I think that the lostpedia blog is really funny. It starts by saying that "For some people, this is Obama's 100th day in office, but for Lost fans, it is a momentous 100th episode of Lost". WARNING: A spoiler of this episode's ending!
Daniel Farraday is one of the most interesting characters on Lost. I think even on TV he has a certain geeky personality that morphs his moral standing at times. We find out that he has Lost his memory, but gets it back because anyone who goes to the island becomes healed. His knowledge of time travel is the most interesting thing about him, but like all Lost characters the question is not WHO is he, but WHY is he on the island?
With his death in this episode, there are only a few reasons that I think he needed to be there.
1. To tell Desmond to go back
2. To tell Pier Chang about the incident
3. To influence who Whitmore and Eloise Hawking become
And suddenly understanding the reason for him on the island and his death becomes clear. Something will happen to Pier Change because of this. Something will happen to Charles and Eloise because of this. And Desmond is somehow still tied.
But what a tragic way to die. You're mother tells you who to become and your father gives you money, knowing the entire time that you will only end up time traveling to the past and getting killed by your mother. There are still many things I wish to know about Daniel (making him the new Libby), but that's okay because I think his death in this 100th episode was very well made.
20090430
20090427
The Crazy Month of May
Hey I thought this would be cool to do. These are my plans for the crazy month of May. As these things happen, I'll blog about them! That way I can keep life posts and opinion posts separate. Woo hoo! Here's some notes. 1.) I graduate 4 times and am going on 3 roadtrips 2.) James Morrison is my favorite Artist and 3.) I can not believe that I am graduating and that Elena is getting married!
May 1 Lavender Graduation
Lavender Graduation is a special graduation for LGBTQA students who acknowledge their academic careers as well as their identities and struggles (Q=Questioning; A=Allies who are straight). This goes down as one of the best days of my life because it is a milestone. I was talking to a friend about how hard it was for me to be public about anything 3 years ago, but I have come so far. The banquet was awesome; we did not get home until 7am, which I have not done since I have been in Japan.
May 3 JACL Scholarship Luncheon
My sister got a scholarship from the Japanese American Citizens League. There was about 10 people awarded and I coincidentally knew 4 of them.
May 5 James Morrison Concert in Indianapolis
After a 4 hour drive from Chicago to Inianapolis, we got to the bouncer at Vogue Theater only to find out that it was a 21+ show and Hongjoo didn't have avalid ID. This was the worst thing ever as it was our favorite artist. We went back to the car and dug through the baggage. We found her Japanese Foriegner's Card ID. We brought it back in hopes that the bouncer would let us in even though it was all in Japanese. Long story short, a beer and a taquila sunrise later, we were listening to James Morrison LIVE! This was one of the best days of my life!
May 6 Econ Final and Honors College Graduation
My Econ final would have been better if I didn't go to a concert the night before. We'll see how this one unfolds haha. As for Honors College Graduation, it was a very nice, small, and intimate ceremony were our Speakers were great (Anita Alvarez!) and everyone could be proud that we graduated with Honors and a collective sense of being future leaders of the world. What's more, my granparents, parents, aunt, and Tita came so it was as if I was an only child- it felt great to have my one day!
May 7 Last Community Leadership Program (CLP) Session
I missed it :/
May 8 The Last Day of Class
On May 7 I took an all-nighter to finish my Senior Thesis. I also had to put together my comic book. So on May 8, tired from working on my project all night, and turning it in 4 hours late, I submitted my thesis in hopes of getting an A and receiving highest distinction. But I wasn't done yet. I went to the computer Lab and printed out my comic book. It turned out really well even though I turned it in 5 hours late. I walked to the train station as I always do when I leave school, but this time it felt different. It felt like the end of a a long Chapter of my life. It was a great feeling mixed with a sense of bein lost. I was no longer a student in school after 18 years, I wasn't sure where I would go next. But I was done.
My Courses:
English 109: City of Heroes
Economics 121: I got an A!
Sociology 490: "Straight-Acting" Gay Boys: A Study of Masculinity in the Childhood of Gay Men
Sociology 499: A Historical Analysis of Patient Navigators
I could get straight As!
