1. I realized today that I have not worn glasses for the past 3 months. Not because of vanity or appearances, but rather because I dropped my 2-month-old glasses into the Pacific Ocean at Laguna Beach. Ah well. My parents still don't know. How I've survived since then without glasses is beyond me. It's either my eyesight has improved or else I can't be bothered taking notes during lecture. Its probably the latter.
2. I got into the Dean's Honor List today for my results last quarter. Woots. Yes, a real university Dean's List... Not some *cough* IB *cough* one...
3. I told my parents that I shot my laptop after hiding it from them after all these years. They were so proud that 'I wasn't so careless and dropped it' (As I had originally told them) that they said they'll get me a new computer.
4.The Director of Student Life at school wants me to help them film/photograph some random stuff for them... *What's new?*
5.I realized today that I've not read a single book from any of my courses and I have midterms next week. Yay.
Anyway, on a slightly better note, I have finally been able to officially registered a Student Organization I started on campus known as the 'Film & Photography Society'. Has a nice acronym ain't it? I even get an impressive CAMPUS ADDRESS. Muhahaha. Now, people can write to us as a part of my university! Tee-Hee-Hee. I even took the opportunity in choosing Campus Mailbox #1 too! We're number 1 haha.
Literally.
Basically, to start a student club here in uni, it's not so friggin hard as they made it in ACS. It wasn't exactly a walk in the park considering I had to write a group CONSTITUTION, attend some retarded workshops, and produce other lengthy paperwork stuff which I typically excel at (Knowing me).
It was a hell lot easier than the crap I had to go through in *attempting* to start a CCA in ACS(I).... And in case you're wondering, Nope – This was not a repeat of that horrible FAG incident at the start of last year. It's pretty damn coincidental that I should be starting a new club at my campus considering I was fighting for my life the same time last year doing the exact same thing in Singapore... To very different results.
However, there is a small little problem to my plans. You see, like ACS, my university already HAS a filmmaking club known as the Filmmaker's Assocation... Who are essentially about as active and professional as MPAC was. Unfortunately, they were here before us and are the 'official' filmmaking club recognized on campus. Sound familiar?
History certainly does have a way of repeating itself huh? Well, everything would be pretty much the same... Except... They have 102 MEMBERS... and we have... Umm... 15.
Yeah... You get the idea. It's this:
Versus:
This:
Pretty good odds don't you think? Ah well, I've fought worse... I think...
*Gulps*
Anyhow, after a month or so of hard work and planning, we finally had our first *Official* (Really our third meeting so far) meeting today for all the people that had ideas in writing scripts for our next movie – Just sorta like a scriptwriting team.
Yeah, as you can see. They're quite a *ahem* talented bunch. Note to self: DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT EVER ask Americans for their ideas for what to do for a film. Remember I used to holler and shout at all of you to come up with ideas during production meetings and I would be greeted by awakard silences and crickets? I actually did that for the group... Thinking that no one would come up with any ideas and hence leave it up to me to decide (Hehe cheap tactics eh?) But NO – Lo and behold, each group member ACTUALLY came back this week with a detailed, immaculately prepared proposal for possible films we should undertake!
I was like...
O.o
One of them even did us a promotional flyer to whore around:
Which I am getting them to put up for me tomorrow on the 50 different message boards around the campus. Naturally, I'm not doing any of such manual labors...Muhaha.
Ah the sweet powers of delegation.
Man I'm such a jackass genius sometimes. (:
- posted by BLT @ 7:57 AM(2) comments
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Update 121-01 Update 121-01 Adventure 21st January 2007 9:30 PM
Yesterday I did a 60 year old lawyer's surprise birthday party. It was at this really up-market jazz-bar-place in Beverly Hills. It was just a 4 hour gig which I made $350 from. What's up with lawyers and posh old-age parties? This is the second one I'm filming in the span of a month! Its either lawyers all 1) Live to an old age 2) Like to party or don't now how else to splurge their money.
It went alright I guess. The lighting was HORRIBLE but I suppose my camera managed to cope with a bit of tweaking and extreme low-light gain. The quality would've been more normal if I had more light but well... I didn't. So here are some unedited and very-pixelated stills:
That said, the shoot went rather smoothly without too many hitches. The real trouble happened AFTER the party. Following our departure from Beverly Hills around 11:30 PM, our tire hit something in the middle of the freeway. Pulling over to the side of the road, we realized the tire was flat. Almost simultaneously, a random tow truck pulls over out of nowhere and the driver hops out to greet us. We thought we were saved. Turns out we were most horribly wrong and that his arrival would essentially catalyze what would turn out to be a four hour ordeal.
Anyhow, the chap turns out to be Russian/Eastern European:
"You folks need ze help, da?" "Umm yeahhh... Our tire punctured..." "Tire ka-put? No no. Ve do not do zes tire punk-ture. Ve only do kar ak-cident help."
With that the guy climbs back into his truck and drives off merrily. So we're stuck. Thankfully we had a spare so my Dad and I started pulling out the screws to the tires. To our horror however, we realized that the last screw on the tire was different - It had some kind of lock which prevented people (Probably poor, inner-city African-American 'gangstas') from stealing the tire. The problem was, we didn't have the key to that 'lock'. So we try our level best to salvage things from the car to use in an attempt to break this weird-looking screw. I broke both a butter and pen knife in half trying to somehow clobber the thing out to no avail.
