finally coming around full circle (=) mrtigerrr '08-'11

Thanks a Millennia

2012-01-22T22:39:00.000-08:00

Today, I gave my two weeks notice for my internship.

I thought long and hard about it and realized I couldn't find what I needed. I remember applying for it and wanting it more than anything in the world. Working on a team that was filled with passionate creatives I could just vibe with and be inspired from and maybe take my work to places it hasn't gone. Awesome right?

Instead, what I was confronted by was an environment where I would only confirm the thoughts I was too scared too realize. The thought that I was really meant to pursue something that is bigger than me, something that I can barely even imagine.

I thrive for personal growth and overcoming challenges and when I can't have either, I tend to be really sad or I move on.

Well here's to you TM.

I'm sad that I'm leaving, but as one creative to another, you know what I mean when I say I'm still on my "pursuit of happyness".

Thanks a millennia for everything. I really mean it.

Shit Art Students Say

2012-01-16T23:13:00.000-08:00

I haven't worked with Melissa for a really long time.

Short story: She had an idea for a video, I did too, we met up, did my video, and talked more about hers. It was fun. We literally just had to do what we always do with a little spice of funny.

These "Sh** people say" videos have been popping up all over the internet and I decided to join the dialogue. I usually don't because I feel it's a cheap way to get views, but this time, I only did it for the laughs it would bring and I believe it shows.

Life is good.

2011 recap - Child-like Blind-Faith

2011-12-31T02:42:00.000-08:00

I forgot 2012 is literally tomorrow. I think that's because of how often I work on projects. I usually have something and I've come to realize that people recognize me as that one that's always creating.

It's true. I like to make stuff for fun. Even if I'm not doing anything, I have a camera on me recording/snapping pictures of anything. Lately, I've come to the conclusion that anyone great at their craft, only becomes it because they do it all the time. Rapping in grocery stores. Dancing in the parking lot. Recording family eating sushi. Etc. Because of that, I have enough faith to not have anything plan for when I graduate. Who really does?

That combined with the fact I'm a studio art major makes people assume I'm taking a risk, but I don't think so. I like what I'm doing too much to not follow through with where ever my heart takes me.

I usually don't write this kind of stuff down, but I told myself to jot down my current mindset because it always changes. It's nice to see how I grow mentally or if I stick to it throughout my life.

A year ago, I was all into trying to succeed and compete, but I'm over that. I don't want to be a part of that pool of people. I just like to make stuff and have fun doing it. No more 100m freestyle for me, I'm organizing a pool party. =]

Recap:

A year ago my videos looked like this.

Now I make stuff like this. Thank you to my brother for buying me my Canon T2i. I use it all the time.

Somewhere along the way, I just wanted to make people feel happy and show the good in society. At the same time, ground it all in something real. It's kind of a child-like blind-faith that people tend to lose.

Sincerely,
mrtigerrr

1st Music Video by the End of the Year

2011-12-31T02:01:00.000-08:00

It went by pretty well, even though I didn't plan much of it. It was my first music video and by now, I feel comfortable with just going into a project blind. It was all of ours first music video, if you couldn't tell. I think I did a pretty good job hiding our noob-ness with the editing. Hehe. Of course, there are things I can add and improve, but there are times when you have to know when to stop and let go.

I find our growth as musicians, artist, and as people the most interesting part of this whole adventure. Roger (Roger Dat), the first person rapping, is my cousin, so we grew up together. I met FortyDeuce, third person rapping, since I was going into middle school. This was back when he was just David. It's odd how we've known each other before we even had our monikers (remember mine is mrtigerrr =]). We were all dabbling in our respective fields around the same time (middle school). Barely getting our feet wet with some DIY equipment. I remember recording a song with Roger on my mp3 player and putting tracks up on Myspace. I wouldn't dare show anyone those songs now, but I think it has been misplaced anyways. I doubt most people will be able to see our growth unless they have been following us, but putting taste, opinions, and lifestyles aside, I'm pretty proud with how this little project ended up.

I realize it's not the usual work I would put out, but we can only grow as far as we are willing to get out our comfort zone. It's a good way to end 2011.

