Don't Let Me Down!

Contrary to popular belief, I actually do a lot of work at work. It just
doesn't seem like it as much cause when you call me or email me, I'm pretty
lax and take my time. But fact to the matter is, I bust my butt to do as
much work as I can at an efficient quality. Faster than other workers
would be able to do it....and SO, i take that to my advantage and when i do
other things (talk on phone, email, blog, etc.) ...it's because i've done a
good amount of work thus far. this is my 2nd logic -- you know how many
people smoke cigerettes at my company? well...i'll tell you -- it's alot!
and everytime i go downstairs to get something at CVS, Corner Bakery, or
White Hen...i always see the same people outside. And as a prior smoker at
work (...i don't do it anymore cause i don't like to stink being around a
bunch of big wigs), i know the schedule. they go in the morning -- around
8:30 cause you figure you settle in and get your morning coffee...might as
well smoke if you got'em. then again at 10:30 for that mid-morning fix.
then obviously lunch which can consist of 2 or 3 cigerettes. then 2:30 for
that mid-afternoon fix. and finally right after work. THEN, you figure
with time to smoke (10 minutes) and time to wash up or get outside (let's
say 7 minutes) -- WELL, that's about 20 minutes per break with about 4 - 5
breaks...which adds up to over an hour! MY LOGIC IS -- since I don't
smoke, why can't I have the same luxury as a smoker? instead of smoke
breaks...i do email, blog, and random walking around breaks. hence the
contrary to popular belief -- i actually do a lot of work at work...you
just don't notice cause i accumulate all my "smoke breaks" into one. i
should just leave early and yell out, "smoke break...i'll be back on
monday!"

late last night, as i watched tv to put myself to sleep, i was watching
laguana beach. don't really watch it and don't know what's going on. but
that one chick who was bangin stephen and now jason or whatever...she's
like a slut and stuff. but in the words of every guy in my fraternity -
"i'd do her." BESIDES THIS, my point was -- they show those "new video"
clips during the credits and low and behold, i see the new My Chemical
Romance video. AGH! In case you don't know...these guys are pretty good,
pretty talented and matter a factly -- from my high school. The bass
player, Mike Way use to always come into my comic book store. (did i post
this before?) and the lead singer, Gerard Way (his bro) actually put out a
comic book but it totally flopped. Now that he's this big rock star...he's
gonna put out another comic and you know what -- i betcha it frickin sells.
I guess I just thought that I would be the first really famous dude from my
high school...but turns out someone beat me to it. whatever...now i just
want to be the famous dude in my graduating class. "Did you see Jonald's
movie -- That Asian Thing? It's like this documentary about Asian
Americans. Pretty funny but so smart. Now he's like the savior to all
Asian Americans. and i didn't notice in back when we were in high
school...but he's so frickin hot!" Don't worry -- this is what all the
ladies say....HA HA!

White Sox ticker tape parade today. I can probably see it from my window
at work. "Sweet home - Chicago!"

Next time you're in conversation this weekend. At any randumb moment, just
say "tickle the balls." you'll always get a laugh. works for guys and
girls. when they say, "what?" just repeat and say, "you haven't heard
that new lingo yet? it's like 'cool,' 'dope,' or 'sweet.'" It's sure to
catch on....tickle the balls!

getting better all the time

my TMJ frickin hurts like crazy today. i dunno what aggrevates it, but i
was reading up on it and stress is one of them. stress is like enemy
numero uno for your whole body. it never ceases to amaze me at how people
change when they're under an incredible amount of stress. it's like this
pressurized situation where any move is the wrong move and no matter what,
the intensity level is times 30 (....yes, times 30....i picked that number
cause it sounds like a lot, but not too much).

i' m gonna talk about That Asian Thing project personally. on the Asian
Thing blog, i like to keep it all business with thought provoking points of
view that i come across as i progress. however, i haven't really thrown in
too much of my feelings. and so, i'll do a bit of that right now. what's
been the most difficult since this project has started is getting crucial
interviews with the right people. i'm actually pretty psyched to sit down
with the Pacifics this sunday. however, i'm tryin to get some bigger names
like rev. jesse jackson, margaret cho, and apl.d.ap (from Black Eyed Peas).
But it's pretty rough to 1.)get in contact 2.)make my project sound
appealing to them 3.)not be able to pay them in anyway and 4.)get to
wherever they're at if they're not in chicago. I'm optomistic
though....i'm in the beginnings of this project and if i give up now, i'm
this naysaying little b*tch that should give up on any sort of dream to do
film. HOWEVER, that ain't me and i ain't goin out like that! THIS IS IT!
i've sent out numerous emails and i will prove to people that have no faith
of my powers. just gotta open doors with the jaws of life -- jiggy boy
styles!

i just need to vent a little. this cold weather is making me turn into a
werewolf. getting a little bit lazier with goin to the gym. staying up
way too late at night working on this project. but when i think about
it....the determinating factor is what makes me keep on going. i WANT this
to be the best damn documentary and stage production to shout louder than
all asian americans put together. time is so important when i think about
it too.