Then my Mum says she has to take a piss. Which kind of sucks considering we're in the middle of friggin' nowhere at the side of a God-forsaken highway. But she does it anyway - Into an empty Starbucks cup I was drinking out of a few minutes before. We finally give up bashing away at the tire (It's all scratched up now). That must've been a funny sight: Two Chinamen garbed in business suits hammering away at a car tire in the middle of the highway at 12 AM.
Thankfully, we magically find a card to the insurance company in the glove compartment. So we call and the cliched kind-but-company-policy-following-bureaucrat decides to help us out by sending a truck our way. Its 1 friggin AM btw. Problem is we don't know where the hell we are. My Dad randomly whacks a city 'Burbank' and the operator asks what STATE we're in. My Dad cheekily answers 'a BAD one'.
So we sit in the car and wait for an hour before another tow truck pulls up. And yes, you guessed it - Its ANOTHER Russian/Eastern European guy. Gosh what's up with that? I swear there must be some sort of Cossack syndicate operating these trucks. Anyway, the guy tells us to 'check ze glove kom-park-ment' for the key. Which we do find... Which kind of sucks cuz if we had known the damn key was in there we would've already been home by then (It was 2 AM then). Anyway, the nice guy helps us out and changes the tires for us.
"Da you see? Viktor fix tire for you."
However, just when we thought it was home-free, the car battery dies... Sighs. To make things worse, we have to call the company AGAIN who has to verify it with the driver (and other bureaucratic red tape), etc. Sighs. ANYWAY, the guy gives us a temporary jump-start.
The guy can't help smirking "You fellows... harve bad luck zes night, da?"
We finally reach home 2 hours later.
Gosh what a scary... And amusing situation.
Things I learnt:
1. Always keep a jackhammer or blow torch handy (Or make sure the screws on your tire are all uniform) 2. Memorize the number to the insurance company. 3. Be nice to the operator because they're the only ones that can help you. 4. Always keep torchlights in your car. Coincidentally, I had one of those police flashlights from 'The Vault' days. 5. Tow truck drivers that work the dead-night shift are somehow from Eastern Europe 6. Not all of them are Communist - My dad gave the chap a $5 tip and he said 'God Bless you'. That single gesture already debunks two stereotypes. 7. Have a cup in the car handy for nature's calls. After doing your business, leave it at the side of the freeway for some unsuspecting homeless bum or someone desperate enough to drink out of a Starbucks cup along the freeway.
- posted by BLT @ 9:28 PM(6) comments
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Update 120-01 Update 120-01 Engagement 17th January 2007 9:26 PM
It's almost ironic that the temperature here in California has even exceeded even that of states in the East. I thought global warming was supposed to make things HOTTER! Grr. Not only that but it's even been snowing early in the morning. Unfortunately - or possibly fortunately, I've been waking up late so much so that the only semblance of snow I see left is the damned frigged cold. Well I've been sick the past couple of days – Hence the absence of updates. (Not that many people notice...) I've been rather down lately. To my complete surprise, I found a letter from Mich and Cassandra today. I can't read their illegible handwriting but ah well – All I could make out was 'We're feeling guilty for not sending Christmas/New Years Cards' written in big, bold font.
I'm supposing that was their motivation though I'll probably have to ask someone else to decipher the rest of it into English for me hehe.
Well, as they say: Its the thought counts. Thanks! (:
Anyhow, the reason for me being sick is a certain wedding engagement shoot for a couple at Huntington Beach. After 'koping' my friend's Canon 30D DSLR and a one hour journey down to LA, I became $150 richer. Woots. It ain't a lot but it sure beats flipping burgers as I always say... Plus, you get to take emo-shots of two people in love. Quite sweet. As it was almost 0 Degrees, they were more eager to get the shoot over with than I was. Oh well. I'm not complaining. Unfortunately, they were a rather conservative bunch and I couldn't get them to do all the poses I wanted them to: BLT's Guide To Wedding Photography Poses 101:
Things to make your victims clients do:
1.Hands together walking down sidewalk *awww* 2.Watching the sea from behind *how scenic* 3.Sitting down by the ocean *dont get washed away!* 4.Girl glancing off into the horizon with guy – Oh Em Gee Emo! 5.Both holding hands and running off into the distance 6.Both laughing directly at the camera 7.Sitting at the bottom of steps in a dazed manner 8.Draw heart shape in the sand and take picture of shadow *Max Angst + Artsiness* 9.Guy holding the girl bended over 10.Tilted angle shot with sea in the background 11.Couple whispering into each other's ears 12.Couple lying inversely to one another staring at sky 13.Snuggling close up 14.Carrying girl 15.Hugging each other – Medium, close, long shots 16.Girls arm over guys shoulder 17.Embrace facing camera 18.Girl jumping on guy 19.Both kissing in between the ocean 20.Girl in the background, guy kneeling in front to screen right 21.Close up of hands clasped together (with ring if possible) 22.Lying in grass together on ground 23.Girl smiling in the camera gleefully – Or distantly; that adds more ANGST! 24.Both jump at the same time! 25.Girl leaning against guy
Gosh I'm such a cynical anti-romantic. Anyway, please enjoy a few photographs for your viewing pleasure.
Hmm. It's really quite interesting how black and white photographs accentuate the emo-ness of a shot so drastically. Tricks of the trade eh Kentay?
