Callistonian.net

R— Even though I intend to cover the topic the title hints at in only one or two sentences, this entry’s title is not an attempt at a clever joke. My rabbit is tiny and, honestly, looks like a hamster. See? There’s more proof here and here.

[Where the dear reader mentally creates her own witty transition between the subject above and the one below.]

S— I love stationery. I really do. I’m addicted. I collect it. ♥ In exact terms, I don’t know how much I have. But I imagine that I have enough to write a letter everyday for the next few years. Some of my stationery is in the photo to the left, to the left … in the boxes to the left. More of my paper collection is kind of visible in this photo.

Unfortunately, with me, it doesn’t stop there. I have a general thing for paper. Because of my thing, my paper hording, I have an unreasonable amount of notebooks/blank books. I buy them with good intentions. I think that I’ll use them, that I’ll write in them, and then, I don’t. One of the journals I bought in August or July of 2006 is still wrapped in cellophane. I don’t know when I’ll get to it—I have lovely blank books from before the cellophane-wrapped one that I’ve yet to complete/begin so… I’ll see. Hopefully, I’ll start writing in these books for, at least, 10 minutes everyday. I’m trying to make some progress. Also, I’ve banned myself from buying more until I complete one that I already have. But the ban will be lifted and exceptions will be made for beautiful blank books with small lines. However, I haven’t made any exceptions in months. Go me!

For those interested: one of my journals is pictured here; another is here; one that I bought but didn’t keep (YES!) is here (it had fat lines).

The second part of this entry was inspired by Rachael who recently blogged about her notebook addiction.

C— In other news, this layout is still—I know—incomplete. I’m trying to think of creative ways to fix the footer. I’m also working on content for callistonian.net. So far, I’ve been focusing most of my attention on improving Colophon+ and on creating a daily photo blog.

Rating:

Changing Partners is an immoral romantic comedy. Yes, it’s immoral—very immoral. Most romantic comedies are about untainted and unselfish individuals falling in the purest sort of love. Changing Partners isn’t about that trite mushy stuff. Instead, its plot revolves around married people having extramarital affairs. le gasp.

But if you can get get over the fact that each of Changing Partners’ four protagonists is having an affair, you’ll probably enjoy it. The film features fantastic dialog. I don’t want to give any of its best bits away, so this is hardly a proper example, but:

Yuna: *speaks korean* *random english words:* Perfect! 100% Percent! *speaks korean* Congratulations!
Minjae: Does everyone in your business talk like that?
Yuna: Huh?
Minjae: You seem to mix in English all the time.
Yuna: *silent grr*
Minjae: It sounds pretty retarded when you use English like that in a sentence.

The film’s acting is good: the adulterers and the adulteresses have great chemistry. In fact, Changing Partners includes three tastefully done hot (as in not-for-children) scenes. ;) The film’s soundtrack and cinematography were also well done.

Anyway, as an immoral romantic comedy, Changing Partners features pretty, wide-eyed, and innocent-looking characters doing the following shady things:

• intentionally? destroying property in foreign countries
• blaming one’s poor behavior on inanimate objects like the moon
• and of course, having an affair

Due to the four main characters’ poor behavior and due to frequent occurrences of random deadly tragedies in Korean films, at one point, I honestly thought that all the beautiful protagonists would get electrocuted and die. However, and quite fortunately, I was wrong. But that was a tense moment for me—I was really scared for them.

Overall, Changing Partners is an entertaining film. It’s unique and almost like a breath of fresh air, because—really—how many screenwriters think of saturating a romantic comedy with extramarital affairs and actually make the plot work? Not many, I bet. Even though the protagonists in this film are cheaters, it is easy to become wrapped up in their lives and to empathize with them. However, loathing or pitying any of them is difficult because they’re all having affairs. And Changing Partners progresses in such a way that everyone is doing the same naughty thing at exactly the same time. The timing of events makes the film unrealistic, but it also makes everything easier on viewers’ consciences. So… watch it.

Movie Facts/Stats:

Title: Changing Partners (지금 사랑하는 사람과 살고 있습니까?)

Length: 116 minutes

Release Date: 8/15/2007

Language: Korean

Creator: Jeong Yoon-soo (정윤수)

Cast:
Han Chae-young (한채영)
Lee Dong-geon (이동건)
Park Yong-woo (박용우)
Uhm Jung-hwa (엄정화)

Best Scene: running about in Hong Kong

Weirdest Scene: merry-go-round cars

Trailer: Courtesy of YouTube (in Korean - no subs)

Poetic forms like imabic trimeter are barely comprehensible to me. In school, whenever I was interrogated about a poem’s meter, my thoughts were, “Uh? I don’t really know; I hate this.” Luckily, some mathematical things, like the cubed roots of certain numbers, are much easier to figure out. Trust me!

