midterms music

this playlist is going to get me through the next week and a half of midterms :)

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are (Skrillex BatBoi Remix)

Robyn - U Should Know Better feat. Snoop Dogg

Arno Cost - Cyan

this, as well as "Almost There" from Princess and the Frog on repeat and a few other songs not on soundcloud.
gluck to everyone else toiling away for midterms!

burst of inspiration

I've always been a firm believer in having a strong atmosphere and aesthetic in every single aspect of one's life, so I don't know why that concept didn't encompass my work area. I guess I didn't see work as an visual venture or any kind of fun, really. and I suppose it's good that I separate work from play, but today during a study break, inspiration gripped me and didn't let go until I acted on it.

so amidst frenetic finals studying, I had to redesign my entire workspace.

the most amazing thing about this workspace is that it's made the conventional overhead lights virtually obsolete! all the light I need for my work comes from the wall and a tiny spotlight lamp. so it's insanely practical and amazing to look at.

everyone has that visual fantasy land in their head, right? I feel like I've brought some of mine into the real world :)

(and for those that care: don't worry, I'll still get an A. econ is pretty easy. plus now I'm actually really stoked to start studying!)

Atom: I'm positive I've lost an electron!

Wow, I haven't been here in a while. But I guess this is where you end up when you have a Humanities paper to write.

There are times -- completely random times -- that I find myself on this page, staring at this dusty old blog, scoffing at the bold, pseudo-intellectual statements I've made so many times with such conviction, tempted to take them down out of embarassment. Frankly, I feel I've lost that contentious spark that made me want to take on the world's ignorance and exert my own crippling intelligence.

But that seems pretty passé to me at this point, because my priorities have changed a lot. I guess I've gotten more relaxed and honestly, I don't feel like I have anything to prove. I'm just trying to be positive now; I'm satisfied with a warm chai (or iced, I'm not picky!), my Snow White iPod and a solid 4.0. Life is pretty idyllic right now, I'd say.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is this: I'm taking a break from cynicism and realism and rationality (shocking, I know). This blog has always been what I needed it to be, and what I need now is an outlet for positivity to help me breathe my way through stress and strain.

Let's see how this goes. :)

New York 2010 from Minh Bui on Vimeo.

Strangers are the spice of life.

I'm not sure if anyone will understand what I mean, but I'll try and explain.

Certain strangers can just draw you in, regardless of your own intentions. Ive run into such compelling strangers on rare occasions, and I've never been able to pinpoint what exactly it is about them that makes them so alluring.

Maybe it's promise. You know, that idea that your correspondence could grow into something flawless and beautiful, that your brief exchange could potentially change the course of your life on some level, that if you don't take advantage of the precious few minutes you have with them, something will go terribly awry. But I really do wonder how practical that is. Could one really give so much clout to one potentially pivotal moment?

It might be simplicity. Like a conversational or emotional one-night stand. If you do initiate a conversation, you'll always have the option of walking away, of forgetting. There's no next-day awkwardness, no regretful silence, no complications, just connection. But then that becomes a bit selfish, doesn't it? You're using their magnetism as an excuse to stumble upon an outlet for your own shortcomings and yearnings.

But who has the time to think these things through? I certainly don't.

The good, the bad, the return of real animation.

How many three-dimensional bubble-faced graphics does it take to massacre a studio's animation credibility?
About a decades' worth, apparently.


But Walt Disney Studios, after a long deviation from quality after their acquisition of Pixar, has finally proclaimed its return to grassroots hand-drawn princesses with "Princess and the Frog" and "Rapunzel".

Not to mention Wes Anderson is currently on the bandwagon with some analog animation of his own in "Fantastic Mr. Fox".

So this is it: two of my favorite production powerhouses have brought back oldschool animation. It's been an absurdly long time coming (I was done with Pixar after "Ants"), but it's finally here.

Welcome back, quality animation!

Some thoughts.

Shreya: I am going to die.

Jaime: I am already dying.
Shreya: That's you, Jaime, always ahead of the curve, doing the next big thing.
(pause)
Shreya: You know, if one day I decided to commit suicide, I will write on my suicide note, "Everyone is going to die anyway, I am just ahead of the curve."
Jaime: I think I will write that on my tombstone.
(pause)


Then we both realized what an Oscar Wilde thing to do that is.

And so the days go by. Two more years till I leave the country.

"When I was six, I thought my life
would come together [at] 16."

Jaime Chu

Weed, CA.