Jeez, how long has it been since I last posted in this thing?! (According to my last entry...October *wince*) Honestly, these days I just can't muster up the energy to post in this as frequently as I used to, but I really do want to continue posting artz on the internets, and I definitely want to start using Photoshop and OpenCanvas to paint again. It's just a matter of getting over my incredible laziness. In the time between my last entry and now, I have accomplished the following, in no particular order: 1) Graduating highschool, 2) getting into UT Austin, where I may or may not be spending the next four years of my life, 3) Acquiring a Macbook, and 4) Realizing (and indulging in) my fondness for book design, Motown tunes, and Things That Smell Like Grapefruit.
Anyway, let's get down to the heart of this meandering LJ entry:
In the meantime, here are some things I am into right now (I have a list fetish, I KNOW IT):
Bookmooch: I almost didn't want to post this here because this site is so special to me, but I figured that not many people read this thing, and anyway, it's rarely a good idea to keep good things bottled up inside :) Anyway, I have mooched SO MANY great books from here it's unbelievable: the first three Griffin and Sabine books in perfect condition, a bunch of Murakami books (extremely desirable over at Bookmooch - all of his novels have a waiting list of at least 50 people each), manga, Good Omens, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, and on and on...MARRY ME BOOKMOOCH
cultyouth: a really incredible blog full of crazy alternative Chinese art.
Frog Hat Studios: Shhh, I think I just might have a crush on Chris Appelhans and his gorgeous concept artwork :>
Studio Kajino: a collection of capsule music videos animated by Studio Kajino. Cute as hell, especially Soratobu Toshikeikaku. Bubble suits! Clothing capsules! So cute!
Red Nose Studio: Also a great place for inspiration, this guy's puppet illustrations (not what you think!) are incredibly well-executed and photographed. I saw one in a magazine and fell in love.
Christopher Doyle: Part of the reason why I love Wong Kar-Wai's movies so much! I want to take photos like his, with those saturated colors and filled with such vibrancy and life.
22 Panels: This must be decades old, but it's still as relevant as it was then. I'm not drawing a comic right now, but this a reminder that there are countless ways of looking at a scene.
Ronnie del Carmen and Tadahiro Uesugi: These guys are a huge inspiration for me. Their work is effortlessly elegant and atmospheric, something I strive for in my own art. I recently bought their Three Trees Make a Forest collection, which is wonderful and gorgeous and argghhhg!
Spoon: Their new CD is so good that I went out and bought it the day it came out, despite having had it on rotation for the past month. Now that's what I call the hallmark of true excellence!
Finally got around to scanning in some of the drawings done during driver's ed this summer! I gotta say, these sketches have to be some of the...stranger drawings I've done lately. Interesting tidbit: I did these all with one old, worn-out ballpoint pen and surprisingly it never once stopped up during the three-week period!
Hmph, my brother left for some debate camp thing and now I have no one to watch Pee Wee's Playhouse with. :( I tried to get my mom to watch it with me, but after three minutes she got up and left, muttering something about silly man-children and creepy talking chairs.
Anyway, I was kind of bored today so I uploaded some of the songs I've been listening to lately:
ABC - Date Stamp It was so hard picking one song off of Lexicon of Love because the entire album is amazing, but I particularly love this song because the lyrics are so witty - every time this song comes up I pretty much stop what I'm doing and sing along loudly. WHO CARES IF I LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT
A-Ha - Take On Me Don't you try to lie to me because I KNOW you know I know you secretly love this song. Hot animated men = Yes!
Pixies - Debaser I love the Pixies! It's so hard to believe that this was recored in the eighties - definitely way ahead of its time. This song in particular is great because it's so catchy, despite the bizarre subject matter. Sometimes I'll walk into the kitchen singing "Slicin' up eyeballs, I want you to knoooow" and my mom will give me the weirdest look, as if I'm crazy or something. Wonder why...
M - Qui de nous deux M has such a great voice. If only I know what he was saying!
Tears For Fears - Famous Last Words If you've only heard their earlier, synthpop-driven stuff (Mad World, etc) this song will come as a real surprise because it's so much more...organic? I think that's the word I'm looking for. Actually, this is a really bad description, but download this song anyway!
the pillows - Last Dinosaur My favorite pillows song! Except I can't really say that because I love so many of their songs...don't even get me started on Good Dreams and Please Mr. Lostman....
Rangeela - Tanha Tanha Yahan Pe Jeena Oh this list wouldn't be complete without a masala song! This is from one of my favorite Bollywood movies, Rangeela. If you get a chance, rent the movie - it's the quintessential ruffian-with-a-heart-of-gold-falls-in-love-with-childhood-friend-who-is-about-to-make-her-big-break story.
Haha, three-fourths of this list is 80's music! Why am I not surprised?
