Ask Zulehan stuff

[AppleBitterCrumble]

Hm... Whats your favorite movie?

 

[Zulehan]

Hm... Whats your favorite movie?

Link. You were just beaten to it. To (partially) summarize, love Am?lie, Blade Runner, and Kiki's Delivery Service. Two of three have as the main protagonist an introvert like me, yay. These movies feature emotionally engaging characters and well developed settings. I am particularly struck by the hand drawn setting of the latter movie, an idyllic European style seaside city.

Thanks for the question!

 

[Reese]

Nope, real first name is Kevin Mark. Yes, I have two first names; my parents couldn't decide. I'm lying, right? Well, I could actually investigate it: ruffle some feathers, wait in lines, grab the doctor who was there by the coat and tell him to start talking, but the birth certificate does look legit.

As for Zulehan, just saw a guy had it as a user name, so stole it. Never asked him what it meant, and have no idea. You have me curious, though, so I did a Google search. So far the results are less than relevant.




And thanks for the questions!

That's slightly disappointing ah well, it's nice to meet you Kevin Mark. I'll probably still call you Zulehan in my head.

More questions:

What was your first job like?

What's your favorite thing about yourself?

Coke or Pepsi?

 

[PrayingMantis10]

If your friends could only use 2 adjectives to describe you which ones would they be?

 

[Zulehan]

That's slightly disappointing ah well, it's nice to meet you Kevin Mark. I'll probably still call you Zulehan in my head.

I was messing with you. I actually am Zulehan. Let me tell you the story of Zulehan. It was forged in valleys of blood, and mountains of pain. It was a name that could only be retrieved from defeating hordes of lion men who sought to impede my climb up a great mountain. Atop this mountain stood an ancient temple to Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and she personally bestowed me this name from her throne in the heavens after I presented on a stone temple table the heads of all the lion men. Heh.

Rather, I am Kevin Mark, forged in valleys of West Covina, and mountains surrounding San Bernardino. The name was bestowed upon me by parents in the presence of a licensed doctor in a well managed hospital.

I am tempted to change my name to Zulehan, but Kevin Mark does hint to my Irish heritage.

Anyways, nice to meet you, too.

More questions:

What was your first job like?

A nightmare. My right hand is still severely dry from the chemicals I frequently used, despite always wearing gloves, and despite now using a prescribed lotion. I was a dishwasher. I worked eight to twelve hours, often overtime because customers like to enter a restaurant in large numbers a few minutes before it closes. I was paid below minimum wage, not paid for overtime, never had a break, worked in a very hot area (there was no fan or air conditioning, and the door was kept close, though in winter it was the opposite: the door was kept slightly ajar, so that the cold air would only rush toward me).

I would never do that to myself again. It was a dead end job, a job I hated, and a job with a level of exploitation reminiscent of the Third World.

What's your favorite thing about yourself?

I am glad to have grown to care about people, even those who can do nothing for me. It boggles the mind that we can accept a society where people die on the streets, and someone like a student government president can tell me that most people are morons and for that reason do not deserve to make money for a livelihood. I never want to be someone who can accept that.

<edit> Relatedly, fellow students around me often talk about leaving San Bernardino because it is a run-down city. Reminds me of the saying by Mark Twain that nobody prays for the Devil, the one who needs it most, because here is a city most in need and everyone wants to go where help is already plenty. I grew up in San Bernardino so know that this city isn't the den of horrible people that they are often painted to be on the San Bernardino County Sun by individuals who feel accomplished for living in great neighborhoods.

So I made one of my goals to stay in San Bernardino and teach students at the grade school level, so students can learn how to learn before going to college. Also, I think these kids need to know they're not scum for being born in the second poorest city in the States. I had teachers who made me out as scum, made me cry in the classroom, never even looked me in the eye and bothered to ask how I was doing in class because, damn, what's the point? I want to be one of the teachers who let the students know they're the world.

Coke or Pepsi?

If I had to choose, Coke, though on the rare moment I crave a soda (and the craving does strike once in a blue moon), I don't care which one of the two I get. I don't hate sodas: I actually like the light, bubbly, creamy taste of Italian style sodas, and would love to visit this man's Galcos Soda Pop Store in Los Angeles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPbh6Ru7VVM

But I prefer orange juice, water, apple juice, and milk. In fact, my fridge is never without orange juice.

If your friends could only use 2 adjectives to describe you which ones would they be?

I think the two adjectives that my friends would most likely use are 'nice' and 'studious.'

Thanks for the questions!

 

[Swiftstream]

Are you getting ssb? If so on wiiu or 3ds?

 

[Zulehan]

Are you getting ssb? If so on wiiu or 3ds?

