did not occur in "The Box", as by the end you still have questions and nothing is really explained. As well, it seems like the whole middle of the film could have just been cut out as the ending suspected to happen does and nothing discovered in the middle helps resolve the issue. James Marsden and Cameron Diaz star and are generally good, though I just couldn't get past Diaz's southern accent. Watch the trailer below, but wait for the movie on TV!

Unit Project 3: Thoughts on Revising

So when I was supposed to post this over Thanksgiving Break, I didn't have access to wireless internet, so I'm just posting what I wrote then now.


When first thinking about how I was going to revise the rough draft of my unit 3 project essay, I knew I needed to take some things out. The rough draft of my essay came out around 1,200 words and the desired length was only a thousand words. In the rough draft, I just wrote straight through without worrying about length, so one of the things I had to keep in mind in editing was to shorten the paper. As well, initial thoughts also dealt with comments my group members had written after reading my essay. These comments mostly involved just shortening certain parts to help make my points/ideas more concise or clearer. To help with this, I needed to be sure to look at my sentences and make sure I wasn’t being too vague or including a bunch of extra words that may not have been necessary for the sentence. Also, after reading through the paper, I need to get rid of a few sentences that were either repetitive or simply didn’t add anything to the paragraph or my point. As far as content, I feel I successfully explain to my audience what I want to study and the information that already exists, as well as how my proposed study would benefit others. The organization of the proposal seems to fit as I start out discussing my project and what specifically I want to study. Then I spend two paragraphs on explaining the research that already exists and other background information and two on how I would carry out my proposed study. In the end, I feel like I describe well what the data would provide and how in-turn it would be used to design an awareness program on the issue of stigma around physiological disorders. With the good feedback I received, the biggest issue I face is simply reducing the length of the proposal and making sure I am getting my point across without any unnecessary additions.

Charlie Brown and the Mayflower Voyagers

Like I said, my mom and I watched the Thanksgiving Charlie Brown special yesterday and then the DVD set had this extra episode. I think I had watched it before, as it seemed familiar but I didn't remember much. Unfortunately, it does not live up at all to the previous special. This episode recounts the Mayflower's journey to the New World and the pilgrims' first Thanksgiving. At first, I thought they would do plenty with the story to keep it as funny as the regular specials. However, not much is done besides the probably semi-accurate, little-kid version of the pilgrims and Thanksgiving. I was disappointed but it wasn't bad, it just couldn't compare. PS: Don't really know what's up with the video at the end, but it's the only clip I could find of the episode...

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special

So since I missed it during Thanksgiving week, me and my mom watched the beloved cartoon yesterday to catch up. As I've written previously, I love the Charlie Brown holiday specials and enjoy watching them year after year. In case you didn't know, this special involves Charlie Brown attempting to put together a Thanksgiving meal for his friends, as one invited herself and others without asking. And poor Charlie Brown just couldn't say no. Of course, as kids, the meal ended up comprising of popcorn, pretzel sticks, and toast. However, all ends well as the gang gets invited to go to CHarlie Brown's grandmother's dinner. Funny how I always say Charlie Brown and not just Charlie...and I never can't laugh when Peppermint Patty continually calls him "Chuck", haha. And poor Charlie Brown, will he ever get to kick that football? Can't wait for the Christmas episode!

Outside Christmas Decorations

When I was home yesterday, I helped my mom put up some of the outside Christmas decorations in our front yard. She had already put up lights on the rim of the house. Since it was so cold, we put together some of the pieces best we could in the garage before having to head out in the complete cold (the garage is only a little warmer). As usual, we had a big snowman, a reindeer, and a Christmas tree (lights not the blowup kind). As well, we had multiple colored lights around four of the bushes in front of the house. This year, my mom added these 3 connected penguins that lit up. Though kind of small, we put them near the front so they could still be seen. After a minor setback, we finally got all the extension cords connected so that all the lights came on. I think we still have a couple more things to do, but I can't wait b/c even though being out in the cold sucks I love seeing all the decorations up!

It's Freezing Today!

