Tiny Glimpse

I GOT MY CAMERA.
And now the world is nearly perfect.

there are many more pictures on my facebook.

Break

I had my last Design class yesterday morning, so I have no class until tomorrow afternoon. YAYY. Even if I'll be working all day, it's nice to wake up after 7:20. And since I missed breakfast hours, I guess I'll HAVE TO go to Starbucks or au bon pain in this amazing weather.

Weather that will climb up to the high 80's in the afternoon. But I'll be in Chase center by then...where it's freezing. freeeezzzing. so freezing that, in fact, I packed a sweater. HAHA.

My last design critique was really good. It's so funny how people look at my project and go, "ooo, how cute. what is it?" HAHA. that's not so important now, is it?

Hopefully this week won't have flash thunderstorms. How bizarre. and interrupting. my sneakers filled with water when I stepped outside on Friday. HAHAHA.

We did a lot of work for Design! But it was all enjoyable because my professor is so nice and chill and always tells us to have FUN FUN FUN. haha. not that any of slacked off. maybe one or two did...lol.

Left for the week...my picasso sculpture and 10 drawings. It's gonna be rough, but only til Friday.

I have to get my driver's license when I get back......sigh. Why does it take so long...

So many movies to see when I go home. It's embarrassing to say that I've never seen Fight Club, or Big Fish, or etc etc etc etc etc.

It's "research." muahahaha.

on saturday in the freezing studio, we did karaoke via youtube. can you say bohemian rhapsody? and hey jude...LOL. and then some people started singing a perverted version of "a whole new world." it turned into "a whole nude world." my face was frozen for about 4 or so minutes. HAHA.

Only 4 more days! I will miss the people here. But I miss the people at home, too. And the food. the fooood.

Rambles and Speed

Holy crap, time can sure move fast. I thought I had updated my blog recently, but it's already been 5 days?!!

Camera coming hopefully before sunday.......my last Design class is on Sunday, and I really would like to remember everything.

Today there was an excited conversation about tapeworms at lunch. Good thing I was hungry, or I would have just left HAHA.

It's almost 2:00 am, and I have class at 8:30 am tomorrow...but I don't feel like sleeping just yet. Plus my roommate is sleeping, and there's something peaceful about writing in the dark.

It must be that time of the month HAHAHA, because I'm feeling reflective and detached today. Having a button or switch that would let me be a guy for a day or two would be so. convenient. But only at my discretion HAHA.

Apparently, having a taste for wine is an acquired sort of thing. But until then, I've got my apple juice ^.^

3 finals projects due, starting this Sunday. The weekend is going to be....rough. lol.

I've been listening to Sinatra-era songs and recordings recently. Why can't music be like that anymore? There's good music coming out these days, too, but it's like one of those few and far between sort of deals.

Man, do I need a haircut or what. Shall we go short? I always wanted a boy-cut....and since I've outgrown the nose piercing desire........at least hair grows back. In my case, basically instantly.

Peace for now. Perhaps in a couple days I'll be more normal LOL.

Hm

I saw the movie Inception last night, directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, JOSEPH GORDON LEVITT (woot), Ellen Page, and a bunch of other people. Marion Cotillard (another woot) played Leo's dead wife. Man she was good.
It was really good.........not like, AMAZING, but it really made you think. It was never boring, always something happening, even in the quiet moments.
The acting was really great. Greatgreat. Oh yea, Ken Watanabe is in this one! haha.
Basically it questions, what is reality? But I really liked the storyline about how Leo's character Tom Cobbs (Cobb?) had to get over the guilt of planting the idea that dreamstate was reality in his wife's mind. THEY LOVED EACH OTHER SO MUCH IT WAS SO SAAADDDDD. T_________T
Even though the special effects stuff was GREAT, it's not what I remember most about it. I just remember Cobbs and how much he guilt he has and how much he just wants to go home to see his children.
The ending made the whole theater go "whhhaaattt???!!!!!" I suppose the ending fits with the whole movie, and the movie was plotted out cleverly. But no one really enjoys ambiguous endings. I'm not sure if the ending was ambiguous, but the director did make the clues obvious.

The movie was all serious though. Very small brief moments of humor just for kicks, but those don't count.

I like Joseph Gordon Levitt. :D

Soooo I have updated since Tuesday...
I'm getting a new camera that is Ana-proof, aka waterproof. I seem to ruin everything with water...my old phone...my newer phone and old camera with apple juice...
Now I can even use this camera in the rain!!! and apparently it's dust-free...whatever that means.

There have been so many things to take pictures of....but I had to use my new phone's dinky camera. Even if it's only one week's worth of pictures here, better than nothing?

I am living right above the library next year! YES.

Since I went to the Miyazaki marathon (totoro, totoro...) AND watched Inception AND watched part of Howl's Moving Castle after that, today is just.......WORKDAY. I woke up at 11:30, so I gotta get a move on. Another late night, I suppose. I'm using cardboard and thick gouache for my Design final and a commentary on Cubism for my 3D final. Man, Cubism is so ugly >(
My RA made chocolate cookies with frosting eyes for soot spirits and totoro shaped cream puffs!!! IT WAS SO DELICIOUS. I wish I liked baking. But I don't. HAHA.

The summer session is coming down to the end! only 2 more weeks here. And then 3 more years. It will go so fast.....

There is a remake of the french comedy Le Diner des Cons out in theaters called Dinner for Schmucks. I can GUARANTEE that the actors are going to RUIN IT. terrible terrible idea....remaking a great film. What made the original so good was that the acting and script were amazing!

Stupid Hollywood.

Some students here know famous people. Wah.

Halfway

This is now week 4! It's gone by so fast; two weeks to go.

Not much has happened since I last updated. I worked like a little monster during the weekend to finish my Design homework: a tryptic cityscape. Friday, Saturday, Sunday I stayed up pretty late...watching movies and working and eating simultaneously HAHA. But I'm feeling the effects of the late nights now...all today I was falling asleep. During critique in 3D class I had trouble focusing my eyes haha. I will sleep well tonight because.......FIELD TRIP TOMORROW!!! YAY. To Mass MoCa and Clark Museum in Western Massachusetts.

I managed to watch so many pieces of movies during the weekend....The Fall (beautiful cinematography, but it was so weird lol), Paprika (weird freaky anime, do not watch), Donnie Darko (I mostly ignored this movie), ...and I think that's it. There are so many that I haven't seen...I need to catch up haha.

New Design project: do whatever you want. I think I want to use acrylic and cardboard. Really excited.
I don't like my 3D project though: abstract cubist paper-based product sculpture. Cool beans, you'd think, but we have to use an ugly Picasso painting. He did so many better ones...sigh. But challenge!

Housing lottery is on Thursday. Everyone's so nervous because transfer students get last pick so the pickings are already slim....pun intended.

I didn't know how many Backstreet Boys songs I had memorized by heart. I surprised myself HAHA.

I need a camera.

Niche

Everyone here has seen Totoro, and the mid-twenty somethings get excited about Ponyo. A lot of people here have a good understanding of a second language and are interested in a third. We are all hard workers, though some like to play more than others. At the same token, we all like to play. We worship Pixar and Studio Ghibli. I haven't met a person here who likes Miley Cyrus. It is not uncommon to talk about foreign films. No one is interested in getting wasted or being promiscuous. We cheer for world cup teams during class. When we need breaks, we tell each other about illustrators/artists/animators/filmmakers we know about and learn from each other. Late at night in the studio we watch unusual anime-style pieces on youtube. Guys can be totally straight and be into fashion. Everyone I have met so far is intelligent and quick on the uptake. At least the people in the summer program, with a couple exceptions, you don't make friends with people based on looks or age. No one grimaces at the mention of thai/indian/vietnamese/what have you/ food. People's faces light up at the mention of Korean BBQ. People have seen the same short films that I have seen. We all compliment each other, we are interested in each other's works, but we also help each other out. There are techies and athletic people and people from Iran, Indonesia, Columbia, Mexico, China, Vancouver, Toronto, Texas (basically another country), Japan, Korea, India.

There is a place for me.

