Where, indeed. It has been very long since I blogged. Under any other circumstance, I'd chalk it up to typical laziness, but for once, I'm actually busy!
Work's work. While I do spend much of my day streaming television at work, I use two monitors, so I actually do work while I have something else streaming on another screen. Usually it's television I've missed or just plain music. Whatever the case, I've been relatively busy at work.
Grad school is tiring. You would think, that taking one class wouldn't be so bad...but the amount of reading and work that goes into the one class is so tiring. Couple that with a full time job and other activities I got going on outside of work, and I constantly feel like I'm grasping for free time.
Soccer. Soccer season is in full gallop. The two kids teams I coach occupy Mon-Thu evenings after work with practices. I'm typically not free until 7 PM every weeknight except for Friday. Then on Saturdays and Sundays, my mornings and middays are basically closed because of the kids' soccer games. Throw in my coed football team that I play on Saturdays occasionally with, and my coed VT alumni soccer team that I occasionally play on Sundays with...and my weekends are basically done.
On top of all that, my personal laptop has finally died. After 8 glorious years, the old man gave up. I'm currently shopping for a new one, and leaning towards a Dell XPS Studio 16. Until I get it though, don't expect to see me online except during working hours (which in my case happens to be 7 AM - 3:30 PM Mon-Fri).
Lastly, for those of you who have like 5-10 free minutes everyday, here's a neat online game that has been spreading amongst my friends like the plague. It's super easy to get started, and rather addicting once you get into it. Best part of the game is it only takes about 5-10 minutes of your day each day if you decide to be active in it.
You can sign up under my character as my "pupil" by fighting me here:
http://nickylong.mybrute.com
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Why people should stop watching Heroes on NBC.
I quickly mentioned at the end of my last blog entry that Heroes is whack. I'd like to further that comment after last night's terrible episode. Now before I thrash the show, let me explain that I too, was once a heroes fan. Season 1 was great! And at the time, it was clearly a great new show. But here we are 2 seasons later, and what have we accomplished from the show?
Well, our main villain (Sylar) started out evil. Then the heroes had a chance to kill him at end of season 1, but didn't. Nonetheless, they averted the catastrophe of NYC blowing up in a nuclear explosion (more on that later). So Sylar escapes, and soon we realize...maybe he's actually good. But then, NBC tell sus he's evil again. Then this season, again, he flip flops each week between good and evil and now he's basically a side character, and no longer the antagonist of our show (despite the fact that he is easily the strongest of all the superpowered people). Then let's talk about the Heroes plot. Sounds simple enough....a bunch of superpowered heroes out to save the world. But save it from what? Season 1: Big Explosion that will cause the future to be bleak for superpowered people. Evil Corporation hunting heroes. Conclusion: Big explosion averted...world saved. Season 2: Bad virus that will give powers to regular people and cause the future to be bleak for superpowered people. Conclusion: Virus destroyed. Evil Corporation destroyed. World saved. Season 3: Heroes and Villains each responsible for future to be bleak for superpowered people (sound familiar yet)because evil corporation (government) is on the hunt for them *cough cough X-MEN cough cough*. Conclusion: Not yet determined, but will have something to do with an explosion of big city (this sounds familiar too).
On top of the fact that the plot seems to be replaying like a broken record, at least the episodes are entertaining right? Wrong. Heroes will go 2 or 3 or 5 episodes in a row in which the plotline/story does not progress at all. Instead, these episodes are filled with "filler" content...usually in the form of flashback backstories. Now in any other show such as Prison Break, Lost, etc. these types of flashbacks are great...they give us insight as to why things are happening or will soon happen. They also usually happen one scene or one episode at a time before returning us to the regular story so we can understand how it all ties together. In heroes? Well, we'll go through 50-55 minutes of flashbacks every week to learn more detailed information about stuff we already knew....without moving forward at all. Then in the last 5 minutes of every episode, there will be some kind of teaser scene that hints at some major change in plot...which means nothing to us as viewers because a) we have no idea what the plot of heroes is because it never moves forward...and when it finally does, the show scraps the idea completely and restarts and b)any major change in plot means nothing to us because it's something we've already seen.
To prove my point, let's look at major themes of heroes over the past 2 seasons.
-Heroes are villains and villains are heroes. Sylar, he's bad, then he's good, then he's bad, now he's good again. All the while, he's barely used in the show despite the fact he's easily the most powerful of all the "heroes". HRG (horn-rimmed-glasses aka Claire's father) is also evil, then good, and now evil again. We could care less though, because the plot of heroes has jumped back and forth on these "villains" so many times, everyone is just waiting to see if the story will ever move forward.
