How to Say Thank You 2

This is a shout-out to my English teacher Mrs.Herndon, for being a teacher that I'll never forget. Not only were you a fellow alum at UVA, but you taught my class with a level of professionalism. I don't remember much from AP English Literature(except for the books that we read) but, I'll never forget the final project that you assigned. It was a chance for me to show off my creativity. I took my technical skills and combined them with my artistic talent.

If you've read my previous post How to Say Thank You, you'll remember that I was influenced heavily by Computer Graphics and Basic Technical Drawing. Near the end of the school year, I started tinkering around with the idea of a 3D environment. I was bored of building models, and shapes and wanted to try something challenging. So, I decided to build the 3D scenes from Atonement(kudos to Justin Hsu and Bryson Hough).



Justin created the Tallis' fountain and garden. He did an awesome job at landscape design.

Bryson initially created the hospital, but I wanted to make it look more "modern". So I added more rooms and a wall.





 
 The Tallis mansion. I took a random blueprint of a mansion and built the floors and rooms straight up. From there, I added windows, walls, and the rooftop. Justin's last job was to add the furniture, accessories, and wallpaper. I took the honor of creating a virtual walkthrough of the place. Due to severe lagging, it took me several hours to compile the video in MovieMaker. With the finished product, we took it took class and wowed everyone. I even added a "little cherry" on top.

Here is the youtube video: Atonement in 3D

Now during the presentation, I happened to see a particular video that caught my attention in years to come. It was Sarah Kay's "If I should have a daughter". The first time I saw it, I was mesmerized by the brilliance and charisma that she displayed. Everything she said was beautiful not to mention her stunning looks. She was so wise, yet so young. I was like "wow, I've got to see her other videos". And so began my addiction to spoken word poetry. 
Fast-forward a couple months.... I had just finished volunteering for an event with a renowned UFO speaker, and wanted to invited my own. I thought, "what about Sarah Kay"? At first, I didn't know how to put it down on paper until I met my buddy Nick. He was an English major with an extensive history in marketing, and networking with other UVA groups. While I did all the paperwork, and negotiation with Sarah's agent it was Nick who reached out to the community and got their attention. He already had a performing group underway, and did a lot of marketing throughout the English department and cafe shops by the Corner.

I have to say, after 4 months, we did it!! And to save you the details, here's how it turned out.























And here's the aftermath of a well-planned event.

Me and Nick are sporting the UPC T-Shirt. To the right is Sarah Kay(Man she was tall!!) and right next to her was the president of BEATS.

That's not the end of the story. After the event, we took Sarah out for lunch at the Virginian and had a lively conversation about our lives. Best memories evah.
~And this all would have never happened if I hadn't taken AP English Literature. So, thank you again Mrs.Herndon for giving me the inspiration to plan this event. Enjoy the rest of your summer!!

How to Say Thank You

I've had so many teachers, but few of them were my mentors. And some inadvertently helped bring out my true "talent". For those who are reading this, you probably went through the same process in high school, and later in college. There are two kinds of people. People who've found their true passion and enjoy their life. People who have neglected talents, and end up finding mediocre jobs.

Sadly, some people go through life never really finding their 'element'. They focus on the path ahead, whether it be medical school, Wall Street, or at a big-shot company where they make tons of money. Money simply can't buy happiness. So why waste your time studying for pre-med when deep down you know that you want to be a history or English major.

One of my biggest regrets in high school was not expanding my academic life beyond the cycle of homework and tests. I spent 3 grueling years in orchestra before I had a enough. I wasn't cut out to be a musician, so why bother? Instead, I turned to the one thing that I spend most of my spare time on. Drawing. I started in 6th grade, and throughout middle and high school I had produced more than 200 pieces of art. Why did I take Art Computer Graphics? Perhaps, I wanted to stand out among all those students who took multiple APs and couldn't have fun. Anyways, I got in and the rest is history.

I would like to thank Ms.Head for being the teacher who rewarded hard work and excellence with a smile on her face. But it was her personality that made everyone feel special and she worked hard to bring out our talent. I loved the relaxed and quite environment, especially coming there after school. You could hear the constant 'click' 'click' as students focused their energy on creating these beautiful pieces of art that would fetch millions of dollars in the future.

During the same year, I took Basic Technical Drawings which sounds like a hard class but isn't. It's for the seniors afflicted with senioritis and freshmen who want to play computer games all day. I learned how to manage objects in AUTOCAD, fulfill technical requirements, and build several layouts. Though this class was easy on the outside, it was training us to act like engineers. And little by little, I got better at manipulating 3D objects.

Thank you Mr.Tsai, for being the chillest, smartest, most social teacher I've ever had.  I don't think I will ever have a teacher as a fun as you. Not only that, you gave us real world problems to deal with, you treated us like adults. Even now, I still keep contact with you and exchange life stories.  You are one of the mentors that saw me through, even at times when I doubted myself and struggled with my major.

What has happened to American culture???

  For all those people born in the 1990s, don't you ever feel nostalgia for a decade that seemed like yesterday? When there was no 9/11, no Iraq and Afghanistan War, and the technology was as simple as a PC. It was the last decade before American culture and society began to break down and disintegrate. Today, we live in an era where our values and morals are threatened. I believe that this can be attributed to the technological breakthroughs in both the movie and music industry.

  While the previous decades of the US were filled with a creative and vibrant energy, the twentieth century offers none. In terms of movies, the 1970s had the color and sound and Star Wars, the 1980s had family adventures like Indiana Jones and Back to the Future, the 1990s had the new computer and technology, and what did the 2000s have? All this momentum ended at this time, as many people decided that it was easier to recycle music, styles, and movies then make them. This led to the creation of "remakes"(think about all those remixes, sequels that you've been hearing about). I’m not trying to criticize a society’s admiration for previous eras, but I just want to point out that our society has been overusing these “remakes” and it has accelerated with the advent of technology.

  A long time ago, in a galaxy far away...."pop singers used to be actual singers" like Frank Sinatra and the Beatles or John Denver. These were people who put in hours of work to perfect their voice and instilled passion into what they loved to do. Nowadays, the most popular singers are those with an insane amount of publicity, looks, and help from this new deceiving technology called Auto-Tune. What Auto-Tune does is correct any signs of intonation or off-pitch sound. This has led to the arrival of child-pop stars like Justin Bieber, Rebecca Black, and Miley Cyrus. Late bloomers who haven’t found their taste in music, are force-fed this manufactured music. This had led to a generation of people who have terrible taste in music.  A few examples of Auto-Tune in the music industry are Rebeca Black's "Friday", Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance", and Britney Spear's ‘Womanizer’.

  Technology has also stripped the cornerstones of our culture of its creativity and energy. Ever since the 1990s, filmmakers have been experimenting with CGI and other special effects. They came up with jaw-dropping movies like Titanic, Terminator 2, Judgement Day. Moviemakers continued to ride this trend because it was cheap and good enough to attract attention. Have there been any good movies from 2000-2012?? Yes, and very much no. While movies like Avatar, the Lord of the Rings, and Inception have very well thought out plots, and special effects, other movies have not been so successful. It seems like today that movie-makers are willing to make only "safe films" including sequels and remakes that will make them a boatload of money. I am talking about Transformer 2, 3, Shrek 2, 3,4, the Star Wars prequel, Twilight saga, Eragon, and all those mythological films that make no sense(Immortal).

  While some may argue that the movie and music industry is all about business, I say its corporate greed. Companies that control the industry offer you a variety of options, from movies to music but they don’t care about you. They only seek to make profits from their sales at whatever the cost. Even if it means commercializing the hell out of a crappy song or making a terrific trailer to a terrible movie. This has created a conformist environment in our society. Everywhere you go, people are losing their individuality as the media, TV, and other marketing companies tell them what to wear, do, and think. We have become a society of must-haves and this is exemplified with the iPhones, iPad and other i-tech that give you a false sense of control. …I must continue this digression for another day..

   I am not saying that technology is evil or bad but when it is mishandled than it can produce detrimental results. In the music and movie industry, it isn't those artists, musicians, and filmmakers to blame, it is those who know the consequences and continue to misuse technology (Hollywood, and whoever popularized Auto-Tune). The core of my argument is that people have been abusing technology like there's no tomorrow and we are seeing the effects of it in society. So why have people not noticed this and gone to stop it?? This is because people are just becoming acquainted with technology. We are at a transition from a modern civilization to one that is technological advanced. People don't realize the trade-offs they are making and until they do, it will be too late.
Too be continued… "dun dun dun!
Work Cited
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30969073/ns/today-entertainment/t/oh-my-ears-auto-tune-ruining-music/
http://dominiquesphere.blogspot.com/2011/01/1990s-golden-era.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-Tune
http://videoeta.com/news/2767
 http://help.com/post/136093-im-tired-of-things-like-mone

http://www.larrydewitt.net/Essays/Rap.htm

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2011/01/the_top_6_most_annoying_teen_p.php

New Years Resolution

Happy post-New Year everyone!! I would have done this sooner, except I was too busy setting this blog up. Here is my resolutions for the year. I hope to improve my physical and mental strength by working out several times a week and going to bed by 12am. Also, I wish to improve on my study habits. I have gone from going all out(Asian-mode!!) to studying just enough to make it by. One of my friends suggested that I review the chapter and the chapters before whenever I prepare for a quiz or test. That way, I will retain everything I know and I won't have to study like crazy for the midterm and finals. Lastly, I wish to gain power, as in a position of power. This will take a while, but I will build up my reputation in the clubs until I get full recognition of my efforts. Also, I would like to thank my good friend Diem for introducing me to a whole new interweb spot. I can already tell that this is going to be a great year!

Introduction

To anyone who's reading this, I am a college student currently on break with nothing better to do. That is why I am determined to propose a set of questions, that will be the basis for my blog.