Lotus6

Zemotion

2010-12-14T13:59:00.004-06:00

There's a certain level of amazement as you skim through the photographic works of Zemotion, a Singaporean photographer and blogger. Each photo is beautiful, with some pictures garnering more attention than others. My friends and I each have a favorite picture that we think is astonishing but that is soon to be washed away in murky uncertainty as she posts more and more pieces on her site.

I find myself saying "I like this one.... no I like this one... no this one definitely..." It's endless. All her photos, or as I should say artwork, is amazing and I can't choose one single piece. But that was just the beginning. What I saw and what many others saw was just the surface of a beautiful world, one that could be peeled away as you delved further into her works and words.

What does words have to do with it? If you are an avid fan of Zemotion, you might have landed on her personal blog at one time or another. You might even be a follower on her blogspot like I am but if you ever read what she writes, you'll understand the beauty and complexity of her emotions that becomes translated into her form of art. You can see her struggling quest to find perfection. Life and death seem to be an important theme in her posts and through this understanding, I could see her interpretation on print. The more I read and understood this, the more I saw the hidden and potent beauty in her photographs.

One way of being an artist they say is to put your emotions down on canvas and perhaps that is what she did. I can't describe her style, but the words that do come to mind are melancholic surrealism. She makes me want to sit outside and observe the beautiful world around me. And that is what an artist is to me... to spark inspiration in individuals like myself.

Zemotion's Portfolio

2009 Wishlist

2009-11-25T00:20:00.006-06:00

I'll keep this short and simple cause I don't really know what to put on here. This year is cheap as usual. Sorry for such late post, laziness gets the better of me.

1. Kojic Acid Soap
Any by Diane Stalder Labs or Kojie san products are fine. It's a skin lightening soap that supposedly works really well. You can find them on ebay individually or lots of 10.

Individually
Lots of 10

2. Nikon ml-l3 remote trigger. A remote to trigger the shutter wirelessly. Again, this can be found on ebay.

Nikon ml-l3

3. Rosco gel- roscolux sampler pack. Colored gel filters for camera flashes to make cool lighting effects. Again, found on ebay.

Roscolux

4. Dr. Jart BB Cream. Ok I'm running out of this. My HG foundation.

Dr. Jart BB cream

5. Magazine subscription to Instyle or Harper's Bazaar.
6. Cute accessories. You know I like cool weird stuff.

Ok at this point I'm tired and I don't know what else to put. I'm fine with anything dudes.

Culture shock...ish

2009-05-10T21:49:00.003-06:00

This was a while back but I never got the chance to post it up online. So here I am at sensei's house this time for a small gathering slash Aozora's going back to Japan party. I took some couple of pictures throughout the night but didn't get as many as I wanted. I loved how everyone tried to make Japanese food even though a majority of us was non-japanese, how everyone tried to say something in Japanese even though we sound like pre-school kids and how hard we tried to understand those who did speak Japanese fluently (namely Ao, Ken and Uo-sensei). It was a great and fun night. Take a look at some of my memories :D

I helped Ao make takoyaki in this neat tako-compartment maker :)

Tada! Thus the finished takoyaki puffs. The other batch was faulty and was stuck to the grill like gorilla glue.

My hand at making onigiri but I failed miserably. You can see my "prized" onigiri wannabe.

Dude, I wanted to eat this all but I don't have an endless stomach like some people do... Edamame, takoyaki, salad, yakisoba, teriyaki, onigiri, fried rice yum!

*Drool* Suushii~ I think I ate all the salmon sushi tehe! (The orange with stripes) I am a salmon fiend!

At the end of the night, Uo sensei's husband took out some games including this. It's called Shogi and I have absolutely no idea how to play this. Ken and Mr. Uo-sensei's-husband played as opposing mates.

Aozora playing GO with...

That's right... me! Epic newbs though. We had no idea how to utilize strategies for advantageous gameplay.

And thus here is our line of defense. A straight diagonal line of go pieces. Brilliant isn't it?

And the result of this game. I was black, Ao was white. It's not very apparent but she won lol.

Ao, you will be missed. All other Japanese classmates, you all too will be missed.

So did everyone see "Star Trek"? It was a GREAT movie!! Blackholes, supernovas, aliens, warp-speed, dudes that's my niche!

Showtel

2009-04-26T13:03:00.012-06:00

I went to this art show called Showtel with Meagan and Stephanie in West Palm Beach yesterday. I'm assuming this is an annual show 'cause I've never heard it of until recently. Each room in the hotel is decorated by an artist which represents the thesis of their presentation. We started going head over heels looking at these rooms. It was a complete sensory trip! I've seen some wacky and crazy things, things I would have never thought of. This is a picture dump so take care...