AH...before i leave -- note: the white sox are the world series champs.
unbelievable. the town is wierd and psyched to have baseball champs. but
not for nuttin...i think it would've been crazier if the cubbies won it.
there's way more cubs fans than sox fans. not that i've been to every nook
and cranny in chicago, but i do work downtown, which is the middle of the
windy metropolitan. i just see and hear more cubs fans. i'm sure there
are more sox fans now though....

halloween is coming soon. are you scared?

You know my name, look up the #!

i'm gonna start naming my blog entries after Beatles songs. whichever pops
into my head. that's what its gonna be. whether it references what i'm
writing or not...who cares. this is RANDUMB baby!

sometimes i think its wierd when someone in my cubicle refers a person to
me, but isn't speaking directly to me. like....i hear my name, but they're
not talking to me. it's like talking behind my back, but in my ear. at
most part, it's nothing bad...but when it has to deal with work or doing
more work....well, then that's always associated with bad.

Chicago White Sox are gonna win the world series?? really?? i've actually
been watching this series on the d.l. not completely indulged in it, but
my one stray eye watches the game when it looks like i'm holding
conversation. AH HA...and y'all just thought i had lazy eye. well i
don't....however, if you're reading this and you do...i'm sorry. it's
nothing to be ashamed of. one of my friends has lazy eye and he's seeing
someone about it. (obviously with his good eye only.) i mean...we all get
lazy...just some people more than others and you're so lazy that it effects
your eye. be okay with it, cause i'm okay with you. and together...we can
be okay. okay?! and the moral of this paragraph is -- GO SOX!! (i'm more
in it for the city than for the braggin rights. i WAS a yankees fan till
it got boring cause they kept on winning and everyone accused me of jumping
on the bandwagon. the only thing i root for now a days are: my
cousins/friends' vollyball team, my fantasy football players, me in bed
getting my groove on, and my company who pays me to root for them.
otherwise....i just stand in the back bopping my head to the same
ol'beat....).

I watched another documentary last night. Capturing the Friedmens. This
was waaaaay better than my previous documentary watch. It basically dealt
with how a family that seemed so tight and loving at one moment, broke down
when the father was arrested for child porn and molestation...AND THEN, the
son was his accomplice cause he was in on it too. first
off.....eeeewwwwwwww! second -- great detailed look at the city that they
grew up in, the insight of the family, and the investigation by the
documentary team. they had classic footage from the son, which made it
money from the get go. however, you still have to deal with the magic of
editing to tell your story. and that they did a good job of. i enjoyed
it, even though it was a sad tale. but most documentaries are. BUT NOT
That Asian Thing.....

REVIEW: Weather Underground

http://www.upstatefilms.org/weather/main.html

What a way to end my Sunday night -- I watched the documentary, Weather
Underground and was so deeply disturbed that I cringed every minute that I
watched this film. It's such a buzz kill because not only is it true, but
it took place during an era when the world was undergoing a revolution that
had to be met. The Weather Underground takes place during the 1970's and
it depicts the lives of the members known as the Weathermen (named after a
Bob Dylan song lyric). At first, they were associated with a political
party youth activist association, but then about 13 members took complete
lead and felt that their fighting words weren't doing jack. They needed a
higher plan of attack, which turned into violent rage against "the man" and
everything that he stood for. It was their shout at the government to get
the men out of vietnam and bring them back home. However, things got a
little out of hand after a crazy riot of a bum rush with protestors
throwing rocks and using sticks to demolish the streets of Chicago. It was
a revolt and a stand against the police/government. Bring our boys home!
However, for some reason, I just couldn't watch it without thinking,
"Man....that sucked...." I actually don't know what I would've done during
that time period. Would I too want to take action and stand up against the
government? If you think about it...the same thing is happening
today...isn't it? But there's no form of revolution -- I think everyone
agrees that no innocent people should get killed but then there are people
who can be confused -- yes, you want to stand next to your country, but is
this fight worth it? Have you been brain washed to attack anything/anyone
that resembles Saddam? I think back then, people were more open with
taking a stand and taking feelings out. I believe that we live in an
oppressed world now -- where people WANT to get along, but push all
feelings and comments in the pits of stomachs in order to stay p.c. or
accomodating to the masses. This could very well be my personal point of
view, but I don't think it's very far fetched. Maybe it's time for another
revolution. But not through the use of violence...rather through the use
of what everyone is already guilty of. And this my friends is
called.....REALITY TELEVISION!

