Category Archives: Personal

Entertainment: US Gymnastics Olympic Team 2012

Late last night the final places for the Gymnastics Team has been assigned as well as the alternates should something happened to the members of the US Mens and Womens Gymnastics Olympic Team.

A couple of nights ago (after the US Men’s Gymnastics Olympics Final) I attempted to figure out who would inevitably be chosen for the Mens and Womens Gymnastics Teams for the US. Well, when it came to the actual Olympic teams I would able to figure out who would be placed onto the team as well as what would have happened should Jonathan Horton be chosen over Chris Brooks.

As for the alternates, I didn’t really do as well… I was better with the women as opposed to the men, but still that was a crapshoot in comparison to the actual team. Well now that we know who is a part of the Olympic team let’s see how they might be used during the Olympics in London.

US MENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TEAM
Below is the break down of the members of the US Mens Gymnastics Olympic Team and alternates as well as their overall placements during the Olympic Trials.
– FE: Floor Exercise; PH: Pommel Horse; SR: Still Rings; V: Vault; PB: Parallel Bars; HB: High Bars; FINAL: All Around

NAME FE PH SR V PB HB FINAL
MENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TEAM
Danell Leyva 8th 2nd 7th 6th 1st 1st 1st
John Orozco 4th 3rd 3rd 6th 3rd 2nd 2nd
Jonathan Horton 7th 8th 1st 8th 2nd 5th 3rd
Jake Dalton 1st 13th 6th 1st 4th 8th 4th
Sam Mikulak *7th 5th *9th *2nd *2nd *5th *3rd
* Sam Mikulak was injured towards the end of Prelims, so he opted to only compete on Pommel Horse, placements indicated were where he was placed at the end of Prelims.
MENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC ALTERNATES
Chris Brooks 5th 9th 5th 5th 5th 7th 4th
Steven Legendre 2nd 7th 9th 3rd 12th 13th 8th
Alexander Naddour 11th 1st 8th 14th 13th 12th 11th

US WOMENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TEAM
Below is the break down of the members of the US Womens Gymnastics Olympic Team and alternates as well as their overall placements during the Olympic Trials.
– V: Vault; UB: Uneven Bars; BB: Balance Beam; FE: Floor Exercise; FINAL: All Around

NAME V UB BB FE FINAL
WOMENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TEAM
Gabrielle Douglas 2nd 1st 6th 3rd 1st
Jordyn Wieber 4th 4th 3rd 2nd 2nd
Alexandra Raisman 6th 8th 1st 1st 3rd
Kyla Ross 8th 1st 3rd 9th 5th
McKayla Maroney 1st 11th 10th 5th 7th
WOMENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC ALTERNATES
Sarah Finnegan 7th 6th 5th 6th 6th
Anna Li 3rd 12th
Elizabeth Price 3rd 5th 9th 4th 4th

Before we move on, below is a schedule of the Artistic Gymnastics in London:
– Saturday July 28th: Mens Qualifying
– Sunday July 29th: Womens Qualifying
– Monday July 30th: Mens Team Final
– Tuesday July 31st: Womens Team Final
– Wednesday August 1st: Mens Individual All-Around
– Thursday August 2nd: Womens Individual All-Around
– Sunday August 5th: Mens Floor Exercise, Mens Pommel Horse, Womens Vault
– Monday August 6th: Mens Vault, Mens Rings, Womens Uneven Bars
– Tuesday August 7th: Mens Parallel Bars, Mens Horizontal/High Bar, Womens Floor Exercise, Womens Balance Beam

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Entertainment: US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2012

From June 28th through July 1st, San Jose has played host to the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials, it is here that 30 of the top gymnasts in artistic gymnastics will compete to prove and earn their place on the five-member US Gymnastics team squad for the London Olympics a month later.

In an earlier post I have touched upon some of the front runners for a spot on the gymnastics squad for both men and women teams, I also went in a little more detail as to the possibility of the veterans from last year’s squad making a return appearance for these Olympics.

US MENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TRIALS RESULTS
Today the Men’s Gymnastics competition went into full swing. If you remember from the previous post the top two guys after the Olympic Trials in San Jose will be guaranteed spots on the team:
– Danell Leyva: Placed 1st
– John Orozco: Placed 2nd

Not only does the selection committee need to decide who would fill in the last three spots, but as we saw in the 2008 Olympics, they would also need to figure in the alternates. In the 2008 Olympics the two alternates: Alexander Artemev and Raj Bhavsar ended up being a part of the Olympics team after the withdrawal of the Hamm brothers, and in the end became a major factor in the US Men’s Olympic Gymnastics team capturing the bronze medal.

Since only the top three scores will be counted during the Olympics, it comes down to who could bring in the top scores or has the potential to bring in the top scores in an effort to get the gold medal at the Olympics.

Based on the numbers this is one possible way for the Mens Gymnastics Olympic team with alternates would pan out:
– FE: Floor Exercise; PH: Pommel Horse; SR: Still Rings; V: Vault; PB: Parallel Bars; HB: High Bars; FINAL: All Around

NAME FE PH SR V PB HB FINAL
POSSIBLE OLYMPIC TEAM
Chris Brooks 5th 5th 5th 5th 7th 4th
Jake Dalton 1st 6th 1st 4th 5th
Sam Mikulak *7th 5th *2nd *2nd *5th *4th
* Sam Mikulak was injured towards the end of Prelims, so he opted to only compete on Pommel Horse
POSSIBLE ALTERNATES
Jonathan Horton 1st 2nd 5th 3rd
Paul Ruggeri 3rd 7th 7th 6th
CJ Maestas 6th 4th 7th

But one thing that Jonathan Horton would bring onto the table that most other athletes do not have: experience… and leadership, but would that be enough? It’s hard to say, if they choose to bring in Jonathan onto the Olympic team then I believe that Chris Brooks would be the one to become an alternate over Sam Mikulak due to Chris’ scores being lower than that of Sam’s in most apparati and Sam having a stronger score in the US Mens Gymnastics Team’s weakest event: pommel horse. All speculation to be sure, but still very difficult to decpiher what would win out the day.

US WOMENS GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC TRIALS RESULTS
Sunday, July 1st will be the finals for the US Women Gymnastics Olympic Trials and right now the top gymnast is Jordyn Wieber. But how would the other women fit it? Well let’s find out:
– V: Vault; UB: Uneven Bars; BB: Balance Beam; FE: Floor Exercise; FINAL: All Around

NAME V UB BB FE FINAL
POSSIBLE OLYMPIC TEAM
Gabrielle Douglas 3rd 5th 5th 2nd 2nd
Alexandra Raisman 4th 4th 1st 3rd
Kyla Ross 1st 5th 5th
McKayla Maroney 2nd 4th 7th
POSSIBLE ALTERNATES
Elizabeth Price 1st 6th 5th 4th
Alicia Sacremone 5th 3rd
Anna Li 1st
OTHER POSSIBILITIES
Sarah Finnegan 7th 1st 7th 6th
Rebecca Bross 4th
Nastia Liukin 7th

Since there are only four apparatus that is included in womens gymnastics and with one slot already tied up, trying to put the pieces together has proven to be a rather difficult process. Since the top three scores from each team will be counted in the team events out of either four or five possible gymnasts it would be ideal to have at least four gymnasts with strong scores in any apparatus. The same idea stands for the men as well, but in my opinion that was easier to put together. For the women, not so much. However, without knowing would happen during the womens gymnastics finals on Sunday there is no way to know how the final team will stack up.

It is rather unfortunate that the darling of the Womens Gymnastics Team of the Beijing Olympics 2008: Nastia Liukin, might not make it onto the team not placing as high as she could have in the prelims. Alicia would have a strong chance to at least be an alternate, but it would be rather difficult to see her any higher than that.

Knowing that the full Mens Gymnastics Olympic Team will be announced on Sunday and the Womens Gymnastics should be soon to follow, it will be rather interesting to see what happens. Well also to see how close or far I am with my predictions.