The first room. A bit erotic with an intent on sensuality and romance if you will...

The citrus room as I'd like to call it. Smelled of oranges as you can tell.

Sandwiches in briefcases? Look at the tiles! They're of pepperoni, salami, ham etc. In the corner we found the jackpot briefcase. Walls were lined with subs and bedsheets had "I love sandwiches, I love briefcases" on it. Remind me to come back when I'm hungry...

Satyrs in the forest! Real people in faun costumes playing cello, harp, banjo looking thing and the flute. It was almost Narnia-like.

A cool water fountain in the Satyr room.

Clothes... netting... camcorder in the corner. I can tell she put alot of effort into making those yarn nets, they were incredible!

The ant room. Pictures of ants on paper strewn on the floor and on the bed. A projectile movie was playing over the head of the bed.

The security room. It was really fun, alarms were going off, the bed mattress is made of shredded paper and they had a security guard there! A photographer was present as well taking "mug shots". I was in one of those mug shots lol.

And in the bathroom they had caution tape...

With fake money shredded and piled on the floor.

Last year's pool shot had a complete underwater bedroom. This year it's... boats.

If you look carefully they are plants on the bed. The orange light was going on and off, kind of reminded me poison ivy from Batman I don't know why..

And vines growing from water sources.

How weird is this? Don't ask. I think Stephanie called it romantic LOL

It was dark, it was twirly and it looked like an underwater city.

Lookie them creatures suspended in midair circulating that pole!

This was one of my favorite rooms. It looked like inside of a winter cavern.

And some more...

Cool blue light effects, "night" sounds with crickets in the background...

Another one of my favorites! Reminds of me nightmare before christmas.

This was a live person! She was posing for me, especially for me lol

Ok this one is kind of freaky. They had scary circus music in the background, clown looking things everywhere, popcorn on the ground, stuffed animals piled up, underwear on the drying line...

See how scary this is?

Do you notice anything weird about this room? It's a 6"x6" room. Yes in inches. This is the tiny room that is at the end of the fabric tunnel.

Models in this room were completely oblivious to bystanders and camera and to me as well.

They were trying on clothes, looking in mirrors etc etc.

And the photographer photographing his model. See the irony?

Penny chainmail bedsheets. Crazy amounts of pennies everywhere. Penny rope, penny mug, take-a-penny, penny floormat...

And did I mention penny toilet and paper? Pennies everywhere!

I loved it! I wish I could do a room too! We concluded we could do something like this as well if given the chance...

Edit: My picture was featured in Metromix, check it out!

End of the year

2009-04-24T19:15:00.005-06:00

End of the year comes and everything gets thrown off balance. You've got final exams, teachers to bug about why your grades are so low and last minute cram sessions.

I'm so glad school is over and done with.

I thought it was a good idea to grab some sushi for a "end of the year" party with classmates from Japanese 1 & 2. How fitting is that? We were just learning about Japanese food too!

Susan, Emi, Me and Sean

I ordered the Sushi Deluxe. I can't remember all their names though... Isn't it pretty? I still LOVE the salmon sushi. I remember the pure white one is called Hirame. The only reason why I remember that is because I misheard the waitress say it as hirameki which means inspiration or something like that. Sensei says I say some pretty good words even though I have no clue what I'm saying lol. I'm far too lazy to look it up and double check.

Mocchi ice cream. This is really~ good! Read Bean, Mango, and Green Tea flavors. I want some moar!

These are the people who showed up. Just for memories sake I have to write all their names down before I forget... (left to right) Van Eric, Richard, Stacy, Uo Sensei, Susan, Emi, Me, Sean.

So remember when I said I won something from Sephora? This is it guys. A $140 value Shiseido sun kit shipped via UPS. Funny story though. There was a mix-up with the previous Givenchy VIP goody bag contest. The lady made a mistake and thought I won the Givenchy one, but alas I see that she realized her mistake when they sent me this.

They sent me Hair and body sun protection spray, Face sunscreen, Foundation stick, Translucent spf stick, lip protection, eye cream and this key chain of some sort that consists of a screw driver... don't ask I don't know why and how that relates to sunscreen.

Getting ready for A-kon sucks.

Oh I have so many photoshoot ideas! Realizing them will take more effort than what I think it will take.

Frantic-ism

2009-04-14T18:55:00.007-06:00

Here I am 6 weeks away from A-kon procrastinating once again. You'd think that I would have learned my lesson from last year -- 3 days worth of forced insomnia with eyebags sagging like 80 year old grandmas recovering from early days of botox, red eyes like some kind of deranged & possessed drug addict, a never-ending constant state of flickering consciousness (a pair, might I add), and slow heavy bodies crawling around like Samara from the horror flick "The Ring"

... or maybe Slowpoke for me (yes my readers, Pokemon).