Although I'm no stranger to North Carolina cold weather, this morning's cold definitely got me shivering. And the surprising part--I still saw people in shorts and flip-flops. I mean I get some people don't get as cold as others but seriously put some clothes on! I know if I'm freezing with my jeans, shoes, and big jacket they must be dying. And unfortunately, the weather isn't going to change. I mean I'm fine with the cold in small doses, but mostly I like being inside knowing it's cold outside...and drinking some hot chocolate! That's my kind of experiencing cold weather...with the occasional walk outside to realize how good inside feels :)

Scary Maze Game Reaction - YouTube

so the other night, my friends and I recalled the Scary Maze Game they showed me online last year and the reaction it got out of the person next to me when we were in lab; more funny memories! Anyways, so then we started looking up reactions to the game on YouTube. Most were not that funny but we only looked through a few. The one shown below was the funniest we found, and I just can't stop laughing when the kid keeps hitting the computer screen. Though I don't enjoy seeing kids cry, this was definitely hilarious for me. If you haven't heard/seen the game, you can probably see some of it in the video below OR Google it first and play it then watch this video.

Beyonce Clown - YouTube

My friend asked if I had ever seen this video on YouTube and I hadn't even heard of it but just the name itself sounded amusing. So we went and watched it at lunch. At first I was creeped out by the clown mask and it dancing for some reason. But then I laughed out loud when she bumped her head and then wanted to stop and take the mask off. Then of course she wanted to turn the camera off after that little mishap! Lesson learned to not dance near TVs!!!

Scarlet Takes A Tumble - YouTube

Even though I watched this video like a year ago, my friend brought it up again at lunch this afternoon. We both went and watched it for like the zillionth time, and still busted out laughing like it was the first time we'd ever seen it. Watching it also brought back some good memories from senior year of high school, as I originally watched it on a friend's iPhone before an away football game that a bunch of us went to and were freezing the whole time. Even though we got smashed in the game, my friends and I enjoyed attending and making funny memories like this one!

The Serious Baby - YouTube

So i was bored at lunch and my friend showed me this hilarious video of this baby that makes a serious face and then laughs. It's so funny to watch him go back and forth between the serious face (I call it the "whatchu talking bout" face) and the happy, laughing child. Definitely watch it and laugh; it made me do so at lunch! :] Sometimes it's just so great to browse youtube for funny videos!

TV Theme Songs - Where Are They Now???

Watching The Big Bang Theory Monday got me thinking about "what's happened to the 'theme song'?" Looking back on the shows of the 90s and and the reruns from the 80s, a good theme song was an essential part of a show. Now, it merely seems like an afterthought with most shows foregoing the process and just putting up a screen with the title of the show. While not all theme songs are created equal, and thus as amazing, but a good theme song will get stuck in your head and allow for the show's audience to enjoy the song and want to sing-a-long. Think about it--the themes from Three's Company, Saved by the Bell, Full House, Friends. They all have theme songs that make you wanna sing along after having watched the show for many seasons. Thus, I am in favor of bringing back the theme song and the intro to television series. Below is the opening for The Big Bang Theory by the Barenaked Ladies that's funny, clever, and fun to sing along to!

The Big Bang Theory - The Adhesive Duck Deficiency (Nov. 16 Episode)

So one of my favorite shows is the CBS half-hour sitcom, "The Big Bang Theory". The show has been on for 3 seasons and is actually funny unlike most of today's new sitcoms. On Monday (Nov. 16), the show's episode was hilarious with Sheldon attempting to help poor Penny after she has slipped in the shower, while the rest of the gang is at the desert for the Lenoid Meteor Shower and accidentally eat "special cookies". The only issue I have with the show in general is that I think the writers underuse Penny as a character and could give her more funny material as I believe the Kaley Cuoco can handle the weight. Regardless, below is one of the many funny moments from Monday's show.

Women's Rugby Game: UNCG vs. ECU

Like I said in the last post, I went back home to Greensboro this weekend and on Saturday I went to the UNCG women's rugby match versus ECU to support one of my friends from high school whose on the team. It was their last match as well. My friends and I knew nothing about rugby and were learning the rules along the way. Unlike other sports, it was pretty easy to follow as there did not seem to be a lot of rules (or there are and we just missed them). Though the team pretty much knew they were going to lose, UNCG still played hard and kept it interesting for us outsiders. It was a fun time to hang out with some friends I haven't seen in awhile and enjoy an interesting game!

Flat Tire

So Friday, I received a text from my sister saying that she had gotten a flat tire in a parking lot where she had driven to for a meeting. Thus, after my dad came and got me (I was going home for the weekend), we then had to drive another 45 minutes to Winston-Salem to go take off the flat tire and put on the spare. Thus, I got my first experience with a flat tire and saw the process. However, it did not make up for the fact that I didn't get to eat lunch because of the travels and had just wanted to nap Friday afternoon. Needless to say, when I got back home I was tired and hungry, but everything worked out in the end I guess and it was good my sister didn't get hurt.

