A Diction Adventure

Captain America + Update

2011-11-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

Captain America was frozen for over 50 years because he saved the world from Hydra. When he woke up, that didn't matter. He had a date.

One-Line Updates:

was training for the Honolulu Marathon. won't be running. ITBS sucks.
got an iphone 4s. got white plaid case. broke. got purple argyle case. afraid people will judge.
ITBS sucks. but glad to do lighting for Christmas Play at Christian Assembly's Kid's Church.
taking a break from production to volunteer for Streetlamp Studio. lacking funds.
have an awesome girlfriend. sucks that she lives 500 miles away. mylywy.

Frames Per Second (fps)

2010-09-02T01:36:00.000-07:00

Higher frame rate equals slow motion.
The month of August has been packed.
Each event was a frame.
Time moved much slower.

Perfectionist and Procrastination

2010-05-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

I am a perfectionist and and want to make as few mistakes as possible. Therefore, I think about things before I do them, which turns out to be procrastination. I need to give myself permission to make as many mistakes as I need so that I can actually be productive instead of a perfectionist.

Perfectionist ÷ (Procrastination*-1 + Mistakes*∞) = Productiveness

Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear

2010-05-19T01:44:00.000-07:00

I worked on these:

Unleashing My Potential

2010-04-29T21:43:00.001-07:00

It has been three weeks since my life has changed. And I am still in transition from "Slumpy Stuart" to "Someone To Be Determined." The journey has been a crazy roller coaster ride and battle to conquer my fools. Although there have been some horrible moments, as I assess right now, I can only be positive this is going somewhere good. Here's my status:

I have been working hard at being proactive (thanks to Courtney's assessment and Steve and Larissa's guidance).
I decided to run a marathon (thanks to Gary's inspiration). It might take some until I'm ready, but I will.
I am exploring my personal creativity (thanks to Dolce's thoughts).
I am seeking my full potential (thanks to JP's advice).

That pretty much sums it all up: I am seeking my full potential.

Conquering Fools

2010-04-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was more compact with crazy than what I reported in my last post. One thing is for sure, I am fighting more than just procrastination and sexual temptation.

"Long long time ago
I found myself looking for fools
And what I did not let myself know
Was that these fools were inside my mind
I'd love to do right all the time
But I found there are times
When I love to do so wrong
And I know, that the fools
Are at the bottom of it all"

— O.A.R. —

The fools that control my life are procrastination, sexuality, self-worth, and logic. All of these things I do not control, but have control over me.

But now, things are changing. I will conquer these fools!

Week of Change

2010-04-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hey, so... I've changed.

This week, God flipped me over. Like a pancake.

Sunday:
Decided to face the biggest issue in my life. Procrastination.
Realized, "Dang, I am at the inciting incident in my movie. That is nowhere near the climax..."

Tuesday:
Made plan of action and strategery to find an income.

Wednesday:
Ass (and when I say "ass" I mean my whole frogging life) was kicked by a guy I just met.
Made a commitment to face the second biggest issue of my life. Sexual temptation.
Implemented plan of strategery.

Thursday:
Went running for the first time in a while.

Balls.

Home

2010-03-15T03:09:00.000-07:00

I have been here in LA for a month now and don’t have my own place just yet. I’m actually in between; sleeping in the living room of my friends’ place while having majority of my things at the place I will be moving into. It will take some time to really get settled into my new place though. I have a few boxes and I am moving into a two bedroom house. I definitely need some furniture to make it feel comfortable. I have realized something though. It will never be my home. I know they say, “Home is where the heart is, so the real home’s in your chest,” but I don’t completely believe that.

I feel my home is Hawaii. I miss it there. I miss the local food that consists of fusion foods of different cultures, the simple roads, the fresh air, the beautiful beaches. But anyone can miss those things about Hawaii. I can say my home is Hawaii because of the friends and family and way of life that the islands encompass. It has almost been four years since I moved away from Hawaii, and only now have I really begun to be homesick.

I am a battery and I think my Hawaii reservoir is what is running low.

Filmmaking Lesson #2: Learn

2010-03-01T23:51:00.001-08:00

This is kind of a ironic under my series to have a lesson on learning, but I think it is one of the most crucial components of understanding film and filmmaking.

Learn what you can.

Learn through experience.

Learn through exploring.

Learn through watching.

Learn through listening.

Learn from anybody and everybody.

Learn from every opinion and fact.

Learn from every situation.

Learn about the things you love.

Learn about the things you hate.

Learn about every department.

Learn about the process.

Learn about people.

Learn who you are.

Learn so that you can figure out how and where to apply all that you have learned.

There are so many things to learn in and about film (and life), and everything can be applied to where you specialize. Learn what you can by placing yourself in situations to learn. If you are open to learning, you will become a valuable asset to the industry and the world.

Hit the Pause Button

2010-02-28T00:23:00.000-08:00

Just take a moment and stop everything. What are your thoughts and feelings at the moment? What is happening at the moment? Is there more happening here than just your first assessment? What is the reality of the situation? Do your thoughts, feelings and actions match the reality? Is it possible for you to adjust those to appropriately react to the reality? Okay, continue on...

Hindsight

2010-02-26T02:00:00.000-08:00

In hindsight, I could have thought through my actions a little bit more. I could have bought myself more time to process what all my possibilities were before making a decision.

Then again, I have finally allowed myself to follow my inclination without over thinking... *sigh* This is my attempt to not feel regret.

Day Job: Bartending

2010-02-24T02:18:00.000-08:00

As I was scouring Craigslist for work, I came across a posting for bartending that said "no experience needed." I barely know anything about bartending or drinking. We'll see what comes of this. If I do become a bartender, I think it would work well with scheduling with my possible film career.

Filmmaking Lesson #1: The Process

2010-02-18T02:19:00.000-08:00

Over the last year and a half, I have learned a lot. Many of these lessons were about filmmaking. The more significant ones about life. I want to share the things I have learned with those that want to hear/read.

Making a film is a process. There is the big picture to the whole ordeal and there are the tiny seemingly pointless details. There are also many different ways to accomplish any goal that is to be reached. Beside that last point, there is a general structure that is followed. That structure consists of five stages: Development, Pre-Production, Production, Post Production, and Distribution.

Development is when the project is created and can last for a very long time. This indefinite period is when the writing and funding happen. Sometimes, it will include getting key positions filled such as the director and lead actor(s). Once funded and mostly written, the project can advance into the next stage.

Pre-production is gathering all the elements to get the content off the page. This means finding the actors, crew, locations, and equipment. As those elements fall into place scheduling of Production happens. Revisions of the script might also take place. As chaos builds and time flies by...

Production is the realization; words become reality (or at least a fake reality). People are working as fast as they can in an organized chaos to put the cherry on top of every frame of the film. As soon as everyone wonders if the film actually has an end, it's a wrap.

Post production is reorganizing all that was captured on set to create a comprehensive story (if possible). A few of the things that need to be done are picture editing, color correction, sound editing, and sound mixing. If other elements are needed to tell a comprehensive story, this happens through a second shoot, computer generated images (CGI), automated dialogue replacement (ADR), and/or foley (an art of creating sound effects). Once all this is finally done the project can move out.

Distribution is getting an audience to watch the show. There are other places than a theater to watch a film. These include film festivals, television, and home media (DVD, Blu-ray, etc.). All of this could even happen in a different country without you ever hearing about it.

These stages can be applied to any type of film, but some films will never get past the development stage. Any film that gets to distribution has gone through all the other stages. So many people collaborate to create one piece of art, it amazes me.

Update: I'm in LA

2010-02-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

I am now in LA. I am trying to establish life here in the States again. I am not working yet. The biggest thing I have on my plate right now is shopping for a cell phone and plan. Cell phones are expensive! Things are going well and at the moment, I am blessed with awesome friends who are letting me crash in their living room. It is nice to be back in the sunshine.

Amber, Live Long and Prosper

2010-02-08T23:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I left Vancouver, crossed the boarder, drove for four more hours and arrived in Portland at my aunty’s house. Now I have left dearly loved people behind; I have left an amazing city; I have left a great stage of life. It’s all very emotional... if I were normal. I saw all of this coming, but there was one thing that was unexpected and actually drew some emotion out of me.

At the border, it was quick, but painful. They took my Amber away from me! They took my potted plant from me. I should have known. I should have seen it coming. I didn’t. I regret my ignorance. Amber, you will be missed.

"Are you who you want to be?"

2010-02-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

Almost. I want to be accomplished. I feel I am not bold or courageous. I want to eliminate all of my fears and take on the world. Then I might be who I want to be.

"This Is Your Life"

2010-02-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

We have all been given a gift. I want to be somebody (Kings of Leon) that uses my life. I want to experience life for all is. But honestly, I don’t want to just travel and have experiences for myself. I am wanting experiences that change the way other people see themselves and the rest of life. No one needs to know what I have done, but I want people to see and hear life differently after they have come in contact with me.

"Exodus: Movement of Jah People"

2010-02-04T02:49:00.000-08:00

I am about to move from Vancouver to Los Angeles. I’m not sure what life has for me there; other than the hope of having an income. I am excited.

There are things I am not excited about. I’m not excited to have a long distance relationship my beautiful girlfriend. Nor am I excited to leave behind all the other amazing friendships that I have established in the last year and a half that I have been here.

I am excited because this move is the start of the rest of my life. I am leaving behind the uncertainty of trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. I am going to start establishing my career. I am going to start putting all of my dreams into action (or at least work toward that).

Again, I am uncertain of what is going to happen next, but I feel this is a pivotal point in my life. I am going to be working toward establishing my life. This may not seem significant to anyone else, but there has been the last twenty-three years of my life and (starting the 13th) there is the rest of my life. It is possible that the rest of my life doesn’t even start, but we’ll deal with death when he comes knocking on my door.

COUNTDOWN: Two Weeks - Holding On

2010-01-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

There is now a date. February 8th is going to be the day that I leave Vancouver. That is not long from now and I am feeling the time crunch.

Like every other decision in my life, I am uncertain. Setting a date was hard enough. I want to stay. I want to leave. I don't want to leave my friends without spending time with them first. I want to leave so that I can spend time with my friends in LA. I am sad to leave my girl behind. I am excited to start the next stage of my life.

The uncertainty is familiar and therefore I am okay with it. I know this anxiety and stress will pass and it does not control me. But I am trying to hold on as tight as I can to what I have become attached to here. The friends I have gained, the relationships I have established, the feeling of knowing the city, the amazing chiropractor I have found; I would prefer to keep them all and continue building upon what has been built.

The reality is I will be moving. Today, I placed the majority of my things in storage so that I don't have to lug everything around for the next two weeks I don't have a place of my own. My room is empty and tomorrow night will be the last night I spend here.

This is all I have with me at the moment. Clothes, guitar, computer, and that's it.

Where We Met

2010-01-16T15:23:00.000-08:00

I was supposed to work all week on that film that I mentioned before, but my body wasn't ready for it. I got sick the second day and went home to sleep for a few days. I'm up and running again and will be going back to work on Monday.

The last couple of days, I have been spending time with my girl Courtney. I need to spend as much time with her as possible before I leave. I went for a walk a few minutes ago. I visited the place where our relationship started.

She says this is where I first made a move that made her actually give me a real chance.

When I leave Vancouver, Courtney and I plan to continue our relationship long distance with Skype and any other venue we can find. We both understand this is going to be very challenging, but I am hoping we both grow and learn during this next season of life.

Couch Surfing

2010-01-10T22:02:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I'll be moving a little later than first anticipated. I am still shooting to move out of my current place at the end of the month and am considering couch surfing until I leave the country.

My couch surfing will not end there. I will probably be surfing all the way down to Los Angeles and possibly even continue once I get there. Hopefully I don't have to inconvenience my friends too long, though.

Note: I will be starting work on the feature film I mentioned Monday, so I might not post for a bit. Check back, though. There is much to tell about everything I'll be doing.

Making Film Contacts; Alien Reluctant to Leave

2010-01-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

I have been working as a grip for free in hopes of getting some experience, contacts, and money. Earlier this week I had the opportunity to work with a couple of established key grips here in Vancouver. If I work long enough with these guys, I'm bound to get paid work... except for one issue: I'm an alien in Canada!

But working for these guys is not in vain. I can gain more experience and learn directly from them. Also, the Film Industry is small here on the West Coast. Making contacts up here means I can get more numbers down in Los Angeles.

Before I move down to Los Angeles, I got an offer from one of these Key Grips to work on an action feature from January 11th - 31st. The plan was to leave before the end of January, but I have found a way to make it work. Relocation might be postponed to the month of February.

Keep checking back, I'll have more updates for you people.

Reasons for Relocation

2010-01-07T16:40:00.000-08:00

"I know lots of people are asking questions now that I'm back,
and I think it's only fair that I answer... those people." - Superman (2006)

R. Robertson: "So what does this mean? Where are you headed and are you planning on going back to Canadia when you can again?"

S. Lock: "There are a handful of laws and regulations that make it difficult for me to continue living here for the time being. Realistically, the blame is to be put on Walter the Gross Bucket. I have not formulated a plan of coming back to Canada yet, but rather have found more reasons to do so since my last post. One that was known before was that my girlfriend, Courtney, is a Canadian citizen which is the strongest obligation I have here. But that is more of a reason to find a steady income which is impossible for me here. In the last couple days, I have gained some great contacts within the Film Industry that could have provided me with that desired income if only I had a working permit."

L. Marks: "Dude... [...] What's the deal???"

S. Lock: "At the time, I understand that my time in Canada is limited for this stretch. The plan is come back to the States and find an income. During that time, I am considering applying for a work permit in Canada, but I'm not sure that will be sufficient to work in Film. I may have to have permanent residency and I do not know what that will take yet. Honestly, I don't know how the [Film] Industry compares between LA and Vancouver. Maybe LA will be more fruitful and I will be happier with more Sun and less rain."

S. Hall: "Are you being deported?"

S. Lock: "Being deported sounds way cooler than, 'I have a lack of cash flow and cannot get paid work in this foreign country.' So... Yes, I am being deported! CRAZY, right?!"

A. Lock: Why? and Where?

S. Lock: "For a few reasons:

My car licensing and insurance expires on the 30th...
I need to get rid of my car...
I can't get rid of my car here in Canada, but needs to be in the States.
I need to get some income.

I really need income. I'm thinking of going back to Los Angeles... hopefully in Film. My next stop after a leg there might be Nor Cal, but that seems a very long ways away.

J. Ryan: Stu, since you're getting kicked out of Canada, will you be relocating back to Cali? If so, you should stop in for a visit. The basement is finished now, so you can stay. We even heated the bathroom floor down there! And we can go eat Spam burgers!!!

S. Lock: "Holy woah! I might have to try to make that at some point. That would be awesome! I might take you up on that."

Continue to check here for more developments.

PUBLIC NOTICE: Stuart's Time In Canada Will Be Cut Shorter Than Previously Anticipated Which Was Already Creating Some Turmoil

2010-01-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Stuart Lock and Courtney MacDonald exploring the Great White North with toboggans.

Due to Canadian Law Regulations, Stuart will leave Canada by the end of January. More to come later.

Men of Leisure

2009-10-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

As soon as I finished school, I was invited to join a club: Men of Leisure. I jumped right at the idea not knowing what the requirements were. Lo and behold ... there actually was not much to do. Who would have thunk?!

Men of Leisure, Luke and Carsen, sailing in the beautiful waters of Vancouver.

There were three of us at the point that I joined. Now Luke, one of the founders, has been slowly easing himself out of the club and I have no idea why! There are so many benefits to this lifestyle of being a Man of Leisure.

TED taught me that creativity thrives when there is the freedom and flexibility where one spends their time. The 48 Days Newsletter that my father sent to all of his children told me this: Thomas Edison would go down to the water’s edge each morning, throw out his line – with no bait – and then watch the bobber for an hour until his thinking was ready for the day.

While I am without a job up here in the distant land of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, it is one of my goals to live a creative life. Part of that goal is to dream goals for the rest of my life. Thanks to Men of Leisure, I have the room to do so.

Simple

2009-10-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

There are many thing that complicate our lives today: busy streets, technology, tight schedules, multitasking, etc. Relationships is one of the largest contributors to complicating our lives. The more people involved, the more hectic things get.

If one were to become a nomad, things would become much simpler. I would think that a nomad has a very simple outlook on life. Their mindset would tend to be focused only on the present task at hand. There is no need to multitask because there is no real rush to get to the next destination. The time will come to move on. The relationships made will only last a short period of time.

But as a nomad, I'm quite sure I would become lonely and want to come back to the complications of deep relationships. I would rather not die alone in the wilderness as did Christopher McCandless did in Into the Wild. I would love a simple life, but would rather take on the complications of relationships.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how simple or complicated is your life?

-----
ps: i just looked up nomad on wikipedia and realized that it doesn't have to be a lonesome journey, but you guys know what i mean.

Guidelines to My Life

2009-10-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

I have recently realized my life could use some rules to keep order and direction. I started developing a list to remind myself how I might possibly achieve a healthy lifestyle here.

Because "Rules" seem a bit too strict for me, I have renamed them "Guidelines" until I come up with the correct term for this list. These guidelines of mine have been developing so here is the revised list (I have elaborated on a few in recent posts):

The last one may only be temporary for the stage of life that I am at right now.

Life Rule: ToDos and Notes

2009-10-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

I am learning how to live a healthy life. Sometimes I forget, so I have been working on some rules to remind myself how I could accomplish healthy living. This is an elaboration of a rule from the list.

This is actually a consolidation of 4 of the rules I stated in the original list: Do one thing at a time; Just do, no thinking; Have a pen and paper; and Make a list, cross them off.

The new and improved rule: Have ToDos and Make Notes

That means I need to have access to the means to create to do lists and take notes at all times. Here is the process that I have found works well for me:

Idea pops into my head.
DON'T forget it before...
Write it down. - If a note, save for later reference.
Do it! - Doing one thing at a time helps focus and helps keep my stress level low. (Note: Usually I have a step 3.5 that consists of thinking about how I might execute the ToDo. That lasts anywhere from five minutes to eight days ... sometimes longer. The best is to just skip this step completely.)
Cross it off after finished. - This is the grand reward!! That is, other than the benefits that come from doing anything actually productive.
ToDo turns into TaDa! - Do a dance if no one is around or take a short break from doing anything productive, but not too long ... that turns into step 7 that is the same as step 3.5 but twice as bad.
Check ToDo list. - Do this before the momentum of productivity is lost ... QUICKLY!

To execute this well I've found I need to carry a pen in my pocket and a piece of paper in my back pocket. I'm pretty sure I did this back in high school and am getting into the habit again.

But this doesn't work well when I am in the shower where most of my thoughts and ideas come into my mind. I usually have about 5 ideas that I am trying my hardest to remember when I jump out. When that happens, I don't bother with drying off. I just run to get a pen and paper as quickly as possible without getting everything too wet.

TaDa: "Stuart, go be productive; you won't regret it."

