Whoas and Woes

Lately I've been really overwhelmed with school. =/ I am barely able to squeeze in any time to work on this site, much less the new layout I'm putting together. In fact I sleep much less than I did last year due to my commute to and from school. My current personal project, that new layout, is for the most part finished, but integrating it with the content already existing is going to be a slow process, so more than likely I won't be able to crank out the final product until late October, or at the latest (hopefully...), in November when I'm on Thanksgiving break.

Right now my routine agenda is crammed entirely with reading and homework. That includes about 4 paintings a week, 20 typographic layout designs a week, and three chapters- one for each of three classes- per week. Of course, the designs and paintings take up the most time out of all of them, and are the most involved. It's unfortunate that I can't work on my own personal projects simultaneously with my studio coursework. =/

And most recently, Richard and I are experiencing a strain in our relationship and he is proposing that we break up. Definitely or indefinitely, I don't know. We've been dating for almost a year and 5 months. Not too bad, but the reason Richard wants to break up sounds so ridiculous I'd rather leave it off the blog and save him the shame. It's not a "bad" reason in the sense that he admits he has a problem, but it's a bad resolution he's proposing to deal with this problem he has. And he won't let me help him.

But I'll leave that alone until I figure out what will become of us. It's just interesting that tomorrow will mark the year and 6th month we've been going out. Disappointing.

Posted 10.01.2008 @ 12:29PM [&]
♬ none

Internet-Based Games Can "Pwn" Children

Many parents of antisocial children living in the Digital Information Age sometimes criticize online video game developers for their children’s introverted behavior, a kind not typically seen among most children of earlier generations. This is not the first accusation that modern technology has taken for affecting the lives of families and society in a negative manner. The ownership of the first household televisions, later enhanced with the interactivity of the first video game consoles, were often thought to be controversial for stemming the socialization and physical activity of children. Furthermore, the utilization of broadband connection speeds coupled with the interactivity of Internet gaming in recent years takes the socialization of today’s already digitally immersed generation of youth from solo gaming to a world-wide level of digitalized and simulated human interaction, but not without consequences for each individual.

Among the consequences of excessive Internet gaming among young children is their lack of vocal and physical interaction with their companions, preferring their more distant online acquaintances for many different reasons, including shared knowledge of the games they play, controlled privacy, and peer or personality manipulation. In many cases, both children then become so indulged in the game or in each other that to access the Internet on a daily and sometimes hourly basis becomes a routine necessity to satisfy their indulgence. Although it is possible to communicate using various audio and visual media such as live web cams in the place of speaking to someone in person, a major concern for the parents of children who play games with each other over the Internet is that their children will suffer from social withdrawal, particularly when they grow older and meet face-to-face with other people.

When children meet in an Internet game, such as in Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games or MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and Halo, they have met someone who already shares a common interest in that particular game. Often, the game’s interface becomes the primary means of communication between them rather than talking over the phone or meeting with them in person, especially if their new friend does not live relatively local, as is usually the case between anyone meeting over the Internet. As such, it is unconventional to meet personally. It is generally much faster and more practical to communicate with someone over this protocol because of its capabilities for instantaneous functions even over great distances. Therefore, the child will sit in front of his or her computer monitor sometimes for more than an hour each day to talk with friends they met in the games they play together, rather than to step outside to socialize with their more local friends and partake in physically healthier activities like sports and fitness. A more alarming repercussion of online gaming is the extent of mature content in the media itself, and how it affects the mentality of the younger players exposed to it.

For a long time video games, like films, were subjected to content ratings by the Entertainment Software Rating Board or ESRB to help judge the appropriateness of the game for certain age groups. Computer games also undergo this same rating process. The rating board was especially established to protect younger players. However, children of the Digital Age learned quickly that it is relatively easy to bypass age restrictions on Internet games without their parents being aware. One of the most common methods used is to lie about their age. Another method is to steal credit card numbers for adult authorization. It is because of such loose securities that it seems that each new wave of youths undergoes a trend in which they are exposed to more inappropriate content than the preceding generation. In fact, most parents living in the Digital Age cite that children’s virtually unlimited access to mature games across the Internet could be a major reason why many youths with an obsessive history of playing graphic, violent genres without the consent of a legal parent or guardian not only could become isolated from society, but are more prone to reenact even the extreme antisocial, physical behaviors depicted in the games- most notably gun shootings and stabbings- upon another peer.

Although online gaming is an innovative way to connect children, people fear that this modern form of socialization works all too well and that the incentives of Internet gaming could actually pull youths away from the society they physically live in. It is increasingly more difficult for parents to regulate their children’s behavior due to their unrestricted access to the rest of the world through the virtual realm presented in a video game, and the natural curiosity to explore it. Internet gaming is one of many outlets for communication among the youth. However, for many unfortunate children, it is their preferred communicative tool, even over the spoken word.

