Sorry I haven't followed-up with the last part of the "Them" series, but I usually write these from "sudden bursts of inspiration" (aka random thoughts xP), so here is another, different one. This one will probably be 2-part series, unless it becomes interesting enough to write even more. But for now, here's part I.
"I'm not dragging you into this."
Excuses, excuses. Yet he continued on.
"If anyone asks, you don't know me, alright?"
She was so shocked the words did not register in her head at first. After everything... was it all just a joke to him?
He pushed a wad of bills into her hands. "This should take care of everything." And with that, he walked out of her life. She wondered if he really thought the money would make all the difference.
Nothing would. Except...
Then again, he didn't know. And he never would.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
WF, DC, KJ... Part I - WongFu Productions
If you're wondering what all those "acronyms" in the title stand for, well read on and find out! I've actually been meaning to write this for a long time, but the procrastination of a true giftee kept me from doing so. I'm glad I can finally take the time to share this with you, because... it's really awesome. xD
It all started off with AJ Rafael, who, if you don't know already, is a popular "YouTube artist". I was looking up his new music video ("When We Say - Juicebox" - you should really go check it out by the way). I found out that the video had been produced by a "WongFu Productions". Curious, because I'd liked the video so much, I decided to see just exactly what WongFu Productions actually was. Little did I know what lay in store on their channel...
The first video that caught my eye was called "Just A Nice Guy". Now I remember it as the video that got me hooked. It is a short film about a guy who is nice, but perhaps a little too nice... every girl just thinks of him as a friend, or big brother. With several hilarious attempts to get out of his situation and a heartwarming ending, right away I knew I had to watch more.
Next I remember watching a few other shorts with Yaning, after finishing editing our PSA. "The Turn Off" was really funny, and all the videos in "The One Days" series were simply breathtaking. This company is... awesome, I remember thinking to myself. Call it what you like, but I started getting addicted to their videos.
Perhaps though, it was also time to find out a little more about them. After a little reading and Google-ing, I found out that they were an independent film-making company. All their productions are posted both on YouTube, and their website http://www.wongfuproductions.com/. The "company" is actually only three friends - Philip Wang, Wesley Chan, and Ted Fu. They met in University (UCSD), and got into film production. But enough about them... back to their videos.
If I were to list all my favourite videos from them, the list would probably go on forever, but I strongly suggest you check them out. Their videos are exceptional.
There is one video I would like to point out though, and that is "When Five Fell". It is actually their most recently released short, and also related to one of their "The One Days" series videos, I think. But the reason I mention this one is because I think this is one of their very best shorts. The scenes and clips, as well as just the whole concept of the video, are just so beautiful! This one is definitely one of my favourites.
So number 1 of the acronyms are revealed. Stay tuned to find out what the others mean, but most of all... check out WongFu! :)
It all started off with AJ Rafael, who, if you don't know already, is a popular "YouTube artist". I was looking up his new music video ("When We Say - Juicebox" - you should really go check it out by the way). I found out that the video had been produced by a "WongFu Productions". Curious, because I'd liked the video so much, I decided to see just exactly what WongFu Productions actually was. Little did I know what lay in store on their channel...
The first video that caught my eye was called "Just A Nice Guy". Now I remember it as the video that got me hooked. It is a short film about a guy who is nice, but perhaps a little too nice... every girl just thinks of him as a friend, or big brother. With several hilarious attempts to get out of his situation and a heartwarming ending, right away I knew I had to watch more.
Next I remember watching a few other shorts with Yaning, after finishing editing our PSA. "The Turn Off" was really funny, and all the videos in "The One Days" series were simply breathtaking. This company is... awesome, I remember thinking to myself. Call it what you like, but I started getting addicted to their videos.
Perhaps though, it was also time to find out a little more about them. After a little reading and Google-ing, I found out that they were an independent film-making company. All their productions are posted both on YouTube, and their website http://www.wongfuproductions.com/. The "company" is actually only three friends - Philip Wang, Wesley Chan, and Ted Fu. They met in University (UCSD), and got into film production. But enough about them... back to their videos.
If I were to list all my favourite videos from them, the list would probably go on forever, but I strongly suggest you check them out. Their videos are exceptional.
There is one video I would like to point out though, and that is "When Five Fell". It is actually their most recently released short, and also related to one of their "The One Days" series videos, I think. But the reason I mention this one is because I think this is one of their very best shorts. The scenes and clips, as well as just the whole concept of the video, are just so beautiful! This one is definitely one of my favourites.
So number 1 of the acronyms are revealed. Stay tuned to find out what the others mean, but most of all... check out WongFu! :)
The Meeting: Part Two
Ok, so this part came a lot sooner than I expected. Enjoy.
This game is pure sh!t!!!!!!
Or, This game is just sh1t!!!!!!!!11
Oops. I decided to play dumb.
Reluctantly, I shuffled back into the meeting room.
***
***
the hell hapened to u?
wasnt my fault
did u c teh look on dons face?!
y?
it was so funny i coudnt stop myself
well look where its landed u
Five minutes later, the table was dry, though sticky sugar streaks prevented anyone from resting their arms on it. Everybody had just returned and seated themselves, and after receiving no response about whether someone still wanted any of the cookies I’d infected, I was IMing with Jane, abusing the free service our company gave us. Like food, IM was something everyone took advantage of. And those mint candies at the reception desk, too. Despite our budget, the senior staff had been able to afford to get the very finest quality sweets, “to please our clients,” they would say, but everyone knew that not a single outsider had actually been in the building for two weeks. Any communication was always done by email, phone, or live chat now. Very rarely would a conference require the presence of the customers.
is she gonna start now or what
iunno
heard she wants to make some changes w/ the game
ehhhhh...
Jane and I had worked together for half a year now, along with the rest of company on this video game that was supposed to be a sequel to Live, which was basically an RPG/simulation of living in the streets. It had sold quite well, and many fans had emailed in with requests for a sequel. So here we were, twenty-some people discussing game play, plot, characters, features, settings, and graphic art, trying to save a company that narrowly drowned in debt after Stalker had been named the eighth worst game of 2007. Even that had been an improvement over Sunrise which received the same award in sixth place six years back.
“If Inferno Games does not pull itself together, it won’t even live to see the sun set.”
That was pretty much the most benign statement we received from anyone, and she happened to be a game reviewer. Most commentators just typed,
This game is pure sh!t!!!!!!
Or, This game is just sh1t!!!!!!!!11
Or simply just, THIS IS FUCKING SHIT in cases where profanity didn’t equal getting banned.
Live represented our struggle to “get off the streets and back into the competitive zone”, we were told by the creative director. Personally, I thought that the game was terrible, but obviously some people had enjoyed it. Enough so that we wouldn’t have to file for bankruptcy protection, anyways. Live Free was almost at the halfway point in development and carried on from where Live had left off. At the end, the player (named Flare) had been arrested and sent to jail for crimes he didn’t commit, set up by the corrupt Illusion Company, and so now he will have to plan a jailbreak. After a successful attempt, Flare will continue living the street life, except now with the added challenge of staying hidden from the police as well as spies from Illusion, and finding out what the company wants from him. If Eden wanted to make some changes, they had better not be too large.
“Alright, we’re running a tiny bit late now,” Eden began, making be blush yet again. “But I feel that it’s important for everyone to be comfortable with each other. So allow me to make a quick introduction. My name is Eden Farley. I was born in Canada: Owen Sound, Ontario. It’s a small city just north-west of Toronto. I moved here to Victoria a few weeks ago, and I must say, it’s quite different to be looking at an ocean instead of a lake everyday! British Columbia has a beautiful coastline...” Whatever she was saying was beautiful was nothing compared to her... Mmmm... That thick, voluminous, light brown hair hanging down past her shoulders. The perfect hourglass shape. Those seductive green eyes and luscious red lips. And that huge set of b –
stop starin like that
its creepy
and you look liek a retard
Oops. I decided to play dumb.
