so i take my afternoon t.v. break from my homework. im in one room flipping thru the channels; my mom is in the other room watching oprah. my break commences and as im walking back upstairs to my rathole, i hear a whole bunch of women cheering wildly.
out of curiosity concerning this wildness and excitement, i ask my mom, "what's happening on oprah?".
"she's getting her ear-pierced; she always wears clip-ons. she's scared", my mom replies.

im still stuck here wondering...who the hell cares?!!
if i had my own show, i'd let a snapping turtle bite my nipple. i personally think that'd cause a riot.

oprah winfrey - one of the most powerful people on the face of this blue and green orb.

at this point, it's technically the end of my reading week; and although i've been actually reading and researching, i have to say that i didn't complete ("complete" is the operational word here, folks) my reading week objectives.
however, imma keep on truckin' cause i dont have skool on mondays. hence, my reading week is unofficially still on till tuesday.

health care group project
- we met up. i even went up to skool one day to do research for a few hours. i should be in good shape for thursday. i mean it is only an hour presentation about health care. i'm used to presenting for 5 or even 10 minutes...how hard could adding another 50minutes be, really?!! *gulp*. we're all gonna wear shirts and ties too - for that formal seminar feel to it.

abnormal psychology readings - 5 chapters
-zilch. dont get me wrong, i love psychology. i applaud all you psych majors..you really read a lot of theoretical shit. you must have strong eyes. here's to eating carrots!

rock listening journals (100 by the end of the week)
- 35 at this point. but by monday nite, i vow to reach my 100 target...k, realistically..we'll say 75.

recreational and elementary games teaching outline (i get to instruct a class, holla!!!)
- none of that either. it's on march 22nd..aka..who cares?!!

ethics group assignment
- it doesnt bother me; and i dont bother it.

other than my whole spiel on what ive done or not done during this break, i just finished watching a movie that i havent seen in about 2 or 3 years.
it was the green mile starring that big black dude - who's name i cant remember, tom hanks, and that white guy from the 25th hour (barry pepper, i believe). a really good movie. probably a buy in my household collection of dvds.
as for the book - considering that im trying to build on spike lee & stanley kubrick branches, in terms of my digital video discs, i think i should branch my book collections off too. i mean i already have the complete novels of george orwell - and that's already a lot of novel. i realized only after the rolling of the green mile's credits that stephen king wrote the original novel. now what's up with that? for so long i thought king was a freak - writing about suspense and murder and horror. that was until i found out he wrote the original novel and screenplay to the movie "stand by me" (another one of my favourites). now i find out this nut wrote the green mile too???? yea, i hate to say it, but i just might have to give mr. king his own branch. where should i begin??? any avid stephen king readers out there?


[capital punishment sucks donkeys]

finally, i saw a really good short that they featured on zed last nite called "two cars, one night". too bad you can't see it though (you might though, if you take heed to my words and watch zed every nite. check your local listings, yo!!) i saw this when they originally aired it on zed a while back...but ziya and crew, last nite, were doing a special on oscar nominees for short films and this was one of them. i like this one..you might too.
[two cars, one night]
enjoy.

break has been good. work is good (im really building quite the repertoire of ties).
now..i gotta catch zed.
peace out, wieners.

that i have almost nothing to do?
if you can't, then good, cause i gotta lot to do.

it's reading week - day 1 and it's 8am. you're probably wondering what im doing up so early, arent you?
well to tell you the truth, when i have time to myself, in any case, i like to enjoy as close to the whole 24hrs of the day as possible.

imma post a list of goals for this reading week.
let's see if i get through these (cause we all know how leisure i like to be):

health care group project

abnormal psychology readings - 5 chapters

rock listening journals (100 by the end of the week)

recreational and elementary games teaching outline (i get to instruct a class, holla!!!)

ethics group assignment


gluck to me especially if....

i almost ejaculated on myself the other day
i was in the mall on my hour break when i walked into the video store. strawberry smoothie in hand and grilled chicken wrap in my stomach, i felt there was no possibility of any impulse buys at this point (chew on this - eating on a full stomach allows you to rationalize better; not just in grocery shopping but any shopping!). i look on the shelf of new dvd releases and what catches my glance, causing my eyeballs to nearly fall out of my face, you ask?!!...degrassi junior high: season 1. i think seeing that in addition to the dvd currently being played on all the in-store screens dominated my will-power; i had to and did buy it.