Here I am moaning from an unwillingness to sew or pick up anything fabric related. I'm sure Hai Yen is too. It's kind of amusing how we tell each other we don't want to repeat last year's mistake, yet it looks like that might come true once again this year. Oh how we contradict ourselves!

I've been using this oil for my scars and discoloration on my legs and arms. Apparently there are mad rave reviews on this product but I must be diligent for 3 months if I were to see any improvement. How I wish those 3 months would be over and I'm already moaning as it's been 1 week.

After taking Biology of Cancer, I am now aware of melanoma and the varying offenses that is called skin cancer. I've been using the highest spf (85) on areas that are most exposed to the sun and UV radiation. (I'm secretly wishing this would could abracadabra on my farmer's tan). You all should too.

Apparently I won something from Sephora, we'll see what comes in the mail :)

Daily life consists of working out and then negating all that by eating out. I wish I could magically zap la fat or poop it all out. Yea I know disgusting right? Don't you ever think of that too? You'd have those dirty thoughts as well if you were in my shoes. I should make a miracle pill that will slough off all the different kinds of fats stored in the adipose tissues. Maybe a pill for every part of the body to suit everyone's needs. There would be no fat people in the world any longer.

Now for my fashion wishlist (or make-list)!

Love this jacket and the contrasting black satin lapels. Very classy and elegant.

This is strangely attractive to me. I adore this shirt... maybe cause of the print? Shape? colors? Can't say... It just seems "breezy" lol

Kate Moss has a clothing line apparently, love the print on this dress. And it's purple, I need purple. I need dresses.

Reminded me of Hai Yen's rendition of Harry potter robe for overweight 1980's middle-aged housewife. I like the patterns on this one too.

Can I say "complete adoration"? I am officially wanting to make this dress. This is also strangely perplexing to me cause of my inconceivable liking for dresses nowadays.

What is with me and dresses? Maybe cause it's nearing summer and dresses are breezy for the most part. I like breezy :)

Woe

2009-03-05T10:02:00.005-06:00

I really want this book. Retail value is $100 but Half.com is my friend :) I think it'll be a nice book to refer back to when I'm having those DIY sewing escapade traumas.

There isn't much to update here but I thought it was worth putting up a few couple of sentences at least. The life of Eun-Ji is a total bore I tell you. I've been making a VK blazer/jacket and all was well until the collars ruined my life. I hate how pattern instructions never elaborate on that crucial part. I'm in the middle of ripping that jacket to pieces so I can REDO the whole notched collar thing again. Oh woe is me.

On a much happier note, I ordered bright gold fabric paint by Lumiere and I can't wait to paint doodles with it. But no... I must finish the jacket first...THE JACKET! (If there was an emoticon for baggy eyes I would insert them here). This is why I can't ever study fashion design or pattern construction as it would be the end of me.

I LOVE Boys Over Flowers <꾳 보다 男子>
I LOVE their Shinhwa school uniforms. I WANT. Hmm another sewing project??
I don't know why but I love blazers. There are these riding uniforms that the boys wear that I want to attempt to make as well :)

Did I ever mention I started shadowing a dentist last week? And scrubs are awfully comfortable I tell you. I'm hoping it'll help to improve my interacting skills since I have a profound lack of that seemingly. It's only my 2nd time going to the office and yet I can see how daily life as a general dentist can be menial and tiring. Sometimes it's even terrifying; 87 year old grandmas coming in to fix dentures and telling us that she renewed her drivers license for another 8 years. There really should be a law limiting the maximum driving age. Shadowing is like work almost. You have to force yourself to smile and talk to eager patients. (Baggy eyed emoticon here). Sigh.

Pictures make the world go 'round.
I shall post pictures of the blazer soon... (as I tackle this collar)

Heart Day

2009-02-15T18:31:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was pretty crazy, the day before that was hectic as well... all in preparation for an overused and over-abused day of love. Please~
Our eastern counterparts would consider Christmas as a day for spending time with your significant other, and ours? Valentines. Yea, all those anniversaries, proposals, weddings on V-day are serious roll-your-eyes to me. But if it has happened to you, I congratulate you.

After I begged my parents to let me off early, I drove to Broward Mall, DSW, Oakwood plaza and back to Oakwood plaza in search of red heels to match my new red vintage clutch. I purchased a pointy toe red pair of pumps at DSW but upon arrival at Nine West Outlet at Oakwood plaza afterwards I found the perfect round toe red heels. Though... they didn't carry my size! I finally settled for half-size smaller pair at Nine West and phoned the employee there to reserve it for me until I can pick it up. Red heels are a pain to find. Red round toe heels are even harder especially when you're in a time crunch.

