Since I have taken a few extra days off here and there and had too many cheat days, I decided to do an extra week of the first phase of P90X. That means that instead of doing week 4, I am doing an extra regular week.
I have seen significant improvements in strength.
For instance:
Standard push ups
25 reps v. 35-40 reps now
Heavy pants
10 reps @ 45lbs/arm v. 8 reps @ 70lbs/arm now.
My bicep and tricep weights have gone up 10 lbs and shoulder weights have gone up 15lbs at the most.
I still have two cardio days and legs + back left for this week.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Sleep No More
On Wednesday, we went to Sleep No More.
What an experience. I'll just paste my review here so I don't have to retype all about it:
Excellent, bizarre, intricate, eerie, beautiful.
I will not give too much away beyond the basic procedures since it is definitely nice going in without too much knowledge of what to expect. I strongly suggest that you go if you like theater, dance, film noir, Shakespeare, immersive experiences (haunted houses are a joke compared to this). The tickets might seem a bit steep, but it will probably be like something you have never experienced before (and it spans several hours).
Our tickets were for 7:20 entrance time, but there was a line to get in. A group of girls were asked by the bouncer to get stamped before they got on line and they thought they were about to skip the whole line, to which the bouncer said: go to the back of the line, this isn't a club. Awesome.
Once inside, you can check your belongings, but that means standing on line at the beginning and at the end. I suggest you bring nothing besides ID and maybe some cash for a drink.
Then you check in, get your tickets, and are directed to the bar. The bar is gorgeously done. The bathrooms are super slick and modern (this space was previously Home + GuestHouse). The host at the bar is quite charming and calls guests up to begin the experience.
Once inside, you are greeted by Constance, are given masks ('completely adjustable with the plastic things,' thanks Constance), and instructions (no cell phones, no talking, there are guards along the way to keep you safe).
Then you are set free and told 'fortune favors the bold.' So be bold.
The sets are incredible and can be quite spooky. The actors/ dancers are amazing, graceful, and in excellent shape. The choreography is powerful, I'm surprised that the actors are not all banged up - some of the fight scenes look quite real. The finale was CRAZY. I was a bit disappointed that the actors and crew didn't get a round of applause at the end though, there really was no way of showing our appreciation.
There is some nudity. One of the actresses bares her chest (woo woo -as Chris Rock says about Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction: 20 year-old titty, community titty; 40 year-old titty, your man's titty.) One of the actors shows his peen... wamp wamp.
Some tips:
- Definitely brush up on Macbeth. Though I read it a while ago, I was a bit lost at times.
- Wear the most comfortable shoes you can. Really. We walked a lot, back and forth, up and down. Do not wear $500 Louis Vuitton loafers, they might get dirty, wet, and/or worn down from so much walking (yeah a guy in front of us was wearing a pair).
- Wear deodorant/antiperspirant. You are walking a lot and it gets warm in there, especially not that it is heating up. Please spare others from your stench.
- Drinking lots of water or have gum handy (some people had foul breath). There is a bathroom in the bar area and somewhere else in the space.
- The masks are meant to make you anonymous - it definitely works and makes it a bit creepy. Your face will get sweaty though.
- If you go with someone and do not want to separate, it is possible, and might not take away from your experience, but just know that at some point or another, you will have to lead or follow. I went with my girlfriend and she followed me most of the time, but I still had to look back to make sure she was keeping up. Despite my best efforts, I lost her at one point. If that happens, don't worry, you'll find each other.
- Shows were recently extended through the end of June.
What an experience. I'll just paste my review here so I don't have to retype all about it:
Excellent, bizarre, intricate, eerie, beautiful.
I will not give too much away beyond the basic procedures since it is definitely nice going in without too much knowledge of what to expect. I strongly suggest that you go if you like theater, dance, film noir, Shakespeare, immersive experiences (haunted houses are a joke compared to this). The tickets might seem a bit steep, but it will probably be like something you have never experienced before (and it spans several hours).
Our tickets were for 7:20 entrance time, but there was a line to get in. A group of girls were asked by the bouncer to get stamped before they got on line and they thought they were about to skip the whole line, to which the bouncer said: go to the back of the line, this isn't a club. Awesome.
Once inside, you can check your belongings, but that means standing on line at the beginning and at the end. I suggest you bring nothing besides ID and maybe some cash for a drink.
Then you check in, get your tickets, and are directed to the bar. The bar is gorgeously done. The bathrooms are super slick and modern (this space was previously Home + GuestHouse). The host at the bar is quite charming and calls guests up to begin the experience.
Once inside, you are greeted by Constance, are given masks ('completely adjustable with the plastic things,' thanks Constance), and instructions (no cell phones, no talking, there are guards along the way to keep you safe).
Then you are set free and told 'fortune favors the bold.' So be bold.
The sets are incredible and can be quite spooky. The actors/ dancers are amazing, graceful, and in excellent shape. The choreography is powerful, I'm surprised that the actors are not all banged up - some of the fight scenes look quite real. The finale was CRAZY. I was a bit disappointed that the actors and crew didn't get a round of applause at the end though, there really was no way of showing our appreciation.
