William Hung rocked the stage with “She Bangs” and instanstly became the web celebrity. Gotta check out some of the remixes at Hung’s site.
Watch the informative presentation on the F word and check out the F conversation at Soraio. Feel free to join in.
Ngoc Lan’s Con Tim Da Vui Tro Lai (And My Heart is Happy Once Again) fills with so much joy and love. Still can’t believe you’re gone. You were so amazing. Whenever there’s a discussion about you, the question frequently comes up is, “What is your Ngoc Lan’s favorite song?” And the answer I always see is, “It’s hard to say because she sang so many beautiful songs.” Lately I have stumbled across comment such as “If you don’t like Ngoc Lan, you must have really bad taste.” How can someone not like that sweet and lovely voice of yours? Your performance on “And My Heart is Happy Once Again” had always encouraged me to move on and lifted me out of the rain. All that I ever hope for is your heart to beat once again.
21 Grams is a masterpiece. The acting is great. The story is compelling. Best of all, the non-linear narrative is clever and stimulating. 21 Grams starts out with series of quick shots. The shots get longer as the movie progresses. It’s a technique that requires viewers to pay close attention in order to piece together the storyline. I am wondering if the technique still effective if the movie structured in reverse order from long scenes progresses to quick shots. It would be interesting if the film comes out on DVD with two options: one theater release and one in reverse order.
21 Grams starts out with Christine (Naomi Watts) lying naked with her breast showing and Paul (Sean Penn) by her side then the camera quickly jumps to another shot. It keeps doing that for about twenty minutes to the point where I begin to get dizzy. Luckily it begins to slow down. I am wondering if the director (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarrittitu) did that on purpose? He tortures you just enough but not to the point you have to walk out of the theater. Yes! I get seasick easily.
Character wise, they all did an amazing job. Benicio Del Toro is da man. My favorite scene is where Jack and his family are having dinner. The children are fighting and the son hits the daughter on one arm. He orders his daughter to put out the other arm so his son can hit the other arm also. The poor little girl is crying and his wife got mad, “what kind of parenting is that?” something likes that. After she carries the little girl to the kitchen, he smacked the boy on the head not one but twice saying, “No hitting in this house.” That scene just stuck in my mind. For Sean Penn, this is his second best performance in one year. From a strong mobster in Mystic River to a dying math professor in 21 Grams, he has demonstrated his ability to play various roles and brings out the characters in both. As for Naomi Watts, this is my first time seeing her and she has impressed me with her acting as a depressed woman on drugs. And yes fellaz! She does have some nice nipples.
21 Grams is simply amazing. Go experience it yourself.
Want to hear 2pac pours out his heart? Want to enjoy some real lyrical contents? Check out R U Still Down double CD from the one and only 2pac Shakur. I am still feeling his words ever since the album came out in 1997. This double album had raised my expectations for Hip Hop. Until this day, I still can’t find an album that could match 2pac’s R U Still Down. Every track leaves me something in my mind to remember by. Whether he screams at his enemy, encourages us to Hold On Be Strong, or tells the stories of 16 on Death Row, his words are so powerful and he expresses them clear and loud.
Take away the hardcore and the gangster life, you will find 2pac expresses himself as a troublesome brother. In Open Fire, he said, “I’m sick inside my mind, why you sweating me? It’s gonna take an army full of crooked ass cops to come and get me.” In R U Still Down, Pac spoke out his inner feelings, “Living life as a Thug. Time to face the truth. What’s going on with the wasted youth? Please God come and save me, had to work with what you gave me.” In Hellrazor, Pac went on, “I’m starting to think all the rich in the world is safe while the poor babies resting in the early graves. God come save the youth. Ain’t nothing else to do but have faith in you.” Although every song hits the spot, Hellrazor is one of the wicked lyrics along side with 16 on Death Row where Pac tells three different stories in three verses. You just have to experience 16 on Death Row. Listen carefully every word he said. The song will bring tears to your eyes. Words such as: “My uncle used to touch me, I never told you that. Scared what you might do, I couldn’t hold you back. I kept it deep inside, I done let it fuel my anger. I’m down for all my hommies, no mercy for a stranger? They tell me the preacher’s there for me. He’s a crook with a book, that motherfucker never cared for me? I wish I would’ve known while I was out there. Now I’m straight heading for the chair.”
