Michelle Phan's Empire is Starting to Tank

For those of you who don't know who Michelle Phan is, she is a self-started makeup guru who has recently built up a massive following and basically founded an empire under her name. Her videos used to be non-commercialized and had a very humble feel to them. Kind of like what bubzbeauty's videos are like. Since Michelle was hired as a spokesperson for Lancome, her videos have gotten crappier and crappier. Everything has suddenly turned into an endorsement and there isn't anything that seems genuine about her anymore. I used to actually really like her back in the early days. I just don't anymore. 

Recently, Michelle was featured in Seventeen magazine and (surprise surprise) there were Lancome products involved. No offense, but I thought Seventeen magazine was supposed to be aimed towards younger girls. How are these young girls going to afford these Lancome products? It seems a bit impractical to feature such high-end products in this kind of magazine. Even I can't afford to spend $42 on a blush and I'm 21. 

Along with her constant endorsement of Lancome, Michelle has been involved in some shady business. Who remembers IQQU? Yeah, that's right. That's the brand that was once endorsed by Michelle. There was a question about whether or not IQQU products were FDA approved. Michelle said that they were, but further investigation into the issue showed that they weren't. I don't think that lying to your followers about how safe your products is going to reflect well on you.

You can read the investigation below:

http://michellephail.tumblr.com/post/3025093924

Now there's this whole MyGlam debacle. MyGlam was basically Michelle's version of a Birchbox. When the bag was first launched, everyone was so excited and it was apparently a really great service at the beginning. Eventually, the quality of the bags declined and plenty of people complained. I've watched plenty of YouTube videos to know. As complaints started pouring onto MyGlam's Facebook and YouTube pages, Michelle handled it the mature way: by deleting angry comments. Recently, the bags have begun to regain the quality that it had when the subscription service first launched. Michelle has even tried to revamp the brand by including this ipsy thing. Many people were irked by the fact that she didn't admit to her wrongdoings. She's just like, "Oh, MyGlam is now better than ever because of ipsy." I'm sorry, but this ad was so cheesy and awkward to watch. It looks like Michelle is really struggling to keep her empire alive. Good luck with that, Ms. Phan. 

I mean, her humble rise to fame was admirable up until the point that she let fame get to her head. Sorry I'm not sorry for stating my honest opinion about this girl. 

Attacking Catholics: Is This Something You Want to Include in Your Portfolio?

So I'm browsing through the graphic design tag on Tumblr when I come across this: a series of "posters" about pedophilia in Catholic churches:
http://overthewembo.tumblr.com/post/
32265987330/posters-about-pedophilia-in-catholic-churches

Okay. I'm about to go on this huge angry rant. Like, forreal. This  kind of stuff is not okay. Alright, I understand that the Catholic religion has been getting a lot of bad press because of child molestation charges against a few priests. But it's not like it's only happened to the Catholic church. I'm sure that there are some cases like this involving Baptist pastors. It's not like anyone is hating on Baptists. On top of that, is it really fair to attack a religion as a whole for the actions of a select few? People say it's insensitive to attack all Muslims for the actions of a few radicals that decided to carry out the September 11th attacks. Isn't it insensitive to do the same to Catholics?

ON TOP OF THAT, these images are a series done by a 24-year-old graphic designer to include in his portfolio. HIS PORTFOLIO. Really, is this something that you would want to include in your portfolio? Do you honestly think that your potential employers would find this a "tasteful" piece? I'm pretty sure that if this is the kind of aesthetics that you're into that you're going to have a hard time finding a job. These aren't even that cleverly done. Like, what the heck. All the guy did was throw in a few penises. The composition and the execution just suck. How long would it take to make all these "posters?" Probably less than 20 minutes. You know that kind of effort is going to land you a graphic design job.

Alright. End of my angry rant.

DBSK's New Music Video: "Catch Me"

So TVXQ (also known as DBSK) released their newest music video called "Catch Me." The song sounds alright. Not a huge fan of the music video itself. Then again, this kind of music video is what's typical of DBSK. Props to the choreographer for coming up with that cool little arm trick they got going on in there. I don't know why, but in some shots Yunho kind of reminds me of Justin Chon. Haha.