What?
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
sure ya don’t (^_^)
look, u just used punctuation and capitals
always a sign
:D
Damn, I couldn’t argue against that. Formality is what I always add when lying. Too bad Jane knew me so well.
just plz try not to stare
its embarrassing for me2 ya know
how so?
I work w/ u
and talk
cant be seen w/ some perv
o thanks...
lol, welcome
“I’ve gone through a few other jobs before I settled in with video game production,” Eden was saying. I resisted the urge to ask whether one of them was pole dancing. Glancing behind me, Don’s eyes were glued to the woman, not blinking at all. His mouth was slightly open, and the corners twitched upward as Eden turned around to draw something on the whiteboard behind her. His gaze had shifted a little lower down on her body. I checked the time on my phone: it was 9:26. The meeting was supposed to have started at 9:00 and would end at 10:30. So far we hadn’t covered a thing, and Eden was still going on about how her older brother and sister loved to pull pranks on her. I could sense the impatience from the Importants growing. They began whispering to each other, frowning, and glancing around frequently. I hoped she was almost done; my mind was starting to wander.
“Er, Mrs. Farley, we’d appreciate if you wrapped up this discussion. We need to get started.”
“Oh, yes of course. Sorry, I got a bit carried away.” She gave a sheepish smile, and then dropped the blue marker she was still holding onto the carpet. It rolled under the table. She bent to retrieve it, and my heart sank as I realized that she had been addressed as “Mrs”. I guess I was still actually hoping I could get together with her, but there was no time to think. My other cell phone had just rung. Double shit.
For the second time in half an hour, everyone’s heads turned towards me. I’d forgotten that I was carrying two phones, and had only silenced the Blackberry. There was a bang, followed by a cry of pain as Eden hit her head on the underside of the table, startled by the noise.
“Sorry,” I muttered. With my face flushed again, I walked out as swiftly as possible without actually running into the hallway, the sound of Justin Beiber blasting out of my pocket. Closing the door quickly, I cursed and whipped out my HTC Evo 4G. I already knew who was calling; it was my brother Jacob. I vaguely remembered him playing with my phone last night at my place. He must have switched the ringtone as a joke or something because I just got the phone yesterday, and last time I checked, I had a classic phone tone. The number on the screen confirmed my theory.
“Jacob, you asshole!”
“Now, now. That’s no way to talk to your brother!” he replied in mock reprimand.
“Why the hell did you change my ringtone?! I was in a meeting, too! You said you’d call before nine, and you were supposed to call my business phone! Do you know how embarrassing this is?”
“Eh. Sorry, but I got into a bit of trouble with old Rusty, and I forgot your number at his place.” I was about to ask who Rusty was, but there was a loud screeching.
“What – Jacob, are you on the road? With a cell phone?”
“Nope...” Then, “Yup.” More screeching. I decided to hold back my question about how he obtained it.
“But driving and talking is illegal! And why are you driving so quickly? Slow down! You’re going to get tagged by the police or something.”
“Too late. Why do you think I’m speeding already?”
“Oh my God... JACOB...” I hid my face in my free palm. My Blackberry vibrated again, but I ignored it.
“Calm down, bro. I promise you I won’t get caught.” I could hear the sirens now, growing louder, as well as several honks from nearby cars.
“You’d better not. How the hell are you going to shake off the police?”
“Oh, shit. Ran a red light. Hmmm? You say somthin’?”
“HOW ARE YOU GETTING RID OF THE POLICE?” I looked up and noticed that a woman walking down the corridor had suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened and she turned around and left quickly, her heels muffled by the carpeting.
“...That’s a great idea! If I can’t outdrive them, I’ll stop them from driving.”
“WHAT?! NO! That’s not what I meant.”
“Uh oh. Here comes another police car. Damn, they’re good. Look, bro. I can’t really hear what you’re saying right now. I’ll call you back soon, kay? Bye.” Click.
