Hundredth

This is the ONE hundredth post on this "It's Wednesday" blog at http://emliv.blogspot.com. It's been a wild ride and will continue to spark the jungle. Grab your dune buggy and watch the rippling water on the back seat. Who knows what will happen.




It is winter break. I go back to school for interterm on the 3rd of January. Where did the break go? Same place last semester went I guess. This break has been good though. Visiting family all over California is always a plus and a good time and then seeing people I haven't seen for a long time, probably around a semester's time, is always a plus as well. I have a few days left so we'll see what pans out. What happens, happens; I have little control over most. I hope your Christmas break (if you even got a break) went smoothly and you recognized the reason for the season, yes? Sometimes we get so caught up in the holiday season, we forget. I have a hard time forgetting, because I honestly don't get all that busy during the holiday season, but that is just me. Take a step back and think about the reason. I'm not here to tell you. Think about it.





If you remember, I posted that little poll last week. Through the results I found something quite interesting and paradoxical. If you remember (or could just scroll down and remind yourself) you could, and still can, vote more than once. Also, one of the options was "I don't like this blog." A person(s) decided to vote hundreds of times on the "I don't like it" option. Now this is funny. Number 1: the only way to vote is to be on the blog itself, so even though they claim they do not like it, they are on it. Interesting. Number 2: it is likely they found out about the poll on the various social networking sites I post on. Nowhere on these sites does it say there will be a hate option on the poll. So this person(s) clicked on the link going to this blog, showing interest in the blog, only to vote and say they don't like it. Paradoxical.

Let me say this: it is okay if you don't like this blog. You don't have to look at it/read it/study it/watch it/contemplate it. You don't have to click the links. You don't have to check up on it every week. Just putting that out there.


I'm sorry there hasn't been any pictures or anything in the last couple of weeks. This is because I have been away from the norm, away from the typical week's schedule. It will most likely resume normality next week, so keep your eyes peeled.





Also, in randomity, I have been into mewithoutYou lately. Those guys are rather interesting. Aaron Weiss has a very interesting style that is unique to most all music. And, I am told this as I don't listen to lyrics (I've explained this spiel before), he writes very complex, metaphorical songs that bring joy to many lyric listeners. I think the way Weiss "sings" is extremely interesting. mewithoutYou is almost too hard to explain. This may be an excuse, but I really am at a loss for words to explain the band. Here is a video, introduced to me by Mr. Michael Warnecke, that features two of my favorite mewithoutYou songs: The Sun And The Moon + Tie Me Up, Untie Me! :








That's it. Have a nice day.

Be Pollish

I made up a little poll for all of you. Please participate. It will help me with something I will explain later. YOU CAN VOTE MORE THAN ONCE if more than one applies. Feel free to add your own in the form of a comment. I have had a few complaints that people don't know how to comment and that is quite alright. If you can figure it out, please comment. If not, vote for the one that says "I would comment, but I have no idea how to."


Things might be a changin'. We'll have to see but as of right now and as of next/this semester, my Wednesday's are BOOKED. I have four classes that day including two three hour classes. So this blog might have to be given a different time slot or something.

This post is really short and sweet. It may be a good thing. I'm at my grandmother's house as of yet and I don't exactly have the time or energy for much else. So if you're bored, scroll down or click some random post.



Have a very merry Christmas!




Change of mind, I'll throw in something. Here is Aaron Gillespie's variation of "The Little Drummer Boy." Definitely worth a look and a listen. Have a great Christmas.






Like I said, have a marvelous Christmas. You'll hear from me next Wednesday, yes? Enjoy your week.

Azul

Today is 1984 Olympic Suit Day. Technically it should have been last week because this week is finals but I forgot. In case you didn't know, I wear the blue suit on the last non-finals Wednesday of every semester. Now you know. My favorite reaction of the day thus far has to be an older gentleman in the Biola cafeteria who thanks me: "Thank you for wearing that today." Maybe he has a special background with the blue suit, or maybe it sparks a good memory that he has recently forgotten; either way, he is thankful and I am grateful.

So the first semester of college is officially over. I didn't even get to acknowledge it started. The semester flew by like nobodies business. I guess this is what happens when you get older. I have noticed a startling trend that the school year has been gaining speed every year since elementary school. Startling.
This semester has been good. Definitely a change, no doubt, from high school, and, it's weird, I don't feel like college is as big of a deal as most people have made it out to be. It is still school. However, and this is the squeeze for me, you have more freedom to choose classes/teachers and you live there which can be good and bad, but I think it may take away from the "school" feeling a bit. That is probably confusing...
This semester has been good. Definitely a change, especially when you live with your peers. I have enjoyed meeting lots of people and developing friendships that may or may not last a lifetime. Nevertheless, it's a good time and it has been an interesting journey.
This semester has been good. Definitely a change; the randomity is at it's highest. The people on my floor are incredibly random, it's wonderful. The activities I/we/they/you partake in are often times on the fly and unpredictable which, in my opinion, beats a planned activity 9/10 times.
This semester has been good. Definitely a change, especially in my drawing and hands on artistic skills. Going into my drawing class, drawing was an ancient impossibility. But after 6 hours a week, I have developed a certain respect towards drawing. I still do not like it particularly, but I have definitely grown in the different mediums and styles and others. I did specifically enjoy working with charcoal. I seemed to have an easier time with that than graphite. Decent.
This semester has been good. Definitely a change due to being a freshman again. It's cool though. It's part of the jam. Think of it as a 4 part jam session. We've only just begun.




In other news, I made a short film for kicks. It was pretty random and ran into trouble and other things that don't need mentioning. Point is, it is finished and I personally think it turned out pretty decent. It was my first attempt at color correction with Apple Color. Interesting program to say the least. I had no idea what I was doing and how to do things. Trial and Error=it's a love/hate relationship. Enjoy "Avant-Garde."

