Country!

smackyjackjackLeave a comment

You have to hand it to them, country music singers can say some pretty stupid stuff.

That right there is one of my favorite clips on youtube. When even the three stooges on Fox and Friends make weird faces at what you say, you know you’ve got some problems.

But other than the F-150-driving, ‘Murica-loving xenophobes like Hank Williams Jr. and Toby Keith country has some pretty awesome musicians. Hank Williams SENIOR, Jimmie Rodgers and even, to a point, Johnny Cash know how to carry a tune.  As far as the greatest songs of ALL TIME go, I’m so lonesome I could cry is up in the top three. TB Blues makes it up there too (just go listen to the slide on that song).

As far as “new” country goes (I put new in italics because it’s not really new), BR5-49 takes the cake as the best. This type of country can be enjoyed by every Prius driving, Cafe Late drinking xenophobe who likes good music. Just…forget about Hank Williams Jr. and listen to some good country.

Roma!

equestri vitam1 Comment

Like I promised, here is my post about my first adventure into Roma. I apologize for the delay.

A group of eight friends and I hoped on the fist train on a saturday morning to Roma from Viterbo at about seven in the morning. Of course like anyone of my age, getting up at seven on a saturday is not ideal, therefore I was incredibly sleepy and not in the peppiest of spirits about sitting on a train for two hours.

But as soon I began to enter the outskirts of Rome, everything was so beautiful I immediately woke up and was possibly more excited than everyone else. We got of the train and took the metro to “piazza del colosseo.” Literally right in front of you when you walk up the stairs exiting the metro is the colosseum. BAM right there! It was incredible.

Of course my friends and I had to stand there just in awe, taking touristy pictures, and buying postcards for half an hour. After that we proceeded to tour the colosseum from the outside. It’s rather time and money consuming to get the inside tour, so we figured to save that for another day.

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World of Color.

eternity1030Leave a comment

Art is a mysterious world. Different culture produces different kinds of arts. As for my experience with ART, Chinese Watercolor is my favorite way to express this world.

Even though water color art actually originated in Europe, the Chinese were quite familiar with the use of the brush as they were expert calligraphers that worked with their own tools – brush and ink. The origin of it can be traced back to about 2000 years ago.

Initially the Chinese artists focused on realistic expression of their subject matter. This approach produced some fantastic paintings that displayed intricate detailing and an intelligent use of color.

Later on the Chinese experimented by adopting different techniques such as abstraction and exaggeration and other new techniques such as transfiguration and decoration. Colors are used in the two mayor styles of Chinese painting, in the detailed, more academic style called kung-pi (gongbi) and in the spontaneous style hsieh-i (xieyi).

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Bedtime Story

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

Once upon a time, there was a little Koi fish named Paz. He lived with his friends and family, in a giant school. The school of fish had made it’s home in Brazil years before, and that was where Paz had lived his entire life.

His family loved him, and did their best to give him everything that he wished for. Very quickly, Paz’s friends started to become jealous of him, and didn’t spend time with him anymore.

As the weeks passed, his friends not only didn’t spend time with him anymore, but they made fun of him as well. Poor Paz would be swimming by, minding his own business, when all of a sudden he would hear giggles from the Koi his age.

Paz was so upset, he would spend hours in his room crying, wondering what he had done wrong. He could not imagine why having things given to him by his parents had been twisted into such a bad thing. He had not rubbed the presents in his friends faces, or bragged every time he got a new one. No, Paz had been respectful, always offering to share.

Eventually, Paz became so upset that he saw no other option but to leave his school. He brought nothing with him, leaving all his beloved presents behind. Paz had no idea where he was going, or when he would return. He only knew that he could stay no longer.

For years, Paz went from place to place. He saw the shores of Africa, Japan, France, and Canada.

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Hyena

frog3Leave a comment

rer

Hyenas agile and strong.

Their snickering frees them of all wrong.

Hyenas wander the African Plain.

Treating the hunt of a wildebeest like its a game.

If they don’t kill, it does not matter.

They scavenge others by using patter.

Hyenas by some are considered lazy.

To those who say that I call them crazy.

Brown furry creature they are not picky.

They would it eat what other animals assume are icky.

A lion appears he is alone.

He cannot find where the hyenas roam.

For the hyena is a smart he is already gone.

He rises early long before dawn.

How could you criticize such creatures?

When their resourcefulness is a involuntary feature.

