Archive for February, 2008
The Sartorialist Takes Fashion Photography to the Streets
I am a big fan of the work of Scott Schuman, a.k.a. the Sartorialist, a highly talented fashion photographer (though he doesn’t like to refer to himself as one). Traveling the world and snapping breathtaking photos of fashion-forward people, he posts interesting shots on his blog almost everyday and does a monthly column for GQ magazine and some others.
I was really struck by the picture on the left of a man on the street in Milano. This particular image says so much — the way he clenches his fist with rings on two of his fingers, his stone-like gaze at the camera lens, the contrast between his bright blue scarf and his dark hoodie and blazer. By far, it’s one of my favorite shots from Mr. Schuman’s blog. The elderly man to the right is what I jokingly see myself looking like four decades or so from now. It makes me smile every now and then. Who knows what I’ll really look like when I’m three times how old I am now.
(images courtesy of http://www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com)
It’s Monday. Read the Metropolitan Diary!
This is one of the lesser known sections of the New York Times but I find it quite amusing to read when it’s published in every Monday’s edition. Found in the first section of the paper in the NY/Region, it’s stuck in a corner and might not be that easy to find. But when you do, you’ll be sure to end up with a smile on your face after reading it.
The Metropolitan Diary is a collection of short stories (more like snippets) sent in by New York residents who experience funny and extraordinary things on the street, bus, subway or wherever you find interesting people (which the city has no shortage of).
When I was in high school, I cut a deal with the campus librarian to put aside the school copy of the New York Times for me to take home at the end of the day. I bumped into the Met Diary by chance as I skimmed through pages of the Monday paper. High school seems like a life that is long behind me. I’ve since moved on to reading the Times online. I find myself with the print version once in awhile when they give them away on campus. Otherwise I can’t bring myself to give up $1 for a physical, tangible copy when I can get the same content online for free.
Anyway, check out the Metropolitan Diary! Here’s a link to today’s stories.
My Oscar Predictions
The 80th Annual Academy Awards begin in less than a couple hours. Here are my predictions for winners in each respective category:
Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Actor in a Supporting Role: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Actress in a Leading Role: Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Actress in a Supporting Role: Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
Animated Feature Film: Ratatouille
Art Direction: Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Cinematography: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Costume Design: Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Directing: No Country for Old Men
Documentary Feature: War/Dance
Documentary Short: Salim Baba
Film Editing: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Foreign Language Film: Katyn (should be The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which probably wasn’t nominated because it was directed by American Julian Schnabel. Oh well.)
Makeup: La Vie en Rose
Music (Score): Atonement
Music (Song): August Rush
Best Picture: No Country for Old Men
Short Film (Animated): Even Pigeons Go to Heaven
Short Film (Live Action): The Mozart of Pickpockets
Sound Editing: Transformers
Sound Mixing: Transformers
Visual Effects: Transformers (They HAVE to win)
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Writing (Original Screenplay): Juno
Who knows how wrong I’ll be with all my predictions once the Oscars are over tonight. I won’t know for awhile since I’ve got work at the dining halls through all of it. However, I hope that The Diving Bell and the Butterfly garners a few awards. I saw it last night with a friend and wasn’t disappointed.
You can check out all the nominees to tonight’s event here.
Cell Phone Directories are a Load of Crap
So much for the fear of telemarketers giving you a ring on your cell phones as of February 20, 2008.
The National Do Not Call Registry is not a hoax, but is seemingly unnecessary. It turns out that this kind of warning that comes in the form of dramatic emails surfaces around this time every year. I was coaxed into calling the 888 number because my mom called me all the way from the Bay Area just to register ASAP. So I was like…”Ok mom. If you say so.” I didn’t know that such a thing existed, but it was backed by the “.gov” in the url pathname so I knew it had to be legit.
Cell phone numbers are usually omitted from telephone directories anyway. All the major phone companies (i.e. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint) have collaborated with a company called Qsent Inc. to produce a wireless 411 service strictly for directory assistance. This might be what people think will fall into the hands of telemarketers. But there’s really no need to worry.
Thanks to Jim Cronin of The Real Estate Tomato for snoping this up for me.
DBR & DJ Scientific Rocked The Stage
Is it really possible for the violin and the turntable to coexist?
I found out tonight that it surely can — in abstract, experimental forms that fuse together influences from classical to hip hop to funky electronica.
I didn’t know what I was in for when I took my seat to see DBR perform last night. With his ordinary looking six string violin, he possesses the ability to turn it into a bass drum, snare, guitar, flute and the manipulation of human voices. I never could have imagined the things you can do with such a simple, classic instrument such as this. The sounds he created mixed in with the purely technological beats pumping out of DJ “The Mad Scientist” Scientific’s knobs and turntables. I could feel my chest thumping from the hip hop beats and the beat box. When it came to particular movements in his six part sonata, my ears felt as if something so sweet had seeped into my pulsing head. To top it off, his charm and charisma kept the audience interested and involved throughout the evening. He was quite accessible after the performance and seemed like it was just another day at work for him.
I’ll be remembering this night for awhile. The poetry. The musical madness. The straight-up head banging it’s caused me. I can’t sleep.
DBR & DJ Scientific @ Porter’s Pub Tonight
Daniel Bernard Roumain, a.k.a. DBR, will be on the UCSD campus tonight to collaborate with laptop artist DJ Scientific for a performance filled with hip-hop, electronica and classical music. This is not your typical concert performance — beat-boxing blended in with amplified violin — it’s sure to be a quite a night out for those who can make it out to the Stage at Porter’s Pub at 8PM.
The event is free of charge to UCSD students and costs $12 to the public. However, I’ve been hearing rumors that the tickets for the 8PM show is already sold out. I’m planning on getting there half an hour early to see if I can still get in. There’s a limited amount of tickets being sold for the 10PM show after this one.
- who: DBR & DJ Scientific
- where: The Stage at Porter’s Pub
- when: 8PM & 10PM
- cost: free to UCSD students (donations are accepted), $12 to public
Will the Warriors Make a Trade?
At noon today, the NBA’s trading deadline will pass. My concern lies on whether my team — the Golden State Warriors — will make a move and change up their roster with new additions or will stand pat and keep their current group of guys together.
This date during the NBA season is usually interesting to watch. Big name superstars move to title contenders (i.e. Shaq, Jason Kidd, Pau Gasol) while the bad teams get even worse. The Western Conference is loaded with teams that are winning way more than they’re losing. I’m hoping that the Warriors will stand pat and push to the playoffs with what they already have in their possession. Their personel is filled with a bunch of scrappy guys who have heart and pure speed and athleticism on the court. It was on full display last night as they beat the best team in the league last night in the Boston Celtics.
I don’t know what Chris Mullin and Nellie have up their sleeves before noon passes, but I know that whatever they end up doing will be best for my hometown’s franchise.
Ahh. I’ve got class in a bit. I think I’m going to be late just because I had to get this entry up before noon. By the time I get back, I know the Warriors will still be an exciting team to watch for years to come.
Prevent Telemarketers From Reaching Your Cell Phone
All cell phone numbers are going public today. This means that telemarketing companies will be able to grab hold of your mobile information and you will start receiving calls from them. To make things worse, YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THOSE CALLS.
How can you prevent all this from happening?
Call 1-888-382-1222. This is the National Do Not Call List and will block your number for five years. It is a simple and easy process that takes about a minute (no more than that). Just make sure you call from the cell phone with the number you are trying to keep private.
You can also block your number online by registering on this government-endorsed site.
‘Party Like a Rockstar’ Tickets On Sale
Tickets for the Sixth College Semi-Formal are up for sale for the rest of the week. The actual event will take place this Saturday from 8-12 midnight at the Hard Rock Cafe in La Jolla.
If you’re interested in purchasing some for yourself, your date or any of your friends, they are available at the Sixth College hub on the second floor of Pepper Canyon Hall. Tomorrow (Wednesday) from 1-3PM, representatives will be on hand at the Sixth College Residence Hall quad area selling them there too.
The tickets cost $20 and comes with free transportation. They are also available at the door for $25 but without the complimentary ride there.
I’ll grab mine sometime tomorrow. If you’ve got nothing to do and are around the area this weekend, I suggest you get on it ASAP.
The music is provided by DJ KMa from Blackout Entertainment. Professional photography is made available by Boyd Anderson Photography.
A lot has happened since last time
It’s been quite a while…
Ruminating/pondering/thinking/reflecting, taking a break, maybe being a bit lazy and all that.
I’ve had it with Calculus. I couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to make my college experience a living hell for the sake of a major requirement for Economics. So I scrapped that plan and went in a totally different direction with my life. I switched over to something a bit more familiar and interesting to me. Something that dealt with languages, writing and increasing my awareness of foreign events. It was something that brought me back to my roots: journalism.
As the Winter quarter began this past January, I submitted my change of major form to the UCSD registrar to declare my official switch from Economics to International Studies - Linguistics. Instead of Calculus or Economics, I am now enrolled in an intermediate Spanish literature course. It still a challenging task, no doubt. But I feel better when I wake up in the morning and not have to think about numbers or formulas and failing the next midterm on my calendar. Siento bien conmigo mismo. (I feel good about myself.)
There will be a few changes to the focus of my blog. I may still report about economic developments in the news that I find important or interesting but won’t put an emphasis on it as I have in the past. I am, after all, a college student. I’m out and about with whatever’s going on around the San Diego/La Jolla area. I believe that there are a lot of crazy events going on at UCSD that not a lot of people know about so I want to spread the word. I’ve attended film screenings that haven’t gotten large turnouts as I thought there would have been because I have come to the conclusion that no one really knows about them. Last but not least — as I get deeper into my new major’s requirements and begin to flirt with the possibility of studying abroad in a few years — you’ll also be hearing quite a bit about that.
So please stay tuned and keep in touch by leaving comments if you wish!
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