Sincerely,
mrtigerrr

Armed with a Camera

2011-12-19T02:45:00.000-08:00

I was suppose to shoot a music video today, but it rained, so we had to reschedule. I had all this creative energy built up and just needed to make something, so I decided to play around with this plug-in called Twixtor. I've seen test videos of it and it's amazing. It was my first try today and I definitely learned a lot. Don't try to read too much into it. I literally just recorded myself running around and jumping. Haha. From the way I edited it though, I suppose you can find some kind of meaning into it.

The music is by my friend Aaron Lee. He composed it for my other film "Love Me", a story about a girl tackling the age old problem of how to get over someone. It was the first version he gave me and we've been changing it since. I'm still deciding if I want to put it up online or not so I can have at least one film I can submit to film festivals. I'm not a big fan of saving my work from being seen until a special day. I just want people to see it.

Well enjoy my video, it's really beautiful.

Going Against Expectation

2011-12-02T01:33:00.000-08:00

Today I had one of my proudest moments.

It was during the performance art show, Common Capability. There was a piece where a girl stood with a blind-fold while a video was projected on her. One on each side. Both videos show herself being fixed up. The audio was of different voices talking about how they aren't the stereotype. I'm not a ______. While that was played, people would go up and place labels on her with terms like hipster, straight, etc.

I seen this topic addressed before so it wasn't new. The idea that we have labels placed on us. However, this was the first time I started to understand the people behind it. I understood that this affected them enough to stand in front of everyone, perform it, and take credit for it.

It didn't make sense to me listen to the video, yet see people continuing to place these labels on her. They were just following what others were doing.

There was a long pause where people finished going up. My heart was actually racing. I just had to do it. I stood up in front of everyone, walked to her, looked at her, and went against expectation to pull off a label.

By the time I sat down, the piece was over. I usually don't do this - interrupt pieces from how they are suppose to be, but sometimes it just has to be done.

My thoughts on art changes all the time. I think it can help shed a little light on some perspectives, and that can help change how people view the world. It's not all bad.

Sincerely,

mrtigerrr

Light Memory

2011-11-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

My partner Ariel and I spent two nights drawing this. The first night was just us trying to figure everything out and the second night, we had to get 600 pictures. O.O It even rained a bit and we had to wait for the fog to pass through at times. There was actually a lot to work through, but it was one of funner things I've ever done. I would recommend doing it.

I remember we changed our idea plenty of times. We were both interested in connecting people. The idea of you influencing someone else without knowing it, so we just went with that.

The beginning of collaborations are always hard. It's that part where we have to find some common ground to build upon. It's also one of the best parts because you start to learn each other. Not only that, but I got to learn a little bit about my friends in the process of making this video.

All I really wanted to do was make a lot of something and have fun. I stop trying to think too much a while ago. It tends to be distracting. I only think when I need to now and follow my heart the rest of the time.

Of course though, we had an idea to back up our piece.

"Our memories are our records for most events, yet these records can be manufactured by many different things (photos, videos, other people). How do we know how accurate it is? Just like light drawing, when the moment is over, all we have left are remnants of the event. So we decided to use these remnants to retell people's earliest memory."

I like my life as a creative.

Sincerely,

mrtigerrr

Planting My Stake

2011-11-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

Each person has something valuable to say and I was surprised by how each person was willing to share with us and with you their perspective.

I remember coming across the fifty people one question project a while ago and wanted to capture the voices near me afterwards. Luckily, there wasn't one for Orange, let alone Orange County. With only four people, we made this and I'm very happy we did. I wish I could've asked more questions to really get to know them, but I'm fine with giving them five minutes of thought provoking thinking.

I remember telling my girlfriend about the project so we decided to go out and do it one night. Unfortunately, I suppose we couldn't get the nerve to ask anyone and face rejection. I really wanted to get it done though, so the next day, I asked my cousin to join the project and we went for a second try at the OC Zoo. Sometimes it helps to not think so much and we definitely fell into a groove.

Aaron Lee got the music right on the first try. The editing was done faster than I thought. Everything just fell into place nicely.

One out of five video projects completed!

