Winter Break 09

My dog, Ace, almost 6 years old!

What did I do this break?  My very last winter break for my undergraduate career?

My first few days back I just went around checking out dog parks with my dog Ace.  It was fun.  I enjoyed it weirdly enough.  Letting my dog have some freedom for 2 weeks out of the year.  Also ended up taking him to the vet to get a rabies shot, which took two hours!  Ridiculous!  But I guess they are a little bit more busy during the holiday seasons.  At least he’s vaccinated, and I don’t have to worry about him biting people now, not that Ace bites… He is pretty vicious around people he doesn’t know.  *grrrrr*

I was able to meet up with a former teacher, and now friend, who owns two pekinese dogs (one’s 2 the other is 5) and her cousins who owns a extremely mischievous beagle and visited Fort Funston for a afternoon, which was amazingly fun.

The golden gate bridge light display at the international terminal at SFO.

The tuesday before christmas, my brother flew in from Boston, delay-free despite the storm on the east coast.  Christmas with the family.  I guess that is what Christmas is all about, but that never, ever stops the endless sibling abuse that occurs during this time of year.  Most of it probably occurs because of the drastic weather differences my brother and I face.  He is in Boston, with below freezing temperatures, while I am in Irvine, where I wear short and flip flops in the winter months.  His fault though, not mine =P.

Other-wise he came on Tuesday before Christmas, and left the following Tuesday after Christmas.  Short visit, but perhaps all the better, that way I can sleep in more, cause that boy stays on East Coast Time his entire stay and so he wakes up at 7-8am every morning.

The show's poster! You've got to love Wicked!

I saw Wicked for the third and fourth time this break!  My first time seeing it was right after school ended this past summer!  It was amazing.  At that time I saw it with my mom and one of my brothers.  I loved it!  I saw it again with my mom later that summer, both times starring Kendra Kassebaum (Galinda/Glinda) and Vicki Noon (Elphaba).  This break I saw it a third time, this time with one of my best friends as her birthday present, except this time it starred Natalie Daradich (Galinda/Glinda) and Teal Wicks (Elphaba).  What was really awesome about this time is that Teal Wicks is a graduate from UCI, and her voice is amazing!  But all in all, performance wise I would probably vote for Vicki Noon.  Noon is so adorable when she plays Elphaba, that it wins me over.  Anyways, my fourth time seeing it I saw with my mom, and both of my brothers, and this time it was Natalie Daradich and Vicki Noon performing.  So I have seen just about every combination of the SF Wicked current cast except for Kassebaum and Wicks, both who are the listed players for the show.  In february the cast of Elphaba will change, which makes me slightly sad.

Movie Poster for James Cameron's Avatar Movie presented by 20th Century Fox

Another thing I did multiples of this break was I saw Avatar twice, first in a regular screening, then in Digital 3D.  Can I say this movie is amazing?  The details and story and creativity that went into this movie would make any one inspired to be more creative.

While I don’t know how far the Avatar franchise will go, I do hope that they will continue making movies based on the technology they used.  The use of a facial filming in the way Cameron used it in Avatar is truly amazing, and I would love to see more of it in the future.

I think, perhaps, that if my friends from Irvine haven’t seen it yet, that I will see it with them again for a third time.  While the story is a little slow in the beginning, with the explanation of what Pandora is and everything, or as my friend says “the human parts” that are “boring” I would love to see the scenes again of the Na’vi people and well, just watch the whole movie all over again.  It is probably my favorite movie on 2009, even beating Star Trek, and I am a huge Trekkie (but I mean come on!  They BLEW UP Vulcan!  Major sad face).

Sashimi Dish at Tomodachi (friend) in Hayward on Christmas Eve

On breaks you can’t forget the food one eats!  Instead of the tradition of cooking food on Christmas Eve, and then going out to Dim Sum with Grandma on the weekend, we decided to combine the two and eat sushi at Tomodachi in Hayward!  It was deeeelicious!  We had to much sushi, and sashimi that we couldn’t finish it all and my brother ate it the next day at home.

