where's the integrity?

Tiring, exhausting day! I've already finished dinner and it's only 6pm. Today had its high and low points... especially low points.

I'd stayed up to 4am editing my photos and whatnot. Today was my printing slot and I was the very first one in the class to print, and surprisingly my pictures turned out pretty well. Even my "tough love" photo teacher told me my prints looked great. I'm pleased. I wasn't pleased at 4am though... I'd tried to move all 110+ photos (even the edited ones) to a CD because that was part of the assignment. Moving everything took about 15+ minutes. However... as soon as it finished, Windows announced that there was an error with the pictures. My heart sank. I looked at the folder on my computer, and it was completely empty because I'd just moved all the pictures in it to the CD. I clicked on the CD... it was completely empty because of the error. I freaking panicked for a minute, but luckily I'd made backups. THANK GOODNESS. I still lost a substantial amount of photos (about 30 or 40), but I have most of them still. I'd kept my five edited pictures open in Photoshop, so they weren't lost. THANK GOODNESS!!!! Those were the ones I was most worried about.

For 2D, we had to expand a square. I totally started this at 11pm and finished at 12:30am. :) My first one was pretty nasty, so I started over and did another one. Much better! It got a pretty positive reception during critique today, so I'm happy.

But... while we were painting squares for the value scale, I got a text from Francis. He said that he'd checked on my bike (I'd left it on campus, locked next to Dudley Moorhead) and the seat was gone... and did I have it? Dismay hit me... shootles. I'd had too much faith in the integrity of mankind and assumed that no one would touch my bike. I mean, if I hadn't had my bike locked, of course I would expect it to be stolen. However, I wouldn't expect someone to like, steal the seat of my bike... Too much faith.

While I'm on the topic of integrity, I'd like to talk about something that disturbed me this weekend. Someone I know picked up and kept two items that weren't his, because supposedly they had been "left behind." When his motives were questioned on two separate occasions, he answered 1) "Because someone took my birds, so I'm taking this tube in retribution" and 2) "Because I've always wanted a bag like this." Personally, I was more than a little disgusted. Why?

1) You don't know who took your tube, yet you chose to punish someone (who is most likely innocent) by taking his half-full tube. Furthermore, you stated that your tube only had one bird in it. Why is that grounds for taking someone else's tube? What if someone stole a half-tube of birds from you?

2) You picked up someone else's bag and kept it for yourself? I don't exactly know the situation behind this, so I don't know if you found the bag empty or not. I don't know where you found it--it could have been in the trashcan or on the floor next to someone's badminton bag. I'm thinking that most likely someone accidentally left it behind. Instead of trying to find the owner or giving it to the tournament director for lost and found purposes, you kept it to satiate your own desires.

3) I would just like to rant about one more thing. I'm really cranky from lack of sleep right now, so maybe that's why I'm so rant-y today. Anyway, I digress.

You need to CHILL. If I am giving you a freaking ride, speeding and driving dangerously in order to get YOU somewhere in time for YOUR benefit, I do not need to hear you cursing and complaining in the backseat while I: a) slow for red lights, b) accidentally take a wrong turn, c) want to pull over to check the gps, d) brake to avoid a collision. I am NOT your chauffeur, nor are you even paying me. I am doing you a freaking favor. If you don't like the ride (and you don't appreciate that I'm doing you a favor), then you can get out because I will NOT be driving you anymore. Furthermore, and probably most importantly. I will NOT listen to you when I am in the furthest left-turning lane and you're telling me to go straight. Are you crazy? If you want to drive recklessly, drive your own freaking self. Don't try to tell me to do something illegal, stupid, and dangerously reckless just to get your butt warmed up for a better chance of winning your games. That is just so incredibly selfish.

I really doubt you will read this and I am honestly not too sure if I want you to read this because you'll probably get all butt-hurt, but I want you to realize how idiotic you were.

Anyway, enough of that. But on a similar topic... badminton. Badminton warms my heart :) The tournament on Saturday was so incredibly fun. Trevor and I got to D mixed semifinals and C mixed quarters. Unfortunately he had sprained his ankle and I couldn't really cover him haha. I made him bring his sleeping bag because I wanted to use it, but I was actually very wide awake during the tourney :( sorrrry! Truman and I just used it to sit on to watch games. haha.

Jenny and I unexpectedly played C women's doubles, and got 2nd. Not much of a victory because a lot of girls dropped out of C's out of sheer exhaustion, but still! It was pretty awesome. I think when I get really warmed up, I can jump smash a bit. I've always wanted to jump smash :D I just don't think I'm getting the form right, haha. Oh well. As long as the smash is angled and fast, I'm happy.

On Friday, we're completing more challenges for the SJSU club. Leo and I have some more mixed matches to go because it's double elimination. Eva and I are #2 for doubles, and I hope Leo and I can get #2 or #3 for mixed! This Saturday is a dual-meet against Berkeley, and I know they're going to be tough... oh well. More experience!

Anyway... on a negative note. My mom told me that my dad got laid off today, and I was really shocked. I just hadn't been expecting it. We'll be okay for a while because of savings and whatnot, but I don't want to drag us down with unnecessary expenses. I'll manage my finances better and try to cut down on expenses, I guess. Oh, I must find a job!

self-portraits, upcoming week

I'm having an amazing week :) The best things are unexpected.

Tuesday is a furlough day, so I'll probably use that day photoshooting for my self-portrait. I already took some ridiculous ones...haha. Well, we have to take 100+ pictures and choose the best three, so i think I want to use three concepts.

I was going to go with something like this, but after some more thought, I want something thought-provoking and serious. Not something this simple/fun... I guess I want something surreal? Or emotionally charged? I'll think of something. Besides, they aren't even really in focus... too bad :P

Tuesday - furlough day! Study/photoshoot/clothes-altering day.

Wednesday - Have homework for 2D Concepts done? Shootles... what's the homework..? I have to go and check. Oh, and have concepts for my self portrait.

Thursday - Meteorology midterm! Must study. Turn in onion sketch, and sketch something else. I love drawing class! It's so chill.

Friday - SJSU badmin club! More challenges, especially in mixed. I don't know if there are any more girls doubles besides us and another pair.

Saturday - Santa Teresa tourney! I'm really looking forward to this.

Sunday - Finish 2D concepts assignment #2, and do the assigned reading. Oh, and have self-portraits ready for printing! My printing slot is 12:30-1 on Monday.

So far that's all I have planned.

Upcoming Badminton Stuff

It's just so difficult finding a compatible girls doubles partner .. it's crazy!! I miss playing with Meiyi, haha.

On the other hand, lately mixed girls have been in demand. Diane and I (and probably a lot of other badmin girls) received a lot of partner requests for Berkeley's Smashapalooza. I've already got mixed partners for three upcoming tournaments (Santa Teresa - Trevor. SJSU Open - Thanh L. Bay Area Open - Trevor). But... I have no girls doubles partner at all!

Well, I'm playing girls doubles and mixed doubles for SJSU. Luckily I was able to find a (last-minute, albeit) partner for girls doubles. It was super easy to find a mixed doubles partner... someone asked me if I was playing mixed and I said that I hadn't found a partner yet. A few minutes later, I've got a mixed partner. Haha.

Not enough girls in badminton :(

soft-focus onion

class: art24 - beginning drawing

subject: a random onion from the kitchen.. lol
medium: charcoal
time: 2 hours...and another hour to fix shading/lighting -_-

I really need to learn how to finish art things faster. I'm just so slow. People can whip things out in an hour or two, and I need at least 2-3. It's kind of sad... I'll work on getting faster. Using a chamois really helped.

Some Myspace hate!

I haven't been on Myspace for a very, very long time. When I logged into my old Myspace account very recently, I rediscovered the many reasons I'd left Myspace.

1. The slutty profile pictures.

It's so weird, but people's profile pictures seem so much more self-respecting and civilized on Facebook. Maybe because Myspace has a more anonymous air than Facebook's? Well, one day I was at MLK in the teen center (heh heh) because there were available computers. Anyway, I glance over at the girl next to me. She seems pretty nondescript; she's dressed in gray sweats and little makeup. It's not her appearance that shocks me; it's her Myspace profile that's open on the screen. Classy picture, that girl has; a compromising pose for the camera, with cleavage spilling out of a very tiny tube top. Gobs of makeup--hot pink lips, heavy eyeliner, spider lashes--the works. I know it's her profile and not someone else's because she's replying to someone's wall post.

Yes, I know I was staring for a very long time. I couldn't help it; I was basically pretty shocked. Could this seemingly innocent girl next to me really be the whored-out poser in that Myspace profile picture?

To be fair, there are Myspace users who don't post compromising pictures of themselves for the entire world to see... but no one can argue that there aren't a huge number of slutty Myspace profile pictures out there.

2. The shirtless mirror shots.

Obviously this one applies to guys. What is with dirty spotted mirrors and camera-wielding shirtless guys?

Guys don't post up these pics for incoming compliments concerning their manly musculature. Of course not!

It's such a total turn-off. Personally I have never seen one of these in a Facebook profile pic... it seems to be just a disgusting Myspace trend.

3. The viruses.

This was probably the last straw for me. You know the type--your "friend" sends you a link to something really cool, you click on it, and your computer gets infected. In my senior year, so many people's myspaces got hacked that I didn't even want to check my wall comments anymore.


Ugh, there are so many more reasons, but I'm too lazy to write about them all. Haha. These three were just annoying me recently.

Art Classes

Art classes are fun :)

Art12 (2D concepts): a pretty boring/easy class. This is like the next step up from Art01. Too bad I have to take this, but good thing I have the same professor from Art14 so her teaching style isn't anything new. I know how to suck up :) haha jk. But I'm glad to know what ticks her off and what I should do (participate in critiques, save all of my work, have really good craftsmanship) to guarantee an A in the class.

Art24 (beginning drawing): A little boring right now, but it's only the second week. We're moving on to charcoal drawing next class! We sketched huge bones today and put our work up on the critique board. Someone's work had her bone sketch and a sketch of someone's back. Then I realized that the subject was me, because of the long hair (in her sketch, a thick strand of hair was hanging down the subject's back, and the rest of her hair was over her shoulders. I pulled my hair back and sure enough, there was a single strand of hair hanging down my back), dress pattern, and angle (she was sitting right behind me). Super cool!!

Photo40 (beginning photo): I have all these visualizations of cool shots in my head, but due to my camera noobness, I can't find a way to transfer my visualizations onto the photo. :( But that's why I'm taking this class, yeah?

Unfortunately I'm only taking 12 units this semester :( I wanted to take 18 or at least 16, but I couldn't get into two waitlisted classes. Sucks... SJSU is going down the drain!!