I was never a big fan of Super Smash Bros, but it does get talked about a lot, and my sister's boyfriend keeps gushing about it. Even more, I have a Wii U, so any blockbuster game that comes out for it I am interested in getting. I will likely get it for the Wii U, especially since it is a 'party' game like Mario Kart 8 (which I have), so everyone in the family and any friends over can play it together.

Thanks for the question!

 

[PrayingMantis10]

Do you like the Easter egg collectible or the Togepi egg collectible more?

 

[Saylor]

who are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

what's your biggest aspiration in life?

I also agree with whoever said you seem interesting, I've enjoyed reading through all of your responses.

 

[Zulehan]

Do you like the Easter egg collectible or the Togepi egg collectible more?

I like the patterns on both. I was aiming for the Togepi egg first since it costs more, but I canceled that plan for now since I spent TBT on the pink う collectible.

On a somewhat related note, Pokemon X was my first Pokemon game, and Togepi was one of the Pokemon I got. I liked that Pokemon, especially because of that move putting other Pokemon to sleep, and that other move which makes Pokemon flinch, so I suppose the Togepi egg would have more meaning for me.

That said, wish I was involved enough with the forum at the time these eggs were being distributed, but I am slowly building up collectibles, though I almost gave away the light blue ど as thanks for a friend who pulled Bonbon out of the 'void' for me when I was trying to transfer her to my main town and made a time travel mistake.

Thanks for the question!

 

[Lady Black]

Hello again! I don't know if this has been asked before, but do you enjoy writing? I've noticed how descriptive you are when you respond, as well as the lengthiness of each post! I do like a writing enthusiast!

 

[Zulehan]

who are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

Oh, my, that's an essay. I'll try to keep it short. I enjoy a lot of folk music, whether rock, pop, or other. My brother, who is a musician (has a band), noticed most of what I listen to is heavy on piano. Although I am male, I also have a preference for female vocalists, as I point out in a related post from 'What music do you listen to?'

I listen to a lot of folk and rock, but also quite a bit of pop. Also noticed I really like female vocals and the piano, both of which feature heavily in the music I listen to. To name a few: Vienna Teng, Rachael Yamagata, Tori Amos ('Past the Mission' live on West 54th Street is one of my favorite live performances of all time), Sara Bareilles (can't get enough of her live), Regina Spektor, Florence + the Machine, Courtney Marie Andrews (has a bit of country flair), KT Tunstall, Ingrid Michaelson, Susie Suh, and Company of Thieves (has to be listened to live on 'AudioTree Live' in Chicago).

Of course, there are also male vocalists, or bands with male vocalists, I really like, and listen to frequently: Incubus, Brian McKnight, Nick Cave, Clutch, Eluveitie, Elvis Presley ('Devil in Disguise' is my favorite song by him), Beirut (an American 'world music' band with a unique sound; give 'Elephant Gun' a listen for a sample), Frank Sinatra (I can listen to his Christmas album all day every day), Midlake, and Amon Amarth to name a few.

To add to this, there are a lot of lesser known musicians I listen to, as well, such as Explosions in the Sky, Chantilly, Asobi Seksu (I suppose her music is 'shoegaze,' a sub-genre of alt rock, which features a 'dreamie' atmosphere with lyrics that are often hypnotic or even less than clear, and she casually blends Japanese with English), LoveLikeFire (I like a few songs such as 'William,' 'Broken Shapes,' and 'Delusion,' which feel more 'heavy' rock rather than the typical shoegaze, a genre I most often avoid), and Stars.

I remember someone I respect saying she doesn't like Norah Jones because that person has no talent. I'm not sure about Miss Jones being an electrifying singer, but her music is quite soothing to me and reminescent of a sound I want to find more of: 'One More Kiss, Dear.' This song makes me think of swing, the 20s, 'easy listening,' etc., but none of these seem quite right for describing it. All I can say is Norah Jones, 'One More Kiss, Dear,' and the soundtrack of Cowboy Bebop share a sound I crave more of.

There are certainly a lot of old school singers I admire, such as Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, and B.B. King, but I like to focus on who I actually listen to on a regular basis.

Suppose I'll end this already too-long reply with Wye Oak, a folk rock duo from Maryland I like, specifically they're song 'Civilian' (live on KEXP), which I have kept on replay for hours:

what's your biggest aspiration in life?

Definitely a question I have thought quite a bit about, and one which is hinted from something I said above:

<edit> Relatedly, fellow students around me often talk about leaving San Bernardino because it is a run-down city. Reminds me of the saying by Mark Twain that nobody prays for the Devil, the one who needs it most, because here is a city most in need and everyone wants to go where help is already plenty. I grew up in San Bernardino so know that this city isn't the den of horrible people that they are often painted to be on the San Bernardino County Sun by individuals who feel accomplished for living in great neighborhoods.