Patchwork, Long Beach

2011-11-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Patchwork Long Beach is now over. This time, I partnered up with my friends Kujo. I was in the same class with Jessica for an entire year. Now she is off in the world in a job most people would love to be doing.

My side. I brought this painting out to get people's attention. I remember I was trying to sell it, but I shown it at so many places that I just can't let it go anymore.

Kujo's side. Very clean.

I didn't vend with ByBelinda as I usually do, but she was still there. =]

She walked by and went, "Hey do you remember this?" to one of her friends. Come to find out, she's a repeat customer from over a year ago. What?! I had to take a picture with her.

I feel old now, or at least experienced. I started vending my 2nd year of college and now I'm on my last one. I don't get the nervous feeling I use to get. Makes me wonder if that means I'm ready for the next step after this. Who knows what that is?

Well I have about five videos in progress. One for each of my three classes. Even one for my Spanish class. Haha. Two videos are my own independent projects. Keep posted for that. =]

Oh, did I mention I was able to get a film editor internship with Team Millennia? What?!?!

Coming around full circle,

mrtigerrr

Last Intro Complete?

2011-10-18T23:14:00.000-07:00

I haven’t made an intro in a long time. I believe it’s safe to say this is my last one. It’s was for Aubrey Lau. I’ve pushed this back many times because school came first. I forgot how much I actually enjoy drawing stuff and making it move. Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of the fun. Of course, you can always try to make projects fun, but it just isn’t the same as having no limits and just exploring your own interests.

Maybe it’s time I finally start my first short film animation.

First Time on Set

2011-10-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

The past two days, I had the opportunity to help out on this film "Little Tokyo Reporter" as a PA and an extra. It was my first time working on a film besides my own and I was one of the youngest ones on the crew. It was a little rough those days considering I had to rush to LA from Irvine right after class and became completely too exhausted to study for my test the next day. My Spanish teacher asked me how much I studied before the test and I said "Nada" because I was working on the diario. He didn't have the most hopeful face, but I did surprisingly well on it.

Silly me, I approached this as if it was class with two pens and a little notebook. Little did I know I wouldn't have time to pull out either. First thing that happened when I came on set, I was given a walkie, a headset, and a off the top verbal list of the lingo they use. Sometimes you just need to hit the ground running or at least slow down and take note of what everyone else is doing.

Nevertheless, I sure learned more these past two days than I have in all my video classes. It's definitely the real thing and quite possibly one of the more fast, well-worked organizations I ever experienced. I soaked up as much as I could and couldn't feel more down-to-earth and humble.

Life is the best teacher.

Time to Start Doing

2011-10-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

There are times when you have to stop dreaming and start doing. In this case, it was start doing again.

Thanks to my friend Allison, creator of State of the Art, for stopping by and helping me out. I work with different people all the time and by the end, I always feel emotionally attached to each one. This was no different.

Well we made a bunch of posters for the mrtigerrr brand. Each one is different and I’m very proud of each one.

It was the third time I ever stenciled. It was quite fun playing around, but I would definitely wear a gas mask next time. You can feel it in your lungs afterwards.

Did I mention some glow in the dark?

The second time I stenciled was when I was making these little men. I remember my friend Michael walked by and said something along of the lines of “You really enjoy your life huh?” Yep. I go with my gut with a lot of things. It just makes sense to me. I guess people notice.

The first time I stenciled was two years ago for my “Lost Quality Time” poster I made for class. This is the only copy I have left. I gave the rest away.

Well I will put these posters up when I have some more stuff, which has to be soon because I’m vending at Patchwork November 6th!!! It’s a juried show, so you have to get accepted. I’ll be there sharing a booth with Kujo. Come visit. I will be very happy. =]

Mission Earth to Jupiter

2011-10-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of working with the very talented Earth to Jupiter to have music meet video meet animation.

I wanted them to have their music, which encompasses all the emotions of life, to spread to the darkness, to bring light and comfort where there is not. I called it Mission Earth to Jupiter.

It took me around a month and a half to run around the IE, OC, and LA with my camera. It was fun getting into concerts, hiking, exploring, going on hot air balloons, laying on the floor editing for more than half the day.