Avant-Garde from Morgan Lott on Vimeo.

Avant-Garde (2009) USA/2:20 min



Summary: A short experimental film observing the surface. Back up and take a look.

Filmmakers: Morgan Lott - Everything, Music: "A Circular Reeducation" - Tycho

Cast:

Ben Jacuk - Runner
Jon Marcu - Skateboarder
Luke Thomas - Volleyball



In other news, I have three videos for you. Before I forget, do you like how I include these videos? Let me know by clicking the title of this post and then leave a comment at the very bottom. That'd be cool if you did that, but if you didn't, I won't know, so don't feel obligated. However, it is for your own benefit is it not? So might as well, yes?

First, definitely random but necessary, Ice Fishing. I stumbled upon this video earlier in the week and it reminded me of VIDEO #2 and therefore ice fishing is important. This video is absolutely ridiculous and it ma(de) me laugh uncontrollably for about 32 seconds. Take a look and think about if you would do that. This is how we do.


Second, VIDEO #2. I stumbled upon this video probably sophomore or junior year of high school. It makes me laugh enough to make me remember it. The singer on the left, the right singer's right, is the man when it comes to throat singing. The video as a whole is incredible and definltey worth a watch. Ice Fishing, it's how we do.



Third, a music video. I actually watched this this morning and have been hooked ever since (yeah, long time). It probably will come to pass and it probably isn't that impressive/catchy, but as of right now, it is impressive/catchy. The running heart gets me every time. Check it out: Katzenjammer - "A Bar in Amsterdam" (Official music video by Lasse Gjertsen)






So that is it folks, the text turns black, that must mean I need to go. Have a wonderful week people of the internet and enjoy December like it is the twelfth month out of a possible twelve months in a year.

Have a good one.

Charlie Brown

As I write, I listen to "Christmas Time Is Here" from "A Charlie Brown Christmas," one of the classic Christmas programs on the television. Due to this listening, it kinda puts a damper on any enthusiasm I may write. Rather interesting how music can have that effect. Today I wear a outfit suitable for a Christmas party. A white cardigan over a charcoal shirt, accompanied by a Santa Claus tie will suit the dress code. Today is a nice day. Brisk, yet sunny. The air is crisp, a pleasure to breath in. And "A Charlie Brown Christmas" playing in the background. *Breathes* it's a good day.


There is something new on the blog. Take a look around, try and figure it out. See it? I'll tell you. In the upper right hand corner, above the networking deal, there is a new "spot" called "Link of the Refresh." There is a link in that area that is a random, yes random, blog post from some Wednesday in the history of emliv.blogspot.com. So every time you refresh the page, that is click on a link, click on a picture, or literally refresh, a new link will appear, a new link that you may click to take a trip back in history. Just something interesting that may be kind of fun. I personally enjoy it because going through random pages takes a stab at my memory bank and refreshes my mind with events somewhat lost in the past. It's a good time.


In other news, finals week is next week. This includes, but it not limited to, the last week of the semester. Due to cause and effect, I will be returning to Simi Valley most likely the late night of the 17th of December, 2009. I will be in Simi Valley, not the entire time but a significant chunk, for three weeks before I come back to Biola on the 3rd of January, 2010. Boy, it's weird to type "2010." That's the scoop, now, once you finish reading/watching, go get a scoop.





In other news, I have videos for you. I think I have a trend going. The last few posts definitely have a few videos contained inside. I like videos and there have been a bunch in the last few weeks that'd I'd like to share. So here 't goes. Please watch and enjoy.

First up, Stephen Colbert. This short little video records his.....I'll just let you watch it. I laughed pretty decently hard the first time I watched his little spiel. Very funny, very funny.




Second up, this dude likes to beatbox and play the flute. You have probably seen something like this before, but I can assure you, unless you've seen this video of course, you haven't seen eyebrows move the way this guy makes them move. Pretty intensely impressive. Pretty intensely impressive that he sets a jammin' beat and makes his eyebrows do a jig.




Third up, we've all felt our mouth begin watering at the sight of one of those meaty six-dollar burgers and perfect set of french fries occupying the main stage of the famous Carl's Jr. bandstand. I always hoped one of those six dollar burgers actually appeared in one of those six-dollar boxes that arrive on my tray. This video may just ruin your dreams, I know it did mine.




Fourth up, watch:



This man's story is inspiring. He could not find his proper place in the workforce. After much trial and error, he figured out what he really wanted to be doing. Not only did he make a living, he built a reputation. Inspiring.







So that is it. The blog entry of December 9th. I hope you enjoyed it. To finish it out, click the random link to a random page. Have a beautiful day.

Hold up

Just hold up. Today is mad with activity. I'll get to this. Hopefully.




EDIT: Today has been wacky. This week has been wacky, colorful if you will (do I need to explain much more about the picture?). I will tell you the white hat I am wearing is my great-grandpa Walter Warkentin's. I'm honored to be able to wear it.

This week has been out of control. Luckily, as of the end of this week (Monday would be nice too), the out-of-control-ness will have cooled down a bit. I don't want to go into to much detail because I have a 10 page screenplay I need to be writing, but I'll tell you that there has been more due this week than most 3-weeks combined. And today, during my drawing class, I registered for next semester/interterm classes. Out of control:

Interterm of two thousand nine:

1020	History of Cinema			3.000 units
	CNMA104 01	MTWRF 01:30-04:20P	DENGLISH65	Fisher, G.
1021	New Media			2.000 units
	CNMA301 01	MTWR 09:30-11:30A	DENGLISH65	Fisher, G.

Spring of two thousand ten semester:

1106	3-D Design			3.000 units
	ARTS111 02	T R 12:30-03:20M	FINEARTS22	Baker, L.
1133	PhotoI-Intro Darkrm & Dig Proc			3.000 units
	ARTS221 03	M W 07:00-10:00P	ART BLDG82	Simonson, K.
1209	Biblical Interpret & Sp Form			3.000 units
	BBST103 10	W 03:00-05:50P	DENGLISH65	Staff
1219	OT History & Literature			3.000 units
	BBST109 02	M W 12:00-01:15M	FEINCHAPEL	Volkmer, J.
2305	Introduction to Mass Media			3.000 units
	CNMA202 03	M W F 08:30-09:20A	DENGLISH65	Schmidt, J.
2530	Music Appreciation			3.000 units
	MUSC101 02	T R 10:30-11:45A	ROOD000057	Park, A.

I got decently lazy and decided to just copy and paste. What else are c and v for? That's the schedule as of right now, folks. Yes, I am taking two film classes over interterm. Yes, I may be crazy, but I have my reasons.

I have a few videos for you, to make up (do I do this too much?) for the lack of words I provide.

Up first, a clever take on...watch and see. Hint: "The Water's Always Running" Also, the editing and color correction are superb. I'd watch it just for that.

Hecq Vs Exillion - Spheres Of Fury from Tim.Chris.Film on Vimeo.

Up next, a ridiculous little drum, should I call it beat?, beat. Insane. First time I saw it, I sat in shock for a good 7 seconds, then fumbled for the mouse to watch it again. If you want, watch the rest of the video for two reasons 1: lots of cool little drumming 2: you may win.




This last video is an absolutely brilliant ad. The humor, the music is exceptional, the voice-over, all extremely important aspects of this ad, all brilliant.




Sorry if it's short. It may or may not be what you're used to. I thought I would let you know that I changed my wallpaper(s) today. You should too.

Have a marvelous:

corner

Tis the season to be jolly. It's Christmas time everybody. I'll tell you what. Thanksgiving is forgotten. HOWEVER, what is Thanksgiving? Is it an excuse to recognize what you're thankful for? In my opinion, we shouldn't have to be reminded to be thankful. Hmm. Thanksgiving all year round!

But isn't Thanksgiving celebrating the Pilgrim and Natives to North America's union and feast that we remember through the feast? Who knows anymore. The stores and malls and restaurants and public walkways sure don't know. I would say all, maybe with a few exceptions (EDIT: end of post=EXCEPTION), put up Christmas decorations well before Thanksgiving, completely disregarding one of the least selfish holidays. It is saddening to see this. Nevertheless, Christmas music is definitely acceptable all year round. Bing Crosby is the man.


Today I am at home. I arrived yesterday and will be leaving today. I will be getting a haircut. Yes, just one hair. I'm not wearing a collared-shirt (technically, I am wearing a collared-shirt; even t-shirts have a collar) and I look like an old pizza box that is still in the bottom of the dumpster after the dumpster truck empties it. I'm not sure why [tennis] is written in the photo. I can't even make up a story. Scratch that. I was thinking of tennis because last night I threw a tennis ball at my brother and it got lodged in the foosball table, but my brother, not seeing where it went, could not find it as he clearly intended to huck it back at me. That is why it says [tennis].


I have a few things to present, as I am at a loss for much else to write about. First, a few days ago, the Twenty-First of November to be exact, a few buddies from my floor and I went to see Ashley Tisdale, FREE in concert at the 90-foot Christmas tree lighting at the Citadel Outlets. It was an experience:



In the flesh.




Here is something that I have enjoyed. I heard of this deal over a year ago, then I did my first (and only) one a month or two ago, and now, today, I am posting it here. I was going to do another one today, but I started and lost my motivation instantly. It was a like a wisp of vapor, it disappeared just as fast, if not faster, than it arrived.

For your enjoyment:


Steps:

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Advertise to other people, spread the word.

Just a little activity for you and your web-surfing capabilities.



Lastly, in Simi Valley, there used to be (he might still be there, I wouldn't know) a profesh sign-twirler on the corner going to the Simi Valley Town Center. There were sign-twirlers all over Simi, but this particular sign-twirler was easily the most talented. I saw this video the other day and it reminded me greatly of the sign-twirler on the corner going to the Simi Valley Town Center.



For your enjoyment.



I hope you enjoyed this blog post. There really wasn't much to enjoy, at least of my writing. There was a decent amount of multimedia, however, and I hope you found some joy in the material.


Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and you should be thankful. However, I challenge you to be thankful all year round.

Christmas is right around the corner.





EDIT: I was just on Twitter and look what the fellas of Underoath (http://twitter.com/UnderoathBand) posted:




Nordstrom knows what's up. Thanks UØ!

Diff-erent

Today can be said to be different. Number 1, there is not a complex meaning behind my clothing like there has been in the near recent. Number 2, why in the world am I dressed like that? I don't have a clue. I think it was somewhat inspired by this:



Other than that, I have no explanation.

In other news, we are in the process of developing the concept for our Visual Aesthetics final project. This is the first real film I will be working on this year. It has been a rough time, mostly because nobody in our four person group had a concrete idea before we met, so we had to come up with a brilliant idea out of nothing=hours of development. I believe we have an idea. This, after all, is irrelevant. The fact is I am very much reminded of last year and video production at the classic Royal High School. The first project was as follows:



This project, although not the best in many areas, still ranks as my favorite film I have worked on. I think it is because it was the first. I think it is because we were just out having a good time. I think it is because we honestly didn't care how it turned out. I think it is because we simply had a good time with each other working on a quirky idea. Good times.




In other news, I have a few items to discuss: humility and "bless you," two subjects that are randomly on my mind at this time, imagine that.

