Day Seventy-Eight through Eighty-One: The Social Habits Of The Filipino Mother (How I Almost Kidnapped Sam)

9/4/15, 11:20 PM PDT

So for the past three days, I have essentially been nonstop editing for the next VFX weekly. I wanted to try some compositing with 3D elements, so I decided to try and animate some Star Fox vehicles into my neighborhood.

Thankfully, to save me a ton of modeling time, I managed to find a 3D model of an Arwing, a Landmaster, and a Wolfen online. Bless whoever took those from Brawl, because if I had to model this thing...

...then this weekly would probably have become a monthly. I've only been playing with 3DS Max for about two months and modeling is still ridiculously hard for me. Thankfully, animating is still basically the same as it is in After Effects, so I had no trouble doing that. The only thing that was super difficult about this project was rendering. It took EIGHT HOURS to render, and it basically overworked my laptop in the process.

But I am very happy with the outcome. Take a look.

More importantly, however, let me tell you about the socializing habits of the rare and elusive Filipino mother. Upon the retrieval of their child at another Filipino family's house, such as Samantha's house, the two mothers partake in an elaborate social ritual. In the native Philippine tongue, it is called "wag ka tatahimic" but its closest English translation is "conversation." Though conversation, in the Western sense, is nothing compared to this.

The two Filipino mothers initiate the ritual by first gesturing to the other what appears to be a goodbye wave at first glance. However, between the two women, it is actually a signal that says "I want us to talk for an indefinite period of time in order to delay the work that both of our children have to do for as long as possible." From that point, the two women quickly jump from conversation topic to conversation topic while their children wait awkwardly outside of the car for them to finish. Which is what Sam and I did.

Eventually, when their conversation hit the 45 minute mark, we tried to play a trick on them. Sam snuck into my mom's car (my mom stayed in her car the entire time she was talking to Sam's mom) and she hid in the backseat while we waited for them to finish talking.

We ended up waiting an additional forty minutes, meaning their entire "farewell" conversation lasted an hour and a half. But eventually, my mom drove off.

She didn't notice that crouching in the backseat in the fetal position was Samantha, hidden from view by the back of the passenger seat, her occasional chuckles covered up by the hum of the engine and the guttural hyena-like roars of laughter that my sister was screaming out.

My mom immediately started saying that she could talk to Samantha's mom forever, and I just put myself into autopilot, saying "yeah" to whatever she said. At one point, my mom said

"Samantha's mom talks a lot though, huh?"

She asked that question at an incredible time, right at the point where we reached a stop sign and the sound of my sister laughing stopped for a few seconds. And, with equally perfect timing, in a perfectly silent car, Samantha said

"Yeah, she does."

My mom immediately looks in the backseat, notices that Samantha was still in the car with us, and IMMEDIATELY turns back around to Samantha's house, right as Sam's mom exits the house in panic mode, searching for her daughter.

We explained the situation and even though the entire car was laughing, Sam's mom was panicking. Upon exiting, Sam gave out this weird chimpanzee "WOOO!" howl and raised her arms in the air like Donkey Kong about to throw an invisible barrel.

Her mom threatened to smack us, but it was totally worth it.

RFotD: I feel bad that our little joke made Sam's brother panic too. Her brother's cool, he didn't deserve that kind of fear.

Day Sixty-Five: Motion Graphics With Video Games

8/19/15, 11:30 PM PDT

Hey! So remember that motion graphic thing I talked about yesterday? Well I finished it today, check it out:

And yes, I know it says "August 20" in the video, but that's because I finished and uploaded this thing at like... 1 AM on August 20. Whatever.

Oh, and as a little behind-the-scenes treat for you blog readers, LOOK AT HOW MANY LAYERS WENT INTO THIS ANIMATION:

Yeah, this was NOT an easy project.

It took me a little over a week to finish this one, which is probably something I should fix since I'm making this a weekly series and all.

RFotD: Based on results from a test by Creative Cow, After Effects can handle up to 1,918 visible layers at the same time. When using AE's "shy" toggle and making some of those layers invisible, however, the number basically becomes infinite.

Day Nine: My First Step Into Getting A Job

6/24/15, 11:35 PM PDT

Hey, so I finished my video reel today! I'm pretty proud of it, which is why I will leave it right here for potential employers you guys to watch as well.

I'll be using this to apply for various video related internships and jobs in the future, but in the meantime, tell me what you think of it! And of course, if you need anyone to edit your stuff, just hit me up and we can probably negotiate a price/trade or something. I could probably give you a coupon code or something since we know each other.

I finally got a library card as well. Seeing as how I am now an eighteen year old and thus, am now ready to take on the numerous responsibilities bestowed upon me by the government in one fell swoop, I decided on a whim to get it today. And they changed the design, which is pretty cool. Take a look.

It's in a book. Almost looks like a spectrum of reading.

I also spent a few hours at Justin's house playing Melee. I got wrecked most every time, but it was still worth it because I got to practice my tech chases and I got to give him some relationship advice. Although considering the fact that I have the relationship experience of an overturned turtle, it probably won't do him much good.