emptying out the cell phone pics

today's entry is basically me emptying out pics from my phone. what i usally do is upload unto my yahoo photo album and save them for incriminating evidence when i need to use them. however, these pics are useless to me....JUST KIDDING! (...uh...not really...) Actually, upon these pics are some random moments during my summer season, since we're on the cusp of entering colder weather. so, in a way, this is my own personal cleansing to get out all the summer activity and get ready for the colder moments that are about to enter. bbbbrrrrrr....i can already see my breath (..oh snap...i should close me window and turn the air off since it's like 40 degrees here....it was an environmental experiment!). NOW for the explanation of these images. the majority of this ride comes from our day at the annual Naperville Ribfest. It was so much fun and such great eats. MMMMMM...RIBS!!! NONSTOP RIBS!! here are captions that i will write out but not tell you which one goes with which picture. that's the fun of it. connect them for yourself:

--"hmm...looks a little flat."
--"i'm frickin sexy, bitch!"
--"this is how you put the roller on and make things extremely yellow."
--"you wouldn't believe me if i told you i was wearing neon green sunglasses."
--"we are bag aliens. we have come to take over your planet."
--"errr...my head.....jus...won't...eerrr...go...up!"
--"BAMPH!"
--this is what happens to your muffler if you don't get your oil changed for over year....
--"i need to win that stuffed animal!"
--self-explanatory

AND now i'll leave you to gauk, stare, and perform your voodoo rituals on these pictures. thank you for your time.

I can remember...

-- doing a one-word email response to Wille every other day for about 2
months. we kept on going back and forth with one word responses. it was a
list of random and tangent relations.

-- going to the grease trucks with Frank 3:55 in the morning and only get
Fat Steve's cause they already turned the grill off. HOT SAUCE, ESPECIAL!!
"Hot and juicy, like wet p*ssy" is what Sammy always told me....

-- watching the Daily Show with Craig Kilborn at Wesley's house on summer
afternoons when we had nothing to do. We'd just sit there and chill.

-- always getting beat by woodbury everytime we played basketball.
GOD....i know i'm still better, but that height advantage killed me. we
played the mecca of all one-on-one bball games at Lou's house on a cold,
fall night. he wore a larry bird jersey (that barely fit him). we were
dead even and then he got up on me with 2 hook shots. unreal! he fell to
the ground from exhaustion, as you can see our breaths in the cold air.
when he stood back up, he sweat so much and had so much heat on him that
his jersey was etched on the cold ground of lou's driveway. it was a
really awesome time. (P.S. I SHOULD'VE WON ALL OUR GAMES!! I will still
play you anywhere and anytime, biotch!)

tangent...here and there

uh....not really cool when you're in the men's room and the guy in the
stall has to constantly give out gasps of air, in relief of the "pain" that
he's going through. I mean...yeah, doin the #2 is relieving, but come on
dude....i don't wanna hear it every 5 seconds. (under breath)
"UUUghhh...oh yeah...oh god what did i eat?" "uuhh-ahhh....whoa...poopy
fresh..." UH...OKAY, STOP NOW!

please let us win the lotto! please let us win the lotto! please, please,
please!! if i win the lotto -- a. the movie is practically done. it's as
good as golden. b. masters degree and past education will be paid for.
dope. c. familia will get a share. d. new car. AND THAT'S IT. i
actually want to rest on my money for a little. no house. no moving to
hawaii or anything. i want to relax for a bit. and then make moves. and
then make investments. nothing rash man. that's how people lose money.
but of course, i will be eating my lunches at the nudey bar from now on
though....

documentary this, documentary that. check out the documentary site please!
answer my survey -- PLEASE!! http://www.that-asian-thing.blogspot.com

i will unload all my cell phone pics unto my blog later on this week. i
need to clear out some space mang....

tired....

I've been tired lately. I think it might be the change in weather. it's wierd how that really conducts the way our body acts. [on another note, i just saw albert pujols smash the crap outta the baseball in the houston-cards game - top o'da 9th.] which brings me to tangency - where did all these white sox fans appear from? weren't you a cubs fan like 2 or 3 years ago during the steve bartman era? MAN -- i can't believe that espn made one of those mini-documentaries about steve bartman and how he totally f*cked it all up for the cubs. not like beckett was a really awesome pitcher at that time or anything. UGH...enough about baseball...this is all i hear at work.

i now present a couple of pictures depicting my weekend. courtesy of my phone:



this is the random poster that hung over the urinal in the men's room at Martini Ranch where i downed like 12 shots and used vodka tonics as my chaser. starting at 9:30 p.m. -- i was down for the count by 1:30 a.m. My body ain't what it use to be. In college, I'd probably be good for another couple of shots and toke a lil' back at da batcave. But not at the big 2-7. Now, i need my sleepy time. weeeeeak!



