Ashi

Happy Birthday, Wildone!

If JJ is a sentimental person, you should give him an emo style, and the clothes you should look for are the ones from Zumiez, Spencers, and Hot Topic, and somewhat odd ball and anti-establishments. Weirder the better. Zumiez would be more hop-pop and skaters style. I remember I owned some oversized corduroy pants with some strange details at the shoes opening, just because corduroys weren't in vogue. It'll be the exactly the opposite of prep-style of A&F and Hollister, or even American Eagle and Pac Sun. Urban Outfitters got their second coming back in around 2004 I think, and they longer sell Hot Topic like clothes, but instead, sold recycled clothes aimed for suburban kids who want to look exactly not like a rich kid, except it really isn't how a poor kid wears their clothes. Real trendy kids with money to burn wear Diesel. And I believe back then Diesel Style Lab still existed. Go do some eBay research on vintage Diesel Style Lab clothes which were very limited production and only a few major cities have them. Sometimes they had invitation-only previews and only a few would get in. Those who got in might get some unique demo clothes that you could not buy anywhere..., but some might end up on eBay. Hi-top sneakers were beginning to resurface. I think it maybe slightly too early for Chuck Taylor, but you get the idea. My Diesel Senior came from that era, I think (low top version is called Junior). Jeans opening at the time were boot cuts (not bell bottoms! That term was forbidden to use), and usually low-rise was considered trendy (ultra low rise which the top of the crack might show when you crouch down was considered trendy worn by really skinny guys, and fashion-savvy skinny guys did buy ultra low rise jeans from women's department, since no one made skinny jeans for men at the time). Not today's skinny jeans, unless JJ belonged to emo sub-culture. There was NO spandex jeans back then. Straight-acting guys wore cargo pants. Reconstructed jeans came from mid 2000's not the time frame you specified. Street chic guys might wear Banana Republic chinos. Kenneth Cole supplied clothes for club-going crowds. Usually black button-down shirt with very fitted cut (despite the typical street clothes were much looser in fit). Shirt tails let out, not tucked. Silver ties optional. Ben Sherman came later, though I wouldn't be surprised if some really trendy crowd got Paul Smith. Hip pop was popular among lower income crowds (rich kids caught up hip pop in mid 2000's). Weird colored varsity jackets with personalized embroidery might exist (but I may have mixed the period). Adidas Super Star sneakers might be worn, along with very wide jeans that hanged low (kinda like late 90's). Old Navy was selling carpenter jeans with tons of utility pockets. Shirts were usually very wrinkled. A&F sold shirts with very light weight material. The pattern was vertical stripes. Sweaters usually were solid color (usually Merino wool or Cashmere wool, or thick, heavy weight cotton), and may or may not contain a couple contrasting color horizontal stripes across the chest, as well as around biceps area of the sleeves. Summer clothes were consisted of baseball T's and ringer T's. Worn with loose jeans with flip flops. Some might wear cargo pants in place of loose jeans or boot cut jeans (this was west coast style). Guys wore Bolle or Oakley sunglasses. They usually wrapped around face like Green Hornet or something. Though some of us were wearing aviator style already. Gradient sunglasses lenses were popular (darker on the top than the bottom). For haute couture, since high fashion houses publish their style books by seasons, you could go on eBay and buy them to get an idea what the trend was (but not necessary what people wore). If you want mid-2000's, I have dozens of magazines from that time as well as catalogs from some higher-end brands (they were free, just walk into the store and get one). And what Method said is right. There were two shifts within 2000-2010 period (instead the usual one). 80's revival didn't last long, so now we're back to the 90's with flannel and tighter Levis (though the popular Levis's back in 90's were 501, 505, not 513 or 508 of today). Actually 2000-2002 period was sort of an extension of the late 90's. I am not sure what Method meant by mid-century mad man style. Doesn't he meant 50's hipster style? (the real hipsters, like James Dean and Jack Kerouac).

Happy B-day!

Happy birthday!

I am not quite sure what I wore around that time frame (2002-03). It's been a while.... I think that's when the flip flops began to become popular. I think cargo pants and cargo shorts also (for college students). BTW, what are the ages of your characters, and where it is set? Different age group would wear very different clothes and East Coast and West Coast are completely different nations (I only recently realized some people on East Coast think flip flops are weird..., when they're everyday stable here). And it was the time of dot.com bust, so some people did get a little toned down. Remember that was also when the war started, so camouflage pants and military jackets were the trend. Some of us didn't wear them (I didn't wear camouflage pants, because all I wanted at the time was to "bring our troops home." But I already bought a military jacket, before the war broke out, so I did wear that one). It's funny you're also writing a story in that period.... I've been working on that period (from 2001-2012 possibly) and the backtracking of the time has been problematic for me also.... It seemed like yesterday and yet I think I forgot most of the details.... I wonder if my brain decides to do a selective amnesia on me.... What's the sub culture you're writing? Haute couture, hip-pop, emo, punk rock, or street chic?

