Tuesday 31 March 2009
Bubbly!
Apparently that's the word of the day! I've been going around asking people to say one word about me, the first thing that comes to their mind. Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm bubbly, according to quite a few people... :)
Monday 30 March 2009
I am your friend :)
Oh, and if any of you ever feel down and alone (hopefully you don't), then I'm letting you know that I'm your friend and you'll never be alone again! :D So let's go dancing! Lots of London Love to All! :)
Finding the Key
Gotta love life's sense of humour... As I was walking home today, pondering over various projects that need to be done by the end of the week, I stopped at a bus stop, just cause I felt like it. I looked around me, on the ground, and I saw a tiny metal key. Sigh... This entire time I've been thinking about all my projects, but hey, maybe I just need to stop for a moment and I'll find the key to them all! Hehe, we'll see if that works. Or... I don't know, maybe the thought I was having at that exact moment was actually the key. Too bad I don't remember what it was! :S Yeah, I love taking seemingly random events as quite symbolic and non-coincidential.
... Then again, for someone who tends to find quite a bit of stuff (coins, bills, badges...) on the ground in general, maybe I shouldn't even consider the key incident as significant :) Ah, well. But on the note of finding things, I did find 2 pounds in the laundry machine yesterday-the person before me hadn't noticed it hehe; so I can certainly say that was the most exciting laundry duty ever :)
I'm off to actually do work on projects now instead of wasting time thinking about key findings.
... Then again, for someone who tends to find quite a bit of stuff (coins, bills, badges...) on the ground in general, maybe I shouldn't even consider the key incident as significant :) Ah, well. But on the note of finding things, I did find 2 pounds in the laundry machine yesterday-the person before me hadn't noticed it hehe; so I can certainly say that was the most exciting laundry duty ever :)
I'm off to actually do work on projects now instead of wasting time thinking about key findings.
Sunday 29 March 2009
Do the walk of life!
In the light of recent events/thoughts, I remembered this song... Makes me wanna do the walk of life! Hehe :)
The Hours
Several minutes ago, we lost an hour. The clock here skipped 1a.m. and now I feel like I was robbed of precious sleep :( Sigh...
Symbolic, isn't it: The Earth won an Hour, now we all lose an hour. It's only fair, right?
Well, iTunes decided to play this totally awesome tune upon the turn of the missed hour:
Symbolic, isn't it: The Earth won an Hour, now we all lose an hour. It's only fair, right?
Well, iTunes decided to play this totally awesome tune upon the turn of the missed hour:
Saturday 28 March 2009
What a Turn Off...
8:15 p.m. I walk out of Westminster station. Rumour has it the London Eye will 'close' at 8:30 p.m. for Earth Hour. It's cold and those fifteen minutes seem to last forever. Big Ben shines proudly.
The London Eye and the County Hall also glimmer in an array of colors. A party boat floats by.
8:30 p.m. Big Ben strikes once, then is muffled and dissolves into the darkness. Lights off.
The London Eye still shines, shines on...
8:45 p.m. The Eye finally 'shuts', only to me it didn't seem like a proper switch off... By then I had already started walking towards Trafalgar and took a shot of the Eye from a different angle.
8:50 p.m. I reach Trafalgar. General Nelson peers from the top of a dark, dark column. I hope he can still see the sea...
9:00 p.m. After my disappointment at the partial switch off at the London Eye, there was only one other landmark whose turn off would have made up for that. And it did. The one place, so iconic with its flashy lights and moving signs... now looked dull and dark. It was the first time I had seen Piccadilly that dark and empty. One would almost think that the Piccadilly lights attract people like moths :) No lights, no crowds.
The following half hour of Earth Hour I spent walking around a bit more, had dinner, and went back home at 10:30p.m. All lights are back on, and someone's having a really loud party - blasting 'Thriller' and singing along! Makes me wanna dance again! Woohoo!
The London Eye and the County Hall also glimmer in an array of colors. A party boat floats by.
8:30 p.m. Big Ben strikes once, then is muffled and dissolves into the darkness. Lights off.
The London Eye still shines, shines on...
8:45 p.m. The Eye finally 'shuts', only to me it didn't seem like a proper switch off... By then I had already started walking towards Trafalgar and took a shot of the Eye from a different angle.
8:50 p.m. I reach Trafalgar. General Nelson peers from the top of a dark, dark column. I hope he can still see the sea...
9:00 p.m. After my disappointment at the partial switch off at the London Eye, there was only one other landmark whose turn off would have made up for that. And it did. The one place, so iconic with its flashy lights and moving signs... now looked dull and dark. It was the first time I had seen Piccadilly that dark and empty. One would almost think that the Piccadilly lights attract people like moths :) No lights, no crowds.
The following half hour of Earth Hour I spent walking around a bit more, had dinner, and went back home at 10:30p.m. All lights are back on, and someone's having a really loud party - blasting 'Thriller' and singing along! Makes me wanna dance again! Woohoo!
Global Events
1. The G20 Summit which will be held on April 2 in London has sparked off a shockwave of protests around the world. Thousands of activists are marching in Central London as I type, under a cause by the name of "Put People First". True, their website does look more like a pop music or artsy page, but their case is quite serious. The main idea behind the protest is to remind the G20 leaders to not forget the needs of the 'common people' when discussing issues like the global financial crisis, climate change, and the future of the world as we know it. This entire week, up till April 2, is expected to be a very roudy, red-alert time for London; police and authorities fear violence will inevitably rise. Still, I think I'll pass by Hyde Park in the afternoon to see the end of the demonstration; I haven't heard of any outbursts of violence yet. And of course, after a long day of protesting, everyone will go to the Official Put People First Pub Afterparty! Food, drinks, and a special observation of ...
2. Earth Hour! Tonight, 8:30-9:30pm, everywhere... No Lights Allowed! I'll be in central to see London in the dark. Join in, switch off your lights!
3. G20-related protests are also on in Germany, Austria, France, Spain ...... World, hold on!
2. Earth Hour! Tonight, 8:30-9:30pm, everywhere... No Lights Allowed! I'll be in central to see London in the dark. Join in, switch off your lights!