This is the banner that looms over the ticketbooth of the Chicago International Film Festival. It's been awesome to watch a flick and do the q&a with the directors afterwards. So far 2 for 2 with questions to directors. i just get so intrigued and want to dip into their minds. the coolest question and answer was by the director of "Pale Eyes" (french flick). Someone was asking, "I just wanted to see if my interpretation..." and then the director stopped him cold and said, "You're right!" The director explained himself afterwards and said that people's interpretations of films are right no matter what. it's your own thoughts and movies are made to make viewers think. you create your own conclusions and that's what cool about it. sorta like when you read a book and see the image in your head and when you watch the movie adaptation, it just isn't as good. it's cause you interpreted it for yourself.

and that's that...

stuff

I wonder if the old people at my work get peeved when some young kid has
the power to make them do things (like look up files and stuff like that)??
I'm still pretty young myself, so if someone younger than me has me doing
something, i don't initially mind it cause i just f*ck around with them.
still do the work of course, but be able to talk to them in
youthful-out-of-work lingo. makes it more lax.

this documentary business is more rough than what people might think.
there's a lot of work involved in terms of setting up interviews, thinking
of camera equipment, capturing the right footage, doing massive research on
the topic. you would think that there's not that much about asian american
entertainment -- but dude, there's a crapload out there that make me think
that "who am i to try and be a savior to people that have already been
tryin to battle for so long??" and the only answer i can come up with
is...."I'M JONALD REYES BITCH! Maybe it was destined for me to be THAT
ONE!"

i run on about 5-6 hours of sleep due to all my writing projects and gym
visits. my life has been a time schedule where i actually always have
something that needs to be done and surprisingly enough, watching movies is
one of them. watching movies and listening to commentary is my school
(till i actually do go back to school to get my masters in screenwriting).
but this is how i learn what works and what doesn't work. its basically
more research. then there's the documentary. my websites that need to get
updated. and if i get bored, my screenplay is always on the backburner. i
got a lot on my plate, but i just gotta keep on doin it man...

chappelle show...lost forever?

I've been blog deprived. Sorry. I actually started up a new blog last
night, but am still gonna revamp it a little to make it hella cool for
school. if you must check it out --
http://www.that-asian-thing.blogspot.com . its the blog for "That Asian
Thing" documentary. i don't want to intercede thoughts from my own mind
with production notes that should go onto that blog. SO, i'm gonna talk
about me, me, me, me, and yes....ME!

i miss the dave chappelle show! i can only get so much of watching his
stand up dvd's (2), both seasons of chappelle show and commentary, and
half-baked. i'm not really messin around with his smaller roles of men in
tights or nutty professor (eddie murphy not jerry lee lewis...who the
french love like germans loving david hasselhoff and japanese loving john
stamos). But it really is too bad about Dave Chappelle. So this is my
take on the short run -- he got too big for himself to handle. There's
this artist complex where you're your own worst critic. There were already
sketches made for the 3rd season. I'm sure he would watch them over as
they were taping intros and just felt like this was all crap. ALSO, if you
listen to his commentary from the 1st and 2nd season, he overworked
himself. he and neil brennan worked 20 hour days. even people that
contributed sketches to them -- they would just take the initial idea and
write out the sketch themselves. and you know what -- it worked awesome
that way....but it also takes too much out of a person. then the whole
rick james, prince ordeal. the funniest sketches ever, but it's like, "how
the hell do i top that?" SO, i think it was an assortment of things, but
all in all, i think he wanted to do a kick ass show but not work as much as
he did AND when he thought about it...maybe it just didn't seem feasible.
but now he's back doing what he loves -- stand up. if anyone ever wanted
to get me the ultimate christmas or birthday gift -- dave chappelle
tickets! (or paul mccartney...but they have to be awesome seats for it to
be the ultimate gift).

why does it hit me harder than most folks? i dunno...i just thought his
humor was the most frickin smartest crap i've ever heard and watched in my
smart life. i study his technique man. i get indepth with the way he does
his comedy. sounds crazy...but this is how he became great himself -- he
followed in the footsteps of richard prior, george carlton, and paul
mooney.

DAVE -- call me up man...we have to do lunch again when you're in chicago!

the first step....

SO, research has been underway on "That Asian Thing." Had an interview with a couple of my friends and got a lot of good feedback. Gotta give props to my cousin, Weng, for stickin it out and jumpin on ship. Once this is all said and done, I'm takin it to every film festival known to man! no doubt! what i do need is a good editor?? anyone know someone i can work with??

moving along...

don't you hate it when...

-- people are idiots when it comes to walking. it's a crowded street, you're dodging people left and right with ease, but then there's always that one person who doesn't know how to walk and seem to go right into your path. HELLO?? don't you see me coming...move it, drunkin master!

-- conversation dies. when a group of your friends are all talking and then it comes to abrupt end. like no one says anything all of a sudden. it's sorta wierd. then someone says, "awkward silence" or something to that matter. everyone giggles like little school girls (...ahem...an asian stereotype!) and then some other form of random conversation slowly untwines...

-- you forget what you're about to say. you literally have something at the tip of your tongue, but you really do forget or it just doesn't come out when you get your chance to jump in. how does that happen? you thought about it a second ago...why couldn't you think of it now?

and now...uh....um....