-The evil corporation. Makes sense, it's the age old comics plot. A bunch of heroes (or mutants if you know what I mean) is battling an evil corporation (Primatech - The Company, Pinehearst, and now the Government) who wants to capture "special" people. Only problem here, is that we never get any resolution on this. Season 1 builds up to a confrontation between heroes. That was good. Season 2 led to take down of evil corporation. That was ok. Season 3, a new corporation pops up...and somehow the heroes take it down quickly again. Ok, a little repetitive, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Halfway through season 3, 2 evil corps down, let's spawn a third one. Ok this is getting ridiculous, can we please stop repeating stuff and actually move forward with this show?
-Characters. Anyone else think the characters in this show suck? Peter and Sylar should be awesome...considering their abilities. We saw how awesome someone with that skill could be (Peter's father)...but what does the show do? It kills off the one cool guy who actually used his potential. Then we have this whole army of characters that we spend time developing and learning about...only to have the show drop them off completely (Nikki/Jessica/Tracy, Black Chick in New Orleans, Maya, Micah). Furthermore, there's this whole future-telling artist thing. First we have Isaac in season 1. He gets killed. No more predictions right? Wrong. Then we meet this African guy with the same powers. But he also gets killed. No more predictions now, right? Wrong. Now, Parkman (our mind-reader) somehow gets the ability to paint the future too (does that make sense to anyone) and he paints things. Make sense? No. Lame plot? Yes. And I'm not even gonna get started on Hiro Nakamura. Easily the most entertaining character in the show because of his jovial and naive personality...the writers of the show decided that in season 1, he should get lost in time. Then season 2, he should go back in time, and not have any impact on the plot whatsoever. When he finally returns with his idol, we are teased into the fact that he may be useful to the plot...only to find out that's not true because Adam Monroe (aka Takezo Kensei is killed). Season 3, they decide to just take Hiro's powers away all together.
All this being said, Heroes has lost all appeal to me. The show sucks, it's week after week of repetitive filler...with no plot development, no character development, and no exciting plot twists aside from the ones it keeps repeating. It is also responsible for Prison Break being cancelled cuz Fox was too stupid to put PB on at the same time as Heroes. PB was a much more exciting show, and even though it should've ended soon, its early cancellation is a terrible shame. I can't wait for Fox to air the 4 remaining episodes of Prison Break that have already been filmed, because even with no story resolution, I'm sure those 4 episodes will be vastly more entertaining than Heroes. I used to think Mondays were the best because of all the great television online...but now I have no desire to watch anymore. If it wasn't for How I Met Your Mother, I'd have to reason to watch any tv on Mondays anymore.
Heroes blows. Lost rules.
Well, our main villain (Sylar) started out evil. Then the heroes had a chance to kill him at end of season 1, but didn't. Nonetheless, they averted the catastrophe of NYC blowing up in a nuclear explosion (more on that later). So Sylar escapes, and soon we realize...maybe he's actually good. But then, NBC tell sus he's evil again. Then this season, again, he flip flops each week between good and evil and now he's basically a side character, and no longer the antagonist of our show (despite the fact that he is easily the strongest of all the superpowered people). Then let's talk about the Heroes plot. Sounds simple enough....a bunch of superpowered heroes out to save the world. But save it from what? Season 1: Big Explosion that will cause the future to be bleak for superpowered people. Evil Corporation hunting heroes. Conclusion: Big explosion averted...world saved. Season 2: Bad virus that will give powers to regular people and cause the future to be bleak for superpowered people. Conclusion: Virus destroyed. Evil Corporation destroyed. World saved. Season 3: Heroes and Villains each responsible for future to be bleak for superpowered people (sound familiar yet)because evil corporation (government) is on the hunt for them *cough cough X-MEN cough cough*. Conclusion: Not yet determined, but will have something to do with an explosion of big city (this sounds familiar too).
