February 26, 2009

hope for America's youth...

I am not the biggest Metallica fan, but I love classic rock and I thought this picture was pretty incredible. I found it on the Huffington Post's comedy page under the title "The Best Picture You Will See Today." You could crack it up to the "Guitar Hero generation" but I agree with the Post and think of it as a message of hope. In my opinion, nausea is synonymous with pre-packaged child/teen star. Where did all the good music go? Disney please stop.


February 25, 2009

ahhh sensory overload


I just got back from the LA Opera and my senses are overwhelmed. I can not focus on anything right now because my mind is flooded with the imagery and sounds from Das Rheingold, the first installment in Richard Wagner's Ring cycle. I had no idea what this opera was about but I was thrilled to attend because I like any type of entertainment: lowbrow, highbrow... nobrow... I just like to experience new things.

And I am glad I did, because Das Rheingold was GENUINE EPIC STAGE MAGIC!

When it comes to operas, I generally enjoy ones with notably beautiful music. Consider "Nessun Dorma" from Turnadot, or "Hell's vengeance boils in my heart" from the Magic Flute, or my favorite, "Habanera" from Carmen (below).



Das Rheingold didn't have any notable arias, in my opinion (which is not very informed when it comes to operas), but the opera was sung beautifully and the entire performance was a visual spectacular.

(the photographs below do not accurately capture the magic of this opera, but it provides a taste)




There were giant neon lights that spanned the width of the stage.
There was a sea made of flowing fabric that came to life by the movements of about a dozen extras.
Loge, the fire god, wore red Chuck Taylors. (Awesome!)
The reflections in the water were created by additional people that mirrored the main actors' actions. (See the first photo in the set of 3 above)
Colorful lights were projected onto a screen that covered the stage.
I can't explain it without a huge plot recap, but there were lightsabers!!!
The costume designs were magnificent sculptures, similar to the costumes seen in the Across the Universe scene with Mr. Kite.

There is no way I can be brief when describing Das Rheingold, it was too outrageous and there were so many fantastic details. But to put it simply - the set/plot is a hybrid of Lord of the Rings, Pan's Labyrinth, and the Beatles' Yellow Submarine. The music was ominous and strong, but at times it sounded like a hybrid of 2001: A Space Odyssey's "Atmospheres" by Gyorgy Ligeti and an army bugle call, like the church call. The fantasy of it was very similar to Cirque du Soleil.

Marvelous! Please go see Das Rheingold.

February 24, 2009

crayons on my mind

When a person thinks of crayons they usually reminisce about their youth. Crayons are given to kids everywhere from CPK to kindergarten, almost as a distraction tool. It is easy to control kids when they have stuff to play with. I am impressed with the crayon skills kids have. They can cover a piece of paper in seconds by moving their hand back and forth so rapidly that their hands become colorful blurs. And what results from these manic crayola periods? Purely unrecognizable but important blobs of color that will end up on a refrigerator.

When I think of children's drawings, I first think of my early "artwork" and then I think of Maddox. Maddox has a website titled "The Best Page in the Universe" where he simply insults everything. The humor is crude, harsh, hyperbolic, shocking, but enjoyable if you like that kind of stuff. He has two pages where he has critiqued children's artwork. It is a little sad, poor kids, but the stuff he says is too outrageous to not enjoy a little.

Below is one review:

That's interesting, everyone in this picture is white. Even the rainbow is white. Perhaps in an ideal world, everyone would be white isn't that right, Rachel? Or should I call you RACIST? Nice try, Hitler. F

Well, that is what I use to think about crayons until I saw a review of Christian Faur's crayon art on Gizmodo. Actually, it is less of a review and more of an introduction to his work followed by the statement - "Dude...stare at it and you will go cross-eyed!" I would agree with that, my head kind of hurts from looking at Faur's work, but you have to admit it is pretty clever and unique. He aligns thousands of crayons to create images out of their color, where each crayon is like a pixel in an image. So ingenious, art made from crayons without drawing with them! I enjoy the close up photos the most because they clearly show the crayons. It illustrates the process and the idea without giving you a headache.





