One quick blog before I get off work. So, it's a nice Saturday afternoon and I spent 3 hours of it indoors doing homework. Yup, it took me 3 hours to finish my homework for finance. THREE HOURS FOR LIKE ... 10 problems. It is INSANE. Who gives out so much homework with so many subparts. Crazy people!
Anyways, I've been filming here and there, trying to get my non-fiction/fiction film out. But I'm not sure which one to use so I've been brainstorming ideas for films with texture. Yup, I've been thinking to film colors, lights, movement, music, and whatever else comes to my mind.
And tonight is China Night. Everyone should go ! My suitemate is going to be performing and modelling so that should be interesting and yes, I will try to film some stuff there, whatever comes to my mind. Maybe a documentary on China Night. I wonder who would actually be interested to watch that. Probably no one. Anyways, time to get off work. More blogs to come, hopefully with pretty textural videos.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Kinect
I think the whole kinect thing we did in class with the movements and sound is very cool. I've haven't really heard about anyone rigging up the kinect and doing something like this. This could very well be something big in the future.
I really liked how you could control the sound with certain arm motions. It still needs to be slightly improved to say the least. Sometimes it wouldn't even pick up what some of the actors were doing. Like if you put your arms up high it should make a high pitch sound. Sometimes it wasn't making any sound. It would also be really cool if it can pick up more than one person. Maybe it can, I don't know. But, if two people can control the sound that would be interesting. Also definitely need better sounds than the ones that were being used. I know he assigned people to work on music so that should be much improved. Overall though this is something that is really cool to see and if you were to show someone this outside of class I know they would be amazed.
I really liked how you could control the sound with certain arm motions. It still needs to be slightly improved to say the least. Sometimes it wouldn't even pick up what some of the actors were doing. Like if you put your arms up high it should make a high pitch sound. Sometimes it wasn't making any sound. It would also be really cool if it can pick up more than one person. Maybe it can, I don't know. But, if two people can control the sound that would be interesting. Also definitely need better sounds than the ones that were being used. I know he assigned people to work on music so that should be much improved. Overall though this is something that is really cool to see and if you were to show someone this outside of class I know they would be amazed.
Friday, 29 April 2011
Culling through Images
For most of you, this isn't going to be an interesting read. To me, I gobble this stuff up. Remember. Tribeca was 5k images for me. Not a small number. Not 15k, but still not a small number.
Courtesy Chase Jarvis:
Photo Editing 101 – Surviving the Tidal Wave of Data
Thursday - 3rd of March, 2011
Aperture Photo Editing
[Scott here with another guest blog post. Today I hope to save you some time and heartache by giving you the nuts and bolts of editing large volume shoots...]
Painful memories I have: My first breakup, my first deceased pet, my first time moving, but perhaps most painful of them all is this; my first attempt at editing 15,000 photos. Such overwhelming volume, such slow progress, so many similar photos. Why, oh why, did they ever create the motor drive!?
The pain from the breakups, pets and moves have only faded a bit, but the pain of volume editing is almost entirely gone. Call me masochistic, but I think I actually like editing big shoots. On the surface the challenge is the same as it ever was, but years of photo editing for one of the heaviest trigger fingers in the industry have honed my skills. And like a young ninja student who feels the sting of every misstep but grows to be a master, almost untouchable, oblivious to pain, I have conquered the edit. You can too.
For some of you this will be old news. But I am sure there are many who are like I once was; new to fast cameras and professional editing software. Trying to figure out how to take an avalanche of data and come out the other end with “final selects”. If you’ve never done it, it seems easy until you try. If you’ve done it a lot, it probably is easy. But if you’re somewhere in the middle it just might feel overwhelming. Perhaps I can be of some assistance by giving you a few tricks I’ve learned along the way.
The foundation of my editing process is (drumroll)….Rating With Stars!!! I know, it’s not groundbreaking. Aperture has stars, Lightroom has stars, Bridge has stars, iPhoto has stars. Almost every photo software on the planet has stars. That’s the beauty. Simple, effective, universal. Aperture is my editing platform of choice, but this applies across the board. There are 5 stars available. Let me tell you what I do with each of them, hopefully you’ll find some wisdom in the why of the 5* editing system.
1* – Pace: Full Speed. Main Criteria: Is it garbage? Before you even think about starting your first pass through your shoot, do yourself a favor: let the software build all of it’s previews and caches. I know it can be hard to wait for this process, you feel like you’re wasting time, but trust me, it’s worth the wait. Why? Because the first pass through your big shoot should fast. I mean FAST.
You’re not trying to pick the winners, you’re not even trying to pick the contenders. Here’s a metaphor for you. They let 20,000 people qualify for the Boston Marathon. All you have to do in this first pass is pick the people who definitely won’t finish. The guy in the Santa suit, the lady drinking beer, the dude with a broken leg. Give a star to any photo that might make the cut. Don’t look closely, just glance. Is it way out of focus? Is it way under or over exposed? Is the model yawning, blinking, or otherwise looking at their worst? No star for you. Is it a remotely decent picture? Then it goes on to the next round.
2* – Pace: Full Speed. Main Criteria: Does it look OK? Grab a drink of water, quick snack, and then right back up to full speed. Filter your images to show only the images with at least 1 star. Now you’re only looking at images that aren’t horrible, but there’s plenty of room between horrible and average. Volume editing is an elimination process. This is your last chance to pull out pictures you never want to see again.
If you’re looking at high-action motor-drive images, this is the time to pull out the stuff that’s obviously before or after the key frames. Remember, do not worry about picking the key frames here, just dump the ones that aren’t by leaving them at one star. If you’re looking at portraiture or lifestyle shots, you’re trying to get rid of all of the shots where the subject is looking kinda bad. Weird pose, funny face, etc. No more stars for these guys.
3* – Pace: Cruising. Main Criteria: Is it pretty nice? Filter again, just show 2* or greater. You’ve been through these images twice now, you’re starting to get a feel for how the shoot turned out. You’ve probably even started to sorta like some of the photos. It’s time for these photos to get the nod. This move from 2-3 stars is probably where I invest the largest amount of time. You’re still looking at a lot of pictures, and you want to be somewhat critical at this step. The 3* edit is the first one we’ll consider showing a client, and It’s where we draw the line between photos we don’t want to wade through and images that are all generally viable. Look briefly at every photo and ask yourself: Do I like this photo? If the answer is no, no more stars. If the answer is yes, it gets the 3 star rating.
4* – Pace: Calculated. Main Criteria: Is it nice when you look closely? Set your filter to show 3* or better. If you were sorting through people here, now is when you would be deciding who you would consider a good friend, and who you think is just a nice person. You would be happy to introduce your good friends to your clients or your peers, you’re confident that they will make a good impression. You’ve spent enough time with them and examined their traits closely enough to know that they are good solid folk. It’s the same way with 4* images. If you’re not sure about focus, take the time to zoom in at 100% and make sure it’s good. If you’re not sure about exposure, click over to your adjustments tab and knock the exposure slider around a bit, make sure you’ve got detail where you need it. You’re making a commitment to these images, they are the elite of this shoot. Choose them carefully.
5* – Pace: Slow and thoughtful. Main Criteria: Is it outstanding? These are the winners. They are perfect in every way. You want to blow them up and print them the size of a house. You want to put them on your website and in your portfolio. They don’t just meet the goals of this particular shoot, they meet the goals of you as a photographer. In order to choose which images make the jump it 5 stars, we’ll often take a number of our favorite 4* images into the adjustments tab on Aperture and start to play around with treatments. If the image starts to take on dazzling traits when some post production is applied, it’s a good contender for a five star rank.
Often times this five star designation is applied only as an in-house distinction. Everything that has received four stars is going to be shown to the client. It is often an enlightening exercise to have the client choose their favorites from the 4* edit, and independently do a edit of our own. It is interesting to see where the favorites sync up, and it is a good starting point to begin an engaging conversation with the client about which images are indeed the best of the whole shoot.
I hope that you have found some kernels of information that will reduce your suffering, and perhaps even tip the scales toward joy the next time you come home with a pocket full of memory cards.
Courtesy Chase Jarvis:
Photo Editing 101 – Surviving the Tidal Wave of Data
Thursday - 3rd of March, 2011
Aperture Photo Editing
[Scott here with another guest blog post. Today I hope to save you some time and heartache by giving you the nuts and bolts of editing large volume shoots...]
Painful memories I have: My first breakup, my first deceased pet, my first time moving, but perhaps most painful of them all is this; my first attempt at editing 15,000 photos. Such overwhelming volume, such slow progress, so many similar photos. Why, oh why, did they ever create the motor drive!?
The pain from the breakups, pets and moves have only faded a bit, but the pain of volume editing is almost entirely gone. Call me masochistic, but I think I actually like editing big shoots. On the surface the challenge is the same as it ever was, but years of photo editing for one of the heaviest trigger fingers in the industry have honed my skills. And like a young ninja student who feels the sting of every misstep but grows to be a master, almost untouchable, oblivious to pain, I have conquered the edit. You can too.
For some of you this will be old news. But I am sure there are many who are like I once was; new to fast cameras and professional editing software. Trying to figure out how to take an avalanche of data and come out the other end with “final selects”. If you’ve never done it, it seems easy until you try. If you’ve done it a lot, it probably is easy. But if you’re somewhere in the middle it just might feel overwhelming. Perhaps I can be of some assistance by giving you a few tricks I’ve learned along the way.
The foundation of my editing process is (drumroll)….Rating With Stars!!! I know, it’s not groundbreaking. Aperture has stars, Lightroom has stars, Bridge has stars, iPhoto has stars. Almost every photo software on the planet has stars. That’s the beauty. Simple, effective, universal. Aperture is my editing platform of choice, but this applies across the board. There are 5 stars available. Let me tell you what I do with each of them, hopefully you’ll find some wisdom in the why of the 5* editing system.
1* – Pace: Full Speed. Main Criteria: Is it garbage? Before you even think about starting your first pass through your shoot, do yourself a favor: let the software build all of it’s previews and caches. I know it can be hard to wait for this process, you feel like you’re wasting time, but trust me, it’s worth the wait. Why? Because the first pass through your big shoot should fast. I mean FAST.
You’re not trying to pick the winners, you’re not even trying to pick the contenders. Here’s a metaphor for you. They let 20,000 people qualify for the Boston Marathon. All you have to do in this first pass is pick the people who definitely won’t finish. The guy in the Santa suit, the lady drinking beer, the dude with a broken leg. Give a star to any photo that might make the cut. Don’t look closely, just glance. Is it way out of focus? Is it way under or over exposed? Is the model yawning, blinking, or otherwise looking at their worst? No star for you. Is it a remotely decent picture? Then it goes on to the next round.
2* – Pace: Full Speed. Main Criteria: Does it look OK? Grab a drink of water, quick snack, and then right back up to full speed. Filter your images to show only the images with at least 1 star. Now you’re only looking at images that aren’t horrible, but there’s plenty of room between horrible and average. Volume editing is an elimination process. This is your last chance to pull out pictures you never want to see again.
If you’re looking at high-action motor-drive images, this is the time to pull out the stuff that’s obviously before or after the key frames. Remember, do not worry about picking the key frames here, just dump the ones that aren’t by leaving them at one star. If you’re looking at portraiture or lifestyle shots, you’re trying to get rid of all of the shots where the subject is looking kinda bad. Weird pose, funny face, etc. No more stars for these guys.
3* – Pace: Cruising. Main Criteria: Is it pretty nice? Filter again, just show 2* or greater. You’ve been through these images twice now, you’re starting to get a feel for how the shoot turned out. You’ve probably even started to sorta like some of the photos. It’s time for these photos to get the nod. This move from 2-3 stars is probably where I invest the largest amount of time. You’re still looking at a lot of pictures, and you want to be somewhat critical at this step. The 3* edit is the first one we’ll consider showing a client, and It’s where we draw the line between photos we don’t want to wade through and images that are all generally viable. Look briefly at every photo and ask yourself: Do I like this photo? If the answer is no, no more stars. If the answer is yes, it gets the 3 star rating.
4* – Pace: Calculated. Main Criteria: Is it nice when you look closely? Set your filter to show 3* or better. If you were sorting through people here, now is when you would be deciding who you would consider a good friend, and who you think is just a nice person. You would be happy to introduce your good friends to your clients or your peers, you’re confident that they will make a good impression. You’ve spent enough time with them and examined their traits closely enough to know that they are good solid folk. It’s the same way with 4* images. If you’re not sure about focus, take the time to zoom in at 100% and make sure it’s good. If you’re not sure about exposure, click over to your adjustments tab and knock the exposure slider around a bit, make sure you’ve got detail where you need it. You’re making a commitment to these images, they are the elite of this shoot. Choose them carefully.
5* – Pace: Slow and thoughtful. Main Criteria: Is it outstanding? These are the winners. They are perfect in every way. You want to blow them up and print them the size of a house. You want to put them on your website and in your portfolio. They don’t just meet the goals of this particular shoot, they meet the goals of you as a photographer. In order to choose which images make the jump it 5 stars, we’ll often take a number of our favorite 4* images into the adjustments tab on Aperture and start to play around with treatments. If the image starts to take on dazzling traits when some post production is applied, it’s a good contender for a five star rank.
Often times this five star designation is applied only as an in-house distinction. Everything that has received four stars is going to be shown to the client. It is often an enlightening exercise to have the client choose their favorites from the 4* edit, and independently do a edit of our own. It is interesting to see where the favorites sync up, and it is a good starting point to begin an engaging conversation with the client about which images are indeed the best of the whole shoot.
I hope that you have found some kernels of information that will reduce your suffering, and perhaps even tip the scales toward joy the next time you come home with a pocket full of memory cards.
