Cuyler Otsuka - Plinky Answers

I can't travel without my iPod, camera, and textbooks

2009-05-14T12:08:44-05:00

What things can't you travel without? I can't travel without my iPod, my camera, and my textbooks. Here's why...

my iPod
My iPod is my complete repertoire of music. Without it, I may experience major boredom and that boredom translates into crankiness. As long as I have my music, I'm fine.

Sony Cybershot
This 12 megapixel camera is perfect for taking beautiful, detailed pictures of superb color. In order to document my vacation, I absolutely need to take pictures or videos with the Cybershot.

my textbooks
On the flight over, I have come to realize that the best way to pass time is through reading textbooks or studying because it passes time effectively and productively. I usually finish all of my homework on the flight over and therefore don't have to worry about homework during my vacation.

I'd fit in well in 'Rent'

2009-05-09T23:25:26-05:00

Rent is my inner monologue.

You have a group of people who are different: a straight white male documentary maker; a straight white male musician who suffers from AIDS; a gay Latino male crossdresser who suffers from AIDS; a masculine African-American male who happens to be a gay guy suffering from AIDS; a bisexual white woman who broke up with the documentary maker for a lawyer named Joanne; and an African-American lesbian who falls in love with the bi girl.

Notice how none of those characters resembled Beaver Cleaver or any other television character of the clean-cut 1950s. Although I think Leave it to Beaver's a cool show, I've got to say I identify with the diverse characters from Rent more than the typical, bourgeois, upper/middle-class white family. I get enough of that when I go to school everyday.

Rent is a film full of characters who go against the grain. They stage protests against the man. They fight for rights. They create a counterculture not marked by LSD and tie-dye shirts, but by pain, suffering, and unity. We, the public, are more able to relate to them because they're not marked by perfection or eternal happiness, but they suffer from some pretty crappy things. They show, however, that in the end, solidarity triumphs. And what better to build that solidarity than to find a group of people who go through similar problems you're going through?

What my shoes say about me

2009-05-09T23:18:10-05:00

If I were wearing my comfortable shoes right now, they would say that I am a careless person, possibly dirty. They would say that I'm too apathetic to buy myself a new pair of sneakers to messy up again. My shoes would say that I don't hold myself to the highest standards hygienically. My shoes would scream that maybe shoes don't matter to me as much as they do to other people.

But that's if I were actually wearing them. But, I'm not. I'm barefoot.

Being barefoot says something about me too. To you, it may say that I'm different. It may say that I find shoes to be uncomfortable. It may say that I am a neat-freak and don't want to get my floor dirty. It may say that I hate my shoes. But all of this is untrue.

I don't wear my shoes in my house because it's a culturally accepted norm where I live.

Where I live, almost everybody removes their shoes at the door or outside. Usually, where I live, people don't want to track in mud or dirt. And that's why I don't wear my shoes. Not because I hate them. I do it because I was raised that way.

Do you have a problem with what my shoes say about me?

My Preferred Medium of Expressing Myself

2009-05-09T23:13:57-05:00

Growing up in the computer age, I am completely comfortable with typing on a computer, although I don't mind writing either. Writing with a paper and pen is usually more efficient for me when taking notes or studying because writing it requires me to process the information while I think. However, in general, I prefer typing on the computer as it allows me to delete with ease (no eraser shavings or white out here) and I am able to type at an average speed (approximately 60 wpm).

When required to write on a piece of paper (i.e. the AP US History exam I took yesterday), my handwriting is neat and legible. Nine times out of ten, people look at my handwriting and laud me for being neat and organized. What can I say? I'm an anal-retentive obsessive-compulsive freak.

Keyboards, however, are a quicker means of sending messages, jotting down notes, etc. while still being neat and legible. (Double points if it's a Mac keyboard).

Leave a party if you see sex, drugs, and maybe rock and roll

2009-04-24T04:13:31-05:00

sex, drugs, and maybe rock and roll
A proud virgin at the age of 15, I would be petrified to witness sex at parties, although I can imagine that's quite normal for people our age. Drugs are not only illegal, but their results can be fatal. I personally do not want to get involved in drugs because there is a good possibility that, if I do drugs once, I can die. Dying's usually never fun. Rock and roll is fine as long as it's good.

alcohol
Alcohol is very addicting and it has torn families apart. Once you start drinking, it's very hard to stop because alcohol gets your mind addicted to it. The last place I want to start a lifelong addiction to alcohol would be at a stupid party that happened when I was fifteen. Did I mention underage drinking and driving under the influence are both illegal?

Canis familiaris: Man's best friend

2009-04-24T04:07:13-05:00

We as humans enjoy aggrandizing ourselves and make it seem like we're running the show. Sincerest apologies, but we are completely mistaken. It is not man, but man's best friend who is the star of the telenovela. Dogs also have a wide variety of appearances: petite, majestic, fluffy, well-groomed, hairless, muscular, thin, grand, etc. Golden retrievers, for example, appear very different from poodles. Dogs are aggressive at times, and at times they are obedient and lax. They are widely hailed by humans as being one of the most valuable domesticated animals in society, and remain a central part of many a family. Humans direct the show, but the dogs are the true stars.