In Faur's artist statement he says, "My studies in the natural sciences have made me aware of these hidden layers of complexity present in even the simplest objects. These invisible layers are seen most clearly through the lens of logic, which is used to decipher the underlying rules and laws that govern the physical world." Faur applies this to his work, using simple objects to make a more complex whole. He has a scientific approach to art that is very intriguing. I don't personally like the aesthetics of his work, but I appreciate his process and creativity. Below is another example of his work that does not use crayons.


February 23, 2009

slumdog is gold!

Last night was the 81st Annual Academy Awards. Even though I was interested in the winners, I did not watch the Oscars because I was not in the mood to watch cheap filler sequences and awkward jokes. But I like being up to date on all current events, so I watched a few clips and read the reviews of the Oscars this morning.

Oh man! What a mess. Even though the writers strike is technically over, Hollywood is still suffering... Hugh Jackman, the host, even cracked up during a few planned sequences like the "Mr. Roboto" sing along. I love Styx, but that was simply terrible. According to recaps, there were only a few shinning moments other than the awards themselves. If the top headlines are focusing on the Jennifer and Angelina drama, I can only assume.

Instead of watching the Oscars, I watched The Godfather with a few friends. I didn't organize it because of the Oscars (I honestly forgot), I planned the movie night because several of my friends had never seem the movie!! Once realizing the scheduling conflict, I decided that watching a movie classic was more valuable then watching the Oscars. However, I am sad I missed the presentation of Best Picture. I absolutely love Slumdog Millionaire. It deserved to win. If you haven't seen it, shame on you. I would write a quick review, but it's too difficult. One reviewer stated, "It is brilliant in a million different ways." I would definitely agree.

While looking at Oscar recaps today online, I drifted towards Oscar themed photo galleries on the Vanity Fair website. Below are two of my favorite photos from the site. One features Marion Cotillard who won best actress last year for the brilliant film La Vie en Rose. In the photo, she is re-enacting the shower scene from Psycho. It is cool to see the scene redone in stills. I can't even describe the second one with Dustin Hoffman... it is perfectly hilarious. Vanity Fair has the best portraits.



Want to waste some time on the internet, check these out >

Funny Gizmodo links:
Atlantis Found on Google Earth, Official Explanation Is Dubious
Otters Making Home Videos Of Passing Photojournalists In Monterey Bay
Combi iPod Bouncer is Going to Get Up and Walk Off With Your Baby
(Gizmodo is comedic genius with a few helpings of tech)

South Korean woman fails driver's test 775 times
(Racial stereotype confirmed? Yes, I said it.)

February 22, 2009

oh my, pigeon?

At lunch yesterday, a pigeon walked up to me and my friend Leah. Easily distracted, I redirected our conversation to the fact that doves are pigeons. This fact always amuses me because in Christianity the Holy Spirit (aka: the spirit of God) is usually depicted by a dove. And if doves are pigeons, then the Spirit of God is a dirty bird. Pigeons are pretty much at the bottom of the hierarchy of birds. I know this is blasphemy, but a devout person could stretch my pigeon fact to fit Christianity by saying - the truly religious are humble and do not value material things... like pigeons on the street.

Scientifically, getting a pure white pigeon does take some time, but they are still pigeons. Leah said that this is why she is Jewish.


Wikipedia's description: Pigeons and doves constitute the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerine birds. In general parlance the terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably. In ornithological practice, there is a tendency for "dove" to be used for smaller species and "pigeon" for larger ones, but this is in no way consistently applied.