Defining Goals: Saved by the Bell/Boy Meets World

2009-09-29T13:18:00.001-07:00

Just coming out of film school, I am trying to figure out what I want to do careerwise. This seems to be a little challenging, but I am glad that I have had ideas floating around in my head for some time. I am just trying to give those thoughts some concrete definition and time frames.

In my freshman year of high school (10 years ago), I had a civics class. As a class we had to brainstorm ideas of how we could do something positive for our town. Ever watch "Saved by the Bell" or "Boy Meets World" or any other TGIF show with youth? Well, my contribution to the class was the idea of creating a cafe that students could go hang out after school like those shows had. The class had a popular vote for one that we would actually try to move forward on. My idea got shut down.

"Well, I was crazy about you then and now / the craziest thing of all / over ten years have gone by / and you're still mine / we're locked in time / let's rewind" - Jack Johnson

I'm still going to do it.

Listening to TED

2009-09-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

For the last six months I have been watching TEDTalks. There are so many different things that TED says, but I see one thing that is consistent throughout the people. All of them have a very strong passion that drives them.

I just wanted to say, I want that. I am searching for some focus.

I am also giving myself permission to dream big.

Life Rule: Listen To Music

2009-09-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

I am learning how to live a healthy life. Sometimes I forget, so I have been working on some rules to remind myself how I could accomplish healthy living. This is an elaboration of a rule from the list.

In order to stay sane, I need to listen to music. I had a broken iPod until someone decided to take Black Rock away from me.

A couple of months ago, Walter (my car) was broken into. A few things were stolen, all relating to sound. My friend's stereo was the worst loss. My iPod was the least damage. But with no portable music-playing device anymore, I have resorted to taking my laptop with me when I jump into my car. It is a little big and a little risky, but I feel it is worth it because music keeps my head clear.

Gotta stay sane: "Listen to music."

Life Rule: Turn Off the Lights

2009-09-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

I am learning how to live a healthy life. Sometimes I forget, so I have been working on some rules to remind myself how I could accomplish healthy living. This is an elaboration of a rule from the list.

Preface: I don't usually listen to my body.

About four years ago, I had just moved back to Maui from my first year of college. The house I grew up in was unoccupied with no power, phone, or furniture and the cars had been off the road. It was my task to get everything up and running.

When I first got there, I had nothing to do once the sun went down. I went to sleep. The sun would rise; I would rise along with it. I would get a fantastic night's sleep (even without a bed) and would be productive throughout the day. It felt great. I also took cold showers (which was refreshing) because the heater needed power, too.

Once the power was turned back on by the electric company, I started staying up later into the night and didn't feel as refreshed when I awoke the next morning, and I wasn't as productive. Though, I did continue to take cold showers through the summer.

There we have it: "Stuart, turn off the lights." That also includes all other electronics (my computer... kind of ironic seeing that it is dark outside and I am writing this).

Rules to My Life

2009-09-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was not such a good day, but my girlfriend gave me a much needed boost. It got me thinking and I realized I have some rules that I need to follow to live a healthy life. I am still thinking of more and articulating them, but here is what I got so far:

Turn off the lights
Do one thing at a time
Just do, no thinking
Listen to music
Have a pen and paper
Make a list, cross them off
Build her a house

As I continue to articulate them I'll explain more.

Swedish Berries and My Dreams

2009-09-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here eating Swedish Berries. My life seems to have no focus. That might not be true. The Swedish Berries part is true... but not the second statement. I have known what I want to do for some time. It is just taking me a long time to get there.

I want to know how to make films well. I want to know how to interact with youth (mainly high school age). I want to teach them to make films. I want to enable them to do something that provides a sense of identity, independence, and purpose while learning to collaborate with peers. I want to do this with the hope that they will live lives that make the most of what is offered to them for the duration of their stay here on Earth.

The Swedish Berries have run out.

Sitting here swallowing the last artificial berry, I feel that I am behind schedule and over budget with this production so far. Blah.

Light Distribution

2009-09-03T01:05:00.000-07:00

I was just reading up on the physics of light and how it is measured in a thousand different ways. One of the properties of light is called étendue. I haven't completely grasped it, but I think it is how much light distributes itself over a distance. I've thought about this before.

One evening I was sitting on The Pier in North Vancouver. You can see an unobstructed view of Downtown Vancouver across the water. It is a beautiful sight. As I was admiring the lights of the city, I started thinking about how I recently learned how a light source is half the intensity when twice the distance (hence why we can look at stars, but cannot look at the Sun without burning our eyes to blindness). It intrigued me that there is such a simple formula.

As I was reading tonight, I applied this thought to relationships... which is a normal thing for me. I (as a light source) have only so much time and energy (light) to give to those around me. Proximity wise, the closer I am to someone, the more (light) I can provide for them.

Exploration Limits

2009-08-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

The more I learn the more I realize that there is too much out there to learn. But that is not a downer of any sort. That is the motivation to learn and explore things that my mind cannot comprehend. So much so that I don't want to go to sleep.

Last night I had insomnia again. I got home late and finished watching another TEDTalk, this one being on motivation. That got me thinking about how I want to keep the ball rolling and not be interrupted by sleep. It really puts the brake on things and I have to find momentum again in the morning.

So, I watched another TEDTalk... obviously. It was about our relationship with technology. One of the points made was about exploring. There is so much I want to learn, to do, to understand, to experience. I want to explore everything that is difficult for me to grasp, the abstract.

Last point: I am motivated and excited to learn what I can, but there are limitations to what I am capable of understanding. My sister pointed out to me that if there were no limitations, I would be a god. I am human. My shortcomings allow me the adventure of learning and exploring. If I were a limitless god, I wouldn't get to enjoy the experience because I would already know... (Sucks for you, God).

Side note: Though a time machine would be nice.

Contentment vs. Growth

2009-07-24T11:04:00.001-07:00

I wish for the feeling of contentment. Being content is something that I've experienced a few times in my life. Those moments are extremely short-lived but carry me over for a long time. I am trying to figure out how to live a life being content in every situation. There is an issue. I naturally try to grow and change. I try to live for the future and make good decisions to work toward being who I would like to be. Do you see the dilemma I am in?

My brain, "Alright Stuart, here's the game plan: Just forget about Time and live in The Moment. Oh, Conscience will probably come by; allow him to have a say. It makes him feel appreciated. He'll probably mention Future and Responsibility, but don't let them distract you from The Moment. Also, Worry and Insecurity might drop in at some point. Yay for living in the moment...?"

Fictional Heroes

2009-07-22T00:41:00.000-07:00

I like the idea of having heroes. Two of mine are fictional characters in films. They are not "super" nor are they "epic." I do look up to them though.

(Side note: I also just realized that both of these films have Dustin Hoffman in them.)

Rain Man - Raymond Babbitt is autistic and has panic attacks when things do not fit into his narrow tunnel life. Though he is the only good memory of his younger brother Charlie as a kid. But the real reason Rain Man is my hero, his notebooks he keeps in his backpack. Each notebook is a log of different things such as "major injuries."

Harold Crick - Harold Crick lives a life with something very close to obsessive-compulsive disorder. He too does not like interruptions in his repetitious life of counting. He counts and thinks rationally until there are too many interruptions for him to ignore it any longer. Harold is my hero for the fact that he has to learn to live life with such interruptions.

Who I Wish to Be

2009-07-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

These are some of the things I hope to be along with things I know I am... It seems that they all contradict each other. I guess this is the challenge of going through life.

Have an organized schedule; be spontaneous; flexible; responsible; organized; artistic; creative; perfectionist; carefree; thoughtful; efficient; patient; can't think of anything else that goes in this list; to be continued.

The Drive-In and Technology

2009-05-31T06:24:00.000-07:00

Movies at the drive-in:

Running:

Distance: 2.5 mi.
Time: 22 mins. 42.6 secs.

Technology used to help communication with family and friends:

Internet (Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs)
Instant Messaging (Gtalk, AIM)
Phone (Cell phones, Skype)
Video Chatting (Skype, Gtalk, AIM)

Breakfast just eaten:

2 eggs w/ garlic salt, pepper, and furikake
A bagel w/ strawberry cream cheese.

Choices After This...

2009-05-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

I only have three months left. Graduation is August 21st and it is going to come fast. People keep asking if I will be going back to Hawaii. That will definitely not be the case. I have thought of many choices but that is not one of them. Maybe only for a visit, but not much more. There are still things I need to experience away from Hawaii. Don't worry Hawaii, I do miss you and be back at some point.

So out of the many ideas, I have been able to narrow them down:

Become Nomadic: Travel across the States and become engulfed in other peoples ways of life. Similar to the film/book "Into the Wild" (haven't read the book). Though minus the dying alone part.
Open a Restaurant: Look into what it will take to open a successful restaurant and execute with my brother and his wife. A place for people to gather, reason: food.
Continue Film: Go with the momentum gained and hope it takes me to see the world. Could station myself in Vancouver, New York City, or Los Angeles.

At the moment, I have a lean, but first I want to know:

What do you think?

Wish List: 2009

2009-05-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

Elfster has got my whole wish list at the moment... But here are the highlights for the time being:

Tegan and Sara CDs - I've been needing some new music to listen to. I haven't had an income for a while now and love Tegan and Sara's music. Just no chance to purchase their albums.
Nikon D40 - Been wanting an SLR for some time. Really get into the hobby of taking photos. The hope is to get better at photography.
The September Sessions CD/DVD Combo - Just a relaxing tool. The music. The waves. The experience.
32GB iPod Touch - Just the tool for me. My current iPod is not mobil anymore. This is just the tool for me. Access to internet when needed. Music player. I'm always on the go and have been for some time. A simple computer such as this would be amazing!

Feel free to purchase any of these for me at any time. This is not limited to my birthday. I've actually wanted most things on my wish list for a long time now, it's just no one knew.

