Week Three In Film And Overall Summary

Sitting here and writing blogs about different things I've seen and experienced within the past week opens up my eyes so much. I realize that many of us go through much more than we even have time to think about because we live such busy lives these days. If you truly take a look at film, it involves all of these different scenarios.

One of my posts this week was about how I am so caught up and busy with school this semester. I talked about in that post how I have been in school for a good amount of time now and have just recently discovered my passion. One of my favorite movies of all time is The Pursuit of Happyness. When I watch this movie, it reminds me of myself in so many ways. I have been pursuing many different things in my life but never found anything that I've had to fight for and work my hardest at. Finally, this past year I have found something to chase after and pursue with a passion.

Many movies, whether they're based on true stories or not can definitely inspire us or give us a picture of our own personal lives. Films like Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button are both not true stories but inspired the world in so many fantastic ways. Both of these films include struggles, love stories, and victories that the characters experience and many of us can relate to those things.

My blogs, this week, felt a little more personal and I feel that I could definitely take nearly all of them and create a movie out of them. I went through time of frustration with my friends, difficulties with love interests, and a new time with me and my mom. Many of these experiences that I've been going through have brought up obstacles and made me ask myself different questions from time to time about my life. Then, many times when I go through this phase, I put in movies that reflect determination, focus, and discipline and I get over the excuses that I make for myself.

Film is so much more powerful than people even realize. We don't just watch movies to entertain ourselves but we watch them for more personal reasons too. I know that when I watch movies for inspiration or even entertainment, it is a time that I can completely clear my mind and get away from the real world. Sometimes, this is exactly what many of us need to relax and reassure ourselves that things aren't so bad. Films have a great ability to help us through different times while we live real life movies of our own.

Mama

My mom and I have been through everything together. We have experienced so many things throughout my 24 for years of life and I appreciate her so much for all that she has taught me. When I was born, my father was a very abusive husband and father. My mom and I were beat and yelled at constantly by my dad and we ran away from home nearly 15 or more times. I won't get into the details but we lived a very fearful life until I was about ten years old. My mom finally couldn't deal with it any longer, gained some courage and left my father for good.

It's typical in Asian families for the children to stay home with their parents until they are married and the life that my mom and I have been throughout has given us even more reason to stick together all this time. My mom has had a rough life and has never truly experienced love and appreciation from a man. Recently, she finally met someone that treats her like a queen and genuinely shows that he cares. He lives in Indiana though and I believe that not too long from now, she will end up moving to be with him.

My mom has always been by my side my entire life and I know she is so afraid to leave me to live my own life by myself here in Michigan with no family and a small group of best friends. I am definitely ready to be on my own and let my mom go off to pursue a life of happiness because she deserves it more than anyone I know. It will be an enormous change for the both of us but I feel like it is necessary and will only spark and exciting new time for me and her.

College

I have been working my butt off this semester and it has definitely taken its toll on me. I have been at Wayne State for six years now and I feel like because I dragged myself through school for this long, I've lost a little bit of my ability to focus and push myself with homework and studying. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some of my classes but I think I overloaded myself this semester with 17 credits. I know plenty of people take that many or more sometimes but I don't think I should have made myself one of them this semester.

I have about a year or so left and I just need to get myself through it the best I can so I can breathe. For years, I couldn't figure out a major that I knew I'd be passionate about. I was pursuing security instead of passion. Finally, last year, I decided to go after something that I knew I had loved for years and that was my interest in film. Taking film classes for the past year has been so much fun and I feel more motivated to do the work that I need to do. But, there have definitely been some road blocks in the way still and I need to get through them. Most of these are personal mental obstacles I need to beat and force myself to keep the end in mind. One of my favorite quotes by Einstein sums up where I was to where I am now,

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking
we were at when we created them."

In The Beginning...

When you meet someone and feel like you could possibly have some chemistry with them, it's a wonderful feeling. I have been single for about nine months now and I haven't met someone that I have felt is worth pursuing since then. The last few months, some old friends of mine and I have been hanging out a lot more and I began to get to know one of them more than I have ever before. She is a very motivated girl that doesn't have to fit in like all other girls and knows what she wants out of life. I find it difficult to find a girl like that these days and that definitely caught my interest.

Friends began to tease us about the possibility of something happening and I was hoping to get to know her some more too. After one night of all of us going out, I didn't want to rush things or come on too strong so I made sure I was careful about what I might say or do. I sent her a text message one day just saying hello and to have a great day at work. Then, a few days later I invited her to come study with me and some of our friends. I didn't want to get too personal with her until I felt like I knew her well enough. Well, a friend of hers ended up telling me that she felt so pressured by me and that I was constantly trying to get a hold of her. I couldn't believe this! I hadn't done anything yet!

After all of this, it made it clear to me that this girl was definitely not the girl for me and I was very happy that I didn't try to hard to go after a girl that seems to be THAT anti-social. I'm sure that we'll still hang out with our friends together and everything but I will definitely not show any desire for anything beyond friendship for sure.