There are so much more stuff on the album such as: Hold On Be Strong, I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto, Nuthin But Love, Fake Ass Bitches, Lie to Kick It, When I Get Free 2, and so on. I could easily go through and review every songs but that is not necessary. I?ll let the work speaks for itself. Go ahead and get the album. Even if you’re not Hip Hop fan, you will appreciate the lyrical content of a mastermind.
True to its title, Mario Garcia’s Pure Design is clean, simple, and elegant. Inspired by minimalism, Mario Garcia explains how pure design can provide an enjoyable experience by allowing readers to navigate through a website or a publication effortlessly. The book covers words, types, layout, color, picture, and process in details and advices on what do and not to do. At the end of each chapter, there are real projects case studies to help readers apply the theory presented. The last chapter shares top ten useful myths from Mario Garcia. Pure Design is highly recommended for information and graphic designers. Although, the book focused mainly on newspaper design, some of the theories presented could apply toward the web as well. Here are some notes I find useful for web designers.
Pure Design– create simple and uncomplicated structure.
Make it easy to read – clear typography, legible, and easy on the eyes
Make it easy to find – employ navigational tools that allow the reader to get to the content in the least amount of time possible.
Make it visually appealing – provide an environment in which good content will find attractive display.
Respect for words shows on every page. Words are the keys to our senses in ways that perhaps visuals, even the power of color, can’t.
Font should be easy to read, allow for contrast, and appropriate to the public.
To box or not to box? Use very thin borders around boxes. Allow white space between border and contents. Use thicker rule at top or bottom but never on the side.
Use colors to communicate, to energizing the canvas, to attract the eyes and to leave an impression.
White space is important. Like punctuation in a sentence, it allows thoughts to flow without running into each other. White space is the most silent of aids to the designer.
Photo composites work best for groupings of images that tell a story.
Headshots – use them small, and create a template, so all headshots throughout the entire publication are the exact same size. Headshots should be closely cropped. Always use a caption. Can be use in the text of a story. Can be black and white or color. Can be drawings or photos.
Good briefings – gather a small group with an outline of goals to be accomplished. Deal with philosophical discussions of what lies ahead
Dream a little – consider a different format, new color palette, etc. Bring to the table the organization’s best and most innovative minds.
– Readers don’t like reversed-out type
– Color must be introduce slowly
– Italics are difficult to read
– Flow of text should not be interrupted
Hopefully my writing will improve now that I have read William Struck Jr. and E.B. White’s The Elements of Style (if I can remember what I’ve read and apply to my writing). Even if I can’t remember everything from the book, one suggestion I will never forget is, “Omit needless words!” This thin little book is the best eight bucks I ever spent on books. It teaches me how to write clear and concise. As a foreigner (English as Second Language), the rules of usage and principles of composition always scare the hell out of me. Fortunately, this book makes them seem much easier and friendlier than they appear to be. I recommend this book undoubtedly to anyone who is learning English as second language. The Element of Style is also a great reference for writing on the web because of its simple and straight to the point approach on writing.
Wow! What can I say? As soon as I start diving into Girls by Nic Kelman, I could not stop. It’s simply raw, rugged and bold. When men become successful and “money ain’t a thang,” what can stop them from fucking young and beautiful girls? Yes! It’s disturbing to read into the minds of these men but that is how most men think. What can be better than fucking your friend’s eighteen years old daughter? How can you not enjoy going on a date with a former Playboy girl although she costs you fifteen thousand dollars? Than again “money ain’t a thang.” What can be more pleasurable than sharing your girlfriend with one of your male friend? Well, maybe not. Some men like it, some men don’t. I hate it.