3. G20-related protests are also on in Germany, Austria, France, Spain ...... World, hold on!
Friday 27 March 2009
Another long day...
Fridays are notable for their total randomness - most of my fun adventures happen on Fridays... Well, this Friday began early in the morning after 3 puny hours of sleep, only the interesting stuff didn't begin till after my 3-hour MidEast class.
My task of the day was to submit yet another internship application, for the Ogilvy Summer School (which sounds amazing!). Deadline? Today of course. What does Marty do? Gambles with time :) I had everything printed and ready at around 3:30pm after a bit of a hectic time, naturally. My grand plan was to hand-deliver the application to their office in shiny Canary Wharf. I love Canary Wharf. It feels like NYC! :D (And I love NYC!)
... After dropping off the application, I decided to walk around the area - I don't get to go to the financial centre of London very often. Sadly, the Wharf is smallish, and pretty soon I was walking towards some dodgy looking east London areas. I was the only girl out on the street; everyone else was either male or, erm, driving a car. No pedestrians. And everyone turned around and stared at me as I walked by. A sensible individual would have probably taken the bus, yet I couldn't even do that as I had no credit on my Oyster card and no money in my pocket. So I kept walking.
Eventually I saw a street sign - Commercial Street. Hmm, that sounded awfully familiar. Oh yeah, I was in Whitechapel. Commercial Street? A famous character by the name of Jack ripped quite a bit in that area. Great. That explained the dodginess of the place. At least it was still sunny. I saw the great Gherkinesque silhouette of the famous Swiss Bank building on the horizon! Aha! I knew the Gherkin marked the end of the creepy Whitechapel area...
I walked down the entire Commercial Street, it was interesting to see that different side of London. And then I entered the City of London - the Gherkin, the Lloyds building, and a whole lot of other impressive buildings... and people on the streets! Whew, the scary-ish part was over. (As a side note, I believe today I was especially cautious and suspicious of everyone because of a really disturbing film I saw yesterday which will likely give me nightmares for the next few weeks...)
The shiny curves of the Swiss Bank building made my lips curve into a smile :) Today was actually the first time I'd seen it from up close. I thought it would be awesome to get a magazine and go into the cafe inside the building, read a bit, and sip cappuccino at the famous site. I was on the lookout for a magazine stand in the area, but I didn't find one... instead, I stumbled upon a Revolution bar. The security guard there invited me to go in (hehe, even though I didn't have my ID on me). I decided to have a drink since I was there anyway - it would count almost as a realization of my 'coffee at the Gherkin plan'... only it would be 'cocktail at the Rev bar by the Gherkin'. Worked for me.
The place was packed! (it was barely 6pm by the way) And everyone seemed to know each other... I was chillin' alone, and eventually talked to a couple of people. When I finally asked how come everyone knew each other - was that a regular hang out spot for all employees of the area? ... the guy replied, 'It's someone's birthday'
Whoops. I had crashed their party..and had managed to skip the guest list guy somehow. On that note, I gracefully showed myself out.
My walk continued through the City of Londontown. Saw some more landmarks, including the monument commemorating the Great Fire of London which started spreading from a bakery on Pudding Lane... cute but devastating. At that point, at 7:00pm, I was tired and hopped on the tube back home (I finally had the chance to top up my Oyster using my Lloyds card).
On the tube I sat next to this gentleman from South Africa with whom we started chatting about various topics. He said he'd heard good things about the Bulgarian seaside. I said I didn't like it anymore because of all the hotels and construction... changed the topic, and eventually came back to the Bulgarian theme - he said he's seen pictures of our seaside. His wife, apparently, is part of the development and planning team for a hotel on the Black Sea Coast. Whoops №2 of the evening... It's a freakin' small world! I don't know why he didn't mention that detail about his wife before I offended 'her kind' haha. Oh well :)
We both got off at Earl's Court and walked our separate ways.
It's a small world.
So that was my Friday, complete with action, suspense, comedy and irony...
My task of the day was to submit yet another internship application, for the Ogilvy Summer School (which sounds amazing!). Deadline? Today of course. What does Marty do? Gambles with time :) I had everything printed and ready at around 3:30pm after a bit of a hectic time, naturally. My grand plan was to hand-deliver the application to their office in shiny Canary Wharf. I love Canary Wharf. It feels like NYC! :D (And I love NYC!)
... After dropping off the application, I decided to walk around the area - I don't get to go to the financial centre of London very often. Sadly, the Wharf is smallish, and pretty soon I was walking towards some dodgy looking east London areas. I was the only girl out on the street; everyone else was either male or, erm, driving a car. No pedestrians. And everyone turned around and stared at me as I walked by. A sensible individual would have probably taken the bus, yet I couldn't even do that as I had no credit on my Oyster card and no money in my pocket. So I kept walking.
Eventually I saw a street sign - Commercial Street. Hmm, that sounded awfully familiar. Oh yeah, I was in Whitechapel. Commercial Street? A famous character by the name of Jack ripped quite a bit in that area. Great. That explained the dodginess of the place. At least it was still sunny. I saw the great Gherkinesque silhouette of the famous Swiss Bank building on the horizon! Aha! I knew the Gherkin marked the end of the creepy Whitechapel area...
I walked down the entire Commercial Street, it was interesting to see that different side of London. And then I entered the City of London - the Gherkin, the Lloyds building, and a whole lot of other impressive buildings... and people on the streets! Whew, the scary-ish part was over. (As a side note, I believe today I was especially cautious and suspicious of everyone because of a really disturbing film I saw yesterday which will likely give me nightmares for the next few weeks...)
The shiny curves of the Swiss Bank building made my lips curve into a smile :) Today was actually the first time I'd seen it from up close. I thought it would be awesome to get a magazine and go into the cafe inside the building, read a bit, and sip cappuccino at the famous site. I was on the lookout for a magazine stand in the area, but I didn't find one... instead, I stumbled upon a Revolution bar. The security guard there invited me to go in (hehe, even though I didn't have my ID on me). I decided to have a drink since I was there anyway - it would count almost as a realization of my 'coffee at the Gherkin plan'... only it would be 'cocktail at the Rev bar by the Gherkin'. Worked for me.