[c'mon give us a try - degrassi junior hiiiiigh!]

degrassi is part of my history.
true, im a filipino, but i was born right here in ontario, canada and the canadian context is something that i cant deny. so with that said, i urge you to research your degrassi history and/or pick up the dvd.
such a great show.

i nearly creamed myself.

sotd: "kodachrome" - paul simon


"mama don't take my kodachrome away"
Posted by Hello

although i had 1hr of sleep, deeming this not an official all-nighter, my thoughts are still speeding at 1000 light years per second.

procrastijason
it's 1/4 to 10pm. i just got home from being at skool since 11am. i've been studying since last week. i had an exam today which i feel i aced. since the conclusion of that exam, ive been continuing my attempts to finish my ethics case study (see previous post) which is due tomorrow. in addition to my case study due tomorrow, i have a psychology of health and chronic disease midterm that has me writing short answers and essays for 2 hours. after that exam concludes and far after i have my tutorial for ethics and far farrrr after i have to get my butt to skool at 7am tomorrow, im gonna buy myself a pint of beer during my break; this will be roughly around 1:00pm but not before my recreational and elementary games (kine pratical) class at 1:30pm.
know by 2:30 pm tomorrow, i will be starting my reading week.

however, all of this won't occur till i finish this case study and pull an official all-nighter cram session (i thought i wouldn't have to ever cram again since first semester of third year. i guess bad habits die hard).
_______
jason the catholic
today is ash wednesday. it signifies the beginning of lent. if youre not catholic and don't know what lent is, then look it up - im not the community deacon here. basically, it's the onset of the Easter season. if you think Easter is just bunnies and eggs, then you should also look up Easter too.
anyhow, caught up in skool and stressed out, i made my way to the student centre to make the best use of my cash. when i say best use i mean the most calories for the least buck - considering i was to be at skool all day (which i was, technically). what did i choose???
the disgusting 5 tacos for $3.99 at taco bell (aka taco smell. and dont worry, i rationed them for the entire day; not just one sitting). and what caught my eye even more was if you add 99cents, you get a side order of fries supreme along with your 5 tacos! wow-ee zow-ee! so that's 5 tacos (my preference for softies. im not in love with hard tacos, sorry) and an order of fries supreme (basically fries with ground beef, sour cream, some green onions and melted cheese..oh yea, and tomatoes somewhere in there, i think. couple all of that with about a dozen packs of hot sauce (really not hot to me..but hot to white people standards, i guess) and some napkins and youre on your way for a disgusting bowel movement in the near future (which is still in the works mind you).

so what's the point? the point is, it's ash wednesday and i ate 5 soft tacos and a fries supreme. the point is, on ash wednesday, all catholics are called to abstain from meat. the point is soft tacos and fries supreme have meat (or at least what i think is meat). the point is...exactly where i say it is.

whoops.

i try and justify my self and my actions with any reason i can think of. i even remind myself how last year for the entire duration of lent, i gave up red meat. you try and give up read meat for 40 days and 40 nights!! try it, i dare you! i try and justify today's actions by saying my abstinence from last year more than makes up for it..but the fact remains the same...nobody's safe from my mockery, impure thoughts are second nature, and i eat red meat on ash wednesdays without even getting ashes on top of that! hell is inevitable..it's just a matter of what level im going to.
possibly floor -15????
__________

now...with remnants of caffine from earlier today and ginseng, astragalus and yerba mate in my blood stream my day is just beginning.
cram session begins....now.