Kinect Time Machine
i discovered a patch that uses maxmsp. it is very interesting because it turns on the screen you almost appear as transparent but then precedes to play the motions you preformed with a 1 second lag. All together it creates a very psychedelic look. The great thing about this video is that on the bottom it has the code for the patch.
http://vimeo.com/17652843
http://vimeo.com/17652843
Kinect
i found some very interesting links involving the kinect. There is now a way to use the kinect on a mac. It also allows the user to use maxMSP. I found that harvest works is having a class on this and i also found a link where someone creates music using the kinect and maxmsp.
http://www.harvestworks.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=440:kinect-class&catid=48:classes-upcoming&Itemid=144
http://www.filosophy.org/2011/01/making-music-with-the-body-connecting-a-kinect-to-max-msp-via-processing/
http://www.harvestworks.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=440:kinect-class&catid=48:classes-upcoming&Itemid=144
http://www.filosophy.org/2011/01/making-music-with-the-body-connecting-a-kinect-to-max-msp-via-processing/
Thursday, 28 April 2011
fights
Every time I turn around there is a fight. Women are taking off their wigs and shoes not caring where he are and fighting. Two women wee fighting in the parking lot where i work and one woman took off her wig. The other woman got her weave snatched out. A man picked up the hair and started parading around with it on his head saying "hair and weave for sale. It was the funniest thing. The women were still fighting. Both were visibly bald headed at this time but kept on fighting.I suggest that next time they fight they don"t wear wigs or a weave get it braided.. After the fight was over they began to look for their hair. The man gave it back and told them they had to pay for it. I had tears in my eyes from laughing.
One women could not put her hair back in her head. The other just threw her wig on like it was nothing. If it were me I would have left the hair where it was. I would not have put it back on my head. Some things are just too embarrassing to try and recover from. The ironic thing was that they both had the nerve to call each other "bald headed" go figure.
One women could not put her hair back in her head. The other just threw her wig on like it was nothing. If it were me I would have left the hair where it was. I would not have put it back on my head. Some things are just too embarrassing to try and recover from. The ironic thing was that they both had the nerve to call each other "bald headed" go figure.
ignorance!!!
Some customers ca be very rude, disrespectful and ignorant! I work in a deli and some of the customers have no regard for being respectful. They look at you like they are above you and try and speak any kind of way. I make the coffee at the deli that I work in and we get all types of people. Predominantly the aggravating kind! One day i made a pot of coffee and I have no control over the temperature of the coffee. The customer said " This coffee is t hot at all" I apologized for it and answered" I can"t control the machines temperature, the machine heats it up after it"s perked. He was like I don't care it's your job to make sure that the coffee is hot and I can't drink this.
After that I started thinking that I should tell him to make it at home. But then I knew that i would cause more conflict. Needless to say that out of the one hundred customers that we service in the morning this ad to be the one idiot to complain. I offered to heat it in the microwave and he said no good help is so hard to find. Then I said so is hot coffee!
After that I started thinking that I should tell him to make it at home. But then I knew that i would cause more conflict. Needless to say that out of the one hundred customers that we service in the morning this ad to be the one idiot to complain. I offered to heat it in the microwave and he said no good help is so hard to find. Then I said so is hot coffee!
why wear a belt?
It just kills me to see these young men walk around here with a belt on and have their pants sagging and underwear showing! Uhh! Why wear a belt? Furthermore nobody wants to see the next person's underwear. I find it highly offensive and degrading. There should be a law within schools and public places that ticket individuals who choose to walk around like that. The worst part is that this is done in the presence of young children. I seen an instance where the young man's underwear was not even clean. Now that was a sight to behold. when are people going to face reality and see hat this attracts negative attention and that if they walk on a job site no one will hire them dressed that way.
I challenge our school boards and legislators to do something about this. It's true that an individual has the right to choose the way in which they dress,but when it is revealing too much of their body n the wrong places it becomes a problem. The problem is that we have become too laid back and irresponsible as parents and individuals. I hope that one day soon this will be a subject of the past and people will look more closely at how they dress and come out in public.
I challenge our school boards and legislators to do something about this. It's true that an individual has the right to choose the way in which they dress,but when it is revealing too much of their body n the wrong places it becomes a problem. The problem is that we have become too laid back and irresponsible as parents and individuals. I hope that one day soon this will be a subject of the past and people will look more closely at how they dress and come out in public.
spring break
Spring break is always that time of year that everyone looks forward to. The weather outside is finally starting to get nice; everyone is tired of school and the end is coming up soon; for some, graduation is right around the corner. So spring break is the time for a lot of people to just relax and take it all in before the final stretch.
Unfortunately for me, my spring break had been anything but relaxing and joyful. I had a genetics test the day after spring break. Of course, I have to pass, and do well in genetics to go to medical school so there was a lot of pressure on me for this test. So my spring break has been pretty stressful to say the least.
Pretty much every night I have been spending at least 3 hours studying for this (stupid) test. It's pretty annoying to have a test right after spring break actually. You'd figure that the professors would do what it takes to avoid such a situation so that we could at least enjoy our spring breaks. O well, the joys of being a pre med student. In some way, it probably has some benifit because it prepares me for the vigor of med school in the future.
Unfortunately for me, my spring break had been anything but relaxing and joyful. I had a genetics test the day after spring break. Of course, I have to pass, and do well in genetics to go to medical school so there was a lot of pressure on me for this test. So my spring break has been pretty stressful to say the least.
Pretty much every night I have been spending at least 3 hours studying for this (stupid) test. It's pretty annoying to have a test right after spring break actually. You'd figure that the professors would do what it takes to avoid such a situation so that we could at least enjoy our spring breaks. O well, the joys of being a pre med student. In some way, it probably has some benifit because it prepares me for the vigor of med school in the future.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Death & Sleep: The misconception
"I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death". "Life is the bitch, and death is her sister sleep is the cousin, what a family picture you know father time, we all know mother nature it's all in the family, but I am of no relation". The latter is two quotes that imply that death is in close relation to sleep. In a very literal sense the two are similar in that the eyes are closed and there's a very decreased sense of whats going around you but in my opinion that's where I feel the comparisons end. If I had to compare something to death it would be a coma or unconsciousness.
I guess my biggest reason for my disagreement is that the recommendation for many health ailments is rest. When someone is stressed or looking unhealthy many times doctors recommend increased sleep. I give examples because both examples use sleep as a method for energizing and recovering one's self. Death or dying on the other hand is the rapid lost of energy with the chances of recovery unlikely.When I lay to sleep at night the last thing on my mind is the relief i made it to another night to actually be able to sleep. Its when I wake the next morning that I am concerned as to whether death will come during my day. As for those people who may die in their sleep, I doubt they go to bed with the intentions of dying but with intention of waking with a renewed energy.
In essence I feel looking at death in relation to sleep is somewhat of a pessimistic outlook on life in general. In general life is disturbing and hectic but I'd like to think that peace and relaxation of sleep doesn't have the notion of my funeral looming nearby each time my head hits my pillow.
I guess my biggest reason for my disagreement is that the recommendation for many health ailments is rest. When someone is stressed or looking unhealthy many times doctors recommend increased sleep. I give examples because both examples use sleep as a method for energizing and recovering one's self. Death or dying on the other hand is the rapid lost of energy with the chances of recovery unlikely.When I lay to sleep at night the last thing on my mind is the relief i made it to another night to actually be able to sleep. Its when I wake the next morning that I am concerned as to whether death will come during my day. As for those people who may die in their sleep, I doubt they go to bed with the intentions of dying but with intention of waking with a renewed energy.
In essence I feel looking at death in relation to sleep is somewhat of a pessimistic outlook on life in general. In general life is disturbing and hectic but I'd like to think that peace and relaxation of sleep doesn't have the notion of my funeral looming nearby each time my head hits my pillow.
Six Sense
I believe this is what professor was talking about on monday. This is about using the body as an input and combined with machines. It's a really cool innovation.
Part I
Part II
Part I
Part II
Butterflies & Hurricanes
Earlier today I sat atop the Staller Steps as I munched on a sandwich, watching a large group of students play a friendly albeit competitive game of football. The weather was particularly nice, although the grey sky cast down across the buildings and landscape, leaving no trace of direct sunlight shining down.
I then started to think about all those personal problems, thoughts and memories we all ponder over in our private free time. But I also looked about my surroundings and couldn't help but listen to the passing conversations of other students.
Against my better judgement I began to think about the sad things that accompany life, the sky doing well in fueling those emotions; society in general, social predicaments, attitudes towards one another, becoming old, etc.
As I thought about how sad and depressing life can be, I also thought about how happy and joyful it can get; music, the green, vibrant plants, the sun, laughter.
I put those thoughts together, and was surprised to see that, at least in my mind, things seemed to balance out.
It was actually a pretty interesting thought process, and I discovered how life is filled with both butterflies and hurricanes.
I then started to think about all those personal problems, thoughts and memories we all ponder over in our private free time. But I also looked about my surroundings and couldn't help but listen to the passing conversations of other students.
Against my better judgement I began to think about the sad things that accompany life, the sky doing well in fueling those emotions; society in general, social predicaments, attitudes towards one another, becoming old, etc.
As I thought about how sad and depressing life can be, I also thought about how happy and joyful it can get; music, the green, vibrant plants, the sun, laughter.
I put those thoughts together, and was surprised to see that, at least in my mind, things seemed to balance out.
It was actually a pretty interesting thought process, and I discovered how life is filled with both butterflies and hurricanes.
Low Battery
As a member of the ADD generation, I can say the worst thing that can happen is your battery dying. A lot of the time my batteries die at the same time, because of my multitasking. Recently, when I was in the library with friends both my iPhone and laptop battery were dying at the same time. Now I always carry my phone charger (USB cable) with me so it shouldn’t be a big deal to charge my phone, but there’s one problem; my laptop battery is dying also and we aren’t sitting near an outlet!
Professor Baldwin said we live in the ADD generation where we’ve always had electronic devices for our entertainment. We all have been a part of this, so much that it is normal nowadays. It all started for me with video games like Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. I used to play those when I was young and the cool thing was there was no battery to die on those consoles. Then I moved on to Game Boy Color and that’s when the battery problem began. I remember I couldn’t leave the house without batteries; I had this weird carrying case that I carried extra games and batteries in.
Now that I have a Smartphone and a laptop, battery life is crucial. The difference between these devices and the older devices is the ability to multitask, which tends to drain your battery a little bit more. So listening to music, checking my bank account, and reading my e-mail on my iPhone all at the same time will kill my phone battery, and typing papers, downloading mixtapes, and checking my Facebook will kill my laptop battery. Funny thing I know this yet I’m never conscious of my battery.
Baby Portrait
At the same time of creating the "All Seeing Eye," (which is shown on a blog in February) I drew this picture. This is a baby picture of my girlfriend. She likes it and especially feels that I captured her eyes the most. I didn't put any color to it for fear that I might mess up the look I was going for. I feel as though this picture represent innocent, happiness, and a open mind towards the future. Im in the mist of making more pictures...well more realistic looking pictures so stay tuned.
Almost there!!
as the semester and well, school year comes to a close the pressure is really on me. in Highschool the end of the year just meant a time to relax float through finals and then gently coast into summer. NOT ANYMORE. I've got 6 classes puling me in 6 different ways all wanting me to be the best in their subjects. it's complete madness. papers to be done here, research to be done there. I know i sound a little childish because everyone else is used to it but this is all new to me. last semester wasn't even this hectic. I wish someone would just help me!! it's so scary being out here all alone with practically no help from my parents. times like this i wish i wasn't do independent growing up them my parents would be willing to help me out a little more. oh well back to my numerous papers and projects. V_V ughh kill me now
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Home @ Bayside [sketchup] part 3
I added a couple things (trees, stree light, 'stop-ahead sign', clothes rack...), and made a minor modification on the length of the street. I will keep modifying and updating my sketchup building
Traditional Chinese vs American Chinese Cultures
Do Chinese mothers make their kids eat everything on their plates?
Answering from a Chinese American's perspective, I would say yes. My mom is lenient but she makes me finish everything in front of me at every meal especially RICE. She stresses the value of food and that we shouldn't waste it.
The actual answer is...in China, finishing everything on your plate is considered rude because somebody might think you didn't get enough food and you're still hungry. WHAT KIND OF NONSENSE ANSWER IS THIS? In any case, I think this is stupid because finishing everything on your plate doesn't always mean that you are still hungry. It can also mean that you really enjoyed the meal or that you don't like wasting food. I never heard of it being rude for someone to finish everything on their plates...if anything it's being POLITE.
Answering from a Chinese American's perspective, I would say yes. My mom is lenient but she makes me finish everything in front of me at every meal especially RICE. She stresses the value of food and that we shouldn't waste it.
The actual answer is...in China, finishing everything on your plate is considered rude because somebody might think you didn't get enough food and you're still hungry. WHAT KIND OF NONSENSE ANSWER IS THIS? In any case, I think this is stupid because finishing everything on your plate doesn't always mean that you are still hungry. It can also mean that you really enjoyed the meal or that you don't like wasting food. I never heard of it being rude for someone to finish everything on their plates...if anything it's being POLITE.
To Lasik or not to Lasik
In 2009 I wanted to get Lasik surgery done. The cost was more then I expected. They wanted 2900. and that was with a discount for participating in a study. I held off and promised myself that I would do it for my 40th birthday. Well that came and went.
I went today for the first visit and I was finally prepared to go and set the appointment for just after finals to have the surgery done and now it went up to 3400! The place I went to is the same place place that my uncle and cousins all went to and they rave about it. They all say it was well worth it (although they paid 1500) and I hate to go to a discount doctor surgeon when I am talking about my eyes!
But 3400 is a lot of money. I also wanted to vacation this summer and get a new car for both me and my son and I am now reluctant to get it done.
Heck, for 600 dollars more I can get a boob job!
I have to think about it. It is something I have always wanted and I should do it but I am reluctant to spend the money right now.
I went today for the first visit and I was finally prepared to go and set the appointment for just after finals to have the surgery done and now it went up to 3400! The place I went to is the same place place that my uncle and cousins all went to and they rave about it. They all say it was well worth it (although they paid 1500) and I hate to go to a discount doctor surgeon when I am talking about my eyes!
But 3400 is a lot of money. I also wanted to vacation this summer and get a new car for both me and my son and I am now reluctant to get it done.
Heck, for 600 dollars more I can get a boob job!
I have to think about it. It is something I have always wanted and I should do it but I am reluctant to spend the money right now.
maturing and developing relationships
My sister and I have had an interesting history. We have an eight year age difference which has always set us in very different times of our lives growing up. This resulted in lots of fights and never getting along through all my childhood. When I was an angsty, rebellious teenager she was in college or have graduated and had matured. We were always at different mentalities and developing a relationship was impossible.
On the contrary though, my brother and I who are eleven years apart got along great. He was my best friend and his leaving for college was one of the most devastating events of my life. I couldn’t be happier when my sister went away to college. It was never one of those sibling relationships where you knew the other had your back. Instead, we had to watch out for each other.
I guess because of the fact I’ve grown up, we are able to get along now and live in harmony. Age and maturity changes a relationship. We’re able to not only live together without fighting and arguing, we actually choose to spend time together. We chit chat about events and what we did last night and work. I’m able to open up to her about concerns. Our going to the gym together and cooking for one another helps as well. We have different lives and varying interests. Heck, we refuse to even be friends with each other on Facebook because we like our lives separate. We’ve come to terms that there’s not need for us to share all the details of our lives with each other. And I think it’s turned into a great relationship.
On the contrary though, my brother and I who are eleven years apart got along great. He was my best friend and his leaving for college was one of the most devastating events of my life. I couldn’t be happier when my sister went away to college. It was never one of those sibling relationships where you knew the other had your back. Instead, we had to watch out for each other.
I guess because of the fact I’ve grown up, we are able to get along now and live in harmony. Age and maturity changes a relationship. We’re able to not only live together without fighting and arguing, we actually choose to spend time together. We chit chat about events and what we did last night and work. I’m able to open up to her about concerns. Our going to the gym together and cooking for one another helps as well. We have different lives and varying interests. Heck, we refuse to even be friends with each other on Facebook because we like our lives separate. We’ve come to terms that there’s not need for us to share all the details of our lives with each other. And I think it’s turned into a great relationship.
Getting into a new routine
So after many months off from the gym due to break-up, being homeless and couching surfing for awhile, moving three times within three months, starting an internship and landing a new job, finding time for the gym has been hard. I’ve basically started a brand new life starting the last few days of December. I couldn’t have seen my life becoming what it has today. But getting back to the gym.
I signed up for a cheap one-year membership at a local gym by my apt. It’s a pretty crappy gym that overcrowded, but the location and price makes it convenient. I’ve been making it a priority to go to the gym every day, regardless of whatever other activities I’m supposed to engage in. I’ve blown off friend’s birthday party as well as dinner plans just to get work-outs in. I keep a log of my daily work-outs, and seeing progress in lifting statistics makes me happy. I’ve already lost a lot of strength from slacking for months on end. I gained back a lot of fat and finally losing it again makes a lot of difference.
Back to cooking more often and eating much cleaner foods again. I’m tracking my daily calories again, well estimating for now until I go out and buy a food scale. It’s a pain in the ass, but makes a world of a difference using a food scale. Portion sizes would surprise a lot of people. I’m also happy to be living with my sister now because we go to the gym together. She’s gained a lot of weight over the last few years from stress and emotionally eating. She’s come to me with concerns, and I’ve tried to help her, but she barely took my advice. Now living together, we often cook for each other and her food selections from the grocery store have changed drastically. I drag her to the gym whenever I can and coach her in the gym. It’s become a great bonding experience as we used to always fight growing up. We haven’t gotten into a single fight since I’ve moved in. It’s nice to have my sister as a friend now.
I signed up for a cheap one-year membership at a local gym by my apt. It’s a pretty crappy gym that overcrowded, but the location and price makes it convenient. I’ve been making it a priority to go to the gym every day, regardless of whatever other activities I’m supposed to engage in. I’ve blown off friend’s birthday party as well as dinner plans just to get work-outs in. I keep a log of my daily work-outs, and seeing progress in lifting statistics makes me happy. I’ve already lost a lot of strength from slacking for months on end. I gained back a lot of fat and finally losing it again makes a lot of difference.
Back to cooking more often and eating much cleaner foods again. I’m tracking my daily calories again, well estimating for now until I go out and buy a food scale. It’s a pain in the ass, but makes a world of a difference using a food scale. Portion sizes would surprise a lot of people. I’m also happy to be living with my sister now because we go to the gym together. She’s gained a lot of weight over the last few years from stress and emotionally eating. She’s come to me with concerns, and I’ve tried to help her, but she barely took my advice. Now living together, we often cook for each other and her food selections from the grocery store have changed drastically. I drag her to the gym whenever I can and coach her in the gym. It’s become a great bonding experience as we used to always fight growing up. We haven’t gotten into a single fight since I’ve moved in. It’s nice to have my sister as a friend now.
Diet, Nutrition, Working out
Working out. It’s one of my passions. I started lifting weights October 2008 with my at-the-time boyfriend. He was also at the time overweight at 245lbs or so. Prior to that he was a whopping 295lbs. He’s always been into lifting weights as a former power lifter until he pulled a disc in his spine. We made the decision together over that summer to start eating healthier and sign up for a gym membership. He set a goal to compete in body building in a year. I decided to get myself in shape and get the body I’ve always wanted.
Dieting was frustrating. I started tracking calories on everything I ate, limiting myself to 1750 calories or so when I first started. Over the next couple months my intake would decrease to further progress on the weight loss. Different routines were tried as well. My least favorite was the card cycle. It was a four days cycle where my daily carb intakes were set as a day or two of low carb days, moderate carb day and one high carb day. On the low carb day, I was to only intake trace carb sources from other foods. It was painful without any grains, flour, pasta, etc.
The first few months, as I started dieting and working out at the same time, I saw very little physical progress. I was lifting weights four to six times a week and my body was building muscle, at the same time I was slowly losing fat. As a new lifter, gaining muscle was important, so I had to make sure to lose weight slowly. My diet was high in protein, basically living off of skinless chicken breasts, eggs and egg whites, whey protein powder and milk. The diet took a tole on my mentality and emotions. Not being able to eat what you want or eat out was frustrating. At the same time, cheating and giving into desires wasn’t satisfying because afterwards I’d think how it was like “taking a step backwards” and I was only hurting myself.
By the following summer, I shed around five-inches off my waist, three or four around the thighs and a good amount off the hips as well. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment I get from working out and seeing progress. Not going to lie, it’s sometimes hard to stay consistent. Once I get off track, I continue to find excuses to stay off-track and it takes awhile to get back in the flow of things.
Dieting was frustrating. I started tracking calories on everything I ate, limiting myself to 1750 calories or so when I first started. Over the next couple months my intake would decrease to further progress on the weight loss. Different routines were tried as well. My least favorite was the card cycle. It was a four days cycle where my daily carb intakes were set as a day or two of low carb days, moderate carb day and one high carb day. On the low carb day, I was to only intake trace carb sources from other foods. It was painful without any grains, flour, pasta, etc.
The first few months, as I started dieting and working out at the same time, I saw very little physical progress. I was lifting weights four to six times a week and my body was building muscle, at the same time I was slowly losing fat. As a new lifter, gaining muscle was important, so I had to make sure to lose weight slowly. My diet was high in protein, basically living off of skinless chicken breasts, eggs and egg whites, whey protein powder and milk. The diet took a tole on my mentality and emotions. Not being able to eat what you want or eat out was frustrating. At the same time, cheating and giving into desires wasn’t satisfying because afterwards I’d think how it was like “taking a step backwards” and I was only hurting myself.
By the following summer, I shed around five-inches off my waist, three or four around the thighs and a good amount off the hips as well. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment I get from working out and seeing progress. Not going to lie, it’s sometimes hard to stay consistent. Once I get off track, I continue to find excuses to stay off-track and it takes awhile to get back in the flow of things.
Work out progress
More progress today. I’ve finally managed to start being able to hoop around the chest with the arms down. It’s still far from perfect; I can barely keep the momentum going for more than a few rounds. But progress nonetheless. I can kind of do it starting with hoop around neck and bringing in the shoulders, as well as from hooping around the waist and bringing the hands in and lifting the hoop up to the chest.
I never thought I’d develop so many bruises from hula hooping. My left shoulder has a bruise that I keep worsening by continuing to hit the hoop on it when trying to time the shoulder movement into the hoop. At one point I had a pretty bad bruise on my middle finger’s middle knuckle. I joked and told people I got it from flipping too many people off; when in actuality it was from attempting a lift of the hoop from waist to over the head.
Hooping as an added cardio routine to my work out has been a positive decision. I find it very therapeutic and relaxing. Time flies as I hoop as well. It’s a full body workout as everything is basically in motion. My lack of flexibility has become a recent concern of mine and I’ve also incorporated daily stretches before and after hooping as well between sets in the gym. Overall, I feel better lately.
I never thought I’d develop so many bruises from hula hooping. My left shoulder has a bruise that I keep worsening by continuing to hit the hoop on it when trying to time the shoulder movement into the hoop. At one point I had a pretty bad bruise on my middle finger’s middle knuckle. I joked and told people I got it from flipping too many people off; when in actuality it was from attempting a lift of the hoop from waist to over the head.
Hooping as an added cardio routine to my work out has been a positive decision. I find it very therapeutic and relaxing. Time flies as I hoop as well. It’s a full body workout as everything is basically in motion. My lack of flexibility has become a recent concern of mine and I’ve also incorporated daily stretches before and after hooping as well between sets in the gym. Overall, I feel better lately.
no spring break for the working body
My spring break. I didn’t have one. I never thought last year’s mundane spring break would be my last one. My spring break became my spontaneous trip to Miami last month. And I keep looking back on that trip and longing to be back in that moment. Not that I loved Miami as the location; I loved the warm weather and palm trees, being surrounded by beaches and walking around in shorts and flip flops. No, it was the music festival’s experience that I miss.
The sea of people. The sheer number of bodies that can drown me, all enclosed in that park. The DJs. The lights. The music. The thumping bass. For hours on end, and continuing for three consecutive days. Interesting how certain events can have a lasting impression on someone. So what makes something memorable and life changing?
The sea of people. The sheer number of bodies that can drown me, all enclosed in that park. The DJs. The lights. The music. The thumping bass. For hours on end, and continuing for three consecutive days. Interesting how certain events can have a lasting impression on someone. So what makes something memorable and life changing?
expiration dates
I don’t understand the size make-up comes in for its expiration dates. Most eye make-ups are “good” for 30 to 60 days. Mascara, for example is supposed to be tossed after 30-days. To be honest, I for one continue to use it after 30-days. But anyway, the size mascara comes in, the 0.25 fl oz tubes, are impossible to finish in 30-days. I use it daily, but it’s never enough to finish it. Am I supposed to recoat mascara 6 times a day to get my full 30-day supply in 30-days? They should just sell mascara in smaller tubes at half the price.
Same goes for eye shadows. I’m sorry; I like my variety of colors to choose from. Eye shadows come in pretty large cylinders that take months to finish. And using an array of colors… never will I finish a color of eye shadow before its expiration.
I guess my question is; do people actually throw out make up as often as they’re supposed to? Or do you continue to use it until a. you feel it has become old; b. you finish it. Also, does anyone actually finish the make-up before it expires?
Same goes for eye shadows. I’m sorry; I like my variety of colors to choose from. Eye shadows come in pretty large cylinders that take months to finish. And using an array of colors… never will I finish a color of eye shadow before its expiration.
I guess my question is; do people actually throw out make up as often as they’re supposed to? Or do you continue to use it until a. you feel it has become old; b. you finish it. Also, does anyone actually finish the make-up before it expires?
career choices?
Rethinking career choice. I’ve started my new job as an office personal assistant/production coordinator and part-time editor at a production company. It’s been about 20-days into the new job, as well as the company’s launch and it’s been nothing but busy-ness and mounds of work.
Initially it was the whole relocation of the office. Followed by setting up all the equipment and computers in the new location, setting up internet access and phone systems… Already into two projects, while having delivered a few smaller revisions, I barely have time to breathe. Currently in pre-production of a shoot, and I’ve gotten thrown into a whirlwind of paperwork, e-mails and phone calls to take care of to assist the producer in sealing all the locations, finding extras, researching stock b-roll footage, and documenting all the payments and contracts. The whole thing is completely new to me, and being tossed right in the middle of the action is nerve wrecking.
It’s making me reconsider my career choice in a way. It’s overwhelming and I didn’t realize the extent of the complexity of the innerworkings. To be honest, I’ve never wanted to be a Producer or have to do the tasks a Producer does. They’re the anchor the sets up and coordinate everything. My current job for this project is assisting the Producer in everything, and I’m going crazy in all the tasks. I’ve always wanted to work post production, where you’re given all the footage, and then sit in a dark room for hours. I’m seeing what it takes to start up a production company and how a production takes place, and I’m not sure it’s something I will be able to do in the future.
Initially it was the whole relocation of the office. Followed by setting up all the equipment and computers in the new location, setting up internet access and phone systems… Already into two projects, while having delivered a few smaller revisions, I barely have time to breathe. Currently in pre-production of a shoot, and I’ve gotten thrown into a whirlwind of paperwork, e-mails and phone calls to take care of to assist the producer in sealing all the locations, finding extras, researching stock b-roll footage, and documenting all the payments and contracts. The whole thing is completely new to me, and being tossed right in the middle of the action is nerve wrecking.
