Jeremy Lin

Pictures of Jeremy Lin after winning the high school state championship, blocking projected NBA draft pick Jerome Dyson of UConn, and going up for a shot against Boston College

Check out these awesome videos of Lin's 30 point performance against UConn this year, highlighted by a dunk and a block.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8LLuqpfAhc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_Y7xdP6WZQ&feature=related

Article in Sports Illustrated about Lin and Harvard basketball.

Someone's blog devoted to Jeremy Lin

In case you're wondering why I'm taking the time to blog about Jeremy Lin, a senior Asian-American guard on the Harvard Crimson basketball team, consider this; a) 0.4% of men's Division I basketball players are Asian-American and b) Lin could make the NBA

More important than that staggering statistic, Jeremy Lin has increasingly become a role model for me. I remember when I was about 12 or 13 and I think in 6th grade at the time, inviting myself over to my friend Jack Witte's house to watch Jeremy Lin play in the high school state championships. (our tv didn't get the channel) He was the best player on the underdog Paly team that upset nationally ranked power house Mater Dei. Lin played aggressively against such an intimidating opponent and attacked the basket without fear.

I'm bummed that I only saw him play once, but my brief interactions with him made me look up to him even more so than his incredible play on the court. I went to Palo Alto Basketball School, now Diepenbrock basketball school, for a few summers and a lot of the players there helped out and coached the "teams" that all of the campers were divided into. Everyone knew he was really good and all the campers looked up to him and I got to be on his team. He was really friendly and cool, but the best part about that experience was playing well and seeing him get all excited when we would beat the team his friend, and Paly basketball teammate coached. Even though he cared more about his team being better than his friend's, it still made me feel like this great high school basketball player thought that I was really good.

I'll never know if it's true, but his indirect confidence in my game was among the most meaningful votes of confidence I have ever gotten. More so than when your coach compliments you, or your parents because you aren't sure if they really mean it. They have an obligation to compliment you. But when someone who's older, talented and you respect immensely gives you that sort of a compliment it means a lot.

But what about Jeremy Lin sets him apart from other talented high school and college basketball players? There're lots of players that are probably as good or better, but he's so good in a sport where only a tiny tiny portion of the players are Asian-American. I don't have particular ambitions to be in the NBA, sure, it'd be awesome, but let's be realistic here. But it's really cool that someone who's also Asian-American, that I have met a few times, and is a local guy, is succeeding at such a high level of basketball. And when there are some many negative stereotypes about Asians playing basketball, it makes his prowess that much sweeter and inspiring.

Okay, enough gushing, what exactly makes Lin so damn good?

His most impressive stat is that last year Lin was the only player in the entire nation to be in the top-10 in his conference in every major statistical category. Jeremy Lin's averaging 17.1 points, 4.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this year. 4.5 rebounds and over a block per game, from a guard? That sort of versatility is ridiculous!

Don't think he can handle big time competition? How about dropping 30 points with 9 rebounds and 2 huge dunks over UConn, who beat then undefeated Texas this year. He also has led the Crimson to upset wins over Boston College the last two years, with a combined 52 points. Lin also hit a game winning 40-foot buzzer beater this year to beat William & Mary in triple overtime.

It has been over ten years since a player from an Ivy league school was a finalist for the Wooden award, given to the nation's most outstanding collegiate basketball player. And this is the first time an Ivy league player has been nominated for the Cousy award for the nation's top point guard.

Not convinced of the talent of 6'3" 200 pound Jeremy Lin? Well make sure to watch SportsCenter this Saturday night for highlights of the Harvard-Cornell game. Harvard is challenging the two time defending Ivy league champions Cornell for its first conference title ever. The 4 pm Pacific time battle is one of the most hyped Ivy league games in a decade, and both teams were projected to make the NCAA tournament.

The Best and Worth Thing Ever, Getting your License

I have my third and final driving lesson scheduled for tomorrow. I'm excited because this means I'll be eligible to get my license as soon as I can schedule and, hopefully, pass the driver's test.

Excellent driving conditions for my lesson tomorrow as I'll be fighting the late time, 5-7 pm and the "monsoon," as my friend described the current weather condition.

Anyway, why is the process of getting your driver's license the best and worst thing ever? Let's go over the list.