Communicate

2009-02-28T22:27:00.000-08:00

When I lie, you'll know it.

com·mu·ni·cate [kuh myoo ni keyt] v.

1 to convey information about; make known; impart

2 to express oneself in such a way that one is readily and clearly understood.

I have always tried to communicate as clearly as possible by saying things matter-of-factly. Though I still feel the need of a translator occasionally.

But in the art of film, I am learning the best way to communicate is by never saying anything directly. One of my instructors keeps telling us to be expositional with our films by allowing the audience to figure out what we are exposing. Every character should never say what they are actually thinking or what they want. This creates more layers and complexity to the film. According to this instructor, this is what makes a great film.

All of this makes so much sense to me... but I suck at this.

Dilemma.

Diction

2009-02-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

So here I am, trying to find the best words to articulate and describe my life.

dic·tion [DIK shuh n] n. - the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Thank God for digital dictionaries. I remember asking my parents how to spell a word or what a word meant and their response would be, "Go look it up in the dictionary." How was I supposed to find a word I didn't know how to spell in a book that was cataloged in alphabetical order?! Trying to spell something phonetically usually didn't work for me (I just looked up the correct spelling of "phanetically"). But now with digital dictionaries, even if I am completely off, I am able to find the word I'm looking for within one (sometimes two) tries. In this blog alone, I have used my computer's dictionary at least 4 times (possibly one of my favorite tools in life).

Hunting Creativity

2009-02-16T01:18:00.000-08:00

Creativity is not a strong point of mine. I do not create, I manipulate. at least that is what I have been saying for the last 6 years. Ever since I started video/film production, I have not been the one to think of the grand ideas. I was best at editing the projects that came up. Since then, I also realized that I am capable of taking someone's idea and build on it.

At this stage, that is not enough for me. I want more. I want to be able to create idea's of my own, to think on my own terms. No, that is wrong. I want to be a vessel that grand ideas and beautiful art flow from. I have had glimpses of plans that are larger than me. I just need to find a way to focus and channel those ideas into tangible form.

I don't have a video of my own this time, but if you have 20 minutes, watch this:

Creative Genius.

Pity Laugh

2009-02-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

When I was younger, people said that I spoke with a monotone on the phone. About a year and a half ago, my friends made the comment that I don't really show much emotion. When people told jokes, I wouldn't laugh. Usually because I didn't find it funny. But even if I did, you usually got nothing from me. Maybe an occasional smile. Not because I am a jerk or anything...

So recently, I've taught myself how to laugh out loud. People, I've done this for you. I give you pity laughs so that you do not feel like crap. Your hilarity has been acknowledged. I hope this has boosted your self esteem!

Find a time that I "truly" laugh and you should feel honored.

Superficiality

2009-02-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

In high school, I made the conclusion that superficial relationships were something I didn't like. I wanted deeper and more intimate friends than high school had to offer. What I failed to realize was in order achieve the desired level of intimacy I needed to establish "superficial" friendships and endure the low quality. My trouble today is being able to allow that low level (or beginning stage) of friendship to simmer long enough for the other person to become comfortable enough to take a step further.

Along those same lines:

The jokes come out at some point...

Want to know me? Me too!!

2009-02-04T01:43:00.001-08:00

I change.... a lot. I enjoy relationships... a lot. I am not very good at being social... I don't actually understand who I am... I am trying to articulate who I am so that I can be more "me"... Here is the start of documenting it publicly as a motive to find the words. Or else they may just stay thoughts and concepts.

I also hope to be adding videos as I continue on my journey.

Life Realization: Passiveness

2008-12-04T00:47:00.000-08:00

I'm sure some of you knew this about me, but now I know too!! Yay!

I am really passive most of the time. I honestly don't know what to do with this and am not sure if it is good or bad. I go with the flow. I allow others to carry conversation. I rarely state my opinion about something. Oh! I state things in vague and ambiguous manner. I am very diplomatic if I do say anything at all. This is a life issue of mine. It seems I am not gonna run away from this fact anytime soon. Now, what do I do with this??

In the film industry, you need to stand out and take initiative to get anywhere. (Bad news for me.) But even right now, just working with other people on projects, it makes life kinda difficult because we all have to give our input at some point. I tend to wait too long. AHH! Too much patience? Naw, just passive and not wanting to seem like a boasting brat who thinks I know the "correct" way to do things. Hmm... this makes me wonder what my limits are.

Now, in larger life pictures (such as mountains, plains, and a large elephant), this characteristic of mine contradicts what I long for: community, friends, and close relationships. Okay, maybe "contradicts" is the wrong word; more like "creates an obstacle between me and..." Makes me want to punch someone in the face... but only in self defense... in a dream... that I had last night...

Any who... I got my first white jacket/hoodie thing ever.

Oh, and the start of me trying to decorate my wall with pictures and other random.

It feels weird to wear brightness! But I kinda like it. I just gotta try to not get it dirty and gross.

Film School 1.8: Doc Shoot

2008-10-23T23:06:00.002-07:00

The Venue

The Owner

From the second day of school, they had us start thinking of something to make a documentary about. Two months later, we will be finishing the shoot tomorrow. My crew has been amazing at working together and getting things done.

The Crew

Last night was our big shoot night where we had to capture the atmosphere of a coffee shop/open mic venue along with a couple live performances. My whole crew was relieved to have gotten over the hump of our shooting. I was on my way home at 1:30 a.m. when I decided to relax a bit by driving around and exploring Vancouver.

My street after my late night drive.

I love driving through city streets late at night when they are completely deserted. There is solitude and peace that I find when I can move swiftly in my car. In comparison, I find it very difficult to find such things in my own room at home. I need to be out, moving, and sometimes even with other people.

Film School 1.5: Cinnamon Rolls and Doc Pre-Production

2008-10-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

"the best cinnamon rolls EVER" - Sarah Le Donne -

I ate the claimed "world's best cinnamon rolls" today. They were the best I've had to date.

Sound: Christine. Director of Photography: Elisa. Director: Margaret

Bored and Pissed Editor-on-Location: Ross.

It seems our class has started to be more comfortable with each other. There are a few possible reasons for this. One being the alcohol last night.

The party started with a guy clearing out half of the apartment after spending 10 minutes in the washroom

Maybe not, but possibly. Another is that we are deeper in production together now, fighting against time to get things done. We have a small handful of things going on for us at the moment: editing mini docs, weekend exercises (along with the planning of), pre-production of our ten-minute documentaries, and daily classes. I mean, you only can spend so much time with people before they actually notice you. So much for being invisible. Foiled again!

Film School 1.4

2008-09-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Classmates, Emiliano, Dimitri, and Geoff in Sound Class playing with the equipment.

Vancouver Film School Rundown: There are 6 terms in this program. Each term has 8 weeks.

I am now at the beginning of week 5. The thing is, I have learned so much in these last 4 weeks that I'm not sure how to break it down. If you didn't know, I am also very busy. There are 14 other programs here at the school and don't know a whole lot about each one, but I am pretty darn sure that the Film Production program is the busiest out of all of them. Just thought I'd give a little explanation of why I have not posted much in the last month.

Friend Aubrey and me working hard in Sound.

But let me focus: The breakdown of Week 4.

As I looked at the schedule of Week 4 at the end of Week 3, it seemed I would have a short Monday with only a 2-hour class in the afternoon. Now, I was skeptical but hopeful that might be true when the day would roll around. Good thing I was skeptical or my expectations would have been shattered into tiny little pieces that would glisten on the ground. Anyways, it turns out the day was filled with preparation of a project my partner and I were working up since the second day of class.

Me distracting my partner Margaret as we develop our project idea.

After three weeks of development, we had to pitch our idea for a 10-minute documentary with the chance to be 1 of the 6 to be made out of the 14 pitched. Tuesday popped out of nowhere and it was time for our class to pitch all of our ideas. 4 hours for our whole class to relieve ourselves of the nerve-racking presentations. We then had 3 hours after that to kill as our instructors were in debate about which were going to be made by our class. During those 3 hours, some of my classmates decided to take this time to relax by pints. I turned up at the bar with an hour left before we heard back from our instructors. After a beer and a shot, it was time to head back. I realized when I sat down, this was the first time I ever was intoxicated in class. It was a buzz and I was able to pay attention. I'm sure some of my other classmates were a bit more disoriented from the 5 or 6 drinks they had. As it turns out, our idea of a documentary about open mic nights was among the chosen. That means I am the producer of this production. Shooting dates are October 18th-26th. Pre-production is a lot of paperwork.

Film School Started

2008-09-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

One year of intensive learning of film production started.

Road to Canada: to Canada

2008-08-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

This was my first sight of Canada

Here I am, at my final destination for a while: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I'm content with how long my trip was. Here are the final stats for the whole trip:

Distance Traveled: 2,235.9
Average MPG: 36.211
Elapsed Time: 20 days
Total Spent on Gas: $241.74

The Notables:
- I WENT ON A ROAD TRIP... SUCKAS!

Coming over the boarder was a short ordeal. I had to stop to see an immigration officer to get a study permit (not referred to as a visa in Canada) and register/import my car. The first was the one that took a while. I had to present a few documents to them: my acceptance letter into the school, my address, and the proof of funds to support me through the next year.

My pops gave me a letter that said that he would be providing for me. I told him when he gave it to me that I thought it wasn't going to be enough for them, but he brushed it off.

Now at the border, the letter proved not enough proof. Seeing that I needed proof to cross, I was subject to being turned away by the Canadians. So I had to go to "dang" mode and give Father a call so he could fax them the proof with statements and such. Three hours later, I was all good and able to cross into Canada.

Well, here I go... Adventures in Canada!

For Your FYI: A Mouse

2008-08-28T23:23:00.000-07:00

Ironic situation we've got on our hands...

Just thought I'd let you all know that there is a mouse in my house. I would have taken a picture of the guy, but he crawled into the hole in the wall next to my bed. I'll get a picture of him sometime whether it be free or in a trap of sorts. "I'll get you! You... you cute little bugger...!"

Just thought I'd also let you know: I've never found the nickname "Stuart Little" to be one I like to be called. People usually call me this when they first meet me. Guess it makes me think anyone who calls me this doesn't know me much. I like nicknames, just not ones that are lame. People, find a better nickname for me.

Road to Canada: Spokane

2008-08-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

The drive from Portland to Spokane was boring.

Distance Traveled: 370.1 miles
Average MPG: 41.4
Estimated Road Time (with stops): 6 hours 48 min.

That's just how our faces usually are...

Though the drive was boring, Spokane was a blast with my friend Lauren. It turns out I am some type of freak because I am too small for guy’s harnesses for climbing.

The Notables:
- Bought a foosball
- Ate calzones
- Played foosball
- Had Rubik's Cube battles
- Slacklined
- Walked George (a really big dog)
- Climbed
- Ate pita wraps
- Ate an amazing chicken potpie
- Climbed again
- Slacklined again
- Taught new friends to play SET

I steal friends like Brysen and go slacklining with them

This was a really fun part of my trip. I actually wanted to stay longer. It may have been because I was a little scared of moving on to the biggest change in my life ever, but I'm pretty sure it was also because I liked Spokane and the people I met there.

I'm a little behind in blogging, but I traveled from Spokane to Canada Sunday the 24th. Look for that blog next.

Road to Canada: Portland

2008-08-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

Walter observing the beauty of a Portland evening

Portland sunsets are actually really pretty. I'd want to spend more time in Portland and explore at some point.

From left: Goong Goong, me, Hailee, Emilee, and Uncle Paul waiting to be seated for breakfast/lunch

My cousins are pretty fun to play with most of the time. Though they are demanding and get whiny... Poor Auntie Julee. The last few days have been a good time. I just really enjoy spending time with peoples.

Distance Traveled: not very far
Elapsed Time: 3 days
Brainteasers Solved: 11
Brainteasers Unsolved: 21 (not enough time... blast!)

The Notables:
- went to the pool with my cousins to cool off from the 102˚ heat
- watched my uncle's neighbors race an old '83 Datsun truck at the drag track
- visited OMSI (all should go there for fun and brainteasers)
- had a carne asada at King Burrito
- had a tiny dragonfly land on my finger (because it was trapped in the house)
- waited 2 hours to eat breakfast for lunch at Tin Shed
- pain in my legs subsiding... YAY!
- went to a barbecue for a birthday party

That was the first race track I've been to and it was entertaining. That truck was a PoS but was running pretty well against those pretty cars. They can still up the performance with a couple minor changes and they will be killing the others.

As for OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science & Industry), one of the funnest places is a ball room. There are thousands of little foam balls and bunches of mechanisms to put them in. Mechanisms include: vacuums, whatever-the-opposite-of-a-vacuums-s, portals and tubes. This all gives you the right to hit strangers with these balls on purpose and they cannot get mad at you. My favorite thing was a "fan" that had badminton rackets (instead of blades) about 10 feet up. You can either shoot a ball out of a spandex launcher directly under it or (my preference) grab as many balls as you can and toss them into the path of the rackets so that they shower everyone in the room!

Victims to be of my raining attack!! They don't know what's coming... he he he

I love being easily entertained...

Really this time.... Next stop: Spokane, WA (I head out tomorrow morn).

Road to Canada: Shoreline Highway and 101

2008-08-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

This is after I set up camp! So hectic...

Sleeping out of my car is uncomfortable but a fun experience. If I had to do it more often I would have to get some type of pad to lay on. I got a chance to start reading one of my books with the amount of downtime I had. It seems I've been missing the downtime part of life. Crazy busy.

Distance Traveled: 835.3
Average MPG: 38.7
Elapsed Time: 3 days
Estimated Road Time (with stops): 19 hrs.

The Notables:
- again, went searching for a sandwich (ended up at Safeway which is too expensive)
- drove through a mysterious fog that came out of nowhere
- drove through redwood forest
- drove through more mysterious fog
- found a a beach with sand that squeaks when kicked
- slept in my car (had to take aspirin because my legs were in pain from TRX)
- finally realized why I was missing frequencies in my stereo!

From this point on, Walter produced more awesome music.

- drove through even more mysterious fog
- hit Portland and noticed how awesome the city was because of it's bridges over the water
- the heat of the city hit me like a brick

For Your FYI: 1) I talk to myself more when I don't have company for longer periods of time 2) the 1 is very curvy right above San Fransisco 3) a lot of the coast of Nor Cal and Oregon is foggy 4) the best place for good cheap sub sandwiches is Albertson's: "Poor Boy's" Sandwiches 5) Renee hates it when you say things such as "for your FYI" so say it as much as you can around her.

I am now in Portland for a short while visiting with family. It is stunningly hot here. Next stop: Spokane, WA.

Road to Canada: Palo Alto

2008-08-13T03:35:00.000-07:00

The Water Cube: house of Michael Phelps being awesome.

This was a leg of my trip more of a rest spot here in Palo Alto. I've been able to spend some time with Adrian and Seisha before I go up to school. I'm glad that I had the chance to do so. Seish also made some great food for us (thanks!). Age made some good food too, including pizza, fries, and chicken wings (all straight from the freezer! nice!).

Distance Traveled: around town
Elapsed Time: 5 days
Estimated TV/Comp. Time: 40 - 50 hrs.

The Notables:
- played a video game called Boom Blox
- watched Summer Olympics: Swimming
- ate at Stack's once again (yum)
- bought a couple books (which I hope will jump start my reading)
- saw Seish play volleyball
- watched Summer Olympics: Volleyball (indoor and beach)
- taught Age how to change his car oil
- tried to participate in Seisha's TRX class
- finished installing my car stereo
- watched Summer Olympics: Gymnastics

Really, I only participated in the TRX class for 10 or 15 minutes of the hour. After the first ten, I was dying and was really dizzy and felt like I was about to throw up. I tried to hydrate and walk it off. The dizziness mostly dissipated and I tried to rejoin the group. Seish led us in some ab workouts but I stopped because the dizzy came back. If I were in better shape, the class would have been fun. And I can see that people that do TRX regularly are in awesome shape. Seisha also told me later that that was her advanced class and thought I would be able to keep up... Boy was she wrong (but thanks for the flattery!). I would have been able to keep up 8 months ago.

Next leg of my trip consists of a three-day journey up the coast to Portland, Oregon. There I'll visit my auntie and uncle and cousins.

Pretty Sounds in a Gross Bucket

2008-08-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

Highs ... Check

Mids ... Check

Lows ... Check

I just went from crappy speakers that hurt my ears to an awesome sound system. In this case, I would have had to pay $70 dollars an hour for someone to install these speakers for me. I prefer to install such things as speakers myself. The experience is enlightening, fun, and cheaper.

The old speakers.

The speakers I took out were the speakers that came with the car in 1988 and didn't produce many mid-range frequencies and no lows. I've taken a couple weeks to get everything installed by slowly attaching each component on different days (details here). It might be boring to some, but fun for others. Right! Sound System. This is the one. Tell all your friends. I can now say I have the best sound system I've ever had, and not just in a car! I've had help along the way from Kitty, Crow, and Age, thanks guys.

All of this in little Gross Bucket named Walter (NOT Annie)

Road to Canada: Pacific Coast Highway

2008-08-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Reminder to Self: Watch the road, not the scenes.

From Downtown Los Angeles to Palo Alto. Via Highway 1 was amazing. Parts of the drive reminded me of the road to Hana and all the way back home around the Kaupo side of Haleakala. Driving up the 5 makes you wish you never started at some points, but the coast drive never made me regret my decision once. One of the best choices ever made. I would do that drive again any day. The loneliness was not too bad especially because of my new speakers (thanks to all that helped me out!).

Distance Traveled: 481.8 mi.
Average MPG: 36.4
Elapsed Time: 22 hrs.
Driving Time: 9 hrs.

The Notables:
- visited good friend, Sun, at work small visual effects company called Hydraulx (He designed their website and helped redesign mine)
- searched for a sandwich for a while (had to resort to Subway)
- slept in the backseat of my car
- passed a car crash that might have been fatal
- connected the tweeters to my speakers
- drove through small towns

I am now in Palo Alto visiting with my brother and sister-in-law. I will be here for a few days looking for adventures around town and trying to beat Adrian in connect four.

Road to Canada: CBS by the Sea

2008-08-06T23:57:00.000-07:00

I have started my journey to film school. End destination: Ca Nada. The first stage of my travels was actually the wrong way and went South to Catalina Island. My main mission was to say "hello's" and "goodbye's" to my friends that work there (who I think of as family).

I can always count on Campus by the Seato give me adventures such as ridingin a 19 foot boat with 28 passengers aboard.

Estimated Distance Traveled: 204.4 miles
Elapsed Time: 3 days
Experiences included:
- hiking
- free diving (the perfect day)
- learning beginner's sign language
- playing the boardgame Sticky Situations
- celebrating Renee's birthday (she got birthday water and birthday flour thrown at her)
- water balloon baseball with a shovel
- soaking in sun
- playing in a tree-house pretending to be Lost Boys
- watching The Never Ending Story II and Benny and Joon
- creating more inside jokes with Greg Noble and other quality friends

other quality friends include Renee, L.Bo, Crow, and Hatch

Overall mission was accomplished and I am back in Los Angeles for the night. I will be on the road again tomorrow morning.

Blog Overhaul

2008-08-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

"Get a pic! Do a blog!"

Call me confused, but once again, I'm redefining my blog. Just think of it as frequently improving to entertain you better. Though this time, I found a consulting agent. This time will be different: "I'm talking about an overhaul of the system putting the power in ... different hands."

You can read about how Sun and I redesigned my blog here. This is a very good example of how I run my life because I reevaluate my life often. Though what happens is I like asking my friends and family for outside opinions to improve whatever I'm doing. (PEOPLE, INPUT HELPS!!).

A lighter side would be how I just really enjoy variety.

Example: I can only use an inside joke so many times over a period of time. The joke will get old too quick and then it just gets annoying because other people think it's funny and they use it way too much and you want to punch them in the face.

Example of Example: when a song is over-played on the radio... Not cool!!

Please don't...

Car Stereo Installation

2008-08-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Day 01
went to radioshack with kitty to get wiring (plus) to make it happen.

Day 02
ran a fuse housing from the positive terminal on the battery and put a 25 amp fuse in it. from the housing, i ran a wire along all the other electrical wires until where all the other electrical wires enter the car. i poked a hole just big enough to fit the 14 gauge wire into the car. i pulled up the carpet on the passenger side to run the wire the rest of the way. i placed the amp under the passenger seat so that it is hidden. it took a bit to figure out where to put the ground wire. i ended up running it along the same path as the power wire and just on to the negative terminal of the battery. easy enough. i finished hooking up the sub and the stereo to the amp and gave it a try. nothing came out of the sub. i had to think about it and troubleshoot what was wrong because i thought all the wiring was correct.

Day 03
i moved on to installing the new speakers i got which had both mid-range woofers and tweeters. split frequencies is new for me. i only got to hooking up the right mid-range speaker. but did not secure it in any way. it was just sitting in the hole that existed from the original speaker.

Day 04
a couple days later i installed the left speaker. and when i say "installed" i mean "hooked up the wires and set it in the door." once again, i didn't secure it.

Day 05
after a night of sleeping in my car, i hooked up the tweeters. i ended up placing them in the map compartment on the door as a temporary home for them. wires hanging out and all. i'm sure they liked their roommates.

Day 06
figured out why my amp wasn't sending an output to my sub: missing a remote wire to tell the amp to turn on from the receiver.

Day 07
went to home depot and got that last length of wire and hooked it up without bothering to care about how neat it was set up. wires everywhere!

Day 08
finally secured the mid-range woofers by punching pilot holes into the door frame with an extra screw and a rubber mallet (everyone should have a rubber mallet). i also cut holes out of the door with a box cutter knife just the right size for the tweeters to slide in.

Day 09
reran some of the wires under the carpet in the car so that they are nowhere to be seen. installation complete.

Total Time Elapse: 14 days

The Big Empty

2008-07-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

"Does it ever hurt? ... I mean, does it ache?"

All must watch this short film called The Big Empty. I've been looking for it for about 3 years now. I saw it at the Maui Film Festival with Tara. We thought it was a little weird but way better than the feature. I wish all would experience the greatness that this short film has to offer. Watch it and let it simmer for a while, like at least a month.

Hollywood vs. Geometry

2008-07-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

I don't like Hollywood love triangles but Hancock had the best love triangle in a long time.

Quick Decision

2008-06-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Friday morning, I made a quick decision to travel up to Palo Alto with Adrian and Seisha (my bro and new sis). It led me to the Annual Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco.

This is as close as I got to the parade. We then proceeded to find a place to eat lunch.

I would have liked to stay and watch if I weren't so hungry.

Across the Universe

2008-06-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

Across the Universe

Go watch it now!

Uncomfortable Living

2008-06-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

*I wrote this a while ago but didn't post it. Here it is now...*

The house I grew up in and lived in by myself for a while.

It seems impossible for me to live a healthy lifestyle for more than a few days. There have been times in my life that have been healthy. About 3 years ago, I moved back to Maui from going to school on Oahu. I moved into a large house --four-bedroom, two-bath, 2300-square-foot two-story house, with family room-- all by myself. There were two weeks that I had to get everything (including two cars) in running order. I was busy everyday from sunrise to sunset (because I didn't have electricity for some of the time). I also had no friends to hangout with at night. That was the most productive time of my life! Those two weeks felt so great because I was able to accomplish so many things on my own. Times like those are rare and I have trouble holding on to what ever makes me motivated like that. It may be as easy as getting rid of distractions to simplify my life (like electricity). Then I might be able to find the routine and rhythm of life that I need to live a healthy lifestyle.

Wish List

2008-06-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

I want things, but I don't have money to indulge at the moment. Though, hypothetically, if I had money (or even friends with money) here are a few things that I would want:

Speakers for my car $20 - plus: If you didn't know, my car was out of commission for almost 5 weeks and only recently did I get it back on the road. While Walter's battery was disconnected I was driving friends cars and listening to music on their stereos. When I jumped into my car and the stereo finally turned on my reaction was, "Ohh.... right........" I just forgot how many frequencies my speakers didn't produce. It was a sad memory brought to my attention once again.

DSLR Nikon camera (entry level) $500 - $800: I have always loved photography. It is an art that captures the beauty of light, time, and three-dimentional arenas onto a contained piece of paper (file) for a lifetime. Now I was playing with my Aunty Julee's camera last week felt what it was to create the art once again. I think I could be a decent photographer (probably a 6) if I had some practice and a camera. I also think that strangers are more willing to be photographed by a person with a SLR camera.

A picture I took of strangers making out on Stearn's Wharf in Santa Barbara.

Awesome Headphones - $100 - plus: I just want to have the soundtrack of my life follow me where ever I go.

A Cajon (box drum) - $300: They are simple and portable. I think cajon's are a perfect accompanyment to a guitar on a beach or a random friends house. I'd like to learn how to play so that I can have jam sessions with people up and around this interesting world.

I'm not sure which of these I would want first, but a cajon would definitly be last on the list. The others are way more important. Hmm... I guess I listed them in the order that I want them. Cool deal. I know I'll get at least the top three at some point in my life. I've already been thinking about those three for a long while.

PS - If you ever wonder, "What does Stuart want for his birthday?" or "What should I get Stuart for Christmas?" or "What should I do with all this extra money I have?" save this list.

"Remove the Cassette"

2008-06-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

I had a gig this evening to shoot a wedding. Though my camera acts up sometimes and has a fit that Canon likes to call: "Remove the Cassette." For the last six months, my camera was very good until I tried to view a the footage from my brothers wedding this week. I knew I had this gig coming up and was hoping that my camera would pull through. Here is the breakdown of major scares that happened this evening:

The groom and his men get into place... Remove the Cassette ... Eject and close; continue rolling.
The wedding party walks out during the recession, parents stand up... Remove the Cassette ... Eject and put in a new tape; continue rolling.
About to proceed with garter belt ritual... Remove the Cassette ... Eject and close; continue rolling as the groom kneels down.

The Remove the Cassette must have come up 20+ times during the whole ordeal. Thank you God, I was able to capture all that I needed to though it makes me regret the investment I put into this camera and it's accessories. If only my GL2 were not so unreliable... *sigh*

Seagulls are Jerks

2008-06-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

Yummy crab cakes, onion rings, and cole slaw.

This evening, I went to Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara to have some dinner with my parents and a family friend. Got some food at the Santa Barbara Shell Fish Co. They had some good food. Though as I was cutting the first piece off of my crab cake, a seagull swooped down and took three of my five onion rings right off my plate. I didn't even see the seagull and had no idea what happened until I saw a seagull ten feet away with onion rings in its mouth. What a jerk! The guy at the window where we ordered from saw what had happened and brought me some onion rings to replace my old ones. The four of us spent the rest of dinner looking over our shoulders and protecting our food from the stinkin' seagulls.

After some jerk stole my food.

Then while I was eating some bug fell out of my hair... Interesting meal.

Postage

2008-06-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

We are the cousins (Seisha was about to step out of the picture).

So much has happened since my last post. I'm talking about large things, not just everyday mundaneness. Let's see if I can sum it up in one quick post:

I haven't worked for the last 4 weeks because the people I work with don't have any active clients at the moment. I turned 22 and didn't really celebrate correctly though played Wii Fit for 7 hours the day after with a bunch of friends who had an ice cream cake specifically for my birthday. I took a trip out to Catalina Island for a day and a half to help install a new sound system in the dining hall. Once I got back I got to spend an amazing weekend with my cousin Alexa. I worked on my car after that. My family came into town and we got ready for my bro's wedding. The wedding was the most awesome reception ever. I spent the day after with my father's side of the family to celebrate the creation of fathers and my cousin Bethany graduating from high school. The day after that I spent with my mother's side of the family at Disneyland. My brother and his wife were there (MY BRO is MARRIED! weird). I finally finished my car and it is now running again after a month. Now, I am in Santa Barbara with my parents relaxing and trying to regather my thoughts after that crazy month.

Acid Rain, Acid Rain

2008-05-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles skyline on a clearer day than today (not that nice of a sight if you ask me).

I just went running here in downtown LA and it started to rain! Like REAL rain! Not just a drizzle like most times here in LA (which locals are freakishly afraid of). A bit of hail even came down. The smell of rain is usually kinda good, but not here. No, it smelt of nasty. Hmm... that might mean the rain was actually nasty... Ahh, I know! Acid rain. It must have been acid rain. That's kinda gross...... ...... Oh. That might mean I might want jump into the shower and rinse off... I should go do that. Bye.

Out of Commission

2008-05-18T14:53:00.001-07:00

Walter has a lot of wisdom that I plan to pull out of him. Four months is too short of a relationship.

Walter is off the road for the time being. Like I've mentioned before, Walter is dying of old age. Though I am in a stage of life that I need to pull as many miles out of him as possible. Right now was a decent time for him to breakdown believe it or not. I've had to change some major plans, but it's worked out that I actually have use of a car (or two) until Monday, May 26th! Thank you people and traveling! For this next week, I am going to attempt to fix Walter up to running condition myself! If any of you peeps know engines, I am going to replace the head gasket. For the rest of you that that meant nothing to you I'll say "it is an involved task." I'll let you know how it goes; wish me luck.

Walter issues and my cell phone breaking last weekend makes me think of how I depend on things alike. Makes me cringe.

How to simplify...

2008-05-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

Campus by the Sea provided a simple routine life for me for more than a year (and it was great!).

It seems impossible for me to live a healthy lifestyle for more than a few days. There have been times in my life that have been healthy. About 3 years ago, I moved back to Maui from going to school on Oahu. I moved into a large house --four-bedroom, two-bath, 2300-square-foot two-story house, with family room-- all by myself. There were two weeks that I had to get everything (including two cars) in running order. I was busy everyday from sunrise to sunset (because I didn't have electricity for some of the time). I also had no friends to hangout with at night. That was the most productive time of my life! Those two weeks felt so great because I was able to accomplish so many things on my own. Times like those are rare and I have trouble holding on to whatever makes me motivated like that. It may be as easy as getting rid of distractions to simplify my life (like electricity). Then I might be able to find the routine and rhythm of life that I need to live a healthy lifestyle.

What is something that you could limit or get rid of to have a healthier life?

Family of Friends

2008-05-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

She may be shorter than most remember, but expectations of Mika's awesomeness are always exceeded.

When I started my video/film career I found a group of friends that has now turned into some sort of distant family. We may not be in touch, but we are each a product of the time and energy we put into that video production class. There were some awesome and talented people in that class. If I ever have a large independent production, I will be asking all of them if they want to help out.

Continuing, I have not seen any of them for two years up until today. Mika, one of my favorite friends, was in Los Angeles and we got a chance to hangout. I basically gave her a tour of Los Angeles: The Grove, Scoops, and Venice Beach. That was my first time going to The Grove, but the best part was enjoying her company and being in conversation with her again. I remember having awesome conversations with her in the car when I would take her home after school (which was some ways away). We got a chance to do that agian, just in crazy Los Angeles traffic instead of beautiful Maui highways. I miss that.

Change Up

2008-05-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

That would be Seisha (my sister-in-law-to-be) and Pat

My friend Pat said that when he read my blog he was reading my thoughts. That was some time ago and I've thought about it enough that I am now changing the name of this blog. It really isn't just adventures that I go on. I don't know how to tell stories other than from my own perspective. I still go on adventures, but this is actually just letting you guys into my train of thought. So here they are, little snippets of my brain. Maybe at some point you'll be able to build a wire-frame (or even a 3D model!!) of what Stuart's thoughts. But don't get your hopes up; I sometimes surprise myself. Thanks for staying with me as I change things.

PS - HEY! I finished my short film! The Breakdown

Favorite #1

2008-05-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

Favorite #1: Friendships/Relationships.

The most communal activity other than eating....

All adventures are great, but with other people there to enjoy the experience with you adventures become awesome. One of the best things about friends are all the inside jokes that are made. Well, that is the simplest part at least. I enjoy the complexity of relationships. There's the "here and now" interactions that change in every different situation with friends. But flip side of the constant changes, there are so many familiar moments when interacting with friends (good and bad). Another area of relationships that I love so much is learning about the people you are relating with. There is no end to getting to know someone. You just keep hearing more details about their past or they do something out of the ordinary and you wonder where the monkey it came from. Oh, I love relationships.

Favorite #2

2008-05-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

Favorite #2: Music.

My iPod is my Black Rock, my Hideout, my Escape, my Don't Bother Me Because I Don't Want To Talk (which is rare).

I am not the best with words. There are those out there that are great with words. Some come through the writing of lyrics. But music as a whole keeps me company when I'm driving alone. Music keeps me company at night when I can't sleep. Music keeps me company when I'm bored on my computer. Music makes me happy! I especially love live music: it soothes my soul.

Favorite #3

2008-04-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Favorite #3: Driving.

Walter - my valiant steed that fears none other than the villain that destroys all, old-age.

Ever since I've learned how to drive, I've loved being behind the wheel. One reason, I get carsick somewhat easily. Here in Los Angeles, driving isn't as fun because it is through this large pile of concrete and on four-lane freeways with walls on both sides, both are not esthetically pleasing. But, usually I find long drives relaxing. That is the main reason I love to drive: it is relaxing. I get to think or not think. Though another big reason why I like driving is that the front seat of a car is one of my favorite places to be. See, when you are driving with someone, that person is forced to hang out with you for that time span of the trip. I am sure a large percentage of good conversations take place in the front seat of cars (even if the engine is not running). Any of you want to go on a long road trip with me...?

Favorite #4

2008-04-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

Favorite #4: Movies.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind seems to captivate me over and over again. GO WATCH IT! NOW!

I may not be a movie buff, but movies are a large part of my life. Where some read and experience epic stories through words on a page, I enjoy the complexity of the motions on a screen. I just don't read all that much (I think many people of this age are more involved with the visual stimulation of videos). The thing is, I have learned lessons and have tried to understand life through movies. Though some may say that movies are fictional and cannot be taken seriously, my thought is that they portray themes that are very true throughout this adventure called life. Other than that, I think they look and sound very pretty and are adventures themselves. They also enhance life experiences because of the association that we have with the characters and events in each story (in other words: they are fun to quote).

I also am in the middle of producing a short film... (haha - me... producing...)

Favorite #5

2008-04-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

There have been many events that have come and passed in the time of this blog. I have documented just some of these because I thought only I would find them "adventurous." But the whole idea of this blog was to let you guys in on what I find to be adventurous. I think I'm ready to start sharing more of my experiences with you all. To start, I thought I'd explain some of my favorites -- just favorites, starting with number 5.

Favorite #5: Sun.That was an attempt to get some sun in by the end of one day in this pile of concrete called LA.

Sun makes anything more of an adventure. Natural light and light in general allows us to see what is beauty. Colors of the world are shown to us best with natural light. When we are outside, we get to see all of that awesomeness (some call it nature). We also get to feel the heat and have our skin filled with Vitamin D (maybe you can make sense of that link and possibly tell me why it's supposed to be good for us). Being outside in the bright of day also does our minds good. I've found that when I'm just cooped up for a little too long (24 hours) without going outside, my mind starts to freak out. Once our mind is at ease, it is easier for our souls to thrive. So my soul makes me like the sun.

Life of the Bamboozled

2008-04-07T00:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got a chance to go to see Paramore live. But not just them... No, I went to a whole music festival! I got to see a bunch of bands all in the same place. The ones I liked: Reel Big Fish, RX Bandits, The Starting Line, and Paramore. Others you may know include: The All-American Rejects, Jimmy Eat World, Story of the Year, New Found Glory, Face to Face. There were many more at this event in which they called Bamboozle Left. It was a two-day event but I only attended the first day... by myself. I just could not find anyone to go with. It was somewhat spontaneous on my part. Just a week and a half before the festival, I decided I really wanted to go see Paramore live when noticing that they were going to be coming around to SoCal. Well, turns out most people need a little more notice than a week for a 10.5-hour day of rock music.

The experience was fantastic and worth the drive down to Irvine. That was the first real rock concert experience of mine. When Paramore's set came around I went into the pit about 20 feet from the stage. It was so much fun other than the stench of everyone else's sweat from the 8 hours before. If you are claustrophobic or like to have your individual freedom to move around, a pit in front of a rock concert stage is not for you. If you ever feel lonely and/or angry and/or a need to be noticed but do not actually want to put any real effort into bringing attention to yourself except by pushing and shoving other people who are like you, people who have anger and patience issues... I would actually advise you to jump right in and have the time of your life! It was odd to see tiny little girls that just loved to be right in the middle of this chaos of sweat and anger. So odd that people can fully enjoy concerts in that setting. (Side note: I think the Paramore crowd was more like this because they were a younger audience and much less mature).

Earlier today I realized that going to this festival was actually really helpful to the restoration of my soul for the moment. Odd, I didn't expect that at all.

Not So Gross Bucket

2008-03-14T00:58:00.000-07:00

just imagine your head on the ground looking up into an engine.

I finally had a chance to give Walter his first oil change. The day was nice and I didn't have to rush anything. The pleasure was rewarding, with oil on my fingers and a private driveway to work on. I feel much better about how Walter is doing. Just knowing he has clean oil running through him and even a filter to keep him clean is a worry scratched away. Now I just have to figure out why his brakes squeak sometimes...

---
PS: Sorry about the hard to visualize picture. I need to remember to take pictures for you guys reading.

Lesson # 432: Snowboarding

2008-03-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was awesome! I took my first real road trip, destination: Modesto. Lauren M. visited her parents and I tagged along for the ride. We spent the first day helping Nana hang pictures in her new place. I got to meet Lauren's old friends and ate some good food (My Garden Cafe and Taqueria Los Compadre). Lauren's family has a cabin up near Bear Valley where I got to snowboard for the first time. At the cabin I had a couple hours to play in the snow for the first time, too! I finally got my chance to create mini-snowmen like Calvin did so many times. My fort was also pretty cool. And I played Jenga with chunks of snow. And built my first real snowman. And the whole time was great. The only thing missing was Walter--sad that he didn't get to come. Although, it was a good idea this time because he needs some work done to him before he goes on any long, extended, drawn-out road trips.

Parked

2008-03-03T22:36:00.000-08:00

If you didn't know, I bought my first car a couple months ago. I named him Walter the Gross Bucket with the help of my family and friends. When I was shopping for cars I had a few ideas of what I wanted to be using my car for. I'm not sure if I could ever really explain it, but I am able to tell you if an event was part of those ideas. Last Thursday was one of those times.

My friend Lauren M. and I were going to get some dinner but had no idea where to go. We ended up at Costco and bought a massive bag of peanut M&M's and ate at their "food court." But they were closing and we wanted to hang a bit. So we traveled to a 7-Eleven and grabbed a slurpy and sunflower seeds. With all the snacks we gathered, we climbed into the back of Walter and sat there talking and eating away at our junk food for a couple hours. Lauren pointed out at some point that Walter was fulfilling his purpose. I think that was just the start of defining Walter's existence in my life.

Honey Chicken

2008-03-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

I've had a recipe that I got from allrecipes.com for a while. I finally got to making this after individual trips to the grocery store for each ingredient. I now have 3 or 4 more meals prepared for me. Chicken is really easy to cook, a little too easy because that's all I really make. I need to branch out.

Honey Baked Chicken

Ingredients:
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (I just used 3 pounds of chicken thighs)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder

Directions:
Place chicken pieces in a shallow baking pan, skin side up. Combine the
melted butter or margarine, honey, mustard, salt and curry powder and
pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/4
hours (75 minutes), basting every 15 minutes with pan drippings, until
the chicken is nicely browned and tender and the juices run clear.

Dodge This ...

2008-02-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

We dodged and it was a great time. I haven't played dodge ball in way too long. My brother brought down a bag of dodge balls. I never played with these types of balls before. They were more like nerf material and didn't sting the skin when getting pelted by these things. I'm so glad we had enough people to play because I would have been really sad if we didn't get to play dodge ball last weekend.

Lemonade Day!

2008-02-24T19:35:00.000-08:00

neighbor's lemon tree + quick evite = day of fun

Over at Dolce's house, 9 of us gathered to reap the fruit from a tree that hangs over her back yard. We all pitched in to prepare the lemonade. Lloyd cut the lemons with a knife. We (the rest of us) squeezed the lemons with our hands, a big strainer, and big bowl. Christie was the lemonade expert and mixed the lemon juice, sugar, and water to perfection. Those with cuts on their hands got reminded of those openings. And all got to enjoy the sweet taste of fresh lemonade!

The Science of Sleep

2008-02-22T23:34:00.000-08:00

I got a job! I started work on Monday! Then I worked Tuesday.... Then I got sick.

I got sick Tuesday evening and have been in bed for 3 days straight. My symptoms included: full body aches, fever, dizziness, massive headaches, fatigue (hence the last 3 days of sleep), sore throat, coughing, and a very low comprehensive level. Not being able to stay awake for more than an hour was pretty horrible, but to add to that, I couldn't stay asleep for more than an hour either. Because I couldn't process many things, I couldn't do anything productive. I think the most I was able to do was "check" my email but not read or respond to my incoming messages.

Though believe it or not, I did have a few moments of enjoyment, one being when I recounted the plot of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as I was half asleep. I was amazed that I remembered the movie in such detail. (I later watched the actual movie instead of just having a private screening in my own mind).

Snack in 10 at 10

2008-02-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

Just 20 minutes ago, I made those baked tortilla chips that my sister blogged about 2 days ago! I've been enjoying them for the past 10 minutes and still have more to consume. She wasn't joking when she said "insanely-easy-to-make." I mean, I'm sick out of my mind, dazed and confused, and can barely keep my head upright at the moment and I made these chips. They are delicious! You should try them.

PS: Get ready for blog after blog because I've had a crazy week after that dry spell.

Update on the chip ordeal: started and consumed under 1 hour. Thanks Laris.

The Lack Of...

2008-02-15T18:13:00.000-08:00

My life is boring right now. I really haven't been doing much and it is driving me crazy! Here is what I have been doing: looking for a camera on eBay, watching music videos on YouTube, and refreshing the "free stuff" page on Craigslist. I don't have any adventurous stories for you all just yet. But they will come, for sure. I don't think I can last long without them. Once I get a camera, I can share my endeavors with you though! Here's a small story to hold you off for a very short while:

I've been looking for free wood so that I can build some furniture for my room. Refreshing Craigslist of "free stuff" once I got up to Lauren M.'s place up in Pasadena, I noticed "free wood." Sweet! It was not far from her house. There were 2 guys taking some wood when I got to the place. One of them was a lifesaver because he had a small saw. The pieces of wood were about 6-13 feet long. Walter can only have 6 feet inside. John, what a nice boy, let me use his saw. A few of the pieces were hanging out the back door of my gross bucket and I had to drive back down to Downtown LA. In transport that evening, I lost the stick that I keep in the back of my car to keep the hatch open, sad day.

I'll produce better stories later... Good Day.

Pushing The Envelope

2008-02-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

So here I have been in the Los Angeles area for a couple years now. I came here from Hawaii get experience with film and have gotten experience with chainsaws, cleaning toilets, swimming, and fixing random stuffs. And finally, finally, I have started. I am working with my friend Dolce W. trying to make film productions. We are attempting to start out own company and we already have been working on our first gig making a music video for a friend. It's been crazy because all of this has happened in the last 2 or 3 weeks and the whole thing keeps developing!

Cats, Still Don't Like 'Um

2008-01-31T12:18:00.000-08:00

Since being back on the mainland and in hectic and high expense lifestyle again, I've been trying to figure out what an "adventure" is here. I've had so many different experiences that I could share but they also seem to be just a part of normal life here in the "real world." I apologize for not keeping you all entertained with exciting stories, but I shall try to let you in on my "real world" experiences with my "Adventure Addiction" perspective.

First, I'll start you off a little slow. I've moved into my new place in Los Angeles near USC. There lives what sounds like a dying baby at my window. It is actually a couple of cats. They make the weirdest noises and always seem high on something. At times they start to "meow" and then there is some spastic tumbling... Then silence... Then more "meowing." This is how things go when it is dark. Yesterday I heard whining over and over again (sounded like a child crying... possibly). After a couple of minutes of this continuing, I looked out my window and there were two cats a few feet from my window on the porch. There they were, sitting face to face with their noses 2 inches away from each other. One would "meow" then the other would make the exact same noise. The first would "meow" a little differently; the other would mimic the first. It was the oddest thing: Cats playing "Copy Cat."

Now, you all have a great day. :)

Colorful Cookies and Cookies

2008-01-10T23:23:00.000-08:00

A grand idea came during my last week back at camp. Decorating cookies started it. I decorated "sugar cookies" (which were actually baked sweet pancakes) with Janelle G. We made the pancakes and icing from scratch. We made a few different colors with the icing and it was great. Later in the week, I used the same idea while making shortbread cookies but colored the shortbread instead of icing. It was a long process, but the time spent was worth it because I got to hang with Aaron H. and Lauren B. the whole time. I'm not sure how the shortbread was supposed to come out, but I think it was dense possibly because of all the handling we did with the dough. They were not bad at all.

I also cooked a couple other things with Lauren before I left. We didn't use recipes while we were making these things; it was more exciting like that. The first night we tried cooking, we made chow mein, which was a first. It came out better than I thought it was going to. Another night we made garlic popcorn chicken with cream of mushroom. We battered the chicken with homemade tempura batter: we looked at the ingredients on a box of tempura batter and tried to put what we had of those and left out the ones that we didn't. It turned out good for the most part. I just didn't have the oil hot enough when I put in some of the chicken one time and all the batter came off the chicken. It was disastrous yet so much fun!

Campus by the Sea Lingo

2008-01-10T03:20:00.000-08:00

Here are some lingo that was used while I was at camp the last 14 months:

free diving - masculine for snorkeling
over-town - mainland
rock jetty - rocks sticking out into the ocean
swim area - where we allow swimmers to do their thing
the Mole - dock in Avalon
town - Avalon

Here we go again!

2008-01-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

I am now starting a new chapter in my life. It has started with moving off of Catalina. After that, I don't have many things that are concrete. Though I am expecting more adventures and new experiences. Here in my blog, people might be able to follow and know where i am. Here's the story so far:

My friend Lauren M. is housing me in Pasadena for the moment while I try to reestablish my life here on the mainland. I hope it won't take too long. I've been in this situation before, but everything is still new to me. This is the first time I am really out on my own getting my own car, finding a place, and getting a job to support both. Well, wish me luck.

Seasons Changing

2007-11-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving break is the most awesome time for Campus by the Sea! It means no more campers for the next 4 months. The last day of work before we go on vacation is great. We put on a cage at the end of the ramp on the pier. Once we have that on we disconnect the float and pull it up onto the shore to do maintainence. The float is about 60 feet long and is tied to a tree right now. Steve was explaining how at camp we don't really have leaves to fall off the trees to signify the changes of seasons but we don't have a float at the end of the pier at the moment. Here come more good times!

The Best Day

2007-11-04T15:43:00.001-08:00

Last week we didn't have any campers in for a few days so most people were off. But I worked one of those days that everyone else was off along with John, Carol-Ann, Greg, and Wendy. It was great. John and I loaded up the trash barge and took it in to town, we picked up a tank of oxyacetylene, lunch, pulled out the swim line, and took out the swim float for the winter. Carol-Ann and I were pulling the chains onto the swim float as John was releasing the anchors when I realized, "This is one of the best days that I've worked here at CBS." Carol-Ann decided to announce it over the radio to all who were working, all five of us. It was a dirty day, but so awesome.