A Christmas Carol 3D (2009)

Just saw Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3D this afternoon. The movie stars Jim Carrey as Scrooge (and many other characters) and was directed by the same mind who brought to life The Polar Express. Disney's new adaptation of the film is still able to bring the same joy and life lessons as the numerous previous ones have without it seeming like a re-hash and something we've seen before. Much of this is due to the animation, which is able to capture your attention and keep it. As well, I liked that the 3D helped the film, instead of just being a cheap trick and an excuse to throw things at the audience. Overall, i enjoyed the film and it's 96 min running time kept a good pace for the movie. However much i enjoyed it though, I still prefer the Muppet's version of the Charles Dickens classic that I have watched annually for the holidays.

Paranormal Activity (2009)

I saw the movie a week before last (Oct. 24th) and went in with low expectations, figuring it would be another crappy ghost film to add to the list. However, I did enjoy the film and regard it as one of the better scary movies in recent years. Though not scary to me, the film did provide a tense and suspenseful atmosphere. It helped to also laugh at others in the audience who were scared; especially your friend who has her jacket pulled over her face everytime night came around, lol. The movie has exploded with audiences and topped the box office (even beating the now-tedious Saw series in their sixth installment). The movie generated much of its buzz due to its marketing this as a “true ghost story” and other techniques. However, in case you didn’t know by now, the movie is completely made up and the characters are named after the two unknown actors. Regardless, the film deserves its praise and achievements at the box office. Definitely check it out if you haven’t already and watch the trailer below.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

So I love the Charlie Brown specials, and I had almost forgotten about them while I was @UNC, but fortunately I was able to catch it later. The Great Pumpkin as #2 to Santa Claus is so original and bizarre, and as always poor Charlie Brown can't catch a break as he gets rocks when he goes trick-or-treating. To me, every holiday is associated with a Charlie Brown special, as every year my family would get together to watch the hilarious cartoon that includes the likes of Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, and many others...I just realized they never call Charlie Brown just Charlie, lol. Also, it amazes me how I always forget stuff that happens in the episodes even though I've seen them so many times...But if you've never watched them, you should definately check them out! Anways, I enjoy the holiday specials and can't wait for the Thanksgiving episode! Below is one of the many funny moments from the show.

Unit 3, Feeder 1 Rough Draft: Burch Fellowship

UNC’s Burch Fellowship, which began in 1993, is a prestigious honor given to a few of the university’s students each year. The students are awarded grants of up to six thousand dollars in order to explore and research a specific topic of interest to them, “in a way and to a degree not otherwise possible” (as the Fellowship’s site states).

One of the goals of the Burch Fellowship, and as is apparent by the information provided on their site, is to promote the idea that the possibilities for research are limitless. Past recipients of the grant have traveled all over the world to explore and focus on their topics, from South America to Europe to Asia. However, the research need not only be done in foreign countries, as many of the Burch Fellows have stayed within the United States to accomplish their goals. As well, all fields of research are given equal opportunity as the Advisory Board consists of members from various departments from music to psychology to physics. Thus, looking through the list of Fellows shows the variety of subjects examined from fields in English to science to history and culture. While possibilities for research are endless, the website is sure to emphasize the need for feasibility of the proposal and of how it can be accomplished. Along with the proposal, attachments about actual (not estimated) costs are required, along with letters from those in that field to comment on the project’s feasibility. As well, it seems like the proposals chosen often involve aspects of research that can be brought back and used/applied to today’s processes and actions.

When looking at the participants, most seem to be juniors and seniors. This makes sense as they have a declared major and thus have a strong interest in their topic, as well as having some education and knowledge about the material. As an undecided freshmen college student, I thus have little idea of what I could be interested in to suggest for further research in a field.

Can't Wait for Fall Break

So fall break needs to get here as quick as possible, I'm just waiting for the next 4 days to go by but that means I need to do some work this weekend. I have a speech Monday, a paper due Tuesday, and a test and portfolio due on Wed...Hopefully I can do well on all of it and enjoy my two and half days at the beach over the break! During which, I plan to try not to do much of anything (though I may attempt to study for a chem test I have after fall break but that isn't likely to happen though I tell myself I should...). Wednesday 10:30 needs to get here fast!

