Black April

Today marks the 37th year anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, a day that would forever be in the hearts of many Vietnamese people worldwide. In April 30, 1975, the North Vietnamese Army tanks drove into Saigon and the everlasting image to the world is their entrance into the Presidential Palace gates; they called it "Liberation Day". For the millions of Vietnamese citizens, it was the day that we lost our country. People began to search for a means to escape, by boat or by air. Masses of people crowded outside the US Embassy; mothers push their infant children through the gates, hoping, begging for anyone to come to take their children to America. Anywhere would be better than under the oppressive and cruel Communist regime. For the next few years, Vietnamese people would continuously try to find a way out of the country. Many sold their homes, sold their life savings to get a place on a small Vietnamese fishing boat, crowded with over maximum capacity, hoping to escape. If they were caught, they would do it again. There was no other choice for them. They would rather take on the ravages of the Pacific Ocean than to stay. Many faced dehydration, starvation, pirate attacks, shipwrecks. The lucky ones were found by western ships. The unlucky ones were buried with the sea. One must ask how terrible must a government be to have its own citizens escaping from it, facing all these horrors rather than living under its rule.
Thirty seven years have passed and the Communist government in Vietnam is still as brutal to anyone who speaks against it. A few years ago, it had imprisoned a Catholic priest for speaking against its lack of humanitarian effort; it imprisoned a few lawyers who spoke out against it. Recently, it imprisoned a musician, for composing two songs, asking "Anh La Ai" (Who Are You) and "Vietnam Toi Dau" "Where is My Vietnam", criticizing the corruption of the government, its lack of interest in what its citizens want. The first song questions who are you, who are you, mister, to not let me speak, to not let me protest and carry out my natural rights to protect my country from foreign invasion, and most importantly, who are you to stop me from trying to prevent you from erasing our country's past and future. The second song speaks of the two Vietnamese islands, Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (part of the Spratly Islands), territories of Vietnam, which China is trying to take; it criticizes the government for "selling" the islands, a term which translated into Vietnamese is considered the utmost betrayal to a nation. Men and women have died protecting those islands and for the Vietnamese government to just hand it to China is like a desecration upon the souls that have lost. But then again, the Communists were never hesitant toward desecrating anything sacred. Temples, churches, graves have been destroyed before.
However, it is different now in the 21st century. With access to social media, people are connected everywhere, even in countries like Vietnam whose government restrict access. Vietnamese citizens within the country are protesting along the streets, demanding for their government to do right by them, demanding for a voice, demanding for their country. They have suffered through abuse, silence, oppression, and persecution from their own countrymen, the very same ones whose job it is to protect them. However, the Vietnamese people will not stand in silence when these same countrymen allow their country to be torn from them. The famous Hung Kings of Vietnam have fought foreign invasions, and the successor kings, with the blood and sweat of our ancestors, have continued the fight and gave up so much to secure the nation of Vietnam today.
The Vietnam War had torn Vietnam apart, separating families, dividing brothers. Like the tale of Lac Long Quan and Au Co, who are considered as the father and mother of the Vietnamese people, Vietnam is divided--fifty of their children when to the mountains, fifty went to the oceans. However, when the time comes to secure their country from foreign invasions, they will do so. Remember Vietnam, remember the fires of war, remember the tears of sacrifice, remember the skin of yellow and blood of red of those who fell to secure freedom before you...because it is now your turn to secure it.

Alli and Jeanne 9: Toothbrush

Hello! It has been too long! Good news and bad news! Good: my cousin whose wedding I went to two summers ago has her first child--a baby girl! She's adorable! Both mama and baby are doing well. Bad: my parent's aunt (from some distantly related family--Asians have huge families) recently died. Godspeed and may God, Buddha, and the heavenly saints above guide her spirit to her final resting place and her heaven.

There's nothing else for me to fill in, so here's a segment of Alli and Jeanne.

Corner Tip #29: Sleeping with your head under a blanket might not be very good, but oh gods, it keeps you so warm! And...it is highly recommended that you change toothbrush every three months. Please, do not be a cheap college student like me! A defaulted toothbrush does your teeth no good.