After getting ready and what not, we drove to this super-ritzy-fancy-doodilydoo restaurant called the Rusty Pelican in Key Biscayne, Miami. We were seriously the best dressed group there, many people were very underdressed at this seriously-expensive restaurant much to our amusement and disappointment. Did I mention the DJ there sucked butt too? He kept changing the songs (and yes I know DJs mix songs) but this wasn't what I would like to call "seamless" mixing. Common, Daddy Yankee on V-day?? Nonetheless, the food was scrumptious, I pigged on shrimps, sushi, veggies, and chocolate fondue mmmmmmmmm~ I felt like I was 7 months pregnant after stuffing myself (minus the labor pains ;) Champagne, white wine, delish foods, mouthwatering desserts, open bar, endless rounds of drinks, dancing... it was fantabulous. I even danced to my first merenge song with Jessica in lead. The serious Cubana side of her was no joke, while my bouncing around was.

Like Cinderella, we returned home at the strike of 12 while konking out in the backseat of the car. V-day this year was wonderful. And I had my two cutest dates to thank for.

My red clutch! <3

And my red pumps!

Jessica and Lei toasting it up.

Fools think that I wasn't taking a picture >:)

V-day Ice sculpture and someone's arm picking out sushi.

My lovely artistic snapshot of the candlelight and roses that our waiters got for ze ladies, (us).

Jess's instructions to pose like that, it wasn't my idea! lol.

Beautiful night view of downtown Miami from the Rusty Pelican's backdoor view.

Now I'm on a search for some new black heels. Snoopy and Hani chewed up my last pair. 이녀석들!!

Update and 25 random things

2009-02-07T11:42:00.007-06:00

My rate of updating correlates to how many "worthy" things there are in my life to write about. Dear Lord I haven't even picked up my camera in what seems like seasons ago. Mother mentioned to me one day about how I used to carry my camera around like a fragile baby, but now only rarely does she see me jutting around with the big "Nikon" strapped around my neck. I've been bad, very bad. I've been letting my eyes wander around near this one certain beauty named Canon 5D markII hehe... I was just curious I swear!

Though jealousy does not become you Nikon sweety.

I took her out to go shooting when Jessica proposed that we go visit Vizcaya. The house and garden ... simply marvelous! I was more so interested in the "secret passageways" and doors that it had but they were all blocked off, restricting access to the public. Photography indoors were strictly prohibited but I shot some pics old paparrazo style. Professor Shabaka mentioned a photographer who walked outside snapping pics of people without holding it up to the face and without their knowledge of course... his name escapes me however.

And onto the 25 random questionarre that's EVERYWHERE on facebook, blogspot, and probably myspace too (but haven't checked in a long while so I wouldn't know).

Yea I'll post more Vizcaya pics later on... when I get around to it.

25 Random Things About Me
1. If I made a living as a successful fashion photographer, I'd be kickin'
2. I tend to contradict myself often, my life is full of contradictions I tell you!
3. When I was born I had so much body hair (like a monkey) that my parents thought I'd be an outcast growing up. But it all fell off thereafter, fortunately.
4. When I was a kid, I craved juice instead of candy. Fruit jelly was my substitute.
5. At the age of 4 I had thought that my mom abandoned me by sending me to go live with my auntie. It was only temporary so that she could get surgery done.
6. My brother and I were inseparable. To the point where if the other didn't come along, we'd be gloomy and unenthusiastic about everything (sometimes even crying).
7. I need my full 8-9 hours night sleep. Otherwise, incur my wrath.
8. If I could remember every single night's dreams, I'd be banking as a fiction author. They're that good!
9. There was a point in time where I used to listen to Nsync as a nightly lullaby.
10. I used to be obsessed with Jennifer Love Hewitt (and later Nsync).
11. In elementary school I fell into that scam, "10 music albums for 1 cent each!". I never told my mom I ordered them, even when they kept sending them repeatedly.
12. I am homophobic.
13. I dislike driving. I drive if I have to. It's a wonder I drove from Florida to Dallas all by myself...
14. I have this never-ending inferiority complex causing me to be down or to be competitive often.
15. My mom is my best friend.
16. I believe in 2nd chances.
17. I love dark chocolate and prefer it over milk chocolate.
18. I'm interested in anything mysterious and supernatural, most of the time I'm a scaredy cat though.
19. I can be over-reactive, over-sensitive, over-many things.
20. I often wish I had some amazing superpower, or have some kind of female-empowering-protagonist-role of some story.
21. If I were to meet some super famous celebrity I would never fangirl at any point in time. They are not worth my time and I'm sure I'm not theirs.
22. I was born with the Mongol spot on my butt but it disappeared as I grew (like my body fur).
23. Even though I cursed at the flute for many years, I still miss playing it and hearing it's sound.
24. I can play Samulnori (Traditional Korean percussion unit).
25. I have had a crush on every single color of the rainbow and more at some point in my life. As of right now, it is green, red and almost edging into purple.

