quote found while cleaning hard drive:
“how come you have enough time to go out and make other people fall in love with you, but you dont have enough time to pay attention to the one who already does…”
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Author: Aaron Hoffmann
I've a deep passion for solving problems, be they digital or physical, UX or UI, product or brand, or some impossible Tetris stack. Data-driven design philosophy; data-backed decisions are the most logical and defendable. I lead by example, choosing my roles based on team chemistry, ability to exercise my broad skillset, and opportunity to make a positive change in the world. I speak Geek and Japanese and would be delighted to explain the most unusual sushi I've ever eaten.
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toilet salon
what an unusual dream last night:
i was attending the upcoming family reunion (to be this sunday, august 31), and although plenty of things happened, only one seems to stick in memory. my grandmother’s house is the setting, where the reunions always occur. now although her bathroom is adequately sized, my dream exaggerated the room’s dimensions to approximately that of your average shopping mall hair salon, and strangely enough; that random comparison rings true in the sense that stationed in precise increments around the perimeter were white toilets, much like the arrangement of styling chairs at a salon. all of the toilets had clear water, with fish swimming around; almost like it was some bizarre pet store; one end of the room even had a black countertop and an attendant of some sort.
a line had grown which strung out of the room and beyond my line of vision; i’m not sure what the line was waiting for, but my position was almost an exact halfway from the front to the back (as far as i could see, anyway). of course, after standing idle for long enough, the urge to defecate came along, and the longer i stood there, the more intense and unavoidable the urge became. after looking around a bit, i noticed a toilet unlike the others in some manner (i don’t quite remember if it was the colour, size, or some other attribute), but it was out of place; just floating in the middle of the room, rather than along a wall between two others. i crept over to it, visually inspecting the unit for any signs of life, which there were none. now normally, i have enough sense of humility to keep my excretions private, but in this particular moment, all bets were off — it could not wait another minute! so, i disrobed appropriately and did my business…
suddenly, everyone turned and gasped in horror. not because a man was shitting before them in public, but because there were two rare fish residing in that bowl. their gasps became riotous and angry words; the mob seemed ready to stone me…i cleaned and packaged myself, and reassured everyone that the bowl was empty. when the store clerk came to check, all of a sudden there were two small fish swimming among 4 long, wooden door-coloured links of faeces; both fish very exotic-looking with one being a sky blue with long, frilly fins; the other a yellow and orange with odd bulges and also extravagant extremities. they must have been hiding in the “drain cave”, as i surely checked before i chunked. turns out this was some unorthodox pet store, and these were two special imported fish; and the line was a lottery of sorts.
i don’t quite remember the rest, nor the outcome, but i do know that i spent quite a while trying to rectify the situation, in all my embarrassment. and i do know now that i never want to show my bare ass to my relatives for any reason whatsoever.
listening to: u2 – outside broadcast (from the zoo tv tour)
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search for meaning and onesself
i’ve never been so awake in all my life — even after approximately zero hours of sleep! i thought perhaps my sickness with mono was recurring, but considering how early i wake, and how late i sleep; and my general lack of fatigue, i doubt it. i disagree with the common maternal instinct to seek medical attention for any illness or affliction that comes along; especially select specialists — including those of religious ministry.
it’s interesting how teenagers in general (not that i am one anymore) feel as if they have some deep introspective grasp on reality — including the ability to understand their parents (for example), yet the parents have little to no clue whatsoever into the lives of their children. i guess as we get older, the everyday struggles and burdens dampen the pristine condition and the wide eyed wonderment we’re born with; and it’s not until our teenage years that those problems of life first begin appearing — coincidentally the same point in life we begin to realise, understand, and deal with the world around us – a kind of utopian middle-ground where the innocence of childhood and the tarnish of reality collide, save for a small percentage of us who carry childhood and adolescence right into adulthood.