There are lots of things misunderstood about religion, just look at current events!! One of my favorites, besides the pigeon, is the Cross of St. Peter (known as the Petrine Cross). It is believed that when St. Peter was sentenced to be crucified he requested to be crucified upside down so he would not die in the same manner as Christ. However, some people believe that inverting the cross makes it the opposite of Christianity. So often you will see St. Peter's cross as a Satanic/anti-Christian image. If only those Satanists went to bible school.

Here is another adorable animal video to follow the kitten video I posted yesterday. This is by far the cutest animal video I have ever seen because it doesn't involve creepy family members or strange dialogue/music. Instead, it includes a variety of baby animals and Samsung phones!!! It is part of a new viral marketing campaign. But this does raise the question: what are humans suppose to do with this phone? Because I am definitely too big to use it as a dance floor or a computer monitor. As much as I love this video, it would have been better if iPhones were used.

February 21, 2009

I miss you blog

I am now mildly addicted to blogging. I haven't written on my blog for a few days and I feel guilty, like I am flaking on a obligation. When in reality I don't have to write anything besides the few posts required for my writing class. I have only had one required post so far.

I have had plenty of stuff to write about over the past few days, but I have been overwhelmed. One reason is the Undergraduate Student Government election. The ticket I was volunteering for encountered several obstacles. On Tuesday we were banned from campaigning for 36 hours. Then on the last day of the election the ticket was completely disqualified. Minor transgressions were punished with harsh rulings by a biased elections commission. One of the other tickets has made similar and more extreme violations, yet has seen no punishment. I don't want to rant, I was very frustrated and now I am just indifferent towards USG and their structure. We ran an honest and educated campaign and I am proud regardless. My friend Mat said that this is just politics, which it is, but usually there is some form of checks and balances like another commission that we could appeal to. One biased student geared the hearing towards unfair results. She claims that she only did what was right, but it is only right if you apply those harsh standards to all other tickets. Not only is this a sad situation for my campaign, but also for all the students who voted for Owen and Maya.

The Daily Trojan editors wrote, "Discarded votes are worse than unchecked boxes. When students on this campus exercise their right to abstain from political involvement, it can be disappointing. When that same bloc shows up to the booths to say who it wants to see elected and is ignored, it is disgusting…Undergraduate Student Government is muting the same voices it has so much trouble encouraging to sound off in the first place.”

For additional reading on this situation, check out two Daily Trojan articles linked below. Also, read the student responses. Some are eloquent describing the unfortunate situation and some tell the election commissioner to burn in hell... This is quite the election year.

Caine-Babla barred - Elections Commission said promise of $10,000 for student groups violate USG bylaws.

USG needs to address lack of transparency.

Due to my busy schedule I am unable to watch a lot of live tv, so I catch up on shows on my computer. I was watching a little Jon, then a little Colbert, then a little Conan... and I stumbled upon this brilliant video!! Enjoy the Conan and Colbert dance off!



It is incredible what Colbert can do with invisible string. I am quite jealous. I have been practicing and have yet to successfully lift my eyebrow.

On the topic of entertainment, I am really excited for the Watchmen movie. It is a movie based on one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all time. I recently re-read it on my plane flights to and from New York to get even more pumped for the movie. Not only is it an exciting moving for comic book fans, but it will be a remarkable film regardless of your Watchmen knowledge. Below is a video that shows how they are bringing Dr. Manhattan to life. So incredible! The Wired website has additional videos that go behind the scenes of Watchmen. Midnight showing anyone?



For a few years I have been a huge fan of the New Zealand folk comedy duo, Flight of the Conchords. They are getting big now, but I am proud to say that I knew about them before their wonderful HBO show. The group just ended a poster competition on their website and I missed the deadline!!! It ended at 11:59 AM EST, but I assumed it was midnight along with several other participating fans. Either way, I am not too sad because I didn't actually finish the posters I was working on. I did create one (below) based on the Conchord's Hiphopopatamus vs. the Rhymenoceros song. I got flows that glow like phosphorus...




Now off to do some laundry. A presto!

PS - cutest thing ever!!! Kittens!!!

February 18, 2009

LOL

LOL = laugh out loud for those of you who live under a rock.

Below are a few funny things that have kept me entertained recently.

Laugh a little. If it isn't funny, tell me, and I may need to reevaluate what I think is funny. I am easily entertained and often laugh at inappropriate times. Even if my laughter is sometimes misplaced, I believe life should be enjoyable and laughter can only do good. There are actual studies proving that laughter can improve ones health.

One of my favorite books is the Name of the Rose. Basically it's Sherlock Holmes meets Jesus... in the book, one of the monks tried to hide a manuscript that had evidence that Jesus laughed. The monk wanted laughter to be forbidden because it destroyed the disciplining power of fear. So don't be bogged down by fear - LAUGH!!

To quote the brilliant Oscar Wilde,
"Life is too important to be taken seriously."
and
"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

Carpe Diem.

(sorry my laughter comment was not meant to be that "deep," anyways, enjoy!)

Nuclear subs collide in Atlantic > BBC news
Apparently their anti-sonar devices to hide from other subs was "too effective." Of course the French and British would collide.
The Score:
HMS Vanguard - 0
Le Triomphant - 0
(I think they should consider renaming the subs)

Jon Stewart always cracks me up, but his recent bits on Obama are genius! Who can make fun of the perfect president of change? Nobody, unless you are making fun of how perfect he is...

Presenting "the Hope-and-Change-O-Meter"
I took a screen shot of the meter during the "Big 'Bama's House" episode. The meter placed Obama between Gandalf and Wizard FDR - What a president! Full of hope and change!!


Speaking of hope and change - check out Japanese Obama below. Yes We Can do magic!! I bet all the magicians out there are thinking - "Change was my line!" This video was posted on Inauguration Day. The Huffington Post made the brilliant conclusion that "perhaps this is a racial metaphor for the magic of America electing a black president?" Yes, I think so.



All those tabloids about that mom who gave birth to octuplets are driving me crazy. Especially the rumor that the mother, Nadya Suleman, got plastic surgery done to look like Angelina Jolie! So ridiculous - can't there be multiple mothers that collect children? Come on! Time magazine puts it well in their pop chart - "Rumor: OCTOMOM had plastic surgery to look more like Angelina Jolie. Truth: that is Angelina Jolie"

This weekend the Jonas Brothers were on SNL. That is brilliance alone. I believe it was one of those I am laughing at you not with you moments. Especially the sketch with Alec Baldwin. Baldwin was pretending to be the long lost 4th Jonas Brother, Gary. When Alec returned the purity ring... priceless. Watch the videos on Hulu, especially this digital short "Property of the Queen." If the Jonas Brothers made music like that, I might actually listen to them. The song Africa is sure to be a hit with the lyrics - "I've been to Africa. Africa, I broke a sweat."

I laughed for a good 5 minutes when my sister showed this to me (it is one photo in a series) -


Looks like a woman chasing birds in the street. Well, that is exactly what it is. She got out of her car to chase the birds because they were causing a TRAFFIC JAM in the little town where my sister goes to school. How cute. I have the 110 freeway.

Below is a text from my friend Andrew detailing the conversation he had with a practically deaf co-worker. (He is a "court" translator. I think he is the only person who learned English as a first language.)

Old deaf Jimmy: Who is that young lady?
Andrew: Who? Where?
Jimmy: On your coffee cup?
Andrew: Oh... That's Garth.
Jimmy: Oh you mean the Jennies Garth?
Andrew: No, from Waynes World.

Last night I saw Lance Bass (of 'N Sync) speak!!! That fact alone made the event entertaining, but Lance was actually funny! The stories he told were incredible. I haven't laughed that hard in a while. He began talking about 'N Sync and how they began their career in Europe and actually didn't know their boy band potential. They dabbled with all genres, apparently even techno. Then Lance told about his experience becoming a cosmonaut in Russia. He trained in Star City, Russia, which is the Russian equivalent of Area 51. Some of his stories were pretty scary. Hearing them, I am surprised he survived. We ended the night by recording a video with Lance that will be sent to the International Space Station. I am going to be broadcasted in space with an 'N Sync member!!!!!

