An alternative title to this post could have been "Why a Trip to UCI/VIFF had me in Tears"
I'm not much of a crier, but recently I've been allowing myself to cry again! It feels pretty good afterward, kinda like throwing up, or taking a dump, but more therapeutic. I recommend a good cry sometimes, if you've forgotten what it feels like.
WHATEVER THOUGH. I went to UCI on Saturday for the Vietnamese International Film Festival (VIFF), and one of the films had me bawling! I had to refrain from making crying noises LOL. So here's the story, it's actually pretty upbeat:
Part I. My Taco Bell Prophecy
I parked near the Taco Bell and In-N-Out on Campus Street, so that I wouldn't have to pay for parking. The gay cashier was pretty cool, and much friendlier than the average Taco Bell employee. I like gay people (might as well be open about that), and I think I'll dedicate a blog post for that in the future.
When I got my food, I asked the guys working if they thought Taco Bell was going to introduce the Strawberry topping into their new slush drinks, similar to the Fruitista. I thought a red and white drink would aesthetically be a winner. It wouldn't be bad to add some extra flavor and color to their Pina Colada, Mtn. Dew, and Pink Lemonade slushes, right? Strawberry-Pina Colada? Strawberry-Mtn. Dew? Strawberry-Pink Lemonade? Who could resist?
I figure they'll probably add this to their product line, it's gonna be a great idea, and they will make a ton of money. My reasoning is because Taco Bell likes to start with one new item, then add upgraded versions of the item (like the Dorito Locos with Cooler Ranch).
If this prophecy comes to fruition, don't forget where you heard it! The workers agreed with my light-hearted projection, and one of them said "Hey, check THIS out." He had a new creation and showed it to us. It looked pretty trippy, and he offered it to me for free. The reason I share this is because I believe things go your way when you're nice to people and smile a lot. They "messed up" my order and gave me free cinnamon snacks too. hahahahaa!!!!
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| Trippy pina colada/mtn dew/lemonade drink^ |
Part II. My UCI Experience (in pics)
It's a beautiful campus. I'm not at UCI often, so I enjoyed the scenery. The main walking path paralleled BruinWalk in several ways, so I thought "Cool, this is where the Anteaters walk." I took some picture that I found humorous:
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| Damn, people seem to need a LOT of help in math! HAHAHAH |
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| When I saw this, I thought: "Oh yeah, I'm definitely at UCI." ZOT. |
I do NOT know my way around this campus, but the organizers of VIFF were thoughtful enough to erect signboards. Well done, organizers, I applaud your efforts in putting together a quality film festival!
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| Fool-proof. Even I could figure that out. |
Part III. The Movies!
Going into a lecture hall with the lights dimmed and watching independent films felt more like a movie-going experience than an academic experience. How fun! Why can't going into lecture be as exciting as going to the movies? Certainly it CAN be. So why ISN'T it? Envisioning my future in education, I intend to make learning more like a movie-going/concert experience, than an un-engaging lecture experience.
I saw 3 movies: Return to Sender (which had me in tears), Awaken: Story of a DREAM Act Student, and Mr. Cao Goes to Washington.
I won't do a whole movie review, but in watching the movies, I was brought back to my undergrad years, when I was more politically vocal. I toned that part of myself down in the past few years for personal/professional reasons. Either way, this re-sparked my fuel.
Cuz really, why is the Federal DREAM Act STILL not passed? It's a sensible piece of legislation, Obama has already endorsed it, AND it passed the House vote (I think). It does NOT equate to amnesty, and only allows the best and brightest with no criminal record a path toward citizenship.
Realistically... I know this type of talk disengages certain people, so that's one of the reasons I toned down my politicized views... Either way, that shit needs to pass already so the government can take their tax dollars, and so they can work/create jobs. Comprehensive Immigration Reform is needed!!!
Speaking of change that is needed, the movie Return to Sender had me bawling. Mad tears flowing down my face. Shit is straight injustice! I felt a connection to these guys because I want to be a great father myself some day, and I can feel their pain being separated from their families... damn, it just hurt to watch, but it's reality. Most of them are Californians. Deported years later for crimes they committed as kids! Wack.
For some reason, Blogspot won't let me embed the video, so I will just have to Link to it:
Share the film to spread awareness!
Part IV. Final Reflections
After my dad died, it took a lot for me to cry. At least in the 12 years that followed, I didn't really cry at all. I used to be proud of that, because I wanted to feel tough. Guess the truth was that I had trouble expressing some emotions. It was a mixture of being an arrogant teenager, and being numb to the pain after losing my dad. It's no wonder that I started dancing shortly after to outlet some of those feelings.
This post was a little bit more sober than my last one, but I guess that's life. Gotta have contrast. Shoutout to VSU @UCLA and VIFF!
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