Other places we ate at include Kome, a sushi/seafood buffet in Daly City (I do not recommend due to lack of service, and cheap decor, and just over all chinese ghetto-ness), Tong Kee, a small, family-owned, chinese restaurant in South San Francisco, Mingalaba, a Burmese restaurant in Burlingame who makes amazing coconut rice, Sunny Sushi, a small japanese restaurant/bar in San Bruno, and then the other chain restaurant such as Fresh Choice, Pho, and a Breakfast diner called Shari’s (formerly Baker’s Square).

On top of all this, I have finally redone my website, which is now made nearly completely on WordPress!  I have also cleaned most of my room, played and beaten Halo 3:ODST with my brother twice (on normal and on legendary), and I’ve probably done alot more but I just can’t remember.

Now I am packing up my car, and getting ready to head out tomorrow morning for my 7 hr drive back down from SSF to Irvine.  I wish break was a little longer, but just 6 more months, and if i can’t find a decent job, then I will be back.

Home for the Holidays

It’s Christmas time!  A new year is not far away.  For the time being, I am on winter break, and at home until the new quarter starts.

Somehow, being home seems different this year.  It is restless.  Irritating.  When I am at home I feel like I am always on the defensive with my mom and my brothers.  Not that I don’t enjoy being home.  It is a bit nicer than being in Irvine, but it’s the little things.  We are all always competing with one another.  Who has it worse, who has more to do, who has to do what.  I feel like I have to constantly defend myself with my brothers, in that I can’t just sit, and chat, and not have some stupid insult be thrown out jokingly.

It’s tiring.

This break I guess I have alot going on.  The first three days back was more relaxing… Took Ace out for walks, met up with some friends for food, and saw Wicked with Jie Jie for her very, very late 21st Birthday gift.  Today my brother came home from Boston.  Tomorrow I’m seeing Wicked for a fourth time, which I am excited for.  Wednesday (Christmas Eve) is dinner with my grandma and father.  Thursday (Christmas) I think we are going to go watch Avatar and eat at Tong Kee, a small chinese restaurant on Gellert. Friday, who knows what’s going on.  Saturday, Taking Ace out to Font Funston again, and maybe to get his shots.  Sunday, no plans I think.  Monday we are going to SJ to see the Star Trek Exhibition (my 3rd time).  Tuesday again, my brother flies back to Boston.

Things I need to do this break though include creating a new Docent Council flyer for OCMA, work on a few drawings, read a couple books, clean and reorganize my room…

Not much of a break I guess.  I think I’ll start the first day of the new year driving back down.

This is making me depressed, so I think I’ll stop there.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year… if you celebrate it.

Get ready, Get set, Dance!

Get ready, Get set, Dance!

Originally uploaded by Val Chin

On Monday of last week, the Arts 50 UCI class put on another flashmob, this time in the Student Center and it was silent to anyone not wearing and listening to the custom made MP3 for the event.

Our goal for the flash mob was to simultaneously do certain motions to create a cohesive choreographed dance.

Participants were told to do things such as swing their hips, chase a fellow participant, balance on one leg, and strip off one shirt to reveal another black shirt.

For more information on this event visit this facebook event page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188327113701&index=1

A video of this event will be posted soon!

Advolution

A Typography Motion Graphic created in Adobe After Effects CS4.

Advolution: Arts 50 final

Senior Exhibition Fall 2009: Where's My Pickles

Where’s My Pickles?

Trang An
Brianna Ang
Jonathan Barba
Jessica Chan
Tiffany Chang
Valerie Chin
Linda Chung
Trina Dikitanan
Andreana Ho
Angel Ho
Camilla Houston
Julie Kim
Kevin Kwong
Cecilia Lee
Patricia Lee
Cindy Lin
Katherine Matsui
Jenny Mimura
Moises Ramirez
David Ro
Alia Steele
Hakim Wahib
Steve Yen

University Art Gallery and Room Gallery
UC Irvine
Thursday December 3 2009 –  Friday December 11, 2009

Hours: Tues – Sat, 12 – 5 PM
For more information, contact gallery@uci.edu or call 949/824-9854

University of California Irvine, Senior Art Exhibition Students
presents, Where’s My Pickles?, a group show and final act of
preservation for the concepts, artistic endeavors, and formal   decisions
that we have been fermenting in during our time here as students. After
our years of bobbling and wading inside of the University’s jar we find
it to be losing it’s once hermetic seal and now with a cracked lid in our
sights we encounter a new freedom that we are easily lost in, captivated
by the fresh air that meets us.

Where’s My Pickles? Showcases the work of twenty-three   students.
Thematically we are held together by our exploration of individual
identity and in our final attempt to bring together all that has driven
and sustained through our studies here at the University. The work
exhibited includes a wide range of mediums, techniques and concepts.
Ranging from paintings to installation Where’s my Pickles? is looking for
more then just non-perishable cucumbers. Valerie Chin’s Contextual
Context seeks to define the identity of an average college student
through digital photography and manipulation. Creating one body through
photographs of many she emphasizes individual uniqueness as well as
collective identity. Kevin Kwong’s Monument in Flux and Moises Ramierz’s
Life after Death both explore reference to spirituality through
abstraction in painting. Other students chose to play with space and
invite viewers to gain a more kinetic experience within the gallery.
Cecilia Lee’s Holes and Angel Ho’s piece use a variation of everyday
materials to create a physical experience for the viewer.

Although there is great diversity in the concepts examined, there exists
strong threads between the students work. It seems reasonable that as
students and peers we have similar interests and influences in our lives
that have led us to create common themes through various techniques and
processes in art. What remains most interesting is how it all comes
together to create a unique show that highlights the individual as the
artist as well as the class as the exhibit. Come look at us before this
jar gets to crowded.

—

Thursday, December 3rd was opening night for the Senior Exhibition for Fall 2009 at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. It was my first opening.  My first exhibition.  Geez it felt cool.

Anyways I thought I would share some pictures of my classmates amazing artworks.

Katrina Dikitanan Art:Peace (Canvas and video 2 panels, 4’ x 6’ canvases each; TV monitor)

Kevin Kwong Monuments in Flux (Acrylic on canvas over panel 2 panels, 65 ½” x 41.5” each)

Patricia Lee Round 3 (Acrylic 3 circular panels, 3 feet each)

Tiffany Chang Would You Like to Eat? (Acrylic, gouache, paint sharpie on canvas 4’ x 6’)

If you haven’t checked out the exhibit, it is open until Friday, December 11th in the University Art Gallery and Room Gallery at UC Irvine!

Valerie Chin Contextual Content (Photography 6’ x 3’)

Museum Hopping: San Diego

Saturday I decided to go to San Diego to check out their museums.  In a span of about 7 hours, I ended up going to 1 gallery, and 4 Art Museums.

First I went to La Jolla’s Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery which was a small gallery containing many paintings and sculptures.  One I found particularly interesting were works by Joshua Smith who’s paintings capture dreamscapes.

Joshua Smith "The Prayer Walk"

I really enjoy the aesthetic look of his paintings… So beautiful.

After the gallery I headed over to the La Jolla location of the Museums of Contemporary Art San Diego.

I couldn’t take pictures inside the museum, but the alot of the artworks were pretty interesting.  I particularly enjoyed the works by Julie Mehretu because of her detailed line drawings of architecture were simply amazing.  Also Jakob Kolding’s works had an urban, relatable aesthetic to them that was attractive to veiw.

After La Jolla, I visited one of the 2 locations of MCASD in Downtown San Diego.  There I saw works by Tara Donovan who’s sculptures seemed surreal and amazing.  Her works dealt a great deal with using everday materials such as cups, straws, buttons, pins, glass, hay, tape, paper plates, etc… to create large scale sculptures.  The works were simply amazing.

After MCASD I headed over to Balboa Park to check out Mingei International Museum, and the San Diego Museum of Art.

Mingei had a small collection of art that I guess I didn’t find too interesting.  I appreciated the bits of Chinese/Tibetan art that they had on display.

SDMA had a large collection of older art.  They had exhibitions of Mexican art, Celtic Art, American historical art, and a Jewelry exhibit, which was somewhat interesting.  I was interested more in the renaissance art that was featured in their permanent galleries, though their small collection of Asian art was also interesting (but I guess I can’t expect much on the Asian art aspect since I’ve gone to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco several times).

All in all it was a good day in San Diego.  Despite the drive and the never ending walking frmo museum to museum, I enjoyed myself and want to go back.  It was definitely an art inspiring day.

The Homeless and The Bubble

Today, I went to San Diego.  Why?  To check out Museums.  For now… that’s not important… for this blog entry at least.