I hope you laughed at least once. If you didn't, I am not sure how we get along.

February 16, 2009

plug it, play it, burn it, rip it...

technologic.

For those of you that don't know me, I have a small obsession with technology. From the culture, to the nerdy men, to the sheer genius behind new inventions... I love it all.

While in New York this weekend, I made a point to stop by the Mac store on 5th avenue. All Mac stores are like candy shops for me, but this one takes the cake because of the location and architecture. It was like visiting my mothership. It was almost too difficult to keep from drooling.


While outside the store, I overheard a man say, "it is like the Louvre but for Macs." I chuckled, then thought - yes, the glass structures are comparable, but what about the rest?


Mac products are individual pieces of brilliant design, but comparing the Mona Lisa to a MacBook Pro is well, blasphemous and kind of insulting on both ends. But if Leonardo da Vinci had a Mac... we would all have personal flying machines, awesome!!!

(I share a birthday and the fascination of flight with old Leo. Yes, that is me flying a plane!)


Visiting the giant Mac cube was incredible, but the best source to satisfy my tech-cravings is Wired. Maybe it's the layout design, or the quirky writing, or the tech-based content, but either way -

I LOVE


The current issue (17.02) is particularly striking with a bold vibrant cover design. I recently decided that I would love to work for Wired as an art/creative director. The job would nicely combine my interests in design and technology.


This issue is also great because of it's content. What other magazine would dedicate an entire spread to comparing the BMI trends of average US women to playmates? Here is my favorite quote from the infoporn article - "Oh, Playboy, why do you want your "readers" to lust after androids?" The article is well researched, insightful, and witty, but written by a woman. I would like a guys perspective on this. However, this could explain the new Svedka vodka advertisements - they are so creepy! If men are now more attracted to bald robotic women then goodbye human race... actually no, because we still have women that can give birth to octuplets. Ouch! I only like AI if it looks like Jude Law. Too bad that movie was terrible.


Wired also incorporates very accurate charts...


The loop in Battlestar Galactica's trend was very difficult to calculate.

I could continue to ramble on about Wired's recent issue - from the social commentary ("While I love HD, I do prefer friendship and human interaction.") to the interesting articles (ie: one about the new movie Coraline and another about a father's personal quest to solve his daughter's mysterious genetic disease), but instead, Wire yourself up. I have homework.

February 14, 2009

I woke up in that city with insomnia

But unlike Frank, I am not king of the hill. Oh, New York, New York.

In LAX, on the way the way to NY, I bought two of Godiva's new Chocoiste products. Both are now gone - eaten. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, right? The Godiva pearls (specifically the milk chocolate with café latte) are delicious! However, these pearls were completely consumed not specifically out of hunger or taste, but poor snack design.


They are pearl sized chocolate drops in a box designed to last so you can snack on these pearls for several days. Aye, here's the rub - two pearls, or even ten, are not enough! They are tiny chocolate specs! Who eats random drops of chocolate just to snack?!! Chocolate is not designed for people who have restraint or can manage serving sizes... those people stick to salads and don't buy Godiva pearls. Stupid over priced chocolate! Gone in one night - now I have an empty metal container. Worthless!

My hotel room is also worthless. I have free HBO, but no remote. I am not going to spend all my time watching TV, but what if I wanted to? Sorry, no remote! So, my relaxing hotel stay would be inconvenienced by the fact I would have to get up to change the channel.

Ok, I am not a complainer or that lazy. I am actually very happy this morning. I am watching Once (a great movie - well, actually an incredible feature length music video with an even better soundtrack) while I wait for my sister. We have wonderful plans to waste money and catch up.


