I'm considering changing my username from black_lie to wingedtoad. Wingedtoad was my first ever Internet moniker in the form of my first screenname, wingedtoad3 (which I don't use anymore by the way). Black_lie, on the other hand, is actually a recycled name. My friend Andrew from CTY started up a couple of xangas and quickly abandoned most of them. I asked him to give me one of his accounts because I hated to see them go to waste. So he gave me this one. The name doesn't really even make sense to me, and I'm not quite sure that it reflects me. I'd rather have coherence throughout my accounts, and I use wingedtoad elsewhere on the Internet still (most recently on twitter - follow me! Even though I never update! @wingedtoad).

I also don't like how xanga.com/black_lie becomes black-lie.xanga.com. Stupid underscores and dashes! I don't know why, but I also just plain don't like using underscores.

What do you think? Would it be too confusing to change my name? It would use up most of my credits, but whatever. They're just sitting there anyway. I don't use them for anything. I was going to save up for premium (100,000 credits), but Xanga took down the offer and it would take me years to reach that many credits.

Erkan just came back from Turkey yesterday. Before he left, I requested baklava and Mike requested Turkish delight, because of the Chronicles of Narnia. For those of you who don't know (SPOILER ALERT!), in the first book, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, the evil witch convinces Edmund to betray his siblings by giving him some Turkish delight. Erkan let me try the Turkish delight first. MAN! That stuff is good! I don't usually like sweet stuff, but I totally went back for seconds. I wouldn't betray my family over it, but then, I think in the book the witch had enchanted the dessert. I don't remember exactly though. The baklava is also excellent and I am considering sneaking a second piece as I type, even though my teeth were hurting with how sweet it was. However, Erkan says that the fresh stuff in Turkey is much better. I totally want to go now!

Michael Jackson holds a special place in my heart. When I was very young, I lived in Hong Kong. I moved to the USA at the age of five. The only songs I knew were those of Andy Lau, Teresa Teng, and the kind you sing in kindergarten class. One day, Michael Jackson was performing in a concert which was being broadcast on TV. I remember looking at the man in the red jacket looming on our screen and asking my mommy, "Who is that?" She told me, "That is Michael Jackson." And so I came to know about my first American musical artist.

I could never make out the words in his songs when I was little (in part due to the language barrier), but the tunes were easily recognizable. As I grew older, I came to like his music more and more. I dressed up as Michael Jackson for Halloween in 2004 (junior year of high school), and it was probably the best Halloween costume I've had.


I remember that David and I used to sing Michael Jackson's songs together a lot in senior year and afterward. In fact, David was the first person I texted when I heard the news. The second was my mother. Michael Jackson's music has always been an inspiration to me. He is my third favorite music artist and it is a bit hard for me to swallow the fact that he is finally at rest. He was only 50 years old.

If he actually molested little boys, that is inexcusable. But we should reflect on the great things that he did. He actually received a humanitarian award this morning before he died, for donating so much to charity, mostly ones supporting causes in Africa.

There are his music achievements. As part of the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson was already capturing hearts at a young age. Then, Michael Jackson basically pioneered the way modern music videos are made. He broke the racial barrier on MTV by being the first colored person on there. Thriller is the top-selling album of all time and was certified platinum 56 times. His famous performance of Billie Jean made the moonwalk an instantly recognizable dance move. He made the most famous (and probably most imitated) music video for "Thriller," the most expensive music video for "Scream," and the longest music video for "Ghosts."

Then there is where his music intersected with his charity and humanitarian efforts. There's "What More Can I Give," where Michael Jackson got dozens of big name artists to join in making this single, whose proceeds were all donated to charity.



Then there are inspirational songs like "Man in the Mirror," which is basically a musical version of the Gandhi quote, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world," asking people to better the world by first bettering themselves. Another humanitarian song (although slightly ironic...) is "Black or White," in which Michael Jackson says that people should not be prejudiced against each other due to skin color.

Michael Jackson has been an inspiration for many artists. I remember reading an exclusive article about him in Ebony last year, where Beyonce and Chris Brown talked about how MJ was a huge inspiration and they both had had the trademark red jacket. He has collaborated with greats like Freddie Mercury and newer artists like Fergie. He has been covered by countless artists, including my very own favorite, Jason Mraz.

MJ was set to start a new tour this very summer in hopes of reviving his career. Sadly, the tour will never happen now. I can't believe that this living legend, this record breaker in every way, this idol of my childhood, has finally stopped moving. May he rest in peace.

Does this remind you a little bit of Battle of the Books? In fact it reminds me a lot of Battle of the Books. Man, I rocked that competition so hard in middle school.

Guess the book and character these are from. When you guess, post the number, then the book, then the character. Correct book guesses will be bolded, correct character guesses will be italicized.

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1. Today, I accidentally killed a guy. Then, my best friend died in a fire. Then, my other best friend was shot down by cops. FML (The Outsiders, Ponyboy)
   
2. Today, I was forced to sit in a room that I believe is haunted for four straight hours without food or warmth. FML (Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre)
   
3. Today, my father was killed by my uncle, who then married my mother and exiled me to a foreign country where the only people I knew were two douchebags with funny names. FML (Hamlet, Hamlet)
   
4. Today, we decided to randomly kill some white guys. We outnumbered them and killed them easily, especially since they were sleeping. Then a big dog came by and killed all of us without even trying. FML (Call of the Wild, Native Americans)
   
5. Today, I have been subsiding on onions for days. I smell so bad that I can't even tell how bad I smell. Then I fell into a pit of poisonous lizards. FML (Holes, Stanley Yelnats)
   
6. Today, a witch raped me. Then, I was captured by a cyclops who ate all my men. FML (Odyssey, Odysseus)
   
7. Today, I found out that my only source of income is actually a convicted criminal. I tried to prevent his recapture, but he died despite my efforts. I got really sick and lost all of my money and then I heard that the girl I've loved since childhood is married to an abusive husband. FML (Great Expectations, Pip)
   
8. Today, after living for several hundred years in the pipe connected to a bathroom, a small bird stabbed my eyes out, then a little boy stabbed my throat out. FML (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, basilisk)
   
9. Today, my father, fiancee, and future mother-in-law died. Then my fiancee turned out to be one of the undead. FML
10. Today, I witnessed a scientific phenomenon so strange and unsettling that I freaked out and died within days. FML (The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dr Lanyon)
    
11. Today, the sweetest girl I have ever known died. Her father promised to do me a great favor that the girl would have loved. However, he was stabbed to death before he could carry out the favor. His sister refused to do it in his stead. FML
12. Today, the hottest woman in Paris married me out of pity, but then she refused to let me touch her at all. She doesn't even like me. I'm that pitiable. FML
13. Today, I masturbated to a herd of sheep. FML
14. Today, my entire civilization except for me recently died of starvation. Then I found a huge pile of fried eggs. I died of cholesterol poisoning. FML

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Part I is still incomplete! Take a stab at the remaining ones!

Jae told me the character guesses through IM.