I slowly lowered the phone, staring blankly at the whitewashed wall. Without realising it, I had walked to the other end of the hall. Great, my brother was going to go to jail now, all because of his stupid dealings. Only after a minute did I remember that there was an important meeting going on, and that my Blackberry had vibrated again.
lol, beiber? nice
didnt kno u liked him
I AM NOT A FAN OF HIM!! >:(
Reluctantly, I shuffled back into the meeting room.
***
The Harbourfront
[This is a challenge suggested by halalcohol (probably because I've been in a topic rut recently - I just keep rejecting things I can write about, and some of them weren't half bad. Sort of.) Write about our trip on a boat, without using the word BOAT or WATER. Nor derivatives or compounds thereof, such as SAILBOAT, or WATERY. ]
As a Torontonian, I really don't know our downtown area very well. I could find for you places on a map, but that's with a map. Anyone with some sense of direction could find things on a map. If you asked me where a certain district was in correlation to another, I couldn't tell you. There is, however one particular place in downtown Toronto that I am getting a little sick of - the Harbourfront Centre. Seriously, though. We keep going back for field trips. 7 times so far. Not that I was counting.
I was more excited this time, though, because we were going to board the schooner KAJAMA instead of being cooped up inside the Harbourfront centre. On board, we were sorted into three rotary groups for the different educational stations. First, though, we had to raise the sails. It wasn't very hard until the end, when the sail required a lot more effort to raise. It was actually sort of funny to watch, because there were four of us on the same rope, so it looked like there were hands appearing of of nowhere.
The groups took turns steering the vessel - starbord, port - testing a lake sample for the oxygen level (15 ppm approx.), and learning about nautical navigation. I even got to drop a leadline not made of lead overboard! We passed by some interesting sights during the tour (we even waved to some people at police camp) and were baked by the sun.
Back on land, we ate lunch at the Queen's Quay terminal (by the way, "quay" IS pronounced like "key," if you care enough to know or remember) and had some time left over to explore the shops. Well, not really. Most people headed straight to Tim Horton's and the neighbouring ice cream/candy shop. Hey, we're kids. We like our sugar. And, it seems, caffeine, too.
Anyways, time to run this through MS word and have it check if I've met the challenge!
~Yaning
(I haven't written that in a while...)
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Fairytales and False Hope
Once upon a time, there was a princess, born into royalty. She had absolutely no skill or common sense. When fairies were invited to her christening to magically give her the beauty, wit, and talent that she obviously lacked, an uninvited fairy cursed her with a prophecy that she would die after pricking her finger on a spindle. A good fairy happened to be by her side, and changed the curse so that she would be woken after meeting the most perfect person in her life.
And so, after a few years of her father's desperate attempts to shield her from fatally pricking her finger and snuffing it, she was intelligent enough to ask a mysterious woman in her home if she could try spinning. The finger got cut, the blood came out, and down she dropped. The good fairy then returned again and shut everyone down, probably so that nobody could ever feel pain again (how realistic). She also placed a barrier around the castle.
The prince that she had always dreamed of dared to investigate and woke her and everyone else with a kiss. They lived happily ever after.
At first, I just rolled my eyes at fairy tales like these. I heard them, and went, "whatever". But now, I only have one thing to say:
Damn you.
I never thought I believed in happy endings. I always assumed that if some crisis ever came up in my life, I'd deal with it myself. Looks like I was wrong. I did exactly what Miss Beauty did. I pricked my own finger. I almost killed myself. I waited. And waited. And what happened? Nothing. Nothing except that I was now being consumed by my problems. But the prince will arrive soon, right? I can hear him outside my castle right now! Hmmm... Looks like he stopped for coffee at Starbucks first. But he'll get here eventually, and everything will be alright.
This is the moral that I get from fairy tales and happy endings. They're polluting my mind. They can teach a lesson of patience, sure, but patience without intuition and initiative are absolutely LETHAL. If everyone in the world just went to sleep whenever they had a problem, what do you think would happen? Yes, the sun would still rise and set at regular intervals, but what will we become?