There is some nudity. One of the actresses bares her chest (woo woo -as Chris Rock says about Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction: 20 year-old titty, community titty; 40 year-old titty, your man's titty.) One of the actors shows his peen... wamp wamp.
Some tips:
- Definitely brush up on Macbeth. Though I read it a while ago, I was a bit lost at times.
- Wear the most comfortable shoes you can. Really. We walked a lot, back and forth, up and down. Do not wear $500 Louis Vuitton loafers, they might get dirty, wet, and/or worn down from so much walking (yeah a guy in front of us was wearing a pair).
- Wear deodorant/antiperspirant. You are walking a lot and it gets warm in there, especially not that it is heating up. Please spare others from your stench.
- Drinking lots of water or have gum handy (some people had foul breath). There is a bathroom in the bar area and somewhere else in the space.
- The masks are meant to make you anonymous - it definitely works and makes it a bit creepy. Your face will get sweaty though.
- If you go with someone and do not want to separate, it is possible, and might not take away from your experience, but just know that at some point or another, you will have to lead or follow. I went with my girlfriend and she followed me most of the time, but I still had to look back to make sure she was keeping up. Despite my best efforts, I lost her at one point. If that happens, don't worry, you'll find each other.
- Shows were recently extended through the end of June.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Source Code
Brittany and I have been seeing a lot of movies recently thanks to her parents' Optimum card.
We have seen La Potiche, Win Win, Hanna, and Source Code. Win Win and La Potiche were quite funny. Hanna was a bit disappointing. I really enjoyed Source Code.
Sure, it's a Hollywood movie, but it has some good ideas:
- The idea that a person's brain can keep memories for up to eight minutes after death. I don't know if that is true, but a human brain remains active for a certain amount of time after being decapitated.
- The idea that there are many alternate universes.
- The idea that one can alter the past.
I don't know, maybe those ideas weren't actually explored too deeply, but it made me think about where I am.
The point is, I need to be more accomplished.
Also, I wonder what my alternate selves are up to.
We have seen La Potiche, Win Win, Hanna, and Source Code. Win Win and La Potiche were quite funny. Hanna was a bit disappointing. I really enjoyed Source Code.
Sure, it's a Hollywood movie, but it has some good ideas:
- The idea that a person's brain can keep memories for up to eight minutes after death. I don't know if that is true, but a human brain remains active for a certain amount of time after being decapitated.
- The idea that there are many alternate universes.
- The idea that one can alter the past.
I don't know, maybe those ideas weren't actually explored too deeply, but it made me think about where I am.
The point is, I need to be more accomplished.
Also, I wonder what my alternate selves are up to.
On The Soviet Space Program
At one point, the Soviet economy had such fast paced growth that it led Khrushchev to say: When we catch up and pass you by, we'll wave to you. However, the growth came at heavy human cost. People were constructing nuclear plants wheeling materials in wheel barrows and freezing to death.
There have been a lot of pieces on the Soviet space program to commemorate the anniversary of Gagarin's trip to space. I cam across several pieces that show the makeshift nature of the space program - something that was characteristic of the entire Soviet system: Slapdash and inconsiderate of human cost.
This Cracked article lists a few crazy things the Soviets did, including sending up stray dogs, possibly sending up and not bringing back some cosmonauts, and sending Komarov to a certain death.
This NPR article expands on Komarov's death. You can even listen to his last words.
I was actually more angered by Laika's death, but it is sickening how regimes take advantage of silly ideas like political beliefs, patriotism, heroism, etc.
There have been a lot of pieces on the Soviet space program to commemorate the anniversary of Gagarin's trip to space. I cam across several pieces that show the makeshift nature of the space program - something that was characteristic of the entire Soviet system: Slapdash and inconsiderate of human cost.
This Cracked article lists a few crazy things the Soviets did, including sending up stray dogs, possibly sending up and not bringing back some cosmonauts, and sending Komarov to a certain death.
This NPR article expands on Komarov's death. You can even listen to his last words.
I was actually more angered by Laika's death, but it is sickening how regimes take advantage of silly ideas like political beliefs, patriotism, heroism, etc.
On the Burden of Graduating from Harvard
Brittany and I recently went to Boston and Cambridge.
Walking around Harvard made me really miss college. I forget how great Harvard is and I feel like an idiot for having taken it for granted. It also made me feel a bit unaccomplished. Graduating from Harvard comes with the burden of doing something significant... One is supposed to be great, be wealthy, change the world.
I have not done anything of the sort. I don't even know what it is exactly that I want to do in the long term. I finished the first year of law school and hated it. I've been working for three years at the same firm. I'm contemplating the idea of returning to school - possibly an MBA or a PhD. in History.
Going to a school like Harvard makes me feel intelligent, but at the same time, makes me feel unintelligent since there are so many other people who are infinitely more intelligent than I.
But then, I think that at which one is meant to be great has really been narrowed down... a lot of people end up doing law school or business school, something far from revolutionary. I also think that up to this point in my life, I have been relatively happy. I have received and given a good amount of love. And although I am far from a saint, I have been a good person.
I think that is good enough for now.