Lovely isn't it?

2008-12-25T10:26:00.006-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!
It's supposed to be a day where everyone loves and cares for each other, a day of generosity. So why is it that when Christmas nears, all the grouchy and extremely bitter people come out of their caves each year? To make everyone else miserable? It used to be my favorite holiday, now that title is stripped away.

As you all know, (due to some pictures being unceremoniously uploaded through facebook and my face as tagged) ze dress is finally finished. I've departed from my original design as I didn't have enough time to finish the last piece. Instead I added a new element which enables me to sit and walk more comfortably :)

Artificial flowers were plucked and handpainted.

Wide array of beads and sequins at my disposal.

Back zipper stitched.

The dress that took me 4 days to complete.

Two of the four days of hand stitching every single flower, beads and sequins.

1) Photo stolen from Christina Machado.
2) It's hard to tell from this picture but you can slightly see the tulle that I used as an obi/bow. The bow is hidden under my right arm that is holding a drink.
3) Please ignore my purple lips, it was due to the cocktail I was drinking (and having no idea that it stained my lips :0 )

Lei's handcrafted and painted mask (by me of course). There is a checkered distortion, can you see it?

And to think that everything was made within a week's time. I amaze myself sometimes.

Preliminary designs

2008-12-14T15:23:00.004-06:00

I swore that I would update this thing at least once a week. I seemed to have failed on that promise of mine haha.

I'm making a masquerade party dress that I agreed to attend next week, yet I am drawing blanks for a design. I bought 10 yards of chiffon not knowing what I was going to make. Talk about spur of the moment shopping!

My mask is already in the process of making. It'll be a "celestial" theme to say the least. I will upload in-progress pictures within next week. Please wait for the final picture to make a judgment :)

I have many many photoshoot ideas shuffled around in my head as of late. This coming summer we will have at least 2 sets. I'm super ecstatic! Speaking of photoshoots, I helped produce a friend's photoshoot that was due for a class project. I was just told that the picture she submitted became one of her school's top finalists to be entered into a national photography contest. I never knew I had such great ideas... only putting them into action seems to be my problem though :(

Edit!
After two days of labor I have finally finished my mask! I don't have the in-progress pictures (since Jessica has them on her own camera). I have yet to finish Lei's though :'(

Point: Crescent Moon focus. Wire-work, rhinestones, gold beads and pearls. Metallic gold mask with the tips slightly brushed with silver paint.

Point: Wires framing eye window. Rhinestones on the inner corner.

Final product. Gold mask with silver accents. On the right is a star shaped wire studded with Rhinestones.

Birthday

2008-11-23T11:33:00.003-06:00

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for the wonderful birthday wishes through texts, internet, phone calls and birthday cards. Truly, technology has become such that communication exists through many media. Each and every one, even a simple "Happy Birthday", I am grateful for. Not to mention I am also thankful for all the gifts I've received. I appreciate everyone's intentions!

After work, Lei picked me up to take me out to a restaurant called Casa Juancho. It was packed, even outside while people were waiting for valet. 'Course the restaurant building itself is small so it seemed like there were more people than the restaurant could hold. It was a very classy place with an almost authenic Spaniard atmosphere. They even had live singing men and a dance room next door.

At Casa Juancho in downtown Miami! They serenaded me while I played along with them ^^ (kidding!)

Very very nice and tasty champagne that Jessica brought for that "special occasion"!

Me and Jess

Lei and Louie

Outside Casa Juancho.

Quite a lovely birthday I would say!

Birthday Wishlist

2008-11-08T11:12:00.008-06:00

This year has been pretty tough for all of us, I can't deny it for myself either. But since you all requested, I am putting one up again this year 'round. It will be cheap, so you can breathe a sigh of relief. In all honesty, I could care less what the gift is, it could be a Happy B-day card with Snoopy on it for all I care (it's the intention that counts right?)

So you all know that I rarely buy shoes that I don't absolutely need. Well now I'm thinking I may need new shoes to adapt to the early creeping of winter season this year (In Florida that is).

Black Round Toe Flat Boots
or Zip up Black wedge Boots
2nd Hand NICE brown leather boots (this ends soon, up for auction)
or any flat-1" chunk riding boots in black or brown
I'm too lazy to post all the pics up, I'm just giving you guys an idea :)
Black Patent w/Chain Flats
or B&W Zara flower print Flats
or Brown Zebra buckle Flats
or any red patent flats
Red or black Round Toe pumps (nothing over 3")
(sorry way too lazy to find & post them)

Dr. Jart Rejuvenating Blemish Base (Silver) w/spf 35 PA++/Whitening
I'm very very close to running out.
Here is Another one that is a bit cheaper:
Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream No. 21 Light

I've always wanted to try this: Make Up For Ever High Definition Microfinish Powder
This supposedly reduces the appearance of pores and fine lines by reflecting light. This is what people on TV and magazine pictures use. It is a bit expensive for that small of an item...