Pros:

1. Freedom

You're getting your license baby! No more relying on Mom and Dad to have to drive you around. Say goodbye to awkward rounds of questions on the ride home from every party!

Not only that, but hunger will no longer be a problem. No free period after lunch? No problem. Just drive on down to Santa Cruz Ave for whatever you'd like (assuming you have a car of course, which is always a rather large dilemma).

Plus lots more freedom on the weekends. Want to hang out with a friend but the parental units aren't willing? No problem. Go to the basketball gym and shoot hoops? No longer and issue.

2. Coolness factor

In a time everyone either has or is in the process of getting their license, being one of the select few with it is cool. In these few years of our lives when driving is still exciting and not just a chore, it doesn't get much cooler than being able to whip out that laminated card.

Cons:

Time factor:

First step, registering for a driving school. Next step, completing the silly online practice tests and skimming through the pages on how the inside of a car works. Scintillating. Third step, getting the slip of completing from your driver's training. Fourth step, setting up your appointment and going into the DMV to take the permit test. Waste oodles of time as they call out every number but yours and observe people angry at life for making them work at the DMV relish in the little power they have over anxious teenagers. Next step, at the minimum, 6 months of driving and 3 driving lessons. Don't let your anger at your Driving School overflow because they a) never ever ever ever pick up the phone and b) seem to be perpetually booked. Lastly, book and hopefully, pass the driver's test. Situations can get tricky because some parents (ahem) don't allow their kids to take their driver's test during school, which seems like literally the only time the DMV has appointments. On average the DMV will have 1, only 1 available appointment time every other day, and those are all during school hours. So you'll be stuck for 3-4 weeks waiting for the next school holiday when you can take the test.

The car issue:

Basically, the only bad part of the license process is the enormous inconvenience and time consumption it poses in your life. However, let's say you went through the bajillion step process and now have your driver's license.

Whoopty-do, watcha gonna do without your own car? Can't drive to school, because your parents will be working or the nanny uses the car all day. Basically the only time you can drive is on weekends, if you've sucked up to your parents with carefully placed flattery.

P.S. And good luck with passing your driver's test the first time. There's always that one infamous person at the local DMV that likes to instill a little humility in confident teenage boys by failing them.

Avatar and Invictus

The guessing game: which one's Mandela and which one's Freeman? :)

Check out this funny thing on Fail Blog making fun of Avatar's similarity to the movie Pocahontas.

I saw "Avatar" over the 3 day weekend. Hecka good. The 3D was awesome, but I'm not sure it made the movie a ton better. Maybe I'm just saying that though because they didn't make the 3D a gimmick by having stuff just pop out at you. Instead the 3D gave the breathtaking fauna and the avatar world sublte depth. That's probably why it's being called revolutionary for 3D in big screen movies.

There was a lot of colonialism symbolism and Pocahontas similarities in "Avatar." Colonialism was represented through the people's actions toward the avatars. In colonialism a theme is always that the colonizers are more civilized and are bringing their civilization and higher style of life to the natives. The avatars have a valuable resource that the military wants, Unobtainium, (am I spelling that right) and will stop at nothing to get it. Another colonialism theme that popped up was the idea of ok, we'll be nice to you for a little while and hopefully you'll just get up and move and let us reap the benefits of this resource. Let's all hope you do that or else we'll use our superior military to kill you.

My friend's brother came home from "Avatar" saying that the movie was great, but was similar to Disney's old animated movie "Pocahontas." If you didn't already check out the Fail Blog summary of Pocahontas where someone crossed out names and replaced them with "Avatar" characters.

I also saw "Invictus" with my mom on Sunday night. Before it came out it looked like it was going to be the greatest movie. A drama about the politically volatile time period when Nelson Mandela became president? Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman (who practically is Nelson Mandela) and Matt Damon? What could go wrong?

Well, for one, there was too much rugby. I'm a huge sports fan, but nobody in America gives a crap about rugby and nobody understand the rules. All we get, and appreciate, is the fact that it's like a super badass version of football.

All that grunting and the obviousness that the Springboks would win the Rugby World Cup didn't make for a whole lot of mystery.

Morgan Freeman was really good though. I wouldn't be surprised if Morgan Freeman won an Oscar for his performance. I just wish the movie had shown more of what was going on in his country at the time besides rugby. His presidency was such an interesting and crucial part of South Africa's history and all they talked about was rugby? C'mon now.