I can get use to this.

Well they will be performing October 8th for free at The Hill with musicians such as GOWE and Megan Lee.

Check them out.

It starts now, mrtigerrr.

First Backpack Up For Sale

2011-10-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

Whenever this awesome backpack actually gets sold, I will give away the next one I make for free. No lie.

Etsy Store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mrtigerrr

This is a one of a kind backpack I call Mondrian for its colors. I gave it the title of my third backpack ever made. The color combination is awesome and the backpack itself is awesome on your back.

I made my first backpack as a response to the lack of creatively bold options available. With my developing crafty, vintage, urban, grandma way of doing things, I've created a "personality" in which will happily carry your belongings while giving you a distinct identity even when we can't see your face.

I left the inside "raw" because it really shows evidence of the human hand and it's even better to know the hands that made this cares and loves the stuff he is making. Each part of this backpack is infused with my distinctively loud but quiet personality, aesthetic, and quality.

Welcome to the cool intersection I've created for myself.

It starts now.

mrtigerrr

Hello LA

2011-08-06T23:30:00.000-07:00

I've been based in the OC for quite some time now. I live here so I work here. However, LA has it's own thing going on and I like. It was the 1st Jtown Summer Session ever at the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple this past Sunday.

I was a volunteer at the arts and crafts table, which is a step away from where I would usually vend.

I do miss it. Setting up, talking to people, receiving reactions to your work. The whole shabam. It's fine though. I'm with bybelinda. =]

I definitely feel you have to make your own entertainment at these kinds of events. There is a lot of down time. I declared myself visor leader. Sometimes people need to know who to ask for help.

Some interesting people came by. This is Giovanni. He was performing with Mista Cookie Jar. I heard them during sound check and was trying to freestyle at my table. I know how to entertain myself.

Here's the Ukulady. After I finished helping her with her visor, she asked me for a picture. I asked for one too. =]

I like to walk around talking to people when I get restless. Here's a visor friend! I made that for her.

It's JanieXY. We met during a show in Long Beach. I think it was a year ago. They still remember me! I'm actually quite surprise to see them again. Pleasant surprise though. =] Interesting fact. See that man there? He is the one that names the toys. Names like Billy and Wilbur.

This is Karen G. She sells cookies. I also helped with that visor. I cut it up so it looked like a crown.

This is Paper & Type. Well Victoria, on the left, is Paper & Type. She's the one who mentioned that my crown reminded her of the statue of liberty. Because of at, I had a large clothes pin with a red fire cut out just so I looked more like it. I'm so funny.

Now off to the live art section. I honestly didn't know there was such a thing as the live art circuit. See those holes? They were made by burning a hole.

He was using some kind of pen. I asked if any of his work ever caught on fire, but it hasn't. I also asked him what his work means. He replied it is what it is. I like.

This is the most complex thing I seen the whole day. It's by Alex Chiu.

This one is by A'misa Chiu. She is the coordinator for the live art section. I talked to her about joining it and she's down to let me in! Catch me in LA sometimes you guys!

The longer I spent in this space, the more I liked it. It's surrounded by so much talent that I must be a part of it. Dawen anyone? He's the man who sang the infamous "Friday" song in Chinese.

Jane Lui! She's so cool. In these upcoming months, she's going to be performing in norcal, socal, Europe, NYC, etc.

I had to get a picture with her. She even complimented my nonapus tee before I even introduced myself. =]

This is Connie Lim. I got a picture of her as well.

She even stopped by the visor booth for a bit to decorate her own visor. That man next to her is John Reinert.

He let me play with his 7D for a bit. I remember meeting him a year ago at a long beach show as well. It was at Patchwork. We talked for a bit, but we got a better chance at getting to know each other this time. I checked out his vimeo. I watched "Left on Lockett Lane" which I recommend. It's a documentary about an adopted Filipino in a Caucasian family who eventually reconnects with his lost heritage.

Keiko Agena was the host. You might have seen her on Gilmore Girls. I was going to take a picture with her, but she was a busy person. Gosh darn it.