On top of the fact that the plot seems to be replaying like a broken record, at least the episodes are entertaining right? Wrong. Heroes will go 2 or 3 or 5 episodes in a row in which the plotline/story does not progress at all. Instead, these episodes are filled with "filler" content...usually in the form of flashback backstories. Now in any other show such as Prison Break, Lost, etc. these types of flashbacks are great...they give us insight as to why things are happening or will soon happen. They also usually happen one scene or one episode at a time before returning us to the regular story so we can understand how it all ties together. In heroes? Well, we'll go through 50-55 minutes of flashbacks every week to learn more detailed information about stuff we already knew....without moving forward at all. Then in the last 5 minutes of every episode, there will be some kind of teaser scene that hints at some major change in plot...which means nothing to us as viewers because a) we have no idea what the plot of heroes is because it never moves forward...and when it finally does, the show scraps the idea completely and restarts and b)any major change in plot means nothing to us because it's something we've already seen.
To prove my point, let's look at major themes of heroes over the past 2 seasons.
-Heroes are villains and villains are heroes. Sylar, he's bad, then he's good, then he's bad, now he's good again. All the while, he's barely used in the show despite the fact he's easily the most powerful of all the "heroes". HRG (horn-rimmed-glasses aka Claire's father) is also evil, then good, and now evil again. We could care less though, because the plot of heroes has jumped back and forth on these "villains" so many times, everyone is just waiting to see if the story will ever move forward.
-The evil corporation. Makes sense, it's the age old comics plot. A bunch of heroes (or mutants if you know what I mean) is battling an evil corporation (Primatech - The Company, Pinehearst, and now the Government) who wants to capture "special" people. Only problem here, is that we never get any resolution on this. Season 1 builds up to a confrontation between heroes. That was good. Season 2 led to take down of evil corporation. That was ok. Season 3, a new corporation pops up...and somehow the heroes take it down quickly again. Ok, a little repetitive, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Halfway through season 3, 2 evil corps down, let's spawn a third one. Ok this is getting ridiculous, can we please stop repeating stuff and actually move forward with this show?
-Characters. Anyone else think the characters in this show suck? Peter and Sylar should be awesome...considering their abilities. We saw how awesome someone with that skill could be (Peter's father)...but what does the show do? It kills off the one cool guy who actually used his potential. Then we have this whole army of characters that we spend time developing and learning about...only to have the show drop them off completely (Nikki/Jessica/Tracy, Black Chick in New Orleans, Maya, Micah). Furthermore, there's this whole future-telling artist thing. First we have Isaac in season 1. He gets killed. No more predictions right? Wrong. Then we meet this African guy with the same powers. But he also gets killed. No more predictions now, right? Wrong. Now, Parkman (our mind-reader) somehow gets the ability to paint the future too (does that make sense to anyone) and he paints things. Make sense? No. Lame plot? Yes. And I'm not even gonna get started on Hiro Nakamura. Easily the most entertaining character in the show because of his jovial and naive personality...the writers of the show decided that in season 1, he should get lost in time. Then season 2, he should go back in time, and not have any impact on the plot whatsoever. When he finally returns with his idol, we are teased into the fact that he may be useful to the plot...only to find out that's not true because Adam Monroe (aka Takezo Kensei is killed). Season 3, they decide to just take Hiro's powers away all together.
All this being said, Heroes has lost all appeal to me. The show sucks, it's week after week of repetitive filler...with no plot development, no character development, and no exciting plot twists aside from the ones it keeps repeating. It is also responsible for Prison Break being cancelled cuz Fox was too stupid to put PB on at the same time as Heroes. PB was a much more exciting show, and even though it should've ended soon, its early cancellation is a terrible shame. I can't wait for Fox to air the 4 remaining episodes of Prison Break that have already been filmed, because even with no story resolution, I'm sure those 4 episodes will be vastly more entertaining than Heroes. I used to think Mondays were the best because of all the great television online...but now I have no desire to watch anymore. If it wasn't for How I Met Your Mother, I'd have to reason to watch any tv on Mondays anymore.
Heroes blows. Lost rules.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Revisions
It's always a coinflip when something you enjoy or love, is given a newer, upgraded look. Sometimes it's a complete failure: remaking a classic movie, or musicians trying to reinvent themselves by doing a new type of music. But every once in a while, the new mod is something fantastic.
Yesterday, I went out and bought Street Fighter IV for my PS3. Anyone who's over the age of 10 likely knows about the classic that is Street Fighter 2. It was the game that spawned a generation of arcade fighting games. I remember fondly going to arcades in shopping malls as a child (which are basically dead thanks to consoles and online gaming) and putting my quarter on the screen of my favorite arcade games to claim "I'm next to play." Street Fighter was one of those games that consistently had huddles of players every time a new version was released. Since purchasing the game yesterday, all I can say is that my thumb is very sore today.