This however, is not the only reason I am happy this morning. I woke up to a message from Stefan Bucher. The designer I wrote about on my blog yesterday. It was definitely a surprise. He thanked me for the post. I am flattered and frankly a little embarrassed. I never expected him to read it. I guess I was naïve to assume only my friends and family would be reading my blog. Well, not naïve, I just thought the ramblings of my personal life would be left unnoticed by the active blogosphere. Now I wonder, who is reading this? Perhaps someone from Godiva... make those pearls bigger!!!

February 13, 2009

ps:

Happy Friday the 13th!

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia. Random I know, but it's such a cool long word!

I don't have this fear, but I will be on a airplane today... (insert obvious sarcastic tone) awesome!! All so I can spend the weekend with my little sister.

I love her.

let me introduce you to Stefan G. Bucher

blog assignment 1

Stefan G. Bucher “is a man possessed,” or at least that is what his bio says. When he thinks of an idea, he makes it come to life. However, I believe he is not just possessed with ideas waiting to be realized, he is possessed with monsters, and hundreds of them. Bucher is the man behind the successful blog the Daily Monster. For 100 days, beginning in November 2006, he filmed himself illustrating monsters every night. He has done far more than 100 monsters by now, but they no longer occur every night.

It may not sound too exciting, but as you watch these time-lapse videos you realize he is drawing upside down. Bucher begins with an opening frame/page where he writes the blog title and what number monster he is on. This alone impresses me because I cannot write upside down, and his backwards lettering is very nicely composed.

Following the intro, Bucher dabs some black ink onto the paper and sprays it with compressed air. Each time this creates a unique splatter of ink, but to an average eye it looks like… well, dripping ink or a mistake. Bucher, the possessed man, turns the splatter around until he discovers the monster within the random spray. Then he begins to draw.





It is incredible how he has developed so many unique figures out of simple random ink splatters. I am not sure what Hermann Rorschach would think of Bucher, but I think he is a talented designer and through his blog he has inspired/contributed to several trends - the web based design trend, the time-lapse video trend, and the ink spray trend. My design teacher has warned us to stay far away from this ink trend because it has been done and EVERYONE is doing it now. In the design field, appropriation happens, but being original and starting a trend like Bucher is something all artists aspire for. With Bucher’s success he now travels to speak at design conferences and has several monster related products.

I do not create work like Bucher, but I have seen his impact in the design world and I love his work. I appreciate his clever synthesis of design, imagination, and technology. Bucher also has a successful design firm, but nothing compares to his monsters. The monsters, though usually black and white, are filled with energy and always manage to be different for other characters in the series. Several of the monsters become colored or animated, only to visually depict the life of the monsters that are always imagined by his viewers. I also love the texture seen in his work. The hand drawn aspects of his text and monsters add a tactile quality that is often absent from digital design. It creates character that I find visually pleasing.

I am still surprised that I was not aware of Bucher’s work till this year. Bucher was speaking at a local school and my design teacher told the class, expecting an enthusiastic “let’s go!” But instead we responded with silence and blank stares. This began my monster education.

From their toucan beaks, to their wide eyes, to their friendly waves, to their gnarly hair, to their sexy heels… I now love these monsters and Stefan Bucher.

February 10, 2009

best discovery ever!

Last night, while procrastinating on the internet, I discovered the most incredible thing.

It is prehistoric.

It is modern.

It is scientific.

It is artistic.

It is...

First Fridays at the Natural History Museum!!
Just WOW!






The next event is March 6th. It starts at 5:30/6 with a tour of the "fish" collection. Sounds boring I know (really, fish?), but they are bringing out their most bizarre creatures, like the anglerfish or another sharped tooth beast that tempts you with bioluminescence. After the tour, there is a discussion and book signing. The live music begins at 7 and ends at 10. I am particularly excited for the DJs in the African Mammal Hall. How cool is it to party in a museum!!? Ahhhh! Ben Stiller, you have nothing on First Fridays!