Feeder 1 Revision - CNN Video

In the video, three people involved with the health care reform bill of the Clinton administration discuss whether President Obama can succeed with the reform where Clinton had failed. These three analysts included Donna Shalala, Harold Ickes, and Kenneth Thorpe, President Clinton’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Health Care Reform Bill contributor (respectively). Since all were previously involved on the same side with the Health Care issue, they each obviously still support the Obama administration’s initiative to promote the health care reform.
Donna Shalala adds a lot of details to back up her arguments, whether over why today’s climate is different from that of fifteen years ago or about the public option aspect of the bill. While most of her answers are based on logic and evidence, after she answers the designated question she tends to also reveal her more personal opinion; in her final question about the public option, she seems to speak personally when stating that something must be done to hold the insurance industry accountable for their actions. Thorpe is obviously the one most informed about the previous bill, as he was a part of its creation. This may be why he also seems the one most objectionable and logical about the issue. He gives specific examples about the desired cause of the bill, as well as why it is able to possibly be successful this time around. Ickes mostly gives more general statements about the issues of the bill (with terms about “substance” and the “politics” of getting the bill passed) without much specification. At the interview’s end, he begins to vaguely discuss key elements to drive forth health care but does not detail any of it or what exactly he feels the bill may need (though he admits it needs something).
While each pundit brings out good points about the possibility of today’s health care reform bill, the debate is a one-sided affair as the audience does not receive any other point-of-view since the pundits do not have to defend their opinions. Thus, the audience hears only whether the bill can pass, rather than any opinions on whether it should pass.

Whip It (2009)

I saw Whip It this past Monday, and though I went in having no clue what the movie was going to be about, I did enjoy the film. The movie stars Ellen Page (you know, the girl from Juno) and Drew Barrymore in a supporting role (she also makes her directorial debut here), and is about a high school beauty pageant contestant who finds new meaning when she discovers the world of roller derby. The movie, which could have been a little shorter, had a good mix of the sport with humor and outside story. I would recommend for people to see the movie, though I wouldn't say it matters whether you decide to pay for it while it's in theaters or wait until it comes on TV for free.

Zombieland (2009)

Like many others, this past Thursday night I went to UNC's advanced screening of the 2009 film Zombieland. Honestly, I only went because a friend asked me to, even though I had never even seen the trailer for the movie. However, the movie exceeded my expectations and was a great mix, involving great comedy and the horror/zombie factor. An especially funny sequence involved when the zombie killers went to Hollywood and crashed at Bill Murray's pad...and accidentally (well I won't give it away). The movie was great entertainment with my only problem being that there was no real ending, but besides this little fact, I suggest everyone go and enjoy the film!

p.s. Remember: NUT UP OR SHUT UP!

Unit 2, Feeder 1: CNN Video "Can Obama Succeed Where Clinton Failed?"

In the video, three people involved with the health care reform bill of the Clinton administration discuss whether President Obama can succeed with the reform where Clinton failed. These three analysts included Donna Shalala, Harold Ickes, and Kenneth Thorpe, President Clinton’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Health Care Reform Bill contributor (respectively). Since all were previously involved with the Health Care issue, they each obviously still support the Obama administration’s initiative to once again promote the health care reform. Thus, the debate is a one-sided affair as the audience does not receive any other point-of-view over if the bill should even be passed rather than if it can pass.
Donna Shalala gives a lot of details with her answers to back up her arguments whether over why today is different from fifteen years ago or about the public option. While most of her answers are based on logic and evidence, after she answers the designated question she tends to also add her personal opinion; in her final question about the public option, she seems to speak personally when stating that something must be done to hold the insurance industry accountable for their actions. Thorpe is obviously the one most informed about the previous bill as he was a part of its creation. Whether because of this, he also seems the one most objectionable and logical about the issue. He gives specific examples about the desired cause of the bill, as well as why it is able to possibly be successful this time around. Ickes mostly gave more general statements about the issues of the bill (with terms about “substance” and the “politics” of getting the bill passed) without much specification. At the interview’s end, he begins to vaguely discuss key elements to drive forth health care but doesn’t detail any of this or what exactly the bill he feels the bill may need.

Allergic to My Hometown

That's right, I belive this to be true...Everytime I go home I start sniffling and having a runny nose. But then I come back to UNC for a few days and I'm back to normal. I'm just now getting back to normal from this past weekend where allergies were the worst so far. The main reason I conclude this is I think I remember reading somewhere that Greensboro had one of the highest concentrations of pollen in the country; figures the one thing it's known for adversely affects me. I guess I'll just have to get drugged up everytime I return from now on until allergy season is up...

