As Seen On TV

What Is This?
This is me outside Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Hate It Or Love It?
Don't you love it when a place you see on TV lives up to its billing in real life?

TV makes things look good. Usually, that means expectations are set high and the thing in real life can't possibly live up to what you've built up in your head. It's kind of like the Great Gatsby syndrome (if you didn't get the reference, read the book. It's good). But on the rare occassion something lives up to its billing, its a great feeling.

For those of you who don't know, the Los Angeles Lakers are kind of like the New York Yankees of basketball. And Staples Center isn't just an arena. It's a Mecca of sorts for basketball fans around the globe.

Did You Know?
The L.A. Lakers are named the "Lakers" because they are originally from Minneapolis, near the Great Lakes.

On Friday night, I actually got to go to Staples for a Lakers game. Let me tell you this: Staples is all that it's cracked up to be, and then some. The rundown buildings on the outskirts of Downtown L.A. miraculously transformed into the blaring music and flashing lights of L.A. Live within a city block. The whole scene had me at hello. This was the place I'd seen on ABC and ESPN for the past eight years. There I stood, across the street from the holiest place in basketball, eyes like saucers and a jaw that might as well have been unhinged. The night only got better from there as Selena and I witnessed Kobe Bryant do his thing and the Lakers dismantle the Philly 76ers. I'm proud to say I soaked in every minute of that night; the Lakers game experience definitely lived up to the hype.

Sometimes, you just have to be there.

Basketball fans: Kobe or Lebron? What about Kobe or Michael? Let's hear it.

But It Looked Sunny Outside...

What Is This?
This is my view from my room on Dykstra 6 when I got up this morning.

Hate It Or Love It?
Don't you hate it when it's sunny outside when you wake up so you don't bring a sweatshirt out and then it turns out to be pretty cold?

The first thing that happens when I step outside is that I get hit by a blast of wind. I groan to myself. Yeah, it's one of those sunny-but-cold-and-windy days. But when this happens, I'm just too lazy to go back inside to get a sweatshirt. Come on, who ISN'T lazy in the morning? It's a decision that I'll regret five minutes later but whatever. Time to shove my hands in my pockets and just hope it warms up later in the day. And the next morning, when it's sunny out again, I bring a sweatshirt just in case. This time it's actually pushing 80 degrees at 9AM. Bummer, another dead weight in my backpack. I guess I'll always be one step behind Mother Nature.

A Battle With My Subconscious

What Is This?
The top picture is a picture of my middle and ring fingers in all their glory. If you can tell, they both have double nails growing on them. The bottom picture is a promo poster for Saw II. I couldn't help but draw the comparison.

Hate It Or Love It?
Don't you hate it when you can't stop subconsciously picking at an abnormality on your body?

I think we all have a fascination with abnormalities. We scratch scabs. We pull at hangnails. We tongue canker sores. And in this case, I pick at my double nails. Most of the time, I pick at them without even knowing. It's an involuntary nervous tick. After I realize what I'm doing, I tell myself to stop, but then five minutes later I find myself doing the same thing again. In fact, next time you get a scab or hangnail or canker sore or (if you're as lucky as me) a double nail, I challenge you to try to ignore it. Good luck, my friend, because a battle with your subconscious is a battle you won't win.

Now I'll include some FAQ about my double nails, since you've all been dying to know about them!

Question: How'd that happen?
Answer: Well, to keep it short...I flipped over my bike handlebars and broke one finger and sprained the other. The nails on two of the injured fingers grew back like that.

Q: Does it hurt?
A: No. It's completely painless to the touch. It feels to me exactly like any of my other fingers.

Q: Will they go away?
A: Fortunately, yes. In fact, they have almost completely grown off. Anyone want them as a souvenier once they fall off?

Q: Can I touch them?
A: No.

Q: WHAT? Are you wearing acrylics???
A: For the last time...NO!

Learning "French"

Selena Kuo filling in again. Short and sweet this time or else blog boss Bryan might fire me!



What is this?
This is a decoration in our hall that I walk by everyday. Look really really closely and you can see that someone has written “That hoe!” on the side. (Don’t read ahead until you figure out why)

Hate It Or Love it?
Don’t you love it when you finally figure something out and you’re like “OHHHH I GET IT!!”