Entertainment: Viet Nam Gymnastics at the London 2012 Olympics

Viet Nam’s gymnasts have been making a strong splash in the past couple of years. During the Beijing 2008 Olympics the only gymnast from Viet Nam was Đỗ Thị Ngân Thương (names are reversed in Viet Nam as opposed to English so her family name is Đỗ while her given name is Thương) who was invited via the Tripartite Invitation. This invitation is a collective effort between the International Olympic Committee and the International Federations to develop systems that would allow the best athletes to compete but also adhere to the principle of universal representation. She did not pass the preliminary round and ended up being disqualified due to a banned substance found in her system. After a year or two she came back to competition stronger and wiser, as thus she was granted a place in the London 2012 Olympics via the Olympic Test Event (placing 72nd overall) in January due to injuries to many of the world’s top gymnasts.

The other female gymnast that qualified for the London 2012 Olympics is Phan Thị Hà Thanh (again Phan being the family name while Thanh is the given name) earned her ticket to the London 2012 Olympics via her vault score at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. She received the bronze medal for the following vaults:

The final gymnast that qualified from Viet Nam is Phạm Phước Hưng (Phạm being the family name and Hưng being his given name). Much like Thương in the female gymnastics competition, Hưng also qualified via the Olympic Test Event. Not only that, a rising star in Vietnamese gymnastics, Hung showed his prowess by winning the gold medal in men’s parallel bars at the Challengers Cup 2012 International Gymnastics Tournament in Belgium (placing 43rd overall).

With only two medals total in the Summer Olympic games, both silver in Taekwondo (Trần Hiếu Ngân for the Women’s 57kg event at Sydney 2000) and Weightlifting (Hoàng Anh Tuấn for the Men’s 56kg event at Beijing 2008) it is difficult to say how the gymnasts would ultimately place… but I am fairly confident that as the gymnastics program in Viet Nam strengthens so will the talent pool and I would not be surprised to see their gymnasts stand on the podium in future Olympics if not for the upcoming one.

Entertainment: US Gymnastics at the London 2012 Olympics

The 2008 U.S. Olympics Gymnastics Team had a very strong showing in Beijing 2008 with the Women’s team getting the silver medal and the Men’s team (largely considered underdogs at the time) sneaking in for the bronze.

For 2012, the only veterans from the 2008 team that have returned for the 2012 Olympic trials include:
– Jonathan Horton
– Nastia Liukin
– Alicia Sacramone
– Bridget Sloan

Of the four… going into the Olympic trials in San Jose, Jonathan Horton appears to be the most likely to return with Alicia Sacramone as a possibility.

But what happened to the rest of the 2008 team?
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Conventions: Generations of Art at Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2)

While walking through the booths at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) this past April, I saw one particular booth full of corsets. However, it wasn’t the corsets that caught my attention but what was hanging on one of the mannequins:

Yup, it was a dress with a built in corset. I figured that it was just one hell of an impulse buy so I told myself that I would walk around the floor for a few hours more and if I can’t stop thinking about that dress, then I’ll go back and have a dress made, if not… well obviously it would be an impulse buy (the whole gut instinct vs logic thinking). I figured if I was still thinking about the dress after a few hours of walking around the floor and talking to friends, then I’ll go ahead and purchase the dress, otherwise… well you know.

Turns out it wasn’t an impulse buy, I still wanted that dress, or something similar to it. Two years earlier I purchased a corset for myself and loved it, but I rarely wore it, unable to bring myself to wear it outside of the comfort of my home. So I was wanting to find a piece that I could wear while out and about… then again, I think I would prefer wearing that kind of a dress around my theatre friends as opposed to anyone outside. But I digress…

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UPDATES: Old Fanfiction Story – Circumstance

Once upon a time I developed a piece that brought the people of the Sailor Moon universe and implanted them into the Salem Witch Trials, but all I did was took all of their human characteristics and took all the fantastical aspects out of the equation.

I never did finish the story, I wrote only a couple of pieces in the beginning and a bit of the ending with the intent of writing the middle over the course of the year. Perhaps one day I’ll fill in the movie when I can.

