Tuna’s Aquarium

These days, I read one sonnet-a-day. It’s all because of the subscription to simply sonnetaday.com. It’s really fun reading a sonnet each day just for fun, without analyzing it and ripping it apart. The other day, I read a fun sonnet that repeated “will” in several different ways. Will as in a verb, Will as in William, will as in a noun. Will is such a great word to pun on, especially for WILLiam Shakespeare! Anyways, anybody who likes reading poetry for fun should try this subscription : ).

 Picture by Yelnoc on Flickr

Posted by Tuna on 27 Feb 2008
Filed Under: Poetry | No Comments »

It’s been so long since I made the decision of improving my blog, and almost nothing has changed. But I’m back to change that. I’ve been away in Japan for a week for a basketball tournament, but I’m back with a project I finished in Graphic Design.

We were first introduced to the concept of logos. Then, the hard part: create a logo ourselves. It was challenging, because our subject was water. There are already a million different logos out there that represent water, and it was hard to be original.

The first step to making a logo was to create many sketches.

The pictures aren’t so good, because I took them with my mac. Anyways, the next step was to pick three from the above sketches to expand upon it. This next step was hard, because I couldn’t choose only three, not that I had a lot of good sketches. I did end up choosing three and worked on it some more to branch off into different directions within the same theme.

These are my favorite, because I thought that I did a pretty good job of changing the original rough sketch. Below are the other two logos and one failure. Guess which one was a failure! : )

Well, through this exercise, we learned the basics of how to make a logo. It takes a lot of time and effort to just create ONE logo. It takes so many sketches to arrive to a final one, and I learned that it still doesn’t satisfy me. I wonder how professional graphic designers put up with it! : D

Posted by Tuna on 24 Feb 2008
Filed Under: smArt | No Comments »

I have never heard of “organic writing” before I entered my literature class this year. I always thought that writing without primary organization of the #1. introduction #2. body paragraphs #3. conclusion was just clumsy writing. Sometimes, I might have attempted organic writing in an infant form of scribbling down my thoughts at they came. I usually do this when I’m doing creative writing.

Well, this year I learned how to practice this skill. First, we have to understand the subject we’re writing about and the basic question we’re trying to answer, or our “thesis statement.” It doesn’t matter if it’s stated in a one, simple single-sentenced paragraph in the beginning, or is drawn into it with a hook. Then, we write out the thoughts that we have outlined in our head or on another paper, without the structured inverted triangle-square-square-square-triangle outline worksheets we so laboriously worked on in our middle school years. We write with the feeling of water flowing from high to low, or knitting a long piece of string with each of the loops without missing one, or there will be a hole in our essay. Finally, the conclusion is not a summary. Again, NOT a summary. I often make a mistake of restating what I have said before in different words just to fill up the space, but a really creative and working conclusion would leave the reader a lasting feeling. Well, anybody who can write would say this.

The best part of organic writing would be that thoughts are expressed as they come to the writer’s head, and readers can read the ideas in their original cognitive order. Usually when I write my blog posts, I write it as it comes to me. I have a really talented muse, you know? Anyways, I like organic writing.

This brings me to the bad parts of organic writing. Organic writing in the wrong hands can make the whole work confusing, like how a person can have confused thoughts all jumbled in their heads. It would be hard to read this on paper. Abrupt transitions, wrong word choices, and simple grammatical mistakes. Anything can happen if you write what you think.

Overall, this year I did improve my organic writing skills. I want to become a gaseous writer (not the kind that you get after a big meal), because I want to be able to shift and change, expand and contract into the writer that I have to be. It’s easier to accomplish this with organic writing.

Photo from flickr by Mykl Roventine

Posted by Tuna on 10 Feb 2008
Filed Under: RAM!ble | 1 Comment »

I know that I have been negligent with my blog, but I really can’t get my hands on a camera and take a picture of my recent works I’ve done in my Graphic Design class! Only if I could sneak out my sketches (our teacher makes us keep our work in class).

Anyways, looking back on my short blogging career, it seems I’ve done more than I have expected. I attempted to become connective, tried a variety of things: literature, art, medicine. I really enjoyed discovering those writers and artists out there who do what I should be doing now. Express who I am through what is available to me. I know I want to draw, I have a pen tablet right there in front of me, screaming at me “USE ME!!!” Why can’t I just pick it up and start what I really love? Why can’t I come to do this even though I really enjoy drawing? This is a mystery that I wish would clear up soon so that I can pull myself up to become a better blogger. I’ve hit another slump these days, and I’m trying hard to recover from it ; ).

With blogging comes a lot of responsibility, like the one that comes with the pooping machine. (I have a 3-year-old brother. He really is so adorable!) I have to nurture it, feed it with my own sweat and blood, and raise it to become something that I want it to grow up to be. I feel like I have starved my blog for a couple of weeks now (poor blog…) and I intend to resume to its regular diet of three or more posts a week with a big feast of my thoughts and works. Ah, my poor aquarium! I’ll take a better care of you now.