Irvine and San Diego are very different.  Though I believe anywhere is very different from Irvine.  The Irvine bubble is a ridiculous thing that people get too comfortable living in and begin to forget what life is like outside the clean, safe city that it is today.

After living in Irvine for four years, you get accustomed to seeing things a certain way.  My prime example for today will be that I have never, ever, seen a homeless person in Irvine.  They just…. don’t exist.  Anywhere.

In San Diego, I managed to see 4-5 homeless men on the corners of the streets.  I know in San Francisco I see them all the time, so I should be used to it right?

Well, no.  Somehow I wasn’t.  The homeless people are out there and they are real, but hardly anyone ever does something about it.  Why?  Because we are brought up thinking that you can never tell the true homeless person from the fake ones that are trying to get money out of you.  It’s kind of really sad to think about it that way, and it is really sad to think that people would actually do that, but it’s true… at least in my family.

So on my way home from San Diego, at 72 mile drive, I stopped about 5 miles into to go to a McDonald’s for dinner real.  Just through the drive through.  On the corner of the street outside just happened to be a homeless man in a wheelchair.  Torn clothes, raggy beany, and a sign that read “Homeless Vet.  Anything will help.”

At first I just passed him.  Drove thru and bought my food.  A chicken club with fries and a coke.  On the way out I had to pass him again… and I have this way that when I see someone homeless, I want to avoid them.  No eye-contact. Nothing.  It’s really heartless.

After sitting at the stop light, I wondered why I do this.  I mean in SF I’d at least smile at the man, acknowledge him.  But I didn’t  I looked away.  Has Irvine changed me that much?

I was contemplating giving him my sandwich, even though I hadn’t eaten any food all day, but before I could make a decision, the light turned green, and I had to enter the freeway.  So I drove away.

I contemplated turning back and giving him the sandwich still.  I was exhausted from my day.  Hungry.  Sleepy.  I contemplated… and contemplated.  Soon a mile passed… then two… three… By four miles I had finished my fries in the car… and was still contemplating.  By 5 miles I decided not to.  By 7, I was still thinking about it.  By 13, I knew I wasn’t going too, still thought about the fact that I didn’t, and felt extremely guilty.

“I’m a college student.  I make minimum wage at one job, and get paid nothing at another.  I don’t have money to just give away” was my reasoning.

But, I have a car.  A ceiling.  TV.  Computer.  Game systems.  A bed…

Can I not give up a sandwich?

It took me somewhere over 45 miles for me to finally stop thinking about the homeless man, sitting in his wheelchair, with his green coat, gray hat. Uncombed beard.

I didn’t eat my sandwich until I got home.  Until I finally sat down at my desk, and just ate it.

Who knew, a sandwich could make a difference…

 

Can Somebody Hear Me?

So I haven’t blogged in a while.  At least not a really personal blog.  As a friend of mine says, I’m “stretched to thin.“  I do have alot going on… but sometimes I enjoy it, because when things let up, and I really get some time to think, my thoughts are just clearer.  It’s like I use school and work as a distraction to ignore my thoughts for a bit, and gradually as I get free time, things just hit me harder, better, understandable.

Lately, I have been doing a slightly monotonous life.  You can either find me at school, at work, with friends playing contract rummy and eating, or sleeping, though I haven’t been sleeping that much.  From 7am-1am, I am most likely engaged in one of the mentioned activities.  Kind of sad.

If you know me, know me well, or known me for a while, you’d know I need my s   p   a   c   e.  I have an independence requirement about me that must be met, and that independence includes my own time.  Time I guess, I haven’t really been getting.  Part of me doesn’t mind.  I like hanging out with friends, and being at work earns me the skills I need to work after graduation.  Sleeping, is an otherwise necessity so I can’t quite cut that out.

Anyways, I’ll stop this jabbering… cut down to the chase… sort of.

When was the last time I truly felt alone?  Or is it that I’ve always been alone and am just numb to it?  Should the question actually be, when was the last time I truly felt … loved?

Walking away from my friend’s dorm room today, to go to my car that would then take me to my apartment, and then the short walk to my apartment from my car, somehow was enough time for me to realize that I am a STATUE.  Alone on this planet.  Cracks and breaks, but I still stand ever strong until the day I crumble to pieces. Until I am destroyed, I will be analyzed by peers, examined to find how I can be of use, ignored, collected, put out on display…

…

I don’t share my truest feelings to anyone.  I don’t let anyone truly know me.  I can lie through sealed lips about things I don’t want people to know about me.  I used to think I broke down this wall, long ago, this wall of secrets and emotional barriers… but I realize that is just a lie too.  A lie to myself.

I still bottle my emotions.  Respond with “fine” without meaning it.  Lately I’ve withdrawn alot more than just socially.  My faith, my thoughts, my actions.

In that short trip from the dorm room to my apartment, I cried. I smiled. I wished. I prayed. So many emotions ran through me.  But one emotion… one feeling stood out the most.

I    AM     ALONE.

I feel alone.  I act alone.  I trust no one.  Nobody truly knows me.

Sure, there are people who know parts of me.  Certain things about me.  What I like, What I do, Who I hang with, How I Identify… but I am … lost.  No one is there to tell me what I need to hear.  To tell me that I am not alone.  To hug me. To help me.

I looked up in the night sky to see a shooting star fly over head, and an ordinary event that would make people smile, made me realize how DAMN FRACKING alone I am in this big ball with billions of people who can’t seem to just stop … just… stop… everything.  Taking rights away.  Taking lives away.

…

I guess at these times, people of faith turn to God.  They ask God, (or their Gods) these questions.  Me?  I am a lost sheep.  Though arguably we are all lost sheep, if you believe that sort of religion.  Alot of the time I feel like a lost sheep that went unnoticed.  I slowly just drifted away from the flock and it didn’t matter.  I  haven’t gone to church in over 2 months.  I know going to church isn’t what makes you Christian, or religious, or of faith.  Whatever.  But I haven’t tried… to do anything.  Nothing.  I pushed it all away.  I put it last on my list.  Piled all my work on top of it, and just let it rot at the bottom of a “to do” pile to get to later.  Do I regret it?  Am I bothered by it?  Is it bad if I answer no?

I try not to talk about religion out loud too much.  I feel it makes people uncomfortable.  It’s a touchy subject and I don’t want to bring it up, or use it.  I know to most of my friends in college, they will push it away… tell me “I don’t believe in that, so I can’t help you”.  I know my friends back home will try to help too much… telling me to “place faith in God.  He has a plan.  He loves you.  You aren’t alone.”  heh.

I don’t know. I don’t want to deal with it right now.

…

I …

I… just want you to stop… stop suffocating me.  Stop making me feel this way… please… just… stop.

 

Student Shelter: Flashmob

On Monday, November 16, 2009, students gathered promptly at 10:30am to nap outside the administration building at UC Irvine, as a short means to demonstrate against the increase in fees.

It was tricky at first.  Trying to come up with an idea for what to do.  Granted I had the flu so I wasn’t in the state of mind to begin with.  Eventually Esther, one of my groupmates, came up with the idea of napping on campus.  After several e-mail exchanges, we settled on napping outside Aldrich Hall as a means to getting more for what we pay for… as in we pay more money, for less class, so thus we decide to use campus grounds as a means for getting more… by napping.

At 10:30 am, one person would place a sign outside Aldrich Hall, and subsequently fall asleep.

Gradually, within 5 minutes, students would join in by sleeping around the person who placed the sign.

Then at 10:35am everyone’s cell phone alarm went off in a loud unison, marking the end of the nap and everyone would disburse, acting as if nothing happened.

There have been mixed reports on exactly how many student showed up for the event.  Facebook had received 200 individuals who said they’d show up, but a great number less than that appeared.  Nonetheless we were quite confident that the turnout gave a surprising reaction to everyone not “in-the-loop” with people gathering around wondering what was happening… asking what we were doing, and wishing they had cameras to take pictures of it.

Kula: Kaiten

So my brother drove down and is visiting me in Irvine, from San Francisco, for most of the week and today I decided to take him to Kula Revolving Sushi (Kaiten) in Diamond Jamboree for dinner. At two-dollars a plate I didn’t expect the food to be that good but oh-my-god it was good.

My brother tends to make me try new foods so today I had some clam thing and a raw quail egg! It was pretty good, the egg that is… Still not a big fan of clams unless it is clam chowder.

It was good though! Definitely can’t wait to go back.