Enjoying Break

Helped with renovations today and was taught how to paint walls. Excluding the watercolor stuff that I've done this term, it's the closest I've gotten to oil painting in a long time. I miss it.

I am thankful that all my favorite shows have jumped on the bandwagon and have started streaming episodes online. Woot! Who watches TV shows on their TV now, anyways? :)

Look at this great usb flash drive!
It is nice to settle in and become a part of a community. I don't think anyone likes feeling they don't belong.

Just wanted to post another piece that I worked on last term. The light is achieved by long exposure on the camera. My partner (same guy that I sketched in red) and I had too much fun playing around afterwards. This is my favorite pic.

Currently listening to: To Build a Home - Cinematic Orchestra

And Again...

I did not hate moving before day. True, I seriously detested it, but the dislike never went as far as hate. What a difference a day makes. Never again...

But then again I know that another move is inevitable. That's just how I roll anyways. It wasn't all bad. God brought sunshine through the rain.

Currently listening to: The quiet after the storm

British Rose

If you have never seen Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, I highly recommend it. I just rewatched it and it was just as good as the first time (minus the great company this time around). Great acting, editing, directing, and cinematography.
Going on the British film vein, I'm all about Atonement. Beautiful work that includes a killer 5 minute long shot (one continuous take) around a battlefield. The movie is about how one girl's lie forever changes the lives of her sister and her lover. Set in wartime England and France. Breathtaking.
I recently discovered thi, a cosmetic line (created by Asian American Taylor Pham) that is specifically geared towards Asian skin tones. Pretty fantastic in terms of foundations and concealers.
Check out Doie Designs created by Parsons grad Sara Kirsner. This line is eco friendly and uses sustainable fabric made of bamboo. So cool. They even have a store in Minnesota! :)

Currently listening to: Sleepwalker - The Wallflowers

Flip

Today in church someone from Far Reaching Ministries come and talked about the horrors the Lord's Resistance Army is causing in Sudan. I don't know much about the organization, but apparently the LRA has killed the most people out of any other terrorist group. Everything just makes me so thankful that I can freely practice my faith where I am. Please pray for the people in Sudan and the missionaries who are risking their lives.

On a much lighter note...

I recently reread one of the Harry Potter books and thought this ad was very fitting.

If you have the chance, check out these great interactive web movie sites.
Wilkinson Fight for Kisses (the name is stupid, but great execution) - Quantrum RazorStella Artois - a classy way to market beer

Currently listening to: Caught in the Sun - Course of Nature (old song but I still love it)

Baby, It's You

Had my first baby shower today. It felt sort of like Christmas (in the commercial sense), except the person getting the gifts hasn't been born yet. It was a lot of fun (and a lot of good food), especially because I was surrounded with Christian women. The only thing was that I was the youngest and also the most ignorant about babies. I ended up giving her a little handmade book. But still...I wish I could've made something a little more baby oriented.

Oh, and in support of a past topic, she was telling me that she threw up drinking water. There goes my desire for getting pregnant. Adoption?

Currently listening to: Qing Tian - Jay Chou

Ugliness and Beauty

It is raining outside. So peaceful.

An interesting Craigslist post has been floating around and I am sure you will hear about it in some form or another. It's become a big deal because it highlights how racist society still seems to be. [Source]

Harvard senior seeking female companion - 22
Date: 2007-09-17, 3:37PM EDT

My final club has a reunion this fall, and my relationship of two years ended disastrously earlier this summer. I have an invitation for myself plus one, and am willing to show you a great time. It is a private party, in an extremely classy setting. There is no real way to describe how ornate the club is, but I guarantee that it will be the most upscale experience of your life. Think back to your high school prom, take away the terrible music, and multiply the experience by ten.

You must be white, 5′6″ - 5′9″, young, blonde, attractive, and intelligent. You must be in school, preferably Tufts or Wellesley but BU and BC are acceptable (definitely not MIT).

You should be able to hold a conversation, know when to be quiet, and polite in all your behavior. I have seen unruly guests embarrass members before, and I hope this won’t be a problem. This event is black-tie, and I am willing to procure an evening gown for you.
I hate to sound so harsh, but I have expectations to live up to. No Black, Asian, overweight, or unattractive women please. Ages 18-22 only.

Picture required.

On a prettier note, check out these amazing rice fields in Japan! Every year they create works of art by planting rice in different patterns (and using various rice types to add color). Amazing. [Source: Fun Forever]
Also, Vogue finally comes to India. Here is its inaugural cover. (Yes, I also think that it's weird for Australian Gemma Ward to be smack dab in the center. There's been much discussion about the matter.)