Edit: I can also say that I dropped out of law school at the best possible time and avoided the extra expenses and debt. Finally, I have been quite lucky and have been able to pay down a good portion of my debt. Sadly, it seems that expectations have been lowered for people in my age bracket... no more high rolling for us and now just having a stable jobs is a luxury.
Walking around Harvard made me really miss college. I forget how great Harvard is and I feel like an idiot for having taken it for granted. It also made me feel a bit unaccomplished. Graduating from Harvard comes with the burden of doing something significant... One is supposed to be great, be wealthy, change the world.
I have not done anything of the sort. I don't even know what it is exactly that I want to do in the long term. I finished the first year of law school and hated it. I've been working for three years at the same firm. I'm contemplating the idea of returning to school - possibly an MBA or a PhD. in History.
Going to a school like Harvard makes me feel intelligent, but at the same time, makes me feel unintelligent since there are so many other people who are infinitely more intelligent than I.
But then, I think that at which one is meant to be great has really been narrowed down... a lot of people end up doing law school or business school, something far from revolutionary. I also think that up to this point in my life, I have been relatively happy. I have received and given a good amount of love. And although I am far from a saint, I have been a good person.
I think that is good enough for now.
Edit: I can also say that I dropped out of law school at the best possible time and avoided the extra expenses and debt. Finally, I have been quite lucky and have been able to pay down a good portion of my debt. Sadly, it seems that expectations have been lowered for people in my age bracket... no more high rolling for us and now just having a stable jobs is a luxury.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Grimes - Vanessa
Grimes - Vanessa from Arbutus Records on Vimeo.
Cool song.
The song is available here.
Download an album for free here.
Beacon Projects - Last Friday Night
Last Friday Night from Beacon Projects on Vimeo.
This is an excellent cover/reworking of a random Katy Perry song.
They have a five track ep available here.
Friday, April 22, 2011
P90X - Weeks 2 + 3
I've been pretty good at following P90X. Week 2 went well, but I skipped Kenpo X since I was out of the city. I also took an extra day off on Monday and did not follow the diet so well over the weekend.
However, I am almost done with week 3 and am back on track. I can already see some improvements. In pushups, I am able to do 10 more reps than week 1 on some moves. On pullups, I can do a few more pullups. For arms and shoulders, I have been able to increase weight by about 10 pounds since week 1. Not too bad, I think.
However, I am almost done with week 3 and am back on track. I can already see some improvements. In pushups, I am able to do 10 more reps than week 1 on some moves. On pullups, I can do a few more pullups. For arms and shoulders, I have been able to increase weight by about 10 pounds since week 1. Not too bad, I think.
The Republic Tigers - The Nerve (Nervous Dancing)
The Republic Tigers released an EP titled No Man's Land for Record Store Day. The Nerve (Nervous Dancing) is included - it is a remake of The Nerve into a pop-ier, dancy-er tune. The original version is my most listened to track according to last.fm. It helped me get through a difficult time, but this new version is more appropriate for my current point in life.
The only place I can find it is on Pop Sucker: the Pop Sucker: get up the nerve
The only place I can find it is on Pop Sucker: the Pop Sucker: get up the nerve
Sunday, April 10, 2011
P90X - Week 1
I completed the first week of P90X. I decided to restart the program and fully embrace the workout schedule as well as the diet plan.
Though I had been working out and becoming stronger, my schedule was not consistent. I also was not losing weight. The first time I almost completed P90X, I saw great results by sticking closely to the diet.
So far, I have been very good. I have only cheated a few times. I had one drink (with light vodka, eh) at a Yelp event. One night, I had an extra slice of toast. A couple of days, I had an extra serving of fruit since I put in some strawberries in protein shakes. I have also been drinking coffee and continue to chew sugar free gum. That is the extent of my cheating, so I am doing pretty well.
Though I had been working out and becoming stronger, my schedule was not consistent. I also was not losing weight. The first time I almost completed P90X, I saw great results by sticking closely to the diet.
So far, I have been very good. I have only cheated a few times. I had one drink (with light vodka, eh) at a Yelp event. One night, I had an extra slice of toast. A couple of days, I had an extra serving of fruit since I put in some strawberries in protein shakes. I have also been drinking coffee and continue to chew sugar free gum. That is the extent of my cheating, so I am doing pretty well.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Best Dream Ever
This morning, I had a dream that I stumbled upon a secret Bloc Party concert. There were not very many fans there and the band was not on a stage, so I was able to make my way right next to the band. Kele said, 'hey, nice to see you,' as if we had met already. Two of the guys were wearing the same workout shirt I just bought yesterday.
The best part came when I heard the first few cords for Skeleton. I went nuts. Matt, the drummer was pissed. I was so happy that I only made it halfway through the song... I woke myself up and posted about it on facebook (at 5:25 am!). Well, it really made my day.
This is the sickest song:
The best part came when I heard the first few cords for Skeleton. I went nuts. Matt, the drummer was pissed. I was so happy that I only made it halfway through the song... I woke myself up and posted about it on facebook (at 5:25 am!). Well, it really made my day.
This is the sickest song:
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