It’s making me reconsider my career choice in a way. It’s overwhelming and I didn’t realize the extent of the complexity of the innerworkings. To be honest, I’ve never wanted to be a Producer or have to do the tasks a Producer does. They’re the anchor the sets up and coordinate everything. My current job for this project is assisting the Producer in everything, and I’m going crazy in all the tasks. I’ve always wanted to work post production, where you’re given all the footage, and then sit in a dark room for hours. I’m seeing what it takes to start up a production company and how a production takes place, and I’m not sure it’s something I will be able to do in the future.
cupcake obsession
Why are there so many cake and cupcake shows?! Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss, Cake Wars, Challenge, Amazing Wedding Cakes, Last Cake Standing…. The recent obsession with cakes and cupcakes are a little ridiculous. I mean, I for one, love cake. And love cupcakes. I walk into any bakery I see in the city trying to discover the best place. Currently, Tonnie’s Mini and Magnolia Bakery are my two favorites in NYC. Melissa’s bite-sized cupcakes are decent, but overpriced for the tiny size. And of course, Crumbs is always a delight, though I feel that as of recent, they’ve lessened the amount of frosting stuffed into the cupcake itself.
Which makes me wonder, what’s next? What’s the next big food obsession? I’ve fancied the idea of pies, but I feel that it’s a much more niche group to impress. So not pies. Ice creams tried, with Cold Stones, but I think it fell short as yogurts dominated as a healthier choice with Pink Berry and Tasti Delights.
Maybe cookies will be the next big thing… Let me jump on that.
Which makes me wonder, what’s next? What’s the next big food obsession? I’ve fancied the idea of pies, but I feel that it’s a much more niche group to impress. So not pies. Ice creams tried, with Cold Stones, but I think it fell short as yogurts dominated as a healthier choice with Pink Berry and Tasti Delights.
Maybe cookies will be the next big thing… Let me jump on that.
Music sharing
With music sharing becoming popularized by services such as Napter and Kazaa in the 90’s, how music is discovered has changed radically.
Personally, the music I listen to are all EDM (Electronic Dance Music) that are not played on the radio or anywhere for that matter. Despite so, these DJs sell out shows and have a huge following. Some of the biggest music festivals in the US are EDM festivals, with events such as Ultra Music Festival in Miami bringing in 150,000 people every night for three-nights.
So how are these artists becoming recognized? It’s all through online music sharing along with the help of social networking. It’s just crazy to realize the power of social networking. So, Facebook started as a site to connect with friends. Today, it is used to connect with celebrities, artists, companies and businesses… Virtually anything someone can be interested in can be “Liked” on Facebook. So, I “Like” a DJ on Facebook and get informed of their upcoming shows and tour dates. I learn about other artists and DJs by associations of the DJs I like, as well as similar artists my friends “Like”. Youtube facilitates this as finding songs happen with just a few clicks. Then recommendations follow as one song ends. There’s an interesting notion of “Liking” something online that has become popularized today.
Music discovery is often done through Youtube and sharing links with friends. Then downloads take place through iTunes or illegally through torrenting. Radio and media are outlets for mainstream music. And the rest of “underground” artists are discovered through the internet. Mmmm, power of internet :)
Personally, the music I listen to are all EDM (Electronic Dance Music) that are not played on the radio or anywhere for that matter. Despite so, these DJs sell out shows and have a huge following. Some of the biggest music festivals in the US are EDM festivals, with events such as Ultra Music Festival in Miami bringing in 150,000 people every night for three-nights.
So how are these artists becoming recognized? It’s all through online music sharing along with the help of social networking. It’s just crazy to realize the power of social networking. So, Facebook started as a site to connect with friends. Today, it is used to connect with celebrities, artists, companies and businesses… Virtually anything someone can be interested in can be “Liked” on Facebook. So, I “Like” a DJ on Facebook and get informed of their upcoming shows and tour dates. I learn about other artists and DJs by associations of the DJs I like, as well as similar artists my friends “Like”. Youtube facilitates this as finding songs happen with just a few clicks. Then recommendations follow as one song ends. There’s an interesting notion of “Liking” something online that has become popularized today.
Music discovery is often done through Youtube and sharing links with friends. Then downloads take place through iTunes or illegally through torrenting. Radio and media are outlets for mainstream music. And the rest of “underground” artists are discovered through the internet. Mmmm, power of internet :)
Where the models at?
Celebrities today have a much different standard than they did a few years back. What happened to well-known super models that had status like Tyra Banks, Naomi Cambell or Kate Moss? I feel like the only models people can name today are the Victoria’s Secret Angels. Sure, Tyra hosted a show, “America’s Next Top Model”, but unless you watched that show, there’s pretty much no way you remember who the winner was. What’s happened to the winners anyway?
I’m looking at ads in magazines and commercials on beauty products that were once dominated by high-end models are now full of actresses and singers. Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Drew Barimore are all over Neutrogena, L’Oreal and other beauty products. So, where have super models gone? I saw a Chanel commercial earlier that starred Natalie Portman in it. Is it the belief that using a known celebrity or actress will increase sales as opposed to using a model whose name people will not know?
It just seems like celebrities today are expected to act, sing, dance and perform. I’m sure a lot of this has to be attributed to what’s on TV today. With shows like Dancing with the Stars, it forces conventional actors and actresses to become a dancer and performer as well. Is it harder to become a celebrity today because of these standards? Models don’t seem to hold the same standard they used to.
I’m looking at ads in magazines and commercials on beauty products that were once dominated by high-end models are now full of actresses and singers. Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Drew Barimore are all over Neutrogena, L’Oreal and other beauty products. So, where have super models gone? I saw a Chanel commercial earlier that starred Natalie Portman in it. Is it the belief that using a known celebrity or actress will increase sales as opposed to using a model whose name people will not know?
It just seems like celebrities today are expected to act, sing, dance and perform. I’m sure a lot of this has to be attributed to what’s on TV today. With shows like Dancing with the Stars, it forces conventional actors and actresses to become a dancer and performer as well. Is it harder to become a celebrity today because of these standards? Models don’t seem to hold the same standard they used to.
Smart things with Smartphones
How often do you get approached on a street and asked to take a survey or asked a question? Well, pretty often if you live in the city however what about being asked to answer a question using physical motions? Not verry often. The theme of this whole performance at the tank is simply about innovation. What hasnt been done before and how do we do it are the two main questions that we are faced with in our group of smartphones and devices. The problem is that there are soo many options out there, which ones should we choose.
One of the best ideas our group came up with was the idea of the implementation of twitter into a questionaire. Twitter is one of the hottest outlets out now so we should use it in order to gain the corperation of the majority of the people we interview. Out on the street, people will be asked to answer questions that are projected onto a wall by a mini projector. They will then be able to manipluate space and words in order to answer the question. We can then use the answer and project it inside the tank and maybe even allow the audience to interact.
We also diped into the idea of using smartphones to manipluate sound using touch OSC. Durring the performance, the majority of action will be done by the actors however if we can incorperate the audience to change something about the music, it will allow them to feel part of the performance.
The link below is really cool. It shows a VJ using abelton and touch OSC to conduct his performance. Check it out!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRMDEWauWHg&feature=fvst
One of the best ideas our group came up with was the idea of the implementation of twitter into a questionaire. Twitter is one of the hottest outlets out now so we should use it in order to gain the corperation of the majority of the people we interview. Out on the street, people will be asked to answer questions that are projected onto a wall by a mini projector. They will then be able to manipluate space and words in order to answer the question. We can then use the answer and project it inside the tank and maybe even allow the audience to interact.
We also diped into the idea of using smartphones to manipluate sound using touch OSC. Durring the performance, the majority of action will be done by the actors however if we can incorperate the audience to change something about the music, it will allow them to feel part of the performance.
The link below is really cool. It shows a VJ using abelton and touch OSC to conduct his performance. Check it out!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRMDEWauWHg&feature=fvst
Fiction film
Fictional film about the textures I found outside while listening to the simple sounds in nature. I walked around following different paths outside and filmed whatever I thought was interesting. These are very simple observations but the simple things in nature can be the most beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpOCM0U4UMg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpOCM0U4UMg
Performing with film
It's a really cool stuff that you must watch. I saw it on my friends Facebook post. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a link on youtube. To watch the clip, click the title, the image, or click the link below:
*Note: you have to login with a facebook account*
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=219004744783354
Home @ Bayside [sketchup] part 2
It takes me a really long time (about) 5 hours to render a 1 minute animation. Enjoy :)
Monday, 25 April 2011
mushroom??
Just few days ago, I got an email from my mother.There was attachment file, then when I opened it, there was this picture!!
She mentioned she found this mushrooms in our garden!!
Unbelievable!!!
and my mom worried that bugs or birds tried to eat the mushrooms, so she put ceramic dog as guard dog.
How she is cute!!
Hopefully, the mushrooms are still fine....
The Tribeca Experience
The first final edit of my documentary on the Tribeca experience. I definitely need to break up the gaps in the film, perhaps with narration though I'm not sure how to approach that. Will continue working on it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_XJ4wTkABQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_XJ4wTkABQ
Fictional Film_ Two Moons
I imagine that when there are two moons in the dark night, I can go back in time.
In the clouds...
Putting my film up in the clouds before I forget to do it tomorrow. Just had some inspiration with this film. I like candles so I decided to film candles and light. Light in general. Turn on and turn off. It is quite an interesting phenom. Yes, part of this film we watch wax soldify. It takes literally like 3 full minutes for it to solidify but I sped it up because who really wants to watch that on film. It's more fun to watch in person, in my opinion. Enjoy!
Women police officers
I was just watching a show on A&E called Police POV and I have to admit women should not be police officers. There was a physically fit police woman who was chasing down a large man and if she wasnt backed up by a male police officer she could have really gotten herself into trouble. The suspect was able to grab her taser gun and had it been a real gun she could have been killed. I am not so sure they should be firefighters either.
Now I may get a lot of flack from women activist for these comments but I really think that men and women are different and there are certain things we should realize this about. Our personalities and physique are different and as a woman I would rather have a big brawley man rescuing me from a second story fire than a woman. Sorry.
Now I may get a lot of flack from women activist for these comments but I really think that men and women are different and there are certain things we should realize this about. Our personalities and physique are different and as a woman I would rather have a big brawley man rescuing me from a second story fire than a woman. Sorry.
Trump for President???
So Donald Trump is running for President. Because of his celebrity status, I think he could actually win.
That doesn't mean he should though.
I am happy that he is at least bringing important issues to the public's attention. The world seems so media illiterate. I think half of the blame is the material world we live in and the other half is the media conglomerates who are truly controlling what we see and hear, even when there is supposed to be fair and balanced news.
It is a scary world we live in.
I think the Donald's business sense is something Americans can really benefit from. But his lack of military and foreign policy experience will be a hard sell in these uncertain times.
Ahhh, America and our freedoms.
That doesn't mean he should though.
I am happy that he is at least bringing important issues to the public's attention. The world seems so media illiterate. I think half of the blame is the material world we live in and the other half is the media conglomerates who are truly controlling what we see and hear, even when there is supposed to be fair and balanced news.
It is a scary world we live in.
I think the Donald's business sense is something Americans can really benefit from. But his lack of military and foreign policy experience will be a hard sell in these uncertain times.
Ahhh, America and our freedoms.
Home for the weekend
My son didn't have spring break so he just came home for Easter. It was nice having him here but I have to admit, I automatically turn into MOM mode rather then enjoying my own time off from school.
I have had the film for this class on my mind and although I have had a few ideas, I think the part that has been holding me back is the editing. Everyone else film always looks so good. I am just not a film maker and that's ok with me.
So while my son was home he had to do...."A FILM"... He brought all the equipment home from school. He had 3 sets of lights, cameras, battery packs, mikes etc. My 2 nephews and niece starred in the film that he wrote and is now directing. I can not believe he got in done over 2 days and I am still procrastinating on mine. (I did ask him for help but he politely refused) Film production is his major and this is what he wants to do with his life so he really enjoyed himself and I was quite impressed.
I miss having him home.
I have had the film for this class on my mind and although I have had a few ideas, I think the part that has been holding me back is the editing. Everyone else film always looks so good. I am just not a film maker and that's ok with me.
So while my son was home he had to do...."A FILM"... He brought all the equipment home from school. He had 3 sets of lights, cameras, battery packs, mikes etc. My 2 nephews and niece starred in the film that he wrote and is now directing. I can not believe he got in done over 2 days and I am still procrastinating on mine. (I did ask him for help but he politely refused) Film production is his major and this is what he wants to do with his life so he really enjoyed himself and I was quite impressed.
I miss having him home.
Procrast...I'll finish it later
Yeah yeah yeah, I told myself that I was slacking and would make it all up over the Spring Break. Well, here I am the night before class deciding to blog. I realize I have avoided making my film rather then just doing it. Tomorrow I will put it together and hopefully get it posted before class. I decided I was going to do my fiction film on letting life pass you by. Window shopping for something that's out there when everything is already right in front of you and all you have to do is go out there and do it.
It is one of the reasons I went back to school. I already had my AAS and worked, owned a business, raised a family and yet I wasn't satisfied because I always wanted to earn my degree. Some people thinks it's hard to do...go back to school...but I am glad I did. (Although I have to admit I am pretty burnt out at this point.
I am trying to stay focused and finish school even though the after graduation part is scaring the hell out of me. Most of my friends know "who they are" or "what they want" How can I be 40 years old (yes, I said it--I AM 40!) and still not know what I want to be when I grow up. One thing for sure is I know that I am not a film maker.
It is one of the reasons I went back to school. I already had my AAS and worked, owned a business, raised a family and yet I wasn't satisfied because I always wanted to earn my degree. Some people thinks it's hard to do...go back to school...but I am glad I did. (Although I have to admit I am pretty burnt out at this point.
I am trying to stay focused and finish school even though the after graduation part is scaring the hell out of me. Most of my friends know "who they are" or "what they want" How can I be 40 years old (yes, I said it--I AM 40!) and still not know what I want to be when I grow up. One thing for sure is I know that I am not a film maker.