considering that i finished the kinesiology and health science core last year and considering that anything im taking now is all elective and a means of "specializing" in this spectacular specialized honours degree 'o' mine, i often take this opportunity to take courses that, in my mind, 'round me out' as a scientist.

as scientists, we're always concerned with facts, with empirical knowledge and proving or disproving theories. if there's an issue that you can't measure or control, then all too often, it is the position of the scientist to not give a shit. unfortunately, im a human being before im a scientist (i.e. life isn't always that easily explainable) and fortunately, i know better. not everything can be measured nor explained with a simple hypothesis. taking this ethics of kinesiology course, in addition to last year's gender and sport course adds a nice balance to my life.

all too often, "applied" or "pure" or "hard" scientists, such as myself (but not including myself) and my peers, mock arts(y) or "soft sciences" such as sociology, humanities, or even psychology to an extent, for whatever reason (e.g. to assert their believed-dominance or to mock others in formal institutions of higher learning where they, themselves, cannot succeed or are lacking in their personal fields). this is wrong. coming from a background based in the art and science of human movement, im fortunate and humbled to have fellow kinesiologists in my classes pursuing futures in everything from medicine to sport marketing to teaching. in essence, i feel it's important and beneficial to us, as kine-majors, to understand the finer points of human nature - which is the basis of such so-called "soft" sciences/arts programs.

if you become a dr. and im your patient, i dont wanna be treated like some kind of variable that you manipulate; i actually wanna be treated like a person and not simply, a pay-cheque. that might work for the guinea-pig but it sure as hell ain't about to work on me!

ethical issues were brought about first and foremost by (you) lawyers...then into boardrooms (of you business people)...and now into the world of science. now, more than ever, it's important for all of the world to understand where each and every scientist stands in their position, morality and personal principles. does the dr. do what they do for the money? or did the dr. do it for the love of the field and love of helping others? how about those engineers? they come up with things that are supposed to improve our lives, each and every day..what if they hate their job and have no real love or concern for what they do? in that case, bridge or home becomes a death trap. don't even get me started on how each of us will one day be raising our own kids (or currently are). isn't it our responsibility to keep them safe and teach them what's right and wrong?

nowadays, most post-graduate schools/institutions (such as medicine) interview their prospective students in an attempt to find out where 'they stand'. moral issues are brought up a lot of the time and these prospects are required to follow suit. for such reasons, and the whole big-ass entry i did above, i strongly suggest that everyone either take a course in ethics (if youre not already required to) or at least read up on some of theories and paradigms.

especially for you scientists reading this, it will, along with other so called artsy/soft-science courses, round you out by:

making you a better thinker through your ability to reason

creating more awareness of the world within yourself

building a stronger analytical frame of mind

improve your arguing/debating skills

these are just a few. for now, i'll leave you with those thoughts. y'all just marinate on that for a second.

in the meanwhile, here's my current case study write-up -
The Walden Sportplex Case:

