20 Nov 2009

The last day of school):

Last day with DGS peeps):

For the first time that morning,

after spending 4 days in DGS

We finally attended their morning assembly(:

hahas.

DGS is a Christian school

Therefore, after singing their hymns,

they had a sermon.

Preached by one of their Pastors i think.

Wasn’t paying much attention cause I’m not used to it.

Quite inspirational i must say.

After assembly, we then gave our short presentation

to my class and Desiree’s class.

Haha.

I missed PE lesson!!!!):

We then presented our buddies with our gifts(:

Went up to class and lessons continued(:

Then they had a Music exam!

And OMG its bloody nice!

They either learn an instrument or sing.

I didn’t hear the singers,

However i did hear the ones with instruments.

REALLY REALLY NICE!

Then Amy came back during break time(:

She wasn’t feeling well. ):

Guess due to sports day the other day.

OHHH AND i FINALLY ate something during their break time!:D

I ate curry fishballs!

Well, at least i think its fishballs.

some kind of balls lah. LOL!

For lunch i finally ate with one of my buddies, Amy!

Omg lah! Like last day then do everything together. Lol.

All four of us (Me, Desiree, Kathryn and Narelle)

ate lunch tgt as we thought that we should take a group photo

with our buddies for IJ’s school magazine. -.-”

And also to spend the last lunch tgt with our buddies):

OH and also, we finally tried their bubble tea!

SO ADDICTED TO IT MANS!

DAMN NICE!

Oh and this small boy was like touching

me during lunch. Amy was just laughing!

So was Desiree!

Took pics, but not with the four of us tgt):

My last lesson was supposedly Needlework.

However, Jessie and Sharon begged me to go to Home Economics class.

Thus, I gave Amy a hug and left.

They were making char siew pao and lotus pao for HE!

NICE NICE!

I was supposed to leave a 2.50pm

However Jessie kept making me stay!

So did the teacher!

She said that she wanted to give me the pao first

before i left(:

It was very nice!

Hahas.

When I REALLY had to go,

Jessie gave me a really big hug!

With her hands full of flour!

So did Peggy!

and the teacher!!!!

When i was like halfway down the staircase,

I realise i left Amy’s present on the counter!

like OMG! SO IMPORTANT!

Sorry Amy!):

Then i ran back up (H.E. Room was at the 6th level or 5th)

Got it and ran back down

I was like 10mins late.

I only saw Desiree. -.-”

Narelle and Kathryn came down like 5 mins later than me.

Then we waited for a very long time for the bus to pick us up!

I dunno is mrs low was angry…

She was like, We’re going to disneyland today!!!!

Lol!

So we were back at the hotel.

Changed.

Headed for disneyland!

WOOOO~

We took the train all the way.

And when we took the train to Disneyland,

OMG! Full of Mickey Mouse!

Camwhored in the train(:

Then we reached Disneyland!

WHOOOO~

I followed Si Ying and Amabel and Narelle was all along at my side.

Haha!

Si Ying and Amabel FORCED me to come with them on

‘Space Mountain’ in the train.

So i reluctantly agreed…

I am not a roller coaster person!

So we headed for tomorrow land first.

Played the astro blasters!

Haha.

Buzz Lighter! WOOO~

Haha..

Then they bought popcorn

and then we ate it in the toilet -.-”

We coincidentally met the guys and Mrs Low outside Space mountain.

Mrs low kept exclaiming to us Space mountain is really good.

So i was like, OMG if mrs low can do it… i think i’d better do it…

LOL!

So she followed us for her second time.

Not as scary as i thought.

Well cause i cant see anything but lights. -.-”"

And we had to take our specs out.

Once Narelle took hers out,

she kept clinging on to my arm

cuz she really cant see.

My degree is quite okay, so i can still see.

Haha.

I think i got addicted to it.

cuz i was like, Can we go another round?!

LOL!

I felt much hotter after the ride.

Then we went to ‘Its a small world’

Cuz mrs low brought us to it.

She said it was really nice.

And OMG it is!

SOOOOO CUTEEEE!

Bring kids there and they will go CRAZY!

like me and Narelle! HAHAHHAHAHHA!

Then we went to watch the 4D show of Mickey and his friends.

Lol!

SUPER NICE!

With water effects. I got a little wet.

Then I had to shop for my sister and my cousin.

I bought 2 pens and 1 pencil for my sis HK$105

and clips for my cousin HK$50.

We then proceeded to watch the amazing fireworks!

WE DIDNT GET SEATS!

We had to stand

and this bloody lamp post was blocking my view!

So were the trees!!!!

ARGHHHH!

I later found out all 4 boys were sitting at the front row. -.-”"”

We again didn’t eat dinner

so Narelle and I bought Egg Tarts and I bought a Mango cake as well.

EGG TART DAMN SHIOK!!!!

DAMN NICE!

Then we shopped around

I bought a Minnie and mickey mouse shirt

So cute(:

I wanted to buy another one but like so expensive.

Yeah so we headed back to the hotel

and reached there like around 10.30.

19 Nov 2009

Same routine.
Wake up at 6am.

However instead of wearing school uniform that day,
DGS (Diocesan Girls School) peeps wore track pants
and our PE shirt.

Why? Because DGS was having their annual sports day that day!
Hehe

We didn’t need to rush for breakfast that day,
Our bus only came at 7.40.

On tuesday, the temperature was 10 degrees,
On wednesday, the temperature was 12 degrees.

Me and Narelle decided to eat porridge for breakfast
the night before as we both thought that
it would be very cold at the stadium.
EVERYONE told us to wear lot of clothes!
I wore my shirt and sweater and jacket and track pants.

Initially I wanted to wear my thermal wear inside my shirt
However, when i did put on my thermal wear and shirt,
I realised it was too uncomfortable.):
So yeah..

Me and Narelle were the first girls down (ALWAYS)
Some boys were early too.
We both had a hearty breakfast(:
Keeping ourselves warm!

Mine

Hers

Then the rest came down.
Then waited at the hotel lobby for the bus.
And we went to Wan Chai Sports Ground!

Wan Chai Sports Ground

Once we got off the bus,
AGAIN WE WERE FREEZING!
Then we walked ourselves to the teacher’s room
which we all call the warm room.
Our buddies were supposed to pick us up.
However, mine didn’t. Lol.
Even i kena pangsehed in HK! zzz… hahaha

So i followed Desiree and Kathryn.
Their buddies were taking part in events,
thus not being able to take care of them.
I then found out my buddies were also taking part in events.

The three of us camwhored ard the sports ground(:

Bought food! LIKE sausages! And harshbrowns!
So oily :X

Then walked ard aimlessly.
Haha.
And I saw Amy taking part in the high jump event!
OMG SHE’S DAMN GOOD! LIKE SERIOUSLY!

I caught Kathleen (Desiree’s buddy) in mid air too!

Took pictures with teachers!

My liberal studies teacher & English teacher (Mr. Hyam)

I had lunch with Amy and her friends,
Er… Cindy, Carmen, sorry i forgot the rest of your names!):
OH! We had takeaway as well. LOL!

While waiting for the food,
they were asking questions abt me.
At one point, they asked me what activities do i do?
To which i replied, I play basketball…
Their reactions? WHAAAAAAAA.

I’m like, huh? what?
Then they explained that tmr for their PE lesson,
they were gonna play basketball.
Lol.

They continued bombarding me with questions.
Haha.

Then we went back to the sports ground.
I had to rush cuz i needed to meet the others.

I found them
and then we met mrs low.
We then headed back to the hotel on our own.
Save money.

Haha.
While walking back,
Narelle was like, Have we reached Wan Chai?
I’m like, we’ve all along been in Wan Chai. LOL!
Hahah.

The stadium was at Wan Chai and she’s asking if we’ve reached Wan Chai.
Our hotel was at Wan Chai. LOL!

We took a nice break for 2 hours.
Waited for the SJC peeps.

We headed to St. John’s Cathedral!
We had to climb very very high!!!!!
SO TIRING! HAHA!

Then we went to this garden. I dunno where.
Had birds there.
Camwhored with Amabel and Kathryn!

Then we headed to the ladies’ market!
OMG bargain bargain!

OH I SMELLED SMELLY TOUFU FOR THE FIRST TIME!
SMELLY!
Then i ate this waffle thingy
Idk what it was, i just saw everyone else buying it and i was like
okay i buy lorh. LOL!

Narelle saw a Ronaldo shirt,
and she wanted to buy.
So she asked me if i wanted to buy it too,
cuz it would be cheaper.
Kathryn helped us interpret what the lady was saying
and unknowingly to us,
she helped us bargain down from HK$100 plus
to HK$55. THANKS KATHRYN!

We were supposed to stay in the group.
However me and Narelle were held up at a stall.
We then told the rest to go ahead without us.

So it was only me and her.
On the way down the row of stalls,
We bought lots of stuff!

I bought:
-Ronaldo shirt
- Tie for daddy
- Bag for mummy (later she complain never buy anything for her)
- 3 Shirts for Ah gong and Ah nek!(:
- Ipod earpieces (mine were broken)

She bought:
- Ronaldo shirt
- Shirts for her mum and dad
- Bag for herself.

At the junction,
I was like just staring somewhere else
when someone coughed near me.
I didn’t really care until the person walked passed me
and i realised it was the guys! LOL!

We then caught up with the rest of them
And then when we walked back to the place where we were supposed to meet,
Narelle and Kathryn wanted to buy an unbrella.

I paid for both of them as they both
didn’t have enough money with them at that time.

We walked out of the market.
Me and Narelle were so hungry!
We didn’t have dinner.

Then we just bought salad, lamington and drinks from starbucks!
I bought this chocolate chip blended.

Then Narelle wanted to take a sip
but she didn’t tell me.
So i was like turning ard to sit down
and i saw her like trying to catch my straw with her mouth.

At first, i was like, WTH IS SHE DOING?!
Then i realised what she wanted to do. LOL!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING GIRLS!

Enjoy your time off, time with your families and loved ones, and remember what you’re thankful for!

I’m thankful for all of the memories I have with you ladies… MISS YOU!

18 Nov 2009

For lunch that day
I again ate with Desiree’s and Kathryn’s buddies.
They brought us to this noodle place
and was like full.
So we had takeaway!
My first takeaway food in an outside country!
hahah

It was filled with bean sprouts):
So I couldn’t finish it. Hehe(:
So we took our usual places on the bus after OUR
last lesson with them,
and headed back to the hotel(:

Our usual seats on the coach

After school last wednesday,
We went to Causeway Bay(:

OHOH WE TOOK A TRAM THERE!
HK$2!

Inside the tram and the tram

Really nice experience
and since the journey was so long,
Me, Narelle, Maxene and Chelsey
played I-spy (:
hahhahaha.

Causeway Bay is like Singapore’s Orchard Road.
Plenty of stuff, expensive stuff.
Narelle’s mum had her buy lao po bing
(Wife biscuits)
for her grandparents and parents and herself.
haha.

Causeway Bay

So when we were dismissed,
we went straight to Sogo
and headed to Basement 2.
All the food stuff were there.

Then we found her biscuits
BUT we didn’t know how to ask the salesperson
how much was it.
They didn’t state the price there.
Since me and Narelle didn’t speak Cantonese,
we had difficulty.

We asked the cashier,
Do you know English? ENGLISH?!

Then she was like no.

Then me and Narelle got quite scared.
Cause no one understands English.
Then i suggested the idea of putong hua.
which is mandarin.

So we asked again if she knew putong hua
and she was like yeah.
WAHHH HENG SIA!

Haha. So she bought one box.
$55. Only 8 biscuits in the box.

She needed more.
And so the lady said that was the last box.
So Narelle had to buy the individual ones.
1 for $5.5
so she bought 10. same price mah.

I bought 1 lao po bing
and a mango cake.
Lol.

Then we walked around
and i saw this packet of biscuits.
Bought it for Louis, Chee Hoong and Edward.

Then we walked around summore
and I found out they also had mochi!!!
I first tried mochi @ my aunt’s place.
I tried finding it in Sing, but to no avail.

So i quickly bought the mochi!
I wanted to buy one box for my family.
However, i realised that first, it would melt when
i got back to the hotel
and second, i can’t carry it onto the plane.
So yeah…
My chocolate Mochi costs HK$13.

Chocolate Mochi!

We then walked out of Sogo
and to this random mall
and we were given a free packet of salmon chips!
Haha(:

We found ms leong at the mall too!
Then we followed her around since we both didn’t know Cantonese.
haha

After meeting with the rest of the group
we headed to some place out of the city
to watch the symphony of the lights!

On the way,
Narelle and I bought chips back
to share at the hotel while reading! (:
Hehe

Mango Cake, Lao Po Bing & Salmon chips!(:

Ferrero!

OHOH AND we passed by this gym!
SO MANY PEOPLE!

Symphony of the lights is really nice!
Videos are on my facebook page.

17 Nov 2009

The night before, we went back to the hotel
the first thing i noticed was my eyes were like super red!
Took a shower then put eye mo… -.-”"

Slept at around 10 plus cause i was damn shagged
and Narelle had no choice but to sleep at the same time(:
haha.

we were told that breakfast was at 6.30
so narelle and i decided to wake up at 5.45
instead of 6 which the morning call was registered.

we were all prepared by 6.20
when we headed down to the cade floor,
we found out breakfast only started at 7 =.=”"”

So we went back to our room and read until 6.55
then we went down for breakfast
and it was such a rush!
our bus came at 7.15!

After rushing,
we quickly boarded the bus along with Kathryn
and Desiree who were going to the same school as us.
We reached Diocesan Girl’s school at around 7.50 – 8
it was a 45mins drive from our hotel to the school.

Enjoyed the scenery going to school(:
When we got down from the bus,
the first thing everyone did was to put their arms around themselves.
IT WAS FREEZING!
the temperature was 10 degrees!
and our teachers told us the temperature would be
18 – 23. -.-”"”"

So we like ran towards the school
and the janitor told us to go to the visitor’s room.
the moment we stepped in we were like so warmed up!
hahas.
REALLY COLD!
The school is currently located in Kowloon I think,
Holding school.

Their court @ holding school.

then the teachers came in
and told us we had two buddies!
We all bought only one buddy gift.

She then brought the buddies in.
We were then brought up to class
and lesson began!
They started with Religious class,
which they have to remember a bible quote
as their dictation.
I think that day was 1 Samuel sth sth…
hehe

I found out the teachers their use a mic
to conduct lessons. Cool!

Next was Geography
then Chinese lesson,
which was conducted in Cantonese.
I was just like so gong like that!
Sitting there stoning.

then they had a break
followed by double English
and this english teacher keeps irritating me!!!!

then lunch and my last lesson was liberal studies(:
they learn social work like dat.
cool!

For lunch that day I ate with Desiree’s buddy
as my buddies had something on.
We ate DUMPLINGS!

Dumpling with Noodles

After school,
we took a coach back to the hotel,
changed and headed to wan chai mtr station!

We took a Ferry Ride across the harbour
which was like so cold!

Scenery from cruise

We then went to see Avenue of the Stars

and we went to this market called temple street market.

Temple Street Market

Me and Narelle bought sth for our other buddy there then.(:

We were dismissed for dinner
and since me and Narelle don’t understand chinese
and can’t speak Catonese,
we followed Ms Leong, the SJI teacher!
hehe

She brought a group of us,
the four DGS girls,
and the four guys,
to eat Wanton Mee!

Wanton Mee

It was there that we got to know the boys a little bit more
and we were just talking casually.

However the boy which talked to us the most was Joel Tay!!!
Because why?
He knows *ahem*
So we kept asking him about *ahem*

Haha!
Kathryn ordered Hot coke
which i was quite surprise they had it.
It tasted sour,
probably because of the lemon
but other than that,
interestingly nice.
hahaha.

Hot Coke

Afternoon.

Me siento muy feliz, contento, alegre y aliviado al ver que Desiree ya está mejorando gracias a una terapia que le ayudó a desintoxicar su cuerpo. ¡Vamos Desiree! Confío en que mejorarás todavía mas.

Desiree Jennings, una animadora de 26 años y corredora de maratón fue severamente dañada con un trastorno neurológico diagnosticado como distonía a raíz de tomar la vacuna contra la gripe porcina (los funcionarios gubernamentales y las farmacéuticas siguen diciendo que son “seguras”).

El Doctor Rashid Buttar de Huntersville (Carolina del Norte), el médico que ayudó a Desiree Jennings a desintoxicar su cuerpo de los venenos que le dieron cuando fue vacunada, explicó cómo se aplican las soluciones intravenosas como agentes quelantes, antioxidantes, apoyo nutricional basado en la naturaleza y compuestos anti-virales que en un plazo de 36 horas se tradujo en un giro sorprendente y asombroso para Desiree y las convulsiones que estaba experimentando casi a cada minuto.

Entrevista al Doctor Rashid, el 25 de octubre 2009. (Entrevista en inglés sin subtitulos)

Video realizado el 29 de octubre de 2009 donde se puede ver la asombrosa recuperación de Desiree Jennings:

Página web de Desiree: http://desireejennings.com/

Esta mujer se acercaba a la MUERTE y por la intervención divina fue llevada a un médico que entiende CORRECTAMENTE como trabaja el cuerpo humano y la necesidad de desintoxicar la estructura inmunológica de su cuerpo envenenado que la llevó a sufrir las trágicas. Tenga en cuenta que el Dr. Buttar emplea terapias basadas en la naturaleza y fue capaz de eliminar las toxinas del cuerpo envenenado de Desiree, haciendo regresar su cuerpo a un funcionamiento normal.

Desiree fue envenenada por un producto farmacéutico que el gobierno y la industria farmacéutica le había asegurado que era seguro y eficaz. Fue traicionada por los mentirosos y cretinos de los gobiernos y las grandes empresas farmacéuticas que no podía hacer nada para ayudarla, sólo le pudieron ofrecer BOTOX (!!!) mientras se deslizaba más y más hacia la muerte.

La historia de Desiree Jennings debe ser una llamada al despertar de la gente alrededor del mundo y que las grandes farmacéuticas junto con sus compañeros iluminados en el gobierno, se dedican a la MAYOR CAMPAÑA DE ENVENENAMIENTO en toda la historia de la humanidad.

Cuanto más pronto despierte la gente en todas partes del mundo de esta mentira cobarde y deje de tomar estas vacunas, antes esta pesadilla se acercará a su fin.

No esperes a que te pase esto, rechaza la vacuna, ya sabes que es lo que te puede pasar.

¡Dile NO a la maldita vacunación!

Posted by Audiegrl

Will join staffers Desiree Rogers, Susan Sher, Tina Tchen, Valerie Jarrett

First Lady Michelle Obama, Fran Drescher and Sheryl Crow

Chicago Tribune/Katherine Skiba—First Lady Michelle Obama — and some of her Chicago “sisters” in the White House — on Monday will launch a first-of-its-kind mentoring program with about 20 high school girls from greater Washington.

As the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s election nears, it’s the first lady who is making history now. Call this chapter “Girl Power.”

Observers say her leadership and mentoring initiative has not been done by a first lady before. It will see Obama — and White House staffers including Valerie Jarrett, Tina Tchen, Susan Sher and Desiree Rogers, Chicagoans all — act as mentors to high school juniors and sophomores.

Jarrett is a senior White House adviser. Tchen leads its public liaison office. Sher is the first lady’s chief of staff. Rogers is White House social secretary.

The proteges were chosen by high schools, the Girl Scouts and military families, including Gold Star families who have lost a loved one, said Katie McCormick Lelyveld, the first lady’s spokeswoman.

A similar initiative for young men is coming later, she said.

Tchen, an attorney from Chicago long active in politics, said the program builds on a March event at the White House that saw high school girls interact with the first lady, White House officials and a cast of celebrities including singers Alicia Keyes and Sheryl Crow; actresses and sisters Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad; actress Fran Drescher; and Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to travel into space.

The First Lady chats with Fran Dresche and Alica Keys

Tchen said the program launch will see proteges visit their mentors’ offices and gather as a group for dinner. The inaugural class’s duration has not been decided, she said, adding that she expects discussions of college, careers, and balancing work and motherhood.

The mentors, she said, want to give proteges a “window to a wide variety of different opportunities to play out your dreams.”

Letitia Baldrige, who was a top aide to first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, said the mentoring program was “definitely” a first for a presidential spouse. She called it “wonderfully imaginative,” but cautioned it will be difficult in part because of the ongoing commitment it requires.

More @

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Er is weer een grote update geplaatst bij Tante Trees.

Voor de kleintjes mooie en nieuwe kleding van o.a. Kidz-art, Go On,

Babyface en Petibon

Vanaf maat 98-158 is er een grote update vintage kleding geplaatst. Voor ieder wat wils en prachtige merken als Eager Beaver, Mim-Pi, Vingino, Esprit, Mexx, Jilly, Desireé, Didi e.v.a.

Bij www.tantetrees.nl ontvang je bij elke betaalde bestellingen punten op de spaarkaart

waarmee je kunt sparen voor aantrekkelijke kortingen.

Verras deze verrassend hippe tante eens met een bezoekje.

Graag tot ziens!

www.tantetrees.nl

Title: Cognitive Sonification

Description: Cognitive Sonification consists of a series of interactive public performances that aim to convey information and perceptualize data through sonic experimentation. This project is an exploration of how we form understanding and the cognitive complications of classification and categorization as we observe and discern our physical surroundings. A number of hand-crafted, unconventional instruments will be constructed and operated by volunteers who will play each instrument’s basic set of notes according to their own self-devised, undisclosed algorithmic parameters. Thus the resulting tracks will derive not from aesthetic or musical decisions, but from statistics observed and interpreted by each individual; in essence, making their inaudible thought-process audible, yet still shrouded in mystery.

Ultimately, the tracks will be recorded and the compositions will be transcribed with titles that reference the location of each performance (Ex: Santa Barbara Municipal Airport Composition). In addition, the project residue generated will also include the physical instruments, audio files on CDs free to the public, and performance videos of the live performances. The conjunction of sound and situation insists on the engagement of the viewer, encouraging participation in real space and responsive thought.

PROJECT VIRAL RESEARCH BY DESIREE D’ALESSANDRO
10.26.09

Desiree D’Alessandro: Danea Johnson / Josh Bloom (CYPHER PROJECT)

The CYPHER documentary/website project struck me as interesting as it is in some ways similar to the project I am proposing. While we are both interested in auditory art forms to an extent, it seems our approaches are different with theirs being concerned with the documenting musician performances in virtual space and mine being concerned with how the physical environment and architectural spaces might shape/elicit those responses. The following research (books, videos, digital extension sound/location art samples, artists, etc) will be mutually beneficial for both of us to examine and explore in relation to our proposals.

Launching Point: Sound Art
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_art

Definition: Sound art is comprised of “predominantly sound-based art works that incorporate sound into physical environments.”

The following is an excerpt from the catalogue essay by art historian Don Goddard:
“It may be that sound art adheres to curator Hellermann’s perception that “hearing is another form of seeing,’ that sound has meaning only when its connection with an image is understood… The conjunction of sound and image insists on the engagement of the viewer, forcing participation in real space and concrete, responsive thought rather than illusionary space and thought.

Sonification
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonification
Sonification is the use of non-speech audio to convey information or perceptualize data. Due to the specifics of auditory perception, such as temporal and pressure resolution, it forms an interesting alternative to visualization techniques, gaining importance in various disciplines. It has been well established for a long time already as Auditory Display in situations that require a constant awareness of some information (e.g. vital body functions during an operation). Sonification as a method for exploration of data and scientific modeling is a current and ongoing research desideratum. One of the first successful applications of sonification is the well-known Geiger counter, a device measuring ionizing radiation. The number and frequency of audible clicks are directly dependent on the radiation level in the immediate vicinity of the device.

Developing the Practice and Theory of Stream-based Sonification
http://scan.net.au/scan/journal/display.php?journal_id=135

ImageListener interface showing change in land cover in Canberra

Video Notes: It was difficult to compare differences between different points from the image due to the small size of individual pixels. However the sonification did not solve this problem because it was not easy to remember the sound at the previous point while clicking on another. This problem was solved by looping the sonifications of the two points, which made comparisons much easier. Similar values produced a sound that was distinct from those that had greater differences. These alternating looped points sounded quite similar to the Van Noorden gallop that is used in experiments on auditory stream perception [Van Noorden, 1977]. This observation laid the foundation for further exploration of the Van Noorden effect in the following case studies. The ImageListener also raised questions about auditory memory related to sonification. How long can we hold a sound in memory? Is it possible to compare two sounds in memory? What is the effect of time on the judgment of difference between two sonified data points? How many levels of quantitative difference can be judged between two sonified points?

Walkingtools
http://www.walkingtools.net/
What are Walkingtools?
The short technical answer:
Walkingtools is a loose confederation of software and related art or education projects across various languages, platforms and disciplines that share standards for content delivery and management of GPS data by defining an XML schema extension to the standard GPX schema, allowing media and other data to be associated with GPS data.
The GPX standard: http://www.topografix.com/gpx.asp
The longer art-conceptual answer:
The walkingtools.net site documents and provides resources for a variety of independent yet interrelated projects where the computational mediation of peripatetic behavior is the primary interest. In the abstract walking tools are a subset of navigation tools, where navigation tools are any combination of instrumentation and/or informational interface that mediates a user’s spatial behavior. Thus if you are using a topographic map and a compass on a hike, by our definition you are using walking tools. But more specifically walkingtools.net seeks to further and promote the expressive range of the walking-computer-interface through basic research, information technology development, the production of authorship tools, and open standards and APIs. Intentionally experimental and deriving from experience and expertise drawn from a diverse set artists who have been engaged in related projects over the years, walkingtools.net also seeks to be a place where experiments and projects using the walkingtools can be aggregated, documented, and highlighted.

New! Guide to Creating Guided GPS Audio/Media Tours with the HiperGps Production Tool
Guide to Creating Guided GPS Media Tours with the HiperGps Production Tool
including deployment example for typical iDen handsets
Alpha Version 0.0.5
This guide explains how to use HiperGps to create your own GPS Media Tours for JavaME/Location API (GPS enabled) handsets. It documents most of the features in a “manual” format, and provides a lot of other useful advice and information. Also included is an example of how to deploy the HiperGps MIDlet to a common and quite inexpensive (in the US) mobile phone.
http://www.walkingtools.net/WalkingToolsGpx/doc/HiperGpsGuide0.0.5.pdf

Related Audio-Video Documentation

On The Edge of the Internal Fringe: Richard Pell
06:32 – Interview with Richard Pell and the Autotron/Smartcar; touring the Wendover CLUI facility. On the Edge of the Internal Fringe.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2863648622368713341#

On The Edge of the Internal Fringe: Brett Stalbaum
06:24 – Brett Stalbaum of C5 corporation explains his project to hike from one designated desert location to another in Wendover, Utah, through the use of the Virtual Hiker algorithm.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2863648622368713341#docid=-1909033690060374290

onãodito – Fernando Senra e Julio Alessi

7:08 – Through the use of GPS in cell phones, you can discover secrets and remnants of other times that are present in the city of Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
http://www.youtube.com/v/zaWnfk-CeUo&hl=en&fs=1

Sound Poetry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_poetry
Sound poetry is a form of literary or musical composition in which the phonetic aspects of human speech are foregrounded at the expense of more conventional semantic and syntactic values; “verse without words”. By definition, sound poetry is intended primarily for performance.

[Sound mixing = audioscpae - landscape comparatives]

Walk About (1971):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6SkeIXaep8&feature=related
Nicolas Roeg’s solo directorial debut is a haunting, unconventional narrative film that presents a bleak vision of civilized life as arid and unrewarding. Abandoned in the Australian outback, two young white children (Jenny Agutter and Roeg’s son Lucien) stumble upon an adolescent Aborigine (David Gulpilil), who is performing a “walkabout.” In this ritualistic six-month journey, the boy must learn to survive by himself in the imposing desert. Communication is a problem, although more for the girl than for her little brother, who still has a child’s ability to communicate simply and directly. The two teenagers fail to connect for a variety of reasons, mostly due to the girl’s lack of interest in a culture that is unfamiliar and different from her own. Ultimately, the differences become too much to bear, resulting in a tragic conclusion that adds an even more somber denouement to Roeg’s already grim vision. Based on the novel by James Vance Marshall, WALKABOUT is a powerful commentary on pastoral simplicity versus cosmopolitan clutter, and features stunning cinematography from Roeg.

Calin Dan – Emotional Architecture
http://www.stroom.nl/activiteiten/tentoonstelling.php?t_id=145092

Sample City

Michael Brewster
http://www.cgu.edu/pages/5818.asp
http://acousticsculpture.com/
Michael Brewster is a visual artist who works with sound’s spatial effects to promote sculptural sensations of space. He has been making sound art since 1970. His two main series, the Sonic Drawings and the Acoustic Sculptures, both use sound in space to generate expanded experiences of drawing and sculpture ideas.

Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art (Paperback)

The rise of a prominent auditory culture, reveals the degree to which sound art is lending definition to the 21st Century. And yet sound art still lacks related literature to compliment, and expand, the realm of practice. Background Noise sets out an historical overview, while at the same time shaping that history according to what sound art reveals – the dynamics of art to operate spatially, through media of reproduction and broadcast, and in relation to the intensities of communication and its contextual framework

Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?: Experiencing Aural Architecture (Hardcover)

Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2007 – We experience spaces not only by seeing but also by listening. We can navigate a room in the dark, and “hear” the emptiness of a house without furniture. Our experience of music in a concert hall depends on whether we sit in the front row or under the balcony. The unique acoustics of religious spaces acquire symbolic meaning. Social relationships are strongly influenced by the way that space changes sound. In Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?, Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter examine auditory spatial awareness: experiencing space by attentive listening. Every environment has an aural architecture. The audible attributes of physical space have always contributed to the fabric of human culture, as demonstrated by prehistoric multimedia cave paintings, classical Greek open-air theaters, Gothic cathedrals, acoustic geography of French villages, modern music reproduction, and virtual spaces in home theaters. Auditory spatial awareness is a prism that reveals a culture’s attitudes toward hearing and space. Some listeners can learn to “see” objects with their ears, but even without training, we can all hear spatial geometry such as an open door or low ceiling. Integrating contributions from a wide range of disciplines—including architecture, music, acoustics, evolution, anthropology, cognitive psychology, audio engineering, and many others—Spaces Speak, Are You Listening? establishes the concepts and language of aural architecture. These concepts provide an interdisciplinary guide for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of how space enhances our well-being. Aural architecture is not the exclusive domain of specialists. Accidentally or intentionally, we all function as aural architects.

Sound & Vision (Paperback)

Music and art have gone together at least as long as there’s been singing in church, but Sound & Vision opens in 1967, when the covers of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Peter Blake) and The Velvet Underground and Nico (Andy Warhol) announced that musical collaboration with Pop artists was here to stay. It moves on to the artist-muse relationship, with attention to Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, who lead to Punk, New Wave and the artists of the East Village. In the 1980s, art-school musicians like the Talking Heads and Sonic Youth fused the primitive energies of rock with the intellectual refinements of art school, emerging with a unified aesthetic just as videos were raising the importance of the visual. Today, videos and art of all kinds continue to create and influence the market for music, and collaborations are thriving, from schoolmates Damien Hirst and Blur to partners Bjork and Matthew Barney and ur-hipsters Beck and Marcel Dzama. Sound & Vision observes the fertile mixing of photography, painting, music and video, a node of interdisciplinary connections that has slowly become a major influence in the historical development of both pop music and visual arts. Includes works from Keith Haring, Julian Schnabel, Raymond Pettibon, Damien Hirst, Mike Kelley and Matthew Barney, among others.

The Soundscape (Paperback)The soundscape is our sonic environment, the ever-present array of noises with which we all live. Beginning with the primordial sounds of nature, we have experienced an ever-increasing complexity of our sonic surroundings. As civilization develops, new noises rise up around us: from the creaking wheel, the clang of the blacksmith’s hammer, and the distant chugging of steam trains to the “sound imperialism” of airports, city streets, and factories. The author contends that we now suffer from an overabundance of acoustic information and a proportionate diminishing of our ability to hear the nuances and subtleties of sound. Our task, he maintains, is to listen, analyze, and make distinctions. As a society we have become more aware of the toxic wastes that can enter our bodies through the air we breathe and the water we drink. In fact, the pollution of our sonic environment is no less real. Schafer emphasizes the importance of discerning the sounds that enrich and feed us and using them to create healthier environments. To this end, he explains how to classify sounds, appreciating their beauty or ugliness, and provides exercises and “soundwalks” to help us become more discriminating and sensitive to the sounds around us. This book is a pioneering exploration of our acoustic environment, past and present, and an attempt to imagine what it might become in the future.

Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music (Paperback)

The groundbreaking book maps the aural and discursive terrain of vanguard music today. Rather than offering a history of contemporary music, Audio Culture traces the genealogy of current musical practices and theoretical concerns, drawing lines of connection between recent musical production and earlier moments of sonic experimentation. It aims to foreground the various rewirings of musical composition and performance that have taken place in the past few decades and to provide a critical and theoretical language for this new audio culture. Via writings by philosophers, cultural theorists, and composers, Audio Culture explores the interconnections among such forms as minimalism, indeterminacy, musique concrète, free improvisation, experimental music, avant-rock, dub reggae, Ambient music, HipHop, and Techno. Instead of focusing on the putative “crossover” between “high art” and “popular culture,” Audio Culture takes all of these musics as experimental practices on par with, and linked to, one another. While cultural studies has tended to look at music (primarily popular music) from a sociological perspective, the concern here is philosophical, musical, and historical.
Audio Culture includes writing by some of the most important musical thinkers of the past half-century and is divided into thematically-organized sections.

Wired for Sound: Engineering and Technologies in Sonic Cultures (Music /Culture) (Paperback) “In the growing literature on the relationship between technology and music, this book stands out by virtue of the sheer diversity of its subject matter and approach: from North America to South Africa to Nepal, from Indigenous music to Techno.” Wired for Sound is the first anthology to address the role of sound engineering technologies in the shaping of contemporary global music. Wired sound is at the basis of digital audio editing, multi-track recording, and other studio practices that have powerfully impacted the world’s music. Distinctions between musicians and engineers increasingly blur, making it possible for people around the globe to imagine new sounds and construct new musical aesthetics. This collection of 11 essays employs primarily ethnographical, but also historical and psychological, approaches to examine a range of new, technology-intensive musics and musical practices such as: fusions of Indian film-song rhythms, heavy metal, and gamelan in Jakarta; urban Nepali pop which juxtaposes heavy metal, Tibetan Buddhist ritual chant, rap, and Himalayan folksongs; collaborations between Australian aboriginals and sound engineers; the production of “heaviness” in heavy metal music; and the production of the “Austin sound.” This anthology is must reading for anyone interested in the global character of contemporary music technology.

The Fundamentals of Sonic Arts and Sound Design (Fundamentals (Ava)) (Paperback)

Sound is all around. In movies. On TV. On the radio. Now the idea that sound can be an artistic medium in its own right is shaking the art world. Written by an authority in the field, The Fundamentals of Sonic Arts and Sound Design describes and begins the process of defining this entirely new subject. Topics covered include new and radical approaches to sound recording, performance, installation works and exhibitions, plus visits with sonic artists and sound designers. Designed for students, yet packed with exciting examples of the principles and practice of this new art form, this book is on the cutting edge where technology and art meet.

Sound Art: Beyond Music, Between Categories (Book & CD) (Hardcover)

Over the past century, an art form has emerged that draws from the worlds of visual art and music. Sound art’s roots can be found in the experimental work of Italian Futurism, Dada, and later the Fluxus group and the pioneering efforts of the American composer and artist John Cage. In the wake of this groundbreaking work, sound art began to mature into a movement, and artists explored the interactive possibilities of sound and in turn created entirely new modes of experiencing and engaging with art. In this volume, the complete story of sound art is told by one of the country’s leading critics and scholars. The author traces the history of this form of art–highlighting the convergence of the indie world bands such as Sonic Youth with the art world–looking at the critical cross-pollination that has led to some of the most important and challenging art being produced today, including work by Christian Marclay, LaMonte Young, Janet Cardiff, Rodney Graham, and Laurie Anderson, among many others.

DOCUMENTARY VIRAL RESEARCH BY DESIREE D’ALESSANDRO
10.19.09

Documentary
Definition doc•u•men•ta•ry (d k y -m n t -r )
adj.
1. Consisting of, concerning, or based on documents.
2. Presenting facts objectively without editorializing or inserting fictional matter, as in a book or film.
n. pl. doc•u•men•ta•ries
A work, such as a film or television program, presenting political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner and often consisting of actual news films or interviews accompanied by narration.

MAIN INTEREST: Non-Dialogue Documentaries / Non-Narrative Film

Researching Launching Point: Documentary Film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film

Excerpt – Documentaries without words:
“From 1982, the Qatsi trilogy and the similar Baraka have been popular for their unique experimental film styles. These visual tone poems contain neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and music. Koyaanisqatsi consists primarily of slow motion and time-lapse photography of cities and many natural landscapes across the United States.”

Koyaanisqatsi (feature length: 26 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sps6C9u7ras

Thoughts From an (Experimental?) Documentary Film
interesting blog reflection w/ comments:
“The [...] conceptual conflicts in non-narrative film, specifically music and expectation. These two major considerations challenge the supposed “open-ended” qualities of a non-narrative film
Whether the score acts as a driving force to the film’s visual composition or as a counterpoint to the visual workings, the score instructs the viewer in ways less open-ended than the visual text. Tensions resulting from internal and external rhythms, reliefs provided by harmonies and dynamics of tone and pitch all provide rich and complex texts of their own.

1.) If contemplative cinema invites participation, empathy and engagement with a film, and a film’s storytelling capabilities actually strengthen and expand from that quality, what does that say about human expectations regarding narrative? What does it signify of the storyteller who has taken the responsibility to provide a story that includes room for expansion, depth and maneuverability within or navigation of that story?

2.) Perhaps more importantly, what does it mean for the future of filmmaking as an experiential, interactive process? What challenges do filmmakers face in terms of telling a story in this manner — not just technically, but also concerning what the filmmaker wants to convey versus what the audience interprets from a given work? What examples are there, if any, of films in which the director’s desired results for a film’s reception greatly differed with an audience’s interpretation — to his or her delight?”

Non-Narrative Film & Direct Relevence to Santa Barbara History
Santa Barbara, CA Silent Film history (Early 20th century to World War II)
“Santa Barbara housed the world’s largest movie studio during the era of silent film. Flying A Studios, a division of the American Film Company, operated on two city blocks centered at State and Mission between 1910 and 1922, with the industry shutting down locally and moving to Hollywood once it outgrew the area, needing the resources of a larger city. Flying A and the other smaller local studios produced approximately 1,200 films during their tenure in Santa Barbara, of which approximately 100 survive.”

Silent-Era Filmmaking in Santa Barbara (CA) (Images of America) (Paperback)

Between 1910 and 1921, the American Film Company was one of the fledgling movie industry’s most successful studios, with production facilities in Santa Barbara and business offices in Chicago. Nicknamed for its distinctive winged A logo, the Flying A produced nearly 1,200 films, starring such favorites of the day as Mary Miles Minter, J. Warren Kerrigan, Wallace Reid, and King Baggot. The company’s rather patriotic motto invited patrons to See Americans first. The studio’s films also documented the picturesque and developing Pacific seaside community of Santa Barbara and served as a training ground for some of Hollywood’s greatest directors.

A History of Experimental Film and Video (Paperback)

Avant-garde film is almost indefinable. It is in a constant state of change and redefinition. In this book A.L. Rees tracks the movement of the film avant-garde between, on the one hand, the cinema, and, on the other hand, modern art (with its post-modern coda). But he also reconstitutes the film avant-garde as an independent form of art practice with its own internal logic and aesthetic discourse. This is the first major history of avant-garde film and video to be published in more than twenty years. Ranging from Cezanne and dada, via Cocteau, Brakhage and Le Grice, to the new wave of British video artists in the 90s, this remarkable study will introduce a generation of new readers to avant-garde film as well as provoking students and specialists to further reflection and debate.

Experimental Cinema, The Film Reader (In Focus: Routledge Film Readers) (Paperback)

Experimental Cinema, The Film Reader brings together key writings on American avant-garde cinema to explore the long tradition of underground filmmaking from its origins in the 1920s to the work of contemporary film and video artists. The Reader traces the development of major movements such as the New American Cinema of the 1960s and the Structuralist films of the 1970s, examining the work of key practitioners and recovering neglected filmmakers. Contributors focus on the ways in which underground films have explored issues of gender, sexuality and race, and foreground important technical innovations such as the use of Super 8mm and video. Each section features an editor’s introduction setting debates in their context. The book concludes with a valuable filmography of key films available.

Silent Film Sound (Film and Culture Series) (Hardcover)

Altman radically rewrites the history of sound practices in silent cinema in the United States. He boldly challenges the basic assumptions of earlier work and carefully develops a series of cogent arguments about the complexity and swiftly changing nature of American silent cinema in which sound often had an importance equal to that of the moving image. The arguments are based on extensive, meticulous research in primary sources, many of them examined for the first time. This book is simply an extraordinary achievement.

Wij gaan even lekker stunten:

Op al onze jassen en soortgelijke artikelen geven we nu extreem veel korting.
En de orderkosten blijven gewoon € 3,95 !!!
Nieuw en tweedehands: Kom profiteren !!

Nieuwe collectie:
Leuke winterjassen en outdoor vesten voor meisjes: Blue Seven en van Barbie.
Stoere bodywarmers voor jongens: Blue Seven.
Winterjassen voor € 8,50  &  Bodywarmers voor € 7,50.

Tweedehands collectie:
Leuke najaars- en winterjassen, bodywarmers, skipakken en wagenpakken.
Voor jongens en meisjes in de maten 68 t/m 176.
De prijzen liggen tussen € 1,50  &  € 5,00.

De leden van onze mailinglijst krijgen tot 1 november 2009 korting op de toch al lage verzendkosten!
Wil jij de kortingscode ook ontvangen?

Ummmm, Good Lord… Yes, I am completely jealous.

Anyone watch the Vampire Diaries?? If you’ve read Twilight and loved it, read the Vampire Diaries series! Ten times better. No lie.

And since I don’t have cable, I resort to ghetto Youtube videos and CW.com to watch the new show… and this part of the latest episode literally made my week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9RlgUwuwzk

(Won’t let me embed the video, have to link it. Sorry! & I think she’s drunk or something in that episode, cause she is never like that, FYI!)

His character is such a sarcastic ass… I love it. Perfect actor.

¿¿Cómo es posible que esté pasando esto?? Cuando ví este video sentí mucha tristeza y coraje…

Desiree Jennings era una porrista y deportista hasta que se puso la vacuna contra la gripe estacionaria. Adquirió un trastorno muy raro que la imposibilita hablar, comer y caminar.

Esta chica, que se prestaba para participar en una Maratón, por seguir las recomendaciones de la campaña de la vacunación, que se esta haciendo en varias empresas a lo largo de los EEUU, se vacunó y quedó con una distonía.

Actualización 14-Nov-09

Desiree Jennings se recupera asombrosamente gracias a una terapia natural

Me siento muy feliz, contento, alegre y aliviado al ver que Desiree ya está mejorando gracias a una terapia que le ayudó a desintoxicar su cuerpo. ¡Vamos Desiree! Confío en que mejorarás todavía mas.

Desiree Jennings, una animadora de 26 años y corredora de maratón fue severamente dañada con un trastorno neurológico diagnosticado como distonía a raíz de tomar la vacuna contra la gripe porcina (los funcionarios gubernamentales y las farmacéuticas siguen diciendo que son “seguras”).

