Shia Labeouf Film Fest

beetlejusLeave a comment

Without any doubt, Shia Labeouf is his own #1 fan.

The actor has been known  for going to great length to gain attention in the media. Most recently, he decided to watch all of his entire filmography in reverse chronological order, while a live stream recorded every minute of the 72 hour Shia-Fest.

This endeavor, which he has titled #ALLMYMOVIES gained quite the following in the past week.  Remarkably enough, the live stream didn’t feature the actual films being watched, but the reactions to the films by Shia himself.

In another peculiar twist, the live stream did not have sound, so the audience watching online had no clue which movie he was actually watching.   From the moment Labeouf took his seat, dressed in a large winter coat with the hood on, looking remarkably like a homeless man, the event had already set the stage for being strange.  The emotions of Shia varied from happy to sad to embarrassed to bored to excited to just being asleep.  At times Shia’s reactions were satirical at best, such as the time he burst out laughing in a particularly racy scene in Nymphomaniac.  Throughout the entire 3 day spectacle Shia also donned some of these exceptional faces

Shia went through a plethora of emotions… and also took a siesta

An intriguing way to spend half a week

Riding the Struggle Bus

Nearly a hundred people queued up to view the screening live, most of these people being students of one of the Universities in New York City, where the screening took place.   For a man who doesn’t want to be famous, Shia Leboeuf goes to some very great lengths to gain attention.   

Dreams Fulfilled

thebrownguyLeave a comment
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The OVS Cross Country Team (left to right): Coach Apple Alvarez, Tracy Zeng, Ally Feiss, Gilim Bae, Sunny Chang, Winnie Chang and coach Fred Alvarez — Photo by Momoe Takamatsu

When I was in high school, a time so long ago my students will assure you dinosaurs roamed the earth, I was a pretty fast runner.

I ran cross country and track all four years, and eventually got IMG_2656fast enough that I was able to run Division I cross country in college. But for as fast as I was in my high school years, I was never the fastest on my team, not to mention my league.

I was a middle-of-the-pack runner, good enough to earn a varsity letter three out of my four years, but not good enough on my own to earn a post-season CIF berth, the holy grail of high school sports in California. And my high school team, filled with runners faster than me, was never fast enough either to qualify collectively for CIF.

That was the dream for every member of my cross country team, and one that for me had obviously gone unfulfilled for decades.12208743_747617005343947_8825205504728621762_n

Until this past weekend.

On Saturday, for the first time in Ojai Valley School history, our girls’ cross country team competed in the CIF Southern Section preliminaries, a race that drew more than 3,000 high school runners from across Southern California.

Decked out in their new OVS jerseys (thanks Mr. Floyd!), my five girls toed the line against 148 other runners from 22 schools, nearly every one with a larger student population than ours. My runners were nervous. I told them there was no need to be.

IMG_4572 (1)Because as far as I was concerned, we had already won. Our victory was just getting to CIF, for being a team that sweated and bled and cried together to accomplish a goal that at the start of the season seemed unattainable.

I told them not to worry about how they placed, or how the team finished. I told them before they started to have fun, and to remember to look up at some point during the race and remind themselves where they were, and what they had accomplished together.

And I told them this: I have never been prouder of any team I have coached, and no team I have coached has ever displayed more heart.

These girls this season gave me a great gift. Yes, I finally got to go to CIF, only three decades later than planned. But there was more to it than that. I got to see these athletes develop a power they never knew they had, the power to come face-to-face with adversity and keep moving forward.

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Junior Gilim Bae was the top runner for OVS, running a personal best at the Riverside course — Photo by Momoe Takamatsu

I got to see a group of girls – three from China, one from Korea and one from Ojai – make the always mysterious transformation of going from strangers to friends to sisters. They will have this bond the rest of their lives.

Through a flurry of fortunate circumstances, I got to coach the team this year alongside my eldest daughter, a talented young woman as smart as she is dedicated to the teaching profession. Her star is rising, and I beam with pride. My heart nearly bursts when I think of the role model she provided these high school runners this season.

And I got to forge deep friendships, the kind that will last forever. In a world where so much goes wrong on a daily basis, a world where the spotlight shines too often on misery and the prospects of doom, what these girls achieved this season was commendable, and should be celebrated.

What greater gift could there be? Thank you girls for a phenomenal season. Go Spuds!

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Freshman Tracy Zeng (left) and junior Winnie Chang gut it out on the Riverside Cross Country course — Photo by Momoe Takamatsu

 

 

 

A Different Type of Family

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CIF.

Ever since I became involved in sports I had always thought of CIF as the place where the best of the best go to compete. I never thought in a million years I would make it there, especially for cross country.

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Photo Credit: MomoeTakamatsu

This past weekend, my high school girls’ cross country team (only consisting of five members), our two coaches and a few key members of our support group, made the long haul to Riverside, California. It was an all day event, starting from the early hours of the morning and not returning until well after the sun had gone down. The traffic was horrendous, the dust was suffocating (leaving us with the worst “runner’s cough,”) and the pain felt never ending.

I would do it all over again.