Posted on 09.22.2008 @ 10:36PM PST [&]
♬ "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera

Curse of the Hawaiian Volcano Goddess, Pele

My family and I have always had this odd fascination with rocks, and usually whenever we went out of state, we would always bring home a rock from whereever we went. We've brought back rocks from Arizona, Nevada, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and even as far out east as Kentucky! The rocks are in our backyard, and have the name of the place we found them written onto the rock with a Sharpie marker. The rock we brought back from South Dakota was somewhat of a boulder compared to most rocks we lug around; normally, we don't bring back rocks bigger than a shoe.

I personally like small, rounded rocks that can fit in the palm of my hand. Usually, I always find these kinds of rocks in coastal areas, so I'm fortunate to be living with my aunt and uncle. Their house is really close to a bunch of coves filled with all kinds of stones weathered from exposure to ocean waves. When I brought back the stones to the house, my aunt laughed about an old Hawaiian legend about a curse that falls upon those who take stones- particularly volcanic ones- from the island even as just mere souvenirs.

I'm not too familiar with the legend, but I have seen a documentary on a Caucasian couple who toured Hawaii and came back home with a volcanic rock, and suddenly they started having really unlucky supernatural experiences, which included an indefinite power outage throughout their entire house; no working TV, none of the lights working, etc. It wasn't until they suspected the rock and sent it all the way back to Hawaii that their luck returned and their electricity was working again. Of course, since the video had to be produced and editted, this couple's situation could simply just be dramatized. They say though that curses like the one depicted in the documentary are supposed to be the work of the native Hawaiians' volcano goddess Pele, who is like a mother to the islands.

Like I mentioned, I'm not too familiar with Hawaiian mythology but I'm assuming that the reason volcanic rocks are synonymous with a curse in Hawaii is that perhaps taking a rock hurts the islands. After all, the islands are still a work in progress of all the volcanoes beneath the chain, and to take rocks from the island is like disassembling it before the work is even finished. To put it simply, the Hawaiian islands are the children of Pele, and taking away the rocks prevents those children from growing.

Legends are hella creepy sometimes. =/ I'm so glad my parents never brought back any rocks from Hawaii, especially if that legend is true!

On a brighter note, here are some extra pictures from Pt. Vicente Cove. It's too bad that the photos don't capture how much fun I had yesterday. =)

And last but not least, I bought my Sword Kirby two new family members. =)

I love small round things! Rocks and Kirbys!

Posted 09.21.2008 @ 02:13PM PST [&]
♬ "Miracle" by Above & Beyond presents OceanLab

Busy Bee

But believe it or not, I actually managed to get a non-school-related art piece done earlier today! It's actually a tattoo design I named "Virtue Dragon (Mary Anne's Version)," requested by Ryan, whom I've known since we were 11 years old. As the title implies, there's more than one version of the image. The one posted is my version of it, but I titled the second version "Ryan's Version" because of a few subtle changes made under his preferences. I personally liked my version better but it's going on his arm so it'll be better if he customized the design so that he would love it forever. =) The completion of the tattoo wasn't the only thing I accomplished recently though...

This past weekend, I had to finish 10 typographic designs and 25 small 5"x7" oil paintings. They were hell to deal with, especially since the paintings didn't really come anywhere close to drying until 3 days after I finished painting them! I officially hate oil paints!

On a more brighter note, here's a few new things I got this month, including the new phone that replaced the old Motorola RAZR V3M I had, which eventually displayed nothing but a white screen after a little more than a year in my possession. The new phone is a Motorola W755, similar to a RAZR but with greater capabilities and hopefully more durability...

Also among my new possessions include this little puffy pink ball known as Kirby. =) I found a bunch of these being sold at the outpost at Cal State Long Beach. Although they were a bit pricey (running at $4 a piece), Kirby merchandise is strikingly rare to find anywhere, even on eBay. With that said, I absolutely had to get my hands on the puff! Now I get to drive around with Kirby giving the evil eye to the driver in front of me. =)

Speaking of travel, I finally talked to my grandpa in the Philippines for the first time in what seems like about a year. He's asking for me and my family to come visit him in the Philippines when my sisters and I are off school for summer vacation. Sounds like a plan for me, since I'm not really planning anything for the summer except to maybe try for another job, but I don't even know if my grandpa discussed those plans with my dad yet. O_o It would be great to visit the Philippines again though, especially since I haven't been there in 13 years. I also haven't seen my grandpa in over 2 years.

Just to close this blog with some randomness, here's what my cousin RJ and I spent an afternoon playing: NINJA CHECKERS! Yeee.

Okay I'm done. Knocking out!

Posted 09.15.2008 @ 11:50PM PST [&]
♫ "Ashes" by Above & Beyond presents OceanLab

Graffitied Lockers

Also, I got a new 'do thanks to my aunt. She had me at a hair salon for four hours for a Japanese hair-straightening treatment. I was hesitant about having it done because I always fear salon prices, but it actually turned out really nice, and my hair finally feels silky straight again like it did when I was a kid. =) It's also layered now, so it looks a little shorter than it did a month ago.

And the great part about the Japanese straightening is that it stays straight for 6 months. For me, that means less neck-straining during the process of taming my frizzy hair!

Posted 09.05.2008 @ 10:42PM PST [&]
♫ "Love & Mercy" by daphne loves derby