Honestly, I really miss DBSK's old songs back when it was still a 5-person band. I don't know if you can really count Yunho and Changmin as a "band." At least their sound was a bit more original. "Catch Me" sounds like every other song that's coming out these days. The techno-y, dubstep-y stuff is getting pretty boring now. I miss their "Mirotic" days. Oh well. Let's just hope SM Entertainment will actually round up some more quality songwriters and producers. I'm becoming wary of the new stuff that SM is cranking out these days. 

Plano Balloon Festival 2012

So today me and Tien went to the Plano Balloon Festival near Quad C. First time ever. I mean, it was pretty neat even though I was rather cranky at the beginning. It was really hot and we couldn't stay long cuz Tien was called in for work. The whole thing was kind of like a mini state fair. There were food booths, rides, a concert stage, toys, face painting, and games. The only thing different was that instead of Big Tex there were hot air balloons. Just like the state fair, the food is pretty expensive. A cup of lemonade at Conway's cost $5 and it wasn't even that good. I feel like we got juiced. Parking was $5 when you parked at the Plano Centre and then you had to walk a mile (literally) to get the festival grounds. I wished they had some sort of bus transportation like they had at the Red Bull Soapbox thing. Oh well. Would I go again next year? Maybe. Maybe not. It'll depend on my mood and probably the weather. It'd be nicer if it was a bit cooler outside.

Tomorrow is the last day of the Plano Balloon festival so if you want to check it out, you still have time to! The hot air balloons launch at 7:00am and 6:00pm.

For more info along with a complete event schedule, click the link below:
http://www.planoballoonfest.org/

Watching the balloons launch was pretty neat. Very colorful. Everything was a lot more impressive in person, but I tried to capture the moment nonetheless.

You can see the rest of the photos by clicking the link below:
https://plus.google.com/photos/112994609708042405063/albums/5791241346667748129

Samsung's Newest Jab at Apple

And this is why I love studying advertising. Not that I hate Apple or anything. I actually own an iPod touch and am planning to get a Macbook Pro after I graduate. It's just amazing to see what these advertisers can come up with. And the girl with the hoop earrings at 1:07 was on the PBS show Cyberchase as a girl named Bianca. Haha. How weirddd.

You gotta love these Apple loyalists, too.

Underrated Boy Band: U-KISS

So U-KISS came out with a new music video yesterday entitled "Stop Girl." I think some of the members are missing or something. There have been quite a few changes in the members recently. This isn't really their best song, but I still feel like they're underrated as a boy band. They're always being overshadowed by the elites like BIGBANG, Super Junior, and 2PM. U-KISS has talent and I enjoy watching the members interact. Not that I'm saying the other bands aren't talented or enjoyable to watch. I'm just saying that not enough credit is given where it's due. 

I think as of right now, my favorite song from U-KISS is "Believe." But that's as of right now. My mood changes all the time. Actually, I really enjoy their slower songs alot. Songs like "Someday" and "0330" are great to listen to. I love listening to those songs live, especially with all the harmonizing. Amazing. I love listening to Soohyun's voice, too. 

Late Night Learning: Why Does My Nose Run When I Eat Something Spicy?

So for a late night snack I decided to eat hot and spicy shrimp cup noodles with lime, and my nose started running like it always does whenever I eat something spicy. Curious as to why, I decided to Google the reasoning behind the occurrence. This is what I found: "All hot peppers contain capsaicinoids, natural substances that produce a burning sensation in the mouth, causing the eyes to water and the nose to run, and even induce perspiration. Capsaicinoids have no flavor or odor, but act directly on the pain receptors in the mouth and throat. The primary capsaicinoid, capsaicin, is so hot that a single drop diluted in 100,000 drops of water will produce a blistering of the tongue."

And this is the positive result of curiosity: I learned something new and educational and probably won't remember this next week. But that's okay. Good thing I'm not curious about other things. Like drugs.

Meanwhile, at my former high school...

So this Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale was found at my former high school, Hebron High School. I know nothing about this car except for the fact that it's apparently super rare and that there's only 150 of them in existence worldwide. Honestly, I could care less about the car. I'm not a huge car fanatic. What I do care about is the abusing of the hardship license. I mean, come on. There's gotta be some reason why Texas decided to raise the official age to get a license from 15 to 16. And it's because of that new rule change that parents feel it's necessary for their kid to apply for a hardship license? You have to fall under at least one of four conditions in order to get this license, which include:

1. The applicant's family faces an unusual economic hardship and is being deprived of the basic necessities of life. 
2. The applicant has an ill family member who needs transportation to medical treatment or the applicant must drive in her place to keep the household running. 
3. The applicant is enrolled in a vocational educational program. 
4. An immediate family member has died and remaining family members need him to drive temporarily to carry on household routines. 