Walden Sportplex is an athletic and recreational centre located in the heart of Centre Town. It was built during the mid-eighties (1985) in the core of the urban landscape. Ten years have passed and the numbers of the clientele have declined since the Walden Sportplex’s opening. Since its beginning various professional and qualified staff have been recruited from both local and international regions including Canada, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. One of these individuals is the Sportplex long-time executive director, Jake. Jake is a former soldier of the U.S. Navy and retired intramural sport director at one of the country’s large universities. Jake’s programming of the centre is very popular among middle and upper-class professionals who frequent the Sportplex before and after work. During the day however, the Walden Sportplex is dormant and underused. Despite this important point, Jake feels that the declining numbers of the centre’s registration are due to the downturn in the city’s economy. In effect, he feels that if things continue to go the direction they always have for the centre, then the Walden Sportplex clientele numbers will improve by the city’s next few economical fiscal quarters. At this point, it is important to note that in the 1970s and 80s, Centre Town’s population consisted mostly of white, thirty-something individuals of European descent. However, since then, demographics have shifted to a predominately Asian population; specifically, the area surrounding the Sportplex is currently multicultural and multiracial in comparison to what it was ten years ago.
Underlying his belief that declining numbers are due to economic downfalls, Jake feels that most of the problem is due to the ethnic teens who hang around the Walden Sportplex after school and during the weekend. Zoe, the Sportplex’s assistant director, believes otherwise. Instead of these ethnic-teens being a part of the problem, she feels they can successfully be integrated as an important element of the centre’s clientele. In turn, Zoe believes that these teens can act a key factor in ensuring a future for the Walden Sportplex. Successfully, Zoe was able to convince the majority of the other directors with this notion. Jake became infuriated by the centre’s shift in direction away from his beliefs. At one staff meeting, he became so enraged that he went so far as to accuse Zoe, who is of aboriginal descent, and her ideas, as a means of “trying to get back at the white man”. This incident was later reported to the Walden Sportplex’s board of directors.

i'll also leave you with the three ethcial theories of judgement we're utilizing in my course: deontology, teleology and existensialism (all western-philosophical foundations that act as the backdrop of my course - so look 'em up if you got time!!!).
choose your poison.

to be continued...

[scenario: saturday sidewalk sale at the mall]

half of gay-man couple: where are the men's clothes?

jay: these two racks are men's clothes, the other three are women's.

h.o.g.c: [attempt to be coy and place mexx fashion consultant in awkward position] so where are all the gay men's clothes?

j: [quick on the draw; looking around and both hands directing towards all racks - to emphasize wit] everywhere around us (i.e. all the racks are gay men's clothes)!!

h.o.g.c: [laughing hysterically] good answer!!!

j: [laughing and smiling at personal sharpness]


you're gay man. that's cool with me...i'm a visible minority - i've been through my share of shit, believe me.
so what if you're gay??? welcome to the 90s; everyone's gay!
i don't give you shit for being who you are nor do i give my self shit for you being who you are.


[do yo' thang, mans! do yo thang!]

my sense of humour attempts to trickle towards all aspects of life for everyone to enjoy.

every now and then, i come across some superstar/celebrity personality/femme fatale that makes me ask myself, "where can i get one of those for me (do they take c.o.d's? or just money orders? cash usually works); in a medium (because of course, medium is my size; i fit medium and medium fits me - interpret this as you may).

at 11pm, on cbc, usually after im done all my homework or if i just get home - whether it be from work or skool - i flip on zed. not only for their great indie short films, bands and spoken word lyricists (slam poets)...
but of course,for ziya tong (click on the nice orange-boxed arrow - it's good for digestion. trust.).



watch zed y'all.
if it's good for my health, it'll be good for your health.
and who knows, maybe one day, one of your shorts will be on there, rj.

tonight's favourite short was entitled yoorinal.
enjoy.

brilliant text
-by anhedonicAmadeo

today i jetted downtown-ward after my class ended at 2:30. i looked around, but really, there's nothing there. other than a pair of kicks that i might buy next pay cheque, there's shit-all in downtown t.o. for me. however, when i got back home, i treated myself to not one but two new pairs of trousers.

"trousers", really dress pants, but working at retail has you using some bullshit technical jargon. anyhow, two new pairs of trousers for $30/pair down from $80/pair; i'd share the wealth, but naw..id rather not have everyone wearing the same shit i do. that's all for this self-indulgence. that was my first personal purchase in a month - being that my last couple pay cheques went fully to school and paying for bodywork via my auto-collision aka fuck-up. next week's a different story as a medley of torturous midterms and assignments are on my itinerary.

believe me when i say it, in terms of next week (and the two beyond that) i'd have more fun and pleasure trying to insert an ice cream cone into my urethra.


[r-e-s-p-e-c-t:
urethra franklin]
God bless and God speak (God-speak????..what the heck does that mean???),
jay