So I made one of my goals to stay in San Bernardino and teach students at the grade school level, so students can learn how to learn before going to college. Also, I think these kids need to know they're not scum for being born in the second poorest city in the States. I had teachers who made me out as scum, made me cry in the classroom, never even looked me in the eye and bothered to ask how I was doing in class because, damn, what's the point? I want to be one of the teachers who let the students know they're the world.

I want to be a teacher. For people in areas most in need of capable teachers.

I also agree with whoever said you seem interesting, I've enjoyed reading through all of your responses.

Much appreciated.

Thanks for the questions!

- - - Post Merge - - -

Hello again! I don't know if this has been asked before, but do you enjoy writing? I've noticed how descriptive you are when you respond, as well as the lengthiness of each post! I do like a writing enthusiast!

Similar questions were asked, but it's easily missed in all my verbiage.

I very much enjoy writing. I feel that I should put a lot of care into my writing for everything from online posts, emails, personal writings, etc., as if I am already getting paid for writing, as I remember a writer saying something along the lines how you should aspire to write like a professional well before you get paid for it. Probably related to the idea that you are not the title someone gives you; rather, the title only makes official what you already were. (Relatedly, I really hate it when I have a hard time finding a quotation even though I keep a huge list of them: http://theinfinityprogram.com/data/RandomQuote/quotes.txt Weird habit #[insert random number here].)

As for the earlier posts I mentioned, I talked about a short story I was working on, 'The Mapmaker,' and one of the longer short stories I completed which gave me confidence that I can create a serious effort: 'Mitsero, the Artifact.' I also write poems, the most recent two of which are 'Not Quite Right' about an incident when I was a child with my cousins at Big Bear Mountain, and 'Pilgrim Step' about trees, saplings, and the strength of efforts from people of previous generations.

Thanks for the question!

- - - Post Merge - - -

Do you like the Easter egg collectible or the Togepi egg collectible more?

^ This awesome person gave me a Togepi egg. So happy.

 

[Reese]

Thank you for your detailed answers (as always)! Particularly to the second question I asked... the world would be a much better place if more people were like you. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors.

On the subject of your writing -- have you posted anything you've written online anywhere? If so I'd love to read some of it sometime. Do you aspire to become published, or do you write more for your own enjoyment? Also, do you speak more or less like how you write?

Also also: I really love that Wye Oak song you posted! I've never heard of them but I'll definitely be checking out more of their music. Probably some of the other artists you mentioned as well, since it seems we've got some overlap in music taste (I looove Regina Spektor, F+TM, Beirut, and Explosions in the Sky as well).

 

[Zulehan]

Thank you for your detailed answers (as always)! Particularly to the second question I asked... the world would be a much better place if more people were like you. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors.

Thanks. Wish I were all good traits. Unfortunately, like all people (or most, I suppose), I have plenty of bad ones; e.g., I was the epitome of laziness in high school. Ironically, I was a model student before then, but in high school I was overcome with defeatism: as if none of my academic efforts mattered, which I see now was short term thinking and a self-fulfilling prophecy. I've had to rebuild myself from the ground up in college, a fate I hope to help other grade school students avoid.

On the subject of your writing -- have you posted anything you've written online anywhere?

I have some poems posted here: http://onigumo.deviantart.com/gallery/ I need to get over my insecurity about most of my poetry, however, so that the work I share is a lot larger than that pittance.

Also, I am hoping to be satisfied enough with my short stories soon. I will be publishing one in the school literary magazine for its Spring issue. I would love to share it with you and everyone then.

Do you aspire to become published, or do you write more for your own enjoyment? Also, do you speak more or less like how you write?

Heck yes: I aspire to be published and to write more for enjoyment. I imagine that writing for the heck of it makes the publishing part easier, heh.

As for writing as I speak, I try to. Before I ever wrote any poetry, one of my English professors talked about ancient Chinese poets, and I forget the one who inspired me most but what I remembered was the story about him reading poetry to peasant farmers, and if they did not 'get' it he considered the effort a failure. I want my poetry to feel natural and not something reserved for a scholarly class. I do not want my poetry to feel like it was meant for people who like to pat themselves on the back for doing a good job on sounding learned, and being able to fit a hundred references to long-dead people and long-gone places in a few lines, heh.