personally, i wouldn’t want my life any other way; even in complete silence and total solitaire, existence is never futile; never lacking the reason to continue. the meaning of life is just that: to survive no matter what. i refuse to let the rest of the world vandalise my spirits, the same graffiti that causes adults to lose that innocence and connectivity to their surroundings. perhaps this is why 95% of the world’s population believes in some religious being; it is some type of crutch to rest their trampled lives upon? but it does make me wonder — if the rest of society genuinely knows or sees something in religion that i can’t, or maybe i am right to say they all suffer from some mass-delusion to which i am immune?
i don’t know, but everyday is an ongoing battle to determine which truths are true — if any are at all! i have attributed this indecision to the fact that i am very analytical; that i look for empirical evidence and logical proof to rationalise everything; very rarely relying upon faith or intuition to justify my thoughts. yet the lack of explanations for so many questions and the helplessness we sometimes feel when we have no control over certain things in our lives really does make one want to point to some “magical” underlying force somewhere.
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easy to leave
something just off the top of my head as i sit here bored clueless today…
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slowly fading
from the “infamous friday”…
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mario corroboration
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what dimensions mario should occupy
so the past day or two i’ve been sketching ideas for a real 3d super mario game; this came after a discussion recently with someone about how, if given the freedom, i would create such a kickass mario bros. game…and i hold true to that belief. the problem for me is that although there are 2 mario games in 3d so far: one for n64 and one for gamecube. although each is okay, i think the large jump from super mario world (1991) to what is currently being served up, without a bridge of any kind (or at least a hang-glider), is just too far; and the latest two games lost something in the translation [between dimensions].
- first: whatever happened to power-ups? that was such a pivotal concept in the originals. get a mushroom, you increase in stature; get a fire flower, leaf, or feather and you increase in power and capability. the closest either of the 3d games came was in mario 64, where occasionally (read: rarely) one would stumble upon a floating block with a “power-up”….which turned out to be one of 3 different hats that temporarily enabled some extra ability. temporarily? what’s up with that? the precedent was set that once you enhance, you keep the ability until you foul up somehow. the only temporary power up in the originals was invincibility provided by the bouncing “starman”…and though invincibility/invisibility was one of the 3 hats in mario 64; it strayed from tradition — no starman to be found. part of its fun was catching the bouncing bastard, and then watching mario cycle through colours of all varieties while invulnerable. ahh, to play as a racoon once more!
- second: why are the landscapes so ordinary–similar to so many other 3d platform/adventure titles? the mario titles i remember enjoying had all types of wild and imaginitive colours, shapes, and patterns that even if all different, they blended together seamlessly. it had its own style which mario 64 and super mario sunshine have bits and pieces of, but what good is a cob of corn that has only one or two kernels, but rows and rows of pits?
- third: bowser must either be the only enemy which made the series unique, or the storyline failed to mention that bowser’s corporation underwent serious downsizing and re-employing; because few or none of the original cast appears in either 3d game (except for sparse placement of goombas and piranha plants in m64, and nothing in sunshine (although some flying bullet characters reminiscent of “bullet bill” appear, though–and i need to double-check the manual–they likely have a different name). oh wait, sunshine did have bloopers, but not how you think. yoshi appears, and is well executed, but again–one or two kernels. crikey, even the princess has a different name (she is now “peach”, not even “princess peach”; she was formerly known as “princess toadstool”; which is–not surprisingly–my favourite of the monikers)!
anyway…my sketches will continue; perhaps i will scan some and pop them online soon, but the main reason for them is to have a concrete project to reintroduce me to working in 3d…i really do miss it. when i finally do begin making a mario world in 3d…i want it to be as faithful to what i feel are the real roots and lifeblood of the series.
on a completely different note, my diet and workout regimen are handling quite well. in less than a week i can certainly feel, but also see the improvement already! i will continue until i am happy : )
p.s. what does anyone know about the u.s. navy? noticed a job posting for artists and photographers…and although i’m pending a response from an h.r. representative, any other viewpoints or info would be greatly appreciated!
listening to:
Rubberneck
Toadies