If you can find it, there's a similar version that's not brand name, I'm sure you can find it somewhere for cheaper. It's just silica HD powder (careful not to mistake it for nail acrylic powder as there is one with a similar name)

Sana Maikohan Face Powder
(cheap powder with cute packaging from Japan; look at the brush!)

Such a variety! Have fun shopping~

Dir En Grey Concert

2008-11-06T20:17:00.006-06:00

Halloween came and went just like any other year. Anime Supercon was held at The Hilton in downtown Miami on Halloween night and seeing as how I wanted to have some kind of fun, I skipped work to go. And boy did the event fail... miserably. If it wasn't for the fact that this convention is South-Florida based, I probably would have sworn never to go again. It was at this convention that I even learned of Dir En Grey coming into town for a concert. I didn't think much of it though at the time.

Luck shines upon me. A friend of mine won 2 tickets to the Dir En Grey concert and invited me to go with her. Even though I haven't heard their songs in what seems like ages, I still wanted to go to see them live in person and because it was free!

The venue was at Revolution, The Live (downtown Fort Lauderdale). The Human Abstracts opened the show with some songs. The keyboardist of this band=hot. I couldn't stop looking at his hair. Luckily me and my friend were up in the front. Sure the venue wasn't large but there were a fair amount of attendees who showed up to show support. I just wanted to get a nice view of the boys that's all. I should have brought my canon camera...Sorry for the low quality pics, my phone camera isn't capable of taking nice ones, it's just there for show.

Vocalist Kyo and the "table" that he frequently jumps up on. I kind of expected him to wear some crazy get-up but he came on stage in a tracksuit...

Extremely HOT guitarist. I'm sorry for not knowing names! *hides* He had a mini fan that blew air on him making his jet brown shoulder length hair flow with the wind. He probably knew that it made all the girls go crazy.

One of those moments where Kyo jumps up on the "table" that I was talking about and screaming unintelligible words and phrases. Well at least this got the crowd jumping... as well as their head banging and middle fingers popping.

The HOT guitarist and his awesome red electric guitar...

Monster drum set!! It was three-tiered, I can barely handle one tier on Rockband drum set.

Kyo again on his table. He's topless this time!

It was interesting to say the least but I enjoyed being at this concert. Thanks Nicole!

Don't give me anymore stress

2008-10-18T10:22:00.003-06:00

Midterms are finally over. God has given me second chances on some exams but has punished me to no end on others (Biochem ahem). So I found out that my GPA weighs heavily on the low side of 2.0s (and this is including my humiliating grades from my sophmore year of college). I feel so depleted and worthless that my imaginary friend, Mr. Depression comes to sit and relax with me.

Because of the stress that was placed upon me for 1.5 weeks, I have gained the lbs I have lost from Wii-fit. I am now terrified to face the Wii-fit mascot when he asks me why I have gained it back. I DON'T KNOW!! *sobs* So there you have it, my repetitive life story.

I couldn't pass up any partying invitations though. This week has been full of ... well mainly drinking. I would post pictures but I seem to misplace my memory card whenever I want to bring my camera along for the ride. Plus the flash seems to make people a wee bit irritated.

Yesterday I met up with high school friends (2 of whom I regularly eat lunch with on campus) at Las Olas beachside. It seems Las Olas is simply forgotten, no one comes here anymore. I guess that this long-drawn-out recession feeds into our fears, no one want's to spend money anymore. I can't blame anyone though, I would probably be at home as well if my friends hadn't asked me to come out of my comfortable cave.

Drifting

2008-10-06T10:03:00.008-06:00

Pho (or Vermicelli) is becoming like a weekly staple for me and Lei both. If I knew how to make it, I'd be cooking everyday until I get sick of it. I can hear Hai Yen reciting her infamous quote, "I told you so".

It was sunday evening and there was hardly anything interesting going on that day. We were too busy contemplating on what to do that we didn't bother talking to each other much while eating. But then suddenly I remembered... Lei promised (from the day before) that he'd take me to a drifting event. {Do you notice my short term memory coming into play?} Well he didn't feel like driving 30-40 minutes out into the middle of nowhere-Countyline to go watch however, a promise is a promise!