The place was packed! (it was barely 6pm by the way) And everyone seemed to know each other... I was chillin' alone, and eventually talked to a couple of people. When I finally asked how come everyone knew each other - was that a regular hang out spot for all employees of the area? ... the guy replied, 'It's someone's birthday'
Whoops. I had crashed their party..and had managed to skip the guest list guy somehow. On that note, I gracefully showed myself out.
My walk continued through the City of Londontown. Saw some more landmarks, including the monument commemorating the Great Fire of London which started spreading from a bakery on Pudding Lane... cute but devastating. At that point, at 7:00pm, I was tired and hopped on the tube back home (I finally had the chance to top up my Oyster using my Lloyds card).
On the tube I sat next to this gentleman from South Africa with whom we started chatting about various topics. He said he'd heard good things about the Bulgarian seaside. I said I didn't like it anymore because of all the hotels and construction... changed the topic, and eventually came back to the Bulgarian theme - he said he's seen pictures of our seaside. His wife, apparently, is part of the development and planning team for a hotel on the Black Sea Coast. Whoops №2 of the evening... It's a freakin' small world! I don't know why he didn't mention that detail about his wife before I offended 'her kind' haha. Oh well :)
We both got off at Earl's Court and walked our separate ways.
It's a small world.
So that was my Friday, complete with action, suspense, comedy and irony...
Break Even (among others)
This song has been looping on the radio way too many times, so it's stuck in my head now... Therefore, I need to post it on here :)
The Script are pretty hot here now... (hence they keep coming up on the radio)
And here's their other song, which is technically their famous breakthrough act...
Okay, it's not my fault that the following song also just came up on the radio... Lily Allen is everywhere! Her songs grow on you, and before you know it, you feel like singing along! (except you can't quite do that when your roommates are sleeping and technically all of London is sleeping, and you're one of the few people who are unable to fall asleep because of a nap you took earlier in the evening... oh well.) At least I'm having a good time! :D Here's Lily anyway :)
The Script are pretty hot here now... (hence they keep coming up on the radio)
And here's their other song, which is technically their famous breakthrough act...
Okay, it's not my fault that the following song also just came up on the radio... Lily Allen is everywhere! Her songs grow on you, and before you know it, you feel like singing along! (except you can't quite do that when your roommates are sleeping and technically all of London is sleeping, and you're one of the few people who are unable to fall asleep because of a nap you took earlier in the evening... oh well.) At least I'm having a good time! :D Here's Lily anyway :)
Прауд ту би ъ уомън? :)
Ето що е то 'жена' според поредното изследване (ето тук се подвизава оригиналната статия):
"Една четвърт от жените предпочитат да спечелят реалити шоуто "Следващият супермодел на Америка", отколкото Нобелова награда, показва проучване, проведено по поръчка на американската телевизия "Оксиджен".
И макар 75% от жените в изследването да твърдят, че биха си обръснали главата, за да спасят живота на непознат, всяка четвърта заявява, че би предпочела най-добрата й приятелка да е дебела цял живот, ако това означава, че тя самата ще е слаба, пише Ройтерс.
Що се отнася до вековната дилема дали да се омъжат за богат или за красавец, половината от жените на възраст между 18 и 24 години отсичат, че биха взели грозен мъж, но мултимилионер.
Изследването обаче показало още, че 88% от дамите между 18 и 34 години биха се отказали от мобилния си телефон, бижу или грим, за да запазят приятелство.
"Това проучване представлява интересна дисекция на днешната жена и как тя свързва собствения си образ с ценните за нея неща в живота," казва психотерапевтът д-р Джен Берман.
Както показват резултатите, днешната жена е сложна смесица от алтруизъм и материализъм, суета и несигурност, лоялност и егоцентризъм."
"Една четвърт от жените предпочитат да спечелят реалити шоуто "Следващият супермодел на Америка", отколкото Нобелова награда, показва проучване, проведено по поръчка на американската телевизия "Оксиджен".
И макар 75% от жените в изследването да твърдят, че биха си обръснали главата, за да спасят живота на непознат, всяка четвърта заявява, че би предпочела най-добрата й приятелка да е дебела цял живот, ако това означава, че тя самата ще е слаба, пише Ройтерс.
Що се отнася до вековната дилема дали да се омъжат за богат или за красавец, половината от жените на възраст между 18 и 24 години отсичат, че биха взели грозен мъж, но мултимилионер.
Изследването обаче показало още, че 88% от дамите между 18 и 34 години биха се отказали от мобилния си телефон, бижу или грим, за да запазят приятелство.
"Това проучване представлява интересна дисекция на днешната жена и как тя свързва собствения си образ с ценните за нея неща в живота," казва психотерапевтът д-р Джен Берман.
Както показват резултатите, днешната жена е сложна смесица от алтруизъм и материализъм, суета и несигурност, лоялност и егоцентризъм."
Thursday 26 March 2009
F*** My Life
A rather new craze which has sent the world ablaze - everyone seems to love it! What better way for utter entertainment than LOL-ing and ROFL-ing at other people's misery? Hey, at least it shows you're not the only one whose life seems uber messed up at times :) Have a laugh about it. And if you think you're worthy of a spot on FML, why not submit your own FML experience? We've all had plenty of those... After all, it's always better to share your crazy story and laugh with the entire world than to sit alone and sulk in depression because your life's just effed up :)
**
And that song might somewhat go with the theme... (plus I'm still mildly obsessed with it):
***
And a second addition to this post... Naughty Britney's pun-powered song, 'If You Seek Amy'... ahem, to quote the lyrics "all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy" (say it out loud and gasp:) The song's title was changed to 'If You See Amy' to avoid the not-so-obscure obscenity...
Right.