10 Years

It has been 10 years since that fateful day, which struck the hearts and souls of Americans and the world. It has been said that you can forget any day, even what you did yesterday, but no one ever forgets what they did on September 11, 2001. It is bittersweet how tragedies remain forever ingrain in one's mind. Perhaps it is because of the strong emotion that tragedy brings and how hard it took us by surprise.
I remember that I woke up late for school that day. I can't remember what I did the night before that made me overslept. But I definitely remember my mother coming in my room, yelling at me. Not because I was late. "Wake up! Some building is on fire!" My mother didn't know what the World Trade Center is at the time. Neither did I. I was eleven, living on the west coast. No one ever spoke of the World Trade Center or of its purpose. I never learned about it in school. Needless to say, I was oblivious to what she was saying when I sprang out of bed, realizing I was going to be late for school. I only saw what I considered a glimpse of what was happening on television. A tall building. Billowing smoke. Two tall buildings. Lots of smoke. And I was late. I left the house. The details weren't given to me until I came into class and my teacher was telling us about what had happened in New York. So the two buildings I saw had been the World Trade Center. It was an attack. Planes. Crash. Burn. Collapse. Terror. My teacher then went onto a talk about terror and ended it with a few words of care, "I'm not trying to scare you. You shouldn't be afraid. Give them your prayers to how you would. Take out your homework from yesterday." The whole day went on regularly as if nothing had happened. We did our math. Read our reading. Learned about the ancient world. I can't remember what happened when the school day ended.
September 11, 2001 will never be for me as what it is for many. I haven't lost any loved ones, any friends in that tragic event. I cannot feel the same pain, the same heartbreak, the same tears, the same loss as they did. But I can feel an indirect pain, from the stories, from the pictures, from the clips. I can see it in their eyes, hear it in their voices. I can offer them my prayers and condolences. I can forever remember the sacrifices of their love ones and pay tribute to them as American heroes. This I can do. Not only for them, but for the thousands of Americans who have died over the last 10 years in the line of duty.
From what I have seen, I believe that like a phoenix, we will rise from the ashes of from the fires which consumed us and become strong. We have done this so many times, September 11, included; tragedy strikes and we have always risen back.
May the Deities above protect us, bless us, and give us the strength to continue to rise out of the ashes.

Because I Watched Captain America and Cowboys and Aliens

This past weekend was considered the movie weekend for me. Actually, July was the movie month for me. I've never been to three movies in a month before or watched two movies on one weekend before. Lame, I know, but hey, movies costs money! Anyways, on Saturday, I went to watch Cowboys and Aliens. I love Harrison Ford as an actor, especially playing the role of an adventurer. Honestly, can you imagine Harrison Ford playing any other role besides the rough and tough guy who has a heroic heart? Maybe he can, but I've just never seen him in such roles before. As for Daniel Craig...he's Daniel Craig. He was great as James Bond, but I always thought any actor who took on the role of James Bond was awesome, so that must mean I love James Bond and not necessarily the actor that portrayed him. Anyways, down with the gist. I thought the plotline was a bit odd. And when the trailer first came out, I said, "WTF." It has the same plotline as any alien take-over: aliens coming to earth to destroy humanity and humans bound together, forget their differences to fight against the aliens. Why this movie makes me laugh more than the others? Well, these cowboys and Native Americans fight the aliens using pistols, rifles, and arrows. There have been countless moments during the movie where I sit there and go, "oh my God, it's amazing how they're still alive." And it is amazing how they survive. Olivia Wilde played the role as a creepy alien perfectly...she creeped my friend out. I was rather sad when I saw her character died, especially with Daniel Craig as her opposite, but who doesn't die when they love James Bond. Hahaha.