V for Vendetta

smackyjackjack1 Comment

I’ve blogged about some of my favorite movies before, but I have yet to mention one of my favorite movies of all time. V for Vendetta is the story of a dystopian United Kingdom  that is dominated by a fascist and citizen-censoring political party. The film’s protagonist, V, wears a Guy Fawkes mask to honor his hero…Guy Fawkes.

Now, I just want to say one thing before I continue talking about the film. As  much as I respect Guy Fawkes for protesting a government he considered to be immoral, his motives have to be questioned. I mean, all he really was was a religious fanatic.  I’m not very…keen on those.

Now back to V for Vendetta. The film is incredible for a couple of reasons. The acting is obviously amazing. Natalie Portman is at her A game. This is by far her best preformance in a movie.  Hugo Weaving (yes, the elf from Lord of the Rings) delivers an unparallelled performance as V. We could read pretty far into this and say that his performance (as well as Alan Moore’s genius) sparked one or two movements in the world.

That’s the final reason why I love this movie. The film’s message is one that is deeply important today. “By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.” This is V’s peronal motto. It encompasses the film’s incredible message. The truth will come out about governments, and when it does, the people will fight back. In this modern day, there are many V-like figures. These are the men who are making a difference in today’s world, and the ones who are making the world more transparent.

Street Art Revolution

callmemaybe32Leave a comment

I have always loved art, but not so much in a gallery, while I appreciate it, what really gets me happy is street art.

Street art is one of those things that you always have to appreciate.

I’m not saying all the ugly gang tags on the side of a bridge, but when you see something that someone has taken time to do, and invested more than just money into you have to stop and think about it.

Street art is an ever growing movement.

When people see actual street art and call it graffiti, it actually isn’t correct.

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October 16, 2009

kirbyfullyloaded1 Comment

I was thirteen when I attended Spudfest at the Ojai Valley School Upper Campus.

Spudfest is an annual campus-integrating event that introduces students of the Lower Campus to high school life.

We had Team Comp(etition) and battled it out in various events for points, the winner would be rewarded with a pizza party.

We did all sorts of games, including, but not limited to, the chicken launch, the Barbie drop, tug-o-war, candy mummies (where someone got wrapped in tape and rolled on a tarp with candy all over it), and the shoe scramble.  It was all very jazzy.

Afterward we had a party up at the campus.

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One More Time

backinphillyLeave a comment

This is a pretty emotional blog for me to write being as I’m unsure on my future. This weekend may or may not be the last football game of my career. It’s been an amazing road since I first strapped on the pads. Before I get too sentimental, I would like to point out that there is still a strong chance that I will be eligible to play next year for OVS.

I have been thinking to myself a lot lately about what obstacles and challenges I was forced to face to get where I am today. I wasn’t always a great player. In fact, in my early days, I was down right AWFUL!

I remember my first year of competitive football. We only had one game that season and everyone got a chance to play. It wasn’t really competitive, but it was organized. That season was supposed to introduce the youth of Summit, New Jersey.

That’s exactly what it did. The Summit Hilltoppers had a long tradition of competing for championships annually. My second year of football was a reflection of that tradition. However, none of our success had anything to do with me. Enter Jamie White.

Jamie was a friend of mine. He was a monster of an athlete and he still is to this day. One particular play comes to mind about my youth football days with Jamie White. We were pinned down on our own 5 yard line. We needed 10 yards for the first down but we needed to get away from our end zone. Most teams wouldn’t call a halfback draw right up the middle. That play is usually a short yardage play.

Not for Jamie.

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Ocean

displacedlocalLeave a comment

The ocean has been a constant throughout my childhood. I have lived in Los Angeles, and right now my family is living in Oxnard. Having the ocean a stone’s throw away has given me comfort and is a constant reminder that i am a single person in a sea of people.

At my previous school the ocean was visible from all of my classes. Here at OVS, while the view is fantastic, it is missing the pacific ocean view that I have had my entire life.

The sound of the waves has been a constant in my life and without it I feel as though something is missing.

Something about the water makes me feel like I am safe and at home. It might be the fact that the places I have always called home have been less than a mile away from the Pacific.

The constant crashing of waves was a natural metronome for my tennis playing and it felt as though the beating of my heart was in sync with the crash and the wind moving the sand.

The ocean has calmed me and has provided me with a rhythm that still beats in me today.