There are a few new developments for me to brag about (in no particular order):
I redesigned Sketchism. It was a long time coming, really. I’ve cleaned up the sidebar and even added a second one right next to the original. Also, the photo up top is new but consistent with my last one. I hope you like it.
I got an iPhone (1.0). Originally, a family member bought it refurbished in an attempt to resell on eBay, but said family member waited too long to sell it. By the time it went up, Steve Jobs had just announced the new iPhone G3, which would be much cheaper than what we were trying to sell it for. So I kept it and have loved every second of it.
I will be doing an exchange program sometime in July or August… to Oklahoma. From what I understand, the objective is to undergo a bit of culture shock and document it by way of a brand new sketchbook and, once the project is complete, creating a poster about the experience. It’s my dream to see the world, so this is giving me another opportunity to continue on that quest.
I’m getting fit. For the past month and a half I’ve been consistently working out and watching my diet. I’ve gained a few pounds in muscle and lost a few pounds of fat. It’s been a tough few weeks, but now that I’m in the habit of doing it daily it’s been getting easier.
So this is looking to be another one of those life-changing summers for me. I’m learning a lot, enjoying the company of friends and family, getting healthier, traveling, and enjoying a new gadget in the process.
I don’t know that many people go around saying, “I love weekends,” but I certainly do. It began with the viewing of the new Hulk film. I was in the mood for some action and special effects. The Hulk didn’t fail me. In fact, I think rage is a bit contagious because I went around yelling, “smash!” while stomping up and down with fists clenched. I failed to turn green, however.
I don’t shop much throughout the year, but every now and then I have to buy the occasional article of clothing or gadget. This time around I knew I had to buy some basketball shoes so I wouldn’t have to keep on borrowing my brother’s. Found me a good pair of Reebok mid-tops for the courts along with some New Balance kicks for my everyday style. It felt nice to fill my shopping quota for the season.
Hanging out with the boys, we got together and watched the EliteXC fight between KJ Noons and Yves Edwards, among other fights. It was fun night of nachos, laughing, and playing GTA 4 in between rounds.
Sunday we managed to catch a screening of The Happening. All I gotta say is that M. Night Shyamalan knows how to scare me. I also enjoyed the sweet taste of Cold Stone’s Germanchokolatekake®. So good. And of course, I did one of my favorite weekend things to do: nap.
Well it’s back to the daily routine for now. Hopefully we’ll get the air-conditioner fixed at the office today. Otherwise I’ll have to put up with humid temperatures outside and inside of our office doors. And that won’t help this cold that’s slowly coming over me.
Sorry for my 2-week hiatus. My routine has changed a bit lately now that the summer has begun. Life has boiled down to this: Wake up, eat, go to work, eat, go home, eat, nap, workout, sleep. The days go by so fast now and I’m enjoying every minute. I’m happy to announce that I’ve completed a month of working out daily. It’s a combination of playing basketball and weight training, usually late into the night. Sometimes I’ll hit the gym up around 9 p.m., other nights I’ll start at midnight and wrap up around 2 a.m.. Now that I don’t have to worry about school projects or waking up early, I can get away with that kind of stuff.
I’ve also been secretly working on a redesign for Sketchism. It’s one of the summer goals, so it will get done. Even though I’ve slacked on the blogging side, I’ve begun micro-blogging over at Twitter. I also took the plunge and went Pro over at Flickr, so I’ll try to make a habit of sharing my photography and videos. In fact, I’ll leave you with this one…
Not too long ago, I briefly mentioned that I was heading to Tallahassee for an event that I had a part in. It’s time I explained a little further. Every year, my school holds a tie design competition open to its graphic design students for an event called Miami-Dade County Days. Here’s how the official website describes it,
“Miami-Dade County Days in Tallahassee is a two-day celebration of our community during the Florida Legislative Session. Dade Days is considered the premier event during the Session, bringing with us more than 1000 people representing over 200 organizations, from both the private and public sector. It is a wonderful opportunity for participants to meet with our Miami-Dade Delegation as well as with Florida’s Legislators.”
My fellow students are supposed to design the tie based on the theme provided by Dade Days. This year’s theme was “A Kaleidescope Of Colors“. When we were finished designing them, we had to present a printed version to a panel of judges who would decide which tie would represent the entire city of Miami for the annual event. The winner would have the design printed on hundreds of ties and scarves, and would have the opportunity to fly to Tallahassee for the event, as well as receive a cash prize. This year I was fortunate enough to win the competition. (And just in time because I was short for money and I had to pay off some bills!)
My reaction to the entire trip was one of perplexity and excitement. This was my first time seeing my artwork in a public forum, not to mention on clothes. I was receiving compliments from politicians and strangers, shaking hands and taking photographs with people with much more political clout – I’m talking mayors, governors, senators, chairmen, that type of stuff.
Unfortunately, 48 hours prior to my trip I had a bad case of food poisoning that I took with me to Tallahassee. But all in all it was an exciting but strange experience, one that I was glad to undergo (minus the barfing).
As I was going through my daily rounds of blogs, I noticed Rey’s latest entry about a certain Monty Python sketch. Well, I feel compelled to respond with another silly video that it reminded me of. This one had me cracking up.
Financial freedom is one of my goals for the summer, and by that I mean getting rid of all my debts. Mind you, I don’t have much but there’s enough to make me uneasy. I was a mere $200 from paying off my credit cards and then I had to pay for a root canal and a filling which put me back another few hundred bucks.
I’m also slowly paying back a hospital bill for my minor shoulder injury a few months back. MRIs are not cheap, so avoid any muscular damage at all costs. In fact, if you’re going to spend any kind of money consider investing in a large bubble to live in. That way you’ll avoid most injuries and you’ll be the most popular kid on the block. Oh, and you can race hamsters who roam in plastic bubbles and brag that you beat that guy fair and square.
I like to think that once I’m done paying off that credit card I’ll shred it to tiny specs and then never put anything on credit ever again. And then when I’m all grown up and ready to buy a new house or car I’ll be able to pay with a suitcase full of money attached to some bodyguard’s wrist. Strangers like that sort of thing.
Post graduation life has been sweet thus far. Now that I have the evenings at my leisure, I’ve decided to make use of them. I joined a gym nearby and enlisted a fit friend of mine to be my workout partner. We’ve been meeting up consistently in the late evenings to pump ze iron. I’m loving this rare form of soreness that’s taken my body hostage, (I submit, I submit!). My plan is to form a solid habit of working out and eating healthier. I’ve already begun both. 7 days down, 1 lifetime to go. I’ve also been making an effort to enjoy my evenings by meeting up with friends, grabbing some dinner, and watching some films. So if you happen to be in my part of town, hit me up. I’m ready to plunge into this thing called a social life.
On a completely different note, the video above was taken at the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. Despite what the video displays, the horseman was actually very helpful in bringing people over to The First Saturday In May booth where I was selling the DVD. Gracious enough to have me stay over his house was Rey, who was an awesome host and quite the DVD pimp. By the end of both evenings, I was dead tired and had barely enough energy to finish my BBQ dinners.