Don't tell him that though.

RFotD: Libraries that existed in the Middle Ages had their books chained to the wall to prevent theft. Due to the labor-intensive processes that went into every book, even monastery libraries were very protective of their books. And yet somehow, in the modern age, a library was irresponsible enough to give me a library card. They're doomed.

Day Forty-Seven: She Knows

7/30/14, 9:44 PM PDT

Sorry about another super late entry everyone, I felt pretty sick last night and writing a blog entry is not on the list of the things I want to do while my head is throbbing. Seriously, at around 11 last night, my head felt like it was gonna explode, so I think this late entry is justified.

So a large part of today was dedicated to editing more of my short film. I'm ALMOST DONE with editing all of the effects, I'm at the very last scene now. After effects, all I'll need to do is sound, titles, and if I still have time before school starts, I'll do color correction.

Since I didn't really leave the house and a text only post would be pretty boring, have some more scandalous leaks.

Wonder what's happening here?

Nick holding the world's sharpest ball of cotton candy.

Oh, and Samantha told her mom about us today.

(via rebloggy.com)

Nah, I'm kidding, she approves, which is a massive relief. Samantha said that her mom actually got pretty excited when she heard the news. Her mom even called up her relatives to tell them the news, which is a pretty typical reaction when one finds out that their daughter is dating the high school equivalent of Fabio.

"Yeah, just google 'really hot guy' if you want to see a picture of him, dad."
(via shutterstock.com)

Samantha still wants me to actually talk to her mom about it though, which I will, as soon as I get better.

RFotD: Fabio is 55 years old. This is what he looks like today.

SGAT: Edited more of my short film.

Day Forty-Six: Exhaustion

7/29/14, 11:59 PM PDT

Went for a run today, as I have been for most of summer now. I've been keeping up with the Couch to 5K program and HOLY CRAP, for some reason, today was a HELLISH run. I mean the other workouts up until today were absolutely no problem, but today? As embarrassing as it is to say on here, I didn't even finish it.

Basically me after rep two.
(via bonzabodies.com)

So potential causes as to why today's run was murder compared to the other days? Maybe the fact that this was the first run where there was more running than there was walking (but still, it wasn't that much more running). Maybe because I missed four days because of Comic Con. Maybe because I tried a new route that had more uphills than I was used to.

Or maybe because I'm just a wimp.

Yeah, probably that last one.
(via fansshare.com)

One thing's for sure, no matter what I'm gonna finish that workout this week.

Oh, while running, I encountered freaking SEVEN police cruisers parked near a house. For a second, I was pretty concerned since all of their lights were on and still flashing and a few of them were just parked hastily in the middle of the street. It almost looked like a police standoff that you see in movies, except the seven, eight cops that are supposed to be aiming their guns at a house and screaming into megaphones weren't really... doing anything.

Seriously, the group of cops were just standing near a chain link fence, talking about stuff. Of course I didn't listen in out of fear that they'd beat me to a pulp or something, but for how chaotic the scene looked, it didn't seem like the cops were having any sense of urgency.

But hey, they're the cops and I'm just a lowly passerby. Maybe they were talking tactics on how to approach the hostage situation or what poses they'd all do when they walk away in slow motion from the exploding house.

"Okay, no one else run their fingers through their hair, that's what I'm doing."
(via cnn.com)

In other news, today pretty much entirely consisted of editing my short film (and complaining about my computer crashing every 30 minutes) and playing the piano. Same old same old. But hey, at least I'm being way more productive than last summer, huh?

RFotD: The "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series has sold over 75 million books in 40 countries. And I got bored of the series after the second book.

SGAT: Edited, exercised, pianoed, yep.

Day Forty-Three: Sleeping In

7/26/14, 10:06 PM PDT

Hit 3,000 views on my blog today! Awwwwww yeah. Thank you guys for visiting so often, it means a lot to me to know that my writing is entertaining enough to keep you guys coming back for more. Or maybe it's an addiction and you do it in fear of the effects of withdrawal.

3,019 hits of the gateway blog and counting.

So today, I was supposed to go run the Assassin's Creed obstacle course at Comic Con with Seth. But after I woke up, I was just so exhausted for some reason (probably because the entire time I was at Comic Con yesterday, I didn't eat ANYTHING), so I wasn't really in the mood to run then. Thankfully, mom wasn't gonna come home until 9:30 anyway and I had to be at Seth's house by 9, so I wouldn't have been able to go anyway. So thank you mom, for giving me a good excuse to stay in bed until 1 PM.

"No problem, son!"
(via cbc.ca)

Apart from me being knocked out until an hour after noon, nothing else really happened today. Well, I edited a lot more of my short film, but I can't really include any more scandalous scandalous leaks because the part I'm at right now is pretty spoiler-filled. Sorry, readers. But as consolation, here are pictures of the Assassin's Creed obstacle course that I would've run had I not been exhausted this morning.

Obstacle 1: Slanted wall.

Cannonball run!

