GLOW

Ah, so we had some lanterns to make for class. These had to be collapsible, and fit and a 9"x12" envelope. We actually had to mail them to our teacher today. Sadly, my first attempts burned down because I was careless and left them burning without attending to them--LOL. Leave it up to Christine, right? But I'm pretty satisfied with my second attempt. I chose to present the 3rd one due to craftsmanship and design issues, but I think that my personal favorite was the first one. There was a story on each side of the lantern; and it was a cute one to just make.

There's not much to say about life at this point. Projects pile up, and there's work to do. I hang out with friends once in a while and family often. My sister's birthday was this previous Friday, and I made her watch Garden State and The History Boys. In watching these again, I found some profound things that I had forgotten, or had not connected to previously. Watching those movies made me feel awake for just a little bit; like there was something I could really feel connected to. And so, I had to "pass them on", even if it was just some insignificant DVD. When I hang out with Matt, we play Rock Band, which is awesome fun (DONNA! WHEN YOU COME DOWN WE MUST PLAY)...it has expanded my horizons in music significantly. I've grown to love Garbage, and like the Pixies, and slowly admire Metallica even if I couldn't listen to their music repeatedly. I think it's these little things that make life feel like there is some kind of learning, some kind of exchange going on. I'm eternally grateful to Matt for putting up with my different moods, and no matter what, he faces them all with a kind of friendly comedy, but detached indifference that always makes me smile or laugh regardless of the situation.

Haha, I realized that I always sound so dreary on here, but truly, I am not so drab. But I feel secure because I can tell you guys everything I that I can't confide in, whether it be in my life in class or whatnot. If I did try it in word of mouth, I would probably be blubbering some incoherent mess. So, to go with my drabness on here, I have these two old men; doodles from design history. We're watching interviews in the class, really old DVD's that are horrendous in quality. These guys both worked under the prestigious(I personally think overrated to some extent) Raymond Lowey.

I can't believe I'm going to SCAD next week, and that I'm going to be out of Auburn for a week and a half. That's the longest time I've been out of Auburn since...I don't know when. I don't even have a feeling about it right now; all I can see is the work looming ahead of me for this next week and a half. I can't wait until it's all over.

Oh, BTW, our comic "BATTLE OF THE BANDS" (affectionately called BoB) made it into the FINALS for TOKYOPOP's Rising Stars of Manga!!! I'll definitely be posting the link to it when voting begins. PLEASE VOTE when the time comes! BoB FTW!!

Not Unhappy

How I love you.

Though the craftsmanship is deplorable, the pen turned out well in pictures, I must say. The artist I was trying to capture was Choi, Byung Hoon. He designs elegant furniture that I fell in love with when I was doing research for this project.

The pen is actually plastic, which I free-formed after heating it up under a vaccuum-former lamp. It was super-neat-o to play with the material! I've never done something so fun in shop before. The clear thingies you see are all of the mess-ups I made before I chose my final shape and spraypainted/glossed it. My dad's camera actually did a good job with this! I was super-pleased with how it turned out.

This weekend was beautiful (if not..lacking in rest). I attended the Bravery concert with some friends of mine; one of them had actually lived in the ATL for some time, so she knew the ways around, which was awesome. We got to go to this kinda artsy restaurant, called The Flying Biscuit. It was beautiful inside; the Artist Guild of Atlanta had done the wall murals in there, and the room we were in was covered in Sunflowers (so gorgeous).

After the food, we went to the concert, which had 2 awesome opening bands from Britain that I am totally in love with now (the Switches, and Your Vegas). I want both of their CD's SO BADLY (Your Vegas is coming out with an albun in April, I think...). It was in the Roxy theatre, a really homey kind of venue that wasn't quite as distinctive as the Tabernacle, but still comfortable. The set wasn't as elaborate as the Decemberists'--it was mainly a light show more than anything else. But us three stood on the floor and managed to wiggle our way to the almost-front! I think that was what made this concert stand out--the bands felt so close that you could see all of the sweat coming down their faces. The way they put their heart into what they were doing, and how you could tell that they loved every single second of it.

It was so nice to get out of Auburn. Out of the mundane, sorority/fraternity-littered campus that I have seen for what has felt like way too long. I'm afraid that I'm losing it; I know I'm not even close to being open-minded compared to many, but I feel like Auburn is closing me in, and I can't really see past anything like I used to anymore. I don't feel comfortable and sure of myself like I used to, and after knowing that I'm not directly persuing the career of my dreams, it has opened up a vunerability that makes me feel uncomfortable to really associate with people. How am I to present myself to anyone, which I don't know what substance composes me?

It makes me feel false.

I don't mean to complain; I know that this is the path I have chosen for myself. But now, I just don't know anything anymore. I think that's why I really enjoyed yesterday; it helped me realize that even if I don't have a clear view of myself, I can still be myself, and hold a normal conversation without making some kind of social faux-pas. I could be a dork, and still have people listen to me, and not just dismiss me as a non-thinker, or maleducated in culture/history. I liked, no, loved having what I said matter to someone again, and not feel useless all the time.

I've found that a similar thing is happening to my art. It's dying. I don't draw anymore in class. Everything I draw is the same, old, thing. I can't think outside the perameters of a certain BOX.

Sickening.

Anyway, a friend of mine sent me this video, and it's AWESOME ART.
FROZEN GRAND CENTRAL STATION

I don't want this next week to come. Two horrible days all in the same week. Not such a big deal, but I wish I could stay in this weekend forever and be not unhappy. I like this state of being.

Happy Almost New Year's

Man, it's felt like forever since I've been online (which is rather sad considering I've only missed out for two days or so.) This past week was killer; in the past 72 hours, I have gotten a grand total of four hours of sleep. Who to thank? Industrial design, and insomnia after the fact. I stayed up with two other classmates "partying all night" at the Wallace building working on projects due on Friday. We get a break from the foamcore (finally) for this weekend; but we have another project final due on Monday.

I decided today that I needed a GRAND break from Wallace and homework; so I spent the day with my family in Atlanta, shopping for Chinese New Year's coming up. Traffic was absolutely fierce. But it was all worth it for the small spoils I got. (Quick snapshots; excuse the t-square..LOL)
Everyone knows POCKY, right? The familiar and beloved red-and-white, alice brand which is copied by many Korean imitations such as Pepero by Lotte...




Well, we can all count on the chinese to FLAIL at making imitations and making them their own. Welcome to the world of....CHOCKY. I have found it personally hilarious; the giant-sized box of pocky was 15 dollars, whearas the equally giant Chocky was 3.89. There was a small compromise in chocolate quality; but heck, for ten dollars cheaper, it was so worth it. The chocky stick is relatively 2-3 times bigger than it's real cousin pocky (12 inches, just about). Huge.


But what really made me love this day were these Pocky boxes, which I had to get for the simple novelty of it.

Yeah. Feast your eyes. Klimt and Monet are on this beautifully styled Pocky box. What more could a girl ask for? They also had in stock Manet and Van Gogh; also, each box has a side panel that tells about the artist and the work. I wanted to catch them all. XD



The bunny package is actually my sister's which I accidentally stole from her; the Engrish inscription was too cute for me not to love it. It reads: A Rabbit called Dafune Rabbit. HOW RABBIT FEELS? It actually reminded me of Miss Piaf/Emo bunny. T______T I also got some looseleaf Jasmine tea for a friend--yummy stuff.


So now, I'm going to try to battle my insomnia. But before I do, I totally fell in LOVE with this couch by moooi. The design is brilliantly simple, but so gorgeous. When I get rich, I want it. The video shows the fantastic thought put into it. Thier catalogue is also filled with beautiful things that I want in my dream home.



Way too freakin' awesome.