Just an irregular Monday ~
First day back at school, ahh getting into the swing of things again. So today, I woke up pretty damn early just to get shit done. I went to the admin to get a new ID card and it was 25$ and I didn't even get to take a new picture. I guess this horrendous school ID picture will need to stay with me for all 4 years, I am not surprised. Ah, I must live with the picture. Ahh, I don't know why I didn't ask to get a new picture. I wasn't thinking and before it was too late he printed a card out for me already.
After that, I went to the SAC to wait online for China Night tickets. They sold out in less than an hour but I got my ticket and I got tickets for other people, some how. Yes yes. My day was pretty fun filled and busy. After I got tickets, I needed to help set up for an event my fraternity was hosting. Then I went to go get food and then go to class. After class I went back to the SAC to see how the event was doing. By the time I got back it was pretty much dying down.
Then I went back to my room and went to work. I'm sitting at work now. I started my homework that's due next week but it got too complicated and I gave up. On a brighter note, tomorrow is going to be absolutely gorgeous out, so I heard. Shorts weather all the way! This is really random but someone just asked me a question at work and he was like "do you know what time the courts close at the Tabler" and I was like IDK. But I secretly think he just wanted to talk to me :D
After that, I went to the SAC to wait online for China Night tickets. They sold out in less than an hour but I got my ticket and I got tickets for other people, some how. Yes yes. My day was pretty fun filled and busy. After I got tickets, I needed to help set up for an event my fraternity was hosting. Then I went to go get food and then go to class. After class I went back to the SAC to see how the event was doing. By the time I got back it was pretty much dying down.
Then I went back to my room and went to work. I'm sitting at work now. I started my homework that's due next week but it got too complicated and I gave up. On a brighter note, tomorrow is going to be absolutely gorgeous out, so I heard. Shorts weather all the way! This is really random but someone just asked me a question at work and he was like "do you know what time the courts close at the Tabler" and I was like IDK. But I secretly think he just wanted to talk to me :D
My dreams
Lately I have been having extensive long real- like dreams. Somethings I even dream about text message conversations and later on i have to check my phone to see if they really happened. Its really strange. One time I checked my phone to see if a text message really occured a week later and it turns out it did. It kinda scares me that I am not seperated reality vs. dreams very well as far as text messaging goes. I wonder if thats normal. I know that alot of times people dream about bizarre things and made up people that they have never consciously seen before. I havent had a dream like that in a while I have been dreaming about fights with my boyfriend or mom and talks with my friends. Alot of times I even dream about work. I dream that I have 4 tables waiting for their food yelling and I cant get it to them. I came to the conclusion that I dream about work when I am stressed..but I am not stressed about work. I just manifest my stress into a stressful dream about a bad night at work.
Alot of people would say its normal but I have been dreaming ever night and I used to never remember my dreams.
One theory suggests that dreams serve as a means for cleansing and release. During the day, we may hold back our feelings and repress our anger. Thus dreams serve as a safe outlet for us to release our negative emotions. Another theory says that dreams is a biologically necessary aspect of sleep. Research has shown that people who were prevented from entering the dream state and woken up before they can dream were more easily irritated, jittery, and performed far below average.
So maybe it is a good thing afterall. I think I just have alot more going on right now then I did before
stress of work
Work Is Biggest Cause of Stress
Koreans are growing increasingly stressed and less happy with their lives, according to a study. The Korean Neuropsychiatric Association interviewed 1,000 adult Koreans this year and found that 26.2 percent suffer from high levels of stress while scoring 68.1 points on the happiness scale, which is a failing grade.
◆ Job Stress
Problems in the workplace are the greatest source of stress, according to the study, especially among young men. "Unlike home, the workplace is a source of constant stress," said Jeong Do-un, a neurologist at Seoul National University Hospital. "Job-related stress seems especially common among men, since they're mostly the breadwinners and young men feel pressure as they have to compete to survive in a tough job market."
Experts say advances in communications technology have made people's personal matters more accessible to others, and that increases stress levels even more.
◆ High Suicide Rate
Stress can lead to suicide. Korea already has the highest suicide rate in the world, and the trend is growing worse. Four students at the prestigious Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology committed suicide already this year due to academic pressure, and a professor at the school also took his own life.
Experts say spring is the season for suicides, due to changes that happen to many people during that transition period. People suffering from excessive stress are advised to consult a physician.
◆ Exercise
Most people in the study cited exercise, drink, chat, or sleep as things they do to relieve stress. Men tend to drink, while women usually prefer talking to friends. But 48.3 percent of the adults in the study said they cope with stress by themselves. Experts recommend sharing problems and worries. Jeong at SNU Hospital said, "The best way to get rid of stress is to move your body. People who exercise regularly have a better chance of overcoming stress than those who don't."
Koreans are growing increasingly stressed and less happy with their lives, according to a study. The Korean Neuropsychiatric Association interviewed 1,000 adult Koreans this year and found that 26.2 percent suffer from high levels of stress while scoring 68.1 points on the happiness scale, which is a failing grade.
◆ Job Stress
Problems in the workplace are the greatest source of stress, according to the study, especially among young men. "Unlike home, the workplace is a source of constant stress," said Jeong Do-un, a neurologist at Seoul National University Hospital. "Job-related stress seems especially common among men, since they're mostly the breadwinners and young men feel pressure as they have to compete to survive in a tough job market."
Experts say advances in communications technology have made people's personal matters more accessible to others, and that increases stress levels even more.
◆ High Suicide Rate
Stress can lead to suicide. Korea already has the highest suicide rate in the world, and the trend is growing worse. Four students at the prestigious Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology committed suicide already this year due to academic pressure, and a professor at the school also took his own life.
Experts say spring is the season for suicides, due to changes that happen to many people during that transition period. People suffering from excessive stress are advised to consult a physician.
◆ Exercise
Most people in the study cited exercise, drink, chat, or sleep as things they do to relieve stress. Men tend to drink, while women usually prefer talking to friends. But 48.3 percent of the adults in the study said they cope with stress by themselves. Experts recommend sharing problems and worries. Jeong at SNU Hospital said, "The best way to get rid of stress is to move your body. People who exercise regularly have a better chance of overcoming stress than those who don't."
SeoTaeJi and the rumor
Mystery Deepens Over Seo Tai-ji's Secret Marriage to Lee Ji-ah
The actress Lee Ji-ah is suing music legend Seo Tai-ji for W500 million in alimony and half of his W5 billion fortune (US$1=W1,080). According to her lawsuit, the two secretly married in the U.S. and divorced later on. Lee claims they divorced in 2009, but Seo says they parted ways back in 2006.
The timing of the separation is at the center of controversy, since a person can claim for alimony up to three years after divorce. The reasons for the divorce and lawsuit remain unclear.
The first pre-trial hearing was held on March 14 and another is scheduled for May 23. The formal trial has yet to begin, so Seo and Lee have not appeared in court yet. Lee has hired four lawyers from a major law firm, while Seo has hired three to defend him.
Seo Tai-ji (left) and Lee Ji-ah
Around midnight on Thursday, Lee's management agency Key East issued a press release confirming the lawsuit. In the press release, Lee said that she wanted to end her relation with Seo quietly, but due to disagreement she had to file a lawsuit before the period to claim for alimony expires. Lee explained she left for the U.S. to study in 1993 and met Seo through an acquaintance at a concert in Los Angeles the same year. They kept in touch and developed a long-distance relationship though letters and phones as Lee stayed in the U.S. and Seo went back to Korea and finally became lovers, it said.
Seo went to the U.S. after retiring from show business in early 1996, and the two got married there without inviting anyone to the wedding in 1997 and lived in the States, moving to Atlanta and then Arizona. Lee, however, denies rumors that she and Seo have children.
The agency said Seo returned to Korea for his comeback as a singer in June 2006, and Lee, who stayed behind in the U.S., filed for divorce the same year, which became effective in 2009. It said the two separated because Seo's occupation led to an unusual lifestyle and irreconcilable differences. Lee said she had had to keep her private life secret because her husband was a famous figure here.
The news broke on Thursday afternoon and was featured on the front pages of major Internet portals and news websites, with tens of thousands of netizens posting comments and spreading rumors.
Seo (39), who commands a huge base of loyal fans and is often referred to as the "president of culture," debuted in 1992 as the leader of the group Seo Tai-ji & Boys and became a music icon during the 1990s. The three-member group, which also included Lee Ju-no and Yang Hyun-suk, captivated young Koreans with music that blended hip-hop and rock and contained messages of social awareness.
Seo, whose real name is Jeong Hyun-chul, went solo in 2000 and has kept his personal life under close wraps.
A photo taken by a tourist in Paris in January shows Lee Ji-ah and Jung Woo-sung on a date. /Courtesy of Sports Kahn
Lee was equally secretive about her private life. There are rumors that her real name is Kim Sang-eun, but she changed it to Kim Ji-ah just before she debuted as an actress and again to Lee Ji-ah. In various interviews, she claimed she was born on Feb. 2, 1981 and left for the U.S. when she was in sixth grade, living there for around 10 years. She also claims to have majored in graphic design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, but none of these claims have been verified.
She caught the eye of top star Bae Yong-joon, who is a major shareholder of talent management agency Key East, and made her show business debut in an ad Bae appeared in back in 2004. She rose to stardom co-starring with Bae in the 2007 MBC drama "Taewangsasingi (The Four Guardian Gods of the King)" and recently starred in the SBS drama "Athena: Goddess of War." She made headlines with a real-life romance with her co-star Jung Woo-sung.
The two admitted their relationship after a tourist photographed them on a date in Paris in January this year. Jung's management agency on Thursday quoted him as saying, "I knew nothing about Lee's marriage and divorce suit. I cannot believe it and I hope that it isn't true."
Seo's management agency, Seo Tai-ji Company, said it was unaware of the news, adding the singer is overseas at the moment working on an album and cannot be reached.
----
News of the secret marriage and divorce between actress Lee Ji-ah and music legend Seo Tai-ji has generated an explosive reaction from the public, with malicious online chatter mainly targeting Lee and her family.
The scandal revealed that Lee had concealed her real name and age, not to mention her marital status, and unconfirmed reports about her and her family are being posted on numerous portal sites, blogs and Twitter.
On lee-zia.com and seojinyo.com, which is the Korean acronym for "Demanding Truth from Seo Tai-ji," countless speculative messages are being posted. Both sites have attracted online ads from fashion shops and cosmetic surgery clinics. A number of spoofs of Lee, Seo, and actor Jung Woo-sung, Lee's current boyfriend who reportedly knew nothing about Lee's story, have also appeared online.
Lee's agency Key East in a press release on Saturday urged the press to refrain from dragging Lee’s family and friends into their reports since they are "irrelevant to the event and non-celebrities who lead normal lives. Intense public scrutiny and speculative reports have put them in an unbearably painful situation."
Hwang Sang-min, a professor of psychology at Yonsei University, said divulging personal information about people close to Lee "has less to do with truth-seeking and more with wanting to generate more gossip." And Song Jong-gil, a mass media professor at Kyonggi University, said, "The privacy of stars needs to be respected to a certain extent even though they're public figures. But the public, perhaps swayed by intense feelings of betrayal and shock, are digging out every detail about Lee and Seo as well as their acquaintances and families to punish them."
The actress Lee Ji-ah is suing music legend Seo Tai-ji for W500 million in alimony and half of his W5 billion fortune (US$1=W1,080). According to her lawsuit, the two secretly married in the U.S. and divorced later on. Lee claims they divorced in 2009, but Seo says they parted ways back in 2006.
The timing of the separation is at the center of controversy, since a person can claim for alimony up to three years after divorce. The reasons for the divorce and lawsuit remain unclear.
The first pre-trial hearing was held on March 14 and another is scheduled for May 23. The formal trial has yet to begin, so Seo and Lee have not appeared in court yet. Lee has hired four lawyers from a major law firm, while Seo has hired three to defend him.
Seo Tai-ji (left) and Lee Ji-ah
Around midnight on Thursday, Lee's management agency Key East issued a press release confirming the lawsuit. In the press release, Lee said that she wanted to end her relation with Seo quietly, but due to disagreement she had to file a lawsuit before the period to claim for alimony expires. Lee explained she left for the U.S. to study in 1993 and met Seo through an acquaintance at a concert in Los Angeles the same year. They kept in touch and developed a long-distance relationship though letters and phones as Lee stayed in the U.S. and Seo went back to Korea and finally became lovers, it said.
Seo went to the U.S. after retiring from show business in early 1996, and the two got married there without inviting anyone to the wedding in 1997 and lived in the States, moving to Atlanta and then Arizona. Lee, however, denies rumors that she and Seo have children.
The agency said Seo returned to Korea for his comeback as a singer in June 2006, and Lee, who stayed behind in the U.S., filed for divorce the same year, which became effective in 2009. It said the two separated because Seo's occupation led to an unusual lifestyle and irreconcilable differences. Lee said she had had to keep her private life secret because her husband was a famous figure here.
The news broke on Thursday afternoon and was featured on the front pages of major Internet portals and news websites, with tens of thousands of netizens posting comments and spreading rumors.
Seo (39), who commands a huge base of loyal fans and is often referred to as the "president of culture," debuted in 1992 as the leader of the group Seo Tai-ji & Boys and became a music icon during the 1990s. The three-member group, which also included Lee Ju-no and Yang Hyun-suk, captivated young Koreans with music that blended hip-hop and rock and contained messages of social awareness.
Seo, whose real name is Jeong Hyun-chul, went solo in 2000 and has kept his personal life under close wraps.
A photo taken by a tourist in Paris in January shows Lee Ji-ah and Jung Woo-sung on a date. /Courtesy of Sports Kahn
Lee was equally secretive about her private life. There are rumors that her real name is Kim Sang-eun, but she changed it to Kim Ji-ah just before she debuted as an actress and again to Lee Ji-ah. In various interviews, she claimed she was born on Feb. 2, 1981 and left for the U.S. when she was in sixth grade, living there for around 10 years. She also claims to have majored in graphic design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, but none of these claims have been verified.