Monkey bars but with swinging rings. So pretty much they're
nothing like monkey bars.

Log run.

Exiting the log run to enter...

THE LEAP OF FAITH. Which I thought would look way more
impressive, but whatever.

RFotD: I probably have Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder since I naturally sleep at 3 AM now. But that's okay. I think.

SGAT: Edited more of my short film.

Day Forty-One: I Complain About Miami's Basketball Team

7/24/14, 9:05 PM PDT

Woke up at 9:45-ish to go run with Charles. Which almost didn't happen because lazy, sleepy me didn't go to sleep until 3 AM and didn't want to get out of bed. But I sucked it up, ran to the high school with him, then ran back home while he stayed there for dance practice.

Tell you what, it was a big mistake to wear black today, because the run back was HELL. Dear GOD, it felt like I was on fire the entire time back. The weatherman on some radio station that I happened to be tuned into said that today would easily be the hottest day of the week, with a high of effing 94 degrees Fahrenheit. Considering that I consider anything above 65 degrees "hot," that puts today's high at around... really goddamn hot when converted to Michaelean degrees.

Right above "unbelievably" hot but below "Olivia Wilde In Her Prime" hot.
(via inhabitat.com)

Poor dad. We drove to him while he was doing his mail carrier route and he was BOILING in this heat. Brought him some Yogurtland and a sandwich, but we forgot to bring him a bottle of water even though he specifically told us to bring one. Yep, that'll be on our consciences for a bit. Sorry, dad.

Anyway, spent a large chunk of today editing my short film again. Today's edits: frame-by-frame masking to compensate for environmental glow caused by muzzle flashes. Fun. Here, have another scandalous, scandalous leak.

That's... that's an awful lot of blood...

Oh, and what could probably be the happiest news of today:

YES. I FEEL LIKE I JUST WON THE LOTTERY.

Ubiworkshop also says there will be prizes for who can complete the course the fastest for each of the days. So guess who's gunning for first place?

...Probably Kacy Catanzaro, who ran the course today. If you didn't know, she's the girl that absolutely wrecked the American Ninja Warrior Finals.

"GIVE ME MY FREE SHIRT, UBISOFT!"
(via instagram.com)

Oh, and if (when) I do get to run the course, I'll have a bit of a treat for you guys. But that'll have to wait until tomorrow. Or Saturday.

RFotD: Kacy Catanzaro is the first woman to ever qualify for the finals on American Ninja Warrior.

SGAT: Filmmaked. Is that a word? Well now it is.

Day Forty: Filmmakers Are Like Onions

7/23/14, 11:59 PM PDT

Pretty much spent the entire day editing my short film today. Look at all these LAYERS.

"Psssssh, that's not that many, stop exaggerating, Michael."

Oh really now? See those brown layers? Those are pre-compositions. Basically, I use them like folders to keep even MORE layers organized.

Here's the blood splat pre-comp.

"...Alright, that's a little big, but still, no big deal Michael."

And here's the damn gunshot pre-comp.

"IT'S LIKE A BLOOMIN' ONION"

Yesterday, I finished timing/positioning all of the gunshots. Today, I finished all of the rotoscopes I need. And tomorrow, I have to focus on environmental glows that'll be cast by gunshots. Making pretty solid progress on this thing, I'll say.

...Except this is just the intro sequence. I'm barely A THIRD OF THE WAY THROUGH THE MOVIE.

"Come on, step it up!" -Ivan
(via ign.com)

But seriously, I'm probably gonna have to step it up if I want to finish this before I leave for the Philippines. Two weeks, seven minutes of editing plus a two minute intro? No problem. Right?

Right.
(via topmobility.com)

Oh, and today, for the first time ever, I found out what a silverfish looks like. Saw this weird looking insect crawling on one of my cabinets, promptly murdered it, then looked up what the hell the thing was on the Internet. Literally, up until today, I thought silverfish were only mobs in Minecraft, I never thought they'd actually be real.

Yeah, not quite as cute as I thought they'd be.

Note to self: Vacuum and deep-clean room tomorrow to ensure that I never have to see these things again.

RFotD: The scientific name for silverfish is "lepisma saccharina." Their name, "saccharina" derives from the fact that they tend to eat carbohydrates, notably sugars and starches.

SGAT: Edited a BUNCH of my short film.

Day Thirty-Four: Kids Disrupt My Exercise

7/17/14, 11:59 PM PDT

Oops, fell asleep before I hit publish. My bad.

Went for a run today. Starting week three of that Couch to 5k program thing, I think I'm getting better at running. I think. Definitely an improvement from when I first started and got tired two minutes in, that's for damn sure.

While running, I encountered two kids walking on the road, both probably eight or nine years old. When they're about ten, fifteen feet away from me, they suddenly step onto the sidewalk that I'm running on, stretch their arms and legs out like they're doing jumping jacks, and block my path, Gandalf-style.

