And the Oscar goes to...

WOW- I thought it was very appropriate to make note of the EIGHT Oscars which Slumdog Millionaire was awarded this evening. Did I already say WOW? I was not sold on their win for favorite song since I think there were other songs which possibly didn't make the list (hmmm... I cannot name any off the top of my head. I just feel that the songs may sound new to the screen but they sound similar to Indian songs I have heard before). Don't get me wrong- I very much enjoyed the film :-) In fact, I saw it two times before we were assigned to watch it for our film course; however I didn't expect it to win the best film picture. What was I thinking? Using standard logic, if they won SEVEN other categories, then they win a best film nod.

I loved Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler; however I really wanted Richard Jenkins to win for his performance in The Visitor. Nevertheless, I think Sean Penn is a remarkable actor and I suppose his performance in Milk was more memorable because of the impact of the story. I actually thought Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married would have ranked above Kate Winslet.

Well, I am going to get ready for bed now. I didn't realize how late the show would go. I am sure the winners will be sleeping comfortably with their new oscar babies.

Travel Journal- 29th year

In class Prof. Greenberg read the poem Happiness is a Journey, Not a Destination by Souza. It is funny because my friends often remind me of the essence of this work when I become a bit too rigid in my attempts to plan every part of my life. I never take for granted how fortunate I am to have such wonderful family and friends since they have made my journey amazing and memorable! I expect to have the occasional flat tire as I continue my life's road trip but I don't doubt for one minute it will work out for the best.

Here is another short many people enjoy... Yesterday is HISTORY, Tomorrow is a MYSTERY, Today is a GIFT, That's why it's called the 'PRESENT'.

My habits have already changed

In class we were asked how frequently we use multiple forms of media writing. Below are the forms of media which I have already noticed have changed:

Reading others' Blogs- I now read blogs on a weekly basis which is a MAJOR change because prior to this class I NEVER read blogs

Writing your own Blog- I now write for this blog at least once a week which is a MAJOR change because prior to this class I would NEVER have contemplated creating a blog, much less maintaining it... hahaha

Facebook.com- I have actually used the profile I created this semester. I cannot say that I update it regularly but I do use it at least once a week which is more of a commitment than I ever thought I would make.

It is interesting to see that my habits have already changed over the past month. I wonder... how long it will last?

What do Atole and UIW have in common?

I bet you are wondering what UIW and Atole have in common? Not much. Except that both may sound familiar to many South Texans of the "latin persuasion" and both were manipulated by me on Wikipedia*. For class we have been tasked to update 2 definitions- one fact and one fiction. I chose to update UIW with a lie and Atole with a fact (based on my understanding). I know these are not too fun but they were the two that came to mind on the chilly night I was online.

I changed the location of UIW from San Antonio to Austin, Texas. Within 2 days the statement was corrected. Boo- I thought I would confuse some unsuspecting college hopefuls.

I added comments to Atole based on my tex- mex understanding of the tasty beverage meal hybrid. The definition is still there and hopefully helping to educate many around the world... hahaha. Plug in- I LOVE Nestle's Abuelita Chocolate. If you like chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon then you should try it out. You can find it in most grocery stores in town (that is if you are reading this and reside in an area heavily populated by Mexican-Americans)

*Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia by the people and for the people.

Welly, Welly, Welly

"Welly, welly, welly, welly, welly, welly, well. To what do I owe the extreme pleasure of this surprising visit?"

I LOVE the Stanley Kubrick film 'A Clockwork Orange.' Oh wait- should I really have admitted that? I cannot count the number of times someone has shared how they thought the film is perverted and inappropriate. Nevertheless, I think it is great and it was one of the first films that came to mind when we were asked to make a fake update to Wikipedia. The plot summary part one was titled Alex's World. If you aren't familiar with the movie, Alex is the main character. I changed Alex to Andrew at approximately 9pm in the evening. Out of curiosity I checked in the morning before going to work, much to my surprise the name was already corrected!

Welly, welly, welly isn't wiki swell?

Photo is dust jacket from the first edition. Author Anthony Burgess.

How do I make my avatar look this good?

Ok- I am going to show my ignorance here... until our last class I associated avatars to the ads on the side bar of nearly every website which was a cartoon that had a likeness to a person’s picture. The professor who demonstrated the Second Life avatar creation process and the fantasy world they reside was very enthusiastic. His excitement over the technology and social aspects of it was very refreshing. I thought it was interesting to see how committed he is to the expansion of Second Life. I was a bit on the fence about whether or not I would enjoy this assignment. I was dedicated to give it a genuine attempt. What I didn’t realize the extent of work required to create and utilize one. I spent more than four hours building and “attempting” to customize my mini me. I never got the hair right. The clothes are far from anything cute. The only thing I did get right was her name- and that is because there is no way to mess that up.

I honestly do not know what I was expecting. When I was dropped into the world of second life it was interesting. I looked like dozens of other avatars that seemed to have been dumped into the world just minutes before me. I thought it was odd that you could see others changing in front of your eyes just as they could see the changes you were making to your avatar. Several odd individuals commented along the process, as if they were the commentator of the metamorphosis. Since that wasn't enough, many inappropriate people reside in this Second Life. I don’t know what I was thinking... I mean, I should have expected there would be some wierdos in make believe world since they do exist in the real world. Well, I will share more about my mini me adventure another day.

Photo courtesy of www.wayneporter.com.