I think you are just exhausted.... I was exhausted once and it added a lot of stress to kidneys. Just rest and relax a bit. Forget about work for a while.

Lovely Totallyy! I like you used stream of consciousness and then intertwine them at the end, to create a surreal, conflicted feeling, which is probably how Brandon felt at the time. Keep up the good work and happy birthday! :takes a peek at Totallyy's eyes with concern and grins:

Happy Birthday, Cele. You're only a teenager.

Happy Birthday! Totallyy.

Congrats!

Thanks for the feedback, rustle. The "show, don't tell" is definitely wonderful, and I believe some of us do that already. I am not usually direct about it nor believe in constant intervention, but once a while the time will arise.... One can be moral/proper and still have fun. We shared a great time while my online friend was still living. Sometimes he said the most inappropriate things, but I know underneath it, he was still a great person. A great character will always shine through and that's the extra bonus you get for being proper: being beautiful on the inside (some people will see that inner beauty, though not all, but it's okay). And nobody can take that away from you. I only gave the very general term in this blog because morality is really subjective and it's not my job to define morality, but to bring the topic up so people can reflect on it. I only want people to be responsible for their own words, and nothing more. Morality of the society is a collective effort, and hopefully the ripple effect will spread. So far I see immorality spreads faster in general (in the world, no specific target group). The next story I am planning, the protagonist will be very morally questionable (though not at the beginning of the story, it's my intention to show how easily a character can change from good to evil through natural progression). And it's through such exhibition, I hope readers can use the MC as a way to self-reflect. I'll refrain from being morally self-righteous though. I still want the story to have some entertaining value, not a dry after-class special (though I like watching those specials.... I was a weird kid). So..., there, a shameless promotion. No, it's not immoral to self-promote....

Birthday needs a cake. If your straight hag is not coming with a cake, get a fag hag!

Don't make it too difficult to understand and don't get too technical.... Some people might get turned off it is so.

I say we sing a song dedicated to kuri....