"YOU SHALL NOT EXERCISE!"
(via mqotd.com)

Swear to god, those kids have a future as NFL defensive linemen because I could NOT get past them. I tried everything short of just knocking those two over like bowling pins and they just wouldn't let me go. I ended up losing that battle since my last attempt to go around them ended with a botched spin maneuver and a collision with a parked RV trailer, followed by the boisterous laughter of two nine year old kids.

But hey, I got past them while they were busy laughing, so I guess it was worth it.

You know. If sacrificing your dignity for marginal exercise was worth it.
(via gif-emporium.tumblr.com)

In other news, editing my short film continues. A bit unhappy with how one shot turned out. It was a POV shot sort of like this except only a few seconds long, but hey, considering at the time I didn't have my GoPro and I had no idea how to even begin taking a shot like that, I'm happy.

Here's a screenshot of the film so far (ooh, scandalous, scandalous leaks).

Who is that mysterious stranger?

RFotD: Nothing in life has ever made me more frustrated than the Rotoscope tool in After Effects.

SGAT: Edited more of my short film, exercised.

Day Seventy-Seven: Filming and Sleeping

8/27/13, 7:26 PM PDT

Absolutely EXHAUSTING day of shooting today. The sun just made EVERYTHING a lot more tiring.

But we did manage to get a lot done. Acted as a stunt double for Nick and filmed a first-person shot of me taking out a few grunts, which was pretty cool. However, I planned the shot literally the day before, so it might not look as good as the stuff Freddie Wong pulls out. But whatever. Baby steps.

Oh, and got Nick to stab Kayla in head as well. Finished the bulk of our movie, with only the very end chase sequence left to film, along with a few retakes.

Also, a lot of weird laughter went on during the shoot. Told Cody I wanted an evil laugh and he just gives me this cackle akin to a crack smoking dolphin. I don't know what the hell it was, but I'm putting it in the movie for sure.

Immediately PASSED OUT when I got home, didn't wake up until 5 because of how tired I was. Now gonna read the rest of The Secret Life of Bees. Assuming I don't fall asleep while reading it anymore.





RFotD: Heat makes warm-blooded creatures more tired because their bodies have to work harder to regulate their temperature in heat. As such, cold-blooded animals, like reptiles, actually feel more energetic in hot conditions/

SGAT: Filmed a bit more of my short film.

Day Seventy-Six: The Day Michael Realizes He's Bitten More Than He Can Chew

8/26/13, 2:49 PM PDT

AAAAGH, I HAVE TO DO SO MUCH STORYBOARDING. SO STRESSED OUT.



Same day, 11:53 PM PDT

Today has been the most exhausting day of summer ever. Finished an 18-page storyboard, came up with a crude shot list, uploaded audio we need to rerecord on YouTube for future reference, cleared and charged my camera, made a faux lavalier microphone out of my iPhone and the headphones it came with, and I STILL have to catch up on my reading schedule.

BUSYBUSYBUSYBUSYBUSYBUSY. AAAAAARGH.





RFotD: MICHAEL CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH WORK WHY DOES HE KEEP OVERLOADING HIMSELF.

SGAT: WORKED ON MY FILM SO MUCH JESUS CHRIST.

Day Seventy-Five: Michael Realizes He's Neglecting Things

8/25/13, 12:25 PM PDT

Went to church, then Fashion Valley. Aww yeah, just like I wanted to in my note yesterday.

Also, I'm simultaneously working on the outline to my story due on Wednesday. Won't reveal too many details, but I'm shooting for a pretty moody piece.



Same day, 10:09 PM PDT

Went to the Carlsbad Outlets to buy a bunch of new clothes. And by a bunch, I mean six pairs of pants and four button-up shirts. Meh.

Then went home, where I watched Brave. OH MY GOD, IT'S SO GOOD. I thought it'd suck based on the trailer, but it's REALLY GOOD. Should probably stop judging Pixar movies before I watch them.

Best prepare for our shoot on Tuesday. Lots to do, lots to plan.



Same day, 11:54 PM PDT

OH GOD. I am so sorry that this blog's become so boring lately. I am just SO FRICKING BUSY with all the stuff I have to do before summer ends and it's hard to take the time to sit down and write in this blog now.

AAAAAAAAAAAGH. I promise I'll make it more interesting before summer ends, so help me GOD.





RFotD: Some animals have similar sleep cycles as humans. However, no one knows if other animals dream or not.

SGAT: Bought new clothes so I don't look like that much of a square anymore.

Day Seventy-Four: Sleep Reconditioning

8/24/13, 3:04 PM PDT

Today begins reconditioning to waking up early for school. Even though I stayed up until 2 AM last night editing my short film, I forced myself to wake up at 7.

Since my alarm fails to wake me up anymore, I decided to outsource the job of waking me up to my parents by posting a Post-It note on the door to my room, telling them to wake me up at 7. It worked.

...But then I went right back to sleep, waking up at 8:30. Still a bit of an improvement compared to waking up at 10 or later today. But god, am I exhausted.

Quickly read more of The Secret Life of Bees, which got DEPRESSING really quick. Now about to start my two English entries for the day while blasting EDM through my boombox in an attempt to keep me awake. Reconditioning demands that I do not nap at all, and I'm far from the happiest person in the world when I'm tired, so forgive me if I snap at tiny things, anyone that talks to me today. Or tomorrow. Or any day until reconditioning is over.



Same day, 5:35 PM PDT

OP. MISSION FAILED. FELL ASLEEP WHILE READING THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES.

Oh well. At least my head doesn't hurt anymore. Now to edit!



Same day, 11:54 PM PDT

Lots of editing done today. Finished my roughcut, resulting in an eight-minute movie so far, which is pretty good.

Also looking in to external iPhone microphones since my DSLR's audio is miserable and I don't want to ever reshoot because of audio again. There's one I found online that's really pretty called the "VeriCorder Minimic," but it takes three days to ship, which will be too late for my movie. Probably gonna persuade my parents to go to Fashion Valley tomorrow so I can look into mics at the Apple Store. If I can't find anything, I'll probably buy the VeriCorder because it's just SO COOL.

LOOK AT IT
(via amazon.com)

Also gotta start writing the titles stories as well as the weekly story which will be coming out on Wednesday, as promised. Wow, am I busy.





RFotD: Ribbon microphones (the big, rectangular metal ones that look like this) were invented in 1931. Variations of the ribbon microphone are still used today.

SGAT: Finished roughcut.

Day Seventy-Three: A Broken Stick

8/23/13, 3:02 PM PDT

Watched Broadchurch as I ate my breakfast at 11 AM. Nice plate of pancakes with syrup and strawberry jam while David Tennant yells at Andrew Buchan. And yes, I did have to look up that second guy's name, mind you.

But WOW, is it intense. And it's only the third episode. You guys should watch it, it's pretty good so far. Especially seeing David Tennant, who is FANTASTIC in the series.

Wow, I'm using A LOT of caps, aren't I? Probably should stick to italics.

Oh, Skype'd with Hellen and Rhea again while reading The Secret Life of Bees. Worthy of mention.



Same day, 8:55 PM PDT

Finished today's scheduled reading of The Secret Life of Bees, which took FOREVER. Now gonna start editing our short film.

Oh, and on a more serious note, there's a pretty bad gash in the Mikabranch Skype Group, which I feel really bad about. Some backstory first.

So Angela suggested about a month ago that we all match in our ID/yearbook pictures. We were all willing to do it and we chose a pretty simple shirt that we could all get our hands on. A plain white baseball shirt with blue shoulders.

(via http://sportheadband.com)

Then, Angela left for Mexico and the rest of us never got around to buying the shirts, much to her disappointment. Now that wouldn't have been that bad. We could've just told her that we didn't do it. She probably would've been fine.

But nope. I had to be stupid and lie, pretending that we actually did it. Now she found out that we didn't actually do it. And she's pretty mad.

I feel really, really bad and now I have to make up for it somehow. But I have no idea what to do.

I'll sleep on it, see what I come up with.



Same day, 11:46 PM PDT

Edited a bit more for our short film while chatting with Rhea about being treasurer and secretary in her bed club. It's hard to explain, lol.

Anyway, I have to say, the film's turning out pretty good so far. Still have a few ways to go before we start shooting again on the 27th, though. I have to come up with a shot list and a basic storyboard so everything runs smoothly since it'll be the last chance we get to film all summer.

Baby steps, Michael. Baby steps.





RFotD: Ever feel uncomfortable that you haven't finished a project you started? You're experiencing the Zeigarnik Effect, where your mind constantly tugs at you to finish something you've already began.

SGAT: Worked some more on my short film, which, based on the pace I'm going right now, is probably gonna take a few weeks to finish. Not counting time to compose a musical score and an introduction animation.

Day Sixty-Four: Pacific Rim

8/14/13, 6:02 PM PDT

NEW STORY OUT! CHECK IT: CLARENCE PORTER, URBAN SURVIVOR.

Watched Pacific Rim with Kayla, Angela, Christina, and Brandon. Little word of advice, spoiler alert for the movie coming up, so if you want to watch it later, skip the next paragraph.

OH MY GOD, IT WAS SO FRICKING GOOD. THE PART WHERE THEY EFFING BEAT UP KNIFEHEAD IN THE FIRST PART WAS FREAKING AWESOME AND THE GUY'S BRO DIED WHICH WASN'T THAT SAD BUT HOLY EFF WERE THE SPECIAL EFFECTS AWESOME. I THOUGHT IT WAS KINDA BULLCRAP THAT THEY PULLED OUT THE SWORD OUT OF NOWHERE IN THE DOUBLE EVENT WHEN THEY WERE FALLING OUT OF THE SKY, BUT JESUS, THAT SEQUENCE WAS AWESOME. THE FALL LOOKED REALLY GOOD. THE END WAS A BIT ANTICLIMACTIC SINCE THE FIGHT SCENE WAS SHORTER THAN THE DOUBLE EVENT, BUT STILL THAT ALIEN WORLD WAS MODELED SO WELL AND THE UNDERWATER NUCLEAR EXPLOSION WAS REALLY GOOD TOO. MAKO WAS SO PRETTY TOO, AND I LOVED ALL OF HER SCENES, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD BECAUSE I WAS AMAZED AT HOW WELL THAT KID COULD ACT SCARED IN A GREEN SCREEN ROOM. THE MOVIE WAS A BIT LONG AND I THOUGHT THE DOUBLE EVENT WOULD BE THE LAST ACTION SCENE BUT ALL IN ALL IT WAS AWESOME AND YOU SHOULD SEE IT.

Spoilers are done. Anyway, roamed the mall a bit with them. Hit up Old Navy and took pictures with the headless mannequins. We pretty much used them like the cardboard paint things in faires where you poke your head through the hole and make your face look like it's on someone else's body.

Anyway, Kayla and Angela were the only ones thin enough to make the head replacements look realistic, so they were the only ones that took pictures with them.

Afterwards, went to Ross, where Kayla bought this weird giraffe urn. That wouldn't be the last of her strange purchases today though. Although I didn't grab a picture of the urn, I did manage (after several photobombs by Christina and Angela) to take a picture of this:

It's an inflatable unicorn horn. Spyke sure looks happy.

Yeah, I don't know either. Kayla getting her molars violently ripped out of her skull must've affected her cognitive judgment.

Later, we went to Panera, where most of us ordered bread bowls, except for rebellious Angela, who ordered a panini. Brandon refused to eat anything, preferring instead to follow his culture's tradition of filter feeding. Talked for a good hour about a lot of things before Angela remembered to give us our gifts from Comic Con. LOOK AT THE THING BRANDON GOT.

Brandon's life motto right here.

But more importantly, look what I GOT.

Cats are cool.

THAT'S RIGHT. It's the 11th Doctor, IN EFFING CAT FORM. Awesome, isn't it?

Later, head off to Aaron Brothers, where I bought A FRAME FOR THE 11TH DOCTOR CAT.

Interestingly, I have no pictures of my family in my
room. Only this cat.

We found a credit card on the ground belonging to a Ms. Karen Tran. I ran over to Barnes and Noble and dropped it off with the security guard, then jumped into Alex's (Angela's brother) car. I hitchhiked to Target and they punished my parasitic actions by blasting "Niggas in Paris" in the car and repeatedly opening the window closest to me. Everyone was raving in the car and all I could manage to do was facepalm.



Same day, 11:29 PM PDT

Skype call with Hellen. Helped her figure out that she could use her debit card to order online. She previously thought that she couldn't buy online because everything asked for a credit card and she only had a debit card. Ridiculous, huh?

Rhea hopped on later in the evening too. She was the first person to read my latest story, which I'm pretty happy about. She asked me if I was high after reading it, which was a bit funny. But OH MY GOD, I am AMAZED at how fast she read the story. The entire thing literally took her less than a minute to read in its entirety and I know she wasn't skimming because in three seconds, she says

"What the? Where'd the baby come fr-Oh, it's the doll."

THERE WERE TWO WHOLE PARAGRAPHS BETWEEN THE BABY SEGMENT AND THE DOLL REVEAL. TWO. AND SHE COMMENTED ON BOTH IN THREE SECONDS.

Upon inquiry, she said that her eyes just scan the text really fast and her brain automatically processes what's happening in the story. Damn, I want that skill. Takes me 15 minutes to read five pages of The Secret Life of Bees.

Oh, and I finished my roughcut too, or at least, from the footage that we already shot. Hot damn, 30 minutes of film. I haven't trimmed it down yet, so of course it'll be shorter, but still, that's a lot.





RFotD: The average reading speed is 200 to 250 words per minute (WPM). Roughly calculated, Rhea read 169 words in three seconds, putting her at 3,380 wpm.

SGAT: Finished the roughcut for my film.

Day Sixty-Three: Running. Just Running.

8/13/13, 7:09 PM PDT

Finished my story a few hours ago. Oh, I really like it, heh.

Went out for a bit of a run, from my house to Seafood City and back. Not very far, I know, but a big improvement from being stagnant all day in my house. Added with the fact that I've been doing roughly 40 pushups a night for the past month, I think I'm more than ready to take on real-world parkour. Tomorrow, probably gonna scout for parkour places and just go.

Gaaaaaaaah, I haven't done parkour in so long and I've gotten so fat. This is awful.

Oh, and while running, I ran into Mrs. Takei. Also ran into Emilee (didn't spell her name wrong this time, hah!) on my run back too. Pretty cool.

Sorry if this entry's just sprawled everywhere, I'm just so tired from running.



Same day, 11:51 PM PDT

A bit of work on the roughcut, then watched Death of a Superhero online. It's a nice little movie, though I can't really rate it right now since I'm a little under halfway done. But it's nice so far.

Oh, and I finished my story! I think I already said that though. Did I? Let me check.

...Yep, I did. Ah well. I finished!





RFotD: The fastest mile time ever recorded was run by Hitcham El Guerrouj, finishing at 3:43:13 in 1999.

SGAT: Worked on the roughcut, ran a bit.

Day Sixty-One: The Benefits of Circular Gallifreyan

8/11/13, 2:48 PM PDT

Woke up at 9, went to church, no big deal. Just like every other Sunda-OH GOD, IT'S MY DAD'S BIRTHDAY AND I COMPLETELY FORGOT.

Ah well. Dad's alright with me forgetting. He'll just beat me with a giant belt to compensate. (To my readers, note that the last sentence was a joke and my dad doesn't really physically abuse me, he's actually a pretty cool guy.)

Anyway, went to Target to buy new school supplies, including a new, much needed backpack. It's a THOUSAND TIMES tinier than my old one, which is great because now I won't look like a turtle every day. Gonna scratch that off my summer bucket list now.

Speaking of which, I finally got around to updating that list. Looking back, I wrote some pretty strange stuff on there. Not dumb, per se, more like really impractical. I mean, I guess learning Circular Gallifreyan is cool, but aside from Tumblr and Doctor Who episodes, when is that really gonna be something I brag about?

I pulled the cigarette away from my lips and the smoke seeped from my mouth like a toxic gray fog. Bored, my eyes slowly wandered the maroon bar. Wooden tile floors, with the occasional dark spot signifying a stain from a spilled drink. A handful of people, some in pairs, some in groups, some talking, some staring at the wall mounted television closest to them. A bartender yawning as his hands wiped the inside of a shot glass with a white cloth.

There, in the corner of my eye, I saw her. She wore a black one piece dress which ended in a short skirt. The skirt's folds sat still against her thighs, showing off her smooth, slender crossed legs as she sat on a barstool, drinking a martini and gazing at an uninteresting point in the wall. The tips of her black hair just long enough to touch the top of her neck.

Despite her attractive physique, not a single man approached her, as far as I've seen. Perhaps because of the time. Quarter to  on a spring Wednesday night. Not exactly happy hour. Or it could be that her aura sent mixed signals. Her body created natural curiosity, but a few nuances, such as the way she held her drink and the apathetic glances she threw around the room, make her seem intimidating, unapproachable. Almost scary. 

I took one last puff of my cigarette and buried its tip on a glass ashtray. I stood up. And I walked toward her, taking the seat right next to her. I paid no attention to her as I lit another cigarette. Taking my time, I purposely flicked the thumbwheel several times to create dramatic tension. Flick. Flick. Flick. And the cigarette was lit. 

I brought it to my lips and inhaled, taking in its sweet, sweet poison. I glanced at her in the corner of my eye, noticing that she had turned to face me. She was curious.

I exhaled, pulling the cigarette away from my mouth. I turned to her. Looked straight into her piercing eyes. And I said.

"I know Circular Gallifreyan."

And she was putty in my hands.

I guess that's a plausible scenario. And wow, does it feel good to write again. Speaking of which, gonna be releasing another story this Wednesday, so look out!

Back to school supplies. Found a notebook with Yoga Animals on them.

What the...

I don't even know.



Same day, 2:50 PM PDT

OH WHAT, THERE'S MORE OF THEM?!

WHAT

OH JESUS

WHAT THE HELL

Wh...why?



Same day, 5:07 PM PDT

Played giant chess with my sister. It was her first time playing, but she picked up on the rules pretty quickly. When I put her in check mate, she kicked my king in the face and said "I WIN" really loudly.

Grandmaster chess player right here.

Oh, and we bought some strange candy called "Bubu Lubu." Haven't tried it yet, but it looks delicious.

Sounds like something I'd say while sleepwalking.

Mmmmmmm.



Same day, 9:13 PM PDT

Absolutely stuffed myself at Okami. Also got around to fixing my Fig Rig.

It's okay, baby. I got you. I got you.

Got PVC glue on finger, which sucks. Washed it off, but now it hurts.

I'll probably have to amputate. Comment below on what I should do with the finger when it's gone.





RFotD: Fig rigs, because of their simple design and usefulness, are incredibly popular tools for amateur filmmakers. However, they don't see much use in professional shoots, partly because cameras are heavier and need less stabilization. Also, they look pretty silly.

SGAT: Fixed my fig rig. Still no progress on my rough cut, which I should get to working on.

Day Fifty-Nine: Godzilla

8/9/13, 7:24 AM PDT

Aaaaaagh! Sorry I haven't been up to date on this blog for the past week, I forgot to set the posting schedule for my previous blog entries. Silly me. I'll update first thing when I get back from camp, don't you worry.



Same day, 8:25 AM PDT

Still waiting outside class. They're having an awkward dance party thing on the roof of my classes.

Nothing like seeing grown men and women awkwardly dancing out of sync to pop music.



Same day, 6:42 PM PDT

We finished our video! Check this shizznizz out!

Didn't get to write many notes today when class started because I've been editing so much, so let's see what I can remember.

OH. We saw Takeru again. HAHAHAHAHA. He asked us how we were doing and if we finished our video, then just walked away.