But there are many other great remakes besides Street Fighter. Take Neil Patrick Harris for instance. For those of us who remember the 80's, he will always be remembered for his breakout role as Dr. Doogie Howser M.D. Younger generations will likely remember him for playing a male-chauvanistic version of himself in the Harold and Kumar movies. But those who are TRUE NPH fans likely appreciate him most in his role as Barney Stinson on the popular sitcom "How I Met Your Mother". This is one of my favorite sitcoms to watch on tv, and I owe all of that to NPH. He is AWESOME.
How I Met Your Mother: Mondays at 8:30 PM on CBS....right before the whack-ass Heroes.
Yesterday, I went out and bought Street Fighter IV for my PS3. Anyone who's over the age of 10 likely knows about the classic that is Street Fighter 2. It was the game that spawned a generation of arcade fighting games. I remember fondly going to arcades in shopping malls as a child (which are basically dead thanks to consoles and online gaming) and putting my quarter on the screen of my favorite arcade games to claim "I'm next to play." Street Fighter was one of those games that consistently had huddles of players every time a new version was released. Since purchasing the game yesterday, all I can say is that my thumb is very sore today.
But there are many other great remakes besides Street Fighter. Take Neil Patrick Harris for instance. For those of us who remember the 80's, he will always be remembered for his breakout role as Dr. Doogie Howser M.D. Younger generations will likely remember him for playing a male-chauvanistic version of himself in the Harold and Kumar movies. But those who are TRUE NPH fans likely appreciate him most in his role as Barney Stinson on the popular sitcom "How I Met Your Mother". This is one of my favorite sitcoms to watch on tv, and I owe all of that to NPH. He is AWESOME.
How I Met Your Mother: Mondays at 8:30 PM on CBS....right before the whack-ass Heroes.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
New Year
Merry belated Christmas and Happy Belated New Year everybody!!! It's a new year and with that comes new hopes and disappointments. So here's my rundown of things to look forward to in '09 and things you wish would've stayed in '08.
Hells Yea!!!
-My birthday on Jan 22. Snowboard Trip to Wisp to celebrate.
-Stella and Andy's wedding on Jan 17.
-Super Bowl on Feb 1. Possibility of two underdog teams that were favored 100-1 or worse prior to playoffs and now have a chance to make it to the big show.
-Payraise from work.
-Sister graduates from VT in May.
-Still half of snowboard season left to go.
-Sam Adams Winter (White) Ale is in season.
-End of mid-season hiatus for primetime television. Beginning of Lost Season 5.
-Biggest Inauguration in US History...and associated long weekend.
-new year = new annual guy's trip to Vegas
-new soccer team to coach. New kids, New leagues, New responsibilities. More money in my pocket.
-new coed football team. Currently 1-1 (should be 2-0).
Doh!
-Prison Break is getting cancelled. 4 episodes already filmed will air, after that, who knows...either way, conclusion of show and storyline will not be smooth nor as good as it should be. I'm especially pissed because I thought Prison Break was better than Heroes the last 2 seasons...Fox was just stupid for putting it at same timeslot and so lost all their viewers.
-New semester of graduate school starts soon. Means less free time for me.
-My neighbors who have lived nextdoor to me ever since I moved to Virginia at the age of 4 are moving out because of legal disputes with their other next-door neighbors.
-Two of my favorite restaurants are gone from '08: Lucky Three Dimsum buffet (closed), and Four Sisters vietnamese restaurant (who moved to Merrifield and changed their food/decor/service/quality).
-Didn't get the job as the Junior Varsity Soccer Coach at W.T. Woodson High School...high school coach job on hiatus 'till my next opportunity.
-Many many friends moved away in '08. Perhaps I will visit some of you in '09: Fifi, Rick, Kelley, Elaine, Delia, Adam (shipped to Iraq, but will be back in '09), Tina.
Hells Yea!!!
-My birthday on Jan 22. Snowboard Trip to Wisp to celebrate.
-Stella and Andy's wedding on Jan 17.
-Super Bowl on Feb 1. Possibility of two underdog teams that were favored 100-1 or worse prior to playoffs and now have a chance to make it to the big show.
-Payraise from work.
-Sister graduates from VT in May.
-Still half of snowboard season left to go.
-Sam Adams Winter (White) Ale is in season.
-End of mid-season hiatus for primetime television. Beginning of Lost Season 5.
-Biggest Inauguration in US History...and associated long weekend.