My Best Friend's Girl

I did a blog before about my friend and his girlfriend. In that blog I talked about how his girlfriend could be really materialistic and a huge conflict came up this past week because of it. This girl is one of the first girls that my best friend has dated that I've actually grown to be close to but she definitely pushed my buttons this week. My best friend called me up and told me that they were arguing about Christmas presents and how he believes jewelry should be saved for later on in the relationship like a long-term anniversary or something. I completely agreed with him on that but his girlfriend didn't quite get it.

She actually ended up coming to me as well and we discussed this whole topic. She explained to me that it didn't seem like he cared as much about her because he bought his other girlfriends jewelry before for presents. I explained to her that he didn't want to do that this time because he wanted to save it for a big occasion for them. He didn't want to just buy her jewelry because he thought it was a nice gesture but instead, he'd rather get it for her when they're celebrating a more serious event like an anniversary. She wouldn't see it this way and kept fighting me on it. There was a lot of discussion and then I ended up telling her that if she's that materialistic that they don't belong together and I can't associate with someone that selfish.

After a few days of not talking, she admitted that she was being self-centered and didn't want to see it from the other perspective. I really appreciated her honesty and I apologized for maybe being a little too harsh on her as well. As frustrating as this conflict was, I'm glad that it happened because I believe that my friends and I all understand each other much better and appreciate each others' honesty more as well.

Week Two In Film

Well, as I stated before, my blogs are more about my life experiences and as a person that is very interested in film, all of these experiences give me different inspirations and ideas for screenplay and film ideas. How many of us have seen great movies about strong friendships, family conflicts, party lifestyles, and love stories? When I have a week that is mixed with all different experiences like this, it can be tough sometimes but I also appreciate it as well.

For me, film is an artistic way of portraying real life ideas into a visual idea that others can see. Many movies that appeal to me the most, and what I believe appeal to most people, are the ones that we can all relate to one way or another. When we see a movie and see a little piece of ourselves in them, we feel like it hits so close to home. Sometimes, we cry because it hurts to see something so close to the truth or we laugh because we see something that reminds us of a wonderful time that we had with our loved ones. We are all, in our own ways, living our own movie.

In film, there are always introductions, conflicts, and resolutions. The stories I've told throughout this week, and many that we all go through, happen exactly in this way. There are definitely times in all of our lives that we are so excited to start a new chapter in our lives. Then, we hit a high point of excitement or even frustration. Last, we end up at a point in our lives that we are so happy with the resuls of our dedication or we are disappointed by missed connections. It's at this point that we move on to the sequel or we just choose to begin a whole new movie. Films do a great job of inspiring people but I believe that people do a great job of inspiring film.

It's The Simple Things

This week, I have a pretty consistent theme of going out and partying. Last night, I didn't feel like going out again but my friends really wanted to go and my best friend said that he didn't want to go unless I did. I don't get to hang out with him that often anymore so I decided that I would go.

We ended up going to Sky Bar and when we stepped foot in there, we couldn't really do much else after that. This place was so unbelievably crowded and it was so tough to even comfortably talk to our friends. Also, some of our closest friends didn't even end up showing up so we lacked some motivation to have a great time. After about 40 minutes, we decided that it wasn't worth spending the rest of our time there and decided to leave.

Once we got back to our car, we realized that we still had a good amount of time still in the night and we went to Sonic for some late night slushies. After this, we went back to my house and had some good ol' fun with Mario Kart Wii until 2:30 in the morning. I love going to clubs and dancing but sometimes it's the simple things like sitting around and playing games with my friends that makes me the happiest.
My friend and his girlfriend were having a blast and we were all competing against each other like little kids all over again. I had a great time and really appreciate my friends more for being able to enjoy the simple things with me.

Crushin'

As I talked about in one of my other post, I'm not big on partying all the time but I definitely like to go out with my friends and have a great time. It seems like this week is always a party week every year and I am drained from going out so much! But, I have to say there has been one thing making it easy for me to get out and this one thing would happen to be a girl.

Earlier this year, an ex-girlfriend of mine and I tried to resolve some problems that we had before and that ended up in failure. I haven't met anyone that has caught my eye since then...until now. I have been single for about eight months and for the people that know me the best, they know that is an eternity for me! But, I'm going to be 25 soon and I'm definitely looking for someone that could be IT for me.

This girl that I have somewhat of a crush on right now is really hard to read. She had some bad experiences with her last boyfriend and for that reason she is very careful with any other guys that could possibly walk into her life. I completely understand that and I completely respect the way she is. She is very passionate about her life and she is one of those rare girls these days that isn't wild and crazy like all the others. I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see where this goes but I have a good feeling right now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am always thankful for all the different blessings that I have in my life. This year though, it was a little bit of a complicated holiday. There was some family feuding going on so my mom and I ended up not spending time with some of our relatives this year. It's very sad to think that even during this time of year that sometimes we still find it difficult to compromise with our loved ones.

One movie that I used to love when I was young was Soul Food and this movie is completely about the same topic. This movie had almost every single conflict you could think of; family members cheating with other members, spouses going to prison, and the heart of the family, Mama, passing away.

