Stop motion

Here is a (very brief) clip of something I'm kind of working on on the the side. Yes, I know... Am I a productive student or what? I've done one stop motion before, for a school project, and I've always been a little fascinated with them. Despite the fact that they are pretty time-consuming, and a mistake or two can ruin an entire clip and send your patience/sanity spiraling into a deep dark hole of frustration and face-palming, they can be pretty fun to play with as well. The one I'm working on right now is for a song that runs for about 3 1/2 minutes, and I've finished about 38 seconds. The translates into roughly 3+ hours of (slightly sloppy) work. Fun, right? 

Anyways, the one I'm doing now is done all on my Nikon D60, so it's not exactly ideal, and very rough, but it's working out alright so far. The one below was done entirely on my old point and shoot camera, which had a stop motion movie maker setting, which was extremely convenient, and looks a bit nicer. 

Gone Going by Jack Johnson (stop motion)

Hopefully I'll finish this current one soon this month eventually. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed this video, and the new semester isn't kicking your butt too hard already.

P.S. Don't forget to check out the movie page in the side bar (if you like movies and stuff), as I've seen a few more in the last week. :)

Oh yeah.

I forgot about this. I found this video way back in Septemberish and I love it. Make sure to put on the captions so that you can see what he's actually signing.



Admit it. Even if you hate Miley Cyrus, you enjoyed that video.

Okay, let's have a serious one this time...

You know what's awkward?
Obviously posed family photos.
You know what's more awkward?
When no one is coordinated enough to pose for a photo where everyone is smiling, not blinking, and looking at the camera.

But you know what is almost guaranteed to make a photo really awkward and/or distractingly stupid looking?

When the photographer (or any one in the picture really) shouts out, seconds before the picture is about to be taken, "Alright let's have a serious one this time!"

Why is this bad? Because in any group over four or five people, you will end up, without fail, with something like this:

 

Do you see the problem? No? Look closer. No, not at the face hiding in the bottom left corner, but at the facial expressions. See, the term "serious," in regards to a photo, can be taken two different ways.

1) Serious, as in "seriously, let's make this a good one this time, you baboons." OR

2) Serious, as in "okay, everyone look serious/stern in this one. Then at least everyone will have matching expressions, and it might come off as funny."

(I'm not quite sure why people like to look serious (stern) in pictures, but then again, I don't know why people take bathroom mirror pictures either.)

As you can see in the above picture, "let's have a serious one this time!" will more often than not lead to a mixed set of facial expressions, with some people ending up looking like the grouch-pants of the group (even if they are not). (Yes, I just used the phrase grouchy-pants)

Anyways, for everyone's sake, if you are that (well-meaning) jerk yelling out instructions for the photos, take the extra few seconds to CLARIFY. Trust me, you'll be glad you did (That is, if you are looking for a perfectly synchronized, smiling photo where everyone looks genuinely happy to be there. If not, good on you, and ignore everything I've said. Seriously).

And now for some music!


The Gardener, by The Tallest Man on Earth


PS. Yes, that's a family photo. Isn't my family great?

Back to Victoria

After a long, long, journey that involved cars, sky trains, ferries, buses, and a very early start (not to mention a stupid amount of heavy lifting/lugging), I'm back in Victoria. It's kinda nice to be back, although I will miss some things about being home. (Hello, my mom makes the best food ever)

I couldn't have asked for a nicer last day in North Van though. First, after sleeping in, I went to Ambleside with a few friends. As you can see by this picture, it was nice and sunny and not even that cold, which was appreciated. It was nice to have one last day of goofing off with some friends, as all of us go to school in different cities all across BC/Canada. After, I have a soccer reunion with my old team (which, incidentally, happens to be made up of many awesome/beautiful people). Although our hour long practice made me feel horribly out of shape, it was fun to see everyone again and get a little exercise.

Anyways, welcome back to everyone who is back to school now, and good luck with the coming semester!

(My friend showed me this song a few days ago, and I think I like it. Apparently it's on the TV show Lie to Me.)

Easier to Lie, Aqualung

Have a good semester! :)

Movies of 2011

Hey! Check out the new page on the side bar (to the right), for a new little thing I added about movies! Basically, I'll be keeping track of any and all movies I see this year (or, at least, for the next few months). There are a few movies I want to see this year, including 127 Hours, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,  The Green Hornet (because I love Seth Rogen), Scott Pilgrim vs The World (because I haven't seen it yet), and lots more I'm sure I've forgotten.

If you have any (any) suggestions for good movies, both new and old, comment below, it'd be appreciated.

