This battle-weary Marine veteran showed 30 New York cops how non-violent protest carries more weight than any tear-gas guns and riot shields those cops carry to suppress any peaceful movement.

You can’t change anything if you don’t do something about it.

crazysexynerdy:

but guess who’s the company’s new Lead Graphic Designer?

Yeeeee! Time to go celebrate!

congrats!!

Keane: Somewhere Only We Know
From Hopes And Fears (Universal-Island, 2004)

I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete

I love hosting visitors. Whenever they come to California, especially if it’s their first time here, they bring a fresh perspective to the routines we do in the all-too-familiar places we go to everyday. A visit to the Golden Gate Bridge feels more grandiose when you’re with visitors. A short day trip to Los Angeles, while seemingly exhausting, is both challenging and exciting when you want to pack in as much activities in a limited time span. Even that California Burrito you usually order at your favorite taqueria tastes more exquisite as you want to share your enthusiasm for something uniquely Californian. At the end of the day, I realize that having visitors around remind me of all the beauty that I am already surrounded with that I take for granted.

So to my Canadian relatives whom I hosted this past weekend, thank you for helping me remember to enjoy the little things in life. Hope to see you again soon! =)

inkuinox:

Back from the dead. Enjoy an Inkuinox - Snickersbar. 

welcome back brother!

College: A Real Hero (feat. Electric Youth)
From Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Lakeshore, 2011]

Drive is a strange, but beautiful movie at the same time. It certainly wasn’t the Fast & Furious as it is marketed by the trailers and other advertisements. The film often features dark themes and violent moments where Driver, the nameless anti-hero played by Ryan Gosling, goes on a brutal rampage against those who would do wrong to the people he cares about. Some may see the main character’s vicious motives as downright demented, but to me it begs the question that “If you love and care about something so much, would you give it any less effort?”

The real charm of this movie comes from the relationship that develops between Driver and Irene, the lonely mother that lives down the hall from his apartment played by Carey Mulligan. Their characters are two lost souls in the City of Angels and when they find each other, you can’t help but root for them and hope that everything turns out well. While this isn’t the most original relationship, Gosling and Mulligan have more heart and soul in their performances than any of the forged friendships in the effects-driven Fast & Furious series.

If you plan on watching this movie, go in with an open mind and for the easily squeamish, go in with empty stomach. Also, be ready for an aural treat as the music plays a central role in driving the character’s emotions. The song featured in this post is the unofficial (and I hate using this term) “love theme” for this film. Everytime I hear this song, I can see the longing anguish between Driver and Irene.

So far, this is my favorite movie of the year. We’ll see if that changes when I see 50/50.

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

Regardless of how you feel about the trivial war between Macs and PCs, you can’t say that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs had not inspired countless generations with his innovation and his perseverance to overcome the pressures of the computing world. Much of my young career, goals, and dreams is driven by the technology that Jobs shared with this world. I’m forever grateful for the brilliant wisdom you have instilled in us.

RIP Steve Jobs.

“The Wonder Years” Now Available on Netflix Streaming

While most people my age pined for a relationship like Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence’s (played by Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel, respectively) in the de facto ABC 90s sitcom “Boy Meets World”, I was always more enamored with Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper’s (played respectively by Ben’s older brother Fred Savage and the lovely Danica McKellar) unrequited love for one another in the seminal 90s television show. “The Wonder Years”.

It is of little wonder (no pun intended) that I should be happy that “The Wonder Years” is finally available on some form of home video consumption. The TV series, which chronicled the life of a teenager growing up in the tumultuous 1960s, heavily featured music of the time period. Because of copyright laws and the difficulty of getting permission from all the original music artists, the series was never set for distribution to the home video market. The fact that it is more readily available for all to watch again brings a lot of hope and possibility to find a new audience in the “Boy Meets World”-saturated market.

Don’t get me wrong, “The Wonder Years” is not as clever or funny as “Boy Meets World”, but the former captured a nostalgic value that hasn’t been seen on television until “Friday Night Lights”. “Boy Meets World” was supposed to be the 1990s equivalent to “The Wonder Years”, but to me, it came off more like life in a soap opera than a lesson about growing up. The sitcom format, which is normally shot on video, did not lend itself well to the themes of love, friendship, and adolescence. Every episode of “Boy Meets World” (from season three on out) starts off with high comedic energy only to be dragged down whenever scenes became thematically serious, bringing it down to what I like to call soap opera levels. I believe the reason “The Wonder Years” did it’s job so well is because it took a risk by shooting on film, and film always looks better than video. It would be the same as taking pictures on instagram as opposed to the on-board digital camera. Watching “The Wonder Years” is a lot like looking through an old photo album, filled with countless Polaroids drenched in memories of family, friends, and lost loves.

I truly wanted to like “Boy Meets World”, so I can fit in with my peers. But let’s face it. At the end of the day, who turned out a better post-television life? Danielle Fishel or Danica McKellar? Yeah, you can call me shallow. I sleep better at night knowing that.

Delta Spirit: Devil Knows You’re Dead
From History From Below (Rounder, 2010)

“May good luck find you at your worst
and bad luck lose you at your best.”

This past summer, I came to the realization that amidst all my family and friends continually making big changes in their lives, I haven’t changed at all since coming back from LA.

A close friend of mine from back in high school once told me that if you feel you’ve gone nowhere in life, then you gotta do something about it. This friend is now serving our country by becoming a part of the US Navy. And that made me understand that even though things aren’t going your way at the moment, it doesn’t mean it’s too late to do anything about it.

Two, maybe even four years ago, the last place I wanted to be was back at school. But you know, things happen. People change. I’m done being a “shoulda-coulda-woulda” kind of guy, which is why I’ve decided to go back to school. And as weird as it is hearing me say it, I almost can’t wait to start. Yeah, almost. =)

Anyway, if you see me roaming around Mission College, feel free to say hello.

Define American: Jose’s Story

Pulitzer Prize winning Filipino writer comes out as an illegal immigrant. Such a brave and endearing story!