In other words, I feel that if the readers are not getting what I write, then I have failed as a writer. After all, as writer Logan Zanelli points out in '7 Tips for an Authentic and Productive Writing Process': 'Good writing is like a conversation between the writer and the reader.' (A thought escaped me at this point of my post: I hate that feeling.)

Another Chinese poet, specifically the one who inspired my first poem, was Du Fu. He inspired the theme of 'struggle' for the everyman that sometimes appears in my poems. Here is what I had to say about him and the poem he inspired in my paper for World Literature (upon which my poem was attached):

Lushi, Ludlow Massacre, and the ‘Voices of Struggle’
​

Why? I read that even professional Chinese writers often have difficulty understanding the lushi style of poetry, but I chose it since I would learn more about poetry in general, even if I ended up with a first attempt at a poem less competent in terms of following rules. Lushi is more complex than this, but I focused on it affording me eight lines, split in twos, with about seven to ten words each line, and each two lines uniting for a single point.

Who? Some historians caution against reading the poems of Du Fu – “the poet of history” – as completely objective accounts due to his exaggeration and self-dramatization, but he stood out to me more than his contemporaries due to his critique of government corruption, and his speaking out on behalf of the powerless. Also, I enjoyed seeing how sensory yet terse and objective Du Fu could be in so few characters and lines. That in mind, I tried to accurately describe an historical event and its setting, which made the eight lines afforded me by lushi more restrictive.

What? The Ludlow Massacre (1914), a turning point in a long struggle by American workers for their rights, led to child labor laws and the eighteen-hour work day. The fourteen-hour massacre started when National Guardsmen attacked a camp of hundreds of strikers and their families with a hail of bullets and fire, killing scores (eleven children included). That said, whereas the lushi of Du Fu is my preferred genre, the account by De Las Casas is related as content. Indeed, his sensory account of the genocide in the Indies spoke out for what historian Howard Zinn called “voices of struggle” – the poor and powerless history neglects. I wanted to speak for them, too.

“Order Prevails At Ludlow”
(Free Verse)​

Blood crusts over prairie where an infant lies
His mother forever stoic as lawmen torch her tent

Hot lead crackles as camp becomes inferno, inhaling all sound
Big Sky silently overlooks the scene: a river turns red

Spring wind melts stubborn snow from the Rockies
As families celebrate Easter, and renew in spirit

Lawmen prepare to offer burning sacrifice on Ludlow field
While a mother holds her son, pecks his cheek

I very much enjoy writing. I feel that I should put a lot of care into my writing for everything from online posts, emails, personal writings, etc., as if I am already getting paid for writing, as I remember a writer saying something along the lines how you should aspire to write like a professional well before you get paid for it. Probably related to the idea that you are not the title someone gives you; rather, the title only makes official what you already were. (Relatedly, I really hate it when I have a hard time finding a quotation even though I keep a huge list of them: http://theinfinityprogram.com/data/RandomQuote/quotes.txt Weird habit #[insert random number here].)

As for the earlier posts I mentioned, I talked about a short story I was working on, 'The Mapmaker,' and one of the longer short stories I completed which gave me confidence that I can create a serious effort: 'Mitsero, the Artifact.' I also write poems, the most recent two of which are 'Not Quite Right' about an incident when I was a child with my cousins at Big Bear Mountain, and 'Pilgrim Step' about trees, saplings, and the strength of efforts from people of previous generations.

Oh! Found that quotation I was looking for. Writer Jonathan Crossfield in How to Become a Writer': 'A professional writer behaves like a professional writer long before being paid to be a professional writer.'

Also also: I really love that Wye Oak song you posted! I've never heard of them but I'll definitely be checking out more of their music. Probably some of the other artists you mentioned as well, since it seems we've got some overlap in music taste (I looove Regina Spektor, F+TM, Beirut, and Explosions in the Sky as well).

My friends and family cannot stand Regina Spektor and want to know what the hell I hear in her, heh. I love how eclectic and experimental her style feels, and where others hear nonsense I hear soothing music. I got the album for one of her live performances in London because she is one of those people who to me sound even better live.

I cannot get enough of Beirut's American-interpretation-of-European-folk-music sound. It's really an American invention to me. I absolutely love 'Elephant Gun,' even down to how the singer sounds more and more drunk as the song goes on, heh, 'Vagabond,' and 'The Rip Tide.'

For anyone else reading this, here is the first song mentioned:

Thanks for the questions!

 

[Zulehan]

'The times they are a-changin'.'

 

[cocaine]

have u played any other pokemon games?
what got you into animal crossing?
do u think pink floyd is swaggy?
do you like beef jerky?
whats on the walls of your room?
god bless

 

[Zulehan]

have u played any other pokemon games?