May 10 Graduation!
Today I graduated. This goes down as one of the best days of my life. I'm glad to see some of my struggling friends have made it, I'm laughing that we couldn't shake hands because of the H1N1 outbreak so we fist pounded the Dean, and I look forward to what lies ahead.
May 14 CLP Graduation
May 21-25 Elena's Wedding at Annapolis
May 27-31 Roadtrip to Toranto
May 1 Lavender Graduation
Lavender Graduation is a special graduation for LGBTQA students who acknowledge their academic careers as well as their identities and struggles (Q=Questioning; A=Allies who are straight). This goes down as one of the best days of my life because it is a milestone. I was talking to a friend about how hard it was for me to be public about anything 3 years ago, but I have come so far. The banquet was awesome; we did not get home until 7am, which I have not done since I have been in Japan.
May 3 JACL Scholarship Luncheon
My sister got a scholarship from the Japanese American Citizens League. There was about 10 people awarded and I coincidentally knew 4 of them.
May 5 James Morrison Concert in Indianapolis
After a 4 hour drive from Chicago to Inianapolis, we got to the bouncer at Vogue Theater only to find out that it was a 21+ show and Hongjoo didn't have avalid ID. This was the worst thing ever as it was our favorite artist. We went back to the car and dug through the baggage. We found her Japanese Foriegner's Card ID. We brought it back in hopes that the bouncer would let us in even though it was all in Japanese. Long story short, a beer and a taquila sunrise later, we were listening to James Morrison LIVE! This was one of the best days of my life!
May 6 Econ Final and Honors College Graduation
My Econ final would have been better if I didn't go to a concert the night before. We'll see how this one unfolds haha. As for Honors College Graduation, it was a very nice, small, and intimate ceremony were our Speakers were great (Anita Alvarez!) and everyone could be proud that we graduated with Honors and a collective sense of being future leaders of the world. What's more, my granparents, parents, aunt, and Tita came so it was as if I was an only child- it felt great to have my one day!
May 7 Last Community Leadership Program (CLP) Session
I missed it :/
May 8 The Last Day of Class
On May 7 I took an all-nighter to finish my Senior Thesis. I also had to put together my comic book. So on May 8, tired from working on my project all night, and turning it in 4 hours late, I submitted my thesis in hopes of getting an A and receiving highest distinction. But I wasn't done yet. I went to the computer Lab and printed out my comic book. It turned out really well even though I turned it in 5 hours late. I walked to the train station as I always do when I leave school, but this time it felt different. It felt like the end of a a long Chapter of my life. It was a great feeling mixed with a sense of bein lost. I was no longer a student in school after 18 years, I wasn't sure where I would go next. But I was done.
My Courses:
English 109: City of Heroes
Economics 121: I got an A!
Sociology 490: "Straight-Acting" Gay Boys: A Study of Masculinity in the Childhood of Gay Men
Sociology 499: A Historical Analysis of Patient Navigators
I could get straight As!
May 10 Graduation!
Today I graduated. This goes down as one of the best days of my life. I'm glad to see some of my struggling friends have made it, I'm laughing that we couldn't shake hands because of the H1N1 outbreak so we fist pounded the Dean, and I look forward to what lies ahead.
May 14 CLP Graduation
May 21-25 Elena's Wedding at Annapolis
May 27-31 Roadtrip to Toranto
Sawyer to LaFleur
There are only 4 more episodes of Lost until the finale of Season 5 and I think that I've settled on my favorite character. It was a hard choice because Hurley and Desmond have the moral soundness, Juliet is a miracle worker, Sayid kicks butt, and Ben is the best character on television. But I have settled on Sawyer because of what he said about Winston Churchill.
Sawyer used to be a selfish man who would keep resources on The Island for himself, but now that it's been three years, he has not only changed his nickname to LaFleur, but has become a strategist.
Jack: So where do we go from here?
Sawyer: I'm working on it.