Now, my family isn't going through anything that drastic but the situation defnitely makes me question the character of some of my family members. I hate to say that but this part of my family is very different from everyone else. The rest of my family is very giving and family oriented. This part of my family is very loving but in certain cases they can be very self-centered and it really seperates them from the family in great ways. I just hope that all of the issues can be resolved and not drag on for so long. I would've definitely enjoyed Thanksgiving much more if our family could have all been together instead of doing our own seperate things...

Main Street

The biggest bar night of the year! I went with a group of my friends to Main Street in Rochester Hills. I love going out with my friends but I'm not one of those crazy people that you see out all the time. It's a different story though when you decide to go out on the BIGGEST bar night of the year.

To see people fighting, drinking, and stumbling is completely normal at events like this. I have never had a drink my entire life so it is always interesting when I get to see everyone with a clear mind. I even find it hilarious because some of my friends who are completely innocent and clean cut become people that I don't even know the moment they've had a few drinks. I have a lot of fun going out dancing and chatting with my friends but sometimes just standing still in the middle of everything and watching is plenty of entertainment within itself.

Week One In Film

When many people think of film, they think of movies that entertain them and they think of their favorite types of movies. I became a film major because I love how film can express any emotion or present any idea that exist in our world today. If anyone is ever in need of a laugh, a scare, or a thrill there is always a film that can provide that for them.

Films have accomplished many things in history and have told many different stories. Whether it be stories of friendship, love, or politics, films have always been able to convey a clear picture of any subject.

In my earlier blogs, I talk about great times with friends, struggles in relationships, a trend that only seems to be growing, and also students' rights.
All of these can be expressed in film. Many films have been done to show the different friendships and relationships that people have. Although New Moon is a film itself, the craze revolving around this movie is an entire subject within itself. Lastly, the Michigan Promise rally is a issue with education and politics. Many films have been created to explain different rights that people were fighting for and many times succeeded.

Many times, the ideas that films are based on come from real life experiences or events that have occurred already. Films are created to relfect our different societies at this current moment one way or another. If you just walk around and pay close attention, you might even some type of film playing out right in front of your eyes.

Michigan Promise

I graduated high school back in 2003 and I did very well on my exam. I received the award money for my first four years and it was so helpful (although I could've put it to better use since I changed my major a few times). When I realized that I was going to get this money, college didn't seem so bad at all. Actually, I was also receiving financial aid as well so every semester for four years they were actually giving me a great amount of money back! Back then, tuition wasn't as high as it is today so it was easy for those different aides to help me go to school without the pressure of money in the way. Now, I wish all the students attending college now could also receive the help that I did because it made a huge difference. The protest held in front of the Welcome Center had a great impact on many students but I also feel like it had a feeling of not being so serious. It informed the students there of many different issues like prisoners receiving more money than students and how students are entitled to the their Merit award money. For me, it seemed like it lacked 100 percent conviction and at times felt more like a stunt than an actual rally. I completely agree with the intensions of the ralley but it could've been more organized and provided a more serious tone. Overall, the rally was okay and had a good amount of information but I think a better presentation of the subject could have made a greater impact.

Relationships

I have a few different stories about a few couples that I know. First, my best friend Chris has been dating a girlfriend of his for about seven months and it has not been a smooth relationship at all. My friend is the kind of guy that always gets with girls that always want their way and he gives them that. This time though, this girl is like that but she is one of those girly girls that has to have the best of the best. She always has her Tiffany's necklace on with one of her multi-thousand dollar purses and her two hundred dollar jeans. My best friend can't stand this but he puts up with it every single day.

I won't leave all the fault to her though. When he gets into a relationship, he becomes boring and whipped. He sits at home waiting for her to come home, watches TV with her, then goes to bed. This has become his life and I have lost a real friend that actually comes out and spends time with his friends. I know there are plenty of people out there that do this but I believe that people should have a good balance of everything and everyone in their lives.

New Moon

So, I was dragged with a group of friends to go watch New Moon on Friday. Now, I am a film major and I love most movies but I completely don't understand what is so amazing about this whole Twilight phenomenon. I don't discriminate against any genre of movies either; I like them all. When I watched the first Twilight and then New Moon, I feel like the acting isn't that great, these movies drag on, and there's nothing that exciting about these movies in any way.

Regardless of what I think though, girls are going CRAZY over this saga and the guys of these movies. It's hilarious to see even grown women completely melting over these guys! Also, even with the poor quality of these movies (my opinion), New Moon had the biggest opening night premiere, even beating out last year's hit The Dark Knight. I guess I'll just have to try to understand and figure out what this whole trend is about.

Best Friends

This past Thursday, I organized a surprise birthday gathering for two of my best friends at a bowling alley. The day before the big surprise, I had to make many phone calls to many of our friends for last minute invitations. The surprise was very successful and my friends loved their surprises presents as well. We all went on to bowl the rest of the night and had a ton of fun. It was a great experience that doesn't happen to often with all of our busy schedules.