Currently listening to: Brightest - Copeland

Breathe

(post for Thursday)
It is late, but I promised to post something, so here I go.

Today was graduation and award ceremony. It was cool to see the graduates' work (and how much further I still need to go). There are a lot of people who are leaving next quarter so it was good to see them and say goodbye. I also got two silvers for my work! That was definitely a pleasant surprise. I have decided not to post them because one reveals too much information and the other one is for Axe and a little bit too risque for the gentle reader. But ask if you'd like to see them.

Do you ever find yourself holding your breath and waiting for something that never comes?

Currently listening to: Breathe Me - Sia (beautiful song)

Mysterious

Made banana bread using my old recipe...and it turned out fine! So now I officially have no idea what went wrong the other 570 times that I tried. Oh well, I have good banana bread so I'm not complaining.

Can't believe it's taken me this long to hear this version of Kelly Clarkson's Because of You. Nicely done, ladies.


Wanted to feature famous Danish designer Verner Panton. Look at his amazing chair design! The second one is a room filled with foam rubber where you can sit. [Source]
Check out this sewer art in Brazil. So cool! [Source]

Currently listening to: All Good Things (Spanish) - Nelly Furtado

Getting Back to Posting

(post Tuesday)
Watched an interesting cartoon on Yahoo! today on how our generation is confused about what to do after college. The narrator suggested that this may be a result of growing up in an affluent time when the possibilities are endless, which in turn makes us reevaluate what constitutes a successful life (having a job and family are no longer enough). So this overwhelming need to do something big in life traps us down because we feel we need to do everything. We should focus on one thing instead of thinking about all the paths not taken. Interesting how powerful regret can be.

Just found out about Motley Bird bottles. Very simple and clean design.

Check out Mika's new video, Happy Ending. Definitely interesting execution.


Will try to put up more of my work now that the quarter is over. Here is my revised "Snow White".
And since everyone is leaving, I thought this was appropriate.

Currently listening to: Oublie Moi - Shy'M

Finished

(post Monday)
It is quite late right now. But I would like to post and say that I'm done! Yay! Still have some loose ends to tidy up, but those don't really matter anymore.

This past week has been grueling, sleepless, and full of work, but it was very good. Extremely productive.

We had stand-up comedy acts tonight at school by students who are taking an improv class. Can you imagine standing up there for five minutes making people laugh? It would never work for me. It was great to see everyone relaxed and finished with finals.

Also had a chance to chill with some friends and watch Pulp Fiction, a Tarantino film that I've never seen. Interesting to watch it with a bunch of guys. I wouldn't say it is his best piece, but maybe I have to rewatch. Went to the bar (and got a Coke) and had a lengthy conversation with someone who couldn't believe I didn't drink. Oh socializing through alcohol...

Currently listening to: Good Life - Kanye West (amazing graphics)

Babies and Technology

Heard that MN has dropped down to the 60's. Yikes! How did you guys get cold so fast?

I found out today that babies can smell in the womb and can even recognize their mother's amniotic fluid smell. Wow!

Speaking of babies, apparently some women get sick from drinking plain water. It makes the morning sickness worst. They cope by adding stuff, like Crystal Light tablets. I can't imagine not being able to drink regular water!

Finally watched Gattaca for the first time last night. Brilliant movie and very original concept. I hate Jude Law but I have to give him props for acting.
H&M has developed a method to buy clothes with cell phones. Ads and H&M clothing will have a scan code embedded in them. Theoretically you can go up to a H&M billboard, magazine, or a friend shirt and take a photo of the code. Pretty cool. [Source]
In the same vein, check out this PSA from 1967 that imagines what shopping will be like in 1999. Sorta interesting to see how many things they got right.


I've been thinking about karma recently. It struck me today that the concept seems very self-centered. It's all about what you have done and how it will affect your future. If anyone has more insight, I'd love to hear it. Perhaps I just don't know much about it. Just made me think about the motive behind interactions.

Currently listening to: Foundations - Kate Nash

Back to the Core

Happy 200th post!

I almost wasn't going to write but changed my mind.

Have found a new group that I like, OneRepublic. They're style is very alternativey...like The Fray (if that helps). Here is an amazing video that they collaborated on with Timbaland. A little more techno-y than their usual sound, but I love this song.

Also wanted to feature the guy who created the video, Director of Photography Aaron Platt. Love the graphic design on his site.
This is also a lot of fun. Australian Raymond Crowe shows off his skills.


Wanted to post about urban landscape climber, Alain "Spiderman" Robert. He's scaled many of the world's famous buildings with nothing but his bare hands and sometimes a chalk bag. It's interesting because he suffers from vertigo. Read more about him here.
Lastly check out this crazy photograph Busy Airport by Ryu, Ho-Yeol. [Source]

Went to a photography exhibit put on by the fashion photo kids. Some gorgeous pieces of work. Made me think back on comps and Senior Show. Good times.