Jack: Really? Because it looked to me like you were reading a book.[Sawyer smiles]
Sawyer: I heard once Winston Churchill read a book every night, even during the Blitz. He said it made him think better. It's how I like to run things. I think. I'm sure that doesn't mean that much to you, 'cause back when you were calling the shots, you pretty much just reacted. See, you didn't think, Jack, and as I recall, a lot of people ended up dead.
Jack: I got us off the island.
Sawyer: But here you are... Right back where you started. So I'm gonna go back to reading my book, and I'm gonna think 'cause that's how I saved your ass today. And that's how I'm gonna save Sayid's tomorrow. All you gotta do is go home, get a good night's rest. I do what I do[He leads Jack to the door and opens it]
Sawyer: Now ain't that a relief?
Jack: Yeah.
And it has always been these kind of characters that intrigue me. The ones who are can pack a punch, but store their physical strength for a time when their intelligence enhances it. I love characters who can execute a successful plan, improvise when necessary, and not reveal their plan until a climactic moment. This makes Sawyer dynamic, more interesting, and more attractive. He has become my favorite character. [And even though I don't like her, I hope he chooses Kate]
Sawyer used to be a selfish man who would keep resources on The Island for himself, but now that it's been three years, he has not only changed his nickname to LaFleur, but has become a strategist.
Jack: So where do we go from here?
Sawyer: I'm working on it.
Jack: Really? Because it looked to me like you were reading a book.[Sawyer smiles]
Sawyer: I heard once Winston Churchill read a book every night, even during the Blitz. He said it made him think better. It's how I like to run things. I think. I'm sure that doesn't mean that much to you, 'cause back when you were calling the shots, you pretty much just reacted. See, you didn't think, Jack, and as I recall, a lot of people ended up dead.
Jack: I got us off the island.
Sawyer: But here you are... Right back where you started. So I'm gonna go back to reading my book, and I'm gonna think 'cause that's how I saved your ass today. And that's how I'm gonna save Sayid's tomorrow. All you gotta do is go home, get a good night's rest. I do what I do[He leads Jack to the door and opens it]
Sawyer: Now ain't that a relief?
Jack: Yeah.
And it has always been these kind of characters that intrigue me. The ones who are can pack a punch, but store their physical strength for a time when their intelligence enhances it. I love characters who can execute a successful plan, improvise when necessary, and not reveal their plan until a climactic moment. This makes Sawyer dynamic, more interesting, and more attractive. He has become my favorite character. [And even though I don't like her, I hope he chooses Kate]
20090423
Marginalized Childhoods and Comic Book Writers: What is the Connection?
I wrote a paper for my English 109 course, Graphic Novels, with the above title. I worked on it during Spring Break and submitted it early. Imagine. A student submitting something early is nearly unhead of! I put a lot of work into this and loved the outcome. Here's my thesis:
"The ideal childhood is one of caring parents, innocents, and fun, but not all children experience this ideology. Children do not have the power needed to improve their conditions because they are young dependents. Comics, a medium sometimes thought of as childish, often have child characters struggling to better their lives. This essay uses four graphic novels from different genres in order to examine how the ideology of childhood is not always true. I argue that children, who normally have little power to change their lives, and the authors who write about them become empowered by the literary, artistic, and sometimes fictional tools that graphic novels enable.
The four books I used were:
"The ideal childhood is one of caring parents, innocents, and fun, but not all children experience this ideology. Children do not have the power needed to improve their conditions because they are young dependents. Comics, a medium sometimes thought of as childish, often have child characters struggling to better their lives. This essay uses four graphic novels from different genres in order to examine how the ideology of childhood is not always true. I argue that children, who normally have little power to change their lives, and the authors who write about them become empowered by the literary, artistic, and sometimes fictional tools that graphic novels enable.
The four books I used were:
- Barry, Lynda. What It Is. Montreal: Drawn & Quarterly, 2008.
- Bechdel, Allison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. New York: Mariner Books, 2006.
- McGruder, Aaron. The Boondocks: All The Rage. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2007.
- Moore, Allan. Watchmen. New York: DC Comics, 1986.
The reason I'm blogging about this is because my professors gave a comment and it really made me happy. I also applied a lot of sociological theory to my paper but did it in lay terms. This means the last 4 years of my life weren't meaningless as I have proof that I'm good at analyzing the world. Now all that's left is to save it!
