In the first season of How to Get Away with Murder, each episode opened with a section relating to college student Lila's murder. At first it created interest and maintained suspense as the mystery went unsolved. At first it appeared to be an interesting and unique chronological setup. Soon though, it became tiring and old. The murderer's reveal in the finale felt abrupt and sloppy.
In the second season, though, all of the show's flaws not only persisted, but became even more annoying. The plots gradually became less interesting as well. The execution was poor and the organization distasteful. I do not fear vulgarity in the least, but How to Get Away with Murder has become all crime and no substance. It's a mess of murder, court cases, and social conflicts. Overall a disappointing watch.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Lydia
"Most beautiful moment in life, past or future?"
"When I feel the sweet embrace of death."
...
"My most beautiful time recently was we went to see the botanic gardens in Des Moines last month."
"What about it?"
"It was pretty. I saw a turtle and bought an air plant. Best of all, my brother wasn't there. It was really hot actually, but it was really pretty and people were nice."
"Do you love flowers?"
"I do. I have a garden in my room and outside my house. They smell so nice and they're pretty."
"Why were you there?"
"My mom was getting her green card, which was cool except for the drunk guy that was stalking us. That was uncomfortable... We were basically just procrastinating afterward. Definitely to avoid my little brother. Yep."
"When I feel the sweet embrace of death."
...
"My most beautiful time recently was we went to see the botanic gardens in Des Moines last month."
"What about it?"
"It was pretty. I saw a turtle and bought an air plant. Best of all, my brother wasn't there. It was really hot actually, but it was really pretty and people were nice."
"Do you love flowers?"
"I do. I have a garden in my room and outside my house. They smell so nice and they're pretty."
"Why were you there?"
"My mom was getting her green card, which was cool except for the drunk guy that was stalking us. That was uncomfortable... We were basically just procrastinating afterward. Definitely to avoid my little brother. Yep."
Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Anna
Anna was initially very resistant to answering this question, calling it "stupid" and "bogus". She sucks.
"Let me tell you a story. One of my favorite memories is from when I lived in Missouri. In our second house, we had a creek in our backyard. Every day we would go out to the creek and play in it. We had plastic boats that we would race down the little waterfalls. The deepest parts were like four feet deep, but I was really young and small, so we had to walk around the edges so I wouldn't drown and die. I would always get really fascinated with the water bugs, like how they float on the surface tension and everything. Every night we would set out our rain boots to dry for the next day. Sometimes it would rain overnight so we couldn't go the next day. I'd be so sad. I would say that these adventures were one of the things I miss most about living in Missouri."
"Let me tell you a story. One of my favorite memories is from when I lived in Missouri. In our second house, we had a creek in our backyard. Every day we would go out to the creek and play in it. We had plastic boats that we would race down the little waterfalls. The deepest parts were like four feet deep, but I was really young and small, so we had to walk around the edges so I wouldn't drown and die. I would always get really fascinated with the water bugs, like how they float on the surface tension and everything. Every night we would set out our rain boots to dry for the next day. Sometimes it would rain overnight so we couldn't go the next day. I'd be so sad. I would say that these adventures were one of the things I miss most about living in Missouri."
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Ashley
"Most beautiful moment in life?"
"That's going to happen or has happened?"
"Either or both, man."
"I'll do both, okay. Beautifullest moment in life.....beautifullest....oh my god"
"Beautifullest, ha."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. The most beautiful moment so far....wow, that is really depresssing that I can't think any beautiful moments so far."
"Most people can't immediately. It's fine!"
"You know, honestly, yesterday was a good day. I don't know, I just got this overwhelming sensation. Yesterday was April 16th. It was the first day off I"ve gotten from work isince February. Usually I work every day from 11 in the morning to 10 at night. But between two jobs. I mean, I internally scream almost every day."
"I'm screaming right now."
"Anyways, it was so nice out and I did not want to be inside. I was hanging out with my friends all day. I started off the day at the Polar Plunge. It's where you go into cold water, but you have a team with costumes and stuff. And-"
Jacob interrupts with "Eunho Kim is really hot."
"Yeah, it's true!" Obviously I agree,
Ashley resumes. "Okay, glad we got that out of the way. Anyways, the Polar Plunge is where you dive into cold water with a team and it goes towards the Cedar Rapids Special Olympics. I went with R.E.M. Iowa, because I work with R.E.M. Iowa. We were the Coca Cola polar bears, which meant I had to wear a white t-shirt and white shorts. And, I don't have any natural colored bras, so that was fun. I had to change immediately. I don't know, from there I feel like it just got better. The weather was so nice. It felt almost like a spring awakening for me. Not like the musical, like it awakened my soul and brought out a whole new level of happiness for me. Later, I went to a glass blowing demo and saw a guy from my past, which was awkward. We avoided each other."
"What was the weather like?"
"Oh my gosh, so the past week has been cold and rainy and windy. Just awful. Then I wake up and it's just this gorgeous sunlight. I went outside and I had a pair of shorts on and I was perfectly okay. Like, I hate pants. Pants are a nuisance to society and I love it when I can just wear shorts. Now that the weather is getting nicer and the nights are getting nicer, I just wanna be out. I have never had the urge to be outside more than I have when I became an independent adult."
---
"So, I beautiful moment in the future. People have different values. Everyone knows this. Everyone believes something different, which is why everyone has a different personality and a different background. I will own up to it....I am a hopeless romantic."
"I think that's a good thing to have."
"You have to hold on to something in this crazy short life. So, I've have these ideals of a perfect relationship, which I need to stop because I know it's never going to actually happen, yeah. But I think every moment in a relationship should be beautiful. There are just certain things that you can find and just fall in love with like the way someone flicks their hair back, or when they drum their fingers on a table and you can just take comfort that they're there. Those are little beautiful moments for me. I want it, but it's so hard to achieve? That's the scary thing about relationships. Feelings can change like the drop of a pen. You can't have those little moments without taking a chance on a relationship."
"That's going to happen or has happened?"
"Either or both, man."
"I'll do both, okay. Beautifullest moment in life.....beautifullest....oh my god"
"Beautifullest, ha."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. The most beautiful moment so far....wow, that is really depresssing that I can't think any beautiful moments so far."
"Most people can't immediately. It's fine!"
"You know, honestly, yesterday was a good day. I don't know, I just got this overwhelming sensation. Yesterday was April 16th. It was the first day off I"ve gotten from work isince February. Usually I work every day from 11 in the morning to 10 at night. But between two jobs. I mean, I internally scream almost every day."
"I'm screaming right now."
"Anyways, it was so nice out and I did not want to be inside. I was hanging out with my friends all day. I started off the day at the Polar Plunge. It's where you go into cold water, but you have a team with costumes and stuff. And-"
Jacob interrupts with "Eunho Kim is really hot."
"Yeah, it's true!" Obviously I agree,
Ashley resumes. "Okay, glad we got that out of the way. Anyways, the Polar Plunge is where you dive into cold water with a team and it goes towards the Cedar Rapids Special Olympics. I went with R.E.M. Iowa, because I work with R.E.M. Iowa. We were the Coca Cola polar bears, which meant I had to wear a white t-shirt and white shorts. And, I don't have any natural colored bras, so that was fun. I had to change immediately. I don't know, from there I feel like it just got better. The weather was so nice. It felt almost like a spring awakening for me. Not like the musical, like it awakened my soul and brought out a whole new level of happiness for me. Later, I went to a glass blowing demo and saw a guy from my past, which was awkward. We avoided each other."
"What was the weather like?"
"Oh my gosh, so the past week has been cold and rainy and windy. Just awful. Then I wake up and it's just this gorgeous sunlight. I went outside and I had a pair of shorts on and I was perfectly okay. Like, I hate pants. Pants are a nuisance to society and I love it when I can just wear shorts. Now that the weather is getting nicer and the nights are getting nicer, I just wanna be out. I have never had the urge to be outside more than I have when I became an independent adult."
---
"So, I beautiful moment in the future. People have different values. Everyone knows this. Everyone believes something different, which is why everyone has a different personality and a different background. I will own up to it....I am a hopeless romantic."
"I think that's a good thing to have."
"You have to hold on to something in this crazy short life. So, I've have these ideals of a perfect relationship, which I need to stop because I know it's never going to actually happen, yeah. But I think every moment in a relationship should be beautiful. There are just certain things that you can find and just fall in love with like the way someone flicks their hair back, or when they drum their fingers on a table and you can just take comfort that they're there. Those are little beautiful moments for me. I want it, but it's so hard to achieve? That's the scary thing about relationships. Feelings can change like the drop of a pen. You can't have those little moments without taking a chance on a relationship."
Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Mary
"Most beautiful moment in life, go."
"Alright, ummm...when I first learned English and when I was actually able to understand what the heck was going on [in English]. So, I learned English as a second language because I only spoke Vietnamese as a child. But then when I first went to kindergarten, everyone spoke this alien language called English. So, I was like 'What the heck is going on?' So my counselor and my older sister had to help me learn English."
"What was it like being in kindergarten and not knowing English when everyone around you used it?"
"Terrible. The first day I went home, I was like 'Mom and Dad, what is this language that people are speaking? I can't understand them! They're not speaking the same language I'm speaking.' It was terrifying. And every time we had writing tests, like can we write our name and everything, I knew what my English name was—that was the only thing I knew how to say in English—but I could even write it down. So every time we had little writing tests, it'd just be little squiggly lines and drawings."
"How long did it take you to become comprehensive?"
"Well, I finally learned how to speak English near the middle of the year of kindergarten. And then, I was able to read it, but the odds of being able to comprehend it were still really low. Like I was able to understand most of it, but when we read little stories and had say what happened, I was like 'What am I doing?'"
"What feeling did you have when you realized you could [understand English]?"
