Wishful thinking: 2006 New Years Resolution

It’s that time of the year again--time to pull out my long overdued new year’s resolution, actually just a slightly modified version of the new year’s resolution from last year and possibly the year before that. Or shall I just call it what it really is, a wish list given that most of the items still have the status “in progress” or “completely failed”.

Anyways, here are the nominees:

1. Keep in touch with friends, old and new.
It sounds like it's straight from the fortune cookies I got from Little Sichuan, but this time, I will actually write and send one card out a day, everyday in fact until my stock runs out completely. I have to pat myself on the shoulder for this one--it's sorta a one-stone-kills-three-birds kind of deal. I rediscovered the unbelievably large quantity of cards I have accumulated over the years, postcards for the various cities and museums, thank-you and get-well cards that I only used one out of the pack of twelve, blank cards that must have been cute at the moment, photo cards from the era when I thought I looked good on paper, and many more What-was-I-thinking varieties. On top of that, I just found out that the stamp machine at the local post office accepts pennies and the nickels. What a wonderful way to get rid of my jars and jars of pennies! And to keep in touch with friends, which is really the goal here.

2. Lay it on thick.
Use lotion whenever I am aware of the fact that I don't have lotion already on my body :) While I was packing for the move, equally amazing collection of lotion of all variety turned up as well. Here I use the “lotion” loosely, basically anything in cream, oil, gel or lotion form that can go on hair, face, eye, neck, hand, body, feet, and everywhere else on one's body. This is important because unlike my cards, lotion/whatever has an expiration date. And I GOT TO stop buying more crap.

3. Hike/Summit Mt. Whitney
Kind of an old one. Last year we were 2.5 miles from the summit when we turned back. This year I will give it another shot and prepare for summit.

Training plans:

• Get used to hiking in snow in higher altitude. Grasp glissade. Start training in January by skiing and snowshoeing
• Train to increase stamina in long-distance day hikes. Round up friends to include Shasta and maybe Rainier as training routes. If Rainier is not possible, opt for a couple of Yosemite and Kings Canyon trails

Not going to have Internet for the rest of this year. Hopefully these are it...

2006, here I come!

Soft spots: Look of love

By JJ Abrams

Can you become
Can you become
A new version of you
New wallpaper
New shoe leather
A new way home

I don't remember
New version of you
I need a new version of me
New version of you
I need a new version of me

[Season 2]
They are totally in love, but as of now it's under the water, soon to surface.

Zero in on the subtle changes of the facial expressions, shown in cross cutting style:

TV: Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer

It's just keep getting better and better. Since the train wreck episode, this is definitely the high point in four weeks. Everybody was great.
Alex: Why do you want to help me?
Izzie: Because that's what Jesus would freakin' do!

DEREK: "Christmas makes you want to be with the people you love. ... (pause) ... I'm not saying this to hurt you. -- And I'm certainly not saying this because I want to leave you, because I don't. -- ... But Meredith wasn't just a fling. She wasn't revenge. // I fell in love with her. // And that doesn't change, just because I chose to stay with you."

Soft spots: 被遗忘的时光 2

看到东邪西毒了，喜欢的人物纷纷出现了。欧阳克和郭靖来桃花岛比试， 黄药师，洪七公，周伯通，欧阳锋当今四大武林高手被搅得团团转。书里虽然没有着过多笔墨，但是电视版的娱乐性强多了。

Soft spots: 被遗忘的时光

在家收拾东西，一边整理装箱，一边看电视剧，83版的射雕英雄传和Felicity交替着看，做背景noise。 跑出跑进，时而蹲下来看两眼。

平时无聊时我都是从东邪西毒开始看，因为最喜欢洪七公。这次有的是时间便从铁血丹心第一集。虽然是布景简陋，但是演得太好了，好多次我都放下手边的东西趴在地上看上半个小时. 我在想这帮人是不是都是学话剧出身的? 在人多混乱的场景尤为明显.

杨康真是可怜，虽然天资聪慧，但是遇人不淑，总是和什么沙通天欧阳克之流的人在一起，之中武功最高的也不过梅超风，还只学了个皮毛。关键是身世凄惨, 才被告知生父为何人就要被逼作决定, 几经波折还得亲眼目睹生身父母双双自尽, 对一个18岁的人来说实在是够残酷.

里面的插曲实在是好听, 从小到大看了那么多琼瑶唯一完整记住的一首词就是跟射雕学的这岳飞所作的满江红。杨铁心死前倒在众人怀里, 说，“惜弱...” 前奏起，甄妮细腻幽长的“怒发冲冠凭阑处，潇潇雨歇”于无声处渐渐响起。 杨铁心挣扎着说出最后一句话“我好像听到有人在唱歌”。 声音渐大，“抬望眼、仰天长啸，壮怀激烈”，然后罗文甄妮合“三十功名尘与土，八千里路云和月。莫等闲、白了少年头，空悲切” 。之间 镜头拉离以杨铁心为中心的众人，渐变成杨康，在杨康脸上停留片刻，再转回杨铁心和包惜弱话别，进而至杨康和完颜洪烈，两个人表情各异，最后过渡至彭寨主，欧阳克, 梅超风一干人等, 每个人表情都很到位。还有我哭得一把鼻涕一把泪。

大白天的黄河四鬼穿着夜行服还遮着脸, 而且周围的都是自己人.服装也太疏忽了.

丘处基真实TNND讨厌死了，还有柯镇恶。 Will you guys SHUT UP for just one second??!

Movies: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I can't say I am impressed with the movie.
All that wonderful British humor seemed lost when put on celluloid. Some of the best lines were shortened or edited out of the movie. For example, the dialog between Arthur and Mr. Prosser about the notice to build a bypass right where Arthur's house was, was cut to "I had to go down to the celler." I am like, what the...??! And also Ford Prefect's trying effort to interpret Arthur's sarcasm about being busy lying in front of a couple of bulldozers. Not to mention the #1 most important space campanion, the towel and its psychological effects on the hitchhikers were treated very lightly and hastely. As a result, the humor was gone and because of the realistic setting (not so much like outer space but rather a deserted island on earth--which is probably where the movie was shot anyway...), the movie feels like a B-rated science fiction with a lot of ground to cover in a short period of time... Thin and too spread out. Nothing really sticks to the mind after the movie is over. Man, I shall stick to the books from this point on.

The opening scenes where all the dolphins vanished from the earth was way too much like a Sea World promotion video, lacking the ethereal feel the book was going for. The effects used to illustrate the various features of the book "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
were done somewhat crudely, almost like Flash MX (If I may dare say so). I mean it was still very funny in terms of the point the animation was trying to make, but when Flash was shown on a big screen, oh come on... People were looking for something more.