Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici

So it should no longer be secret that I will be rocking the V costume this year for Halloween. My only hope is that this anarchist viglinate, a character that I admire dearly from the movie V for Vendetta, does not get the best of me, as Maximus did last year. Over the past few years I have once again come to enjoy the fun of Halloween or a Costume Party, a time when you can dress up and be somebody entirely different. All through high school and even parts of college, Halloween had become a kid's Holiday for trick-or-treating... Well that's not the case any more my friends, for now I see Halloween in a different way... It's fun for everybody, kids and adults! Well maybe not so much teenagers, and I could understand why. They'll grow out if though, and soon realize the fun they had forgotten!....

As for me, the fun started a few years back with my Robin costume, of which I was Dana's partner in crime. As Batman and Robin we cruised the streets of IU looking for crime and scandalously-dressed women... I found it to be quite invigorating to be something different, and get away with it... To really fall into character! and so I decided that I always wanted to partake in Halloween....

Then there was of course my infamous Maximus costume, of which I truly fell into character. The epitome of masculinity overtook me as I roamed the streets of Purdue, causing havoc as a truly unstoppable Roman warrior. I thought I was unbreakable that day, full of adrenaline, high on testosterone, and blinded by drunken madness... It was a very memorable day, and although I don't remember a minute of it, I know I had a pretty fun time.

This year it will be V, where I plan to woo people over not with drunken stupidity but with sophisticated elegance... I admire this character not only for his heroism, his revolution, his devotion, his mysteriousness, or his ass-kicking skills... but for his sheer intelligence, a man very cultured in the arts... It goes to show that he is not some crazed killer, but a person with a real purpose. He fights for freedom against a conservative totalitarian dictatorship, and I couldn't agree more with his ideology, which is why I have decided to proudly where his mask this Halloween... It should be fun... I leave you now with some memorable V quotes:

• "Remember, remember the 5th of November. The gunpowder, treason, and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot."

• "Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

• "Vi Veri Veniversum Vicus Vici: By the Power of Truth, I while living, have conquered the universe."

• "But again truth be told, if you are looking for the guilty one, you need only look into a mirror."

• "...A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. A symbol, in and of itself is powerless, but with enough people behind it, blowing up a building can change the world."

• "Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof."

• "There's no certainty - only opportunity."

• "A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having!"

• "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

Regarding Purdue

Being a Hoosier, it's always been a must to be Anti-Purdue everything... Well that's just not the case for me... Sure Purdue is not half of what IU is, yet I will not deny the fact that I've had some very memorable experiences at that place... In this post I want to give Purdue some credit where credit is due...

For some strange reason, I've made the drive to Purdue from almost every direction... and it's always quite the enjoyable one, especially in the fall time. Coming into West Lafayette on Highway 25 is by far the best route, as you drive parallel to railroads and into winding forests... The area has many many trees, which is incredible during the fall season. Now the campus itself is very compact, and not near the sight of IU's... Yet the town itself is rich in culture, with many unique stores, bars, and restaurants.

I guess my regards for Purdue came once my brother began attending the school. It was then that I got in inside look at our rivals. I remember that first year he attended, Jhormy had also enrolled and both of them were living there on campus. I remember the first time I went to visit was in the Fall-time of 04 for our Mario Kart Tournament. It was me, Matt, EJ, Sara, and Jenna that made the memorable trip. We didn't stay for long, and hardly even got drunk, but at least we got a feel for the environment. The next time we went was in the spring time of 05, for a Mario Kart rematch, as well as a big party at Jhormy's apartment. It was here that we realized Purdue's notorious sausage parties, yet we still got obliviated off keg stands, bongs, and so forth.

In the years to come I made several other Purdue visits, with many memorable experiences....