That asian thing...

it hit me like a ton of bricks today. SO, over the weekend, i came up with
an idea to write up an all asian sketch comedy show with all
asian actors to perform. obviously i needed to do some research to back up
my writing and to gain better insight. presently i'm reading
"asian mytique" which not only entails the stereotypes of asians as a
whole, but also gives a feminine point of view (due to the author).
as i'm reading and writing up ideas for sketches, i've been starting to
think of more questions that i need answered.

I personally have never been discriminated in terms of specific asian
politics. i have been in situations of discrimination, but it was more
the fact that i generally was not white rather than being an asian in
specific. are we overlooked as a race sometimes? are we all just
accepted as chinese? SO...now i'm looking more into this....

I've thought of a new idea to add unto this idea already in process. why
just make a sketch comedy show? why not create a message for
the masses? i'm a future film maker of america...aren't i?? (last time i
checked, this is what i wanted.) so, let's follow in the footsteps of
Super-size me, Farenheit 911 and Bowling for Columbine. LET'S MAKE A
DOCUMENTARY!

and now the brainstorming has begun!

(things are turning in my head like crazy since i've thought of this....be
on the look out people. be on the look out!)

Swarmin' movie reviews

SO, this weekend marked another milestone in my personal timeline of life
-- i turned 27 years old yesterday. yowza! thereby
saying i have completed 27 full years and am now in the beginning to
complete my 28th year. sorta wierd when you think about it, but it's
right. however, instead of giving indepth detail as to what i did this
weekend, i'll give majority blog entry to movie reviews. personally, i
need
to get into a full habit of breaking down movies very intricately. gotta
practice and stay in this mode:

the first movie i'll talk about was actually a film i viewed at the Chicago
International Film Festival on Saturday night. it was an persian film
called "Border Cafe" and director/writer, Kambuzia Partovi, was at hand to
introduce it (since it was premiering at the festival and in the states).
the plot entails a strong woman (Reyhan) actually played by Partovi's wife
(which he revealed during the Q&A at the end of the movie),
who stands on her own two feet after the death of her husband. going with
the tradition of the country, Reyhand and her children were to be
"inherited" by her husband's brother -- to take care and look over the
family. instead, Reyhand refuses to move in with the brother-in-law and
carries on the cafe that her and her husband ran, which happens to be at
the border between countries. such a strong character written by
Partovi, who previously wrote childrens' literature, to expose to the
audience and to say that there are trying times in such a male dominant
country. basic camera work that relied more unto the screenplay itself. a
few gists of revelations when characters ponder unto mirrors,
however nothing too complex. a very straight forward film that has depth
in terms of family ties and human feelings. a good film to view for
a first time chicago international film festival goer (....well...that's my
opinion....i was actually tryin to get tickets to "the Squid and the
Whale").
i'd give it a 3 outta 5.

last night i watched "Kinsey" which coincidentally was the opening film for
last year's Chicago International Film Festival. Liam Neeson
plays Professor Kinsey who was well reknown to the world as the "sex
doctor." going against the grain during that specific time era of june
and ward cleaver, Kinsey dug deep into the human psychie to acknowledge
what makes men and women tick sexually. subverse into a
world of unknown sexual practices for people at that time, it was typically
taboo and completely hush hush making the topic raw, rude, and
improper. Kinsey, through determination and hard work w/ a research team,
still managed to produce 2 books (and in the movie, one of
them was a top seller). the movie lasts until he finally realizes that he
can't fight the fight any longer in trying to make people more sexually
secure. Neeson plays his role to a tee -- speaking in militant formality
like a man that is so into his job should be doing. Laura Linney is
becoming my new favorite actress. I spotted her long ago on PBS with Tales
of the City and didn't image her to be where she is now. She rocks!
This movie depicted a man's life and at times could have been a tighter
movie, but may have taken away the full life and moments that
makes the viewer grow indepth with him. The director had moments of
montage and transparent cris-crossing imagery that symbolized
moments of tremendous work or chaos. It worked well and it was very
innovative to see it within a movie. A very interesting topic to watch
about. i'd give it a 2 1/2 outta 5.

more to come....

Randumb Best Movies List EVER! huh? EVER!!

continuing on with Randumb101's Best Movie List EVER! (please check the
history of the blog to see the previous titles mentioned):

- Crash (2004) -- I believe Paul Haggis worked on this project before
Million Dollar Baby, but don't quote me on that. As far as the business
aspect of this film is concerned (and realizing that I'm in Chicago if
that makes a difference), this movie was not heavily advertised. the way i
took notice upon it was seeing a billboard advertisement while waiting for
the train after work. i did my usual fandango check-up on friday movie
releases, clicked on the movie, read about it and took interest. THEN, i
did more research -- checking imdb.com, and seeing if ebert had
anything to add. i was completely enthralled with watching this movie, but
since none of my friends really heard about it (...all they kept on saying
was..."oh, that movie with ludacris?"), i didn't watch it till later. NOW
GRANTED, i try to make my friends watch unknown flicks and sometimes i
hit and sometimes i miss....so if i mention something they're iffy about,
most of the time they won't do it. WELL -- this movie was a hit. (my last
movie
was a dud -- don't watch 2046 unless you want to kill 3 jillion hours).

CRASH has an ensemble cast with intertwining character storylines.
the basic plot structure is layed out with different plot lines for each
character connecting to each other (it would've been hella crazy if they
ended fellini style and made all the characters meet at the end...but
Haggis
used 'bookends,' whereby ending the story the same way he started it). the
dialogue is written in terms of saying what people are afraid to say
concerning race. this dramatic overtone still kept room for subtle humor
where applicable. names include matt dillon, don cheadle, jennifer
esposito, ryan phillipe, and even tony danza. such a well written film
that people tend to forget that Haggis directed this piece also. alot of
light
into camera shots which adds to the scene at hand, especially night
sequences. good use of arial views to create this metaphor that all these
stories are really little exchanges in our big world (better exemplified in
Kaufman's "Adaptation"). I'll just leave you with this. sorry for the
long comment
as it's still fresh in my mind.

- Do the Right Thing -- this is the seed that brought Crash to life. Spike
Lee's joint hit the same racial issues, but in different context. more
urban
with more artistic risks taken, this movie is the Crash of the early 90's.
starting off with this expressionistic dance piece (with fly girl
coordinator
Rosie Perez), vibrant colors and an array of different lightings for the
outside, made this film a poignaint contribution to black cinema. the
dialogue went along the same lines as Crash, whereas the characters spoke
out, saying what people were afraid to say (especially during that
time era).

sorry to only have 2 movies this time around, but i think it's getting a
little harder to think of movies that are worthy of being on the list.

Movies in my bedroom that are waiting for my viewing: Spike Lee's Malcolm
X, Gone with the Wind, and Hitchcock's Rope.

florist ordeal

you would never think it would be so damn difficult to send flowers
internationally. i've been trying all morning to send flowers to
the philippines cause my grandmother's birthday is on the same day as mine
(AND my grandfather's b'day is the day after...ain't that
totally ironic and coincidental?? no?? okay...WELL IT'S COOL FOR ME!).
but every florist place that i've called this morning needed the
phone # of the recipient, complete address (which i do have), ...like
directions to get there, how old she is, where the closest 7-11 is over
there, my favorite color, if i thought the white sox would make it all the
way, and her bra size....THAT'S where i had to draw the line! cause
after i said it was 36 double D, they said 'no way!' and i didn't feel like
having to prove my grandmother's bra size to anybody! ANYBODY!

randumb oktoberfest thoughts

-there's this mini-tv in the elevator at work that gives you randumb news
while you're enjoying your upward or downward motion. today it said that
it was German American Day, where we celebrate german americans that have
contributed to american history. HUH? What?? Who comes up with these
damn holidays? Is there Irish-American Day too? French-American?
Asian-American? (i'm not saying African American cause they have a whole
month dedicated to them AND there are prominant African Americans that have
made an impact on American society -- like Ludacris and Kanye West, duh!)
And what exactley comes with these supposed holidays? i didn't get a brat
today! no one gave me whiskey on Irish-American day! and i didn't get a
voucher for free fried rice at Eng's Asian Cuisine for Asian American day!!
stop making up holidays people....just stop. the jewish people rule with
holidays....

-speaking of jews -- Happy News Years to y'all. Rosh Hashanah is in the
house. and don't think i got a lotta chutzpah for sayin what i say...my
jewish fraternity brothers taught me well.....

-watched and listened to the directorial commentary to Crash last night.
amazing. i'm puttin up another list for Randumb Best Movies EVER later on
today.

-what is genital herpes and is it suppose to itch? (....AH...just because
i write it up, doesn't mean i have it. SEE...the impact of writing and
publicizing on this thing called blog!)

-my nose can't stop leaking today. i have a sore nose and it bothers me.
don't you hate it when it starts to hurt to wipe your nose cause you wipe
it so much. maybe that's why my ass hurts too. (...nah...it's just from
the gerbils...)

the end...or is it???