**
And that song might somewhat go with the theme... (plus I'm still mildly obsessed with it):
***
And a second addition to this post... Naughty Britney's pun-powered song, 'If You Seek Amy'... ahem, to quote the lyrics "all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy" (say it out loud and gasp:) The song's title was changed to 'If You See Amy' to avoid the not-so-obscure obscenity...
Right.
Wednesday 25 March 2009
Vielen Dank fuer die Blumen...
Apparently there is a recurring theme of nostalgia/childhood memories and cartoons in the past few blog entries. On board that same train of thought, here's Tom & Jerry's intro in German... fun fact: 'Vielen Dank fuer die Blumen' was the first German phrase I ever learned :) Thank you, Tom & Jerry, Hannah & Barbara, old satellite dish on the roof, etc. etc. etc.
Захаросана носталгия
В едно кафе днес видях захаросани прасковки. От доста време насам не бях забелязвала този изтънчен деликатес, камо ли пък по английските земи. Изпаднах в нещо като умиление и си взех една розова прасковка...
Спомням си как преди доста години, като бях на 7-8, с баба всеки ден минавахме през една пекарна на ул. Шишман, където безспорно правиха най-прекрасните захаросани праскови в реален размер, тоест точно с размера на плода :) Умирах си от удоволствие, докато захарта хрускаше и се топеше в устата ми... а пък пълнежа на прасковката ме изпълваше с възторг...
От тази пекарна, с чиято собственичка си бяхме едва ли не рода, купувах и кравайчета от време на време, като им свършваха прасковките. :)
Ех, хубави бяха времената на скаличките, филиите с лютеница и сирене, варената царевица по улицата (баба винаги ми купуваше варена царевица от Графа и се наслаждаваше на няколкото минути тишина, докато аз оглозгвах кочана до дупка - оттогава асоциирам царевицата с мълчание), дъвки 'Турбо', течен шоколад в тубичка 'Мечо' (или май Мечо е пастата за зъби?) и други...
А сега какво, пица на парче и дюнер? Не е същото, драги, просто не е същото...
И така... това беше писание на обедно-хранителна тематика, но пък и на разни носталгични спомени от детството :)
Хайде сега напред към светлото бъдеще!
Спомням си как преди доста години, като бях на 7-8, с баба всеки ден минавахме през една пекарна на ул. Шишман, където безспорно правиха най-прекрасните захаросани праскови в реален размер, тоест точно с размера на плода :) Умирах си от удоволствие, докато захарта хрускаше и се топеше в устата ми... а пък пълнежа на прасковката ме изпълваше с възторг...
От тази пекарна, с чиято собственичка си бяхме едва ли не рода, купувах и кравайчета от време на време, като им свършваха прасковките. :)
Ех, хубави бяха времената на скаличките, филиите с лютеница и сирене, варената царевица по улицата (баба винаги ми купуваше варена царевица от Графа и се наслаждаваше на няколкото минути тишина, докато аз оглозгвах кочана до дупка - оттогава асоциирам царевицата с мълчание), дъвки 'Турбо', течен шоколад в тубичка 'Мечо' (или май Мечо е пастата за зъби?) и други...
А сега какво, пица на парче и дюнер? Не е същото, драги, просто не е същото...
И така... това беше писание на обедно-хранителна тематика, но пък и на разни носталгични спомени от детството :)
Хайде сега напред към светлото бъдеще!
Tuesday 24 March 2009
Design, Music, and Turtles
It's amazing how much one can learn in just one day... I'm not saying that I've learned something groundbreakingly profound today, but I've certainly expanded my knowledge of random trivia and graphic designers, for one.
Let me begin by sharing some of the knowledge we acquired today in Advanced Graphics...
1. A name which anyone with an interest in graphic design, and particularly in film poster/title design, should know is that of Saul Bass. Genius. His prolific influence in that field is amazing. What we see in film title sequences today would not have been possible had Bass not broken out of the box of traditional film design... Here are some examples.
Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Inspired by Bass: Catch Me if You Can
Inspired by Bass: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Classic by Bass: PSYCHO (1960)
Watching the title sequence just now made me realize something! Listen to the music from 00:30 onwards... remind you of something? Yep, you guessed it! Busta Rhymes, caught in the act of plagiarism! :) I may be the last person on Earth to realize that, but at least give me some credit on figuring that one out on my own :)Here's 'Gimma Some More', for comparison. (not the official video though)
That note was technically an incidental addition to the list of today's random trivia. Now, to continue with a couple of more graphic design bits.
2. Peter Saville designed album covers for Joy Division. The band changed its name to New Order when the vocalist/guitarist passed away. (The music video I had posted a couple of days back, 'Blue Monday', was by New Order). Back to Saville: he designed the cover of the album 'Power, Corruption, and Lies' (1983) using a 19th century floral painting as the background, and hardly any text... later on he had to add the band name and album title... But note the little sequence of squares in the top right-hand corner of the CD. This is actually an encrypted message written in a special color-code language that Saville developed specifically for this project. The secret encoding reads 'FACT 75'.
A classmate of mine shared that piece of info in his presentation today, but I found another source of cool cryptic CD cover info.
3. Deborah Sussman - one designer I had to present on - is amazing!! If you like innovative spatial design, color explosions, and truly inspirational works of design and architecture, take a look at her website (at the moment, you can only download their info leaflet, but it's totally worth checkin it out).
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And I think that's it for now... Last but not least, on the note of old cartoons again. This time it's the Ninja Turtles wohoo! Did you know that in Germany, the classic cartoon is not called 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' but rather 'Teenage Mutant HERO Turtles'. I was looking at some old cartoon intro videos and noticed that... at first it shattered my world and all my beliefs that those are the NINJA turtles. I thought I had been delusional all my life! But no, thankfully, I wasn't completely delusional.
And apparently it wasn't just the Germans who did that name change. Here's a little something from Wiki re: NINJA vs HERO Turtles ->
"Upon TMNT's first arrival in the United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Poland, Austria and Germany, the name was changed to "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles" (or TMHT, for short), since local censorship policies deemed the word ninja to have excessively violent connotations for a children's program. (In Ireland, however, the first season aired as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" before changing to "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles".)[14] Consequently, everything related to the Turtles had to be renamed before being released in these nations (comic books, video games, toys, etc.) The lyrics were also changed, such as changing "Splinter taught them to be ninja teens" to the "Splinter taught them to be fighting teens."