February 9, 2009

case of the Monday's

I miss the weekend already.

The rain prevented a lot of things this weekend, like swimming, wearing shorts, absorbing vitamin D, and stilt walking - but I did accomplish a lot of things while staying in my apartment because I am a chronic multitasker (besides when I read - I need utter silence). During my multitasking, I had HBO on in the background. At one point The Deer Hunter came on. I had never seen this movie before!!! I was a little shocked because I pride myself in my movie knowledge. Lisa, my roommate last year, called me her personal blockbuster. So, quickly getting over my disappointment in myself, I watched the movie. INCREDIBLE! De Niro, Cazale, Walken, Streep... a great cast! I am still particularly amused by the Can't take my eyes off you bar scene. There was definitely enough cow bell.

I also watched the Grammys in my dry apartment. The Grammys is always an entertaining, but seeing the Trojan Marching Band play with Radiohead was incredible. I am so happy to be a Trojan. (FIGHT ON!!) If only I was in the marching band, because that experience would almost make my life complete. Too bad I don't play an insturment. I did try to, kind of - a little guitar here, a little piano there, almost a little flute and harp there, but nope no success.

When it was dry this weekend I did manage to make it out to an art show and a movie at the Grove.

The art show was AIGA'S EMERGE LA Student Design Exhibition, and I was featured in it. AIGA is the professional association for design. The show displayed student designs from 13 different schools. Is was quite an honor to be in the show. Also, a bunch of my friends came to support me which made my weekend. I didn't think they were coming so it was quite a surprise when they arrived. Unfortunately, they arrived after the awards ceremony so there was no suspense in finding out that I didn't win, but my friend John did... CONGRATS!!!

PS - That's my poster in the background!

At the Grove, I saw Taken. It has been out since January 30th and it is currently second at the Box Office.

So what I thought...


AhhhhhhHAHAHAHAHAHAhahaha...

I laughed during most of the movie due to the ridiculous plot and Liam Neeson's bad-ass-ery. I like unrealistic action thrillers, but this was too much.

Here is this script - literally word for word, I promise! :)
(warning spoiler - but if you can't figure out the plot from the poster you are an idiot)

Happy Birthday daughter.
Thanks dad for the Karaoke machine.
Oh, nvm, my step-dad just got me a pony!!! WEEEEEEEE
Dad, can I go to France?
Only if I can embed a GPS chip into your head. Ok, too much, but a cell phone will do.
Heyyy cute French man!
Oh no, there are people in the apartment! Daddy help.
The next part is difficult. They will take you.
AHHHHHHHHHHHH.
I WILL KILL YOU.
Where is my daughter?
** 5 hours of Liam Neeson punching, chasing, killing, shooting... the entire Albanian sex slave ring.
Daddy, you came for me!
Of course, I love you.
Now take some singing lessons with a celebrity.
Do you love me more than your step-dad now?

Neeson, (aka Qui-Gon Jinn, aka voice of Aslan, aka Jean Valijean, aka GOD), gives any movie credibility, even this cliche action explosion. It is an entertaining movie, but this retired "preventer," was an unstoppable force that had almost no legal issues after making a mess in France (so absurd). Granted, after taking a class on Espionage and Intelligence I have become a harsher critic of intelligence films, but sometimes it really is too ridiculous. Sorry if you were in my theater and heard me and Andrew laugh the entire time.

That was my weekend, minus being up late Sunday night to begin campaigning for Undergraduate Student Government elections. I have been helping Owen + Maya in their campaign for president and vice president. I am their "design/events person." Check out some of the pictures from the big night.

With the two candidates (both on the right) in the shirts I designed.

All the volunteers that showed up last night.

The platform cards I designed.

One more thing...

Bill Gates unleashed a swarm of mosquitoes at the TED conference. Bwahahaha.

