I knew that organizing my room was out of the question in order to do this assignment, as there are so many things in there that aren't even mine, but are my brother's, and especially my dad's stuff, relating to electronics and things he's never used in twenty years, but if I threw it out, with my luck he would one day make me search endlessly for something no longer there and would give me a guilt trip about how much it cost back then and then make me search again. And if I even thought of giving up, he would end up searching for the hypothetical lost item himself, which would make me more guilty because he's sixty-one years old, had a quadruple bypass last May, and got in a bad car accident last Saturday. I did NOT want to go there.
So, to avoid all that nonsense, I decided to clean up the appearance of my gallery on DeviantART.com, which I felt needed the face-lift anyways. I sorted the artwork into different categories, for example, "Batman Artwork", "Mario Bros. Artwork", "Traditional Drawings", "Digital Drawings", "Legend of Zelda Artwork", "Photography", "Poems", etc. Those were pretty much the main categories of what I drew, wrote, and dressed up as, did whatever to share with the world.
I had more folders, but to keep things simple, I had deleted some art that I felt I did not feel extremely proud of, at least not proud enough to have put them in my "Featured" art. Putting my works into different categories in my opinion makes it easier for people visiting it to look at what they are really interested in, instead of having to scan the entire page for what they want to find and favorite in a cloud of random art they do not really take interest in.
I decided not to delete all that I was not satisfied with, as they would remind me of how much progress I've made since I started my account in 8th grade. It seems like it was so long ago when I drew a drawing I felt proud enough to upload on DeviantART and looking at it now I don't feel it compares to what I can do now. But I just put them at the end of the gallery, and put the work I'm proud of in the beginning, but also in somewhat chronological order from when I made them. I then put my preferred artwork, writings and photos in the "Featured" folder in chronological order (according to memory).
I have to say, I hate to repeat what everyone else is saying, but it feels a lot less cluttered in the gallery page now. I may even get more people favoriting my work now if I'm lucky. I can only hope so.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Captured Thought: Holidays being our excuse to take things for granted the rest of the year after that day of dedication is over.
Mother's Day: Let's face it, at some point in our lives, we take our mothers for granted. Many mothers put up with a lot of our crap when we track mud all over the house, leave dirty clothes strewn about and bitch about how much of a nag they are. Yet, when Mother's Day rolls around, some spend the day kissing their ass to make up for the rest of the year that we pay no attention to their hard work.
Veteran's Day: We take our country's security for granted. Unless you know someone personally who is in the armed forces, it seems easy to criticize the military for committing violence against seemingly innocent civilians. Hell, for a while I thought that people in the military were naive people who wanted the glory and appreciation people in the World War I and II eras received, or that they were power-hungry bastards like they are portrayed to be in anti-war films *cough* The Incredible Hulk *cough*.
But recently, I had a conversation with two friends about my misplaced distrust of the military and skepticism of their ideals. Their parents play a role in the military, so they tried to set things straight with me, and it was one of the most enlightening discussions I've had in a while. They helped me realize the fact that most of the people in the military join for the purpose of getting a good education, the discipline they need in maturing into the adult they want to become, or to selflessly serve their country as their predecessors had done before.
The media also tends to downplay the deaths and sacrifices these people make and focus on the human interest stories or events that will increase their ratings. It's gotten to the point where we believe that they are greater than they really are, or we believe that the majority, though in reality are the minority, of troops are violent, mindless pawns that obey every order given and kill more people than needed while saying that it's justified because they are doing it in the name of "keeping America safe".
But really, it's not entirely the military's fault. It's the individual's fault as well. But it's not even correct to leave it at that. War can really fuck with a person's mind, and can twist them into being an entirely different person. The government tends to screw over the veterans by turning their back on them and what they owe the veterans, whether it be psychiatric counseling to reintegrate them back into society. So it's like they are saying, "Thank you for your contribution to society, but we're still going to deny you your benefits." Yet, when Veteran's Day or Memorial Day rolls around, we thank them for the sacrifices they've made, as if we actually fully appreciated what they've done. It's bullshit. I feel ashamed to have ever looked down on the Veterans, and even more ashamed that our own government treats them like shit too.
Thanksgiving: This entire holiday is a joke. I've even dubbed this holiday, "The-Filler-Holiday-Until-Christmas-Comes-Around-Day". Think about it, what type of decorations start coming out not long after Halloween at department stores? Thanksgiving? HA! It's all about Christmas. Besides, what's so special about a freaking turkey dressed as a pilgrim and a fruit basket in the shape of a horn? Does anyone really celebrate how thankful they are of everything they have? Unless you are a kid who is being taught the story of the "First Thanksgiving", you aren't going to give a shit about the deeper meaning of the holiday and will pay more attention to the football game, the shitloads of food you're going to stuff yourself with, or the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which has freaking SANTA CLAUS making a guest appearance at. I mean, if that isn't enough evidence that Christmas holds a freaking monopoly over the span of two months, I don't know what is.