"Hot like hot wings and hot chocolate in hell, uh huh." -Psychopath, Macy Gray

So, it's hot. Apparently not as hot as back home, but uh...there was air conditioning (somewhat) at home. GUHH. I might die on Thursday when we have studio all day in an old building. with no AC. But enough with the complaining portion of this entry!

This weekend I worked quite a bit. Through Friday night...All day Saturday minus Thai food and froyo and the morning World Cup game (Germany=beast). All day Sunday, and then great (not amazing haha) fireworks at the nearby city park.

Today my design class spent the day drawing from observing animal parts/minerals/etc. under a microscope! It was cool..a little bit...but after 6 hours it gets terrible HAHA. I started the third and last cityscape sketch today. Someone helped me with the perspective. I'm a little wary of the gouache, but the compositions are nice, I think. My professor really liked them! Yay.

Evening was spent completely on finishing my second cardboard head. I must say...it's funny looking HAHA. It's comical because one eye is crying glue! I used my glue gun to make chunky tear pathways down the cheek HAHA. My first head sculpture looks airy and uplifting, so the second one I made comically sad. Aw. HAHA. I like them. We find out tomorrow what our next week project is going to be.

So strange that we meet our professors for only 3 more weeks! Goodness.

For drawing class we have to draw animal skulls with charcoal. Do not like. I have no idea what she wants, and she definitely wants something very specific. We all say, "Oh Eleanor" HAHA.

Thank goodness my studios are in airconditioned buildings tomorrow. Whew.

Some architecture grads may be 24-26, but they sure can act like 12 year olds HAHA.

Quicktime

It's July already. Wow.
So this week so far:
Monday, I had Design class and we started a new assignment. Yay. Made-up cityscape based on Providence. There are basically no limitations...one of the examples was an abstract gouache painting by a student from last semester. So I'm doing a tryptic of 22x22 in. cream color paper cityscapes. They're a little surrealistic, but I'm doing very different pov's for each one, so it'll look cool. I love that I start off the week with Design and my professor Mark Milloff, who creates crazy painting/sculpture things, apparently. He loves telling corny jokes he used to tell his kids when they were little kids. And he shows us film clips that relate to the lesson!
Tuesday! Half Design, half 3D class. The group of students I'm with gets a little wary of my 3D professor (she shall rename nameless). I think she's hilarious, and people like her, but she knows exactly what she wants to see, and she's extremely blunt. HAHA. Starting Tuesday afternoons, my group starts to lose it a little.
Wednesday was an extremely long day. A whole day of 3D class....yikes. But she is so nice and really cares that we develop our interests and strengths. One can only handle so much of her....and glue gun and chipboard. yeesh.
Thursday...blech. One. entire. day. of. Drawing. Class. Not. Good. My professor wants us to draw with charcoal in ONE particular way and she does NOT like if I try to relate to what she's trying to teach us in my own words. She often contradicts herself, and she's extremely serious. She talks about the "spirit" of things and connecting with your inner energy and your mind and your charcoal and extending it through your hand and onto the paper. CONNECT WITH THE PAPER. WHAT THE HELL. Needless to say, we all dread that class, and Thursday is most definitely the longest day of the week. HOWEVER, today we FINALLY started on something other than lines. Skeleton! anddddd NEKKID models! yes, my shoulder hurts.
Thank goodness tomorrow is only 3 hours of drawing. and we're getting models again. The exhaustion that my group exuded today at the end of class was pretty hilarious. We were like waddling with charcoal smudged all over us and rolling our necks, backs slumped over. HAHAHA.

This weekend is July 4th!! fireworks, hooray. I am also planning on watching The Last Airbender. Yes, sad, but I suppose I am one of those....loyal fans. I am anticipating a poorly directed film. Shyamalan's just..lost it I suppose. Poor guy.

Course selection is a bit stressful. That Registrar office better have some answers tomorrow. But I'm so glad I got so many credits transferred. I wonder for how long this luck will last, lol.

My workload has been extremely manageable. A lot of my housemates have had 3-5 hour nights already. That is, not to say that I haven't been learning as much. I am learning lots and lots. Apparently, I like 3D stuffs. Some students in my group dread 3D, but I think I enjoy it.

Rango directed by Gore Verbinski (Verbinsky?) looks great. Yay for Johnny Depp.