Yesterday was a fruitful day for me. It was a time of reflection (so reflective, I was soaked in my own thought and forgot to bring my tripod... to a night photography session). Everyone has heard of the saying "pen is mightier than sword." And throughout the history we have witness that effect: how Jane Austen redefined marriage as a function of love (rather than a function of family duty), Charles Dickens showed the uglier side of Industrial Revolution (and none of the revolution fought with weapons redefined humanity more than IR), John Locke's words take the world into the Age of Revolution, and Karl Marx advised government to take active role in welfare for its own people. (I was going to add Adam Smith and his Wealth of the Nations, but ironically, we live in a capitalistic society but not many realized Smith also talked about government's role and it's very different from what people think of capitalism today, so I leave it out.... Maybe Smith's pen is less powerful...) But moral has always been a tricky issue in contemporary literature. Ever since circa 1950's and 1960's, the literary movement derailed from the moralistic model and to the one that's more amoral and more experimental in structure. Whether that's an effect of WWII, Rock 'n Roll, or Beat Generation, or a combination of those, I don't know. All I could observe is, the society has already crossed the border from that of an amoral society to the one that's immoral. If I have the endeavor to become an intellectual (which I do, to honor a legacy of an online friend), I have to exhibit not only knowledge, but also be a role model of the society, which includes, but not exclusive to, being a moral compass (and I am doing it with the secular/non-religious/intellectual method). How do I do that in a society which morality is an unpopular subject? (certainly less popular than money *tongue in cheek*) To me..., back in the days, the consciousness of using fiction as the medium of delivering moral started when I was reflecting on my own reading of Albert Camus's The Plague. We live in a society where it is extremely unpopular to tell people what to think, because here in Western society we value freedom above everything else (i.e., give me freedom or give me death). Nobody likes preachers. In fact, as part of modern literary movement, we go as far as refrain using italicized text or any emphasis method which is offensive to reader's intelligence (though use it judiciously can be effective, though more often used in exposition/editorial rather than fiction). And using allegory/allusion/humor/satire as a way of delivery the pesky topic of moral (I refrain from doing it, but sometimes it is necessary) has been my choice since. (btw, if you have a better way that's more diplomatic, please let me know, because so far I have been failed miserably as an intellectual) Camus also wrote many essays on top of his fiction career. Though this blog is also one of such that try to advocate certain view point; however, this form of advocacy is somewhat archaic and proven to be less effective in today's highly educated society. The essay form of advocacy has the pro of being direct, but also the con of backlash from opponents, and can easily be dismissed as being subjective (because it is subjective..., given its editorial nature). I, personally, advise against using essay form of advocacy except for political campaign, but that's just my opinion. I am risking myself sounding like a preacher for the sake of efficacy, and I have very little time to embed all these ideas gracefully into a story, so here they are..., very directly argued rather than being literary and diplomatically delivered. Though I am not religious, but think about it, many founders of religions used allegories as way of delivering teaching of the way, rather than pedagogy. Native Americans also taught people the way through storytelling oral tradition. And I encourage everyone to consider that, as writers, we have duty to our society, because we are given a weapon much more powerful than a sword. Remember it wasn't the existence of WMD that started the last Iraqi war.... It's a speculation of the existence of WMD that started it. Hitler waged a war against the world by manipulating patriotism of his own people. A sword only kills one at a time, but words can kill much more, effect much more enduring and detrimental. But words can also create positive effect and enlighten people. Choose words wisely. And think about how popular media shape the society today.... I had a debate with the late online friend aforementioned, whether sit-com is based on real American way of life or not. His rebuttal was the sit-com was just BS (he was very American). But being a younger generation than he was, I saw the transformation of this society that mimics the sit-com way of life with my own eyes. And since many sit-coms are set in New York, written by mostly contemporary Jewish Americans (as oppose to traditional Jewish, as they have very different modes of life), how many of us non-New Yorkers are already assimilated with New Yorker's way through the work of invisible hands? Does life mimic fiction or does fiction mimic life? Don't you guys think media is greatly responsible for the acceptance of homosexuality through popular media? Given I already talked about the power, it's only right that I also talk about the responsibility of the writer. The effect of second coming of yellow journalism is just as detrimental as the first time around, except this time we have the Internet.... I should also forewarn the the potential danger of cultural imperialism, which is a related to ethnocentrism, which is responsible for many wars throughout history. With the advocacy of anthropologists of its destructive nature to other cultures around the world, it is usually part of the American college curriculum to include cultural awareness. I was taught to consider point of views that encourage pluralistic way of thinking (as oppose to ethnocentric way). Given our society values freedom above all else (though at times I want to say money...), it is only democratic every culture can have its voice. One would expect cultural imperialism really should be bygone history with the formation of the Common Wealth... (though the Common Wealth was formed through practicality, but one should at least thank the Queen for at least considering from the humanistic point of view) I do not expect a moral renaissance with this essay, but I'll end this tirade with a quote: "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything."

I am trying to think if there is some sort of deeper meaning to all this....

Don't be afraid of asking others with experience to help you with ideas you may have problems with. Let your beta reader read your story and ask him/her to do some fact checking for you (i.e., is this how gay/lesbians really feel?). I just remembered one thing.... Gay people don't just come out.... Between what others see as in closet and out of closet, there is a long internal process. First stage is come out to yourself and then after that, the second stage is coming out to others. The length of each stage can be long or short, depends on the individual and their surrounding's acceptance level of homosexuality. Some find first stage to be more difficult and some may have trouble with second stage, while some don't find them to be problems at all! Just think about it....

Kuri is chestnut. We eat chestnut also.... But I do like to see some cultural exchange ideas. I was just thinking about the sushi culture in the U.S. (too many cheap sushi places in California at least... cheap, at the expense of quality.... I mean, if I am feeling bad, I want to indulge myself with sushi, but I don't want to eat low quality sushi that makes me feel disappointed! If I don't have money, I could eat cheaper food, not sushi. And sushi must be made by skilled chefs! Don't cheapen the food and waste tuna on mushy yucky badly done rice... (blue fin tuna is endangered, btw, I blame it on over fishing due to too many cheap sushi restaurants to cater general public. Sushi isn't meant for everyday consumption.... It's delicacy).

Zombie, ideally, that's the same principal what we're trying to do in the U.S., too, not just British. Except we have plenty of under-educated and ignorant people on YouTube and other social networks being very vocal about their ignorance. Back in the 90's, people were really polite about it. Now, everyone makes fun of being PC, and think it's cool to be blatantly racist and/or homophobic. It's not the way it was. What comes with power is responsibility. Some people don't deserve to be given freedom and democracy, but I think it's better for the entire society that we give people a second chance so they have time to grow up (or at least give them the potential to). Laissez faire. I don't think there is anything wrong with current policy. Those who made those stupid statements would one day realize the joke is on them. Have you ever made a mistake and be glad someone gave you a chance to revert your own error? Life could be very different if people don't do that to one another. One day you'll find this more nostalgic than maddening. Young people do what young people do.... As one professor said, "some people really aren't thinking, and you can't blame people for being stupid." Indeed, if they were thinking (i.e., pre-meditated), then that's when we really should get concerned. Oh, Zombie, I agree with you btw, just think it needs to have a little more rounded opinion. Freedom isn't free.... I hope people do understand the true meaning of that multi-layered statement.