Photo from flickr by germanyengland

Posted by Tuna on 10 Feb 2008
Filed Under: RAM!ble | No Comments »

I’ve been sitting around a lot these days, and lost some passion for art. Then again, I really do like drawing and doodling. I had a MacBook in front of me and a lot of time at hand, so I started doodling on my computer with my mousepad, using the program ArtRage 2. I discovered a program called Jing, which let’s you record what’s going on on your desktop, or take screenshots. The fun thing about this is that you can share it online or save it to your own computer. I could have used screencast-o-matic.com, but it kept on saying that I didn’t have Java on my computer, which I obviously did have, and wouldn’t let me record anything. So I went on a quest to reinstall Java, and after three unsuccessful attempts, I gave up and dug around for a program. I finally found Jing, but then when I saved my video, it was saved as a flash file with the extension .swf. I couldn’t even edit it! So it’s now a 10 minute (is it?) long flash video, and I can do nothing about it. Do any of you know where I can convert .swf files for free? : )

Anyways, to talk about my doodle, it was done completely with my right and left index fingers with a mousepad. It was hard… but worth it!

Posted by Tuna on 25 Jan 2008
Filed Under: smArt | 3 Comments »

For one of my senior electives, I’ve chosen Graphic Design II. I didn’t expect much work, but I did want to improve my graphic skills. I want to make my drawings more well groomed for the public eye, and I think that was one of the reasons why I chose Graphic Design rather than just plain art. I’ve learned that Graphic Design is much harder than the regular art class. In art, all you need is effort, understanding of art, and a bit of talent, but graphic design demands so much more!

I think one of the problems I’m facing is the lack of muse or inspiration. When I get a project, I need so much time to plan and execute the designs. But seriously, I took Art I and Graphic Design I during my sophomore year, and my skills are a bit rusty. In class, everybody seems like they know what they’re doing, and that it’s only me who’s lost.

Well, the reason that I’m bloggin about my “high school course,” is because I see the potential in this class. I can improve my art skills, which is what I always wanted. Especially because my drawings are always messy and rough. Graphic design will be a great class to polish this part of my drawings.

I want to be able to see my “before” and “after” art works, and compare how much I improved, if I do improve at all. This will be an exciting course! : )

Picture by Tuna Kang (in her Freshman year) 

Posted by Tuna on 13 Jan 2008
Filed Under: smArt | 3 Comments »

I’ve always thought that the graphics used for games were fascinating. Most games deal with fantasy, of another world, and to portray this by art would involve so much imagination and planning beforehand. This is the reason why I liked Aleksi Briclot, an artist of the gaming industry. I first got to know him in the post on the blog lines and colors. I was led to his website, and I enjoyed his works there. I felt that his overall style is dark, but I guess this could change as the theme of his work changes, as he moves from one production to another. I think I’ll enjoy his further works, and you can too, by visiting his website. I think through the blog lines and colors, I’ve learned of the websites that the artists themselves organize.

Photo by Tojosan on flickr

Posted by Tuna on 05 Jan 2008
Filed Under: smArt | No Comments »

While reading WhiteCoat’s post The Great Pain Debate, it really made me think about the drug abusers out there who use the ED to get another high with the medications. It’s so self-centered for them to use government money just to get a high. Like how WhiteCoat said in his post about that girl who insisted she was sick, but was only looking for a subsitute for heroin, the doctors really do need to crack down on them. Of course, some of the other patients who really do suffer from pain will have to put up with the skepticism of the doctors, I think it’s best for the doctors to first have a doubt until the test results come back. To save government money and to bring justice to the ED, this should be done.

Photo from flickr by PPDIGITAL

Posted by Tuna on 05 Jan 2008
Filed Under: MedicinE | No Comments »

Yesterday, I watched I Am Legend at the movie theatre. This movie reminded me of the book by Cormac McCarthy, The Road. The difference between the two would be that in McCarthy’s post-nuclear war world, it was just the father and the son, and in I Am Legend, it was Robert Neville and his dog Sam. In a way, I thought that the virus-infected people of I Am Legend were just like the blood thirsty cannibals of The Road. They are both almost inhuman, and they lost the basic human feelings that they used to have.

There are some other similarities too. Neville held the torch that could save humanity, and with the voice of God, was able to hand over the vaccine to cure the disease. In The Road, the father constantly told his little boy that they were holding the torch, that they were the special ones. Even though they were driven by hunger, they dared not harm another human being, even though many people attacked them. Also, the silence in the movie was similar to that of the silent journey of the father and child. They seldom talked to each other, and when they did, it had so much meaning in it. This was true between Neville and Sam as well. Neville was so lonely, with no other rational person around. The father and his son were also very lonely in The Road.

I loved the book The Road, but I didn’t enjoy I Am Legend as much as The Road. The two stories did have some common effects, though, like the smothering silence.

Photo from flickr by Drunken Monkey 

Posted by Tuna on 05 Jan 2008
Filed Under: RAM!ble | No Comments »

I have finished all of my college applications! I’m FREE!!! From now on, I can do what I always wanted to do (which is lying around, reading, watching TV, and sleeping). Oh sweet freedom! But now that I’m done, I’ve found so many mistakes and things that I could have done better if I paid more attention. Well, that’s life. Now, I’m going to live my life. I guess until the results start mailing in!

Posted by Tuna on 19 Dec 2007
Filed Under: RAM!ble | No Comments »