I remember back when I had my green Toyota Truck, we filled it up to the brim to get some late night Taco Bell... It must have been after Jhormy's party, and I definetely was in no state to be driving, yet Taco Bell was all that mattered. We piled in myself, Philip, K-man, EJ, Reggie, and Jackie.... and when we got there, I remember some drunk guy was picking a fight with us, since we were from IU, and he was especially calling Jackie names. And we were all about ready to kick this guy's ass, until his friend apologized for him, and settled everybody doing with his classic line, "Let's not fight... It's Taco Time"...

Then there was one time for the IU-Purdue tailgate, I believe my senior year, that me and Philip brought a box of Franzia to the fields... Things defintely got pretty fuzzy during the daytime... I remember we ended up at a house party, and eventually lost Philip at Taco Bell... I think it was then that me, Lauren, EJ, K-man, and Lindsay Sluyter had to walk for almost an hour in the freezing cold to find our way back indoors... Crazy night...

In the final days of my college career, we made a visit to Purdue for the much-hyped "300" drinking event... it was an all-out drinking competition to see who could drink the most, IU or Purdue... the day was a day for champions as we began early in the morning, keeping track of each beer downed... There were many many bongs, and I remember blacking out after 20 beers... I then got back up later in the day and made a second surge after a little bit of Pizza. I eventually got to 28, yet we ran out of beer, and I was unable to catch Philip with his 32 beers... Although we lost to them, I believe four of the top 5 finishers were from IU...

Then there was the memorable Green Dragon experience, where I decided to drop in on Philip and his friends after working a game at Ross-Ade Stadium. We began by pre-gaming at McCormicks, with some good guitar jamming and so forth, and then went out to the bars listening to German techno the whole way there. When we got to the bar, Clint had us all order a pair of Green Dragons, the mixed drink of choice. I would say this drink is much similar to IU's legendary AMF where it goes down easy, but then hits you like a ton of bricks. After I drank these Green Dragons I blacked out completely, and got lost as could be... To make matters worse my phone was dead, and had absolutely no way of getting a hold of anybody. For hours I wandered from bar to bar, in a complete lost daze, until finally I made it on a bus that dropped me off at McCormicks...

There was one weekend, I worked a game in Illinois, then drove to West Lafayette to meet up with Philip and his new girlfriend Shawna. I remember we decided to pre-game with two cases of Keystone, and then go out to the bars... Yet as things should go, we got black-out drunk and never made it out... I remember waking up in a room full of toys and dolls...

Now one of my most memorable drinking experiences ever, just happened last year at Purdue, for the Oaken Bucket Rivalry... Philip had been talking about his Breakfest Club adventures for some time now, and managed to convince me and Gily to drop in for the weekend. So I decided to put together an incredible Maximus costume, that would end up getting the best of me. We started pre gaming that morning at about 5am, with some coffee, shots, and beer bongs... We then made our way to the bars, where there were lines of people in costumes waiting to get in. I remeber it was very cold, yet it only fueled me more. I was kind of into Shawna's friend Stef back then, and she became my partner in crime that morning. So once we finally got into the bar, we both ordered 8 screw drivers, and downed them in a matter of minutes. And that was about the last thing I remembered that morning. Apparently I was total chaos, as I walked in the middle of traffic, threw garbage bins, tried to break glass windows, pick fights, and simply disrupt society. I don't think I have ever been so out of control before. I like to think there were many contributing factors beyond just being that drunk. One was the costume and two was trying to show-off for Stef. Nonetheless it is a miracle that I didn't get arrested that day, and hope to never be that ridiculous again. I remember coming out of my black out, after Stef snapped on me, for lord know's what reason... We were then in Kyle's apartment recapping the morning, and I was suddenly sober as could be, yet didn't remember a single thing. We then went to the tailgate fields in the afternoon to get drunk again, where we met up with Audrey and P-Rod... We drank at the Evans Scholar House and mooched free hamburgers... We then passed out at McCormicks for a while and then in the evening made a third drinking run, with bongs and games. And so I got drunk 3 times that day, for what has turned out to be an infamous experience...