It's the little body language I was looking at. Of course, the cinematographer did a good job also, put the close ups on the right moment (collages) and cut the unnecessary parts of the frame out of it. Though little gestures like disappointments and overjoyed without consciously thinking through are genuine feeling, so I am glad they didn't act too much. (though there are a few lines I would cut out... show don't tell, basically) That's how I judged it. I always watch foreign films in their native languages for the reason you mentioned.... I don't think voice actors can deliver the same performance as the actors "put themselves through the role." Though I don't understand Portuguese, I still know from the sound to know how they know. It's something we could empathize, just like the ending, to me at least, I could tell who is who by the pace of the foot steps and how heavy are their strides and I would imagine blind person would be even more keen on that. It's the same kind of empathy. (BTW, Percy wrote a blog about a scenario where he was talking with a Chinese person, in which both parties didn't know each other's language, which I think demonstrate this point very well). So I felt that part of the ending was a little unconvincing (and Leo outpoured his emotion without confirming who he was talking to and Giovanna came back acted like her heart had not been broken just a moment before it). Like I said, it's easily fixable. Thanks for sharing TW! Beats Netflix when it comes to quality gay film selection.

Yes, it is! The best movie about gay coming-of-age like EVAR! But I really like the short you posted too. I am watching it the second time (because the first time I was chatting with you guys so I didn't pay too much attention.). It makes me think... these kids are good! How do you direct a movie with kids like that? Don't know if they had previous acting experience, but they are naturals! I guess some people just have it in them.... I wish the full feature version are played by the same stars. They are good. And I LOVE the song. Whoever wrote the screenplay is a genius (except the ending, maybe they hurried through but it's not a big deal. It's easily fixable).

Cool short! Love it! It's weird Giovanna resembles Maggie from Edge of Seventeen a bit.... They both fell in love with a gay guy.... So many great moments in that movie. The small song in it is great also. The ending could be redone though. Nice ending, but a few moments are unconvincing. The Mudge Boy was a short before it was made into full length feature, so I am going to keep an eye out for this one, when it's finally made full feature. Cool! I love it.

I noticed I am on my way to become a gay separatist... (kind of like radical lesbian feminist separatist, except I am not vocal about it and I am not a woman). I don't know why and I don't think it's healthy. This is especially weird because the world is becoming more gay tolerant (than when I grow up). I wonder if it's because I am getting older and just want to get a BF and hopefully a committed marriage (sorry I am so skeptical nowadays, I have to put that qualifier in), and forget about the world of straight people. Not all straight people are insensitive, but I've met plenty... (and GA doesn't count, because the folks here are gay friendly and know some gay common sense like "just because he told me he is gay doesn't mean I can tell all my friends about it"). I certainly don't want to sound like a militant jerk if straight people becomes passive-aggressive when I told them they're projecting the straight way of thinking onto gay people. I am not articulate. It frustrates me just thinking about how to explain something that cannot be told, but experienced. Most of such experience is poignant, unglamorous, and mundane anyways. I just want to be an ordinary gay person, with a BF who would love me for who I am and live a boring domestic life. Ironically, I probably would have a better luck being a straight guy and achieve that (except the gay part). But life is just sick and twisted like that. It also bothers me greatly people keep trying to do matchmaking for me. My Facebook already has two female friend suggestions and I wish I could just click "ignore" but I can't because the referral person is my uncle. When you're single and my age, relatives can just get nosy.... If I clicked ignore, it's an unofficial answer to the perpetual gossip, "Why is Ashi still single?" I am not ashamed of my sexuality, but I don't need people to pity my parents either. I need my own space. One day there will be an utopia where gay people can just be. No explanation, no apology, just be.... Now, where can I go shopping for a boring domestic life?

Happy birthday Foopy!!!

And that's what the Navy is for.... It's not that easy to kill off Portuguese army off when it's always on the run (and I can just wait for my ally to spice the war up). Spain is too big to defend itself in the beginning, not to mention the game starts with Granada waging the war on Spain (though Portuguese is also having the problem with Gibraltar, but I usually settle it quickly so it won't be a big issue later on). But fighting with the Spanish in Latin America is funny enough. You just keep running in circles around the continent and all the colonies without walls are yours. And Spain really can't send army to the Latin America, because that's what the Navy is for.