Be it a really hard question on a test, a funny joke, or even a little scribble on a poster, it’s a great feeling knowing that you now understand something that others are still pondering about. It’s like you have suddenly learned French and can now sip wine and nibble on cheese with the locals because you’re in. I guess in this case the "French" are the people who listen to Soulja Boy, but you get the point.


--Skuo


P.S. Please tell me that it took some of you kind of long to figure it out and I’m not just really slow.

We're Up And Running

Hate It Or Love It?
Don't you love it when an assignment turns into something you legitimately enjoy?

It's been two and a half weeks since the birth of Hate It Or Love It. I've worked out the kinks, spruced it up a little bit and most importantly, kept it alive (my biggest fear was that it would fizzle out within a week). So far, I've really enjoyed writing these posts. I think it's good to have something to work at every day. And I don't mean work from class or work from your job. I'm talking about a personal project or a hobby. These simple daily goals will help you go through your day with a different outlook. Instead of just getting by, you go through each day with a purpose. It's funny how something so small can make all the difference.

Now I'd like to ask a favor of you. Yes, if you're reading this post, I'd like you to help me out.

I want this blog to be more of a conversation. Your thoughts are just as important as mine. Since I've only been doing this for about two weeks, I'm still trying to figure out this blog's direction. If you think the posts need to be a little bit more unique, say so. If you'd like them to be longer or shorter, say so. Should I relate more of my posts to the deeper aspects of life? Even if you like it and don't have any commentary, just tell me "I like it" so I know it's headed in the right direction. You can post a comment here or email me at bryan.yasukawa@gmail.com. I can't stress this enough: feedback is one of the most important things for this blog.

Check back in tomorrow, as Selena Kuo will be making her second guest blogger appearance. If you have a hate it or love it idea during your day, just let me know and you can guest post as well.

That's it for now. I hope you're having as much fun reading this blog as I have writing it!

The Elevator Routine

What Is This?
This is the other guy on the elevator.

Hate It Or Love It?
Don't you hate how awkward it is when you get on the elevator with someone you don't know?

Get on the elevator with a stranger and I can almost guarantee you that this is what's going to happen:

1. They'll pull out their phone, flip it open, and pretend to check the time or their texts. Sometimes, they might actually start to text someone before they delete the half-written text after they get off.
2. If checking their phone does not kill enough time, they'll turn and stare at the blinking numbers as the elevator goes up floor by floor. This is about as exciting as watching seconds go by on an digital clock, but hey, it's better than looking awkwardly at your feet.

The problem is, elevator rides are too long to do nothing and too short to actually start a conversation with the other person.

Top 5 Alternative Elevator Activities To Add Some Humor To Your Day:
5. Silently pass gas, and then as you walk out, call "doorknob" and punch the guy in the arm.
4. Press the button for every single floor and then look at the other guy with a big grin.
3. Copy exactly what the other guy does. Movements, speech, everything. Get off at his floor and keep copying him until he asks what the deal is.
2. Pretend to talk on the phone and throw in some hacking coughs. Really loudly say, "Bad news, the doctor said it was swine flu and that I'm highly contagious."
1. Take one look at the guy, make your eyes really big, button-mash the "Door Open" <| |> button before the elevator leaves the ground floor and then sprint out without looking back.

We'll also turn the list into a Monday Contest. If you're brave enough to do one of the five on the list within the next week, then do it and write your story about it in a comment (we're going on the honor system here). Best story wins.

Just In The Nick Of Time

What Is This?
This is the #12 Santa Monica Blue Bus that we just barely got onto.

Hate It Or Love It?
Don't you love it when you get somewhere just in the nick of time?

Getting to class right when the bell rings, getting to a basketball game right at tip-off or getting to a movie right after the previews finish is cool. You feel like you did as much as you could beforehand without missing any of the action. But what I'm really talking about are the bigger things.The things that you actually sprint to when you're late. The things where either you're in or you're out. Like getting to a restaurant a minute before they stop serving. Or a high school dance right before the doors close. Or submitting online homework at 11:59:59 (turnitin.com, anyone?). Or in this case, getting on a bus right before it leaves. It's not so much happiness as it is a sense of relief. No one wants to get left on the outside looking in. And if you get there just in time, it's not called almost screwed. It's called perfect timing.

In a totally unrelated thought, if someone would like to suggest an academically acceptable, one word synonym for the word "screwed", please post it. It's been bothering me for a while.