Hell, there should be a holiday for this holiday, in which we can appreciate this holiday itself, and making it feel appreciated for everything it does for us. But hey, I'm not going to bitch about the five-day weekend from school. That's the only worthwhile part of the holiday, so I'll enjoy it.
Okay, that's about all the time I have for this captured thought/inevitable rant.
Veteran's Day: We take our country's security for granted. Unless you know someone personally who is in the armed forces, it seems easy to criticize the military for committing violence against seemingly innocent civilians. Hell, for a while I thought that people in the military were naive people who wanted the glory and appreciation people in the World War I and II eras received, or that they were power-hungry bastards like they are portrayed to be in anti-war films *cough* The Incredible Hulk *cough*.
But recently, I had a conversation with two friends about my misplaced distrust of the military and skepticism of their ideals. Their parents play a role in the military, so they tried to set things straight with me, and it was one of the most enlightening discussions I've had in a while. They helped me realize the fact that most of the people in the military join for the purpose of getting a good education, the discipline they need in maturing into the adult they want to become, or to selflessly serve their country as their predecessors had done before.
The media also tends to downplay the deaths and sacrifices these people make and focus on the human interest stories or events that will increase their ratings. It's gotten to the point where we believe that they are greater than they really are, or we believe that the majority, though in reality are the minority, of troops are violent, mindless pawns that obey every order given and kill more people than needed while saying that it's justified because they are doing it in the name of "keeping America safe".
But really, it's not entirely the military's fault. It's the individual's fault as well. But it's not even correct to leave it at that. War can really fuck with a person's mind, and can twist them into being an entirely different person. The government tends to screw over the veterans by turning their back on them and what they owe the veterans, whether it be psychiatric counseling to reintegrate them back into society. So it's like they are saying, "Thank you for your contribution to society, but we're still going to deny you your benefits." Yet, when Veteran's Day or Memorial Day rolls around, we thank them for the sacrifices they've made, as if we actually fully appreciated what they've done. It's bullshit. I feel ashamed to have ever looked down on the Veterans, and even more ashamed that our own government treats them like shit too.
Thanksgiving: This entire holiday is a joke. I've even dubbed this holiday, "The-Filler-Holiday-Until-Christmas-Comes-Around-Day". Think about it, what type of decorations start coming out not long after Halloween at department stores? Thanksgiving? HA! It's all about Christmas. Besides, what's so special about a freaking turkey dressed as a pilgrim and a fruit basket in the shape of a horn? Does anyone really celebrate how thankful they are of everything they have? Unless you are a kid who is being taught the story of the "First Thanksgiving", you aren't going to give a shit about the deeper meaning of the holiday and will pay more attention to the football game, the shitloads of food you're going to stuff yourself with, or the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which has freaking SANTA CLAUS making a guest appearance at. I mean, if that isn't enough evidence that Christmas holds a freaking monopoly over the span of two months, I don't know what is.
Hell, there should be a holiday for this holiday, in which we can appreciate this holiday itself, and making it feel appreciated for everything it does for us. But hey, I'm not going to bitch about the five-day weekend from school. That's the only worthwhile part of the holiday, so I'll enjoy it.
Okay, that's about all the time I have for this captured thought/inevitable rant.
Friday, November 5, 2010
iMedia: David Bowie's "Space Oddity"
Kids these days with their Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and flippy-haired auto-tuned melodies. As Iggy Pop would say, "Throw them to the lions!"
Their parents should have made them listen to some awesome, classic shit they listened to when they were young, because only then, when you fall asleep to these songs in the crib and have musical taste implemented in you when younger instead of letting Disney Channel or your friends make you think the crap that is popular now is real music you can find the retro and old to be freaking awesome. I don't know. They just need to get into at least one musical artist who created wonderful music before they were born, to be able to discern between what really defines artistic skill and what is just pure auto-tuning. I suppose it all depends on taste, but here is one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite musicians- "Space Oddity" by David Bowie.
Sadly, I did not grow up listening to his work, at least not knowingly, and I fell for some of that corporate popular crap occasionally when I was younger. Thankfully, my brother blasted Iron Maiden, Helloween, etc. when I worked on my homework when I was younger, and I remember loving "The Wall (Part 2)" by Pink Floyd when falling asleep to it on the radio, so I subconsciously got into good music. As one interest led to another I fell in love with Iggy Pop's music and ultimately David Bowie's. Let's just say that I'm one of those people who is a little bit late when it comes to liking popular things- like, decades late. I think the most current band I like now is Green Day, since during the American Idiot era. But even then, I only became hooked on them after listening to their International Superhits! CD, which had songs that were popular around 5 or more years prior to American Idiot. So, what can I do? I'm an old spirit at heart. I love retro media that kids go, "Ewwww... that's old and lame!" to.