It's just so amazingly BIZARRE. I mean, the man married a bowl of FRUIT SALAD for god's sake! (By the way, I've determined that my soulmate is the man who answers "Maybe I WILL!" to my "If you love ______ so much, why don't you MARRY it?!")
I had to go and get my senior photos taken today, and I SWEAR the studio must have been permanently stuck in 1994 because all the pictures on the wall were the most stereotypical glamour photos you could imagine - complete with sparkly pastel backgrounds and puffy bangs. I think I may have become one of them also - the lady kept moving my arms around in the most awkward positions and forcing me to smile stupidly into the camera. I'd shift my head a tenth of a degree and she'd come running to readjust me into this extremely exact position...and I was hoping I wouldn't look stoned in my yearbook picture too X(
Well, leaving for the architecture summer program at UT today...holy jeebus I am so NERVOUS! Five weeks...away from my computer...HOW WILL I EVER SURVIVE?!
Okay, okay. I just had to post this in celebration of finishing the APUSH exam. I was doing some study questions the night before and came across this lovely gem:
34. In 1804, Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel which was fought because:
(A) Hamilton had formally accused Burr of treason and Burr felt he had to defend his honor. (B) Burr blamed his loss of the 1804 election for governor of New York on Hamilton's charges that Burr was dangerous and untrustworthy. (C) Hamilton had uncovered Burr's plan to form an independent republic comprised of American territories west of the Appalacians. (D) Burr had caught his wife in a sexual liaison with Hamilton and felt that he had to defend his honor.
Yeah, I wish it was D too. X) The real reason is just so dull in comparison!
I wonder if Burr would've shot him right there and then, or dragged him out of bed and done it properly?
Omg! I actually updated my devART account! That thing seriously hasn't been updated since November, I think. Anyway, here it is: click
Spring break is going nicely! I have a whole list of things to do, heh. Except it's a kind of silly list because I have really obvious stuff like "watch movies, read, do laundry, homework..." XD Man, I lead such an exciting life, filled with wonder and amusement every day -_-
I do plan to watch tons of cheezy movies, though. Coming up: Monsoon Wedding and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Two movies that happen to have "wedding" in their title! I find that very exciting.
1. Dr. Schaack picked my drawing for the cover of Frontage Roads magazine!
2. I found out today that a certain guy I thought was really nice is actually an asshole! My faith in humanity diminishes.
3. Lunch-Josh and Toni assure me that said guy is truly an asshole (I had my doubts because he seemed SO NICE) and restore my faith in humanity somewhat.
4. I also found that apparently The Russian Pervert has a girlfriend? XD?
5. Gingerbread flavored chocolate: Yes!
6. I had a revelation about life in general on the bus home; except I forgot it.
You consider it a spoiler when someone tells you that the president you're reading about is going to be assassinated.
Oh god. It's true! Someone last week asked me why Garfield was assassinated, and I said, "WHAT?! He DIES?" because he seemed like a nice enough guy, and just know, I was reading a review of a book, and at the end, the reviewer throws in some offhanded remark about how the author did a fine job on the details of McKinley's assassination and I now I feel like the next 20 pages on my history book have been ruined for me! I am such a dweeb, but I suppose I should have known which presidents were assassinated.
Only the sweet sounds of His Noodley Appendages in my heart
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It's official. I have converted to Spaghetti Monsterism.
I leave you with quotes all Pastaferians should take to heart:
"Arrrr. To be a good follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, ye should drink much beerrrrrrrr and surround yerself with as many buxom wenches as possible." - Oscar Wilde on Flying Spaghetti Monsterism
"It is easier for lasagna to pass through the holes of a colander than it is for a rich person to enter Paradise." - Ishmali Canuwundra
YES. Look what I just won from ebay!: Amazon link Except for half the price!
To-do list: -NHS application (Due Sept. 27) -Thank-you cards -Study for psych, math, and APUSH quizzes -DRAWDRAWDRAW, need to make more time for this! -Finish Delirium drawing, which has been sitting around since the BEGINNING OF TIME -Start on portfolio?!
Has anyone seen the ads for the new iPod Nano? Does anyone else think that it's just too damn SMALL?! I never thought I would feel this way, but the smallness kind of freaks me out! It looks like it will break any minute, or maybe disappear in your pocket or something. I'm so weird. o_o
Neil Gaiman is coming to Austin for a book signing on the 26th of September! According to Amazon.com, his new book is to be released Sept. 20...which also happened to be my birthday. XD IT IS FATE!
Hopefully one of my friends is willing to put up with my obsessive ramblings about the ending of Sandman and go with me (I need someone to support me in case my legs turn to jelly, LOL)
Are you petrified...of being Petrified Are we gonna have to save the school again
BEST LYRICS EVER. Why didn't these guys do the soundtrack for the movies?!