Humility is interesting because you can not know you are humble. If somebody says they are humble, they are focusing on themselves, contradicting their claim to humility. True humility focuses on other people, never focusing on the self. So a true humble person cannot know they are humble. Hmm...interesting. Maybe I'm wrong. Correct me please.
Now, does this also work with creativity? If you are creative, there is no way of knowing you are creative unless somebody else tells you that you are in fact creative. According to the Microsoft Word dictionary (a great dictionary by the way) defines creativity as "the ability to use the imagination to develop new and original ideas or things, especially in an artistic context." If you are alone, how do you create an original idea without the comparison to another person's work? Maybe I'm wrong. Correct me.


"Bless you:" the common response to a sneeze. I personally do not say this phrase. I don't think it is necessary. If anything, I might say "Tissue?" I have noticed recently that most everybody says "bless you" after a sneeze. Why? I've discussed this with a few people, most of which don't have a clue why they say it. This doesn't really strike me as bad. Saying "bless you" can't hurt, can it? The problem I have run into recently is this: Are people expecting "bless you" after they sneeze and then believe you don't care if you don't say it? There has been a few instances where I have been with a person who sneezes and they look at me awkwardly because I don't acknowledge it. Is this weird? I think it's kind of funny. Either way, I'm not going to start saying "bless you" after somebody sneezes.

I need to admit something. I have at random times say phrases such as "God bless your soul" or "Oh my goodness, God bless you!" It is definitely not an automatic response though. Just had to clear that up. Didn't want to be deceiving.







In other news, the other night (can't remember which night=lame) I got a text from my roommate Mr. Joel Limbauan that read "Dude There's a possum in here!" I immediately rushed to the room...





Mr. Ben Jacuk saved the day. I would probably never would have thought to grab a towel and grab the little booger and take him outside. I honestly don't know what I would have done. Mr. Oklahoma is the man.


In last news, today is my father's birthday. If you see him, tell him happy birthday. Happy birthday pop!





I hope enjoyed this episode of "It's Wednesday."

Blue and White

I went into today not realizing it was Veteran's Day. Otherwise, I would have dressed patriotically. If you take a look on the bright side, however, today's clothing choice did have a reason, a meaning behind the colors and selection, to the day was not all waste. If you take a look at the picture, you will notice I am wearing blue, white, and some black. Today I had a psychology test, a test I was not prepared for because it snuk (is that a word? The past tense of "sneak"="snuk" isn't it? Yes, I'm in college.) up on me. So, naturally, I dressed appropriately. You've heard the analogy about "black and white," stark contrast. If you have to make a decision, it is best when the options are black and white, the right decision stands out to you with incredible ease. This is how the answers on the psychology test technically should be, except, because I was not prepared, I believe I am "blue and white," yes, bad play on words, with maybe a little bit of black. I feel like this makes no sense at all and it's okay. It kind of helps the situation.


Be back in a bit.


Alright I'm back. Sorry if this post is short, today is mad. Mad as in busy. Busy as in no time. No time as in exaggeration. You know what I mean. So, sorry, I just have a couple interesting videos for you to watch, that way you can use your time a little better than just reading me ramble on insiginificant events that are mean't solely for space consumption. Enjoy. Maybe let me know what you think of them?


The first video reworks a popular "The Sound of Music" tune into an intense jam with a crazy time-signature twist. You may disagree. See if you do.



This next video is a recollection of childhood. Sesame Street is brilliant; it was then, it is now. Cookie Monster was always my fav, (Oscar the Grouch- a close second) and this is his jam. The best.





Have a wonderful morning, afternoon, evening, night.

For Emma (Who is Emma?)

EXPLANATION: is necessary for this "outfit" if you will. There is an explanation believe it or not.

First matter of business, today is November 4th. Let me repeat that, today is November 4th. Yes, it is November already. Time is flying folks. Speaking of flying, October 31st has come and gone (pretty decent by the way, relatively surprising change of events. Hung out with a decent amount of at Dana Point at Ms. Paige Echarte's beautiful beach house. We experienced Emily Rose. We trick 'r treated one house. The next day's weather perhaps the most gorgeous weather I have experienced in at least a few years. I mentioned the weather at least 10 times that day.) and the Christmas "stuff " will be arriving, if it already hasn't, in stores in a very minimal amount of days.

The tie symbolizes this. The tie, if the photo doesn't do it justice, has miniature Santa Claus' all over it. Santa Claus is a common symbol in our society of Christmas. The tie is abnormally short on my shirt by being a good three inches from my waistline. The time it takes stores to change holidays and complete change the feel of there store is abnormally short as well.

From there, my shorts, socks, and shoes are all tanish, off-whiteish or a combination of both. This is because as winter approaches, the color of nature is starting to desaturate. The color is no where near as bright and saturated as it was, say, in the middle of July.

That said, life is good. The semester is winding down and two big obstacles were conquered today as a Foundations of Christian Thought Midterm II and a 10 page psychology paper were on the plate labeled at November 4th, 2009. (What? what kind of imagery is that). I still have some big decisions to make concerning my major. I need to talk to people about it, sort out what I like and don't like, honing in on "the one." We'll see what happens, yes?

For all you graphic design, photography, artsy, other stuffy people out there, are there any good magazine subscriptions that are straight up solid? I think I may be interesting in getting monthy reading material...

And for you, I appreciate your patience by the way, a video:




I like this video for a few reasons. Number 1: Bon Iver is revolutionary, they are pulling out musical ideas like nothing and it sounds rad. I'm diggin' it. Number 2: they just jam in a hallway. Accapellaly (definitely wasn't a word; it is now), Bon Iver sings their song "For Emma," replacing musical instrument with voice and changing the key. They they simply go out in the street and jam. SO inspiring. Just do what you love to do, whether you are in a tiny hallway, in the middle of the street, or in front of 100,000 fans at the Rose Bowl (props U2). Number 3: "For Emma," specifically the three note repetition sequence, has been stuck in my head for the last day and half. I'm sorry for anybody I have annoyed.


Like always, I feel I have forgotten to talk about something. This is the case most Wednesdays. I hope you enjoyed this. I don't reread it, I don't edit it. I honestly don't know how it sounds. It might be incredibly confusing, maybe somewhat abstract, for this, I apologize. I hope you have a wonderful day today. I have a suggestion: go outside and look at stuff. Look at trees, look at grass, look at street signs. Incredible.



Mmm. I remembered something. I ran across an artist named Glenn Jones-http://www.glennz.co.nz/- who is THE MAN when it comes to clever illustrations. Here are a few of my favorites:














Fares.

Sitch--eation

I am a loss for words. I do not know what to write. I'm being honest. This week has been frustrating to say the least, this is why I do not know what to write. This blog is not a place to complain, this blog is not a place to blame, this blog is a place for controversy-free reading. I have learned this the hard way. Yes, controversy makes it more interesting, but would you want to deal with that? I really don't think you would. But, hey, I could be wrong. There has just been a few instances in the last couple days that have sent me off my rocker (which is an interesting statement because those of you who know me know that when I get sent off my rocker, I just laugh about it. I'm not exactly sure why, I just don't react the same way most people do). I'm going to go into details whatsoever, sorry if you wanted the greasy details.



For some reason, I have been randomly stumbling onto numerous ukulele videos. I have an rss feed that shows new, interesting videos from all the major video sites (youtube, myspace, break, dailymotion, etc) and ukulele videos have been an interesting addition. Because I have little to write, I am going to embed (tech word: watch out) three ukulele videos that I have found appealing. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the sounds of the uke.





And as of this morning:






I really do not have much more to say. I know, it's lame. I really am sorry about it. There just isn't much more interesting things to say. I guess I could do some mentions, yes? Skillet, the Christian band, puts on a KILLER show, they were incredible. I can't even begin to explain the ferocity of their special effects. Lets just say this: strobe, smoke, risers, solos. Also, seeing Mr. Kelii Miyata, Mr. Stephen Orth, and Ms. Emilie Mateu this past weekend was a lot of fun to say the least. Is was good seeing some "not-new" faces. That little "not-new" spiel sounds idiotic. It was a good time though.


Make your day wonderful and remember to turn the lights off when you leave the room.

Waiting

I write this short segment at 8:54 am. I am simply waiting for the shower. This morning is the first time the suite style bathrooms have heeded problem, the suite mates have a taken control of the fort and Joel and I have to scramble. Hmm. It's not their fault, it's not our fault, the situation cannot be controlled. I do wish they would maybe speed it up a bit though...

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday is the Torrey Conference. If you were to ask me what that means, I honestly would not be able to tell you. This is what I can tell; as a Biola student, you have to get 8 conference credits over the course of the three days. This i............hold up, it's shower time.

alright, stream of conscious...I'll be back in a few hours.

The first session of the Torrey conference is complete. As I was saying, I have seven credits left to attain out of nine possible. Each session is worth one credit, and after each session a reflection is project is offered for one credit. On the last day, Friday, Francis Chan will bring the heat and his session is worth two credits. I need 8, I have 1, the fun begins.

Today, I am wearing black and white. The idea put on it's running shoes and jogged into my head last night. What does the black and white mean? I am hoping that the ideas presented in the seminars these three days are black and white, that is, I can decide what I believe based on the ideas presented and not be stuck in the middle, walking the line, straddling the fence, between and rock and a hard place. Two blatantly obvious sides to choose from, I hope I choose one. What these sides are, I have yet to find out; remember- only one session has happened thus far.

I have an announcement. How many instrumentals fans do I have in the vast expanse of the interweb? This means no lyrical aspects of the music (sometimes there is a little bit, yes?). Well I have good news: I have been jamming to two bands recently that own the instrumental world up, be warned though, they are kind of experimental and interesting, so call it an acquired taste. Nevertheless, check them out! I'm sure they'll appreciate it. The first is "Bersarin Quartett," introduced to me by Mr. Julian Ho. They make homework music listening far from distracting. Brilliant background music. Brilliant mood music. The second is "The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble," very experimental jazz which is always a plus; it's not free jazz though, don't worry, there is a definite form. I don't expect you to take my word for either of these two bands. If you, I'll be honored.

I have a challenge. Check both of these bands out and comment, telling me if you liked them or not with a reason why. I like hearing opinions of people, it's nice to get somebody else's side of the story sometimes, you know what I'm saying? Challenge.


On the topic of music, you may remember in this post, I describe my drumming situation a little bit. The past couple weeks I have enjoyed jamming with Mr. Michael Warnecke from Hawaii and, most recently, Mr. Chase Wagner from Washington. When I say over the past couple of days, I actually mean just 3 times. That said, I miss playing drums in an organized fashion so incredibly much. Every singspo, every worship set, I get antsy, uncomfortable, I want to play so bad. Now, what are my intentions? Interesting question, thanks for asking. Worship is a touchy subject and worship through music is arguably the most recognized form of worship. When I am in a crowd of people, singing songs to our God, I often find myself struggling because I'm listening to the music rather than contemplating the words that I'm singing. It's something musicians do I think. So for me, playing drums during a worship set, in a way, takes the distraction away. I'm not necessarily more focused on the words, but I'm focused on playing music which is it's own form of worship. Playing in the band is also an important part in leading others in worshiping through music. I feel what I've written is extremely confusing and it's hard because all I am doing is writing text and it's a one way conversation and if you wanted to ask a question because what I said was confusing, you are unable and I am unable to effectively communicate my point. It's tough. I hope I made my point though. If not, ask me about it.



hmm...well that changed pace. Have a nice day today?

Paranormal

It is raining. I dislike the rain. Yes, the rain is wonderful if you are wearing sweats, sitting with a warm cup of hot cocoa, listening to the crackle of the wood in the fireplace. No, the rain is not wonderful when you have stuff to do, people to see, places to walk, places to drive. Rain causes delays--in everything. Don't get me wrong, the rain replenishes this earth, which is necessary.

I'm finished with that.

This morning was interesting. I was thinking about what I would wear and I instantly thought to be a British businessman. This made me sad because, according to this post, I had already pulled this one off. So I pulled something else off, just a normal businessman who has some sense of strange style, matching his tie and sunglasses, but wearing gray colors to symbolize the color of the sky. So I thought...

I am sorry if this blog takes forever and a day to load. The last post is the problem and I will try to make sure it doesn't happen again. If it does, I apologize. If it doesn't, I apologize I don't have enough content.

Speaking of content, I have an interesting piece of business to decipher.


With the recent unpredictable success of Paranormal Activity, mainly attributed to its marketing and Internet following, the success reminds any cinema follower of 2008’s Cloverfield. Sitting amongst excited moviegoers waiting for Transformers to begin, I, like everybody else, paid particular attention to a previously unseen home-video clip. The theater quieted down as the preview pressed on. The clip depicted a first-person account of a New York City party, fiercely interrupted by an intense explosion, breaking the “home-video” up, inducing a multitude of confusion. The preview ended with two textual phrases: “From Producer J.J. Abrams” and “In Theaters 1-18-08;” no movie title, no other information, only the madness of a vague trailer and two simple statements. This quickly got people talking. The trailer confused the masses, nobody knew what to think of it, and, naturally, turned to the Internet. At an incredible pace, the Internet movie database followed the film referred to as “Untitled JJ Abrams Project” to number one on its ranking system. The marketing for the film that would soon become known as Cloverfield was risky, but absolutely brilliant. The people fueled this film from the beginning; the filmmakers simply introduced an incredibly vague movie trailer to the outspoken public without a title.

Not only was the marketing outstanding, but the people behind the film kept their mouths shut the entire time. Hollywood has a tendency to leak information such as titles and plot lines, but Cloverfield’s people did not give a hint. According to imdb.com, there were six different names, all fake or promotional, that were given to Cloverfield before official release. The public was kept guessing, and it paid off, seeing $46 million in the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
Cloverfield took a chance at a new marketing scheme that easily proved worthwhile.

In the light of Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity, originally intended for less than 150 screens, has been “demanded” over 1,000,000 times and will be released in theaters worldwide as soon as possible. “Paranormal Activity, like Cloverfield, unconventionally advertised and will undoubtedly see remarkable results.


The spiel on Cloverfield was an assignment for class so don't be alarmed. If you are asking why you should be alarmed, then you clearly are not alarmed, therefore you should not be concerned.

I have two more topics to talk about.

NUMBER ONE: this blog has changed a lot and I think I know why. I originally made it to simply remember the events of my senior year. When people started reading it, which blew me away, it turned into a little more than simple account of the day. At first, and you can track this, I used people's names, referred to many instances that people who knew me pretty good would understand and maybe even remember because they would have been there. Now I'm in college. The vast majority of you, the readers, know me from when I was in high school, in Simi Valley. If you went to Royal High School, even if you did not know specifically who I was talking about, you could gain a certain perspective because you spent 7+ hours at the same place I did. Times have changed. Now I'm at Biola, and you, the reader, can be right where you were last year or perhaps, like me, you have moved on to bigger and better things. Because of this, if I were to mention specific people, 90% of you, the readers, would have no context of what I was talking about. Do you understand the dilemma? I hope you do, because I feel like I'm explaining something that is indistinguishable. Point is, I will see what you, the readers, enjoy reading about and I might do a little experimenting...

NUMBER TWO: I want to explain the original intention of the "Collared-shirt Wednesday." We all know that Wednesday is the middle of the week. Especially in a five-day school week, Wednesday is not the beginning and not the end, justifying a lull in the middle of the week. So why not spice the least exciting day of the week by dressing up a little bit? Seems to have worked. A decent number of Royal High School students asked me permission to continue on the tradition by dressing up on Wednesdays. However, almost a dejavu, I have been informed that the numbers are dwindling, just like they did when the four of us started the "Collared-shirt Wednesday" August 5th, 2008. I don't know what I think of this. It saddens me, but yet, it was expected. I can say this though: stay strong collared-shirt Wednesday continuees.


And I have a last thing: boy this is a long post.

I was reading "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis the other day for class and I came across this:

"There is no need to be worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of 'Heaven' ridiculous by saying they do not want 'to spend eternity playing harps'. The answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about them. All the scriptural imagery (harps, crowns, gold, etc.) is, of course, a merely symbolical attempt to express the inexpressible. Musical instruments are mentioned because for many people (not all) music is the thing known in the present life which most strongly suggests ecstasy and infinity. Crowns are mentioned to suggest the fact that those who are united with God in eternity share His splendour and power and joy. Gold is mentioned to suggest the timelessness of Heaven (Gold does not rust) and the preciousness of it. People who take these symbols literally might as well think that when Christ told us to be like doves, He meant that we were to lay eggs."

Mr. C.S. brings the heat. What's funny about this is that this argument was brought up the other day and I had never thought about it before. I forget what I was going to write about this and I'm kind of bummed. Anyway, C.S. Lewis is the man when it comes to determining real life simplistic examples to clearly demonstrate complex situations. It makes me appreciative.



That was a mouthful. I'd suggest of nice swig of some iced water imported from the mountains. It will quench your thirst for sure.

Set Your Sails

Picture description to come. EDIT: written starting at 8:43.

Today, I wore sailor's garb. I wore a shirt that had the likes of the ocean. I wore a tie that had holes on the tail (brilliant). I wore a hat that had an anchor on it. I wore sunglasses that reflected the ocean waves with a certain brilliance. I wore Nautica shorts (definitely sailing material) and Sperry Top Siders, the classic boat shoe. There is no reason why I wore sailor's garb. In the picture above, I am standing on the wall and speaking to a girl walking on the floor above mine. She asked me if I was taking a picture, to which I replied, with a touch of the glasses, "Yes." You have just experienced that conversation. Earlier, I had planned to write more in this section, but, alas, I have no inspiration. Read on, blog followers: the rest of this blog entry was written much earlier and is much better suited for enjoyment. I encourage you to enjoy it.

//8:47

Carry on.




Boy are you in for a treat. For visual aesthetics, we had a color assignment in which we had to demonstrate different aspects of color and lighting. At the closure, I had 13 unedited shots that met the proper criteria. You are about to see ------------------ of those 13, that I have edited, because post is most necessary for prime viewing. Enjoy.

Color Symbolism

High Energy Forground vs. Low Energy Background
Low BrightnessWarm Hues

High Brightness
High Saturation


I have a few objectives to discuss. First: chewing gum.

I have noticed that chewing gum often makes a person look decently idiotic. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh. We've all seen it: some person in a group, chomping away at the little rubber-like substance in their mouth. We've compared it to a cow, munching on its mulch. Why do people like to be compared to livestock? I want to continue, but I think I will begin to go down a path that nobody wants to read and I don't want to write. Here's a last thought: if you are going to chew gum, recognize you are chewing gum, and don't think it is fun to get people to guess what brand of chewing gum you are in fact chewing. It's not miniature golf.

On the brighter side of the grassy knoll, I have developed a liking for honeydew, you know, that tasteless green melon. Every meal in the caf, I get fruit. The fruit varies every day, from cantaloupe to grapefruit, to honeydew, to oranges, to grapes, etc. However, there is ALWAYS honeydew because, most likely, nobody prefers it. Because of this, there is always a mountain of honeydew next to the sparse pickings of the cantaloupe, so naturally I grab some solid looking honeydew. Honeydew actually does have a flavor believe it or not. It is not strong: honeydew juice would not be good: but, combined with the crunch that sets it apart from canteloupe and other melons, it actually is quite delightful. This surprised me, as it may surprise you. Maybe I'm wrong and its all a falsity. I'm sorry. Right now, I'm enjoying it and you should go out and experience Honeydew for yourself.

On the social networking side of things, I have actually been relatively behind the times in terms of instant messaging. I just recently picked up an iChat account (AIM) and if you want to chat, video or textual, or do whatever else you do on iChat (unbeknown to me), send me your screen name by means of an email (click this link: click). We'll see what happens from there.



That's it. I hope you have a wonderful day today because you might as well enjoy the weather, whether you are inside or out. Breath in that air: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale: it's second nature. Think about second nature mechanisms a little bit.

Color

Let me explain the above. Today was phase 1 of a Visual Aesthetics project concerning color. Phase 1 deals with cold hue. The photo is supposed to be unedited and straight out of camera (except for the occasional crop), hence, the simplistic photo above.

If I edited it, this is what you would see:
Tell me why this version is ironic.

Yesterday, I set up my minimalistic drum set in my room. I did this for two reasons. One, I was going through drum withdrawals. Monday chapel set me off due to the band playing three songs I played with Remember at Hartland this summer. I was antsy. The second reason is I had to tune the kick and snare because they were due because I have a practice this weekend with musicians for a potential worship band. So either way, I needed to set it up. Check out the squeeze:


So most of the time the hardware reunionized, I was twisting lugs and spinning drum keys. I wish I could say they sound 100 times better. Alas, I cannot. The kick sound probably 3 times better, but better nevertheless, and the snare...well, I'm not going to say to save the snare embarrassment. Let's just say it needs work.

I'm not sure what else to write. I had some ideas, but I forgot what they were, a natural occurrence where I come from. I will tell you this though: my flag football team got slaughtered last week because my starting wide-receiver and two running-backs did not play. Boo.

random: I love when the most random people who are searching for the most random stuff on the interweb wind up on this blog. For instance, on Tuesday, September 29th, somebody searched "crayola washable laminated poster wikipedia" in Google and guess which link they clicked on? Why this blog is #3 when you search that, I will never know. If you are this person who searched for crayola washable laminated poster wikipedia, I am sorry I was not a help.

UPDATE: this blog is now #1 when you search the said term. Interesting. (Thanks Mike Cirricione for discovering this)



2nd UPDATE: it appears to be Senior Polls time at my high school. I have a pet peeve about this, if this offends you, you know why. I have a pet peeve concerning people "campaigning" for people to vote for them. Is this not defeating the purpose? It seems to me like a category like "most changed since freshman year," "best eyes," and other similar q's are opinionated questions. Especially best eyes. If I see a girl with stunning eyes, I will remember that she has stunning eyes. If Suzy Q runs up to me and yells "VOTE FOR ME FOR BEST EYES," she is trying to convince me to vote for her for best eyes. This may induce me to forget about the girl with the stunning eyes. I think if nobody "campaigned," the polls would be AWESOME because everybody would take time and think about each category and who deserves it, rather than the person that told them to vote for them last. That way, the most popular would not always be the ones winning. If everybody truly thinks about it, the people who are getting the awards will actually deserve it. In a perfect world.

Forego

Today is...interesting. I woke up, ran into some clothing, and began the day with mandarin oranges. I sit; I listen to Indie music: current -- Pinback. You tell me what you think. Tell me: what causes moods, ideas, philosophies to revolve around a person's current status concerning their persona. What?

I really don't know what to write. Today, I am slacked for words. You see the picture. You see how I feel through the picture. I will not tell you how I feel. I will give you a picture. See the picture; feel the feeling. What?