Notice how in Sleeping Beauty, our beloved protagonist does nothing whatsoever. Her good looks are drawn from extensive magic surgery, and she attracts her soulmate via her "exterior". They all just happened to be in the right place at the right time. She's too stupid to know that she shouldn't touch the spindle herself and ends up half dead. She gets her ass saved and lives feeling wonderful. Now all the little boys and girls are going around filled with a serial killing imposter: HOPE.
Hope is the most addictive substance in the Universe, with love and pride following close behind. The mortality rate from complete hope withdrawal is 100%. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be able to enjoy regular doses, but the moment you're addicted, you're in for it. So, these children are going around expecting that everything will be laid out like a highway to paradise, but one day while going across that road, they'll get careless and crash into the wall, or something. It's painful. Very. And some don't even recover from their first accident. They stay there, driving at a snail's pace, mortified of what will happen if they speed up again. Unfortunately, some of them give up, and never make it there. We usually call this suicide.
But then again, the whole point of driving onward is that there is a chance of a return on our investment. There might be something better, and we hope that there is. Therefore, it is up to the individual to decide whether or not it is worth it to keep hoping. After all, that feeling is bliss, but in this world, it is a charlatan nevertheless.
And so, after a few years of her father's desperate attempts to shield her from fatally pricking her finger and snuffing it, she was intelligent enough to ask a mysterious woman in her home if she could try spinning. The finger got cut, the blood came out, and down she dropped. The good fairy then returned again and shut everyone down, probably so that nobody could ever feel pain again (how realistic). She also placed a barrier around the castle.
The prince that she had always dreamed of dared to investigate and woke her and everyone else with a kiss. They lived happily ever after.
At first, I just rolled my eyes at fairy tales like these. I heard them, and went, "whatever". But now, I only have one thing to say:
Damn you.
I never thought I believed in happy endings. I always assumed that if some crisis ever came up in my life, I'd deal with it myself. Looks like I was wrong. I did exactly what Miss Beauty did. I pricked my own finger. I almost killed myself. I waited. And waited. And what happened? Nothing. Nothing except that I was now being consumed by my problems. But the prince will arrive soon, right? I can hear him outside my castle right now! Hmmm... Looks like he stopped for coffee at Starbucks first. But he'll get here eventually, and everything will be alright.
This is the moral that I get from fairy tales and happy endings. They're polluting my mind. They can teach a lesson of patience, sure, but patience without intuition and initiative are absolutely LETHAL. If everyone in the world just went to sleep whenever they had a problem, what do you think would happen? Yes, the sun would still rise and set at regular intervals, but what will we become?
Notice how in Sleeping Beauty, our beloved protagonist does nothing whatsoever. Her good looks are drawn from extensive magic surgery, and she attracts her soulmate via her "exterior". They all just happened to be in the right place at the right time. She's too stupid to know that she shouldn't touch the spindle herself and ends up half dead. She gets her ass saved and lives feeling wonderful. Now all the little boys and girls are going around filled with a serial killing imposter: HOPE.
Hope is the most addictive substance in the Universe, with love and pride following close behind. The mortality rate from complete hope withdrawal is 100%. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be able to enjoy regular doses, but the moment you're addicted, you're in for it. So, these children are going around expecting that everything will be laid out like a highway to paradise, but one day while going across that road, they'll get careless and crash into the wall, or something. It's painful. Very. And some don't even recover from their first accident. They stay there, driving at a snail's pace, mortified of what will happen if they speed up again. Unfortunately, some of them give up, and never make it there. We usually call this suicide.
But then again, the whole point of driving onward is that there is a chance of a return on our investment. There might be something better, and we hope that there is. Therefore, it is up to the individual to decide whether or not it is worth it to keep hoping. After all, that feeling is bliss, but in this world, it is a charlatan nevertheless.
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