Back to the Gallardo STS. The driver is apparently a 15-year-old girl with a hardship license. Please explain to me what sort of hardship she is under in order to get that license. I'm sorry. I didn't get my license until I was 18 and that's cuz my parents are Asian and wouldn't let me drive until then. Is it completely necessary to be on the road at 15? Where else would you be driving besides school? You can just ride the school bus. I also don't understand why some parents would encourage going around the system like that. Do you really want to be paying higher auto insurance rates cuz last time I checked paying for insurance was not cheap. I also blame whoever is handing out these licenses. Geez. Can't you do something to make sure the applicant actually fall under the conditions necessary to get that license? Get yo stuff together, man.

To read the full article, click the link below:
http://jalopnik.com/5944568/is-a-15+year-old-texan-girl-driving-this-ultra-rare-lamborghini-to-high-school

UTD Job Fairs are Pointless for Me

So in the light of my very recent rejection from the Disney College Program, I decided to hit up the UTD Career Fair with my good buddy Hien. Turned out to be a huge waste of time for me. Not that I'm surprised by that fact or anything.

Now, this isn't the first time that I've been to a career fair on campus. The last time I went, it was a lot less crowded. But huge crowds aren't the problem. The problem for me walking into any of these career fairs is the lack of variety in jobs or internships. What do I expect? UTD is a school focused on business and engineering and computer science. Of course there's mostly going to be job listings for program designers and business managers. Being a graphic designer, it's hard to find a niche in any of these job fairs. For artists, we have to rely on building connections elsewhere like on Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn. Meanwhile, business and computer science majors can just walk into these career fairs and boom! Opportunities everywhere!

My time spent at this job fair wasn't completely wasted. I did hand out a couple of copies of my resume (a couple being only 2). I handed one to the lady from Michaels (like the craft store) for a summer internship next year. Not exactly what I was aiming for, but if I have no job by the time summer rolls around again, I'll take it. The second resume went to a company called Reynolds and Reynolds. What they do is that they provide marketing and business solutions for automotive retailers. Luckily for me, they did have a graphic design internship even though it wasn't listed on the job fair's program. The only thing about this internship is that if I get accepted I'd have to relocate to Houston. That's not too bad, but I wouldn't have anywhere to stay.

So in essence, UTD needs to learn how to expand and accommodate these job fairs to not just business and computer science majors. That is all.

The Mark of Athena

Oh man. The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan comes out in 13 days! So excited! The first chapter has been posted on Rick Riordan's website already, but I've restrained myself from reading it because doing so will cause me to be more anxious. On top of that, I should be reading the Wizard of Oz novels for my fantasy literature test on Thursday instead. I'm debating whether or not I should pre-order The Mark of Athena...

For those of you who don't know what I'm blabbing about, The Mark of Athena is the 3rd book in Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series. This series is kind of like a sequel to the Percy Jackson series, but instead of following Greek mythology it follows Roman mythology instead. The premise of the books is that in modern times there is still the existence of Greek and Roman gods. These gods sometimes do the bang bang with mortals and they end up making demigod kids. These kids can be sent to one of two camps for survival training based on their godly parents' form during conception: Camp Half Blood for Greek kids and Camp Jupiter for Roman kids. At these camps, kids learn how to sword fight and stuff like that to fight off mythical monsters and stop the invasion of Titans and giants.

So these books are obviously more suited for 12-year-old kids instead of college seniors. Why do I enjoy them so much? They're really entertaining and educational at the same time. I love the humor that Rick Riordan incorporates into the books. Some of it is in-your-face and some of it is subtle, sarcastic humor. What's educational about these books is that they help teach me about Greek and Roman mythology. I can name all 12 of the main Olympians using their Greek names and can probably match up their Roman counterparts. This information came in very helpful during my art history class.

Rick Riordan has another series called the Kane Chronicles which is based on Egyptian mythology. I only read the first book and it was okay. I believe there are now 3 books in the series. I wasn't fond of the setup of the book. Rick Riordan wrote these books to resemble an audio transcript of a brother and sister retelling their encounters with Egyptian gods.