Let me tell you about last weekend. I went home for the weekend, and to go home for the weekend, I took the Metrolink train so I could get home, so I could be home for the weekend. I made it to the station and I boarded the train. Then I made it to Union Station and waited a half hour. Then I observed that my train was destined for “Montalvo” and the train at my gate was destined for “Oxnard.” Yes, they were on the close and possibly could have been the same train, but hey, wouldn’t they say the same thing on their destination declaration? I thought so. I hit me a minute after it left that the Oxnard train is probably the same as the Montalvo train. Yes, I missed the train and yes, I boarded the next train that was, yes, destined for Oxnard. I made it home and I am not going to go into detail because it really isn’t all that exciting and it may be a bore. If you have questions concerning what I did at home that weekend, let me know and I’ll be happy to tell you. Here’s a summary: hung out with family, hung out with friends, finished a project.

Enjoy this video:





What?

Let me tell you something. I really enjoy good advertising. What I mean by this is good design in advertising. Now, this is relative, of course, as what I might see as "good" may not be "good" in your opinion. When I see a good advertisement on television, the internet, print, or any other medium, I can't help but point it out. This happened recently. At Biola, there are posters advertising the "Roadtrip Nation." I really like the design of these posters. I have told people I really like these posters. Good design is exciting.

In-N-New

Out with the old, in with the new.

The first new is this. You may have noticed a new header. If not, scroll up and look at it. I can assure you it is new, at least new since last Wednesday. I still haven't decided yet if I like it better than the old one. I think it shows maturity as I graduated high school and am now in college, but at the same time, it lacks the representation of the glory days. Ah. It's here to stay. Also, if you scroll down and look to your right, you will see a new column labeled "The Top Five Posts." These are my top favorite posts of all time, some because they punch me in the face with an awesome memory, some for the content posted, some for the random creativity that inspires me to do better. See for yourself and decide for yourself. Make a "The Top Five Posts" of your own and send it to me. I'll post it on this blog for the world to see. I'm not even kidding. Happy ranking!

The second new is this. Not only is this blog going to be about whats on my mind right now, it will be on whats really on my mind during the week. Let me explain: on my computer I have a "stickie" note on my desktop that I write new "blog topics" on. That sentence was horribly structured. So now, when something is really interesting to me and I feel like writing a spiel about it to the interwebbed world, I will not forget what I was pumped about come Wednesday. Maybe, I'll just try this out. It may become to much of a hassle because I might get sick of writing.

First on the menu, today: I went for the earthy tones. Tan, brown, charcoal, dark pink, turquoise, denim, dark gold. The earthy tones. I must admit, the tie does not fit with the rest of the meal. However, this is my supposition: I am a sponsored snowboarder who, during the summer, has a meeting with the head of his binding's supplier. He must carry his backback containing his laptop because he needs to be checking out the new lines of gear coming up for Winter 09 while on the train to his meeting. If you have any other ideas: shoot.

I must admit, like with the tie, that today's "description" is lacking. There really is little to talk about. It's school, I'm at school, headed to lunch in a few, headed to class at 1: 30, and the day continues. Exciting? From what you're reading, absolutely not. But who knows what I'm keeping out? You don't. Sorry.





The In-N-New

Next up, the Zune HD. This may get a little technological for all you simplistic folk, so if you aren't interested, feel free to skip this section. Actually, I probably won't go all nutso on the specs...maybe just some opinion. I've been a Creative guy for a long long time. The Creative Zen Vision: M is still my mp3 player of choice and it still beats out most of the competition out there (I wrote a argumentative paper on this is high school. If you'd like to read it, let me know). However, that player came out a long long time ago and Creative has been unable to raise the bar to the point where I desire to spend a good amount of money on them. Now the Zune HD is coming out and it's tempting. Don't get me wrong, I probably will never get this player. However, what is really attractive about it, to me of course (it's subjective), is the graphics side to the player. The screen is stunning and what they did with the typography in the Zune UI is absolutely incredible. Take a look: video. In fact, the whole UI is stunning. It is beautiful. That's my main draw and sadly, I will never buy it.

"Where The Wild Things Are" -- interesting. It is probably just me, but....I'll just give you my opinion. This children's story is a classic. Everybody who grew up in the last 40 years has read this book and it has captured the hearts of kids everywhere. Now, in 2009, give or take a year, they decide to make a movie. Now, often times with an adored book, the movie changes it for the worst. However, this children's book is so abstract and innocent, that can it be messed up? I guess we'll have to see. I will admit, it looks promising. Adults and children alike are pumped, just read the comments on the trailers on youtube. I must say, the trailer shows many good aspects and hopefully will reflect the actual film. One of my favorite aspects of the film's artsy marketing side is the use of the extremely childish type and childish ambition. Take a look below at one of the posters:


Incredible. I absolutely love how the title is crooked and the letters are so incredibly free handed...mmm it makes me smile. I wonder how professional designers think of this? At first I didn't know what to think. But it appeals to the childish side in all of us, young and old, and forces an emotion that I definitely can't explain. I'm impressed.

Continuing with movies, I stumbled upon this video:


It's by this guy called Pogo. His original video was pulled off of the internet because of copyright restrictions, people are upset, Pogo is upset for the following reasons which are listed on his blog: http://pogotracks.blogspot.com/. Anyway, this song is absolutely astounding. It is a killer jam that lulls your ears into sweet melancholy due youtube stripping its rights. Search "bangarang pogo" on youtube and you'll see people's reactions. This song is awesome beyond belief. And with that, Hook is an awesome beyond belief movie. I need to watch it again. Bring's back childhood memories. Like Johnny Tsunami--best movie possibly of all time.


EDIT: see what did I tell you: that video is already down in the dumps. Just search "Bangarang Pogo" in youtube and you are bound to find it. It is definitely worth jamming to.