I have been to Purdue many times, for parties, work, visits, and so forth, with many more stories that are not included in this post... All-in-all it's really not that bad of a place... Sure they may not have the beautiful campus or girls that IU has, but they surely make up for it in their drinking... Every time I go to Purdue now, I expect something ridiculous to happen... This past weekend, I was unable to partake in the craziness due to an immense flu I have been fighting... Yet I know there will be many more adventures there to come...

Where the Wild Things Are

Sure it may seem as a kids movie, but I assure you thats hardly the case with this breakthrough film directed by Spike Jones. It's unlike anything I've seen before, quite possibly the best movie of 2009! When I first saw the trailer many many months ago, I knew it was going to be a unique film. It's been on my radar for a long time, and finally this Sunday afternoon I went to watch it with Andres and his friend Hunter. The movie is an adaptation of the famous children's book Where the Wild Things Are written by Maurice Sendak. For a book that only has 10 sentences, it is no surprise that the story is pretty simple. A kid with a wild imagination runs away from home and escapes to an island full of wild things, where he fits right in. Yet the real appeal to this story is not the adventurous story, yet the sensational imagery. It is a visual pleaser, with incredible special effects and breath-taking settings. From the cold snowy real-world he escapes, to an island of barren forest, sand dunes, and stone mountains. The monsters are as real as it gets, with CGI facial expressions, each with their own distinct character. The main character Max, becomes friends with each of these creatures, as they share many emotions together; from happiness, sadness, fear, hope, and love... The ending is somewhat sad, yet also very expected. It is a very artistic movie, great coloring, and a cool soundtrack... I'm sure there are many themes to the movie, yet I felt the most important one is pure imagination! It's an inspiring movie, not only for kids, yet for whoever else has the slightest bit of an imagination.

Regarding Michigan State

I admire the Big Ten, mostly because it is situated here in the MidWest and I feel like I can relate to the culture of each campus. Well Michigan State was one of the first colleges I ever really appreciated. It began when I was a junior in high school and my cousin Marc, was living the college dream at MSU... He told me of his many adventures and stories, from parties, Frisbee games, roommates, soccer, video games, speeches, the girls, and so forth... It sounded like he was living freely having the time of his life. And at that point I decided that I too wanted to leave home to go away to college. During my senior year I visited the campus of Michigan State with my family, to watch Marc perform in the marching band. It was a phenomenal site, to see the tradition of this campus. On game days, the band marches through the streets and into the stadium. It was all very entertaining, and I loved every minute of our visit. After that day I knew that I wanted to attend MSU. As things would go I later changed my mind and went to IU, which I have absolutely no regrets about! But in this post I want to focus on MSU, a university that I have high regards for...

When I decided on IU, MSU became one of our major rivals, especially in basketball. Furthermore the rivalry was more intense for me, since I had two cousins who attended MSU. To this day we always bump heads over the rivalry, which makes it all the better. In the winter of 2008, we arranged the Cousin Campus Tour, where we first visited Central Michigan in Grand Rapids, then spent the day at Michigan State. I remember it was a very cold winter day, snowing and all, yet we still took in the campus of MSU... The nightlife has a very European appeal to it, with so much character. We had a late night adventure, went to at least three or four bars, watched a live band, and finished with some fast food.

Last year in February, I had Marc come visit IU for the basketball rivalry. It was a fun time, as he proudly wore his green, and I showed him around my campus and introduced him to my friends. We had a great time Friday night, woke up early Saturday morning to watch the Pep Rally at Assembly Hall, had some good chicken wings for dinner, then did some pre-gaming over at Rager's house. Finding tickets for the game was quite an adventure, yet I had no doubt, and we eventually found good seats in Assembly Hall to watch the game, where IU destroyed MSU. It was a memorable experience, and now I owe him a trip to MSU to watch the rivarly there.