The policies also had other effects, such as removing use of Michaelangelo's nunchaku (which were at the time banned from appearing in even 18-rated movies) and generally toning down the usage of all the turtles' weapons. After many seasons of never using his nunchaku, they eventually disappeared entirely, replaced by a turtle shell shaped grappling hook called the "Turtle Line".
However, when the live-action movie came out in 1990, the "Ninja" of the title was kept even in the UK. In time, nunchaku scenes were retained in previously-censored movies such as those of Bruce Lee.
By the time of the 2003 TV series, these censorship policies had been abolished, and no changes have occurred in the content of the show. The name "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" remained unchanged for the 2003 TV series. As a result, in the UK, the 1987 TV series is still called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and the 2003 TV series is called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, hence a disambiguation between the two TV series."
----
And with that, ladies and gentlemen, I conclude tonight's session of 'Random trivia you may (or may not necessarily) have been interested to know'.
Time for me to go to bed and catch up on sleep.
Let me begin by sharing some of the knowledge we acquired today in Advanced Graphics...
1. A name which anyone with an interest in graphic design, and particularly in film poster/title design, should know is that of Saul Bass. Genius. His prolific influence in that field is amazing. What we see in film title sequences today would not have been possible had Bass not broken out of the box of traditional film design... Here are some examples.
Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Inspired by Bass: Catch Me if You Can
Inspired by Bass: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Classic by Bass: PSYCHO (1960)
Watching the title sequence just now made me realize something! Listen to the music from 00:30 onwards... remind you of something? Yep, you guessed it! Busta Rhymes, caught in the act of plagiarism! :) I may be the last person on Earth to realize that, but at least give me some credit on figuring that one out on my own :)Here's 'Gimma Some More', for comparison. (not the official video though)
That note was technically an incidental addition to the list of today's random trivia. Now, to continue with a couple of more graphic design bits.
2. Peter Saville designed album covers for Joy Division. The band changed its name to New Order when the vocalist/guitarist passed away. (The music video I had posted a couple of days back, 'Blue Monday', was by New Order). Back to Saville: he designed the cover of the album 'Power, Corruption, and Lies' (1983) using a 19th century floral painting as the background, and hardly any text... later on he had to add the band name and album title... But note the little sequence of squares in the top right-hand corner of the CD. This is actually an encrypted message written in a special color-code language that Saville developed specifically for this project. The secret encoding reads 'FACT 75'.
A classmate of mine shared that piece of info in his presentation today, but I found another source of cool cryptic CD cover info.
3. Deborah Sussman - one designer I had to present on - is amazing!! If you like innovative spatial design, color explosions, and truly inspirational works of design and architecture, take a look at her website (at the moment, you can only download their info leaflet, but it's totally worth checkin it out).
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb23OuF9E56cVIZ0sYXRW4rO5iksCaqewNWIJFAybAQ25lh8PwILb8aHPL1Ro9aD4J11ONodTyr-YadHdsYFGlJMFeM1OEogQAxH2IU14Z26gin2ymLTbe9N8zeIF-GrhAvJr-yJn-zycO/s1600-h/Fullscreen+capture+24032009+010436.bmp.jpg">
And I think that's it for now... Last but not least, on the note of old cartoons again. This time it's the Ninja Turtles wohoo! Did you know that in Germany, the classic cartoon is not called 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' but rather 'Teenage Mutant HERO Turtles'. I was looking at some old cartoon intro videos and noticed that... at first it shattered my world and all my beliefs that those are the NINJA turtles. I thought I had been delusional all my life! But no, thankfully, I wasn't completely delusional.
And apparently it wasn't just the Germans who did that name change. Here's a little something from Wiki re: NINJA vs HERO Turtles ->
"Upon TMNT's first arrival in the United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Poland, Austria and Germany, the name was changed to "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles" (or TMHT, for short), since local censorship policies deemed the word ninja to have excessively violent connotations for a children's program. (In Ireland, however, the first season aired as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" before changing to "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles".)[14] Consequently, everything related to the Turtles had to be renamed before being released in these nations (comic books, video games, toys, etc.) The lyrics were also changed, such as changing "Splinter taught them to be ninja teens" to the "Splinter taught them to be fighting teens."
The policies also had other effects, such as removing use of Michaelangelo's nunchaku (which were at the time banned from appearing in even 18-rated movies) and generally toning down the usage of all the turtles' weapons. After many seasons of never using his nunchaku, they eventually disappeared entirely, replaced by a turtle shell shaped grappling hook called the "Turtle Line".
However, when the live-action movie came out in 1990, the "Ninja" of the title was kept even in the UK. In time, nunchaku scenes were retained in previously-censored movies such as those of Bruce Lee.
By the time of the 2003 TV series, these censorship policies had been abolished, and no changes have occurred in the content of the show. The name "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" remained unchanged for the 2003 TV series. As a result, in the UK, the 1987 TV series is still called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and the 2003 TV series is called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, hence a disambiguation between the two TV series."
----
And with that, ladies and gentlemen, I conclude tonight's session of 'Random trivia you may (or may not necessarily) have been interested to know'.
Time for me to go to bed and catch up on sleep.
Monday 23 March 2009
So much for Spring...
Ironic, isn't it, that on the first day of 'astronomical spring' the gorgeous sunny London weather decides to give way to the usual rain and gloom all over. Perfect timing, I must say.
Today I found £20 on the floor of a tube station. Felt lucky :) I decided to give them away though, eventually, passing on their luckiness to a book seller. In exchange I got a book called London Calling - exciting stuff about 'high art and low culture in London from 1968 till today'. So you could say, London gave me the money and I gave it back to London. The rain came after that. I hope I didn't cause the rain... Hmmm.
Oh well, it's time to get on with Advanced Graphics now, Tomorrow's an important class day. Sigh.