"Excellent work Philip - you could definitely make this longer and use it for a writing sample for graduate studies"
20090419
Navigating Through Cancer
- If you're black and have cancer, you're more likely to die than if you were any other race
- More white women have breast cancer, and yet, black women still die more often of it
-Latinos have the highest instance of cervical cancer, and yet, blacks still die more
- There is more prostate cancer instances and deaths in blacks by a lot, like almost twice as likely to die
- Asians have the lowest instance of cancer, but this is different for each group (Pinoys have greater risk of prostate cancer, )
The reason why there are such gaps in healthcare has a lot to do with access. There's a lot of way in which the healthcare system doesn't allow black people to get healthcare. One is that most black people are poor and have no insurance. Also, there is no cure to cancer so you can either A) Engage in low risk behaviors to NOT get it or B) Get it detected early before it spreads and get proper and timely care. The problem is that many groups, especially racial minorities, urban poor, and isolated country folk, can't do B because they don't speak english or they don't know where to go or they don't trust "white people medicine". Hence, there are PATIENT NAVIGATORS.
Like it sounds, the medical system has a new form of healthcare where workers will navigate these groups through the healthcare maze. These workers both 1) Understand the system and 2) Understand the culture of people they serve so that they understand both sides of the reasons why these people aren't getting care.
Some examples:
-2 patient navigators reduced the no-show rate for colonoscopies from 67% to unly 5% in the Bronx
- Spanish speaking navigators got a 100% show up rate to mamographies (breast cancer screenings)
Expect to hear more about Patient Navigators as research is being conducted and programs keep getting funded. This is a big thing that will change healthcare forever to grant access to groups once excluded.
(Now I must write a 30 page paper on Patient Navs)
- More white women have breast cancer, and yet, black women still die more often of it
-Latinos have the highest instance of cervical cancer, and yet, blacks still die more
- There is more prostate cancer instances and deaths in blacks by a lot, like almost twice as likely to die
- Asians have the lowest instance of cancer, but this is different for each group (Pinoys have greater risk of prostate cancer, )
The reason why there are such gaps in healthcare has a lot to do with access. There's a lot of way in which the healthcare system doesn't allow black people to get healthcare. One is that most black people are poor and have no insurance. Also, there is no cure to cancer so you can either A) Engage in low risk behaviors to NOT get it or B) Get it detected early before it spreads and get proper and timely care. The problem is that many groups, especially racial minorities, urban poor, and isolated country folk, can't do B because they don't speak english or they don't know where to go or they don't trust "white people medicine". Hence, there are PATIENT NAVIGATORS.
Like it sounds, the medical system has a new form of healthcare where workers will navigate these groups through the healthcare maze. These workers both 1) Understand the system and 2) Understand the culture of people they serve so that they understand both sides of the reasons why these people aren't getting care.
Some examples:
-2 patient navigators reduced the no-show rate for colonoscopies from 67% to unly 5% in the Bronx
- Spanish speaking navigators got a 100% show up rate to mamographies (breast cancer screenings)
Expect to hear more about Patient Navigators as research is being conducted and programs keep getting funded. This is a big thing that will change healthcare forever to grant access to groups once excluded.
(Now I must write a 30 page paper on Patient Navs)
20090413
All Nighter
I'm going to go to UIC to take an all-nighter. This is kind of an adventure because I don't know where I'm going to go, I just need to find a place to sit and do homework for hours. Researching anything on Cancer is not my thing!
But it's ok because I have Jason Mraz and James Morrison to save me! (And some Econ homework if I get the chance to do it!)
But it's ok because I have Jason Mraz and James Morrison to save me! (And some Econ homework if I get the chance to do it!)
20090407
A Life Update
Current Mood: Senioritusy
Music: Life is Wonderful by Jason Mraz
Life Force(s): Lost (ABC), Senior Thesis writinh, and the mysteries of Love
Music: Life is Wonderful by Jason Mraz
Life Force(s): Lost (ABC), Senior Thesis writinh, and the mysteries of Love
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