6/24 Friday Friendzone: Summer Edition

Welcome back to the Friendzone, the most must-read segment on this blog!  This week marked the first official week of summer...so I got some of my friends together to ask them about what they think of summer.


1. Is summer the best season?
Scottyi: I feel pretty bad for those spoiled people who can't appreciate all 4 seasons... it means that they're depressed for 3/6/9 months out of the year. I love the breeze in autumn, the harsh fury of winter snowstorms, the beautiful week of tree blossoms in spring, and the warm rain of summer. It's all special and we must thank our Creator for every precious moment of His glorious creation. Also, I like summer because I look awesome in wife beaters.
Angrygirl: Duh. Watermelon, peaches, nectarines, pineapple, strawberries all in season. On the East Coast, people naturally gravitate outside and become social, hanging out at free events or farmers' markets. On the West Coast, it's the best time to go to the beach or jump in a friend's pool. And on a certain day in the summer I also get cake and candles.
(Y)MC: Summer is sometimes the best season, except when the weather gets to be too hot to wear even just shorts and a thin t-shirt. But I'll take summer over snow...any day!
Lily: Nope and I've never understood why so many people like it. It's the worst because you have to work a summer job and it's really hot.  Doing homework is more fun than entry-level jobs, and way more of your friends are around during the school year.  Also the sun hates people because it glares at them with its burning eye like Sauron.
Joses: Caveat - I grew up in the tropics, which is either summer all year long, or no summer at all, depending on the way you see things. I personally have an affinity for winter. There's something bracing about the cold and the dark that gets me more pensive (and intellectually more productive) than the summer. In my experience, the freedom offered by summer fools me into thinking I can get more done in those months - more reading, more thinking, more partying, more shopping etc. That's just not true.

2. What is the best summer song of all time?
Scottyi: 90s West Coast rap songs--windows down, subwoofer turned all the way up. Feeling so pimp. If you want something low key, Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" is perfect for driving down the road at sunset. Coolio's "Fantastic Voyage" hits the sweet spot when you're on your way to a party.
Angrygirl: Surfaris -- Wipeout
(Y)MC: Two great summer songs: Bananarama - Cruel Summer and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Summertime. I would've included that LFO song about Chinese food and Abercrombie. But since you (Miller) alluded to it in an earlier post, I don't want to take anything away from your credibility as a blogger and diminish your earnings from blogging.
Lily: Is this like, music you listen to on the radio?  I don't know any summer songs but recently I've been feeling the soundtrack to Wicked...
Joses: Two songs come to mind (It's summer, I'm allowed two instead of just one tune.)
Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams: Why does summer inevitably equate to long-lost youth, first loves, and (ultimately) sheer happiness? It's thanks to the perfect piece of rock Bryan Adams composed in the 80s. Ironically, this song makes us nostalgic not for the late 60s, but for the 80s.
Stereo Love - Vika Jigulina and Edward Maya: This track wafts over the shore like a warm sea breeze, caressing your hair as you snooze again on the deck chair. Ed and Vika have bottled summer up in here.

3. What is the most must-see movie of the summer?
Scottyi: I hated the first two Fast & Furious movies, but ever since Justin Lin took it over it's become cinematic brilliance. "Fast 5" was the best entry in the series, which is probably the first time you could say that about a part 5. The cool thing about the franchise is that it's both retrogressive and progressive: retro because it harkens back to the old school action movies of musclebound machismo with codes of honor, but progressive because these movies are "post-racial." The cast is culturally diverse, and while enemies are often from different ethnic backgrounds, no one ever succumbs to racial slurs. Out of the entire 10-man crew in "Fast 5," Paul Walker is the only white guy...! That's amazing.
Angrygirl: Duh. HARRY POTTER LAST MOVIE EVER :((((((
or, Glee Live! 3D! (yes those exclamations are part of the title). Just kidding, Glee sucks and jumped the shark a long time ago.
(Y)MC: Summer blockbusters... My favorites are "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997), "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" (1998), "I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer" (2006, straight to video release), and the forthcoming "I'll Always Forever and Ever Know What You Did Last Summer as well as What You'll Do Next Summer" (2012?).
Lily: HARRY FRICKIN POTTER
Joses: I'll give four answers to the four different ways you can read this question.
a. Best movie to be ever released in the summer blockbuster season - Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.
b. Best movie released in this current summer blockbuster season - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. It's the end of an era.
c. Best movie about summer - A close friend of mine recommends Across The Universe.
d. Best movie(s) to watch during summer - Lord of The Rings Extended Trilogy. When else are you gonna find the time?!

4. Do you think tanning enhances or depreciates physical appearance?
Scottyi: I'm not attracted to the tanned look. It looks like girls are trying too hard. And then there's the tanning that goes so overboard that their skin literally looks orange--they look like giant oompa-loompas. Gross, ladies. Have fun with your skin cancer.
Angrygirl: My mom brainwashed me to forever associate tanning with skin cancer. I might've thought she was overreacting if it hadn't been for the teen girly magazines that also said similar things with scary sounding words like "melanoma." As a result I apply sunscreen regularly (although I tend to forget my arms, so my arms are perpetually darker than my face). Now the choice is between being tan/possibly-seriously-sick vs. pale/looking-sickly. It's a tough life.
(Y)MC: Tanning never made sense to me. Yes, you end up looking darker... but at the expense of increasing your risk of getting skin cancer/melanoma? Completely not worth it. You can do your future generation(s) a huge favor though by combining your genes with those of a person with a darker skin complexion, e.g. Asians, Africans, Hispanic/Herspanic people, etc. (White person, please note.)
Lily: I wish we were back in the 1800s when not tanned skin was more in!  It's so much healthier for people not to tan!
Joses: I think most people would agree having a tan, that wasn't obtained through tanning lotion or lying in front of light bulbs, is physically attractive. But you have to balance that with the risk of skin cancer. So the best way to get a tan is through hereditary means - have a mother and a father who both have naturally darker skin. Which, unfortunately, is beyond your means now.....

5. Summer Fling: Good or Bad Idea?
Scottyi: Summer's the best time to set up really great date ideas (campfire, walks on the beach, lying on your roof staring at the stars). But it's also the time when people are in very fragile transitional periods--people are getting ready to move, or on vacation, or on temp jobs. So if you're looking for something long-term while you're in a temporary situation, that seems like a recipe for disaster to me.  Best to have a "Roman Holiday" mentality: enjoy the time for what it is, but don't let your expectations get the better of you.
Angrygirl: Fling schmling. Relationships shouldn't be seasonal.
(Y)MC: As a rule of thumb, summer flings are always, always, always good ideas as long as nobody gets pregnant. And who knows, sometimes summer flings can turn into lasting and meaningful relationships that may or may not include pregnancy along the way.
Lily: Been there, done that.  Mixed feelings, but I did learn a lot.
Joses: Yes, It's time for another Good Idea/Bad Idea!
This question gets most people hot and bothered, because of the word "fling". If someone asked you, "Is a Summer Romance/Courtship a good idea?", of course you'd say "Yes!" So, the real question is, are flings a good idea at all? This is a question that merits more attention than I can give it now. Suffice to say, if you're OK with having a fling at all (whatever a fling might mean to you), then there's nothing wrong with a Summer Fling.
No one talks about a Winter Fling. Isn't it a better idea? What better way to pass the dark and cold than in someone else's warm arms? And you can dump them after they've put on all that Christmas fat.

About the Panelists:
Scottyi is excited because he just took his wife beater out of the drier. His website is www.sacredraisincakes.com / Angrygirl becomes less angry after hanging out on the beach. / (Y)MC is a son, brother, and husband. During his spare time, he enjoys long walks on the beach, authentic Taiwanese food, and streaming movies online. He believes almost all heterosexual inter-racial relationships are severely skewed, favor the white man, and consequently further disenfranchise the Asian male demographic group. As such, he has embarked on a personal mission to restore the balance in the world of inter-racial love-making. / Lily is an INTJ who prefers the library to every other building on campus.  I like puzzles, classical music, and chess.  My favorite thing to do online is stalk people on facebook and fill out my google calendar. / Joses grew up in Singapore, where it's pretty much summer all year round. Kinda boring, if you ask him. He tweets regularly at www.twitter.com/jacuzzijo. 

6/23 Thursday Thoughts

Is it just me...or does your day totally crumble when you don't start it out with a really quality quiet time with God?

For me, this has been excruciatingly evident for the last two years...not because this has been a new problem....but because having my girlfriend observe my life closely...really made my flaws more self-evident.

Usually, we'll talk about our days...and if it was a crappy day, she'll invariably ask "How was your QT?" and I might respond by saying I didn't do it...or I slept through it...or I was just going through the motions...

And it's amazing to me...how the first 30 minutes of my day...really makes or breaks the next 15 hours...

When my time with God is inadequate...I feel unbalanced...I feel ordinary...I feel like I'm getting by on my own strength and ability...which is simply just not enough....

If what I read on Scott's latest blog entry is true, only 16% of Americans read their Bible everyday...which I'm guessing probably isn't much different than the percentage that prays everyday...or the percentage that depends on God daily... (this assumption could be wrong...but whatever!)...that's crazy.  If I'm not the only person who feels totally unfocused when I skip out on genuine fellowship with God...this is an awful statistic.

I'm fearful of what this means for us.  I think about the verse in James Chapter 1 that talks about being like a man who forgets what he looks like as soon as he steps away from the mirror...

Haunting comparison, by the way.  But, I feel like this accurately captures what it's like for us to forego quality time with God...

Without being plugged in to God through prayer and meditation on his Word, I forget who I am.  I forget that I'm his child.  I forget that I'm supposed to be set apart from this world.  I forget that even though I'm weak, He is strong.  I forget that He's never let me down.  I forget that I am His.

6/22 Wednesday Weekly

MillStar of the Week: A MillCredit goes to White Basketball Players.  With the recent NBA championship run by Dirk Nowitzki, White Basketball Players (from strange lands) are suddenly a hot commodity again!  In tomorrow night's NBA Draft, look for Enes Kanter (from Turkey), Jonas Valanciunas (from Lithuania), Jan Vesely (from Czech Republic), and Jimmer Fredette (from very strange Utah) to all get drafted in the Top 15 picks!

MillDud of the Week: This week's MillDud goes to Canada for the rioting in Vancouver last week after losing a hockey game.  First off, it's just hockey.  When LeBron left Cleveland, I understood why they were burning jerseys...that seemed worth destroying things for because they were screwed...but losing 4-0 in a hockey game is nowhere near a conspiracy or screwjob.  Second, why destroy your own city?  Makes no sense!  Third, I can't believe Canada hasn't gotten the MillDud yet!  Only good thing about Canada is their excellence in raising future pro wrestlers...any rebuttals Yufu?

MillBoard Charts Song of the Week: Man...what happened to JoBro?  Did the Jonas Brothers fall of the face of the earth or what?  In fact, what happened to Miley Cyrus?  Man...did Justin Beiber kill them off in a turf war?  The real winner in all of this is Selena Gomez who was ahead of the curve...instead of being just another Disney Star to be outdone by the Beibs...she became his ladyfriend.  But in honor of the good times...the song of the week is "Send It On" by the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez.  This feel good song was produced by Disney 2 years ago to encourage us to Go Green and save the world.  Instead, it has me wondering...how Selena Gomez, the one in this song with the least musical ability, is the only one still making top 40 songs today.  It's the power of Beiber, man.  With such unchecked power, I'm gonna promote him to #5 on my All-Anti-Christ Team behind Obama, Hinn, Oprah, and Osteen.

6/21 Tuesday Milligan

As I referenced in my article about the split machine a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I had won the first ever Student of the Year award at my Tae Kwon Do School.  The prize was $150 worth of "Geoffrey Dollars" at Toys R Us.

Like any kid with a shopping spree would do, I didn't even think about splitting up the $150 among several items.  Instead, I looked for one toy to rule them all!!!

As fate would have it, the newly released portable gaming system SEGA's Game Gear had just been released and was selling for $150...

The Bad News: Game Gear didn't come with any game cartridges...

...but did that deter me from buying it?  No way!  Instead, I begged my dad if he would pay for my very first game cartridge...and he agreed.

So which game did I choose?

Wisely, I chose NBA Jam, which one of the only sports games to stand the test of time and be relevant even today!

Not so wisely, though....I didn't realize that Nintendo's GameBoy would actually have infinitely better games than SEGA's Game Gear....and actually have a resurgence of popularity many years after Game Gears were phased out completely.

But that probably didn't matter either...because I ended up never buying a 2nd game for my Game Gear!  I spent $150+ on one game!  Granted, it could have been worse....I could have chosen "Shaq Fu" instead of NBA Jam.  Wikipedia summarizes the plot of "Shaq Fu" like this:

In the game's storyline, Shaquille O'Neal wanders into a kung fu dojo while heading to a charity basketball game in Tokyo, Japan. After speaking with a kung fu master, he stumbles into another dimension, where he must rescue a young boy named Nezu from the evil mummy Sett-Ra.

Moral of the Story: Whenever you have an enormous gift certificate, spend it wisely or else you'll end up like me....you'll have nothing to show for it except for a lousy blog entry filled with regret 15 years later!  So at least spend it on something that will lead to a blog post of fond memories!

For example, if I gave you a $50 gift card for McDonald's, DO NOT do the reasonable thing and split it up into 10 meals of $5 value.  INSTEAD, get $50 worth of Chicken McNuggets and swim in them!

6/20 Monday MillBox

Q: Why is there an ad for "Big Girls Bra" between this post & the next? Is there some subliminal message I'm supposed to understand, or have you shifted your target audience to big girls who need big bras? -- Yufu
A: Interesting question, Yufu.  Until you brought it to my attention, I thought that the ads were generated based on the content of my site.  Checking my blog right now, I see ads for: Christianmingle.com (on the sidebar), laser hair removal, "Singles over 50," Dockers Dress Pants, and "Fertility problems?".  I suppose this means that that "they" think that I'm a single bald male over 50 years old who does not "wear the pants" and is infertile....but I am encouraged that they offered me a Christian dating service!!!  So, my thought then is...have you been googling for Big Girls Bras recently?  To answer your 2nd question, then, I have not shifted my target audience because I guess I've always appealed to readers like you who want Big Girls Bras. (For other readers, what ads are you seeing?)


Also, just in case you're wondering whether I make a buttload of money off this blog or not...I've made 20 cents since in the last 4 weeks.  That's right....5 cents per week....1 cent per entry!!!


Q: Miller, having known you for almost 10 years, I know you've always viewed your body as a temple of God. This is particularly true for your Darkwa-like lips. Having said this, how did your first kiss come about? Details please. -- Yufu (...again)
A:One word: -9.8m/s^2


Q: If you wanna go political... would you ever vote for a mormon? -- your girlfriend
A: Definitely not, if it's David Archuletta.  Slight chance, if it's Donny Osmond.  Maybe, if it's Danny Ainge (Boston Celtics General Manager).  But in general...I've been know to say that I'm all for polygamy...if all that means is "many games"....then I'm all for that!

Q: where was the bus driver while this is happening?!? Did he/she know what you were doing?! -- Mikey
A: To clarify my poop in bag story, the bus driver was not on the bus when I pooped.  He was hanging out in the park near the bus.  I walked to him to ask for paper towels and he said there were some on the bus, but he did not go to the bus with me.  As to whether he knew what I was doing or not...I'm guessing no because...it's probably not every day that a kid poops in a plastic bag.

Q: okay another question: pres. obama's radio address before father's day said "So recently, I took on a second job: assistant coach for Sasha’s basketball team. On Sundays, we’d get the team together to practice, and a couple of times, I’d help coach the games. It was a lot of fun – even if Sasha rolled her eyes when her dad voiced his displeasure with the refs."

how does it make you feel knowing that president obama is not just president of the united states but living your dream of working as a youth basketball coach? -- your girlfriend (...again)

A: Man...it makes me want to become a referee in Sasha's basketball league...I'd eject him from the first time I referee a game he's coaching...

...then after totally embarrassing the most powerful man in the world...

...I'd ask myself....why did I move all the way to DC to become a lousy referee in a girls basketball league?  Am I the worst terrorist ever?