Here is a quick excerpt on the term from Wikipedia:

"Drifting (ドリフト走行 dorifuto sōkō) refers to a driving technique and to a motor sport where the driver intentionally skids the rear tires through turns, preserving vehicle control and a high exit speed."

I urged him to take me back home to grab my camera kit and after a bit of pleading he agreed. I really couldn't miss this opportunity, I've been yearning to pick up my camera after all.

I took 120 some odd pictures but only a few were of decent quality.

I liked the design on this yellow car. Made it look more sportish if you ask me.

3 cars drifting on the curve at the same time. From what I saw, I think they were practicing on synchronizing.

Smoke from the skidding tires.

Because of the lack of light at the location and the relative fast speed that the cars were traveling at, most of the pictures resulted in streaky motion blur in pictures. It was a great learning experience, being able to adapt to new conditions.

This reminds me that I need a new faster zoom lens. ^^;

Driving Terror

2008-09-29T10:09:00.002-06:00

Thankfully I was driving on the local roads which is my normal route (instead of the highway). It was raining, and it was raining hard. My parents decided to close the store early after the fact that I had just started my online quiz for my physics course. After I had closed the store myself, I started driving towards home. Midway, (approximately 2-3 miles away from home) my windshield wiper stops working. You can imagine, I was freaking out trying to figure what went wrong. I tried pushing it back to the original position but it wouldn't budge. I tried restarting the car but the wiper would make a strange loud sound as if warning me that if I tried anything funny, the motor in the wiper would blow up. So what's the next best thing to do? Wait for the rain to stop. But no, the rain wouldn't stop nor would it calm down. Being the brave person I thought I was, I drove 3 miles with a non-working windshield wiper. I almost crashed into the car next to me but he graciously let me into his lane without honking. It was even scarier than a 16 year old driving on the highway for the first time, or maybe even reversing your car on the freeway.

Last night, after my potential catastrophic driving terror, Lei picked me up to go watch Eagle Eye at Sawgrass Mills Mall. The concept and story plot made up for the overly free use of blowing and destroying aircrafts, buildings, cars and occasionally people. Can you believe that it ranked an A- on Yahoo's viewer grade? At most I think it only deserved a B. Yes that half point makes a difference.

I have this itch to start photoshooting again...
(And yes Hai Yen, I am working on your pictures laboriously)

Shoot... it's raining again today. How am I supposed to get home now?!!
My luck obviously dissapeared the moment I was expelled into the world. v_v

Game fun

2008-09-22T20:38:00.004-06:00

One day my motivation to lose weight will skyrocket and land on the moon, the next day I'll shrug it off and do something else more enjoyable to me like playing video games.

What better way is there to play video games and to stay active at the same time? DDR is a thing of the past, now there's Wii fit! I borrowed the game from Lei after hearing about it so many times on forums, commercials and good ol' word of mouth. I wanted to see what the hype was about.

The best part is that I can create a little "Mii" that re-enacts my moves onscreen based on my weight distribution when I step on the balance pad. It's fun but I imagine I'll get tired of it after a couple of weeks or so. I can't tell you how addicting the Wii game system is.

* Did I mention "Rockband" is so fun to play! *

And now deviating away from the games topic, I started designing Oiran kimonos. It's a bit generic and unoriginal at the moment.

One reason I dislike putting things up online is the amount of theft that occurs. Please please do not recreate or claim this as your own.

This is a result of using a bit of photoshop to boost colors and crappy colored pencils lol.

Fun night

2008-09-16T14:41:00.005-06:00

After months of not receiving my pictures from a friend, I stormed over to her house and presented her with my external hard drive. Here are two pictures I chose from a batch of our photoshoot using tungsten studio lights and black velvet backdrop. We basically shot pictures of each other that day.

I didn't really stomp over there for no reason, the boyfriend and her invited me, Lei, Justin and Jennifer over for some margarita fun. We had pizza, STRONG cuban-styled margarita (lol) and played Cranium. I dislike the green Star-Performer mainly because of my lack of knowledge in pop culture, American songs and celebrities. Thus I couldn't imitate Clint Eastwood or hum to Billy Jean. It was a fun night though, we laughed at each other's charades, drawings, imitations, and sculptings.

I wish life was like this everyday. Life at the moment sucks.

I shouldn't have Jinxed myself

2008-09-12T20:07:00.004-06:00

I talk about a specific topic and then the next day everything goes wrong. I lost a $100 bill at school today. No joke. I am literally slapping myself for my misplaced confidence that it would not fall out of my pocket. I should have trusted my intuition- to put the money in my wallet, where it should always belong. I believe bad things happen so we can learn to handle things better the next time; a lesson learned.