Big Brother 11 - JORDAN WINS!

So i'm like two weeks late in posting this, but I'm excited to say that Jordan won Big Brother 11. Though not the strongest player, I'm glad she won over Natalie. I will also give cudos to her strategy: she layed low for most of the game but won when she needed to, especially in the final HOH competition to secure her place in the final two! At first, I thought for sure she would lose against Natalie, but for whatever reason the majority of the jury just wasn't buying what she was selling. GO JORDAN, and I can't wait for next summer for another exciting (and sometimes irritating) season of Big Brother! :)

Flash Forward

So this past Thursday, ABC's highly-promoted and anticipated Flash Forward premiered. The show's basic plot involves everyone in the world blacking out at the same time for 2 minutes 17 seconds. During these blackouts, people saw glimpses of their futures, specifically what they were doing at a certain time of the day in 6 months time. The show was very interesting and kept your attention throughout the whole hour without a boring moment. I also liked how it started with a "what the heck is going on" moment and then "flashed backwards" to show exactly what happened. The only shortcoming seems to be the show's premise; can they make it last/stretch for a whole series? I wondered the same back when Lost premiered and it's on its sixth season now (also on ABC) so maybe they can find a way. I would definitely encourage others to watch the show if the preview below seems at all enticing...

Crazy Busy

so i don't feel like doing a normal post so I'll just complain for like the thousandth time that this has been/is a crazy busy week, I'm so exhausted and I still got 2 days...let's see so far I had my first college test Tuesday in Chemistry (always fun) and today a test in Psyc. After i took my test, i rushed to finish my lab report for chem and do the pre-lab quiz. I then have a paper due tomorrow and for friday I have like a million pages to read for a reading quiz and a revision of my engl essay for this class (no biggie compared to this other stuff)...so yeah the end, I'm tired and can't wait for friday! hopefully i'll be goin home to go to my high school's homecoming (ok not that excited about the actual game or going back to that school, but seeing everyone makes it fun!)...the end, haha

P!nk's 2009 VMA Performance

I hadn't heard about P!nk's performance at Sunday's VMAs, so this morning I watched a recorded video of it on youtube and was surprised by what I saw...this performance for me definately tops some of the others I mentioned; how can you top singing while flying in the air and doing acrobatics? That's right - you can't! So a great performance from P!nk, but idk why this wasn't mentioned with some of the other performances in news that I read about the show...watch it below

P!nk - New Music - More Music Videos

p.s. I also hadn't heard about Lil Mama going on stage during Jay-Z's performance...idk what's wrong with these people jumping on stage, messing with other people's moments; do they have no sense?

2009 MTV Video Music Awards

Although I didn't get to watch them live, I certainly heard about it all reading people's facebook statuses during the show. Instead, I only watched the "highlighted clips" provided on MTV.com . From this, the highlights of Sunday's show were as follows:

First off, obviously Kanye West's award show rant (yet another one) is the hottest topic. But his antics have gotten old, and he just needs to get over himself (cuz he definately ain't the next Michael Jackson, as he previously claimed). See below as he takes over Taylor Swift's moment

http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/435995/taylor-swift-wins-best-female-video.jhtml#id=1620605

The Michael Jackson tribute was phenomenal as professional choreographers came out to honor the talented dancer. As well, in the last half, Janet Jackson came out to sing and dance along side the video of her late brother to their 1996 hit "Scream" (one of my favorite songs)

http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/435991/michael-jackson-tribute.jhtml#id=1620605

Lady GaGa (as always) kept things interesting...and confusing. Although I understand the theme of the effects of fame, especially now with stalkerish paparazzi, I didn't realize she was going for a "Princess Diana" story until I read about it. I'll give her points though, she definately knows how to keep us guessing; the ending was great though

http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/435679/paparazzi-live.jhtml#id=1620605

Lastly, Beyonce's performance of her worldwide smash hit "Single Ladies". As great as it was, I've seen her perform this song a thousand times on tv, and though she changed it up a little bit, i still was expecting something more. However, as always she's a dedicated and great performer all around. As well, she was classy in later giving Taylor Swift her time to shine by letting the country star finish her thank you speech after Beyonce had won the Video of the Year.

http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/435683/single-ladies-live.jhtml#id=1620605

Overall, it seemed to be a pretty good show from the clips I've seen and MTV definately received the attention it was hoping for after the show was over (though the majority had to do with an unplanned moment, but that's just how the VMAs go!).

p.s. for whatever reaosn, blogger was letting me embed the videos, idk why, so just click the link and watch!