February 5, 2009

grey skies laughing at me


California weather can be pretty remarkable. However, during winter, southern California struggles with it's lack of actual seasons and goes through a sort "seasonality crisis." This can result in 90 degrees one day and a tsunami the next. Today is one of those random days. This morning was cool and grey like many mornings are, but I expected it to warm up like the day before. My assumption left me soaked, in sandals, and in a light (worthless) sweater. My bike was unridable in the storm so I returned home on a crowded USC tram. For those of you that are use to severe weather, don't laugh! I can handle the cold. The problem is that California weather does not allow for foresight. If I knew how to prepare for these days I would be less damp and reasonably content.

The best part of a rainy day is creating a good soundtrack - something appropriate like The Doors. There is nothing better than enjoying good music while remaining cozy in a dry apartment. Also, I simply love my apartment. I have transformed it into a nice personal escape outfitted with, well, the most random stuff you will ever see.

I have a safe disguised as Marx's Das Kapital.
I have a rubik's cube alarm clock.
I have two hermit crabs named Sir Lancelot and Kashmir (as in the Led Zeppelin song).
I have a pillow shaped like a log.
And more.

I love design, I love current events, and I love novelty items. And a strange combination of the three has thrown up all over my apartment due to my odd internal urge to personalize everything. This morning Mark and I began a debate about who has the best room. I believe I do, hands down. I don't need turntables, I don't DJ... people DJ for me! :)

Some shots of my room courtesy of my iPhone, Sid:

Mickey Mao = ironic and random. Why I have it? I don't know. Kim Il Sung and I share a birthday. You make the far fetched connections.

Books, books... and a fake chandelier? Yes.

Giant, self-adhesive, removable decals from Blik. It spells typography. What's your favorite font?

And the poster wall. A collection that began freshman year with Jimi.

February 4, 2009

how I learned to stop worrying…

about Cheney’s bomb.


It was almost too perfect that Cheney appeared at Obama's inauguration in a wheelchair, but apparently that was not symbolizing his departure from politics. We still have Dick around to warn us of highly probable terrorist attacks. Perfect timing!! Skip “change,” let’s keep Gitmo active and then I can still wear my travel shirt. I actually own this shirt… so embarrassing.


Who cares about the new administration’s “honeymoon?” Sorry Obama, hope doesn’t even get a break.

(I believe every TV station has used honeymoon multiple times, but unfortunately, the thesaurus couldn’t provide me with another word to use. It is the new political buzzword. Honeymoon is quickly reaching maverick status. I will never be able to attend a wedding or watch Top Gun without throwing in a fun sarcastic remark.)

Heyyyy Ice Man, ignore current events because Maverick takes you down in this plot!!
Nice wedding, enjoy the honeymoon! Do it for Obama!!!

The state of affairs is so bad that people are using Microsoft Songsmith (just terrible = microsoft songsmith - corny musical infomercial) to turn stocks into catchy jingles that are easily elevator worthy. Thanks Andrew for the video, but I only managed to get through Bank of America’s decline. Stocks the Musical.

Now if my political ramblings were not enough, here is my quote of the day:
"Unfortunately, I will never be able to use shuttlecock and Iran in a sentence again." - Rachel Maddow
Confused?

And here is a funny spoof about The Weekender.

February 3, 2009

finally entering the blogosphere

I never wanted to start a blog.

I enjoy blogs and visit several almost daily. I also post enough links on my facebook that if compiled, would amount to a pretty full blog.


So, it would seem likely that I would create a blog, but I intentionally refrained from doing so. Not because I am afraid of being judged or because I don't have anything to say, but because I have too much to say. I knew that creating a blog would consume all my free time and eventually I would become a hyperlink.

Unfortunately, I can not hold back any longer. This blog is required for my advanced writing class for visual and performing art students. The blog is meant to serve as a venue for artistic musings or rants. Of course I asked if I could use it for more than class assignments... my teacher responded with a solid yes. Fantastic, now I am doomed.

Here begins the future tool of my procrastination.

Enjoy.