This is a memory I will cherish and I will always be grateful for being given this opportunity. The traffic, coughing and eternal pain, pale in comparison to the memories we made that day. The girls, some I knew from years before and some I just met this year, are now like sisters to me. All the long practices, blisters, sweat, tears and countless times of feeling like our chests were going to explode or we were going to lose our lunches, brought us together in an unexplainable bond.

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Photo Credit: Momoe Takamatsu

Running has changed me and made me into the person I am. It has taught me so much more than just how to breathe or use my arms to make it up a hill. It has done more than just help me get into shape. It has been tough and very painful but it has taught me a sense of commitment, strength, and family.

I would have never experianced any of this if it wasn’t for my coach.

Our coach shared with us after the race that we were the first team he’s ever taken to CIF. When he told us how proud he was and how much growth he’s seen in us, it brought tears to my eyes. I have been running for him since my freshman year. I am now a senior and this past race was my final one. This man that I call a coach, teacher, advisor, and friend is the most generous and inspiring man I know. He has been there cheering me on and encouraging me more times than I can count. He is like a second father to me, pushing me to the point that I want to yell back, but always knowing what’s best for me, supporting me to no end. Turning my jersey in means so much more than just an end to a sports season. It is an end to that chapter in my life, but not an end to the friendship that was made. I know that will always be there and he will always be there, cheering me on at the finish line.

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Photo Credit: MomoeTakamatsu

 

She Said No

mariethearistocatLeave a comment

She said no.

He wasn’t deaf.

He didn’t have headphones in.

His ears weren’t turned off.

He could hear,

But he wasn’t listening.

She said no.

He isn’t three.

He has a brain.

He understands when something has gone too far.

He has compassion,

But he doesn’t have guilt.

She said no.

He doesn’t speak alien.

He comes from the Earth.

He had feelings for her,

But he didn’t love her.

She said no.

She said it quietly.

She struggled and pushed.

She shook her head.

She pushed him away.

She said no.

She wanted to break free from his grasp.

She wanted to terminate the unwanted kisses.

She wanted to stop his reign of terror,

Credit to: favim.com

She wanted to have her right to walk away.

She said no.

She yelled and cried.

She kicked and screamed.

He saw this,

But decided to say yes for the both of them.

She said no.

No means no.

He knew that,

But he didn’t know that

He had left a girl.

A poor girl with a life-long nightmare.

All because he didn’t let her go,

He didn’t let her say no.

Superstition

raining17Leave a comment

With all that happened in the world this past Friday, there’s no way I can help it – I’ve become a little superstitious. Through many terrorist attacks, the world truly changed. And they all occurred on Friday the 13th, a day known to be bad luck.

Although worse than others, these attacks are not the first thing to go wrong on this unlucky day.

In October of 1307, Crusaders were captured, tortured, and later killed. On Friday the 13th of course. Flash forward a few years to 1940, when the Nazis bombed Buckingham Palace. In 1970, a cyclone hit Bangladesh, killing 500,000, later being classified as one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in the world. In 1972, a plane crashed in the Andes, and 12 died.

Even creepier – on Friday the 13th in 1989 a virus crashed IBM computers in Britain. In 2012 a cruise ship, by the name of  Costa Concordia sank, killing over 3o people.

Coincidence? I think not.

Photo Credit: http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk

When it Hits…

hubbabubba98Leave a comment

P.G.P. something also known as the Pre Game Poop.

If you’re a real athlete, then you’ve definitely had a run in with this situation once or twice.

For those of you who don’t know (the non-athletes), the P.G.P. is no joking matter.

It doesn’t happen during just one certain sport, it is all, it doesn’t affect just one type of athlete, it is all. The athletes who experience this range from inexperienced high school athletes to professional athletes.

It is a stomach-wrenching sensation that plagues many athletes right before they set out for competition. It can hit at anytime, but the most common time for it to set in is about five minutes before starting something that won’t allow any stopping to use the bathroom. This sensation will hit and you will make a mad dash for the bathroom at the last minute. However, once you actually get through the long line (due to other people that are experiencing P.G.P) you realize that you actually don’t have to go to the bathroom and it is really just your nerves acting up.

Photo Credit: http://4.bp.blogspot.com

 

My Favorite Street Style Stars

paris22Leave a comment

On Instagram there is a flurry of planned, blurry outfit photos with #ootd or pictures of one’s 15 bazillion Cartier Love Bracelets. But, my favorite fashion photos are the ones captured on the move, encompassing one’s street style (hence the title). So, let’s jump in.

Miroslava Duma

Photo Credit: Pop Sugar

This woman has some of the best street style looks I have ever seen. She maintains a formal look while still able to pull it off in the most casual of circumstances.

Olivia Palermo

Photo Credit: Daily Mail

10/10, Palermo consistently hits it out of the ball park with her looks, without even trying. Her style is a modernized classic, and is able to integrate trends into her look while still staying true to her personal style.

Emmanuelle Alt

Photo Credit: vanessataaffe.wordpress.com

Editor-in- Chief of Vogue Paris, Emmanuelle Alt has the classic, killer french style I love. Classic and simplistic, but never boring, Emmanuelle Alt always has awe-worthy looks.

Amal Clooney (né Alamuddin)

Photo Credit: demureonline.com

Amal Clooney, British lawyer and, yes, you guessed it,George Clooney’s Wife, has a complex, yet not too trendy style. She maintains a perfect balance, and always looks professional.

Miranda Kerr

Photo Credit: http://www.fashionmg-style.com

Miranda Kerr’s style has been on my fashion radar since I was 11 years old. Thats a pretty long time to love a person’s style, considering it is ever-changing. Miranda is able to maintain a classic look (see a pattern in these celeb’s style?) while still having fun with her outfits.

Starbucks Satanic Red Cups

happyrose15Leave a comment

Some are calling it Cupgate 2015. Others are calling it stupid

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year but some are saying that Starbucks thinks otherwise

This past week or so there has been quite a few arguments over Starbucks’ new holiday cups and there is outrage. Instead of having the snowmen, reindeer or all those Biblically correct Christmas symbols, they have gone for red. Cue maniacal devil laugh.

photo credit: starbucks.com

I for one, like so many others in the population do not care…at all. I don’t understand why it matters if I drink a delicious holiday drink out of a plain red cup or a cup with Santa’s sleigh on it.

Also, its called the holiday season for a reason. There are other holidays beside Christmas. I know its crazy to think. These holidays have been neglected by many, so I for one think it’s a good idea to have a holiday neutral cup if we are looking on the bright side of things.

So put out your torches or use them to heat your holiday drinks and just enjoy the most wonderful time of the year.

Doctor Talib

thericemuncherLeave a comment

The Broncos defense was extra aggressive last Sunday when they visited the Indianapolis Colts.

It’s safe to say that the Broncos defense is the best in the NFL and their secondary prides themselves as a “no fly zone.” However, the Andrew Luck led offense of the Colts easily picked apart the Broncos defense and this angered many defensive players.

Picture Credit: “extras.mnginteractive.com”

Frustrated about his team’s performance, Aqib Talib, a corner of the Denver Broncos, took to unorthodox methods of playing defense. On one of the last plays of the game, Colts tight end Dwayne Allen and Von Miller were jawing when Aqib ran up and stuck his fingers in Allen’s helmet and purposely poked Allen’s eye.

Picture Credit: “localtvkdvr.files.wordpress.com”

Talib has been suspended by the NFL for one game. He was suspended ONE game for trying to gouge another player’s eyes out. Talib definitely should be suspended more than one game.

Oh, and someone had the great idea of changing Talib’s position from cornerback to optometrist.

Picture Credit: “dailysnark.com”

 

Writers

whynotstayinLeave a comment

See here’s the thing, there are people everywhere in the world fighting for a change, for a difference, fighting to save humanity. And that’s all well and good, but then there are writers.

A specialized breed of ruin, a deadly addictive drug.

Sure one could ask what the cuss they do for the world. I can tell you this, they kill trees. They bury students in dry immobile states of constant stress and depression.

But know what else they can do? They can keep me up all night. Make it so my mind never stops whispering to me. Make it so it feels like I’m drowning in ink and can never shut out that click click clicking of the keyboard.

Writers. Arguably the most talented, frustrating, simultaneously strangle-worthy yet kiss-worthy people on the planet.

Every time I finish a book good or bad I wonder how?

How on earth does anyone figure this out? How does anyone think of this? How does this happen? How are they real? How do they do this? How? How? How?

Then I think why.

Why can’t I do this? Why am I not doing this? Why am I not good enough? Why isn’t this happening? Why? Why? Why?

It’s a constant cycle: how, why, how, why, how, why? Like a broken record playing over and over and over.

I’ve read most of my life away and yet I still can’t see those plot holes coming, I can’t predict it, yes that’s a good thing. But then I can’t even seem to think of ones coming at me on my own how am I supposed to write anything that even measures up in the slightest.

Sure good artists steal but that only gets you so far. So what if some people tell you you’re good, their obligated to tell you that, cause the worlds about making people feel good about themselves, especially when you’re a young volatile developing teen yeah?

But then I see other people’s writing, it doesn’t even need to be published or personal-universe shattering. And it starts it all over again.

Photo Credit: http://www.darkgovernment.com/

How? Why? How? Why? How? Why? Until it feels like I’m going to go mad.

I’m thinking yeah I’m good enough but then I read a bone shaking book. And the little disembodied voice whispers, are you good enough? Am I good enough? It echoes, like a museum display no one came to see.

Then I’ll read something written by someone like me unofficial, young, and just writing for the sake of writing. And that disembodied voice gets louder, No you’re not good enough are you? Just one lousy kid playing pretend.

I recently finished a book that for some reason shook me to my foundation. I hate analyzing literature but this one hit points that are incredible and leave me knee deep in cement thinking, this proves it, it officially proves it, writers are amazing and will probably be the fryers of my emotions. Yes the book had some stand out flaws but still. How?

I’m one sad little mind grasping at something I’m not even sure is mine to grab. One out of hundreds thousands millions. Every time I’m done with a book or story I’m left raw and wrathful and insecure yet I continue to do it to myself because I don’t think I could bare to be without it.