Sadly, I did not grow up listening to his work, at least not knowingly, and I fell for some of that corporate popular crap occasionally when I was younger. Thankfully, my brother blasted Iron Maiden, Helloween, etc. when I worked on my homework when I was younger, and I remember loving "The Wall (Part 2)" by Pink Floyd when falling asleep to it on the radio, so I subconsciously got into good music. As one interest led to another I fell in love with Iggy Pop's music and ultimately David Bowie's. Let's just say that I'm one of those people who is a little bit late when it comes to liking popular things- like, decades late. I think the most current band I like now is Green Day, since during the American Idiot era. But even then, I only became hooked on them after listening to their International Superhits! CD, which had songs that were popular around 5 or more years prior to American Idiot. So, what can I do? I'm an old spirit at heart. I love retro media that kids go, "Ewwww... that's old and lame!" to.
P.S. I'm half-asleep as I type this, so don't be too offended if you find my writings offensive and non-sensical. I'm all cranky, ranty, and baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwww kids these days........
Best of Today: Maya Lin and the Vietnam War Memorial
To be honest, I still don't understand why that small minority of veterans from the Vietnam War were so opposed to how the memorial's design was designed. I did not even know that there had been any protest against it until watching the video today, but I thought the spokesperson against the design was irrational. I understand that he was bitter and disappointed in how he had been welcomed home by people spitting at him and yelling, but wouldn't you think after that, you'd be lucky to have any sort of remembrance of the fallen soldiers, instead of sweeping the war under the rug without acknowledging it much. I just truly do not get what his problem was.
It seems he wanted the glorification he expected to get by being a military man like in the days of World War II, and since he ended up getting the opposite he wanted to ruin it for everyone. But it still seemed selfish and childish of him to say either his own demands were met or there should be no memorial at all. It was even more childish that his group was being a bunch of assholes about the designer being Asian. It wasn't even like she wasn't born in America, or at least not naturalized at a young age, from what I detected from her accent.
Isn't it unfair to those who had actually lost their lives and their bereaved families that the fate of the monument that names each and every individual that had died would be in the hands of a small group that was being pissy over trivial things? I also believe that the flag and statue would take away from the simplicity and blunt statement that this monument brings to the public's eyes: these are the people who were sacrificed in a war that couldn't be won. War cannot be glorified by the public as it was in the past where Americans were shielded from the sights and horrors of what war truly is. Once people saw in the media some of the brutally graphic images that were created as a byproduct of war, people needed to contemplate on what they were really sacrificing, which was the soldiers' lives and their humanity as a minority became insane and committed crimes against humanity, like in the My Lai Massacre.
But what is sad is that these troops were a minority, yet the Americans at home treated all returning soldiers like shit, calling them baby killers and spitting in their faces, especially as they may have had no participation in any such inhumane activities and endured traumas that those protesters couldn't have imagined in their lifetime. My father told me that he saw soldiers being spat upon when he was returning home from the navy from that war, and how much it pissed him off that these protesters wrote off these people's sacrifices by giving them the holier-than-thou treatment. I used to feel that war is wrong, and that the people in the military were stupid to sacrifice themselves to be put in the position of being ordered to do things that go against their moral code, but I've come to realize that some of them had to make this decision to join the military as they had no other choice in obtaining a good education after high school unless they enlisted and served. They are truly courageous, and the protesters should focus on giving the government that gives the orders to the military crap if they are in disagreement, and leave the troops alone, or respect them at least.
It seems he wanted the glorification he expected to get by being a military man like in the days of World War II, and since he ended up getting the opposite he wanted to ruin it for everyone. But it still seemed selfish and childish of him to say either his own demands were met or there should be no memorial at all. It was even more childish that his group was being a bunch of assholes about the designer being Asian. It wasn't even like she wasn't born in America, or at least not naturalized at a young age, from what I detected from her accent.
Isn't it unfair to those who had actually lost their lives and their bereaved families that the fate of the monument that names each and every individual that had died would be in the hands of a small group that was being pissy over trivial things? I also believe that the flag and statue would take away from the simplicity and blunt statement that this monument brings to the public's eyes: these are the people who were sacrificed in a war that couldn't be won. War cannot be glorified by the public as it was in the past where Americans were shielded from the sights and horrors of what war truly is. Once people saw in the media some of the brutally graphic images that were created as a byproduct of war, people needed to contemplate on what they were really sacrificing, which was the soldiers' lives and their humanity as a minority became insane and committed crimes against humanity, like in the My Lai Massacre.
But what is sad is that these troops were a minority, yet the Americans at home treated all returning soldiers like shit, calling them baby killers and spitting in their faces, especially as they may have had no participation in any such inhumane activities and endured traumas that those protesters couldn't have imagined in their lifetime. My father told me that he saw soldiers being spat upon when he was returning home from the navy from that war, and how much it pissed him off that these protesters wrote off these people's sacrifices by giving them the holier-than-thou treatment. I used to feel that war is wrong, and that the people in the military were stupid to sacrifice themselves to be put in the position of being ordered to do things that go against their moral code, but I've come to realize that some of them had to make this decision to join the military as they had no other choice in obtaining a good education after high school unless they enlisted and served. They are truly courageous, and the protesters should focus on giving the government that gives the orders to the military crap if they are in disagreement, and leave the troops alone, or respect them at least.
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