I guess if I have nothing better to do then I'll read books 2 and 3 for the Kane Chronicles. Too bad I have to read the Chronicles of Narnia next for my fantasy literature class. Still a better story than Twilight. I can't believe I used to like that stuff. I actually reread the series and now I realize how horrible of a writer Stephanie Meyer is. My goodness. Now I gotta find a way to get rid of my Twilight books. They're worth almost nothing on Half.com and Amazon. Bleh.

To learn more about Rick Riordan's books, click the link below:
http://www.rickriordan.com/home.aspx

A flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all...

My acceptance card from last year.

Sooo those who know me know that I was really looking forward to doing the Disney College Program. It was part of my career plan since forever. I got accepted last year so I assumed that I'd be able to nail the job again. Nope. I bombed my phone interview so badly on Sunday that they didn't have to take 2 weeks to make a decision. They took less than 24 hours. Ouch.

Why would I want to take part in the Disney College Program? I mean, it's only an opportunity to work in one of the Disney parks on an hourly wage. That's because the Disney name has that much value to it. On top of that, based on what I've read, if you start at the bottom of the pyramid you can work your way up to higher internships and eventually corporate positions. Disney does have a graphic design program. On top of that, the Disney College Program is a "magical" experience. It's a great way to make connections. Plus, it's a good idea to get out and be independent if you haven't had a chance to (like me). I've lived at home with my parents for my entire life.

Some of you are probably wondering why I didn't take the opportunity last year. There's really one reason: my parents. My dad was concerned that if I took a break from school to go work that I wouldn't come back and get my degree. I guess that is a somewhat legit fear although I'm not sure about the percentage of people who take a break from school and don't finish their degree. I'm actually really regretting not taking the opportunity last year. I know that I'm determined enough to finish everything that's necessary in life including finishing my degree.

So what's the plan now? I'm just trying to build up some kind of work experience. This is an area I'm seriously lacking in. Tomorrow (or more like later today) I'm heading to the UTD Career Fair to see if I can land any good internships.

Billboard by The Richards Group

I tried to apply for an art director internship at The Richards Group. If you don't know, The Richards Group is basically the largest marketing firm in Dallas. They have worked with several huge clients including Chick-fil-a, The Home Depot, and Zales. They have quite an impressive portfolio and it would be awesome to work for them one day. My friend Shirley is actually interning there right now and based on what she's said it's a great place to work.

Maybe I'm being really ambitious in the way that I approach things. Ambition is what killed Caesar but without ambition you have no goals and accomplish nothing. Here's to being ambitious and hopefully landing a job before my parents can nag me about being a good-for-nothing artist.

For more about the Disney College Program, click the link below:
http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/default/

For more about The Richards Group, click the link below:
http://richards.com/index.html

Men and Makeup

Click the link below to read the full article:
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/s-korean-men-makeup-foundation-success#overlay-context=article/keira-knightley-i-had-no-life-besides-acting

Alright. So as much as I like certain Korean men (hello, Super Junior), I'm not a huge fan of this men wearing makeup thing. I mean, sure, physical attractiveness is important but for a lot of people masculinity is just as important. Now I'm not saying that men who wear makeup aren't masculine. I'm just saying that it kind of ruins the image of masculinity. If my guy started wearing mascara or something, I would say that he's being a girl. I dunno. Maybe that's just me.

Modern Family, Season 4!

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh! OH MY GOSH! I can't wait! Ahhh! I need to catch up on all of season 3 cuz I haven't had time to sit down and watch any shows recently. But, dude. So excited!

If you have never watched Modern Family before, you need to check it out. Here's a little outline of the show: there are 3 families: one gay family with 2 dads and an adopted child from Vietnam, one "regular" white family with parents and 3 kids, and one interracial family with a Columbian mother and son and white father. All of them are related to each other. The setup is kind of like a documentary. The producers show you what's happening with the families and then have cuts where the family members make a statement about what's going on. A lot of it isn't like in-your-face funny, but that's what I love about it. Subtle humor is the best cuz it makes you think. But yeah. This is like the only show that I love watching that's not a Korean drama. 

Samsung Galaxy SII, S III and S IV

According to Laptop Magazine, the Samsung Galaxy S III broke records when it was launched in May with over 20 million units sold within the first 100 days of availability. That's a lot more than when the Galaxy S II was released. Honestly, I wouldn't mind getting a Galaxy S III over the new iPhone 5. I mean, it has a bigger screen and looks very sleek. There's also that feature that lets you watch videos while doing other things. That's pretty nifty. I know that Tien really wants one, and he's still rather bummed about the fact that his dad has one instead of him. Plus, the advertising done for the Galaxy series recently has been pretty awesome and effective.