Currently listening to: The Pretender - Foo Fighters

Banana Bread, Take #532

Today I basically did nothing. I couldn't get myself to do work. I think it's the "done with classes" feeling. Argh!

So to follow the trend of the day, instead of attacking my mounds of homework, I baked banana bread again. My hundred and sixty seventh time. I used a different recipe (that doesn't require baking powder or oil) and it looks okay so far. It's too late to try it out, but I'll give you guys the update tomorrow. I'm still not going to give up on my old recipe (because I know it works). I'll try it again in a week or so.

If you are an Office fan, click here to find out what character you are. (What did I tell you. I seriously did nothing.) Apparently, I am:

Which Office Character Are You?
	You are Pam. You are sweet and likable, but your shyness makes it hard for you to express yourself sometimes. Regardless, you are always there for your friends and will usually come out of your shell to help anyone.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

I was sad to hear that Pavarotti passed away this morning. Good memories of camp and the Three Tenors. [Source]

*Edit: The banana bread is good!*

Currently listening to: Run - Snow Patrol

Burst Out in Song

(post for Wednesday)
Just got finished watching a much needed movie after a long long day at school. It's been productive but now I'm looking forward to finishing things up for the last round of critiques.

Have you ever thought about favoritism? Or how it feels to be the object of favoritism? It would seem to be a coveted position, but no one really thinks about the flip side. To feel like your work is only getting lauded because you're some kind of teacher's pet and not because it's good. How often are we envious of something that we don't fully understand?

Watched High School Musical and I thought it was a lot of fun. Plus it shows that G ratings don't equal boring. I remember writing off the movie when it first came out. Probably because of the DVD cover (yeah...I also don't like the iPod for that same reason (a topic that also came up today)). It's a big phenomenon now and HSM2 just came out half a month ago.

(seriously, what kind of movie cover is that?!?)

Speaking of iPods, the new iPod Touch came out today. Not going to post much about it because sometimes I think the Apple hype is a bit ridiculous. But it is basically like an iPhone except minus the phone part. Coincidentally, the iPhone is now $100 cheaper.

Currently listening to: Finale B - Rent (not a fan of the musical but love this song)

Partners and the Meaning of Life

My eating schedule is all weird because of finals. I'm currently munching on Wheat Thins. I usually avoid those kind of crackers (Triscuits sorta freak me out...same with Mini Wheats...must be the texture) but I bought some this time. The only problem is that the regular Wheat Thins are way too salty for me. I find myself taking the time to scrape the extra salt off because eating them regular is just too unbearable. It's like taking a gulp of sea water. Yuck.
Last week my partner and I got torn apart for our equate presentation. This week we revamped it and got good feedback. Yay!

I had an interesting talk with my partner (different partner than the equate one) tonight about the meaning of life. He's a staunch atheist and has a existentialist (yay high school English!) view on things. It was interesting to see his view on life and then about love and morality, which he couldn't really explain away. All in all a cool conversation. I like picking his brain.

Because I haven't been posting a lot of photo-y type things...here's a great vid about a Hello Kitty styled wedding. It is just so Hong Kong. Too funny.

Currently listening to: Lang Man Shou Ji - Jay Chou

Bad Judgment

By some delusional state of mind, I thought that it would be a good idea to go grocery shopping today. I figured that since tomorrow is Labor Day, I would abstain from purchasing food in order to give the hard working people more of a break. Bad idea. Of course everyone and their mother - or everyone who has friends and family to celebrate Labor Day with - was buying stuff in preparation for tomorrow. I zipped in and out as fast as soon as I could. One happy thing out of this was that I bought a watermelon! I haven't had watermelon since....I was home, which seems crazy considering I live in a warm climate. But those things are too heavy for me to bring home unfortunately.

Hope everyone has an amazingly restful and fun day tomorrow!

Currently listening to: Fade - Staind

I Think It's Melies

Happy September, everyone!

What a week. It's nice to get a bit of a breather now. I just watched both of the Kill Bill Volumes. Was getting a lot of grief from two friends because I'd never seen it. Haven't been able to stomach movie violence but I sat myself down and watched it. I was pleasantly surprised. It was nice to spot the various film homages (CAMS concentrator at heart). Some gorgeous shots. And while it was definitely violent, don't get me wrong, I think I had steeled myself for it so it wasn't as bad as I thought.
This is fantastic. Love me some Mindsweeper

Currently listening to: Qi Li Xiang - Jay Chou