RANDUMB twist

Tongue Twisters

i don't know why....but yes, i did post this. you'll be curious and yes...you'll try to say a couple to yourself. its okay...i won't tell anyone. will you??

motivation speech

i is tired. my hands are cold. my boxers keep on riding up way higher
than my pants. my ankles are a little sore from running 4 miles
yesterday. i have a lunch meeting today but am not sure if i'll be
interested in the topic at hand. SO, i'll need the powers of diet coke
to keep me awake. boredom is starting to settle its web upon my lifestyle
and no form of writing can execute an awakening. adventure
is needed to shake me off my feet. sometimes when you don't like what's
goin on in your life, you need to take control and do what you
think is right. however, there's this form of political correctness or
social acceptance that overbares us and limits us to what we really
want to do. F*CK IT!! don't learn to accept things because you feel like
it just won't change or there's a jinx on you to forever be locked
in your own insanity. what people should do is act upon it. do what needs
to get done in order to find that adventure. YES, i know
writing/saying is easier than doing and yes, sometimes there are barriers
that stand in front of you. but isn't taking risks in life what makes
man evolve? weren't there wierdos and crazy mo fo's out there that made
people say, "don't listen to that idiot! he/she needs to wake
up and realize how things are."?? And then later on in life, their insane
ways were accepted and realized to be innovative and cutting
edge. So if everyone were to jump off the bridge, would you? F*CK THAT --
I'd be the first one to jump off the bridge!!

and the rest all followed....

sunday, monday, Happy Days

where throughout social business aspects did people start associating days
to cliche sayings?

Monday is refered to as "back to the grind." Grind what? When did workers
grind on mondays, unless this was a super old'school saying that
the sword craftsmen were saying to each other. "Good day Sir Hamilton of
Hamiltonian. My, I am extremely tired as we must return to our daily
laboring schedule. Thus I shall make you the most superb sword that this
Landonian has ever layeth its eyes on. Hark I -- BACK TO THE GRIND!"

My personal favorite is Wednesday -- "hump day." Technically refering to
getting over the midday of the week. This is as close to a sexual innuendo
that you can get to relay to a boss without coming off as lude. Unless you
throw your penis out, start humping the first cute chick that walks by and
when she screams, running away...all you can do is shrug and say, "Hump
day." (that's when people shake their heads and whisper under their
breath, "i hate when he does that. it's not even wednesday.") But sure,
I'll go along with the cliche joke of it being pornographically related.
This is a PG-13 website with sexual content and profanity. But ooooooh, my
life is so rated R!!

And yada yada TGIF for Friday. Yeah, yeah...thank god it's friday. Sure
he invented it for people to thank him..he doesn't have enough followers as
it is, so he made up another day to make sure he gets his thanks. "My
son...jesus...i think i'll give you some cool powers here and there...but
me, "the one." "Big Daddy One" wants his own day where people do nothing
but thank me. Hhhmmm...Fry Day! cause me loves that fried fish when we
can't eat meat."

I NOW REKNOWN TUESDAY AS "2's Day" when everything comes in Two's including
-- your socks, your shoes, 2 for 2 at micky d's, 2 contacts, and 2 boobs.

I NOW REKNOWN THURSDAY AS "Finally, the 2nd half of this god-forsaken week.
i might as well start partying it up after work cause friday is tomorrow
and i don't do that much work since everyone else is in such a good mood.
and for some wierd reason, i wanna eat fish -- day."

any suggestions....

Chicago Hotlist writers wanted!!

i'm an editor and chief of a website.

maybe you've seen my post in randumb online forums. maybe you've gone to the website through this blog and found it to be amusing for that time being. maybe it would be the coolest if you can take your blog talents and write a little excerpt about a chicago event that gets posted on a major Chicago website (like metromix, centerstage, or citysearch). this is what i'm sharin with y'all now....

Chicago Hotlist is a website starting out. it's parent company, 1938 Media, funds the website. What Chicago Hotlist needs are some dedicated writers. Not necessarily Mike Royko (...look him up) articles or indepth analysis about Chicago affairs, but quick, quirky little plugs about events, restaurants, and bars. in order to get the money rollin, we need to utilize the website to attract owners of small businesses that don't have websites. SO, yes...we market. we go out and talk to Owner Bob of Bob's Hardware or Owner Lisa of Lisa's Hot Sex Toys. we tell'em about Chicago Hotlist and how 1938 Media can give'em the internet capabilities that they're lookin for. Owner Bob and Owner Lisa jump on the chance to gain more customers and throw loot to 1938 Media. THEN 1938 Media does it's magic and then throws us loot for our kick butt marketing.

HOWEVER, before we get to that point. Chicago Hotlist needs writers. It's like posting up on a blog but about Chicago things. You can give commentaries, plugs for your friends performing at the ImprovOlympic, or a concert you're gonna hit up at the All State Arena. It'll probably take ya a small amount of time. And then you gotta go market (with me getting my hands as dirty as well, BUT NOT micromanaging....i trust ya...). It's the dedication part that may be difficult. You'll get your recognition on the website too. (my idea for writers is for each contributor to have a blog for your none chicago stuff to be on chicagohotlist...and if you already do, then here's more traffic coming your way...)