She caught the eye of top star Bae Yong-joon, who is a major shareholder of talent management agency Key East, and made her show business debut in an ad Bae appeared in back in 2004. She rose to stardom co-starring with Bae in the 2007 MBC drama "Taewangsasingi (The Four Guardian Gods of the King)" and recently starred in the SBS drama "Athena: Goddess of War." She made headlines with a real-life romance with her co-star Jung Woo-sung.
The two admitted their relationship after a tourist photographed them on a date in Paris in January this year. Jung's management agency on Thursday quoted him as saying, "I knew nothing about Lee's marriage and divorce suit. I cannot believe it and I hope that it isn't true."
Seo's management agency, Seo Tai-ji Company, said it was unaware of the news, adding the singer is overseas at the moment working on an album and cannot be reached.
----
News of the secret marriage and divorce between actress Lee Ji-ah and music legend Seo Tai-ji has generated an explosive reaction from the public, with malicious online chatter mainly targeting Lee and her family.
The scandal revealed that Lee had concealed her real name and age, not to mention her marital status, and unconfirmed reports about her and her family are being posted on numerous portal sites, blogs and Twitter.
On lee-zia.com and seojinyo.com, which is the Korean acronym for "Demanding Truth from Seo Tai-ji," countless speculative messages are being posted. Both sites have attracted online ads from fashion shops and cosmetic surgery clinics. A number of spoofs of Lee, Seo, and actor Jung Woo-sung, Lee's current boyfriend who reportedly knew nothing about Lee's story, have also appeared online.
Lee's agency Key East in a press release on Saturday urged the press to refrain from dragging Lee’s family and friends into their reports since they are "irrelevant to the event and non-celebrities who lead normal lives. Intense public scrutiny and speculative reports have put them in an unbearably painful situation."
Hwang Sang-min, a professor of psychology at Yonsei University, said divulging personal information about people close to Lee "has less to do with truth-seeking and more with wanting to generate more gossip." And Song Jong-gil, a mass media professor at Kyonggi University, said, "The privacy of stars needs to be respected to a certain extent even though they're public figures. But the public, perhaps swayed by intense feelings of betrayal and shock, are digging out every detail about Lee and Seo as well as their acquaintances and families to punish them."
The Cat Kingdom
Cats are treasured friends and beloved companions to countless people, and studies have shown that caring for a feline has a constructive effect on one’s health and well-being.
Cats are very smart and they can get you; they figure you out.
And they figure out if you like them or not. If they know that you like them, they’ll be around you. And we can see differences in the kitties. You know, sometimes cats, they look after you the way a human being looks after you. But often, I look in the cat’s eyes, I say, “My gosh,” it’s almost like a person is in front of you.
Co-founded in 2001 by Atwater resident Renate Schmitz and her kindhearted daughter Mona, Last Hope Cat Kingdom rescues, cares for and finds loving homes for cats, dogs and other animals.
From the time she was a child, Mona was always concerned about abused, neglected and homeless animals of all kinds, and wished to have a large space where she could look after animals and give them a good life. Mona’s dream began to take shape in 2002 when she and her mother found a seven-hectare parcel of land in Atwater that could be turned into a splendid home for animals.
First we lived in Winton (California), and my daughter worked in a veterinary clinic where they put so many animals down who were healthy. People didn’t want them. She brought a cat home, and finally we had over 10 cats. And she said we have to get a big place.
She said, “Mama, we have to get a big place to save the animals.” She said, “And it’s so troubling every day to see how many animals get put down because people have no space.” And it took us four years before we finally had a place for the animals where cats can move in.
Mona passed away in 2008. In her memory and to fulfill her dream, Ms. Schmitz, along with a group of dedicated volunteers, has continued and expanded on her daughter's plan to create a large haven for animals.
It began as a cat rescue when Mona started, but she started taking in dogs as well. And we have horses and goats and a pig and some turtles. And really any kind of domesticated animals that are in need are welcome. All animals are welcome.
And our place filled up very fast, because the community called constantly … a woman dies, she has three cats, can you take them? Otherwise they have to be put down. Or a gentleman’s getting sick, and they say, “I cannot take care of my animals anymore, but they’re my best friends.”
And my daughter was always (saying) that animals are our friends, our family. So we helped the elderly people first here. That was always our priority. So, that’s how we filled up our shelter very quick. We had up to 200 cats.
And pretty soon, it started that people called us and said, “You know, we don’t have the money. My cat has a broken leg. Can you help us?” So what my daughter did, she took the animals to the clinic where she worked and she took care (of them). And it felt good for us to help the cat, that the cat survived, and is doing so well.
Feral cats are different from stray cats as they have no contact with humans. Ferals are born to cats who once had a home, but then were abandoned or are the offspring of other feral cats.
The feral cats actually were something very special that my daughter took care of. She started to trap the cats and she actually got our volunteers involved, and sometimes in a day we had 20 cat traps set. In one year, my daughter trapped 800 feral cats. She made sure that the animals all got spayed, that they all got their shots, including rabies shots.
And in some places we released them, but in other places we couldn’t release them, so we found some farmers, who took some animals in and we made sure that they fed them. And right now our dream is, it was my daughter’s dream; we have 18 acres, and it was my daughter’s dream to have everything fenced; the 18 acres so that we can have from the whole (Merced) County the feral cats when people don’t want them. Can you imagine what a difference that will make?
Homeless animals are exposed to the heat and cold, receive no medical care, and do not have a steady source of food. To eliminate suffering, it is important to be a loving caregiver and ensure one’s animal companion does not have babies unless all offspring will be placed in caring homes.
Spay and neuter
Is the key and not abandoning your animals, because a single cat can have many thousands of kittens, or be the sire of many thousands of kittens in his lifetime. So abandoning one non-spayed cat can lead to many thousands of lives that will be brutal and short out on the streets. So spaying and neutering and taking care of your animals is… the main thing here, that’s the key.
In addition to animal rescue, Last Hope Cat Kingdom is helping to develop an innovative community program which protects animal companions and aids young people coping with challenging family issues.
Last Hope is involved in a program…. and it’s in very early stages. We’re working with University of California- Merced and with Merced County to create a program that’s called “Break the Cycle of Violence.” And Last Hope’s part in that is that we will take in animals that come from domestic violence situations, so that they will be safely housed here rather than going to the pound to be put to sleep.
And then the families who have been disrupted, and especially the children, can come out here and visit with the animals. And also they will work with social workers and such out here, so… working with animals has been proven to help children learn empathy, and help them to think of others besides themselves and we hope that this program will make a big difference in the county.
Cats are very smart and they can get you; they figure you out.
And they figure out if you like them or not. If they know that you like them, they’ll be around you. And we can see differences in the kitties. You know, sometimes cats, they look after you the way a human being looks after you. But often, I look in the cat’s eyes, I say, “My gosh,” it’s almost like a person is in front of you.
Co-founded in 2001 by Atwater resident Renate Schmitz and her kindhearted daughter Mona, Last Hope Cat Kingdom rescues, cares for and finds loving homes for cats, dogs and other animals.
From the time she was a child, Mona was always concerned about abused, neglected and homeless animals of all kinds, and wished to have a large space where she could look after animals and give them a good life. Mona’s dream began to take shape in 2002 when she and her mother found a seven-hectare parcel of land in Atwater that could be turned into a splendid home for animals.
First we lived in Winton (California), and my daughter worked in a veterinary clinic where they put so many animals down who were healthy. People didn’t want them. She brought a cat home, and finally we had over 10 cats. And she said we have to get a big place.
She said, “Mama, we have to get a big place to save the animals.” She said, “And it’s so troubling every day to see how many animals get put down because people have no space.” And it took us four years before we finally had a place for the animals where cats can move in.
Mona passed away in 2008. In her memory and to fulfill her dream, Ms. Schmitz, along with a group of dedicated volunteers, has continued and expanded on her daughter's plan to create a large haven for animals.
It began as a cat rescue when Mona started, but she started taking in dogs as well. And we have horses and goats and a pig and some turtles. And really any kind of domesticated animals that are in need are welcome. All animals are welcome.
And our place filled up very fast, because the community called constantly … a woman dies, she has three cats, can you take them? Otherwise they have to be put down. Or a gentleman’s getting sick, and they say, “I cannot take care of my animals anymore, but they’re my best friends.”
And my daughter was always (saying) that animals are our friends, our family. So we helped the elderly people first here. That was always our priority. So, that’s how we filled up our shelter very quick. We had up to 200 cats.
And pretty soon, it started that people called us and said, “You know, we don’t have the money. My cat has a broken leg. Can you help us?” So what my daughter did, she took the animals to the clinic where she worked and she took care (of them). And it felt good for us to help the cat, that the cat survived, and is doing so well.
Feral cats are different from stray cats as they have no contact with humans. Ferals are born to cats who once had a home, but then were abandoned or are the offspring of other feral cats.
The feral cats actually were something very special that my daughter took care of. She started to trap the cats and she actually got our volunteers involved, and sometimes in a day we had 20 cat traps set. In one year, my daughter trapped 800 feral cats. She made sure that the animals all got spayed, that they all got their shots, including rabies shots.
And in some places we released them, but in other places we couldn’t release them, so we found some farmers, who took some animals in and we made sure that they fed them. And right now our dream is, it was my daughter’s dream; we have 18 acres, and it was my daughter’s dream to have everything fenced; the 18 acres so that we can have from the whole (Merced) County the feral cats when people don’t want them. Can you imagine what a difference that will make?
Homeless animals are exposed to the heat and cold, receive no medical care, and do not have a steady source of food. To eliminate suffering, it is important to be a loving caregiver and ensure one’s animal companion does not have babies unless all offspring will be placed in caring homes.
Spay and neuter
Is the key and not abandoning your animals, because a single cat can have many thousands of kittens, or be the sire of many thousands of kittens in his lifetime. So abandoning one non-spayed cat can lead to many thousands of lives that will be brutal and short out on the streets. So spaying and neutering and taking care of your animals is… the main thing here, that’s the key.
In addition to animal rescue, Last Hope Cat Kingdom is helping to develop an innovative community program which protects animal companions and aids young people coping with challenging family issues.
Last Hope is involved in a program…. and it’s in very early stages. We’re working with University of California- Merced and with Merced County to create a program that’s called “Break the Cycle of Violence.” And Last Hope’s part in that is that we will take in animals that come from domestic violence situations, so that they will be safely housed here rather than going to the pound to be put to sleep.
And then the families who have been disrupted, and especially the children, can come out here and visit with the animals. And also they will work with social workers and such out here, so… working with animals has been proven to help children learn empathy, and help them to think of others besides themselves and we hope that this program will make a big difference in the county.
Whale Songs
An １１-year study by Australian scientists has found that, starting off the eastern coast of the continent, a single romantic song is emanated by humpback whales.
This tune eventually spreads to all whales across the world's oceans, with a new song created again from the same location about every two years.
One of the researchers, University of Queensland graduate student Ellen Garland, stated, "Songs... (move like) cultural ripples from one population to another, causing all males to change their song to a new version.”
She went on to say that this the first documented study of such a broad-scale cultural exchange in any species other than humans.
What an amazing discovery about these soulful singers of the seas! With such ever deepening insights into the sentience and sensitivity of animals like the majestic whale, may we appreciate and respect all animal co-inhabitants' cherished lives.
http://www.france24.com/en/20110414-whales-cant-resist-catchy-pop-tune-study
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/651947.html
This tune eventually spreads to all whales across the world's oceans, with a new song created again from the same location about every two years.
One of the researchers, University of Queensland graduate student Ellen Garland, stated, "Songs... (move like) cultural ripples from one population to another, causing all males to change their song to a new version.”
She went on to say that this the first documented study of such a broad-scale cultural exchange in any species other than humans.
What an amazing discovery about these soulful singers of the seas! With such ever deepening insights into the sentience and sensitivity of animals like the majestic whale, may we appreciate and respect all animal co-inhabitants' cherished lives.
http://www.france24.com/en/20110414-whales-cant-resist-catchy-pop-tune-study
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/651947.html
recent change of climate
In the European Alps, ski resorts report a disastrous end to the winter season, with 80% less snow than average and one town, Bourg St. Maurice in France, reporting record temperatures of 28.6 degrees Celsius.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/8463600/Alps-records-worst-snowfall-ever.html,
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/241972/Snow-go-for-ski-holidays-in-Alps
One year after the Gulf oil spill in the USA, hundreds of residents of coastal Louisiana, some of whom assisted in cleanup efforts, complain of mysterious illnesses, with symptoms that include sore throats, irritated eyes, respiratory tract infections, headaches and nausea.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-mysterious-ills-plague-louisianans-year.html,
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article
/ALeqM5gMxbelyTQdnobIJLXSk65BP4DbhQ?docId=CNG.1fadce69d7428ade496268a62ebd3821.91
With this year's theme being "Sustainable Water Resources: Rural and Urban Challenges," towns and cities across India celebrate Earth Day 2011 to raise awareness that 46% of the world’s people do not have access to water in their homes.
http://ic-technews.com/others/4861-google-celebrates-earth-day-water-prime-concern-for-india-while-in-us-it-is-
a-billion-acts-of-green
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-22/bangalore/29462846_1_water-scarcity-test-water-
earth-day
http://www.earthday.org/campaign/earth-day-india
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/8463600/Alps-records-worst-snowfall-ever.html,
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/241972/Snow-go-for-ski-holidays-in-Alps
One year after the Gulf oil spill in the USA, hundreds of residents of coastal Louisiana, some of whom assisted in cleanup efforts, complain of mysterious illnesses, with symptoms that include sore throats, irritated eyes, respiratory tract infections, headaches and nausea.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-mysterious-ills-plague-louisianans-year.html,
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article
/ALeqM5gMxbelyTQdnobIJLXSk65BP4DbhQ?docId=CNG.1fadce69d7428ade496268a62ebd3821.91
With this year's theme being "Sustainable Water Resources: Rural and Urban Challenges," towns and cities across India celebrate Earth Day 2011 to raise awareness that 46% of the world’s people do not have access to water in their homes.
http://ic-technews.com/others/4861-google-celebrates-earth-day-water-prime-concern-for-india-while-in-us-it-is-
a-billion-acts-of-green
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-22/bangalore/29462846_1_water-scarcity-test-water-
earth-day
http://www.earthday.org/campaign/earth-day-india
crop circles 2
Also, in 1996, a young man camped up on a high hill overlooking a wheat field, just sleeping on the ground with his video camera right next to him. And just about dawn, he woke up, sensed something, grabbed his camera and videoed two balls of light coming over that wheat field down below. And you can see that a beautiful, perfect crop circle is being laid down.