My most recent excursion to the campus of Michigan State just came this past weekend, as I went to work a ESPN game there. After working 3 years now for Sportvision this would be my first time working the stadium of MSU, and I was very excited, especially since I had so much history with this place. So the drive went good and I found the place perfectly, yet my car died right outside the stadium on Shaw Drive. Luckily I got it jumped, and after that, everything went smoothly. This past weekend I got to admire the campus of Michigan State more than ever. Now I know why I had so closely considered attending this school. The campus is a wide landscape of beauty; trees and rivers, all very colorful in the fall-time. People everywhere, out running, walking, biking, talking, and so forth. And the girls there are all very pretty. It's just an all around happening place, very similar to Bloomington. I hope to visit the campus many more times to come!

Obama's Noble Peace Prize

I've been meaning to write an opinion piece on this one, since Friday. There's so many different angles to it. Yet I've just been very sick the past few days, with a nasty cold... Which is weird cause I usually don't get sick... I think it's either a mixture of stress or the drinks I took Thursday night at Zambukas... Whatever it is, I got a very busy week next week and hope I can get better by tomorrow... Anyway back to Obama.

So when I heard the news Friday morning my initial reaction was surprise and happiness... I was happy to see that the world approves of our leader, and puts him in the highest of regards. Yet I was more surprised because he's not even through his first year yet. Sure he's brought significant progression and change from the Bush years, yet has still yet to accomplish anything of great magnitude. He's only the fourth president in history to receive the award, and the 3rd actual sitting president. So he joins the list of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Jimmy Carter. Roosevelt put an end to the Russo-Japanese War, Wilson founded the League of Nations, and Jimmy Carter has worked as an activist following his presidency to better human rights. And so I can't help but wonder what really makes Obama deserve this award, the most prestigious awards we have.

I think it's pretty obvious and safe to say that this award wasn't given to Obama based on his accomplishments, yet more on his aspirations. After 8 years of American aggression in Afghanistan and Iraq the world is happy to finally see that the country is moving in a new direction. This award demonstrates the world's approval of the new direction, while also giving a well-deserved blow to the Bush administration. In his first year, President Obama inherited a mess of domestic and global issues, and has worked tirelessly more than any other president to find solutions to these problems. He has tackled the Financial Crisis, a fix for the auto-industry, an end to the Guantanamo Bay Camp, health care reform, stronger foreign relations; most especially with our enemies North Korea and Iran, climate change, and the disarmament of nuclear weapons. It's these last three (his foreign relations, climate change, and nuclear disarmament) that most likely won him the Nobel Peace Prize...

When the news came that Obama had won the prize, the entire world was shocked, including Obama himself. In an address later that day he admitted that he did not deserve the award, yet was still honored and deeply humbled. The world leaders had mixed reactions, some said it was too early to be awarded while others said it demonstrates his promise for hope. And of course Obama's critics, especially the Republicans, have already begun to run with this one, pointing out that Obama's presidency is glorified for his celebrity status and not his accomplishments. Then there comes the issue that the Nobel Prize Committee is biased, with a leftist slant, and perhaps have begun to lose their credibility.

I can't help but see the good and bad in this whole thing. The Nobel Prize is a lifetime achievement award, and is awarded to those who have dedicated their lives for world peace. Whereas Obama is only beginning his goals for World Peace, and still has a lot to accomplish. I can't help but see this award as a looming cloud over the president, who now has to deliver even bigger. I hope in time only good will come of it, that will motivate Obama to accomplish his goals. I hope the award can be used as a tool to strengthen his foreign relations even more and thus achieve a global peace for humanity unlike we have ever known before!

Grand Rapids Food Convention

I had a day off so I decided to join Palms on a road-trip to Grand Rapids for a GFS food convention. We left about 7am, and got there around 10ish... Although it wasn't my first time in Grand Rapids, it's been a while since I've been there in the daytime. I went to the BOB club a few years ago with my cousins, yet that was at night time. I'd say it's about the size of Fort Wayne, maybe a little smaller, and has a lot of scenic appeal to it. There's a river that cuts through the city, and the architecture is all fairly modern. Yet there is this one large building, the Amway Grand Plaza, that really captured my eye. It was a vintage hotel of brick, with an enormous American flag waving at it's front.