Deadlines are all over the place. Seriously. Let's get kicking!
If it rains too much, there is a chance (acc. to the cheesy movie Flood which I couldn't even bear to watch to the end) that London will be flooded by the Great River Thames. So far that's not a threat... but, you know, it's predictions like these that make me grateful we live on the third floor and farther from the river...
Today I found £20 on the floor of a tube station. Felt lucky :) I decided to give them away though, eventually, passing on their luckiness to a book seller. In exchange I got a book called London Calling - exciting stuff about 'high art and low culture in London from 1968 till today'. So you could say, London gave me the money and I gave it back to London. The rain came after that. I hope I didn't cause the rain... Hmmm.
Oh well, it's time to get on with Advanced Graphics now, Tomorrow's an important class day. Sigh.
Deadlines are all over the place. Seriously. Let's get kicking!
If it rains too much, there is a chance (acc. to the cheesy movie Flood which I couldn't even bear to watch to the end) that London will be flooded by the Great River Thames. So far that's not a threat... but, you know, it's predictions like these that make me grateful we live on the third floor and farther from the river...
Sunday 22 March 2009
I Just Can't Get Enough!
As I was walking back from campus this evening, I was listening to my trusty ipod shuffle, naturally, and this song came up... and it made me happy :D
Now I'm thinking about May 18 and Depeche in Sofia!! Can't wait! :))
Oh, and something reminded me of this video recently... a video that also makes me happy with its craziness and the awkwardness of the poor puppy... New Order alright!
I was going to post another video, but youtube keeps saying it's not available in my country, so I'm angry now. Anyway, guess I'll just watch the Blue Monday video and become happy again :)
Now I'm thinking about May 18 and Depeche in Sofia!! Can't wait! :))
Oh, and something reminded me of this video recently... a video that also makes me happy with its craziness and the awkwardness of the poor puppy... New Order alright!
I was going to post another video, but youtube keeps saying it's not available in my country, so I'm angry now. Anyway, guess I'll just watch the Blue Monday video and become happy again :)
Camden on a Sunday
First off, I need to say once more how exhilarating the gorgeous London weather is. Sunshine, warmth, and happy people all around!
On a sunny Sunday like, staying home studying is downright unnatural. Solution: go down to Camden town for some crowd-dodging and shopping.
It's always a unique experience, going to Camden. I'm getting quite used to it, though, as in the past two weeks I've been up there three times (and counting). Sundays are definitely the most crowded days; you can hardly see the sidewalk from all the people around you! Also, you get cross-eyed from the eclectic mix of styles, fashion, anti-fashion, colors, personalities, and cultures in the area.
Today I went there with a purpose in mind: to do some clothes shopping... it's one of the very few times I've actually gone anywhere with that particular goal. Exciting stuff! Jess and I walked over all the markets, looking for 'stuff' for me.
In the end, our adventure was successful and I came back home £84 lighter and with a few bags of fun new clothes and stuff to try on. I hate how much of a compulsive shopper I am... sigh. But I did get a couple of discounts at several stalls... and I was going to get loads of free stuff had I agreed to marry a pervy guy from Nepal who refered to me as the "chicka-chicka-boom-boom" lady... Haha. He gave me a discount, which is all I wanted :) No marriage yet.
Ah, Camden... always an adventure! Still haven't run into dear Amy Winehouse there... though we did see a guy in a banana suit (seemed a bit inappropriate that he was handing out Cancer Research leaflets).
On a sunny Sunday like, staying home studying is downright unnatural. Solution: go down to Camden town for some crowd-dodging and shopping.
It's always a unique experience, going to Camden. I'm getting quite used to it, though, as in the past two weeks I've been up there three times (and counting). Sundays are definitely the most crowded days; you can hardly see the sidewalk from all the people around you! Also, you get cross-eyed from the eclectic mix of styles, fashion, anti-fashion, colors, personalities, and cultures in the area.
Today I went there with a purpose in mind: to do some clothes shopping... it's one of the very few times I've actually gone anywhere with that particular goal. Exciting stuff! Jess and I walked over all the markets, looking for 'stuff' for me.
In the end, our adventure was successful and I came back home £84 lighter and with a few bags of fun new clothes and stuff to try on. I hate how much of a compulsive shopper I am... sigh. But I did get a couple of discounts at several stalls... and I was going to get loads of free stuff had I agreed to marry a pervy guy from Nepal who refered to me as the "chicka-chicka-boom-boom" lady... Haha. He gave me a discount, which is all I wanted :) No marriage yet.
Ah, Camden... always an adventure! Still haven't run into dear Amy Winehouse there... though we did see a guy in a banana suit (seemed a bit inappropriate that he was handing out Cancer Research leaflets).
Saturday 21 March 2009
Playing for Change
Seen as change is undoubtedly The Word of the Moment, I thought it would be cool to post this video which I came across."Playing for Change" is such an inspirational idea, uniting people of the world through music. Then again, what better unifying force is there anyway? :) The aim of the organization/film is to promote peace and love around the planet, across cultures, through the magic of music.
While I'm posting a video from way back in November 2008, this topic is still fresh at the moment because the second Playing for Change DVD is coming up in April 2009! Enjoy! :)
While I'm posting a video from way back in November 2008, this topic is still fresh at the moment because the second Playing for Change DVD is coming up in April 2009! Enjoy! :)
A note on existentialism...
Saturday started off rather peacefully, with a walk to the local post office to pick up a package, and then breakfast at a French cafe nearby. Since I didn't have a companion at the cafe, I reverted to reading the press and some magazines.
An article on Existentialism caught my attention. I had never been particularly fond of existentialist thought; to me it seemed absurd to say that nothing has a meaning, that existence is futile, and that we do not leave anything behind us: in a nutshell, that life has no point.
But today, as I was reading, I thought this philosophy is more true than we'd like to believe. Although I'd still wish that at least something I do will matter to others, in the great scale of things my acts will be no more significant than those of a centipede crawling about or a rabbit chewing on a carrot... The whole idea of 'destined for greatness' could not be any more far from truth. We are little people living in our little worlds. That's that.