El Doctor Rashid Buttar de Huntersville (Carolina del Norte), el médico que ayudó a Desiree Jennings a desintoxicar su cuerpo de los venenos que le dieron cuando fue vacunada, explicó cómo se aplican las soluciones intravenosas como agentes quelantes, antioxidantes, apoyo nutricional basado en la naturaleza y compuestos anti-virales que en un plazo de 36 horas se tradujo en un giro sorprendente y asombroso para Desiree y las convulsiones que estaba experimentando casi a cada minuto.

Entrevista al Doctor Rashid, el 25 de octubre 2009. (Entrevista en inglés sin subtitulos)

Video realizado el 29 de octubre de 2009 donde se puede ver la asombrosa recuperación de Desiree Jennings:

Página web de Desiree: http://desireejennings.com/

Esta mujer se acercaba a la MUERTE y por la intervención divina fue llevada aun médico que entiende CORRECTAMENTE como trabaja el cuerpo humano y la necesidad de desintoxicar la estructura inmunológica de su cuerpo envenenado que la llevó a sufrir las trágicas. Tenga en cuenta que el Dr. Buttar emplea terapias basadas en la naturaleza y fue capaz de eliminar las toxinas del cuerpo envenenado de Desiree, haciendo regresar su cuerpo a un funcionamiento normal.

Desiree fue envenenada por un producto farmacéutico que el gobierno y la industria farmacéutica le había asegurado que era seguro y eficaz. Fue traicionada por los mentirosos y cretinos de los gobiernos y las grandes empresas farmacéuticas que no podía hacer nada para ayudarla, sólo le pudieron ofrecer BOTOX (!!!) mientras se deslizaba más y más hacia la muerte.

La historia de Desiree Jennings debe ser una llamada al despertar de la gente alrededor del mundo y que las grandes farmacéuticas junto con sus compañeros iluminados en el gobierno, se dedican a la MAYOR CAMPAÑA DE ENVENENAMIENTO en toda la historia de la humanidad.

Cuanto más pronto despierte la gente en todas partes del mundo de esta mentira cobarde y deje de tomar estas vacunas, antes esta pesadilla se acercará a su fin.

No esperes a que te pase esto, rechaza la vacuna, ya sabes que es lo que te puede pasar.

Reacciona ya:

¡¡Esto no es una conspiración, es una realidad!!

¡¡Dile NO a la maldita vacunación!!

5-9 OCTOBER 2009
PROJECT BASED LEARNING

Kembali ke Jatim, menjanjikan petualangan baru buatku… bertemu dengan teman, guru masa sekolah dulu. Seru!

Dahsyatnya FB, yang dapat mempertemukan teman-teman semasa kecil, ikut serta dalam ikatan alumni, hanya tinggal ‘add’ dan… masuklah kita ke dalam pergumulan dunia maya.

Beruntungnya, aku dikirim ke sana….

Non sogna di disegnare una propria collezione.

ello ello!

i was reminded by squidney that it was my turn to update! honestly, i’ve known it was my turn, but i’ve been semi sort of busy lately. i’m lame, i know. but it’s midnight, danny’s passed out and i can’t sleep yet again so now is as good a time as any. no life changing events since the last time i posted… well, actually, i lie. i turned TWENTY-ONE! that’s a milestone eh? didn’t get schwasted, i actually only had one drink… some delicious huckleberry sweet tea with firefly vodka…

epic deliciousness.

oh lord. so good. then the next day i had a pint with my dad and danny. haha. presents…. TWO DOZEN massive (and when i say massive, i mean like, the size of a very large hamster… woah… that analogy was the first i could think of… could it get any wierder?) chocolate covered strawberries…

my hunk 'o love.

well, actually, 2 dozen on my bday and 6 the day before… so, basically, a lot of fucking strawberries. one dozen of them were dipped in white chocolate with red on them, in the design of a baseball. so cute… looked like mini baseballs. those were more for danny though that me. then the 2nd dozen were all different… half white half dark, all dark… god, i’m salivating thinking about how good they were. those were from mi madre. along with this gorgeous flower cake… completely made of carnations and roses and some other flower that i dont know. smelled wonderful. then danny got me this EPIC digital SLR camera… the Canon Rebel xSi! 12 mp. ahhhhh, love at first sight right there… diesel fucking pictures come out of that thing, lemme tell you. it’s absolutely my pride and joy.  i’ll have to post some pictures on here when i get a chance to transfer them to the laptop. thank goodness danny’s monitor is so hi-res… otherwise there’d be no reason for such high quality pictures… i love it. i’ll shut up now.

Anywho… Virginia is beautiful… love the place, hate the people. some of them are alright, but the majority are complete snobs. or creeps that hit on you when you’re buying ice cream… yuck city. pathetic losers. the weather here has definitely changed, so its sunny out, but that nice cool breeze that comes through… my windows and balcony door are always open now… hmmm, something interesting… OH! my fish, diablo is still living! i don’t know if i had sumo the frog last time i posted, but he died. haha. yuckkkkkieeeee. and if any of you are going to be in Cali this Christmas, lets meet up! We bought tickets to SD to see all of his family for Christmas… they’re also going to be throwing us a ‘reception’ for the wedding… since basically no one went to the wedding. haha. so we’ll be celebrating that as well. i’m so excited for Christmas… it’ll also be the very first time Danny and I will have ever flown anywhere together. Took us five years, but oh well. Speaking of five years, our five year anniversary was on the 3rd. Can’t believe it’s been five whole years since that day… I still remember it vividly… Him and his long Cali boy hair… *sigh* I’m so grateful for him… We’ve been on this like, high on love kick since my birthday… Like everything has been amazing… so wonderful, and we’ve been so grateful for each other and what we have… It’s sickening to hear about, lol, I’m sure, but I’m glad that he and I are being so positive. Usually it’s one of us being positive, but for both of us to be THAT positive, it’s awesome.

So Danny is doing well… He’s ranked 90th out of 300 at TBS right now… His test scores have stayed the same, but his physical scores have gone up… He is definitely more in shape now than he was when he first started. As long as he keeps up what he’s doing though, he’ll be ranked well for MOS selection next month. He could fit easily into whatever he’s given, but his first MOS choice is Artillery Officer, second is Combat Engineer… not sure what the third through 25th are though… Too many to remember how he ranked all of them. His whole company, well, all but a handful of those 300, are from the Naval Academy… Danny thought he’d have a problem with them, because rumor had it that they’re all stuck up… which  a lot of them are… to go to the academy you have to be from a very wealthy or powerful, or both, family. But the crowd Danny hangs out with are hilarious… They’ve got a killer sense of humor more than anything. Danny’s roommates, Ferrano and Gutierezz are nice people. Ferrano’s family invested 30,000 (yes, thats thirty THOUSAND) dollars into his teeth… they’re perfect… like, I have to mention that, because I’ve seen celebrities with worse teeth then him. Veneers and whiteneing and making them all symmetrical… it’s insane. Wow, I cannot believe I just posted that? lol. Wow. Anyways… The Marine Corps ball is next month, so I’ll be sure to post pictures of everyone when I get back from that. Just bought the dress today with Ashley! Thank you again Ash for helping me pick it! And for being so patient!

Sorry for taking so damn long to write… I feel like a jerk for starting this thing and I couldn’t even write! Oy. Alrighty, I’m off… it’s 12:40 am, and Danny’s kind of tossing and turning… my nails hitting the keys is bothering him I think. lol. Have an awesome 3 day weekend ladies! Miss & love you all!