Moving on 'cause I can't mope about the lost money forever. Yesterday, my friends Louie and Jessica, invited me to go hang in downtown Hollywood for some Gelato and Hooka. Seeing that we haven't seen each other in weeks, months maybe, they wouldn't let me off the hook even if I was in the middle of ripping my hair out because of the complexity of my physics word problems. I needed some fresh air anyways.

Really Yummy Raspberry & Chocolate Mousse Gelato and some random pretty roses Jessica found lying lonely on the street.

Lamb Gyro. It looks like a salad. I ate it like I would eat a salad.

Trying the Strawberry flavored hooka at a Meditteranian cafe outiside. It's only nice the first couple of puffs.

I really dislike reading school-related blog entries so I try not to insert them here. I'll leave it short and simple: Schoolwork and tests sucks.

Good money talks

2008-09-10T14:16:00.003-06:00

I didn't want to mention this in any of my public journals/websites, but for the sake of the good news that I have to spill out, a bit of background info is a necessity.

Yeah so economy sucks right? Well the money in my wallet sucks as well. With couple of dollar bills to feed my starving self (ok maybe not that bad), I didn't think that going to Asia would be possible for the following summer like I had planned to. If not Asia I thought just Korea would be fine, as long as I could leave this forsaken country!

Since there were some problems with processing and validating information on my school financial aid application, I didn't think I was going to get any money at all. Last semester I only recieved $600. It's not enough to cover an airplane ticket. Thinking that I would get roughly the same amount this term I started to become sad. Oh what a sad year!

Turns out, I found out today that I had recieved the pell grant and would be getting $4,000 extra dollars for the year. If you calculate my other scholarships and grants minus the tuition and fees, I would get approximately $2,400 per semester! That's enough to pay for my plane ticket and have spending money while I'm there. Needless to say I was jumping up and down in pure joy! The only thing that baffles me is why the system claims that I am only getting $1000 back... Now that would be bad... 8-o

Even with all this, there is still that possibilty that I might not go at all... Now that's even worse! >:(

Korea + L.A.= Here I come!

Back from the dead

2008-09-09T22:15:00.003-06:00

You've all thought that I was gone for sure? Abandoned like an old toy, waiting to be replaced by new 'hip' ones. Such is the fate of all things that are created by it's master: ME. But alas I haven't given up on this one yet. Ok alright skipping the formal and rather archaic talk... let's discuss my interest in renewing old sites/blogs. As you all know, I am rather smitten by all things regarding photography. It's no new news if you've kept up with my ever changing habits and interests. For example one day I may stand in the kitchen pretending that I am cooking on the Food Network channel, the next day pots and pans (as well as any kind of utensils) are my nemesis. Back to the photography (ahem), this insatiable craving to pick up my camera started to pick at me like little annoying sand lice that you find at the beach.

I had to do it. I had to roll around in the lice infested sand to get the perfect shot. It sucked for almost a week but the pictures were very well worth the trouble. Racing against the clock, we sped through Fort Lauderdale to the almost deserted beachside before the sun set. When taking pictures I realized how desperate the sun was to leave the skies. Pretty soon the pretty streaks of Reds, Oranges and hints of Purples were fading into the blue-black abyss called the night sky.

I wish I had an attendant who would hold my flash in whatever angle I chose. As shocking as it may seem, I am not deft at holding heavy items such as my DSLR camera with one hand while holding the flash with the other. The relative 'shoddy' image quality was due to to my frequent hand shakes. Maybe it should have been me who was to be photographed. Afterall, the photographer is the one who has to do acrobatic feats to get the perfect shot. And we call ourselves artists...

Disney World

2008-01-24T15:44:00.000-06:00

Disney World really is a magical place to be for young children and adults who enjoy watching Disney characters come to life. I brought my Nikon D80 and managed to get some worthwhile pictures. For the first time we took the ferry to the entrance of the park instead of the monorail. It was such a fun experience. The Cinderella castle that can be seen from the Ferry is and will always be a breathtaking view. It really is the trophy of Disney World.

This is a short passageway through the main Cinderella castle. I wanted to capture the cathedral type of architecture on camera. The walls were made of ceramic in a pointalistic style (that I very much adored) depicting the story of Cinderella and her glass slipper. There was a room on the right side of the passageway that did "Princess makeovers" for little girls. It was so cute!

Although it was a children's play area I couldn't resist taking a picture at Pooh's thoughtful spot. They even had Piglet's life size fake tree! Speaking of trees we climbed into a huge tree house in Adventureland! I'm still wanting to build my own tree house/bridge when I grow up :3 (Sarah! Remember our LOTR tree plaza that connects!)

It was such a fun trip to Orlando. We even stopped by Florida's largest mall and outlet shops to do some shopping. Unfortunately the cold front came by and froze us all to death with an unforgivable bitter chill that lasted all night. Good thing I brought my jacket!