So two balls of light came and then the next second, two more balls from the other direction came and this beautiful, six-pointed simple snowflake pattern was actually laid down. And it certainly appears as if it was laid down by these balls of light. So that's one source.
There are some wonderful biophysical scientists in Michigan (USA), Dr. W.C. Levengood and his team, after studying thousands and thousands of plants that have been sent to them from crop circles, and also control plants always from the same crop outside the crop circle determined that crop circles are made by a swirling vortex of energy. And this is a complex combination of plasma energies. They determined that this vortex of energy comes from the high atmosphere, swirls down into a wheat field or other crop, and that this vortex of energy is making the crop circle pattern.
Dr. Levengood, a now-retired researcher from the Institute of Science and Technology at the University of Michigan, USA, was a renowned plant biophysicist for over 50 years. He specialized in biochemical research on plants and seeds, including possible molecular changes in crop circle plants.
In 1994 he published an article entitled, “Anatomical Anomalies in Crop Formation Plants,” in the peer-reviewed journal Physiologia Plantarum.
In it he states, “The affected plants have components which suggest the involvement of rapid air movement, ionization, electric fields and transient high temperatures combined with an oxidizing atmosphere. One naturally occurring and organized force incorporating each of these features is an ion plasma vortex, one very high energy example being a lightning charge."
They also determined that this vortex of energy is really hot; it’s at least 800°F (427°C) in temperature. And normally if you had all that heat coming down into a field of crops, it would start a fire and burn the field. But in this case it doesn’t, it just lays down the plants in this beautiful curved, we call them “magical bends,” as the plants are bent over just an inch or so above ground level.
And instead of charring or burning the plants, it seems as if this vortex of energy is drawing up moisture from under the surface of the soil. And in England where the crop circles are, the water table is high under the surface of the soil.
Geological aquifers are under most of the areas where the crop circles happen. And an aquifer means that it’s very porous soil, limestone, sandstone, and chalk, and it will absorb the English rain beautifully, and it also will release the energy easily.
Treasured viewers, please join us again next week for part two of our program, where we’ll continue our engaging discussion on crop circles with the knowledgeable Barbara Lamb.
It also seems that the making of crop circles is really purposeful. You know these are not just random little old doodles that happen in the crops. They’re very specific designs. They’re beautifully designed.
Welcome enlightened viewers to Science and Spirituality, for the second and final part of our interview with Barbara Lamb on the intriguing topic of crop circles.
Ms. Lamb is a much sought-after speaker on crop circles, extraterrestrials and UFOs. In 2001 she co-authored “Crop Circles Revealed,” a book that comprehensively investigates these beautiful creations. Ms. Lamb is also the former Executive Vice President of the Association for Past Life Research and Therapies, and was a board member and presenter for the Center for Crop Circle Studies in Los Angeles, California, USA.
We have to admit that it’s still a mystery, as much as some of us have been investigating this for 20 years. I have, for 21 years been visiting the crop circles every summer. And still we don’t really know who or what is making the crop circles but I think there is a general consensus of opinion from those of us who really are involved with this, that the crop circles are made by some very intelligent, creative source.
But it really seems in many ways as if that source of crop circle making is coming from somewhere else. It’s not coming from the Earth as far as we can tell. It might be coming from spiritual beings who are not even physical and yet they can manage to affect our physical crops. It might be extraterrestrial beings who do have bodies. It might be extraterrestrial beings who are interdimensional. It might not even be specific to that extent in terms of individual beings. Maybe it’s just more of a collected intelligence. There are many of us that feel that the whole universe, and in fact many universes, parallel universes are full of intelligence. That’s difficult to describe, difficult to prove but that intelligence out there, is coming to us and making these beautiful crop circles.
Ms. Lamb says that crop circles perhaps appeared on Earth as early as the 15th century. The crop circle designs prior to the 1980s were less complex. It was only after this point that they started becoming more and more geometrically intricate and sophisticated.
Crop circles started to be noticed really in a minor way in the 1970s. There’d be a simple circle found in a farmer’s field. Just one simple circle, but beautifully laid down. That was happening in Australia in the 1970s. Some of those were thought of to be UFO landing sites.
Then in the 1980s in England, or early 1980s, these simple circles continued to happen and laid down in various ways too. Sometimes a radial lay, sometimes a spiraling lay. Then during the 1980s, the pattern started becoming a little bit more elaborate, like the pattern of five on a dice, a central circle and then four surrounding circles, evenly placed, evenly sized. Then sometimes later on, in the 1980s, there might be four or five of those five patterns put together in a larger formation.
We don’t know how far they go back, but we do know that current, present day farmers will report sometimes that their grandfather, for instance in the earlier 1900s, would occasionally come across a mysteriously laid down circle in his field. We do have some written reports of circles like that, which we eventually came to call crop circles, laid down in the 1800s. Even in the 1600s, there was a printed report of a mysterious circle laid down. We really don’t know how far back, but at least the 1600s, 1500s, 1400s.
In those days, these circles were very simple. And as the centuries and decades have continued, the patterns seem to become more elaborate, every year more complex, until 2010, the most recent season, some of them looked very three-dimensional. Though these patterns were done on a flat field, when photographed from the air these patterns look like they’re really standing up in a three-dimensional way. And yet they’re really just done on a flat field. The artistry in the making of these crop circles, just keeps increasing. It’s absolutely phenomenal.
Crop circle researchers have observed that genuine crop circles tend to appear near sacred sites. We asked Barbara Lamb for her perspective on why this occurs.
Many countries have sacred sites, and certainly England is a great example of that. Stonehenge and Avebury have two big circles full of megalithic huge stones from thousands of years ago, and Silbury Hill’s another one. Crop circles tend to happen near those, and also near what they call castles or hill forts.
There are theories about the land Gaia, Mother Earth, and that Mother Earth is very precious. So many people feel that the Earth is a conscious being, and that the sacred sites, particularly when they involve large amounts of stone that have been worked, carved erected and so forth, that those sacred sites are built on energy points. The human body as we know from the Asian cultures has a meridian energy line, or a meridian system running through it to all parts of the body. And a healthy person has that energy running freely and wonderfully.
The Earth is the same way, in the sense that there are these energy lines running through the Earth. The ancient people were so tuned into the land. They were very tuned in to where there were lines of energy in the Earth and where there weren’t. So where energy lines were, these people really noticed that, and felt that’s special. When energy lines would come together or cross each other, they considered that a very special area, an energy point. That’s where they tended to build their large stone structures.
So the crop circles are attracted to those stone structures, maybe not because of the stone itself, but because they are marking the areas of the Earth where the energy lines are more intense. They seem to be attracted to that.
Many believe that the crop circle patterns contain a wealth of encoded information and note that the aesthetically pleasing designs are rooted in mathematical theorems found in Euclidean and sacred geometry. Sacred geometry is nature’s powerful mathematical language that reflects the numerical harmonics and proportions found in music, organisms, and the layout of the galaxy. In some past civilizations such as ancient Egypt, sacred geometry was used to express the perfection of the universal order and incorporated into the designs of temples and pyramids.
They are geometrically astonishing. They’re perfect in their proportions. They seem to follow universal laws of proportion, like the Golden Mean proportion and fractal geometry which is highly sophisticated and seems to be very much part of nature, like the way that a little fern bud will unfold. It unfolds in a fractal pattern, a Golden Mean pattern. We see this in the nautilus shells and many different areas of nature.
But it seems like the understanding about that, these beautiful proportions and geometries and mathematics are understood by other intelligences too, not just human. So it seems like each pattern that’s laid down is for a purpose. And we don’t necessarily know how to interpret the purposes.
Some of them we do. Some of them are spiritual symbols like the Kabbalah Tree of Life symbol or the Menorah; or dolphins beautifully swimming in relation to each other; or beautiful star patterns or moon patterns or astronomical patterns. The solar system has been detected in a few crop circles.
Many symbols, some of which are very spiritual symbols; like the squaring of the circle which represents the square being Earth and the circle being Heaven or infinity. Even the infinity symbol has appeared as a crop circle. So some of them really have meaning for us. An astonishing one in 2008 was a “pi” symbol. Some of them get into really wonderful theories of mathematics and geometry.
There's really many phenomenas in our beautiful planet earth. Do you believe those signs or not? Whether believe or not, it's the true symptoms all arounds us!!
So two balls of light came and then the next second, two more balls from the other direction came and this beautiful, six-pointed simple snowflake pattern was actually laid down. And it certainly appears as if it was laid down by these balls of light. So that's one source.
There are some wonderful biophysical scientists in Michigan (USA), Dr. W.C. Levengood and his team, after studying thousands and thousands of plants that have been sent to them from crop circles, and also control plants always from the same crop outside the crop circle determined that crop circles are made by a swirling vortex of energy. And this is a complex combination of plasma energies. They determined that this vortex of energy comes from the high atmosphere, swirls down into a wheat field or other crop, and that this vortex of energy is making the crop circle pattern.
Dr. Levengood, a now-retired researcher from the Institute of Science and Technology at the University of Michigan, USA, was a renowned plant biophysicist for over 50 years. He specialized in biochemical research on plants and seeds, including possible molecular changes in crop circle plants.
In 1994 he published an article entitled, “Anatomical Anomalies in Crop Formation Plants,” in the peer-reviewed journal Physiologia Plantarum.
In it he states, “The affected plants have components which suggest the involvement of rapid air movement, ionization, electric fields and transient high temperatures combined with an oxidizing atmosphere. One naturally occurring and organized force incorporating each of these features is an ion plasma vortex, one very high energy example being a lightning charge."
They also determined that this vortex of energy is really hot; it’s at least 800°F (427°C) in temperature. And normally if you had all that heat coming down into a field of crops, it would start a fire and burn the field. But in this case it doesn’t, it just lays down the plants in this beautiful curved, we call them “magical bends,” as the plants are bent over just an inch or so above ground level.
And instead of charring or burning the plants, it seems as if this vortex of energy is drawing up moisture from under the surface of the soil. And in England where the crop circles are, the water table is high under the surface of the soil.
Geological aquifers are under most of the areas where the crop circles happen. And an aquifer means that it’s very porous soil, limestone, sandstone, and chalk, and it will absorb the English rain beautifully, and it also will release the energy easily.
Treasured viewers, please join us again next week for part two of our program, where we’ll continue our engaging discussion on crop circles with the knowledgeable Barbara Lamb.
It also seems that the making of crop circles is really purposeful. You know these are not just random little old doodles that happen in the crops. They’re very specific designs. They’re beautifully designed.
Welcome enlightened viewers to Science and Spirituality, for the second and final part of our interview with Barbara Lamb on the intriguing topic of crop circles.
Ms. Lamb is a much sought-after speaker on crop circles, extraterrestrials and UFOs. In 2001 she co-authored “Crop Circles Revealed,” a book that comprehensively investigates these beautiful creations. Ms. Lamb is also the former Executive Vice President of the Association for Past Life Research and Therapies, and was a board member and presenter for the Center for Crop Circle Studies in Los Angeles, California, USA.
We have to admit that it’s still a mystery, as much as some of us have been investigating this for 20 years. I have, for 21 years been visiting the crop circles every summer. And still we don’t really know who or what is making the crop circles but I think there is a general consensus of opinion from those of us who really are involved with this, that the crop circles are made by some very intelligent, creative source.
But it really seems in many ways as if that source of crop circle making is coming from somewhere else. It’s not coming from the Earth as far as we can tell. It might be coming from spiritual beings who are not even physical and yet they can manage to affect our physical crops. It might be extraterrestrial beings who do have bodies. It might be extraterrestrial beings who are interdimensional. It might not even be specific to that extent in terms of individual beings. Maybe it’s just more of a collected intelligence. There are many of us that feel that the whole universe, and in fact many universes, parallel universes are full of intelligence. That’s difficult to describe, difficult to prove but that intelligence out there, is coming to us and making these beautiful crop circles.
Ms. Lamb says that crop circles perhaps appeared on Earth as early as the 15th century. The crop circle designs prior to the 1980s were less complex. It was only after this point that they started becoming more and more geometrically intricate and sophisticated.
Crop circles started to be noticed really in a minor way in the 1970s. There’d be a simple circle found in a farmer’s field. Just one simple circle, but beautifully laid down. That was happening in Australia in the 1970s. Some of those were thought of to be UFO landing sites.
Then in the 1980s in England, or early 1980s, these simple circles continued to happen and laid down in various ways too. Sometimes a radial lay, sometimes a spiraling lay. Then during the 1980s, the pattern started becoming a little bit more elaborate, like the pattern of five on a dice, a central circle and then four surrounding circles, evenly placed, evenly sized. Then sometimes later on, in the 1980s, there might be four or five of those five patterns put together in a larger formation.
We don’t know how far they go back, but we do know that current, present day farmers will report sometimes that their grandfather, for instance in the earlier 1900s, would occasionally come across a mysteriously laid down circle in his field. We do have some written reports of circles like that, which we eventually came to call crop circles, laid down in the 1800s. Even in the 1600s, there was a printed report of a mysterious circle laid down. We really don’t know how far back, but at least the 1600s, 1500s, 1400s.
