Wheeeeeee.

I couldn't think of a better title...

Before I begin, I found this on the Interweb and I laughed.

Preach on, sister.

Moving on.

Hello friends. It's been a while since I've posted anything. I'm in Hong Kong now for Christmas and New Years. While it's nice to be in a new place for the holidays, I think I would have wanted to be in my own home with my family for Christmas and Christmas. But no matter. I'm plenty busy with the fun hoodrat activities my extended families plans.

Also, I think I've gained at least ten pounds because I've been eating lots of dim sum. (My posts can be educational...)

Merrrrrrg.

Tonight, I'll be spending New Years Eve the same way I do every New Years Eve: mahjong marathon in front of the TV while watching the city countdown.

I love it.

At first, I really wanted to see the fireworks and light shows, but I decided that a four-hour wait to watch an eight-minute show and the four-hour trek back to my grandma's was not worth it. Even if it was going to be really cool...

But also, it's cold. A wet cold, a lingering cold that chills you to your bones. A cold that doesn't care that you have fifty layers on, it will get to you.

So I'm staying in tonight.

Come listen.

"Because Heavenly Father loves His children, He has not left them to walk through this mortal life without direction and guidance" (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf). The Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, provides that direction and guidance.

I would like to personally invite you to come listen to living prophets. I always look forward to the opportunities I have to hear counsel from God's servants and to be spiritually enriched. I know that our prophet today, Thomas Monson, communes with God and reveals His will for us. Just this morning, President Monson announced that all worthy and able men can serve missions at the age of 18 (lowered from 19) and worthy and able women can serve missions at the age of 19 (lowered from 21). This is a divine revelation from a prophet of God.

I love this Church and I love my Savior Jesus Christ. With every fiber of my being, I know that He lives. I have a testimony of the power of prayer; God hears and answers them. I have a testimony of this beloved gospel; it has given me a happiness, a joy that I cannot find elsewhere.

gc.lds.org | #ldsconf | mormon.org

I'm in this. Watch it.

Paloma.

So. Second week of school and I decided to write about my women crushes. Quite appropriate, isn't it? Well, I've been obsessing over my newest crush lately.

In addition to Emma Stone and Anna Kendrick,

I have fallen in love with...Paloma Faith.

Oh, Paloma Faith.

It wasn't love at first sight. Or first listen. But as her first album played countless times (it stuck on repeat while on a drive to the airport to pick up my dear friend) her voice, an interesting combination of Adele and Amy Winehouse, grew on me. And I am hooked.

My life...Whaaattt!!!

I feel somewhat obligated to talk about what's been up the last couple weeks before I rant on again about music (oh no...insecurity coming up...um...do you like my music posts?) and people I will never meet or write something that I actually put effort into.

Here's a little update on my life, in a very unorganized manner.

Reading: "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Pushkin. Whaaattt!!! Love it thus far. Those Russians are so romantic.

I burned my body at Coopers Beach a couple weeks ago. Whaaattt!!! I did not enjoy getting my first sunburn of this scale. It was a nice beach though. Waves were a little big, so I practically died (not really). I turned a shade of red I have never seen on myself. And it hurt, man. It hurt.

I flew a plane. Whaaattt!!! I got a little motion sick in the tiny cockpit, but it was fun and invigorating, and a lot less scarier than I thought it would be...my instructor was sitting right next to me.

This was the plane.

This is me in the plane.

I went to Boston to visit Mel at Berklee. Whaaattt!!! I wish I played an instrument better so I could transfer there. Also, I thought I liked Boston more than New York City for a couple minutes, but then I slapped myself when I went back to the city that same week with a dear friend of mine. Boston is cool, but not as cool as NYC. Also, Boston's homeless people are scarier...they grasp onto you. (It didn't happen to me, but to the man in front of me.) And it was darker at night. (Random aside: I've also decided that I will probably live on a coast when I graduate. East or West, in the United States or in Asia. Somewhere by the water.)

Me and my Asians.

If you have been around me long enough, you know I eventually start talking about Asians, and more specifically, Asian Americans. I can't help it. It's weird that being Chinese American myself somehow wired itself into my brain so that I have a sort of OCD about my people: I have to know about all the Asian Americans making it big out there in entertainment. I have to support them in some way because...well, because there is a small number of them and the ones who have made it into the spotlight shouldn't have (ahem...William Hung...who I totally forgot about until he made a cameo appearance on an episode of "Arrested Development").

But why entertainment? Simply because we all know Asians excel in everything else and one thing lacking may or may not be bugging me...

YouTube. Great, glorious YouTube is where most of my Asians reside. I love them.

Here is one of my favorites: JRA, a Filipino from Alaska

Here is the first concert I went to: Kina Grannis, a Japanese/English mix from California

Here is one of my first YouTube loves: AJ Rafael, a Filipino from California

And all their related videos link back to one another eventually. They collaborate with one another. They're all best buds or they all know of each other. I love them all.

No more wisdom.

The machine kept on beeping. What was this supposed to measure? My heart rate? I tried to find my pulse. Nice and slow, but the blue blips on the screen told me otherwise. It was up at 100 beats per minute. Good, so it's broken. If I die in the middle, no one will know. Whatever.

A bit dramatic, I know, but I was doing everything I could to keep my mind off of what was going to take place in this room. There will be blood...and drilling...

Okay, stop thinking about it.

I looked down and examined the chair I was sitting in. The faded, light turquoise chair complimented the bleach white walls. I'm sure you would find the same color combination inside a nice, quiet, secluded insane asylum where no one can hear any screaming...my screaming...

The blood pressure meter cuff started inflating, cutting off circulation in my left arm--I was onto something. They were going to get me.

I chuckled at my own attempt to ease myself.

"Alright, Eden, are you ready?"

No. No, I'm not. Nononononononononononono.

"Yes."

I took a deep breath and stared straight through the ceiling. I felt the needle pinch my skin and move a little as the oral surgeon taped the IV on my arm.

"Okay, now we're giving you the anesthesia."

Okay...I got this. I got this..Ighothis...whoa....

I blinked and the ceiling spun. I blinked again and the ceiling spun. I got dizzy so I stopped blinking, something that began to concern my father.

"Yuafeialaweoif?" he gargled.

Entertainment Blogging Scholarship: Community.

"Streets ahead," "you Britta'd it" and "Annie's Boobs" may seem like completely random utterances to the average un-American; to the true American--one who consumes more than 38 hours a week of video watching alone--these phrases become daily colloquialisms. Television has integrated itself into our lives and with innumerable shows bouncing off satellites, it's hard to pin a single series that has had the greatest influence on society. However, one show out-bounces the rest. NBC's "Community" has the greatest effect on American society and such a claim is backed by the same fans who are the basis for my thesis.

No other TV show today has quite the following as "Community," a series about seven students at a community college. Inevitably, with so many protagonists who each possess incredibly diverse personalities, anyone who watches can relate in one way or another to an aspect of a character, or two or all seven.

"You remind me of Ken Jeong in this new show...though it might be because you're Asian," my friend said. I watched, I was hooked and I gorged myself on the first two seasons within the first two weeks of summer 2011, a feat common to newcomers of "Community."

On a dreary November 14th last year, the Internet informed fans of even drearier news: "Community" announced a hiatus. The fans, myself included, were in an uproar. Tears were shed over the proven fact that 'hiatus' was code for 'cancelled'. Fury burned in the hearts of fans who immediately retaliated by utilizing the Internet to rally fellow cult members to save "Community."

        

These were only but a few examples of the efforts of the fans. Facebook pages were created, petitions drawn up, fans blogged, vlogged and commented on every page that contained the word 'community'. We were unstoppable. This show was not going to die on us.

Our efforts paid off and here we are today. "Community" has been renewed for a fourth season (which premieres on October 19th!).

But what is the appeal of "Community"? Why did it win E!'s '2012 Save One Show' campaign? 

Nested within the Greendale Seven--Jeff, Annie, Britta, Shirley, Troy, Abed and Pierce--are insecurities and desires that each American, that each human being, can relate to. Human beings encounter stereotypes based on skin, gender and age. Human beings face the unreachable expectations of parents or even from themselves. Human beings desire to change the world. Human beings want to face life and all its challenges with a companion, a best friend. Human beings chase their dreams. Human beings yearn for acceptance from other human beings.

"Community" teaches us how to cope, how to love and, essentially, how to be human in the face of every scenario imaginable. As this study group of misfits embraces one another and unveil unconditional love--even in the face of difficult character flaws--we fans gain hope that someone (or a group of someones) out there will accept us for who we are, imperfections and all.

#sixseasonsandamovie

This scholarship is sponsored by USDish.com

Beirut.

Beautiful beautiful beautiful.

My shallow side....

You may have seen the last couple pictures I posted/were posted on my page on Facebook.

Sometimes, I'm really confident.

Anyway...pertaining to the title (but I guess the images above also reflect that):

It is perhaps my guiltiest of my guilty pleasures. (And my parents will probably be appalled that I'm publicly announcing this...and that it's my longest post amongst my recent posts.)

My guiltiest pleasure: The Bachelorette.

Jack.

So. I kinda worship Jack Donaghy.

Today, I met a woman whose first name is Lemon. Needless to say, I took advantage of every opportunity to say her name just so I can be like Jack. 

So. I guess I kinda worshipped myself today.

Blind Pilot.

Such beautiful music. 

I love you all.

The Great Gatsby.

First, a joke.

Two communists were sitting naked on a porch. One turned to the other and asked, "Have you read Marx?" The second communist said, "Yes, I think it's these wicker chairs."

Rimshot. Haha..hahahaha..ha..ha..A grand thank you to Mackenzie for sharing this joke with me.

Second, The Great Gatsby trailer. 

I am absolutely stoked for this movie. 

I've been reading a lot of criticisms of the trailer alone, and I have to disagree with every negative point made about it. 

One...as in the result of the fusion of Baz Luhrmann and The Great Gatsby. One greatness. It is as if the gods of cinematography shifted the stars around just to make sure Luhrmann would create a beautiful film about the glamorous 20's. The trailer conveys a similar atmosphere that Moulin Rouge had; this is Luhrmann's signature. Both eras were intriguing eras. (And is it me, or does Tom Buchanan remind you a lot of the Duke from Moulin Rouge?)

Random and random Musings of Eden

(This post is all over the place...I had 9 hours of sleep last night and I have no idea what to do with all this energy! My thoughts are going 10 times faster than they usually do!)

First, a song. I know, I know, I usually end with one, but it's a happy song...interesting video, but a happy song.

Moving on.

Anyone who has been with me in the past year knows that I have been having a hard time staying awake. I'm just tired all the time and this is a recent trait that has plagued me throughout my sophomore year of college. It seemed every movie I saw, I fell asleep in.

And anyone who knows me knows that I cannot make decisions / sometimes incoherent when I am awoken / tired. (As also evident here, in the tale of my lost wallet.) People have funny tales of my late night responses to their midnight texts and phone calls.

I went to see "The Artist." I am utterly obsessed. It was the greatest film I have ever seen. And it rightfully won 5 Academy Awards.

Tall people.

Well, I'm home. And since I've been home, I've made more in this past week working for my dad than in two months at my minimum wage job at school. Glorious minimum wage.

I've also seen The Shins. It was wonderful.

James Mercer, Yuuki Matthews, Jessica Dobson, Richard Swift, Joe Plummer

Excellent concert. James Mercer has a beautiful voice and I love him.

New favorite. 

At the same time, I think I'm more infatuated with the bassist, Yuuki Matthews. I'm find him quite attractive. Also, Joe Plummer from Modest Mouse? Incredible. 

Anyway, I think there's something bizarre in New York's water...like growth hormones. Everyone at the concert was at least a foot-and-a-half taller than me. During that time between the opener and The Shins--the time where people started pushing each other to get to the front--I got separated from my friends. The world's tallest couple divided us.

"I think this girl's friends are behind us," Tall Woman said. I guess she noticed me trying to communicate with Mackenzie and Aly.

"It's okay, we can see over this one," Tall Man responded.

Happy Easter!--Celebrating it the American way.

Really quick: my blog is one-year-old as of yesterday! Moving on. Last year, I finished finals and was home to celebrate Easter. This year, I'm still in school. But no worries.

It finally hit me the other day that my family never really "celebrated" Easter. Yes, we talked about the religious aspect of it, but besides that, I only remember one year we hid eggs in the front yard, but because I was terrified of nature due to lyme-disease-ridden ticks, that was the end of that.

Oh, and I also remember from my childhood the high school field was filled with the little chocolate eggs and at the blow of a whistle, all the little kids ran the field and fought each other to gather the most eggs. Then we stopped going. I think someone was trampled? I could have dreamt that. But it was the Hunger Games. We shamelessly used our baskets as clubs as we clawed at each others' fists to grab their chocolates.

I was over at Crystal's for dinner last night and everyone at the table, with the exception of me and Crystal, receives gifts on Easter. It's like Christmas and Halloween combined! I mean, even Pope Benedict XVI got a 550 pound, 7.2 feet tall chocolate Easter egg.

As I learned yesterday (Nicolle described it to me), Easter is a very Catholic religion, in that sense. And seeing as how Southeast Asia was exposed to Christianity at a later century, we Asians don't have Easter gifts and such.

But today, I found this.

Mm. So good...and I may or may not have made this for myself.

My own Easter basket! Full of deliciousness, but alas, no new iPod (someone I spoke to yesterday got tech stuff like that for Easter).

Hello. It's been a while.

Hey there. Remember me? It's Eden. I promised I would write every week...I'm sorry I haven't. I also said that I would stop apologizing for not writing. Sorry that I did it again. And to motivate myself to write and you to continue to read, here are the next two topics that I will post about: my intrigue list (LMFAO, the duo, is number one) and people who laugh at everything I say.