-D

p.s please comment on the other ladies blogs! it’s always nice to get feedback… well, at least i think so. it’s super easy, if you could figure out how to post a blog, you can find out how to comment one! just scroll all the way to the bottom of someone’s blog and click “comment”! easy as pie. i just wanted to start this so we’d all communicate through it i guess… blogging is great and i’m thrilled you girlies are doing it, but acknowledging you read it is nice too.

p.p.s. or p.s.s. whatever, i need to figure out which of those is correct… anyway, looking over my blog, i realize there is pretty much nothing to comment on. haha. i guess if there is anything relevant, or that interests you, or that you have questions about, then do it. or go back to y’alls initial blogs and comment those… cause those meant something! meant a lot. thanks by the way for sharing all of that guys… i love youuuuuuuu! <3

Vandaag hebben we http://www.deparadijsvogel.com/ weer heel wat op de site geplaatst. Van leggings tot laarsjes en tandenborstels tot babyflessen. In alle maten is er wel wat bijgekomen.Verschillende merken zijn er bijgevoegd, zoals Jottum,  Desiree,  Babies Wear,  Dobber,  Wooden Buttons,  Top Five,  Beau Bo,  Lofff,  BT Kids,  Barbara Farber, verder laarsjes gympen en babyartikelen. Dus zeer zeker de moeite waard om eens te gaan kijken.

Verder wordt er misschien al gedacht aan de zomer vakantie,wij verhuren ons huis in turkye waar je met 6 personen in verblijven kunt,voor meer informatie klikt u op deze link

http://www.d-rent.nl/vakantiewoning/Turkije/Aegeische+kust/Gndogn-Bodrum/de+quartelhof/Index.asp?RecID=6392 of mail ons.

Ook willen we nogmaals vragen om op Larissa te stemmen nog een paar dagen en het is afgelopen.je mag elke 12 uur stemmen en het kost niks alleen even wat tijd klik op deze link

http://www.ikwineenfotoshoot.eu/component/comprofiler/voteprofile/index.html?profiel=270&voting=5 door op de foto te klikken kom je bij een andere foto waar je ook op stemmen kunt.We danken u voor het stemmen.

Neem even de tijd en ga eens kijken bij de paradijsvogel,

gr.Marion

“The Bicycle Thief”

September 30th, 2009

I, like every other TV critic on the planet, liked Modern Family. I even loved parts of it. But I was one of the few who expressed some trepidation at what the show was going to look like in the weeks ahead. So much of the episode was derived from the amazing final scene, one where everything came together in a bit of epic coming timing, and I wasn’t sure how the individual stories could live up to that moment.

For me, “The Bicycle Thief” leans heavily on two elements that made the pilot as strong as it was, focusing on Ty Burrell’s cool dad Phil and Cam’s dramatic side. I love what it does with Phil in this episode, and very much enjoy Cameron and Mitchell’s side of things, but I felt as if Jay and Gloria’s side of the equation was lacking a bit.

And it matters because here they choose to let the different families stand on their own for an episode, connecting them together with a general theme (a theme of fatherhood, in particular) as opposed to letting them mingle between one another. It makes for an episode that is somewhat less zany and surprising, but in at least 2/3 of its content it’s just as strong as it was last week.

It’s clear that after the show went to pilot, they realized how good Phil was as a character, and how great Ty Burrell was in that pilot. He’s given the major storyline here, including the title, as he tries to teach his son a lesson. If there is anything that Arrested Development taught us, it’s that lessons are always an amazing idea, and in this storyline we get the sort of out of control quality that was distinctive about Phil and Claire’s storyline in the pilot. It manages to combine Phil’s flirtation with the neighbour (we learned in the pilot he needs to learn some boundaries, like with Gloria), and his desire to take Claire’s parenting advice into account with Luke’s bike and weave together an elaborate series of events that ends up with three bikes, two or three different lies, and a whole lot of comedy.

We don’t get to see much of Julie Bowen’s Claire, or any of the other two children, so it’s really “The Phil Show.” That’s great for us, as his elaborate bike stealing storyline is driven all along by how great Burrell is. I was thinking initially that he’d have to submit as a supporting actor for the Emmys, but he really gave a lead performance in this episode. I think that O’Neill will be given that distinction in the end based on his seniority, but Burrell is a far more interesting presence, and I loved every bit of both physical comedy (running away from the kids, hugging Claire to try to keep her from seeing Desiree) and the mockumentary bits.

The episode is similarly strong with Mitchell and Cameron, as we start to see patterns emerge. Phil and Claire offer the spinning out of control sort of comedy, while Mitchell and Cameron offers situational comedy based on their unique parenting situation. I thought the instinct here was really strong, with Mitchell’s paranoia forcing Cameron to resisting turning daycare into “The Cam Show.” The inherent conflict between the silliness and fun of the play group (where theatricality is, in fact, desired by all involved) made Cam’s struggle all that much more entertaining, whether it’s his attempt at straight dancing or his look of complete horror at the mother who dislikes Meryl Streep. When he finally gets to slap his own ass and let loose once they realize that they aren’t actually the only gay couple (continuing a theme we saw in their introductory scene in the pilot), it’s a fun moment of theatricality. Combine with Mitchell’s attempt to make Lily seem like a prodigy and then discovering it was all being taped, we see that these two offer awkward comedy where they understand that it’s awkward (as opposed to Phil, who isn’t quite aware).

What I don’t think the show has quite figured out yet is Jay and Gloria, and in particular Manny. The pilot let Jay be the curmudgeon, and Gloria the foreign stereotype, which left Manny to charm us to death with his love for Feldman comma Brenda. This week, the show really treats this like a dramatic storyline, the heart of the fatherhood theme and a chance for Ed O’Neill to show his emotional side. There wasn’t much humour in the construction of the ceiling fan, and Manny’s worship of his father and subsequent disappointment was a note of sadness that wasn’t there in the pilot (where his idealism with Brenda was more cute than it was tragic). The ending, with Jay and Gloria skipping Napa Valley in order to take him to Disneyland, was really charming and I thought did offer a good counterpoint to the other storylines. However, it wasn’t very funny in the process, if I’m being honest: Gloria’s lines, in particular, weren’t funny if her ethnicity wasn’t taken into account, so I was expecting something more there.

My one concern is that this is as complex as the show might get, at least when the families are divided. They’ve very much decided what kind of comedy each group is going to offer, and when they’re separated the show runs the chance of being formulaic. Of course, let’s remember that all elements of this formula are well handled, and that I laughed a lot and was affected by the emotional side of things. I just hope that the spontaneity and chaos of the finale of the pilot will return more than every once in a while. I was kind of surprised to see them deliver a straightforward episode right off the bat, to be honest, so I’ll be curious to see how things change in the weeks ahead.

Cultural Observations

• I did love one line in the Ed O’Neill storyline: “he keeps us grounded…like fog at an airport.” Actually, I also loved, “was the bear in the passenger seat?”
• Loved Phil checking to see if Claire was nearby before shoving it in her face with “that’s too damn bad!” So much fun.
• “Classic Me, right?” is officially my new catchphrase.
• I think The Office still has the best Sophie’s Choice joke, but Cameron’s emotional over Sophie’s Choice now that they have Lily was a funny way to end the episode. Still, “Meryl Streep could play Batman” is an excellent point should Christian Bale at some point be done with Christopher Nolan professionally.