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Reflections And Thoughts....The JYS Blog

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

I'm certainly looking forward to "Ghost Files" S4. Wake me up when the trailer or the season comes out since there is nothing else interesting going on in terms of watching. Or when Ricky Berwick gets his first win if at all, but we might need to go into hibernation first haha.

Stop lying to yourself - I think every Daddy's need "alone time". For me, I've always needed "alone time" all the time, all my life since that's how I am. Being around human beings have been more annoying than having to eat Broccoli, but I'm making a concerted effort (at a snail's pace however) to break out of this shell however. Since I'm a parent now, and I certainly do not want my kids to become hermits.

Simple solution - do not let anyone "borrow" your phone to begin with ("Hell no - tough noogies, schmoogies. Go find a library"). Do not let anyone "borrow" your car (not even family, unless it's an emergency and they have a safe record. Otherwise, they'll crash it). Set privacy / security settings to "private browsing" or delete cache history automatically everyday.

The cinematic masterpiece "2001". According to the novella, it would've been "Saturn Mission" instead of "Jupiter Mission" in the film had they been comfortable in creating effects for the planet Saturn. But apparently, Jupiter was easier.


Monday, March 10, 2025

I was originally going to watch "The Accidental Getaway Driver", but the showtime was inconvenient (I'll most likely have to rent this one). Fortunately, I was able to catch "Last Breath". Got in just when it started - well, I would've been looking at my phone during previews anyway. Previews need to be abolished just as DST need to be abolished. What a waste for sure. Film review or thoughts forthcoming.

Fans are in for a treat as the full cast of "The Breakfast Club" is expected to attend next month's Expo or Con to celebrate the 40th. Having Paul G. would've been extra special (Mr. Vernon, Mr. Beeks, or the "Jeezus Christ Powell!" asshole guy). Some actors never do interviews or attend cons. Unless you have do this for a living such as Ming Chen, who's attended every single damn con there is. This is a guy who would probably fly on anything (at the risk of his life) to get to a con. One thing is for sure - you'll never see Crispin at a "Back to the Future" reunion (due to the Part II fiasco).

Self-Help Guru for hire. David So's enlightening epiphany of the day - "Everybody hates you". Thanks. I guess this is more comforting than the "Who Let The Dogs Out" insult in "Shallow Hal" Hahaha.


Sunday, March 09, 2025

Relevant topic alert: how to deal with toddlers or babies crying non-stop, or their high-pitched shrieking (especially after exhausting all options). Silver lining however - more tolerable than most terribad grownup vocals on stage haha. I've nearly reached that breaking point several times, but I would never do something like that. Also - how do I tell my kids that I have a slight phobia about planes and flying. At some point, we'll have to go on trips. The recent incidents only exacerbates things.

I immediately thought of Henry Cho's "Guy With A Speech Impediment or Funny Speech Problem (or with a funny-looking mouth), as either Francis The Angry Wow Fat Guy, The Red Shirt Guy or John Rambo / Rocky Balboa ("Uh, Yo - I had to pull it 'cause peeps keep callin' and disturbin'. Who needs the interruptions, the aggravations. Right?").

Who fuckin' reads to fall asleep. It doesn't work. Reading is boring as hell, but it only bores the crap outta me (it doesn't make me fall asleep). Simple solution: watch something on your phone or tv. My eyes always get heavy watching reruns late night. Or watch porn if so inclined. Right, Ricky Berwick? Hahaha.


Saturday, March 08, 2025

Studio albums are fine, but I think performance / concert hall recordings are exceptional (acoustic-wise or atmosphere-wise). Definitely Lang Lang's Carnegie Hall live album, as well as his J.S. Bach's variations recording at the composer's resting place is top tier.

The Carnegie Hall album has an extensive program list, with epic pieces that are difficult to perform well (Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy and Liszt's Reminiscence). Tan Dun is also an exceptional composer, bringing flavor from the Far East. "Floating Cloads" and "Staccato Beans" are my favorites.

Finales or final movements of a piece tend to be intense and emotional (although not always the case). Rach 2 is the most beautiful, while the Rach 3 is the most intense. Three others - Schubert's Wanderer, Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 3 Finale, and Beethoven's Appassionata third movement.


Friday, March 07, 2025

These days, I only have the attention span for Youtube shorts. I don't think I can sit through a video longer than 20 minutes anymore (unless it's a movie worth watching). While others might have similar ADHD, I can see content creators gravitating toward Youtube Shorts format and abandoning regular length videos eventually.

This year might be only special or eventful outside of the usual, everyday bore chore; grand planetary parade, 40th film anniversaries, sequel announcements, and of course - Happy Jaws 50th! Unfortunately, the treatment of the anniversary has been lackluster. Not truly a milestone anniversary event, but a money-making scheme. Having only New Merch to sell, and theatrical re-release is nothing special but so far, it's only what they are planning. A 50th anniversary milestone should try to have a panel or a reunion of the key cast and crew involved with the film. And a tour of the film site. They should learn from "The Shawshank Redemption" anniversary, which was stellar even if they couldn't get the main stars.

I just heard about the The Goonies sequel announcement. There are concerns - who the fuck is the writer they are hiring?! He looks like someone who can fuck it up big time. Just hope Spielberg or Columbus supervise this guy.


Thursday, March 06, 2025

I'm also glad to hear that Randall Park and Steven Yeun are keeping busy as well. Randall Park - guest roles in "Watson" and "The Residence". Steven Yeun - "Love Me" (AI film, but I prefer you to hate me actually now haha), and "Mickey 17". "If he ain't Mick, you ain't Mick either". No - it's not a Rocky spinoff haha. I'm not sure what "Mickey 17" is about, but it's from the director of "Parasite".

My priority is obviously renting or watching "The Accidental Getaway Driver" at some point once available.

Repeats are part of a piece. While I guess they can be omitted, I don't think it would make a piece complete. But for sure, it can make a video recording longer. I've been planning to record the variations all in one. But I might separate the Minuet in a separate video depending on the runtime.


Tuesday, March 04, 2025

I am absolutely excited for "The Accidental Getaway Driver". Since it has been quiet or uneventful the past, few months, I decided to check on Dustin Nguyen who hasn't updated in awhile. To my pleasant surprise, his movie is getting a theatrical release. Which means, there might be hope to rent this on streaming platforms. This is a must-see for sure. Since it is an independent film, I suspect the renting price is going to be reasonable. I'll post the trailer on the Film Forums page with more thoughts.

Who is Myles Che? Another talent to follow and keep track of.


Monday, March 03, 2025

I found the fourth movement Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 3 to be delightfully intense. I am only familiar with this movement, as it was part of "The Magic of Lang Lang" album I purchased a long time ago. I tried learning this a long time ago, but my hands were not conditioned enough to keep up with the dynamics and tempo. Possibly now. But not planning to learn it anytime soon. There are other pieces.

Diss tracks are hilarious. Perhaps Blunts should consider "crowd surfing" if Isabelle is in the crowd - target no. 1. Hahaha.

Therapy / counseling is one of the most useless and pointless shit out there. These guys get paid tons of money to tell you shit that's just made up or made to "sound intelligent", or information you can read easily somewhere. Just write an e-book dammit - don't waste our time or money. These guys are just there to make money, not be your friend or try to understand you.

And in most cases, folks either end up for the worse, relapse a few short days later, or stay the same. A better form of therapy is doing activities that makes you happy - it can be as simple as meditating, or even immersing yourself in music or the arts. You can discover a lot more for yourself, then you can by paying somebody to make up shit.

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For posterity haha: