Alice

I always say to mself that, I must post/write more and more regularly on this darn thing. Actions do speak louder than words... or at least it gets more accomplished.

So I just got off a phone interview with a pretty big and reputable name (production/entertainment company) and I thought I did okay, but I found myself repeating, er, myself. There was one question specifically the person asked and I feel my response was completely, undeniably God-awful. "What would you say is your biggest accomplishment up to date?" she asked... and instead of mentioning my PSA I shot for the UN, I went onto some drivel of being proud of "not giving up" and "being a good person [with respects of being "in" the industry]" and other flowery, poppy-cock nonsense! I could've still have gotten that more humanistic aspect by mentioning my feeling that I could say or act like I could "teach" (through Bellis or other avenues) and how that is sort of proud thing for me... Or going back to the 'merit'-route, I could've mentioned being on the Agency at school, a select group of students working with real clients and being the first film student to be on staff of this group... So there were other tangible accomplishments that I could've spouted out to her, but no, my brain decided to fart instead.

F!@*&^%$(!#*$&$(*W$@~~~!! I can't get over it now. At first I did well, I was eloquent and to the point, but then I just started getting ahead of myself... and I started to get general and uninteresting. Balls. Anyways, we'll see. No need to dwell on it now (or at least let you know that I'm still mulling over it by continuing to write about it).

I am now a week over the half-way point of my term at school. And what have I done this term? It doesn't really feel like much. I need to change that. I mean I have been busy, my days fill up like no other and I have done projects and such already...but nothing for "myself" really... I should do some hardcore prep for myself for my graduating reel. I should be writing for myself more, but my internship burns me out of everything literary that I don't have the motivation (bold-face EXCUSE). So, these last 6 weeks left in the term... it's all about progress folks. And it's going to be about me (sorry others). No lets see if I know how to do that.

There's that saying, "As happy as a clam..."

Why clams? Why are clams happy? What makes them so happy? And what is it about thier happiness that seperates them from any other animals with an external calcareous shell or any other species with or without a protective framework?

It was a long day of written finals but I got through it and now I'm done!!!! Literally it was 7 hours of writing to finish my two written finals I had to do today. The first one was a two hour final (which only took me about 50 minutes to complete really. THEN there was the monster! I took me 5+ hours. So I sat there for 5 hours...just writing...in a small, small, cold room. It was a 24 page written final all short answer questions. I had bought a new pen to get me through the finals and this is it:

The white arrow shows where the ink originally was when I bought the pen. So that's how much ink and writing I did. Isn't that impressive? Well it better be, my hand hurts like a bitch!

So now I'm done and trying to clean my room. I have Bellis stuff to do and actually I have to do some traffic school to clear my speeding ticket. UGH!!!!

Still I'm done with my second term and I couldn't be happier.

Thank you for anyone who voted for our video on MTV.com. Our music video won the Fort Minor's "We'd You Go" music video remake contest. If you haven't seen it yet, it's still online on MTV.com/overdrive.

I know what you're going to ask, what did we win? Well...Mike Shanoda (sp?) from Fort Minor is going to give David (the guy who's concept we made for the video) a call and he's also going to receive a sign illustration piece from the original music video storyboard or something like that. Nothing really speical or big. Just bragging rights. :P

We made top 3 with our remake of Fort Minor's "Where'd You Go" on the MTV.com video contest and it's currently on their site for you to vote on your favorite. Here's the site:

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/index.jhtml

Click the Fort Minor bannder on the right and our's is under the name "David Ly" (ours is also the better one, really...in all humility, it's the better one).

WARNING:
Mac users have to find a PC to either view or vote on the site. MTV.com is whack in that sense because they won't allow Mac users to even see the thing. But find a PC and vote!!

Thanks!!!

I chose Art Center because it's a small school and I like that. One of the draw backs is that the (film) department turns into a mircro society like high school that can get incredibly annoying at times.

But then there are just such cool things like warning each other for cops down the hill. There's a sign at the entrance of the school and if there's a rock on the edge of the sign then that means that there is a cop down the hill with his radar gun out. Unfortunately, the day I got my speeding ticket the rock wasn't out, but it's nice to know that the school is small enough that little stuff like this just gels the people in the school together and is a cool place to be.

Yesterday after my "trust your instincts" epihpany that came from failure, I had an ephemeral vitory in the later night class. We had a quiz in class and we usually they are simple enough to wing it and do well. Last night's was a bit more technical and harder than the last one and I got them all right. I'm usuallly not the type to brag this sort of thing but it made me feel good. Especially because it's a lighting class and I like to improve and hone my skills in this department. I refer to it as a retribution because I aced it while the two "DPs" of our term didn't do so well. And it really isn't saying much because they are sort of "inept in many ways" (those are not my words) so to do better than them is not saying much I suppose. But the fact that I did better than even those boys who usually know their stuff...well that made me feel good. And the beer at the end of the night wasn't too bad either. ^_^

Today I learned that I must trust MYSELF. This is a horrible phrase but 'only if' I'd gone with my instincts... Luckily due to how this epiphany came about I was able to swallow the eminent truth and laugh at myself about it. I won't go into details but basically I circame to the pressures of opinion(s) of those older, "better" (if there is such a thing...not saying that in a cocky 'i'm better way' but questioning if you could really say who is better and at what...this is sort of a side-epiphany I had)...I basically was a sheep and went with the popular thought. When I instinctively had the right answer, I changed it the last minute and got it wrong in class today. I'm glad it happened in class, in this class, on this assignment and on that particular question. When I realized that my instincts were right and the older boys who questioned me from the start, making me feel like and idiot and belittle (they weren't really that bad, they weren't bad at all actually), so when I realized I was right I knew right then and there that I HAVE to trust my instincts as a good storyteller. If I don't or don't realize that I am wasting my time, money and life pursuing a life of a storyteller.

I really wish I could articulate better on how this all came about without bombarding the LJ with minute details. But basically here is my claim and declaration:

From this day on, I will consciously make certain that I go with MY instincts of being a good storyteller and not let other's impede or question my instincts. And if I am wrong at least now I know I could fess up to it, but still I would rather it be my mistake than someone else's that I sheepishly followed.

Damn, that feels good to say.

When you go and buy a book of names, a name book if you will...why do they call it "baby" names? Do they not keep their name(s) when they reach todlers, or teens or, God fobid, adults? Are those names just for babies and no one else? That would be a small market place.

Ok, so the wee crush I have (on the Aussie) is getting really fun. Not because I'm good at stalking him without him knowing (I don't do that...not as skilled as Judy [just kidding Judes]), but because we get along really well. And NO, it's not just in my head (it is). We do get along, even when we're disagreeing on really geeky film stuff.

He's an action-films guy and the film that sparked his love or need to make films was Jurassic Park. Someone earlier today made a crack about how my last name was the same as the second word in the title film, so now he calls me "J.P." or "Jurassic." It's really silly but it's kind of cute because he says it and he knows it's really silly and he begins to giggle (in a manly-Australian way). We discussed what sort of dinosaur we would be and I said I would be a Taradactal(sp?) or a trisauratops(sp?). And he said he is more of a T-Rex because he's not a herd type of dino.

The next two days are going to really test me: back-to-back overnight shoots (6pm-6am) on top of class earlier that day. But it should be a good experience. Now I have to either edit or read...whichever I feel like doing more (or more specifically, which I don't mind doing less).

I was just getting ready for bed (which consists of me changing into my PJs, brushing my teeth and washing my face) and I was putting on some of my night-acne-treatment goop and I noticed a rather larger, red patch adjacent to my right ear. I leaned in closer to my mirror to see what it was. At first I though it was a stranger sticker or maybe even some dried up food that has encrusted on my skin, but upon closer inspection it was basically exposed skin. Visually, if I had to try to give a decent image that is close to what I was looking at, the example I would give is after you've picked a scab it's the raw, red, and exposed skin that is under the scab. Now, I don't remember a previous scratch or punture there so I don't know how or where this formed. It's about the size of a kidney bean. For a second there I thought it was a mole or some skin mark left from sunlight or UV rays and I got a bit scared but no it's a scrap. I don't know where it came from, but it's there now.

That's it. I just wanted to share the baffled state I was in when discovered this scrap next to my ear.

...my second semmester at Art Center is heavy in written, reading and other busy work. Just to give an image, I walked out of my Directing 1 course this past monday with two plays, 7 screenplays, a text book and a directing handbook under my arm. All yesterday (literally, from 10a-12a the next day) I worked on my assignment(s) from that class. Apparently that is the toughest course of the second term. For our final project we have to write a 150 page book about some visual research that we have to do. And then there is a 5-hour final exam.

My other classes aren't that bad. They're required which dampens the spirits because I know there's no way out. We have a butt load of people in some of those classes!!! It's so horrific because Art Center's programs are built on small classroom ratios (it's one of the reason why I chose Art Center over USC). But it's cool for the time being. We got to meet more people from the film program (mostly new Graduate program students).

OH MY DAD! There's a graduate student named Greg, he's Australian and he looks like a young Hugh Jackman!! I like looking at him...and listening to him talk.... hee hee. And I totally play it cool with him too. In our acting class we had to pair up to do some acting excercise and we were together and we did well. We worked well together and we both had fun. And we both play basketball. And in our next class (which I didni't know he was in) I arrived to class early and had a seat and he walked in. Yep, he came in and sat right next to me. At the time I didn't think anything of it but I mean thinking back, if I was all awkward (which is one of my biggest fears to be with a boy) he wouldn't have sat next to me, right? We would have fun, friendly side-comment banter during our unnecessarily long editing class.

I really enjoy the people I'm with at the school. I think our term is an exceptional term in the sense that we get along with each other well, collab and mesh well together. Hopefully those good spirits will carry me through the summer.

*********

I can't believe how fast we are all growing up. I love just leaning back, looking at my friends and how impressive they are. I really am so proud of all of them. Mainly because we've all grown and matured in to sane, semi-normal people. I love how we still talk and could get together and hang. There is no stress with them and I'm so appreciative of that.

I have three friends that are graduating(graduated) this year and it blows my mind!!! That's just wicked awesome! Although it's going to take me a bit longer (I'm not bitter about it, just pensive about it) I can't wait to continue to see more of my friends take that next step. Why? Because all the friends I'm fortunate to call friends are all just amazing people and I know that they'll do just amazing things. It's just so cool to have this feeling of "Yeah, that's my friend. Pretty cool, huh?"

I think it's a good time for us. These years. However dramatic or stressful it may get many times, it's jsut great times. I'm going to do my best to really take it for what it is. It's granted that things are going to be taken for granted through these amazing twentysomething years, but I'm going to try to remind myself as much as I can.

This last part was really sappy and mushy, but I can't help it. I'm so happy for my friends and I'm just ecstatic that I could call them my friends.

[[So far in 2006]]
1. Have you had a gf/bf? No'm.
2. Have you had your birthday? Yes.
3. Gotten drunk? nope
4. Gotten high? no
5. Smoked a cig? no
6. Cried? yes
7. Had someone close to you pass away? thankfully, no
8. Pulled an all nighter? oh yeah... try a all-weeker
9. Drank starbucks? passion tea lemonade and regular ole' tea
10. Went shopping? i don't think so
11. Been camping? unfortunately, no
12. Been to the beach? no and i have the pale skin to prove it
13. Bought something for over $200? i had to buy an external drive that isn't working well and very upset about
Where is 14?
15. Been out of state? no
16. Visited a family member? no
17. Gone snowboarding? no :(

[[In the past month]]
1. Have you had sex? no
Where is 2?
3. Slept in a friends bed? no
4. Snuck someone over? no
5. Snuck out of your own house? to buy dinner (HAHHAHA)
6. Been drunk? no
7. Lied? most likely, and as oxymoronic it may sound, unintentionally
8. Gotten a car? nope
9. Went over your cell phone bill? no. my phone is barely used, it's getting cobwebs
10. Been called a whore? not to my face
11. Drove somewhere? yes and it was fairly nice this time of year
12. Been away from home for over 2 nights? if i was i don't remember it
13. Seen an old friend? unfortunately no

[[In the past week]]
1. Bought something? dinner ingredients
2. Choked? no
3. Watched t.v for over 3 hours straight? I sincerely hope not
4. Been to the movie theatre? yes
5. Been to a party? no
6. Gone skydiving? no
7. Been to the beach? again i will like to refer to my pale skin
8. Smoked? no
9. Done drugs? no
10. Gotten a gift from someone? I will after I finishe this damn thing (i really am)
11. Been out of control? maybe, most likely involving food
12. Gotten ASS?!? hahhaha.... i just want to continue laughing at this one
13. Made a CD? no
14. Called someone? yes

[[Today]]
1. When did you wake up? sadly, 11 am
2. Person you hugged? I will be hugging th brains out of Nathan tonight after his show
3. Person you talked to? Nathan, Kim and Evita
4. Person to call you? I don't know...Tom Hanks?
7. Last thing you said to someone? bye
8. Last time you brushed your teeth? 20 minutes ago (i had spam breathe)
9. Last time you took a bath? i don't remember, i take showers
10. When was the last time you cried? a couple nights ago i think
11. Last time you felt stupid? most likely sometime filling this thing out
12. Last time you ran over 1 mile? i planned to yesterday

ONE: I've just realized that my last post sounds like I'm a drunk in denial (which I'm not. I'm not a drunk nor in denial)

TWO: Is it just me or does "Freedom Tower" seem like a name that should belong in an over-budgeted, cameras on steroids, Michael Bay sort of film?