"Oh my god, it was amazing. I was like 'I can finally understand what the shits going on!' -laughs- Because, like, I had a really elementary understanding of English for the longest time, then my teachers and my librarian, near fifth grade, kind of helped me get interested in books. They'd be like 'Oh! You should read this and this.' so then I started reading a lot more too and surprisingly, I like it."
"What was the social effect of not knowing English? Were you kind of isolated?"
"Um, yeah. I felt isolated for a good half year in the beginning, but for the most part it just felt kind of really terrifying because you're the only one who doesn't know what the heck is going on and you feel different because you're not like them."
"Alright, ummm...when I first learned English and when I was actually able to understand what the heck was going on [in English]. So, I learned English as a second language because I only spoke Vietnamese as a child. But then when I first went to kindergarten, everyone spoke this alien language called English. So, I was like 'What the heck is going on?' So my counselor and my older sister had to help me learn English."
"What was it like being in kindergarten and not knowing English when everyone around you used it?"
"Terrible. The first day I went home, I was like 'Mom and Dad, what is this language that people are speaking? I can't understand them! They're not speaking the same language I'm speaking.' It was terrifying. And every time we had writing tests, like can we write our name and everything, I knew what my English name was—that was the only thing I knew how to say in English—but I could even write it down. So every time we had little writing tests, it'd just be little squiggly lines and drawings."
"How long did it take you to become comprehensive?"
"Well, I finally learned how to speak English near the middle of the year of kindergarten. And then, I was able to read it, but the odds of being able to comprehend it were still really low. Like I was able to understand most of it, but when we read little stories and had say what happened, I was like 'What am I doing?'"
"What feeling did you have when you realized you could [understand English]?"
"Oh my god, it was amazing. I was like 'I can finally understand what the shits going on!' -laughs- Because, like, I had a really elementary understanding of English for the longest time, then my teachers and my librarian, near fifth grade, kind of helped me get interested in books. They'd be like 'Oh! You should read this and this.' so then I started reading a lot more too and surprisingly, I like it."
"What was the social effect of not knowing English? Were you kind of isolated?"
"Um, yeah. I felt isolated for a good half year in the beginning, but for the most part it just felt kind of really terrifying because you're the only one who doesn't know what the heck is going on and you feel different because you're not like them."
Everything Before Us (2015)
Everything Before Us is the debut movie of Wong Fu Productions. Though this is their first full length film, the crew of Wong Fu are no strangers to video. Since 2006, the team, led by Philip Wang, Wesley Chan, and Ted Fu, have released video after video on YouTube. Their content includes short films, comedy, and more. The Wong Fu Productions channel currently has 2,645,381 subscribers.
Everything Before Us takes place in the near future where there relationships are on the level of finances, By that, I mean that there are relationship scores, much like credit scores. Overseeing these affairs is the D.E.I., the Department of Emotional Integrity. The D.E.I. headquarters is just like the D.O.T., in terms of waiting setting. Once called, people register relationships, terminate, etc.
Elitism was a prominent outcome of the relationship score system. Those of high scores looked down on those with low scores. Establishments like clubs and bars had minimum score requirements for entrance. Places that allowed low scoring individuals were viewed as trashy.
The separation between work and personal life was eliminated. Relationship scores directly affected employment, college entrance, loans - everything. One mistake in a relationship could rob you of a job or cancel any chance of entering a study abroad program.
The D.E.I.'s claims of having a widespread positive effect on relationships seems to be greatly defied in the film. In a bar scene, we can actually see Randall, an active employee at the D.E.I. alone and looking very burdened. This brief glimpse has impact, as Randall is not only the character in all of the D.E.I. relationship consultations, but is introduced in the beginning boasting about the department's necessity and social significance at a high school.
Though there are cliches here and there, I would recommend Everything Before Us. It's thought provoking and has a very subtle dystopian feeling. It's recently become available on Netflix.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Accom(pany)lishment
Just yesterday, I traveled a couple of hours to Des Moines to attend an arts awards ceremony in which I won first place in photography (high school division) and gave a short speech. Of course, in the thanksgiving part of my speech, I could not gloss over the fact that I didn't work alone.
It was December when I had an idea to take some photos using mirrors. As the mental image developed further, the idea to include suspended cranes emerged as well. I knew, most definitely, that I would need to assemble a team. My father and I sought out two mirrors to reflect into each other, and he lent me his rig (which he used to create a hood when painting model planes). Next, I found my model, shared my idea with her, and got even more excited. She and I met to adjust the height of the setup, as well as the arrangement of suspended origami cranes. Of course, I would need to assemble a team to hold the mirrors. Fortunately, a few friends were available.
The morning of the shoot was cold, painfully so. Not only were we cold, I also had everyone meet at sunrise. Furthermore, that mirrors were heavy and cut off circulation in the hands/fingers. It was a long, treacherous ordeal.
Without the hard work of those friends, the vision I had would not have been brought to fruition, reminding me that we often need other people to help us succeed. Those people should be appreciated and never taken for granted, as they're not required to help you. In short, "teamwork makes the dream work."
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