And you know what, that's probably one of the most liberating thoughts ever! Technically, if you know that your actions are microscopically important for the works of the Universe, then so much pressure is lifted from you. Even those of us who do become famous and project a great deal of influence, beit political, financial, or social, are still fairly insignificant.
Hmm... I remember reading Camus' Stranger back in 2006. Back then I thought the book was utterly depressing; when I finished it and the author made it clear that everything was insignificant and human existence is nothing more than a speck of time wasted on Earth, I almost felt betrayed (ironically, I was expecting a truly meaningful revelation at the end of the novel). Well, today I think I would appreciate the book more. I am beginning to see why Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus and all other existentialists remain as some of the most highly revered philosophers of all time!
So, existentialism is still in the 'depressing' category of philophies in my classification, yet at the same time it has made me think about life, decisions and mistakes. Applying existentialist thought to everyday situations, one could argue that even if you do something that seems as a grave mistake at the time, it wouldn't really matter in the great scale of Everything; similarly, 'great' achievements are not all that great.
Conclusion? Just live your life! It's practically your only chance to do anything... And whatever you do will most likely only matter to you, maybe your family and friends; and before you know it, no one will remember what you did. Alright, then feel free, do what you want to do, don't take life too seriously, and enjoy your allocated gameplay time on Earth :)
An article on Existentialism caught my attention. I had never been particularly fond of existentialist thought; to me it seemed absurd to say that nothing has a meaning, that existence is futile, and that we do not leave anything behind us: in a nutshell, that life has no point.
But today, as I was reading, I thought this philosophy is more true than we'd like to believe. Although I'd still wish that at least something I do will matter to others, in the great scale of things my acts will be no more significant than those of a centipede crawling about or a rabbit chewing on a carrot... The whole idea of 'destined for greatness' could not be any more far from truth. We are little people living in our little worlds. That's that.
And you know what, that's probably one of the most liberating thoughts ever! Technically, if you know that your actions are microscopically important for the works of the Universe, then so much pressure is lifted from you. Even those of us who do become famous and project a great deal of influence, beit political, financial, or social, are still fairly insignificant.
Hmm... I remember reading Camus' Stranger back in 2006. Back then I thought the book was utterly depressing; when I finished it and the author made it clear that everything was insignificant and human existence is nothing more than a speck of time wasted on Earth, I almost felt betrayed (ironically, I was expecting a truly meaningful revelation at the end of the novel). Well, today I think I would appreciate the book more. I am beginning to see why Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus and all other existentialists remain as some of the most highly revered philosophers of all time!
So, existentialism is still in the 'depressing' category of philophies in my classification, yet at the same time it has made me think about life, decisions and mistakes. Applying existentialist thought to everyday situations, one could argue that even if you do something that seems as a grave mistake at the time, it wouldn't really matter in the great scale of Everything; similarly, 'great' achievements are not all that great.
Conclusion? Just live your life! It's practically your only chance to do anything... And whatever you do will most likely only matter to you, maybe your family and friends; and before you know it, no one will remember what you did. Alright, then feel free, do what you want to do, don't take life too seriously, and enjoy your allocated gameplay time on Earth :)
Friday 20 March 2009
Sunny Captain Crunch?
Seriously? They really have a Superhero who gives people advice on the Credit Crunch, cleverly named 'Captain Crunch'? ... Oh, the Sun... They sure know how to brighten credit-challenged Brits' days...
Captain Crunch
He'll help you solve the...
Da Crunchi Code... (and you just thought puns couldn't get any more lame:)
Well, I'm just going to point out some cereal ads from the 70's featuring a quirky, silly, slightly self-obsessed character by the name of Cap'n Crunch -> the only captain on the planet who has a brand of cereal named after him! What an honor...
And of course all that 'Captain' business reminded me of my childhood and the one hero who, in relation to my previous blog post, could save us all from the impending horror of 2030!
Captain Crunch
He'll help you solve the...
Da Crunchi Code... (and you just thought puns couldn't get any more lame:)
Well, I'm just going to point out some cereal ads from the 70's featuring a quirky, silly, slightly self-obsessed character by the name of Cap'n Crunch -> the only captain on the planet who has a brand of cereal named after him! What an honor...
And of course all that 'Captain' business reminded me of my childhood and the one hero who, in relation to my previous blog post, could save us all from the impending horror of 2030!
Where are we headed?
While I'm busy figuring out where I'm headed now, look at what a 'wonderful' prediction there is for the future of the world...
World Faces 'Perfect Storm' of Problems
By 2030, we'll be in a pretty bad place: an over-populated planet unable to sustain life; energy, food, and water shortages; excess of poverty and disease; possibly an ever increasing threat of global warming (which, by the way, I believe has taken over the UK recently with an unprecedented row of sunny, warm days - not a cloud in the sky; while that's simply marvelous for all of us sun-loving people, I do see it as slightly worrying, to say the least)... Let's keep our fingers crossed that this perfect storm will be avoided somehow... by a timely Apocalypse perhaps?
... While the Guardian is busy spooking people about their dreadful future, other exemplary publications such as the Sun (positively the most accurate, unbiased, and serious newspaper you could get your hands on) present quite crucial issues as this eccentric 'artwork' done by a drugged up chick on her bf's body...
Darling Dominique
As you can clearly see, there's something for anyone to read. Find your pick... But still, you have to keep in mind that you'd better live your life till 2030, for all sources say we'll be pretty f-ed up then... So enjoy today! :D
World Faces 'Perfect Storm' of Problems
By 2030, we'll be in a pretty bad place: an over-populated planet unable to sustain life; energy, food, and water shortages; excess of poverty and disease; possibly an ever increasing threat of global warming (which, by the way, I believe has taken over the UK recently with an unprecedented row of sunny, warm days - not a cloud in the sky; while that's simply marvelous for all of us sun-loving people, I do see it as slightly worrying, to say the least)... Let's keep our fingers crossed that this perfect storm will be avoided somehow... by a timely Apocalypse perhaps?