If you haven't seen it, Samsung released an ad for the S II that basically pokes fun at the iPhone fandom with their waiting in line for hours or maybe even days for a new release.

I'm not trying to bash on Apple cuz they did at one point have a very good run of innovative releases. However, I think that they're really starting to run out of ideas for the iPhone. So what does Apple do instead? They decide to target Samsung and file suit about patents. Apple is now targeting the Samsung Note and the Samsung Galaxy S III. I feel like this is getting ridiculous and that Apple is just behaving childishly just because the Note and Galaxy S III are doing so well. Pfft. I don't know. 

Now on to the news that I've heard about the S IV: it's going to be bigger. The new model is expected to be on shelves by March of next year and is said to come with a 5-inch screen. That's 1up from the iPhone 5. Samsung is still working to include their flexible screen technology which was something that was supposed to show up in this year's devices but production problems have prevented that from happening. In the new Galaxy, Samsung also hopes to include a new processor that they created instead of using the Qualcomm chips found is some of the Galaxy S III variants. 

The New Wii U is Ridiculous (and Not in a Good Way)

So here's my current opinion on this WiiU system: it seems like Nintendo is trying too hard. Like, no offense, but I don't think I would be interested in buying this system. Is it supposed to be a portable gaming device? If so, then it's pretty chunky. The design makes the Wii U look like one of those kids' Leapfrog toys that teaches you how to read or something. The starting MSRP is pretty steep at $299.99 for a standard set and $349.99 for a deluxe set. Actually, I guess that's kind of standard for home gaming systems (if that's what it is). What I hate about this system is the fact that it basically renders the original Wii obsolete. There is no longer any resale value in the old Wii system and my parents bought that thing at $249.99. So what was the point in scrambling for the Wii system when it first came out? Nothing. Now the old Wii system is just going to sit and collect dust. Either that or people are gonna have to toss them out. The TV functions of the Wii U make the system look like a glorified TiVo set. It's not like the concept of using a touchscreen to flip through your shows is new (hello. Logitech Harmony). You know what? I bet that this thing still can't play DVD's or BluRay. The only plus that I see to this whole system is that it's backwards compatible with Wii games and Wii remotes. Bleh. Too bad my youngest siblings already bought into this whole trap. They're asking my parents for one. Geez.

The Wii U will be released November 18th. For more information about the Wii U, click the link below:
http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu

Edit: I've just been informed that the Wii U is not meant to be a portable gaming device.

PSY on Saturday Night Live

So PSY's reign in America continues. I'm wondering when this wave is gonna end. But at least here PSY gets included in the show in a more creative way. It's not the show hosts asking him to teach them the dance. Even so, every appearance that I've seen so far has been focused around the dance. I've already said it before: PSY is considered to be a joke in America. He's merely a novelty. No one really knows how established he is as a musician. He's spent more than a decade in the music business as a singer-songwriter, rapper, AND record producer. Yet none of his accomplishments are mentioned. It's only about his "Gangnam Style." Gahhh. I give up. 

Red Bull Soapbox Race

So I went to the Redbull Soapbox Race in The Colony with Tien on Saturday. It was alright. The biggest pain was actually finding parking. They closed off Plano Parkway so I had no idea where the heck I was going although I know how to get to Austin Ranch. Bleh. We stayed for a couple of races. It's actually pretty cool seeing what people are capable of building. Tien says he wants to try it sometimes even though seeing people get injured when they jump those ramps does not look fun. Not sure if I would go again next year. Maybe it'll be better now that we know what to expect in terms of traffic and parking. That was the only frustrating thing for me. At least we got free Slurpees to make up for my sour mood!

To see more about the Red Bull Soapbox Race, click the link below:

http://www.redbullsoapboxusa.com/#/event/dfw-2012

No More Sodas Larger Than 16 oz. Allowed in NYC

Read the full article here.

In New York City, a ban has been placed on the sales of 16+ oz. sodas or other sugary drinks in establishments under the Board of Health regulation. This means restaurants and concession stands. The only places exempt are grocery stores and most convenient stores. The ban will take place starting March 2012.

Um, say what? I don't live in New York, but I find that a really ridiculous ban. I know that people are trying really hard to combat obesity, but if people are desperate enough they will find another way. Nothing's stopping these people from buying two 16 oz. cups.  Better yet, they can still go to the grocery store chug down all the Dr. Pepper they want at home.

You would think that the council would spend their time and resources banning something else that's more important like maybe cell phone use in the car (hello, Arlington). Don't go around passing some sort of ban that isn't going to work in the long run. You just wasted your time. If the people really wanted to lose weight, then they would make their own choices about how much soda to drink. It's something called willpower.

iPod Nano: What the Heck, Apple?!

Yeah, so I really don't know what to make of this new wave of Apple products. iPhone 5? I don't see much of a difference from the last generation. The new iPod Touch actually looks really nice. Maybe once I save up enough I'll upgrade from my iPod Touch... 2nd generation... The one thing that really bugs me is the evolution of the iPod Nano. Like, what? I don't even know where Apple is going with this product? It starts out with the basic scroll wheel with a rectangular shape. Then it's a square. Then it's a rectangle again.Then it starts getting colorful and by the 5th generation it has a camera. Then it's a tiny little rectangle thing with a touch screen and NO camera. Then it's back to the original shape with a touch screen AND camera. Please explain this to me. I don't understand.

Help My Friend with the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge

Hey, guys! My friend Anh is planning to do the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge in Austin on October 21st with his fraternity Omega Phi Gamma from UT. His challenge is to bike 65 miles in an effort to fundraise for the LIVESTRONG organization. What LIVESTRONG does is provide help "to find new ways to raise awareness, increase outreach and facilitate collaboration in an effort to improve the cancer experience." The reason why I'm helping is because I actually had experience with having a family member affected by cancer. You don't have to donate much. The minimum online is $5.00. If you can, please help out with the cause.

To donate or find out more about LIVESTRONG, click below:
http://laf.livestrong.org/site/TR?px=2303022&fr_id=1182&pg=personal

Orange Caramel's "Lipstick"

So Orange Caramel has a new comeback song called "Lipstick." If you don't know, Orange Caramel is a subgroup for After School, a Korean pop group under the company Pledis. What Orange Caramel specializes in is trot music or basically the old, cheesy pop music that was popular in Korea back in the day. Obviously, that leads to the quirky sound that you hear in their songs. The only song of theirs that I really listen to is "Shanghai Romance." I'm not that big into trot music. The concept for the "Lipstick" music video is pretty cute. The song itself is alright. I tried looking up the lyrics. Interestinggg. Haha. I mean, I guess Pledis did an overall good job. It might not win any awards, but it's still noteworthy in its own way.

Disney Dream Portraits

Here are Annie Lebovitz's newest photos for her Disney Dream Portraits collection.  These photos have already been out about a month now and I just found them. This time the photographs feature Russell Brand as Captain Hook and Jack Black, Jason Segel, and Will Ferrell as the hitchhiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion. Seriously, I love Annie's work. My favorite image is probably the one where Scarlett Johansson is Cinderella. I also enjoy watching the process.

You can check out behind-the-scenes shots here.

Obviously, there's going to be some heavy Photoshop going on, but the end product is still fantastic. For those of you who don't know where you can find these pictures, you can probably see them in some magazines. These portraits were designed for print advertising for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. What do you guys think of these portraits?

Harry Potter Spells Gone Wrong

A Dreamworks animator illustrates how spells can go wrong. I have to say that this is bloody brilliant. Props to Stodoe Studios!

Wreck It Ralph

So I haven't seen or heard much about this new Disney movie coming out in November (or maybe there's been stuff and I haven't been paying attention), but I remember writing something about it in my Disney brand audit project. It's called Wreck It Ralph and it's basically about this guy named Wreck It Ralph who's tired of being a bad guy in his video game. So he goes game jumping in an attempt to try and play the hero. It's a really cute concept. There's going to be some appearances of famous video game characters like Eggman from Sonic, Bowser, and the ghost from Pacman. I think I'm probably going to go see this movie when it comes out. I feel like it's been a while since Disney has released an original movie instead of releasing old movies in 3D. Actually, I take that back. It's been a while since Disney released an original movie that was worth looking into. I think there was that one movie, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, that came out in August. I wasn't really super interested in that. There's another animated movie coming out that's directed by Tim Burton called Frankenweenie. I've never watched a Tim Burton film before so I dunno. From most of what I've seen, he's not really my cup of tea. But I dunno. 

PSY on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Alright. So maybe, maybe I'm just overthinking things but I seriously feel like some Americans are treating PSY as some huge novelty that's rolled around. They aren't talking about his music or anything like that. They're just talking about his horsey dance and music video. I'm also sure that most media coverage being done is just an attempt to ride the bandwagon and gain viewers (even if it's only temporary). Eventually, his 15 minutes of fame will run out and most white people won't even remember his name. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm pretty sure Ellen enjoyed having PSY teach her the "Gangnam Style" dance. It's just some of the other people like the ones on CNN International that I question. Gotta give props to YG Entertainment for getting PSY this far, though. This was the kind of attention that SM and JYP couldn't get with the Wonder Girls and Girls' Generation. 

Another "Shocking" List of Worst College Majors for Your Career

Read the full article here.

     Honestly, I'm not shocked by anything that showed up on this list. Any kind of art degree is going to be considered "bad." I guess the world isn't so interested in developing a fine culture anymore. It's all about business, science, and technology. Just human advancement through the discovery of things in the world, not the discovery of the mind's potential.
     The high unemployment rate for art majors isn't completely shocking either. I would expect as much in such a highly competitive field. And on top of that, some people go and get an art degree despite the fact that he or she might not actually be built to become a good artist. Not that I'm hating on everyone who wants to be an artist. I'm just saying that you should definitely explore more into fields that you might be more well-suited for. I guess that's why UNT has such a competitive communication design program. 300+ students could be lined up to try and get into the program and at the end of 4 years, only about 50 kids would end up with a communication design degree because their portfolios got accepted. This kind of competition scared me so much that I transferred to UTD. A cowardly move? Maybe. I didn't want to waste 2 years of my college career studying art only to be rejected. I guess I should clump myself in with the other people who might end up being ill-fit for the art world.
     Actually, I don't regret my decision to transfer to UTD. Why? Because it's much easier to get a minor at UTD than it is at UNT. My major may be graphic design, but I made sure to have a backup plan in case I can't immediately find a job as a designer. My backup comes in the form of a marketing minor. Business is a pretty stable industry right now compared to art. If becoming an artist fails, at least I have enough knowledge to take my skills to the business world. If I do end up as a designer, my marketing knowledge will actually benefit me as well, especially if I'm going to be doing ad design.
     I guess what I'm trying to say is that you art majors shouldn't give up hope just yet! You can still be an artist. Just make sure you have a backup so that you don't end up in the unemployment numbers.

3D Printers

So my ATEC TA showed this video in class today (or, like, 5 minutes ago). This is actually pretty amazing stuff. I can't even wrap my mind around how much work must be put into the project to make it work. Apparently, they're trying (or already are) to use this technology in the space program. If the astronauts need something, instead of shipping the item, they do 3D printing in the space shuttle. So if the astronauts don't have a wrench, they can print out a wrench. According to the TA, the most affordable one is around $1,700. That's not bad at all. He said that Quad C (Collin College) already has one. Why doesn't UTD have one?

You're the Only One

So this video has actually been out for like a month now and I haven't really listened to the song until recently. It's actually a really nice song. I admire BoA's dance skills, too. I wished I could dance half as well as she can. Whenever I attempt to dance, I look so awkward. Maybe it's cuz I'm too lanky.

She really is a talented person even though I wasn't a huge fan of her song "Hurricane Venus." She's really pretty, too. I can't believe that she debuted at like 13 or 14 years old. It makes me feel so under-accomplished or something. Ughhh. It's kinda lame how little attention she got when she had her American debut. And then here comes PSY with his "Gangnam Style" and he runs away with the attention of America with no problem. Wait, what? Don't get me wrong. He seems pretty cool. It's just that his fame stems from something that seems like a total joke. His fame probably won't last that long, but who knows. 

Pentax K-30

So the Pentax K-30 is a camera that I've been eyeing for a while. Don't get me wrong. I love my Canon Rebel XS. However, my DSLR seems rather outdated compared to the models out now. The Pentax K-30 has video recording capabilities. How awesome is that? And on top of that, the camera is weather-proof. That would've been a helpful feature when I went to the Marian Days celebration in Carthage, Missouri back at the beginning of August. One of the more interesting features of Pentax DLSRs is their compatibility with film SLR lenses. This would be a totally great feature for me since my dad, being a "photographer" back in the day, left me a stash of good Pentax SLR lenses. He left me a couple of SLR bodies as well, but I'm not quite comfortable taking pictures on a film SLR. A Pentax K-30 kit sells for around $899.95 for the camera body and a DA L 18-55 lens. Man, I wished I had the money for one. I would sell my Canon, but I kinda doubt it'll sell for much. On top of that, my parents bought warranty for that sucker. Bleh. Oh well.