When we got to the Convention center, we got a little lost, and cut through the warehouse to get to the front lobby. Inside the convention center, were tons of food booths, companies representing GFS trying to sell their latest food products. I have to say I gained a new understanding of the food industry, and saw it more from a business perspective. Salesmen would stuff food down our throats, trying to get us to buy their new product. Then a marketing specialist walked us around, suggesting good tastes and new ideas. After a while it was all kind of phony, and I couldn't help but see through it all. These conventions are nothing but a sales-gimmick, people who want to be your best-friends just so they can sell you their product. I suppose the one good thing about it though is the free food-tasting. I had a wide variety of greasy food; soup, chicken, pizza, cheese, stir-fry, and almost every form of fried-food... As I walked around the convention I further came to understand why Americans are so obese... It's not the lack of exercise or dieting.. It's the greasy foods we eat... I did have lots of good Coffee though and concluded that Colombian was my favorite. Overall it was an interesting experience and I am very happy that I don't work in sales.

Recently Seen Movies

Here is a review of some of the DVDs I have watched over the past 2 weeks...

• Into the Wild (B)

This film by Sean Penn retells the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young college graduate who in 1990 decided to escape from the materialism of society to go live freely in the wild. It follows his journey as he travels from Atlanta to Alaska, and the many people he meets along the way. He eventually gets to Alaska, and lives in a bus for 4 months, until he finally succumbs to starvation. The story is very interesting, and has a great message in it. It captures the beauty of nature and a free life, yet emphasizes that true happiness can only be found when it is shared. Great acting performance by Emile Hirsch, yet the directing was somewhat off in my opinion. I think Sean Penn should just stick to acting. Yet all-in-all a great story with a great soundtrack.

• The Insider (B-)

Being a fan of Russell Crowe, I had wanted to see this film for some time, yet never knew what it was about. Well finally I sat through this political thriller that retells the true story of a tobacco executive, Jeffrey Wigand, a whistleblower who chose to expose the tobacco industries on 60 Minutes. In the 1990s, 7 of the biggest Tobacco CEOs testified in court stating that tobacco was not addictive, when in fact, they themselves knew that the nicotine in cigarettes would keep people coming back for more. Jeffrey Wigand therefore met with CBS producer Lowell Bergman, as well as the famous interviewer, Mike Wallace, to expose these CEOs. The interview then leads to a controversy of lawsuits, scandal, bribes, and flat-out corruption between CBS, Jeffrey Wigand, and the Tobacco Industry. It's a very informative film, with passionate performances by Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, and Christopher Plummer.

• 310 to Yuma (C)

Russell Crowe plays the fictional outlaw, Ben Wade, in this post-Civil War Western film. He and his gang rob a stagecoach full of money, and flee to a town in Arizona, where he is eventually arrested. There he runs into a poor rancher, played by Christian Bale, who decides to accompany the group of police as they transport Ben Wade to Yuma. The journey is a dangerous one, as they must travel across the desert, while being chased by Wade's gang. In the end as they await for the train, they must face Wade's gang in an impossible shootout. I guess this is my biggest complaint about the movie, finding the final scenes somewhat ridiculous... Crowe and Bale were decent yet the most notable performance goes to Ben Foster, as Wade's evil right hand-man.

• The Constant Gardener (B-)

Now this one is a very complex story about a British diplomat played by Ralph Fiennes and his activist wife, Tessa, played by Rachel Weisz. They travel together to Kenya where they get a firsthand look of the medical distributions. It is there that Tessa discovers that the major drug companies are using African citizens as guinea pigs to test their new products. She becomes passionate to expose these companies, and later draws her shy husband into the affair. Whether true or not, the story touches up on the corruption of these drug companies and the disregard for the poor African people. An overall interesting movie, with many different settings in Europe and Africa, yet once is enough for me. Strong performances from Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz.