Also, my sister's watching Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla. I used to be a HUGE fan of Godzilla, but no matter what, I can't get over how weird that baby Godzilla is. Always weirded me out as a kid. I never liked that guy.

Just look at him. Disgusting.
(via http://changermonnom.tumblr.com)

Same day, 10:03 PM PDT

So after unsuccessfully looking for a link for Blackfish to watch online, I think I'll just watch something else.

Mama sounds like a good movie to watch. Gonna go for it.



Same day, 10:17 PM PDT

FUCK THAT. NO. NO.

NO. JUST NO. Gonna watch Cloud Atlas instead.





RFotD: A video called "Bambi Meets Godzilla" is ranked 38 in The 50 Greatest Cartoons by Jerry Beck. This is the video.

Bambi meets Godzilla - Marv Newland (1969) from O.C. on Vimeo.

SGAT: Finished my last film for film camp!

Day Fifty-Eight: Pure, Unobstructed Editing

8/8/13, 5:06 PM PDT

Woke up late, which was nice for a change. Got to class at 8:45 as opposed to effing 6:50. Class starts at 9, by the way.

Also, I think my group hates me for being so strict. But I have to be strict else we'll make a bad movie. Although with one week to write, film, and edit, it's hard not to make a bad movie.



Same day, 11:23 PM PDT

Up really late so I can download all of the clips, audio, and pictures I'll need for editing tomorrow. Also made an EPIC intro.

...Which got deleted because After Effects crashed and I forgot to save.

But that's okay, I made it again and I edited it to be EVEN BETTER. If this intro doesn't win me the spot at presenting tomorrow, then I don't know WHAT will.




RFotD: Adobe After Effects has an autosave feature. Interestingly, it's turned off by default.

SGAT: Worked on my video for DMA.

Day Fifty-Seven: Taking Candy From Strangers

8/7/13, 8:31 AM PDT

Film camp again. I'm actually thankful that I got here early today since I fell asleep while storyboarding last night. Quickly got that finished.

Also, interesting sight today, I saw a large, middle aged man slowly walking towards a brown seagull with a hobble in its leg. The seagull had the hobble, mind you, not the person. But it was weird, he just walked past me while I was storyboarding and continued slowly walking towards the seagull for a good five minutes. The seagull didn't even try to fly away, it just... walked. It was the weirdest game of tag I've ever seen.

Made me laugh hard. Should have caught it on camera.



Same day, 12:54 PM PDT

Lunchtime. So I told my group that I saw a few kids in my school wearing their snapbacks in an odd fashion. Not to the side. Not backwards.

They fold the back into the hat and wear the hat with the brim pointing straight up. It's stupid.

But apparently, here at Digital Media Academy, it's caught on because of Justin. Ever since I told him how they wear it, he's worn it all around campus, saying it's "Mira Mesa" style. Pretty funny.

So, after lunch, we walked outside the cafeteria, talking about swag when we see the swaggiest thing in DMA.

A kid. With his lunchbox on his head. He looked like an English guard.

WE LAUGHED. SO HARD. And apparently, the kid noticed because he look in our direction and IMMEDIATELY took off the lunchbox.

We felt bad afterwards.



Same day, 4:19 PM PDT

Just about finished filming for the day. A bit of green screening, which was problematic, along with a bit of zoom reveals and lavalier use, which was interesting.

But the highlight of today? So we filmed at this REALLY crowded place in UCSD. A Japanese guy named Takeru passed by and asked us what we were doing. We told him that we were making a movie and he walks away.

...Only he doesn't. He turns back around and asks if he can watch us film. To which a person in my group instinctively responds "yes." So he starts walking to us while we're punching ourselves in the face, thinking "WHAT THE HELL DID WE DO?!"

He sticks around for a bit. And by a bit, I mean AN ENTIRE HOUR.

But it wasn't that bad. He was a pretty cool guy, even though he had a pretty thick accent. He asked a few questions, then offered us candy as thanks for letting him watch.

Maybe one of these characters says "Cyanide."

He had brownie bites, Hi-Chew, sour gumdrop things, reverse Pocky (sticks with filling in the inside), and caramel cubes, all unopened and factory-wrapped. It was much needed food for five hours of shooting.

He also asked us for a picture as a group while holding the candy. He had a blue flip phone, which was interesting because I expected him to have a smartphone. But whatever. Finished filming and said bye to Takeru as a group, then divided up the remaining candy. I got the brownie bites.

After hearing about the incident, my teacher commented that it was the sketchiest thing he's ever heard of. In hindsight, a Japanese man watching children, asking to take pictures of them, and giving them candy does sound pretty sketchy.

But it was some damn good candy, I'll give him that.

Oh, and our TA made this adorable giraffe card.

IT AIN'T GOT EYES.

Same day, 10:34 PM PDT

SO TIRED. I'll write the rest tomorrow, I'm EXHAUSTED.





RFotD: Michael is only human and sometimes forgets to set his posts to "schedule" when he's tired.

SGAT: Almost finished filming. Does that count?