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Every time I finish a Final Fantasy game, I tell myself that I’m done with video games and that I have no interest in the next one. As they announce the inevitable sequel, I show no real interest other than a cursory view of the trailers and artwork.

Then a few weeks before they release it…

I get a sudden urge to buy the game and play it.

So now I can’t wait for FFXIII-2.

Hi everyone. I just got a new bicycle. Up til now I’ve been riding the same bike since childhood.

It’s a single-speed bike with a flip-flop hub, so I can switch between a freewheel and fixed gear whenever I want. It came in the mail disassembled, so I had to put it all together. The stock seat was pretty uncomfortable, so I switched it out with a Zefal Tru-gel seat. I also took off the stock grips (basically just rubber covers) and put on Avenir grips with a more ergonomic shape. (All this stuff was extremely cheap, by the way.)

Out of the box, it was a little rough, but after the new accessories and a bit of adjustment, it finally felt really nice.

I’m a very nostalgic person. I often think about bygone times and how things used to be. Not just in my lifetime, but also of generations before. When I see photographs of people from the 70s, 60s, 50s, and so forth, it makes me wonder how different it must have been back then compared to modern times. I often imagine what it would have been like to live in a different era — during the Civil War, or when the pioneers made their way across America, or when the colonists settled in the New World.

Even recent history seems like a time long gone. I was pondering the other day about how I used to tape movies off the TV during times when I wasn’t able to watch anything, such as while I was at school or in the middle of the night. Back then we had to put in a blank tape, set the VCR time to the correct time and duration, and then let it do its thing. Then the next day I could watch the movie and fast forward through all the commercials. And I was just thinking that this is an experience that, while very memorable, is only familiar to about a 15-year window of people in human history. Most kids growing up today will never know what that was like. I could name several other examples of similar experiences that will soon be forgotten by the current generation.

I wish I had a time machine so I could live these time periods for myself. Until then, I guess we will have to settle for movies that can transport us to other times and places for 2 hours at a time.

“I saw this werewolf movie [Red Riding Hood]. It was OK. I mean what do you expect. Not as good as Underworld though. That was a good movie.”

“Lindsay Lohan hasn’t come out with a movie for a while.”

“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”

- from The Edge

I took a ton of photos at UCLA’s Alumni Day event last month. By the end of the day my feet were about to fall off…

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My students the other day were wondering if they’d ever see me again. “Probably not,” I said, “you guys are graduating next week.”

“But you’re the best sub we’ve had all year!” said one of them. “YEAH!” everyone shouted.

Suddenly one kid interjected. “Wait a minute,” he announced to the class, holding up a hand to halt the commotion. “What about Mr. Grofnor?”

“Oh yeah,” they all agreed, nodding knowingly at one another. “Mr. Grofnor.”

“Mr. Yip, are you smart?”

“That depends. Smarter than whom?”

“Um… George Lopez.”

“Oh. OK, then yes.”

This year’s Spring Sing! These are just a few photos out of thousands.

More after the jump.

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I subbed at a preschool special ed class today. During one of the bathroom trips, one of the toddlers jammed his hands into the urinal and splashed his face.

Ah, youth.