In the meantime, head on over to “Beyond the Abyss” where for the next four days I’ll have posted my original breakdown and notes then eventually the pieces that I have already written.

“Beyond the Abyss” is a blog that will focus on all the pieces of stories that I have shelved indefinitely over the years. If by some insane chance a current project has a story line that I couldn’t use for any reason then I’ll post those remnants there as well.

Happy reading!

Fleeting: 2012 Tonys (Peter and the Starcatcher)

Last I went to New York City I saw several shows:
– Disney’s the Newsies
– Once the Musical
– Sleep No More (twice)

One show that I was cautiously interested in seeing but unable to do to time was Peter and the Starcatcher. Being a fan of fairytales and stories of the like it was natural for me to be interested in J M Barrie‘s Peter Pan, but the possibility of a prequel kind makes me uneasy. Prequels and sequels tend to make me uneasy because they could be done really poorly. Still, there was a lot of buzz surrounding the book series written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.

Turns out I probably should have seen the play because they were nominated for quite a few awards and ended up winning the following.
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Christian Borle
– Best Scenic Design of a Play: Donyale Werle
– Best Costume Design of a Play: Paloma Young
– Best Lighting Design of a Play: Jeff Croiter
– Best Sound Design of a Play: Darron L West

Peter and the Starcatchers got its start at the New York Theatre Workshop with some of the same cast as the Broadway show.

One of the reasons that drew me to this production was Christian Borle as the Black Stache who eventually becomes Captain Hook. I absolutely loved Christian in Legally Blonde the Musical where he played Emmett Forrest, Elle Woods’ graduate student mentor. He brought so many new nuances into the roll and as Laura Bell Bundy would say later:

He made lines funny that weren’t suppose to be funny!

Yes, he’s that talented. And now with a career in television on the NBC primetime show Smash, Christian is on his way to strengthening his acting career.

What has been a rising trend, plays now are featuring orchestrations as well as songs as opposed to being a purely straight play. Some other plays that have featured some music include:
– One Man, Two Guvnors
– Enron
– Fences
– The Coast of Utopia
Now Peter and the Starcatcher is also a part of that list… as the lines between a play and musical are being blurred, entertainment is constantly evolving. Considering the bits of comedy that the script and story lends itself too, it would be a bloody shame if there was no music whatsoever. So if I make it to New York City again sometime in the near future you can bet I’m going to be making a trip to see Peter and the Starcatcher this time.

Reflection: Personified Hopes

AUTHOR NOTES: Way back when, I wrote down some of the things that I hoped for. Below are my “personified hopes” for the future. Granted times have changed, but it was interesting to see what I once hoped for and how life has changed.

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Reflection: “What If?” Scenarios of Academia

AUTHOR NOTES: I wrote this back in 2003 for my original website. I am just reposting for prosperity.

Have you ever wonder what would life be like if something had happened when it did not? Have you ever wished that you have done something that you didn’t have the courage to do before? Have you ever wondered if relationships would have worked out if you were given a second chance? Or if you ever wanted a second chance at that friendship that you held so dear? The truth is: we all do, at one point or another. Very seldom do we allow these regrets, doubts and dedications come to light because our hearts are too big to hurt other people, or we just want to be happy with the decisions that we have made.

ACADEMIC INSTANCES – What would my life be like if I had gone somewhere else? What situations would I have changed if I thought my life would be more enjoyable because of it? The friends, the projects, the academics… the ‘What ifs’ of the schools that define my study habits and my motivations to succeed.

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Reflection: Paul Wesselmann and The Ripples Project #681

Weekly I get an email from the “The Ripples Project“, an online project whose purpose is:

helping others get excited about work and school and life; […] and challeng[ing] people to explore their potential

Below is an example of a newsletter that I received this week. The Ripples was titled: Dancing with the Universe whileas the title of my website/blog is Dancing Through the Universe. So why not?

