Spengy

2011-08-21T13:55:00.001-07:00

I just need to sleep, maybe wake up just to scratch my thigh, and then go back to sleep.

Classes begin in a week.

Economy Fail

2011-07-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

I was coming close to finishing this 365 photos project. But I got distracted and failed to commit time to this blog. Nothing surprising, obvi. Speaking of fail, our economy, Congress, lives are all falling down a shithole. I figured something shady was going to happen when my Financial Aid provider decided to decrease my work study grant.

I'm wondering how this debt ceiling crisis is going to change our social behaviors. Maybe it will teach us to be less materialistic and learn to value what's already in our hands. I finished reading Buying In and it scared me how dependent we are on materials. Instead of showcasing our intelligence, talent, goodwill qualities, we use 'things' to metaphorically illustrate who we are. I never considered how objects are utilized. Instead of buying things based on necessity, we buy things for its symbol. This revelation doesn't mean I'm going to discard all my possessions and start wearing a burlap sack, but it has gotten me to give at least a 20 second thought about what it is I am about to purchase and weigh its value to my well being.

day 213

2011-06-19T15:01:00.002-07:00

day 212

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day 211

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day 210

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day 209

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day 208

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day 207

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day 206

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day 205

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day 204

2011-06-19T14:53:00.001-07:00

2011-06-12T20:22:00.001-07:00

I'm inclined to start using emoticons to replace writing passages reflecting my daily moodiness that is both time consuming and mentally exhausting. Here's a key for my emoticons:

:) = I'm okay.
:( = I want to rip your face off.
:| = :|
:/ = Life.
:\ = Death.
:D = Wendy's run!
D: = Hungry.
:o = Whoops.
:P = I know my blog is dumb.

Currently I'm feeling :P

day 203

2011-06-11T20:03:00.003-07:00

day 202

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day 201

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day 200

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day 199

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day 198

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day 197

2011-06-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

day 196

2011-06-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

2011-06-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

High Five, 2011

day 195

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day 194

2011-06-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

day 193

2011-06-01T07:57:00.001-07:00

day 192

2011-06-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Print cannot become an antiquity, dammit!

2011-05-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

iPads, NOOKs, Kindles, web, blogs (mine is... an exception), any sort of technological platform for communication may be the knife that stabs my career. So much for my aspirations for making children's books. It's inevitable, print industries are slowly metamorphosing into historic sites. When my professors proposed a last minute assignment that required us to create a theoretical website for our magazine project, I figured they were trying to hint something. People will soon be going to the bathroom with their laptops, replacing the morning paper that their dog once routinely retrieved.

As insidious I believe the digital revolution is, there are clearly economical, environmental and social benefits from this change that will solve many of our generational problems. Sadly as a designer, I feel as though I am being coerced to conform to a medium (one that I have never touched before) that forces me to abandon my original pursuits. Of course print is not going to be dead by tomorrow. But digital trends are rising and designers need keep up with the savviness. What this means for me is that I will have to devote two weeks of my life watching YouTube tutorial videos for Dreamweaver, XHTML/CSS, Flash, and Fireworks. I now know how it feels to question the meaning of "n00b" or "pwnage" and have youngsters snicker at you.

day 191

2011-05-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

newest painting

2011-05-29T18:33:00.005-07:00

Insidious, 2011

day 190

2011-05-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

day 189

2011-05-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

day 188

2011-05-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

I was approached by a homeless person today

2011-05-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

and he told me my fortune. He said to keep to whatever I have going for me, and stay away from whomever I'm with while I still have the chance. Had I given him an extra quarter I probably would have gotten a lengthier fortune, but I guess I kinda get the gist.

day 187

2011-05-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

What makes a trooper?

2011-05-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

I had an interview couple of days ago with a design firm. For preparation I wikied "Job interview" and studied the all the possible questions that could be asked. What qualifies you as a [enter job position here]? What are your long term goals? Essentially, these questions all are rooted from one intent: why should we hire you?

We live in a competitive era and there are many people qualified for a position that can only be offered to one soul. I don't have the most impressive resume out there. My work experience includes dim-sum cart pusher, cashier, coffee maker (no, not barista, my position was too humiliating to be labeled as a one), sales associate, telemarketer, and garden sitter. I decided to leave all these out of my resume due to their lack of relevancy to the position, and because they signify moments of embarrassment seared in my life. But I thought to myself, there's nothing to be ashamed of for working at such menial places. If anything, it slapped the spoiled third child of the family attitude out of me and made me understand the meaning of hard work. For instance, you learn how to deal with customers. There are times where you are going to want to pour nitric acid on their face, but you learn to hold yourself together and smile. That is something managers are going to want to know you can handle. The adversity and obstacles of working in low-wage labor builds perseverance and modesty.

Personally, I would much rather hire people who have built a long list of qualifications than a long list of internships. Though it is nice to see applicants who have experience with top notch companies, I would want to know if they can stick through the hard work and not bitch and moan about how tedious their work is (and no one knows the meaning of tedious until they've worked in retail). If I could go back to the interview and list my qualifications, dim sum cart pusher would be the first thing I would proudly state. I served people dumplings, had a bitchass boss, pushed a tin cart weighing well over 40 lbs, but dammit I stuck through it and did a hell of a job.

day 186

2011-05-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

day 185

2011-05-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

I feel hood

2011-05-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

I thought I was the cleverest person last semester for having saved so much money by finding on campus printers that let you print without charge, smuggling food from the dining hall that would last me a week (a seven meal-plan a week is not sufficient), and scavenging for art supplies from trash bins. It's been no more than two weeks since I've been home and my bank calls, of all people, my mother, to inform her that I have -$10.58 in my banking account. I cannot express how much it tears my pride for having put so much effort into saving my money only to have it depleted in a span of a week. This is the curse of summer, boredom and Tysons Corner being my neighbor. Luckily I am home and have loving parents who continue to fatten me with food and incessantly remind me how fortunate I am to still have two more years of living in this household before I get kicked out. But that's as far as my luck will stretch. I'm broke, sad, and stuck in an overtly commercialized suburb that tempts your shopper ego. Consumerism and materialism will be the death of me. (At least I admit it.)

day 184

2011-05-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

day 183

2011-05-22T17:41:00.001-07:00

well that was a disappointment

2011-05-22T01:59:00.000-07:00

Dooms Day my ass.

day 182

2011-05-21T15:59:00.001-07:00

day 181

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day 180

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day 179

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day 178

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day 177

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day 176

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day 175

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day 174

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day 173

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day 172

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day 171

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day 170

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day 169

2011-05-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

day 168

2011-05-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

Housewives of Watson 242. I'm gunna miss you fine ladies.

day 167

2011-05-11T17:14:00.002-07:00

day 166

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day 165

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day 163

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day 162

2011-05-09T17:51:00.001-07:00

day 161

2011-05-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ceramics final project, Bear in a Cup.

day 160

2011-05-06T18:37:00.004-07:00

day 159

2011-05-06T18:37:00.003-07:00

day 158

2011-05-06T18:37:00.001-07:00

day 157

2011-05-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

2011-05-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

I JUST KICKED MY CMD FINAL IN THE FACE!

Now what?

2011-04-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Vigilance, watercolor

day 156

2011-04-27T20:25:00.002-07:00

day 155

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day 154

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day 153

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day 152

2011-04-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

2011-04-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

"I dropped a baby on its head once. Actually I accidentally dropped her and she rolled down the stairs. But she's a genius now, so it's okay. That was my fun fact for APO."

—Allison

day 151

2011-04-22T11:00:00.001-07:00

day 150

2011-04-21T07:33:00.002-07:00

day 149

2011-04-21T07:33:00.001-07:00

Jerk Magazine got 1st place

2011-04-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

for overall design of a magazine from Student Society for News Design! Congratulations to all of us! I'm super proud to be part of such a talented team.

Check out http://ssnd.wordpress.com/ to see other awards!

day 148

2011-04-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

day 147

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day 146

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day 145

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day 144

2011-04-15T00:23:00.001-07:00

12:01 AM

day 143

2011-04-15T00:22:00.000-07:00

11:58 PM

day 142

2011-04-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

My childhood.

day 141

2011-04-11T20:01:00.001-07:00

day 140

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day 139

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2011-04-11T19:59:00.001-07:00

day 137

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day 136

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day 135

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day 134

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day 133

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day 132

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day 131

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day 130

2011-04-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

Life

2011-04-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

is either burdened with honesty, or blissed with lies.

2011-04-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

"I want to get a cat one day and name it Freedom Rider."

—Sam Kraft