-new year = new annual guy's trip to Vegas
-new soccer team to coach. New kids, New leagues, New responsibilities. More money in my pocket.
-new coed football team. Currently 1-1 (should be 2-0).
Doh!
-Prison Break is getting cancelled. 4 episodes already filmed will air, after that, who knows...either way, conclusion of show and storyline will not be smooth nor as good as it should be. I'm especially pissed because I thought Prison Break was better than Heroes the last 2 seasons...Fox was just stupid for putting it at same timeslot and so lost all their viewers.
-New semester of graduate school starts soon. Means less free time for me.
-My neighbors who have lived nextdoor to me ever since I moved to Virginia at the age of 4 are moving out because of legal disputes with their other next-door neighbors.
-Two of my favorite restaurants are gone from '08: Lucky Three Dimsum buffet (closed), and Four Sisters vietnamese restaurant (who moved to Merrifield and changed their food/decor/service/quality).
-Didn't get the job as the Junior Varsity Soccer Coach at W.T. Woodson High School...high school coach job on hiatus 'till my next opportunity.
-Many many friends moved away in '08. Perhaps I will visit some of you in '09: Fifi, Rick, Kelley, Elaine, Delia, Adam (shipped to Iraq, but will be back in '09), Tina.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Miami
Last weekend I headed down to Miami Beach for my boy Andy's bachelor party. It was a fun weekend. The weather never dropped below 70 or 75 degrees. We went partying at clubs, we ate awesome food, we hit up bars along the beach, we took in sun at the beach and swam, we went deep sea fishing, and my Hokies won the ACC Championship to get into the Orange Bowl. Pretty fantastic weekend.
Miami had its bumps along the way too though. People there are not as friendly as in Vegas, in fact some were downright rude. But the overall weather and being around a lot of my close friends made the trip fun regardless.
Here are some highlights from our trip:
Yup, that's me and the "boss" himself...Mr. Rick Ross. Everyday I'm hustling!
Cocktail Waitresses from beach bar "Mango's" doing their thing on salsa night. This bar pretty much became our favorite pregame spot as soon as we realized there were hot waitresses who danced on bars to live music every night.
Miami had its bumps along the way too though. People there are not as friendly as in Vegas, in fact some were downright rude. But the overall weather and being around a lot of my close friends made the trip fun regardless.
Here are some highlights from our trip:
Yup, that's me and the "boss" himself...Mr. Rick Ross. Everyday I'm hustling!
Cocktail Waitresses from beach bar "Mango's" doing their thing on salsa night. This bar pretty much became our favorite pregame spot as soon as we realized there were hot waitresses who danced on bars to live music every night.
Monday, November 17, 2008
We Miss You Jack.
6 years later. I still miss you bro. You never forget your best friend from your childhood. That one (or few) person(s) that you grew up with, went to school with, rode through your life's ups and downs with. Jack, you were that guy to me. Through the good times and bad, I could always count on you. You motivated me to be better. And even now, when you're gone to a better place, I am inspired to be half the wonderful person you were.
R.I.P Jack Tse-Hou Chen
August 12, 1982 --- November 16, 2002
R.I.P Jack Tse-Hou Chen
August 12, 1982 --- November 16, 2002
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Post-Halloween
Yikes, it's been like 2 months since I blogged. Times are a busy. Coaching soccer has really taken off, I'm taking on newer opportunities and responsibilities. Grad School has been very time-intensive as well. Overall though, life is good. I celebrated one of my favorite holidays last weekend. Halloween is fantastic. Beautiful sexy girls everywhere dressed scantilly. Friendly people everywhere giving away candy and chocolate. And all the delicious pumpkin ale you can drink. Mmmm....Mmmmmm.
Here's some pics from my halloween partying last weekend. I'm the jabbawockee (America's Best Dance Crew guy in the mask).
That's me in the middle. Ali the dark wizard on the left. And Mike Davis as the corporate storm trooper on the right.
Here's me and Anna in her leather catwoman outfit.
Here's me and Stella in her corpse bride getup. She and Andy looked awesome in their makeup.
Here's some pics from my halloween partying last weekend. I'm the jabbawockee (America's Best Dance Crew guy in the mask).
That's me in the middle. Ali the dark wizard on the left. And Mike Davis as the corporate storm trooper on the right.
Here's me and Anna in her leather catwoman outfit.
Here's me and Stella in her corpse bride getup. She and Andy looked awesome in their makeup.
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