Moving onto Captain America. Now, I have watched a total of three movies in 3D (Transformers3, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II, and Captain America). By far, Captain America is THE BEST in 3D that I have ever seen. The WHOLE movie was in 3D. The other two movies, only the fighting parts were in 3D and I could've sworn Harry Potter only had actual 3D when Voldemort died and his skin flecked out at us. But the 3D-ness of Captain America was awesome...I jumped. I jumped when the ever handsome Chris Evans as Steve Rogers AKA Captain America threw his shield onto a tank and the shield bounced back. I jumped. And I liked it! I haven't watched many of Chris Evans movies (only The Nannie Diaries and Push), the first he was a minor character, playing ScarJo's Harvard Hottie (named Hayden--I love that name); and the second, he played a guy with powers (which I totally got confused with at the end...I didn't know the point of everything). Where was I? Oh, so I'm not exactly up to par with Chris Evans as how well he does in movies. However, he played his role as Steve Rogers wonderfully. Of course, him being in a 1930s era US soldier uniform helped with the whole heartthrob appearance. I truly admire his modesty especially when he said he was worried about taking on such a large role. Well, Chris Evans, you were amazing, and you fit the role as perfect as can be. Now onto Tommy Lee Jones. He played Colonel Phillips. I love his wit, his dry comments, and especially his one-on-one convos with Dr. Erskine (he got killed) and Dr. Zola (he's MIA). You gotta love Tommy Lee Jones.
Now, I'm a female that truly love, love, love seeing females who step up to the plate. Which is why, I love Hayley Atwell's Agent Peggy Carter. She's probably one of the few top females in the military scene, she's daring, she's a professional, but also a female ;], not to mention she makes awesome killshots. I was on the verge of tears when Peggy and Steve had their last conversation. It's heartbreaking to know that they would never see each other again (unless something strange happens in the Marvel comics that I am totally unaware about), and their last memories of each other were a kiss, comforting words, and loving thoughts of a dance that might not happen. T.T The gal sitting in the row in front of me was bawling. I can't blame her.
Since we talked about the protagonists, let's move on to our favorite antagonist. Now, the setting is WWII, so we'd all think oooh, Hitler! But here, we got Schmidt/Red Skull (literally). I've always been a history geek, especially when WWII is involved, so another bonus for this movie. For me, it's strange seeing Hugo Weaving play a villain because I last saw him as Elrond in LotR. But damn...the Red Skull...he didn't have a nose! Another bonus because he might as well channeled Lord Voldemort. Hell bent on power, world domination and destruction, seeking powers that others don't know of...yup.
All in all, I love Captain America. And I cannot wait for The Avengers to come out. It's like a adventure/macho fest! And who doesn't love hearing more of Robert Downey Jr.'s dark, witty responses? Who doesn't love seeing Chris Hemsworth as Thor again? And most of all, I personally want to know what Steve Rogers has to face now. I mean the 21st century is one helluva scary place compared to 1930s.