BIG BROTHER 12!

That's right!, the reality competition has been renewed for a 12th season to begin next semester, as a new batch of houseguest begin vying for $500,000. In case you didn't already know, I've become a big fan of the show since the past few seasons and cannot wait for a new one next summer! The CBS show always has some tricks up its sleeve (from bringing together two siblings who were unaware of one another, twins playing the game, and this year the houseguests starting out in high school cliques), and I can't wait to see what it has in store for us! I think they should bring out a celebrity edition of the show to spark some more interest; the version has already been tried out in the UK's edition of the show.

p.s. with only 1 of the "good guys" left in the final 3, i'm rooting for Jordan all the way! The live finale comes on thursday, will def. be tuning in! (below is Jordan with her proclaimed "bff" in the house, Jeff who has been evicted)

Sorority Row (2009)

This afternoon, I went to see the 2009 slasher flick Sorority Row. Apparently, the film is a "loose" remake of an older film with a similar plot. The movie reads like a flashback to the 90's where a group of sorority girls and one of their brothers accidentally kill one of their own sisters through an attempt to play a prank. Foolishly, the group deicdes to cover the murder up and dump the body. 8 months later, the girls are graduating and spending one last night as sisters in their sorority house with a party. However, bodies start turning up and mysterious texts haunt the girls as an unidentified killer (has their sister come back from the dead?) seems to be saying "i know what you did last...fall?", if you catch my drift. While the body pile-up gets a little too big for my taste, the movie keeps a good pace and has some witty lines that give some much needed humor relief to the constant suspense. Although nothing new or groundbreaking, the film was enjoyable for what it was and kept the audience guessing as to what might occur next. The only problem was the seeming revelation of the killer, but not really-so then the real revelation came, leaving some confusion in my mind. To end on a positive note though, who knew there were so many ways you could kill someone with a tire iron? ;)

The Fray LIVE 9/8/09

This past Tuesday, 9/8, I went to go see The Fray live in concert in Durham. To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of The Fray; I'm more of a casual listener but I do like their albums though I don't listen to them a lot. Thus, I was excited for the show but was unsure of how much I would enjoy it not being an avid fan who knows every song. However, the show was amazing, and though I didn't know every song, I still enjoyed myself. The best parts of the show were when the band performed their big hit singles and you could see everyone standing up and hear everyone in the audience singing the words (sometimes even hearing them over the lead singer); these moments, with songs such as "How to Save a Life", "You Found Me", "Never Say Never", and "Over My Head", sent chills. I have to say that I'm a bigger fan of The Fray having seen them live, now wanting to go back and listen to all the album tracks they performed.

*I should also mention the band's inclusion of their cover of Kanye West's "Heartless" as the first part in their encore; I had already heard their cover before, but once again it was even better live!

"An Abundance of Katherines"

To be honest, I got this book for $5 @Barnes & Noble awhile ago and got it because hey, it was $5 and it sounded interesting enough. However, I started reading it @the end of summer and just finished it and came to really enjoy the book, and is definately a novel I would recommend to anyone.

Published in 2006, the young adult novel by John Green, An Abundance of Katherines, tells the story of Colin Singleton. Now what's so special about Colin? Well, that's the same thing the 18 year-old recent high school graduate and supposed "washed-up child prodgiy" is asking himself after being dumped by Katherine the XIX...yes, the guy has got a thing for Katherines, and being dumped by them-19 times to be exact. With this recent dumping and questioning of who he is, Colin and his best friend, Hasssan, decide to take a road trip. The excursion leads them to Gutshot, Tennessee where they meet a girl named Lindsey who eventually becomes their guide to the city. During the course of the summer in Gutshot, the teenagers learn about friendships, relationships, and what it means to be famous or popular. Most of all, they learn that mattering involves what matters to you. As well, Colin realizes the revelation that the future is unpredictable and unstoppable, and that's exactly what makes it so enjoyable. The novel is a great read for both guys and girls with its great humor and insight into relationships and the young adults mind, mixed in with a little bit of romance and heartbreak.

One hilarious and memorable line: "Listen, sitzpinkler*...(*footnote: A German word, slang for "wimp," that literally means "a man who sits to pee." Those wacky Germans--they've got a word for everything.)"