• Frost/Nixon (C+)

Following President Nixon's resignation due to the Watergate scandal he kept silent for 2 years, until he decided to go public in an interview with British personality David Frost. This movie basically goes behind the scenes in setting up those interviews, which would become a make-or-break duel for both David Frost and Richard Nixon. I have to admit I was very out of it when I watched this film, and dozed off in a few parts. It's a very informative, factual, film that demonstrates the corruption of the powerful. Although the interview was considered a victory for both Frost and Nixon, it clearly shows how Nixon abused his power in the Watergate scandal...

• Flags of our Fathers (C-)

Clint Eastwood has continued to amaze me, with his films starting back with Mystic River... Yet I have to bluntly say this one was somewhat of a dud. Let's face it World War II movies are starting to get old, and should just be retired with Saving Private Ryan. This one tries to take a different route by telling the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima, and the soldiers who raised the flag in the famous photograph. Yet the story is all-over the place jumping from America to the battlegrounds, which drag on and on... I fell asleep many times throughout this movie, with it's continuous battle scenes, terrible acting, and weak story. This film lacks the artistry and drama that Eastwood brought in his other WWII film, Letters of Iwo Jima. I'm sorry to say he could not deliver on this one.

Fall Festivals: Alexandria, IN

Yesterday I went on another road-trip with my mom, grandma, and Sue to the small town of Alexandria, IN (on the outskirts of Muncie). The weather was somewhat chilly, yet I thought it was perfect fall weather. The festival was pretty low-key, yet still there was a lot going on. Tents, rides, stage performances, and lots of food. We watched the community choir sing several songs from the play Music Man, including the song "Shipoopi". It reminded me of the classic Family Guy Episode where Peter scores a touchdown for the New England Patriots, and gets the entire stadium singing the song. I also had an elephant ear, which was the first time in a long while. We left the festival around 4ish, and on the way home, my mom had the urge to get some apple dumplings from her favorite restaurant Cracker Barrel. The place was pretty packed, and once we were seated, we waited another good 15 minutes to get served. We decided since we were seated to go ahead and just order some food, so I got my favorite biscuits and gravy. Ofelia asked for a bowl of potato soup, yet they didn't have any... To make things even crazier they were out of apple dumplings, which was the reason we came. The manager then came out, apologized to us, and told us our meal was on the house... So at least that was nice...

Goodbye Chicago 2016

I remember when I lived in Chicago, everywhere I went I would see the emblem or motto for the 2016 Olympic Bid... Sure I knew in the back of my head that a lot could happen in 8 years, and doubted I would still be living there, yet the possibility of hosting my friends and family to partake in the atmosphere would have been incredible. I am an avid fan of world competition, most notably the Olympics and the World Cup. To think that so much culture would be right there in our backyard would have been way too much fun. I was always doubtful we'd get it, yet had much more hope after a popular Chicago resident was elected president. Yet not even President Obama's push to host the games was enough. Today the Olympic Committee voted, and Chicago was eliminated from the selection. Now the games are either going to Madrid or Rio de Janiero, which is probably a better thing for them. We've hosted enough games already, and need to spread the event out a little more... Nonetheless, I still do intend to one day move back to Chicago, a city that is rich of culture!!!

Family Guy on it's 8th Season

In my opinion Family Guy is without question, the funniest show on TV... With their cut-away jokes and cultural references, I sometimes wonder how they get away with so much... Since their beginning in 1999 and after 8 seasons, they are still on the air as one of the most popular shows on TV. Some people may argue that their best stuff was in the beginning seasons, yet I strongly disagree, and feel that Family Guy just keeps getting better... They joke about whatever they want, many things that are considered taboo... That's what makes the show so unique and hilarious, is that they can get away with this stuff... I myself am not much of a TV guy, yet can watch a Family Guy episode over and over again...