Because I Watched Deathly Hallows Part II

About a little over twenty-four hours ago, I sat in a very comfortable leather seat, watching the first minutes of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II. Adrenaline rushed through me; I was so excited. I had been waiting in line with my friend since 4:30 in the afternoon. The show was at 12:01  AM.
We continued our journey where we left off since part I last November. Harry, Ron, and Hermione was burying Dobby at Shell Cottage; Voldemort breaking into Dumbledore's last resting place and took the Elder Wand. It couldn't be any more devastating and hopeless.
I was worried how the screenplay and the direction of the second part would go. Everything had to be perfect. Or at least as perfect as possible since so many information came out into the light during the second part. Not to mention, the quick paced battle scenes and the emotional turmoils that each character had to experience. Everyone accepted the sacrifices and the pain. To me, there were several emotional scenes from the book that I wanted the movie to capture.
Aberforth Dumbledore's story regarding his brother Albus. Even if that scene was shortened due to time restrains, I wanted the dialogue between Aberforth and Harry to be in there. Readers would know that this is where Aberforth claims that with Ariana's death, Albus  was free of his responsibilities to his siblings. Harry informs Aberforth that Albus was never free. And Harry himself had witnessed the demons that terrorized Albus that night in the cave. I was disappointed when that scene wasn't there. It was so emotional for me to read it in the book and it explained what Albus had gone through and had seen while under the influence of Voldemort's poison in the cave.
Severus Snape's death and his tale. I cried when I read this in the book. After Half-Blood Prince, readers were fervent to know which side Snape is on. Many believed that he was Dumbledore's man, many believed that he was once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater. However, Snape's memories told us of a deeper story: Snape's reason for doing what he did, the sacrifices that he chose to make, his inner turmoil. Of all the scenes, I wanted this scene to be perfect. It was, to me, a very climatic scene. Not only did it tell Harry what he needed to do, it proved Snape's unwavering allegiance to Dumbledore...all because of something Voldemort never, ever understood: Love. Snape's love for Lily Potter, unwavering, undying. irrevocable. Alan Rickman did a wonderful, if not, brilliant job portraying Snape in the scenes of his memories. I was in tears. And I wasn't the only one. All around me in the theater, I could hear people sniffling. I think the part where I spilled the most tears was when Snape made his way up the staircase in the Potter's home (I know this isn't in the book, but I don't think it mattered much since it showed so much of Snape's love, pain, and loss). He held the dead body of Lily in his arms and there was so much love and pain in his movements and expressions that one can feel it. I applaud Alan Rickman and if I can, I would give him an Oscar on that scene alone. The scene that I had put so much expectations on, had far exceeded my expectations.
Harry in the forest with his parents. This was a tearjerker for me as well. Once the dam breaks, everything sort of flows out regardless of how much you try to hold the water back. I think the part that made me cry the most was when Harry told Remus that he didn't want him to die, to leave young Teddy. It made me cry so much because there were scenes before that during the movie of Remus and Tonks, reaching for each other before a battle, and then before Harry went to the forest, he saw their bodies next to each other. Other than that, I found that this scene lived up to my expectations as well. Emotional, like how it was written.
Narcissa Malfoy. I'll say it. The woman is amazing. I love how she just stared at Voldemort in the face and lied to him about Harry being dead without flinching. She was a mother on a mission and there was nothing that would stop her from getting to her son. I also love how when the battle between Harry and Voldemort began back at the castle, Narcissa simply marched her son out of there, without looking back.
Mrs. Weasley. Another mother on a mission. And of course, the screenwriter Steve Kloves lived up to my expectations on this scene because he included the famous Mrs. Weasley's "not my daughter, bitch". And it also managed to capture that arrogance of Bellatrix Lestrange and how she underestimated Mrs. Weasley, laughing as she was attacked...much like her cousin, Sirius. Although Bellatrix's demise in the movie shocked me to no end. Poof.
Harry vs. Voldemort battle. It was quicker than I thought. I had assumed that Harry would explain everything to Voldemort and they'd be doing that standoff thing where they circle each other, like how it was described in the book. However, in the movie, they both took no time. And they also got some action fight before the actual ending battle. There were a lot of things that Harry didn't say to Voldemort. But, if he did, the movie would probably stretched another fifteen minutes, which I could hardly mind since I believe this movie was the shortest of all the Harry Potter movies! So, I was a bit disappointed with the very minimal dialogue. Not to mention Harry didn't explain to Voldemort how the spells he cast aren't working because Harry had made his sacrifice to protect everyone. I thought that bit was quite important and it shouldn't have been left out. As for Voldemort's demise, much like Bellatrix...poof. Only with a bit more...strangeness.
As for the epilogue, all I cared for was how adorable Harry's children are. Especially Lily and Albus. Albus Severus Potter is simply adorable.
Overall, even with the elements that are missing, I think the movie truly exceeds my expectations. While the first part of Deathly Hallows was slow and rather relaxing to watch, the second part was fast, emotional, and highly charged. Harry Potter made up my childhood and I literally grew up with it. In 1999, when I was 9, was when I first came upon it. In 2007, when I was 17, the tale that changed a whole generation of children ended. That was nearly a decade. A whole decade if I had read the book when it first came out in 1997. The first Harry Potter movie debut in 2001. The last ended yesterday, in 2011. That was a decade. That was my generation. I will be proud to one day tell my children and grandchildren Harry's story, to have him and the characters that we have come to both love and hate, be part of their generation as well. And anyways, like my best friend said, by the time of my children or grandchildren, there would probably be remakes with exceptional cinema quality. But of course, no one would ever forget the last ten years.

Corner Tip #28: Harry's journey might officially end, but there's really no reason to let him go. There's Pottermore, there are fan fictions, there are movies you can rewatch, and of course, you can always start Harry's journey again by picking up that worn out book of Sorcerer's Stone that you have read so many times already. 

Because I Wanted to Win a Wand

I joined Twitter. Yes. The 140 letter snapshots of whatever you're doing. I have never been a Twitter fan. Never really cared much for it. But The Wand Company was offering a prize with a free wand that you can use to turn on your television or any other infrared devices with swishes and flicks! I love the idea! I was obsessed with it. Until of course, I realized I would need a Twitter account. Then comes the debate. Should I? Shouldn't I? -sigh- I was weak and gave into temptations of a wand (if Jeanne is reading this, good God, that's quite an innuendo). So I created a Twitter account. Tweet thewandcompany. And pray to the Potterverse Gods above that I could win a wand.
The things I do...
But as I've found out during my first hour with Twitter...it was a bit fascinating. Sort of stalkering extraordinaire and peeking into the lives of people you've only set eyes on through another lens. It was rather amusing. I was rather amused.
Let's see how long this lasts.

Crossing Tip #27: Giving in is a weakness. So let's all conclude that we're only humans, therefore, we are weak and are prone to temptations. Especially when one's obsession and addictions are concerned. 

Because It's the Fourth of July

Happy Birthday, United States!
I wish you a better year than last! A lot of people wish you a better year than last.