Hope the first day of the new year has treated you well!


Man on the Moon Mashup, Kid Cudi and The Postal Service

Happy New Year!

It's kind of weird how people feel the need to make lists of the best/worse of each year, and make such a big deal about a new shiny year, when really not a whole lot changes. However, I guess it's nice for people to have a clear cut date to start their new goals/plans/procrastination.. or something.

And in case you were wondering (which I'm sure exactly zero of you were), yes, that is a greenpeace calender. We get one in the mail every year and they have pretty pictures, so I like it.


Anyways, 2010 was a good year, and I'll be a little sad to see it go (completely contradicting my above sentiments). There were lots of first and a couple lasts, and I can honestly say I think it was my best year so far (Because, yes, with a solid 18 and a half years behind me, most of which I don't remember, this is such a tough choice).

In no particular order, I graduated high school, moved away from home and started university in Victoria, survived my first term at UVic, went to basketball provincials in Kamloops, experienced the Olympics right here in Vancouver, met my cousins on my dads side, spent the one of the best week on Hornby ever with them, went up to Vernon for my cousins wedding (which, actually, was my first real wedding that I remember... and it was a great one), saw Lady Gaga in concert, met/got to know some really cool people, flew to visit friends in Montreal (for the first time), and managed to wear my grad dress to a Gaga themed party. Those are some highlights, and I'm sure there were more I've momentarily forgotten.

So, yeah, 2010 was a good year. And although 'twenty-eleven' doesn't roll off the tongue quite as nice, here's to another great year: Happy New Year!

Heyail to the Soul Sister- Train vs Beatsteaks Mashup (by mash-up germany)


Ps. You all remember DJ Earworm's 2009 Billboard Top 25 Mashup (here). He's released the new one! Not as good, but worth a listen, just to say you've heard it. Let's just say that it really shows the, ah, originality of today's top music. To be fair though, it kicked 2007 and 2008's butts.

Happy Holidays

Jonah & Padre performing

Christmas cracker toy and the tree

Greetings all!

Hopefully everyone survived the holiday madness, successfully burned a good sized hole in their wallets during Boxing Week shopping, and gained at least a good 4 to 5 pounds while stuffing yourself with delicious holiday food.

Personally, my house is full to the bursting with all types of food, both gifts and home-made. Delicious, yet so so bad. And by bad, I mean delicious.

Also, my family managed to attain the entire 1st season of Glee, the first part of the 2nd season of Modern Family, a DVD of a U2 concert, and several other TV shows on DVD. So yes, this means I have been sitting in my comfy recliner, eating chocolate, and generally being a big huge lazy blob.

Ah, gotta love the holidays.

Cutecutecutecutecute little boy!

But seriously, I hope that your holiday season has been good so far, and yes... I still have nothing of particular interest to tell you people. Yesterday my family had a huge family (and friends) dinner with 18 people, including one adorable little 4 year old. He got a playhouse for Christmas, and put on a lovely little puppet show for us all. Man, kids are cool sometimes. Also, note that, as seen in this picture, he is the best dressed 4 year old I have ever met. Seriously, last night he was wearing an vest, matching tie, blazer, and a sweet little hat to match.

Anyways, having successfully taken up a good chunk of your valuable loafing time (PS does anyone else know what else I mean by 'loafing'? Or is that just a phrase my cousin made up?), I shall reward you with a song, which I have no affiliation with, nor can I take even a smidgen of credit for. However, I like it, so here goes...

Old Man by Neil Young

Oh! For sticking with me here, I have a treat for you (kinda? maybe?). If you're like me, youtube is great for finding and listening to new music. This site here (bang) is awesome because it makes it super easy to get songs off of youtube onto your ipod/computer/mp3 player (hey, some people still live in the early 2000's I suppose). Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas dear reader(s)! I hope you all had the loveliest of lovely Christmas Eve's, with lots of family and friends and, of course, yummy food. And music. Music is good too. Personally, my Christmas eve, as per tradition, involved some rowdy versions of 'Hotel California' (correct lyrics not mandatory), 'Ring of Fire' (hand clapping mandatory), 'Case of You' (for those who insist on hearing at least one decent sung song), and, last but not ever forgotten, 'Santa Baby,' sung by two very reluctant twenty-somethings. Ah yes, my family is in fact very nerdy when it comes to singing songs in large groups.

Anyways, just wanted to say Merry Christmas. Have a good one!

(we listened to this on the way home tonight, and it's a fabulous song. That I may have mentioned before. Oops.)

Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons