Pinwheels

Every year, our school has a pinwheel planting in honor of the children (quite literally-- that sign says "Today these pinwheels represent adults who provide a voice and advocate for our children). It's a nice thought, and the pinwheels are awfully pretty to look at when the wind blows by...

We Chalked the Sidewalk

I'm part of an organization called NSCS. It's just some scholar club that does community service. Anyways, we chalked the sidewalk to get our name out there on campus Monday afternoon.

... Of course it rained a day later.

Stranger Danger

See this piece of Hershey's Chocolate? It was taken from the arms of a stranger. Let me explain...

My friend Ali and I were walking to class when we passed by a student with a colorful sign that had the word "FREE" written in one hand and this piece of Hershey's Chocolate dangling in the other. Both my friend and I noticed this as we walked by, but neither of us wanted to take the piece of candy. After all, "stranger danger" comes to mind with such a creepy, atypical move. A few moments after passing by, we both just knew we wanted that candy, so we went back and greeted the guy and each of us received a piece of milk chocolate!

Recently, breaking the "stranger danger" rule has been a novel concept to me. It shocked me the other day when I was playing basketball at the gym with my friends and a group of guys I didn't recognize asked to play with us on the same court.

This concept of "stranger danger" has always been a rule I'd follow as a kid, but as an adult, you're forced to face strangers everyday.  It doesn't help to shy away from something you want or new people you could potentially meet. There's a point where you need to recognize that not everyone is out to get you.

It was warm today.

Today was so warm, it was 60 degrees! Jillian and I just had to get some froyo at Yogurtland, so here's a lovely picture I took today on a stereotypical park bench with my $10 worth of yogurt.

Sorry I didn't take a more meaningful picture today...

It still looks amateurish.

It's taking a while, but it's getting there... slowly but surely.

A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Syracuse Stage

Last Thursday night, I had the privilege to see a production of the classic A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Syracuse Stage. Although I went primarily to complete a review assignment for my Interpretation of Drama class, I was stunned by this performance. This post isn't my official review, rather these are the details I have noticed and want to write down so that I remember all these bits when I write my review... field notes per say.

The overload of the sensory aspects of the play from aesthetic uses of color and lighting and the incorporation of tone and sounds really made this play interesting to experience.
I was very glad to have the opportunity to watch a play in production rather than simply reading the script. Unlike more recent playwrights like Tennessee Williams, older plays typically don't have much stage direction and description within the script to visualize a play. This made reading A Midsummer Night's Dream much different from seeing it. When the script is dialogue on paper, it is more difficult to grasp the emotion and humor of a script.

This particular production seemed, as put in Jillian's words, "like Candyland had an orgy." The production almost seemed surreal with its lack of a particular time period for this rendition (after all, this play is timeless). The dress and setting with the four lovers reminded me much of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland with the 1800's style. Yet the players wore overalls and carried a boombox playing rock and roll music! Not to mention the fairy "woodland" scenes that reminded me of a 1980's disco with giant pom poms made of tutu material. What added to the surreal effect included the use of lighting (spotlights, dimmed lights, patterned effects during intense scenes) and the mirror background that seemed to complete the environment.

The acting was spectacular, although a bit melodramatic---after all, this kind of play was meant to be overacted. I particularly noticed the performances by the actors who played Puck and Lysander. They were absolutely hilarious and entertained the audience throughout the entire production. Something that I noticed was the background sound effects made by the actors during the production. The small sounds-- the hissing and the whimpers and the whispers-- added an extra dynamic to the senses. The play was almost turned into a musical with several musical numbers filled with song and dance. The actress who played Titania in particular sang and danced with such a sultry grace which was beautiful. The actors were limitless; many entered the scene from among the audience, running down the aisles to make their way onto the stage.

Anyways, kudos to the producer and art director of this play to conceptualize how this particular rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream, a play redone countless times, can be a playground for creativity and innovation that sticks to the audience more than any other movie or adaptation could possibly provide.

Today is not Wednesday...

but I suppose Art Wednesday can happen at any time really. I had a picture I wanted to use yesterday, so I saved an art update for Thursday!

I started to paint the canvas yesterday.

While the teacher was walking around he commented that I tend to cover the whole page before going into the nitty gritty details. Not that there's any right or wrong answer to art, but I do think it is easier to see the big picture when you focus on the whole. What if you paint a square inch to perfection, but then it needs to be adjusted later due to the parts surrounding it being off?

And also, I have no idea what colors I want to use for the objects in my painting until I actually do it! It's just whatever feels right at the time. My color preferences are not preplanned, rather I make it up as I go along. I want to emphasize the objects I want to stand out and blend similar colors together for details that don't matter as much. In order to do so, I need at least slap color on the canvas to begin the mix and match process.

Anyways, I'd love to hear how other people go about making their artwork. Does it take planning? Do you just do what feels right?

"The secret to getting ahead is getting started." - Mark Twain

I found this quote stuck on the restroom door today. Someone had gone into the restrooms and stuck sticky notes with motivational quotes scribbled on it onto the mirrors, hand-dryers, and doors. Although I'm quite upset that my silly iPhone picture turned out blurry, I am very happy to share this with you.

I've been trying to motivate myself for quite some time. I've tried listening to upbeat music, going out more, and even socializing to more people. But then there's a point where I realize I've done nothing but sit around waiting for a sign or something crazy and impossible to happen. Anyways, I suppose it's time to pick myself up and get moving again.

Grammar Slammer Doodles

Every week we have to turn in a slip of paper with our name and clicker number written on it as proof of our attendance. I decided to liven up this weekly check-in with a bit of color and doodling.

Some Inspirational Quotes

Easter Egg Hunt

Today was the first time I participated in an egg hunt in a very long time. For the last few years, I volunteered at the local community center during the annual Easter Egg hunts. I'd get to hide all the eggs and wait for the countdown before little kids swarmed into the park like the plague. Anyways, my school's NSCS chapter held an Egg Hunt for the general body members for "bonding" time. I found some eggs. It's nice to be the kid again.

Orange Day

Orange Day was yesterday so the university bookstore offered a discount if we took a picture with this mask things... This is my not amused face.

Graffiti on the Lockers

I'm not the only one who is amused by this method of conversation, right?

Stranger in Philosophy Class

This post has nothing to do with my Philosophy lecture; rather the students in the class make it all the more interesting.

I couldn't help but be mesmerized by this guy's hair today. He has a heartbeat shaved into his head! This dude wins the Best Hair Award... if only such an award existed.

Girl Scout Cookies

Every spring, little girls flock to their friends, their teachers, their parents coworkers, and anyone else they know to sell the most delicious cookies ever invented.

I never expected to get my hands on a box of Girl Scout cookies after finishing high school. I don't even think people at the college age even have a Girl Scouts troop to participate in. But with a few connections, I obtained a box of my favorite: Samoas!

I got connections ;)

Simple Sights

I spied a man today walking across the rails. He seemed so concentrated, taking each step with perfect   balance.

From the Dead of Winter to Early Spring

I love the snow of winter and the green of spring, but there's this awkward in between when the world just seems dead without the white blanket covering the earth. Right now, everything just seems... brown.

Auntie Anne's

I had my first Auntie Anne's pretzel today, though I'm not particularly sure why I have not tried Auntie Anne's before. After all, this chain seems prominent in almost every shopping mall across the country.

I ate a Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel! It was pretty tasty even though the cinnamon bits fell off the pretzel and made a mess on the table. However, I wasn't particularly blown away by it. I guess soft pretzels are just soft pretzels like all other junk food. The only experience I could compare these pretzels to are the soft pretzels my junior high school used to sell during snacks. I'd always get the cinnamon pretzels or the cream cheese stuffed pretzels there. However, I do commend Auntie Anne's for producing some of the softest pretzels I've ever eaten! No burnt edges, all soft. Delicious!

Sam

This is Sam. She's my sister... but it seems she's growing up faster than ever since I've left home. It seems all her tastes have changed-- hobbies, wants and all. It's quite interesting to witness a person grow seemingly before your eyes. Instead of being the one others say, "oh my you've grown," to, I'm the one stunned as time goes by. Does this mean I'm getting old?!

Spring break isn't really a break.

I've discovered that spring break is actually a chance to plan for summer. From scouring the Internet for internship opportunities to brooding over the fact that I probably won't be hired for anything of any significance, it's actually quite interesting to see all the opportunities (or lack thereof) put in front of you. So many companies; so many possibilities.

At the moment I feel pretty optimistic about the whole process. I figure my enthusiasm for what I want to do in the future will get me by despite my lack of work experience in the field.