Kelman’s descriptive writing is what I like best about the novel. The way he describes a young girl, “Her whole body still strives outwards, her lips, her breasts, her thighs, her whole body has not yet decided to stop, to petrify, to crumble. You have never seen anything like so ripe in all your life. This is the word that comes to mind, ‘ripe’.” Better yet, the way he describes sex scenes are way better than watching porno. His words are simple, clear, and straight to fuck.
The least I like about Girls is the passages from Iliad and Odyssey being quoted throughout the book. They serve nothing but getting in the way of the stories. However, I do enjoy reading the histories of words such as: cunt, pussy, cock, etc.
Nic Kelman’s Girls is simply a beautiful work of art. It definitely provides readers an aesthetic experience but you have to read this novel with an open mind. Don’t think this book gears toward men but the contents are very strong and women might find it offensive. This is the first novel I ever finished reading in two days.
Step into the creative mind of the Glitterguru on Photoshop. Suzette Troche-Stapp gives readers a tour of her work from concept creation to finishing up aesthetically beautiful digital photographs. The book is divided into three parts. The first part, she guides readers through basic but useful concepts including: creating storyboard, gathering team members, casting a model, finding props, shooting techniques, marketing your work on the web, and so on. The second part, she shares her three techniques of retouching photos which she called reality, surgery, and fantasy. Although the technical are not detailed, readers would understand the concepts presented. The last part showcases some of her creative works. She also explains how she came up with the ideas and shows the process to get there.
This book is simply an inspiration. Not only the concepts and techniques are well present, the contents are a pleasure to read as well. Her style of writing is clear and entertaining. Suzettet Troche-Stapp is pretty much giving away her secrets as she speaks out her mind and shares her experiences. Highly recommended for digital photographers, especially the beginners who are looking for work in this exciting medium. Consider this book as your “real world” internship. In fact, it is even better than an internship. You can easily say, “I have been trained by the Glitterguru” on your resume.
Wow! An impressive three hundreds plus pages book on Designing a Digital Portfolio. Cynthia Baron delves into great details from planning to presenting a successful digital portfolio. The book features tons of online examples with clear explanations to point out their effectiveness. On top of that, there are numerous quotes from professional designers and creative directors through out the book sharing their experiences on what works, what doesn’t, and what are expected from a digital portfolio.
The book starts off with helping you define what kind of designer you are and what are you interested in doing. So that you won’t create a portfolio that give a wrong impression and ends up with a job you would not like. Cynthia Baron goes on walks you through every step such as: doing research, collect your best work, write efficiently, tips and tricks and so on to help you present a digital portfolio that is right for you.
I highly recommend Designing a Digital Portfolio for students who are pursuing their career as an interactive, graphic, or web design. Now a day, online digital portfolio is a must if you want to get the first impression. I also recommend this book for the DArt program at La Salle. I remember putting together a senior portfolio showcasing works from DArt major students. It was really bad. We had no idea what we were doing and threw in all kinds of junks. Yes! It was the good old days.
Xa Lo Khong Den (Highway Without Lights) is a classic. Thanh Nga gave an extraordinary performance as a sweet girl who turns into a prostitute and ends up as a thug. Lieu (Thanh Nga) is the oldest daughter of a respectable family. Her father is a teacher and he wants his kids to go to school. The parents work days and nights but still cannot afford to put Lieu and Diem (Trang Thanh Lan) to school. Lieu decided to quit school to help out the family. In Saigon, the quickest way to make money is prostitution. Lieu ends up getting rob and raped. She joins the Hippies and becomes a thug. Lieu and her gang robbed money from a big mafia. Well, I am not going to tell you the whole story.
Xa Lo Khong Den describes Lieu’s life as a young and beautiful girl who takes the highway route without realizing the danger. Another highlight of the film is the conflict between Lieu and her father. The dialogue between them is well written. Her father believes in pride but when you are poor, pride won’t save your family, only money can. Lieu realizes that cruel reality and she has to do what she has to do to save the family even without her father’s approval. Xa Lo Khong Den is simply a masterpiece. Wish it had English subtitles so others can enjoy the film as well.