But here's what has happened since I wrote last.

Audio-Files. (audio-files.com)
Audio-Files is a new television series that highlights up-and-coming independent bands across the country (and many come from Provo). This is the new account that I am working on with my PR lab. I am having so much fun working with this client, mainly because it deals with music. Like it on Facebook.

Thank you Imagine Dragons. (Acoustic version of "It's Time.")

If you're in Provo this Thursday, there is a free showing of Audio-Files' first episode. It's free, but you need to register for seats. Do it. I'll be there.

Speaking of Imagine Dragons, they are from Las Vegas. Guess where I went St. Patrick's Day weekend? I went to Vegas with my Nicolle and my Camille. It was exciting and new. I learned very fast not to look at the ground. Unfortunately, no one told the little seven-year-old who was there with his family. He picked up the cards like they were pennies and collected them like they were Pokemon. I'm never bringing my kids to Vegas. 

Some nights.

Some nights....some nights I think too much....I'll get to that in a second.

Onto Some Nights. fun. just released a free streaming of their not-yet-released album. I've listened to it multiple times already and I absolutely love love love love love this song. (And I apologize for the f-bomb in there.)

First, some comments on the musicality:

2:07 - 2:34 ish is what I love the most about Nate Ruess. He just gets so personal in his songs and isn't afraid to talk about his fears. I also love that he sings about his parents a lot.

3:11 ish. I have to admit, I was really thrown off by the autotune, was sad for a couple minutes, but after listening to it a couple more times, I think Nate uses it to his advantage. I mean, in "Be Calm," about every 15-30 seconds, he switches up the song. The autotune created another instrument out of his unique and wonderful voice.

Now onto deeper thoughts:

I don't know. I just love this song. I think it's because I can kinda relate. Not in the way where he doesn't know who he is in the music business, but in the sense that honestly, some nights, I don't know......some nights, I also ask myself, "What do I stand for?"

In an era of conflicting and passionate ideas all throughout the spectrum, when one side says one thing and the other another, it's easy to just cover my ears, hum to myself and merely watch from the sidelines.

I realize now that I need to pick a side. And after thinking aloud, having a fervent prayer in my heart and being with a great friend--a best friend, I know now what I have to do, what I stand for.

I only pray that God provides me with the strength to see it through, to help me stand firm in my convictions.

I love you, my friends.

(I realize that I could have expounded and gone deeper...apologies if you were expecting more.)

Good night.

Midterms...but not really.

With the classes I'm taking the semester, I only have one midterm coming this week. So in the time I should be spending reading, sleeping and eating, I'm looking up videos. I'm sharing them with you.

But now that I'm done, I'm off to study my brains out for History 201. And when I say I'm off to study my brains out, I really mean I'm going up to Salt Lake.

Too. Much. Information. To. Memorize.

The concept of this video is very interesting and quite creative. Also, I love Russell's voice.

I love NBC. I just realized that the majority of the shows I watch are broadcasted from this channel--30 Rock, Community, SNL, The Voice--and they're singing a song from "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" (weird...I posted about Community, The Voice and "How To Succeed" in the same post).
#savecommunity

Look out Provo, here comes Eden.

My friends. The time has come.

My training wheels have...arrived.

So yes, I have blogged many times about my new bike and how one day I will ride it once I've gotten over my fear.

That one day is one day closer.

Pretty soon I'll be zooming around Provo on my bike. And I will not be afraid. I have found comfort and inspiration from the words of this little boy.

Even with an orchestra and bagpipes and such, why is it that background music makes anything that much more exciting?

Though, confession: I think the bagpipes can be very beautiful. Also, they remind me of "Braveheart."

Anyway, I'm stoked about riding my bike finally. I've teased Utah enough with even the mere thought of riding my bike. There's no snow, so there's little chance I will slip. And pretty much, I will never fall, since I have wheels on both sides to protect me. 

Now, I know that by having such bicycle accessories may bring about three different reactions:

1. "Aw, Eden! Good for you! You can do it!" (Complete with back pats.)
2. "Really Eden? Really?" (With eyebrows raised.)
3. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" (Finger pointing included.)

I know this because when I have told people about my training wheels, these were the only reactions I got.

Finger pointing wasn't necessary, friends. But I still love you.

Have a good day, everyone. Here is a song for you.

p.s. Check out The Calendar Owl.

Simple Song, The Shins

I awoke this morning and said to myself that I needed to blog. Then, I remembered Nicolle said I needed to look up The Shin's new single. So I did.

I'm listening to it now.

And now I can't remember what I was going to blog about.

I love it.