"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives." ~ Clay P. Bedford

This chronicle is a record of my quest to seek & share new arts, ideas, theories, emotions, & experiences.
To become more knowledgeable, I must, first, become a wiser student.

Friday, December 25, 2009

To Boldly Go Where No Trek Fan-Film Has Gone Before

The legendary "Star Trek" universe has a storied history in popular culture: 608 paperback books (as of Fall 2008), 43 years of fan-dom since  its television debut on September 8th, 1966, and 11 theatrical motion pictures spanning over three decades.

Well, 12, if you count "Of Gods and Men," a FANTASTIC non-canon feature starring numerous actors & actresses from all five series congregating in a "fan-film."

Yes, plenty of Trek fan-made films have been produced throughout the years. However, I quote "fan-film," as it was written by two Deep Space Nine writers, Jack Trevino & Ethan H Calk, produced by Tim Russ, best known for his role as Tuvok in Voyager, starred Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koening, Uhura and Chekov from The Original Series, respectively, among many more!

These Trek-insiders, über-fans, intended for this flick to be a tribute to Gene Roddenberry, the franchise's four decades of existence, and all of its fans.



As a fan, myself, since the age of 5, discovering Of Gods and Men was the best Christmas gift that I could have ever treated myself to. It's worth nothing that the dialogue is quite cheesy and the special effects resemble a B-rated video game. Despite its shortfalls, the film is really fun, nostalgic, and a must-see for any true Trek fans.

Looking back, it's a shame that I hadn't seen this 120+ minute of goodness when the film first came out in 2007. I have no excuse. I thought I was a real fan, but I wasn't. Someone should lock me up in the frozen annals of the Khitomer Klingon Prison Camp.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Beh-me.



This was my lunch today - a Vietnamese sandwich, submarine, hoagie, whatever you want to call it.

I've indulged in this foot-long delight since I was a kid; basically, whenever my dad decides to make a trip to the Vietnamese grocer, he'll pickup a few for the family.

What makes this new for me is Wiki'ing how to spell, in Vietnamese, this beast of a sandwich.

Bánh mì or bánh mỳ

Here's how you can phonetically say it with an English-American tongue:

1. Pretend like you're saying the first syllable in the word baby. "bey"
2. Say the word me. "me"
3. Beh-me.