Let’s say you have a number like 157464. It’s cubed root is 54 (157464 is 54 x 54 x 54, which is also know as 54^3). How long does it take to figure out that 157464’s cubed root is 54? Less time than it takes to figure out if a line of poetry is in imabic trimeter or pentameter or what have you. How much cleverer does a girl who can take the cubed root of 157464 in 5 seconds look than the girl who can tell you about a poem’s meter in 5 seconds? Way cleverer, you know.

Honestly, if the number being cubed is two-digits, it can be easily discovered without a calculator. But first you must know a few things.

1. The numbers 1-9 cubed (knowing this is sort of necessary)
   • 1 cubed is 1
   • 2 cubed is 8
   • 3 cubed is 27
   • 4 cubed is 64
   • 5 cubed is 125
   • 6 cubed is 216
   • 7 cubed is 343
   • 8 cubed is 512
   • 9 cubed is 729
2. The last digit of the cube of those numbers (the bold numbers)¹

That’s it. Now, this is how it works—Let’s say you have a number like, oh, 300763. First, ignore its last three digits. Mentally, 300763 should become 300. 300 is greater than 216 (6 cubed) but less than 343 (7 cubed), so the cubed root of 300763 is going to be 60-something. Second, think of 300763’s last number. It’s 3, which is the same number as the last digit of 7 cubed (343), so the cubed root of 300763 is 67.

Another one—21952.

1. 21952 (drop the last 3 digits)
2. 21 is greater than 2 cubed (8) but less than 3 cubed (27), so its cubed root must be 20-something.
3. 21952 ends in a 2. 8 cubed also ends in a 2. Thus, 21952’s cubed root must be 28.

That’s all there is to it. Now it’s time to shock your friends, parents, older siblings, lovers, and enemies. Tell them to grab a calculator and start cubing 2-digit numbers. Watch their mouths hang open in utter amazement as you tell them the numbers they’ve cubed. :D lulz.

Back story: One of the teachers was doing this at work today… I half-learned the trick from him.

¹ The last digits of 1-9 cubed are easiest to remember if they (1-9) are pictured on a line. The numbers on the end 1 & 9 are themselves. The next few numbers (2, 3, 8, 7) are 10 minus themselves, while the ones in the middle (4, 5, 6) are also themselves.
² There’s more on the subject here.

Almost two years—it’s been almost two years since I’ve masticated¹ Korean black paste noodles (jajangmyun). Jajangmyun is one of the few dishes I love; I want to eat it. But, I cannot because I cannot find it anywhere.

I’ve given up on jajangmyun, but I was foolishly hoping that a local supermarket would have gochujang. Gochujang is this spicy red sauce that the distracted will mistake for ketchup… I want(ed) gochujang because I wanted a taste of Korea; I was also thinking that I could try to make a jajangmyun substitute dish (bibimbap).

I have a tendency to associate places with food, which is odd because I’m not big on food (my closest friends know my picky habits; they’re always finishing my plates and relieving me of food I dislike). I associate the Musée Rodin and France, in general, with caramel ice cream. I was a vanilla ice cream girl²; I still am. But caramel ice cream is to die for. I had my first taste of caramel ice cream somewhere outside of the Musée Rodin. Its statues are fabulous, of course, but if you go there - view The Thinker and then get some ice cream. ♥ I associate Paris with macaroons; Japan with crêpes³.

Anyway…, I went to the supermarket. I didn’t find gochujang. But I did find inappropriately branded yogurt: yomomma yogurt. Okay, it probably said “yomommy” but I like to think of it as yomomma (as in really bad jokes, as in yo momma so lazy she thinks a two-income family is where yo daddy has two jobs). The yogurt is for pregnant women.

While there, I bought some things—three random things. I bought vanilla rice-based ice cream (it almost tastes like regular ice cream), a small sitck of England’s cadbury milk cholocate, and oatmeal. Yep.

¹ I know. I know. I hate this word. I shouldn’t use it. But, in this context, it feels so appropriate.
² Chocolate ice cream ftl, my friends.
³ I realize that the Japanese associate is weird.

In the past, I was 99.4 percent against re-reading books. Now, I’m not sure where I stand. Part of me is of the opinion that there are so many good books to read - I’ll never get to read them all - so why waste precious time re-reading things (when I’d like to read as many as possible).

Another part of me, the more mature and reasonable part of me, believes that there’s no harm in re-reading fabulous books, especially when I can’t remember their plots. I thought that my memory would serve me well, but it’s not. I can’t remember the books I read 10-12 years ago. I haven’t quite forgotten their basics, but the details are lost on me… I love details; if I can’t remember the details, I might as well not remember anything. And really, what’s the point of reading a lot of books if you don’t remember any of them?

Do you re-read books?

In other news, it looks like Mike Huckabee will win the Republican primary in my state and that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic one. I lose double. :(