I remember playing for a few minutes or an hour after borrowing from a friend. Might have been Pokemon LeafGreen? My childhood memory is so scattershot. But no, I never owned and completed a Pokemon game before I bought Pokemon X. I found the experience so enjoyable I then bought an earlier title: Pokemon White Version 2. Now that I think about it, I bought a Pokemon game even before that: Pokemon Diamond. That game along with several others and a Nintendo DS were given to my younger brother as a gift after my first ever paycheck came in. But I never thought to play Diamond.

what got you into animal crossing?

My brother gave me Animal Crossing: New Leaf as a present for Christmas 2013. If you told me then I would be addicted to this game, I would not have taken you seriously.

do u think pink floyd is swaggy?

I never got into Pink Floyd. You can stone me to death now.

do you like beef jerky?

Of course, Jack Links' 'Messing with Sasquatch' advertisements come readily to mind.

Heck yeah. Orchid Thai Restaurant in Highland has an excellent beef jerky—marinated, dehydrated, and fried. The sauce is a mixture of sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and Golden Mountain seasoning sauce. Definitely a food dish to be eaten sparingly, but when indulged in is great with steamed rice.

whats on the walls of your room?

Behind my computer monitor is a framed print of American singer-songwriter Regina Spektor standing in front of a mic, smiling, and holding her guitar during a performance. To the right of that is a white-board with my class schedule (including assignment due dates), other important dates and websites, and other stuff to remember. Below the white board is a print of a faux poster for Adventure Time, specifically the scene where Finn, Jake, Marceline, Bubblegum, and BMO perform in front of a door that will only open if a 'real' band plays. Standing atop the print is a clay figurine of Hamphrey the cranky hamster.

On my right wall, to the right of my door, is another print: 'Organic Dignity Sale,' a drawing by American artist Roman Muradov, which depicts a young girl in a busy market full of upperclassmen in what looks to me like Eastern European garb. There is not much room on this wall since a closet holds a built-in bookshelf and my storage space.

To the wall behind me, to the right of my bookcase, are four more prints. The first is the original black inked 'Owls' (http://www.jewelwing.com/uploads/1/0/1/7/10179070/3664445_orig.jpg), a drawing by American artist Tasha Chapman. The next print is a photograph by professional Dutch photographer Pepijn Sauer of American singer-songwriter Vienna Teng during her performance in Amsterdam (http://www.redbubble.com/people/agnostic/works/2743504-vienna-teng-at-the-bimhuis-4). Third print is 'Cheer Up! She Found You,' a drawing by American artist Jamie Marshal (http://a1.s6img.com/cdn/box_003/post_13/434064_14687256_lz.jpg). And finally there is the print of American actress Katie Sackhoff in full military garb as Kara Thrace, a character in Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009). She was one of my favorite characters in the show.

So yeah, besides all the books, I spent too much on prints because I love to have them.

And no, I have no artwork of my own: I merely gawk at the works of others.

god bless

God bless.

And thanks for the questions!

 

[KermitTea]

Oh my gosh I love your answers.

How do you know when it’s time to continue holding on or time to let go?

 

[Zulehan]

Oh my gosh I love your answers.

Yay. I am glad people read them.

How do you know when it’s time to continue holding on or time to let go?

I do not: I am still holding on. I have yet to be tested as a true independent individual. I suppose what you say might be related to the following line by Robin Williams as Sean Maguire, in Gus Van Sant (director), Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's (writers) Good Will Hunting:

You don't know about real loss, 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much.

Of course I love my family, but I have never had that love truly tested, and I do not mean — God forbid — through tragedy, but merely by 'declaring myself,' as author Alana Mbanza would put it. It is the lingering problem of my character that I have only begun to fix, first through steady employment, and now through tireless work in education. I was a problem child, though the problem was not rudeness, theft, and other transparent issues, but more one of little sense of responsibility and initiative.

And I have never been in a romantic relationship either, so I would not know that aspect of 'holding on' or 'letting go.'

I am not even sure if anything I just said is relevant to your question. If not, welcome to my wacky head, in any case.

 

[KermitTea]

Great answer and going on the right track. I guess I should have been more specific.

I'm a national level competitor in a sport I love, but high school is getting increasingly demanding and my mom suggested that I should concentrate more on studying and quit this sport. It's highly unlikely that I'll ever make it to the world rankings but I do have chances (and I have before) medaled at Nationals, and if I do well this year I'll be sent to international assignments. I just don't know if it's worth it to continue since my family thinks studying is more important (but, they would support me if I told them I wanted to keep doing this sport). I have been doing this sport for like 8 years, so maybe that's whats making letting go so hard but I'm not sure.