... While the Guardian is busy spooking people about their dreadful future, other exemplary publications such as the Sun (positively the most accurate, unbiased, and serious newspaper you could get your hands on) present quite crucial issues as this eccentric 'artwork' done by a drugged up chick on her bf's body...
Darling Dominique
As you can clearly see, there's something for anyone to read. Find your pick... But still, you have to keep in mind that you'd better live your life till 2030, for all sources say we'll be pretty f-ed up then... So enjoy today! :D
Time for a Change
You know how there comes a time when an individual decides that it's high time things around changed a bit? Well, ladies and gentlemen, this happened to me too. Perhaps several years late... but you know what they say - better late than never.
Now I'm on a quest to change for the better! How's that going to happen? Only time will tell.
All I know is, I've never felt more excited and determined to embrace the New! ... whatever it might be! It's amazing! It's the best feeling ever!
Time to let loose and carpe diem, right!?
Now I'm on a quest to change for the better! How's that going to happen? Only time will tell.
All I know is, I've never felt more excited and determined to embrace the New! ... whatever it might be! It's amazing! It's the best feeling ever!
Time to let loose and carpe diem, right!?
Sunday 8 March 2009
Good times, good times...
I think this is probably the 5th or 6th time I've been trying to update this lil' blog... every time I've tried in the past few weeks, something unexpected has come up, or I simply decided to get on with a more pressing task (such as setting high scores on facebook games...). But at this exact moment, my alternative task for the evening is .. well... cleaning, which, frankly, I despise from the bottom of my heart! Haha... I like it when things are clean, but the actual 'getting there'.. uuugh.
Anyway, 'nuff complaints :) It's still enjoyable a) cause I'm dancing in the mean time, and b) cause tomorrow I'll have a guest yay! *hence the cleaning, cough cough. Iliyan - a friend from my summer internship and beyond - is comin' over to London wohoo! So naturally, I'm excited about that, and about the concerts and things we're about to see!! Pro ejemplo, Tuesday evening we'll be watching Brandon Flowers do his little shoulder movement of pure awesomeness live on stage in Manchester!! :D Manchester... hmm. It's close to Liverpool which is possibly one of the most disgusting names for cities ever used. "Let's go swimming in the pool of livers!" No thanks. Back to the excitement - yes, it shall be exciting, no doubt! :D
I think this semester I've spent most of my money on concerts and... food I guess.. What else.. no, cause before I used to spend most of my cash on Johnny Depp DVD's and Amazon purchases. Well, I'm an ebay girl now :) And I'm starting to get the hang of winning 'em bids! Also with that honor comes the responsibility of paying for the things I win... On my little list of events we have John Legend (tomorrow), Killers (Tuesday), possibly slip a little Tina on Wednesday, Pink and Calvin Harris in May, Depeche Mode on May 18th, and hopefully Michael Jackson in July!!! :D I think it's a pretty cool list :):) Aaaand, I did see Tina Turner live in concert for freeeeee (yay lucky random competition winnings!), and I saw U2 live on the roof of the BBC (they played 4 songs only, but you know what, it was random, so I loved it!), and I saw ... wait.. I think that's all .. gasp. Okay then, last semester, I saw Madonna, Kanye West, and Roisin Murphy. I think it's been a good year :) Only now I'm sort of running low on dinero, but you know what - it's soooo worth it!
I've been trying to figure out what I'm doing this summer; and I still have no clue.. I've applied to internships around and about, but I have no idea if I'm even going to get one... Sigh... But I'll keep trying, right! :D Wohoooo! Be prepared for updates!!!
And I think now I should go back to cleaning. Damn, time flies by... I hope the entire break doesn't fly by! (it has the tendency to do that though)... I guess I'll get some sleep for the heck of it ;) But only after I'm done with everything I need to do before tomorrow....... dot dot dot.
Anyway, 'nuff complaints :) It's still enjoyable a) cause I'm dancing in the mean time, and b) cause tomorrow I'll have a guest yay! *hence the cleaning, cough cough. Iliyan - a friend from my summer internship and beyond - is comin' over to London wohoo! So naturally, I'm excited about that, and about the concerts and things we're about to see!! Pro ejemplo, Tuesday evening we'll be watching Brandon Flowers do his little shoulder movement of pure awesomeness live on stage in Manchester!! :D Manchester... hmm. It's close to Liverpool which is possibly one of the most disgusting names for cities ever used. "Let's go swimming in the pool of livers!" No thanks. Back to the excitement - yes, it shall be exciting, no doubt! :D
I think this semester I've spent most of my money on concerts and... food I guess.. What else.. no, cause before I used to spend most of my cash on Johnny Depp DVD's and Amazon purchases. Well, I'm an ebay girl now :) And I'm starting to get the hang of winning 'em bids! Also with that honor comes the responsibility of paying for the things I win... On my little list of events we have John Legend (tomorrow), Killers (Tuesday), possibly slip a little Tina on Wednesday, Pink and Calvin Harris in May, Depeche Mode on May 18th, and hopefully Michael Jackson in July!!! :D I think it's a pretty cool list :):) Aaaand, I did see Tina Turner live in concert for freeeeee (yay lucky random competition winnings!), and I saw U2 live on the roof of the BBC (they played 4 songs only, but you know what, it was random, so I loved it!), and I saw ... wait.. I think that's all .. gasp. Okay then, last semester, I saw Madonna, Kanye West, and Roisin Murphy. I think it's been a good year :) Only now I'm sort of running low on dinero, but you know what - it's soooo worth it!
I've been trying to figure out what I'm doing this summer; and I still have no clue.. I've applied to internships around and about, but I have no idea if I'm even going to get one... Sigh... But I'll keep trying, right! :D Wohoooo! Be prepared for updates!!!
And I think now I should go back to cleaning. Damn, time flies by... I hope the entire break doesn't fly by! (it has the tendency to do that though)... I guess I'll get some sleep for the heck of it ;) But only after I'm done with everything I need to do before tomorrow....... dot dot dot.
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