PEBBLE
You can dance with the Universe,
but you don’t get to lead.
-written and submitted by Catherine Julian in Olympia, WA

BOULDER
Cinderella may have been given
the dress, the shoes and the ride,
but she was the one who made
the choice to go to the ball.
You are given opportunities every day,
make your choice to do something with them.
-written and submitted by Jennifer from Cal Poly-SLO

PONDER
Plenty of teeny and huge stuff happens over which we have little or no control; unfortunately we are sometimes so busy fretting over these unscheduled interruptions that we ignore the choices we still have, the options that are still available to us. Just because we cannot control everything doesn’t mean we have to throw up our hands and fail to get busy on the things we CAN control.

So if you’re feeling stuck this week, I invite you look between the lines of the STUFF you are facing and seek the choices and options you still have. And then find a way to dance with them!

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Fleeting: 2012 Tonys (Once and Newsies)

The 2012 Tony Awards aired… I was excited this time around because two of the shows with a lot of buzz were coming in with quite a few nominations: Once and Newsies, both of which I saw on my last trip to NYC. The only major similarity is that both are based off of movies of the same name, both are special in different ways.

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Entertainment: Disney Stained Glass

I just loved this so much that I HAD to share via the blog: The Mary Sue


Have fun trying to figure out who is who (though most would be pretty obvious).

Entertainment Email: To Do List

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Shamelessly stolen from George Takei’s Facebook Page

1: Make vanilla pudding. Put in mayo jar. Eat in public.
This is way too tempting. I may actually do it one day just for kicks. Kind of like when I had a glass bottle that I put honeyed tea into it, so when I’m drinking it looks like I’m drinking alcohol on the job. Oh the joy.

2: Hire two private inverstigators. Get them to follow each other.
Sounds like fun, don’t know if I would do it though, too expensive.

3: Wear shirt that says “Life.” Hand out lemons on street corner
ROFL… This gets better… I wonder where I could find a shirt like that?

4: Get into a crowded elevator and say “I bet you’re all wondering why I gathered you here today.”
Yeeeaaaah, no… won’t do. No way.

5: Major in philosophy. Ask people WHY they would like fries with that.
Tee hee hee. I think someone I knew in class did this. Just for kicks.

6: Run into a store, ask what year it is. When someone answers, yell “It worked!” and run out cheering.
Umm… ooook.

7: Become a doctor. Change last name to Acula.
Dr. Acula, so tempting. Actually, I can’t stand anymore education, so I’m not likely going to go down the medical route any time soon. If I was meant for that I would have been on there already and I already know too many doctors.

8: Change name to Simon. Speak in third person.
Simon Says!

9: Buy a parrot. Teach the parrot to say “Help! I’ve been turned into a parrot.”
Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

10: Follow joggers around in your car blasting “Eye of the Tiger” for encouragement.
Why is it that every time I hear “Eye of the Tiger” I always see this:

Ooo Jensen Ackles… an early celebrity crush starting from the Days of Our Lives and now on Supernatural.

Fleeting: Kids These Days

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Earlier today I overheard a bunch of kids (and when I say “kids” I mean people in their twenties or younger) discussing the pros and cons of working at a utility company versus a contractor or consulting firm. They looked rather new and probably were interns… I couldn’t help but laugh / chuckle at their conversation.

Why? Because they were comparing the pros and cons of the benefits and monetary compensation offered between various companies. I’m not saying that the benefits offered or the monetary compensation isn’t important… but I guess I just never saw that as a deciding factor in where I would work.

I understand the desire to obtain material wealth or be financially free so there are minimal worries or cares, but at the same time… money can also be argued to be the basis for greed, power, lust, etc. I don’t know, I guess that’s just me.

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The Disney Hunger Games

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So I finally read – or more accurately, listened – to the Hunger Games and while I gather my thoughts on the first book of the series here is a little gem for the Disney fans out there:

I take no claim in creating this…

In any case… the creator of this little gem provided their reasoning as to why they chose the set up that they did… But like everyone else out there, I have a tendency to pick it apart and analyze the work. So here are my thoughts (if I disagree) with the creator’s original thought processes:

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