In those days, these circles were very simple. And as the centuries and decades have continued, the patterns seem to become more elaborate, every year more complex, until 2010, the most recent season, some of them looked very three-dimensional. Though these patterns were done on a flat field, when photographed from the air these patterns look like they’re really standing up in a three-dimensional way. And yet they’re really just done on a flat field. The artistry in the making of these crop circles, just keeps increasing. It’s absolutely phenomenal.
Crop circle researchers have observed that genuine crop circles tend to appear near sacred sites. We asked Barbara Lamb for her perspective on why this occurs.
Many countries have sacred sites, and certainly England is a great example of that. Stonehenge and Avebury have two big circles full of megalithic huge stones from thousands of years ago, and Silbury Hill’s another one. Crop circles tend to happen near those, and also near what they call castles or hill forts.
There are theories about the land Gaia, Mother Earth, and that Mother Earth is very precious. So many people feel that the Earth is a conscious being, and that the sacred sites, particularly when they involve large amounts of stone that have been worked, carved erected and so forth, that those sacred sites are built on energy points. The human body as we know from the Asian cultures has a meridian energy line, or a meridian system running through it to all parts of the body. And a healthy person has that energy running freely and wonderfully.
The Earth is the same way, in the sense that there are these energy lines running through the Earth. The ancient people were so tuned into the land. They were very tuned in to where there were lines of energy in the Earth and where there weren’t. So where energy lines were, these people really noticed that, and felt that’s special. When energy lines would come together or cross each other, they considered that a very special area, an energy point. That’s where they tended to build their large stone structures.
So the crop circles are attracted to those stone structures, maybe not because of the stone itself, but because they are marking the areas of the Earth where the energy lines are more intense. They seem to be attracted to that.
Many believe that the crop circle patterns contain a wealth of encoded information and note that the aesthetically pleasing designs are rooted in mathematical theorems found in Euclidean and sacred geometry. Sacred geometry is nature’s powerful mathematical language that reflects the numerical harmonics and proportions found in music, organisms, and the layout of the galaxy. In some past civilizations such as ancient Egypt, sacred geometry was used to express the perfection of the universal order and incorporated into the designs of temples and pyramids.
They are geometrically astonishing. They’re perfect in their proportions. They seem to follow universal laws of proportion, like the Golden Mean proportion and fractal geometry which is highly sophisticated and seems to be very much part of nature, like the way that a little fern bud will unfold. It unfolds in a fractal pattern, a Golden Mean pattern. We see this in the nautilus shells and many different areas of nature.
But it seems like the understanding about that, these beautiful proportions and geometries and mathematics are understood by other intelligences too, not just human. So it seems like each pattern that’s laid down is for a purpose. And we don’t necessarily know how to interpret the purposes.
Some of them we do. Some of them are spiritual symbols like the Kabbalah Tree of Life symbol or the Menorah; or dolphins beautifully swimming in relation to each other; or beautiful star patterns or moon patterns or astronomical patterns. The solar system has been detected in a few crop circles.
Many symbols, some of which are very spiritual symbols; like the squaring of the circle which represents the square being Earth and the circle being Heaven or infinity. Even the infinity symbol has appeared as a crop circle. So some of them really have meaning for us. An astonishing one in 2008 was a “pi” symbol. Some of them get into really wonderful theories of mathematics and geometry.
There's really many phenomenas in our beautiful planet earth. Do you believe those signs or not? Whether believe or not, it's the true symptoms all arounds us!!
crop circles
Crop circles are very large patterns that are suddenly discovered in fields of growing crops. So the main crops could be wheat, or oats or barley or oilseed canola or even corn. And the crop circles seem to be made mostly in the middle of the night. And this is in England, where most of the crop circles happen. The night is very short in the summer, because they are so far north.
There's some interview source circle expert Barbara Lamb of California, USA to gain her perspectives on this intriguing topic. She is a much sought-after speaker on crop circles, extraterrestrials and UFOs.
In 2001 she co-authored “Crop Circles Revealed,” a book that comprehensively investigates these beautiful creations. Ms. Lamb is also the former Executive Vice President of the Association for Past Life Research and Therapies, and was a board member and presenter for the Center for Crop Circle Studies in Los Angeles, California, USA.
So, in just a few hours, maybe four or five hours of complete darkness, something very mysterious and wonderful happens. A large pattern, a beautiful, artistic pattern, is mysteriously laid down in the fields. The crop circles are made by what we call the “mysterious phenomenon,” by some unknown source that doesn’t seem to be human, and doesn’t seem to be anything of the Earth.
When this source lays down the crops, it’s so gentle, and so perfect, that the plants just bend over an inch or so from the ground, and they are not damaged in any way whatsoever. They can continue to grow, lying parallel to the ground, and ripen to full maturity.
Although some say that crop circles are simply clever, human-made formations, many extraordinary facts lead to the conclusion that the source of most of these mysterious designs is extra-terrestrial.
Freddy Silva, founder of Crop Circles Secrets, an organization that conducts research on the phenomena, says that true crop circles are not entirely round but tend toward a slightly elliptical shape. Human methods to produce crop circles require a fixed, central rope attached to planks to flatten the crops, and therefore cannot effectively achieve this shape.
In my opinion, the majority of crop circles are made by this genuine phenomenon, the mysterious unknown source. There are some people, usually young men, who will go out in the fields sometimes and they will make a pattern too. Now the big difference is, that with the man-made patterns, when the stalks are bent over and laid down at ground level, they break where they are bent over. They just crack and break.
And the plants die, because they are not getting the nourishment from the roots in the ground. They are lifeless and dull, listless, and there is no energy changes, no sign of anything mysterious having happened in those man-made crop circles. The genuine ones, in contrast, they have an increase in energy. People who are sensitive about energies can feel the energy increase in a genuine crop circle.
Crop circle researchers say with real crop circles, the energy of the site is altered to the extent that sometimes the functions of mobile phones and other electronic devices are affected.
We use the same instrumentation, the same testing devices in all of the crop circles. When we first know of a new crop circle, we test it with these different methods. We don’t know initially if something is man-made or genuine, but these instruments help us. Also we look at the details of the way that the crop circle is laid down. We look at changes in the crops.
In the genuine ones, for instance, there is so much heat applied to the stalks as they are being laid down, and very often curved or swirled or even made into sculptural shapes. There is a huge amount of energy in changes like that. And there are changes in the plants themselves. Because of this high heat that seems to be applied in the making of a crop circle, the growth nodes, which is like a knuckle in a finger, are expanded.
Sometimes they are stretched, elongated. Sometimes they are swollen out to the sides. And sometimes there is a hole that’s been blown in the growth node from the inside of the plant. We notice other changes too. There are actually up to 17 different kinds of bio-physical changes that can happen in these genuine crop circles. It actually seems to be very helpful for the plants, and for people who eat those plants as well. There have been a lot of tests and experiments done.
The seeds, for instance, that come from a genuine crop circle group of plants, even though they are sort of dwarfed and shrunken a bit and misshapen, when those seeds are planted, next to control plants from the same crop, but outside the crop circle, the genuine crop circle plants grow, 40 to 50 to 60% faster, stronger, hardier, and it’s claimed more nourishing. So the plants are actually improved in the crop circle.
Ms. Lamb says that some people have spiritual experiences when encountering real crop circles and others have physical conditions healed upon coming into contact with the energy emanating from them.
Or many times too, people will receive messages when in a genuine crop circle. It seems to be like a spiritual encounter happening. And many of us too, actually feel that we're being observed in particular crop circles. I and some of my friends feel quite reverent about whoever or whatever it was that made the crop circle. And we just automatically give thanks.
The circles’ intelligent, intricate designs have mystified many researchers from various scientific disciplines to the present day. Peer-reviewed scientific studies suggest that genuine crop circles are created by a source beyond our conventional knowledge.
There are definitely different theories about how these genuine crop circles were made. One of them is that there are these balls of light which have been seen by quite a number of people and photographed. Sometimes in the daytime they look like a white globe of light and they're slightly glowing. They're very beautiful. They have been seen, videotaped, photographed, flying across a crop field that is going to be receiving a crop circle.
There's some interview source circle expert Barbara Lamb of California, USA to gain her perspectives on this intriguing topic. She is a much sought-after speaker on crop circles, extraterrestrials and UFOs.
In 2001 she co-authored “Crop Circles Revealed,” a book that comprehensively investigates these beautiful creations. Ms. Lamb is also the former Executive Vice President of the Association for Past Life Research and Therapies, and was a board member and presenter for the Center for Crop Circle Studies in Los Angeles, California, USA.
So, in just a few hours, maybe four or five hours of complete darkness, something very mysterious and wonderful happens. A large pattern, a beautiful, artistic pattern, is mysteriously laid down in the fields. The crop circles are made by what we call the “mysterious phenomenon,” by some unknown source that doesn’t seem to be human, and doesn’t seem to be anything of the Earth.
When this source lays down the crops, it’s so gentle, and so perfect, that the plants just bend over an inch or so from the ground, and they are not damaged in any way whatsoever. They can continue to grow, lying parallel to the ground, and ripen to full maturity.
Although some say that crop circles are simply clever, human-made formations, many extraordinary facts lead to the conclusion that the source of most of these mysterious designs is extra-terrestrial.
Freddy Silva, founder of Crop Circles Secrets, an organization that conducts research on the phenomena, says that true crop circles are not entirely round but tend toward a slightly elliptical shape. Human methods to produce crop circles require a fixed, central rope attached to planks to flatten the crops, and therefore cannot effectively achieve this shape.
In my opinion, the majority of crop circles are made by this genuine phenomenon, the mysterious unknown source. There are some people, usually young men, who will go out in the fields sometimes and they will make a pattern too. Now the big difference is, that with the man-made patterns, when the stalks are bent over and laid down at ground level, they break where they are bent over. They just crack and break.
And the plants die, because they are not getting the nourishment from the roots in the ground. They are lifeless and dull, listless, and there is no energy changes, no sign of anything mysterious having happened in those man-made crop circles. The genuine ones, in contrast, they have an increase in energy. People who are sensitive about energies can feel the energy increase in a genuine crop circle.
Crop circle researchers say with real crop circles, the energy of the site is altered to the extent that sometimes the functions of mobile phones and other electronic devices are affected.
We use the same instrumentation, the same testing devices in all of the crop circles. When we first know of a new crop circle, we test it with these different methods. We don’t know initially if something is man-made or genuine, but these instruments help us. Also we look at the details of the way that the crop circle is laid down. We look at changes in the crops.
In the genuine ones, for instance, there is so much heat applied to the stalks as they are being laid down, and very often curved or swirled or even made into sculptural shapes. There is a huge amount of energy in changes like that. And there are changes in the plants themselves. Because of this high heat that seems to be applied in the making of a crop circle, the growth nodes, which is like a knuckle in a finger, are expanded.
Sometimes they are stretched, elongated. Sometimes they are swollen out to the sides. And sometimes there is a hole that’s been blown in the growth node from the inside of the plant. We notice other changes too. There are actually up to 17 different kinds of bio-physical changes that can happen in these genuine crop circles. It actually seems to be very helpful for the plants, and for people who eat those plants as well. There have been a lot of tests and experiments done.
The seeds, for instance, that come from a genuine crop circle group of plants, even though they are sort of dwarfed and shrunken a bit and misshapen, when those seeds are planted, next to control plants from the same crop, but outside the crop circle, the genuine crop circle plants grow, 40 to 50 to 60% faster, stronger, hardier, and it’s claimed more nourishing. So the plants are actually improved in the crop circle.
Ms. Lamb says that some people have spiritual experiences when encountering real crop circles and others have physical conditions healed upon coming into contact with the energy emanating from them.
Or many times too, people will receive messages when in a genuine crop circle. It seems to be like a spiritual encounter happening. And many of us too, actually feel that we're being observed in particular crop circles. I and some of my friends feel quite reverent about whoever or whatever it was that made the crop circle. And we just automatically give thanks.
The circles’ intelligent, intricate designs have mystified many researchers from various scientific disciplines to the present day. Peer-reviewed scientific studies suggest that genuine crop circles are created by a source beyond our conventional knowledge.
There are definitely different theories about how these genuine crop circles were made. One of them is that there are these balls of light which have been seen by quite a number of people and photographed. Sometimes in the daytime they look like a white globe of light and they're slightly glowing. They're very beautiful. They have been seen, videotaped, photographed, flying across a crop field that is going to be receiving a crop circle.
Textures of Time
I was lying on my bed when i saw this and I really liked it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3-bfVAkV4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3-bfVAkV4
Home @ Bayside [sketchup] part 1
I am really into Sketchup (and the plug-in). So I decided to builed my house during spring break.This is my second *big* project by using Sketchup. On Monday, April 18th, I started out to build my house, near Bayside. Originally, I planned to finish this work within 3 days. But because of so many details, the project is only 85 % done. I am still working on the texture so that it’ll look more realistic. Here’s my draft before the work:
I know... it's hard to understand what I am drawing, but it's a process. Then, I put all the numbers/data, into SketchUp. It came out like this:
I print-screened the plan view from SketchUp. By comparing to the previous picture, I think it's easier to understand the general idea. Then, by simply dragging the wall, here's 3D model:
I started out from the bathroom first. I think people would most like to begin with either the living room or bedroom. But, my case was different. My mother was thinking about to install a decorative shelf in the bathroom. I believed that I can simulate the actual view if put a shelf in, so I began my work there.
Since I am just being lazy typing words..... here's other screen prints from the project:My Room
My Parents' Room
Living Room
Kitchen
And... a small animation of 'the pathway of my getting food'...
I will keep modifying my house, and will present more of my work in the next blog entree.
Trip to Geneseo
Drive 325 miles to a friend's campus with pretty much a bunch of trees. After drinking the night before we decided to explore the woods and find the waterfall and dam. The water is extremely dirty and yea we were stupid, really stupid. Here are some pics I took:
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