For more information on the Pentax K-30, see the Pentax website:
http://www.pentaximaging.com/dslr/K-30_Black

Sitting Here Listening to My Boyfriend Watch Old 9/11 Footage

I'm sitting here Skyping with my boyfriend as he sits at his computer watching old footage from the September 11th attacks. I'm trying to rack my brain for memories of the day it happened. I remember that this was around 5th grade. We were in the portable buildings at Beverly Elementary School sitting in class when all the teachers gathered us into one classroom. They turned on the TV and showed us what was going on. Like many of the kids there, I didn't realize how severe the problem was. It seemed like something that wouldn't affect me. New York City was just another place that was out of reach for me. I was completely oblivious to things or I considered the tragedy as something that happened in another world.

As I grew older, I slowly began grasping the affect of September 11th. In 8th grade, I wrote a paper about the 9/11 attacks. That was when the extent of the damage caused by the terrorists became a little but clearer. Thousands of lives ended that day leaving several thousands more devastated with the loss of their family or loved ones. I think back on it now and can now feel sympathy for those directly effected by the attacks. What if I lost someone in the attack? How different things would have been that day 11 years ago. If something similar were to happen now and I lost people that I loved, I don't know if I'd be able to keep going.

Now I think about the people that actually died in the attacks. The sheer chaos inside the building, the choking smoke, the heat of the glames. It's even worse to think about having to accept the fact that you're going to die. You're so high up, there's no way down the elevators or stairs. The only thing you can do is wait for death to come. This is unimaginable for someone like me who has never had a near-death experience. I'm sure the fear of the end would choke me before anything. I'm not one who can close my eyes and calmly accept my death. My number one fear is death itself even though I should accept that it's a part of life.

My thoughts and prayers go to the souls lost in the 9/11 attacks and the families and friends struggling to get through the loss of their loved ones.

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

So here's my two cents on this song: I'm not a huge fan. It sounds annoying and whiny. And I know that people like to speculate about who she's talking about in the song, but I could care less. Like seriously, I used to be a huge Taylor Swift follower back when her music actually sounded a bit more like country instead of pop. Remember "Our Song" and  "Picture to Burn?" I miss those kinds of songs. Now, ever since it's become common knowledge that Taylor Swift likes to write songs about guys she's dated, the focus has been about nothing BUT the guys she's dated. How do you relate to a song about a celebrity that you haven't dated? Okay. It's not like pop is necessarily a bad thing, but all pop these days sounds the same. Taylor Swift isn't the only one who's lost her music style. Maroon 5 has, too. I loved the songs like "This Love" with all the rocker-ish guitar feel or whatever. I don't even know the name of their newest song. It was something about crossing his heart and hoping to die. The song is alright. I just like the old stuff better. Where did all the good music go?! 

Finished my online portfolio!

Hooray! I've managed to complete my personal online portfolio! Oh my gosh. That took wayyy longer than I thought it would. When did I start? I think on Friday. And I just finished so that's about 4 days to build this site. I really do need to learn how to use Dreamweaver or something. Coding a website in pure HTML and CSS is the most tedious thing ever. The worst part for this project was including a lightbox for the graphic design and photography portion of the site. I've never used a lightbox before so I had to learn quickly how to implement jQuery and stuff like that. I guess this was a good learning process. At least I'll be satisfied with the layout of my site for a while and at least it sort of works across all browsers. I will forever hate Internet Explorer for making my life a living hell. My last layout was rather blah and it didn't appear correctly on Internet Explorer at all. Tien says that I should try using Blogger to build sites instead cuz it'll be easier to update. The only downside is that it's less customizable. Oh well. If you guys want to check out my portfolio, you can. I still haven't added any images to the photography section yet. I'll work on it later. I was more focused on the graphic design portion. But yeah!

Click to see my portfolio: http://ae221.co.nr (I'll try and get a more official domain later.)
Check out Tien's blog: http://hungrytien.com