SO...as i draw a line on the ground...who's interested??

comment or email ( chicagohotlist@gmail.com )

randumb idiot

what's with people being pissy at their job and not being polite when
administrating customer calls - especially if you're in that line of
business?? i just called UPS to see if they could help me out. i forgot
the address that i was sending a package to at home. i had previously sent
out a package to the same location awhile back and was wondering if this
address were in some sort of record system. SO, i called the exact UPS
location where i had done this ordeal -- right off the bat, the lady
answers the phone by just saying, "hello?" ...uh....no 'good afternoon,
UPS' or 'UPS, this is bla bla speaking' or just plain old
'UPS'....nope...she says "hello?" like i'm suppose to assume that i called
the right spot. WHATEVER...i'm a polite person in general and when it
comes to people that have to deal with customers, i even give them benefit
of the doubt and carry myself even more polite cause yes, they could be
having a bad day. we all have bad days. i've worked in customer service
before and having a nice customer makes it easier to work with. so i ensue
niceness. i ask politely, "is it possible to get the address of a package
i had sent awhile ago at your location?" she asks, "is it longer than 30
days" and i say "yes, definitely" and then she asks, "do you know the
date?" and this i don't know so i say, "no, i'm sorry. i'm not sure, but
it was longer than a month." she replies, "well records only stay in the
system for 30 days." no biggie...but this is an important package, so i
continue, "well, if you have all MY information, does it keep some sort of
record of the places i sent it to?" then she gets upset cause now she has
to work for real. jesus christ! after she gives a small huff that i can
hear under her breath, she says, "hold on." i hold for at least 7 minutes
(i have a clock on my phone). i'm not hanging up and giving her the
pleasure. f*ck that! she gets back on, "did you have the name of the
place you sent it to?" i give her a last name. she says with attitude
now, "that's it? you don't have anything else, like the location?"
uh...hey, retard...isn't this why i'm calling?? so i break it down for the
slow: "i just wanted to know if there was a record of places i send
packages to. i don't have the address, but i had sent a package there
before. i need to send a package to this same address. is this possible?
i mean...if it's not possible, then i apologize to bother you." after
giving her the "mean" niceness, she says with a tiff, "i need the exact
date or the place. that's all. hold on." she puts me on hold AGAIN! are
you serious???? she gets back on 2 minutes later and tells me the same
sentence she said before. i say "thanks" and we peace out on that.

i called UPS general customer service afterwards. nicer people who told me
the same thing.

that's all i ask for. nice delivery. if you can't do it, then you can't
do it. don't give me attitude for you coming in to work when you don't
want to. i'm stuck here too lady. might as well work with what you got
and be somewhat good at it.

work hard to get the job you want peoples!! i know its harder than it
sounds, but if you're passionate about what you want to do....then keep
working on it. people start to notice. they don't call me a writer
because i tell'em i do it....i just do it. (see how you're reading me,
instead of listening to my voice.)

REVIEW: Proof

In the push for Hollywood to find its niche in the Windy City, Proof is the
first movie I've seen since a John Hughes film or a Vince Vaughn starring
role to actually use Chicago as part of it's screenplay and backdrop.
Using the Chicago Skyline as scenery and having streets that you know
referenced throughout a movie makes it surreal, however Proof without help
is still a strong film. Gwen Paltrow gets together again with her
Shakespeare in Love director, John Madden (no relation to the old Raiders
coach/EA Sports icon) to make Proof an excellent film. The premise goes
along the same old story of a mathematician going mad and accepted by
society to be insane. The "nutcase" in this aspect is played by the father
of Gwen Paltrow's character (Anthony Hopkins) who is a math genius and in a
motherless family with 2 daughters, Gwen Paltrow takes after her father's
tendencies. He initiates her mind to comprehend mathematical complications
and to take it to another level. However, Anthony Hopkins' character is
dead. He has passed in the beginning of the movie and with the use of
flashbacks, Madden intertwines present day affairs with past moments. Jake
Gellynhall plays Hopkins apprentice and Paltrow's love interest. He
initiates the importance of Hopkins' character and how he impacted the
world of math. He is also a good medium between the down the earth
unknowing to the complexity of worldly mathematics. This makes the viewer
relate better. After Gellynhall and Paltrow get together a "proof" is
found in Hopkins' desk and the problem lies in who the author is. A proof
is a piece of work that is used to turn a thought into law (in terms of
science and in this case, mathematics). It is greatly questionable because
of its complexity. Obviously it is assumed that the math genius wrote it
before passing, however Paltrow states that she wrote it. And this is
where I entice you to watch it....

Not sure if this movie is an oscar push, but it is a sentimental
masterpiece that gave me the same feeling I got after watching Good Will
Hunting for the first time (had to make another math movie reference). I
liked this film and it wasn't fancy in terms of cool effects, awesome
acting (no offense to the award winning cast), or hot sex scenes. It was
one of those movies that sorta motivated me to do something with my
writing. Like watching Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, or American
Beauty -- this movie was just well written and totally understandable in a
world that may seem blan and nerdy (math). Also, this was better than
those other math movies that I've indulged in and have won awards (no
offense to Ron Howard...you know what movie I'm talking about?).

just give this movie a shot. not heavily advertised, but a gem to those
that watch.