This guy was being approached by lots of different people. I figured he was famous, so I snapped a picture of him.

I was right! These guys are Andrew Figueroa Chiang and the Blazing Rays of the Sun.

They are good. The singer had a raffle drawing. Everyone did, but for his, he had the prize be a live song made up for the winner on the spot. He mixed in roboto and golf and 45 billion into it. I wish I could sing. It would make all my thoughts sound so much better.

Every time I come home from an event, I have back pockets full of flyers, business cards, and free stuff. I like to go through them, sort them, and look at everyone's pages.

Last, but not least is bybelinda. She has extended countless opportunities to me and I'm quite sad to hear she isn't go to vend anymore. I understand though. It's a lot of tough work. I was able to get some of her work after she cleaned up. Check her out before there is no more. I'm sure her cards will make you smile.

Well LA, I like you. I like being surrounded by people who are like minded. Everyone here is so talented that it makes you feel more comfortable expressing your own talents. It's been a while since I was involved in something, but it's nice. It gives a sense of purpose. I realized when you become involved, you usually see the same people. I seen it in college. I seen it here. It is it's own community, but the community is worth being in. I'll see you some more LA.

Sincerely,

mrtigerrr

The Start of Something New

2011-07-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

I have finally reached the end of my first ever summer session. For my final project, I went out filming random places for 3 minutes.

Luckily no one was weirded out. I'm not the type to slack, so I spent a good two days on this project.

Here is my latest new exploration. It's animation and video. This is the first time I have ever done something like thing. Content-wise, vintage Tiger.

Coming around full circle,

mrtigerrr

Progress!

2011-06-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

I done more than I thought I did this academic year. Here's my end of my junior year, in the middle of the year wrap up. =]

First up, I had my first paid animation commission! I started to teach myself last year and slowly made intros for youtubers for free, so this was a big deal to me. Here's one of my videos.

I was really busy this year. I didn't get the chance to vend anywhere, but I did get to ship some of my vintage clothes off to places like Australia!

I even got to ship some of my handmade wallets to places like Pennsylvania! One time the same person bought it twice because she liked it so much. That's a good feeling. =]

It was also a good feeling seeing my friends I entered college with make it into the Juried Exhibition. You actually have to get selected to get in. Everyone is doing such big things, it's nice to experience it.

These oranges are cement. I'm not sure though. It's by my friend Corinne. =]

Speaking of Corinne, she was actually on my Mad Film Dash team this year. She's my lead actress. She's good for someone who doesn't act. The competition as a whole was a pain considering we had some rendering problems. Darn it.

That's my team name. It's a particular grouping, but I like it. It's probably the simplest name I ever thought of. The painting is by my friend Trisha who surprised us with it. =] Here's our video.

Going back to the Juried Exhibition, here's some cool photos. That's one of my favorite quotes. The artist, Noe, got several people from different backgrounds like art, sociology, etc and had them read something about art. You can tell who is who by their highlights.

This one is by my friend Mitchell. I remember seeing this in Catalyst Gallery and went "I think it's sagging." Not anymore.

I also get my first video interview this year by these two lovely people, Allison and Joann. I haven't spoken about my shirts in a while so this interview definitely made me go "Hey, I remember I still have bins of shirts still in my closet."

It wasn't all school though. I had my first ever Kogi truck experience. I ordered all three meats, but it all taste the same with the marinade. I would say the best one is the one you eat first.

I got a chance to go to the temple for Lao New Year. It's always filled with little kids running around, but I caught them scheming this time.

It also has a lot of baby powder. Sometimes, too much.

I also got a Universal Studios pass from Costco, so if anyone wants to come with me to take pictures with everything I see. I'm down.

I took a trip over to San Francisco for a little bit. It was my second time. So I'll try to not show you anything I shown you the first time(I've been blogging so long it's ridiculous). My nonapus will take over the bay.

One of the coolest parking lot photos I ever taken.

All these SF photos are taken from the top of Coit Tower. It's pretty high and I'm scare of heights, but I surprisingly felt safe. Going up the old elevator is probably the scariest part.

I seen these at the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Microminiatures. This is Goofy.

Napolean.

The Pope.

To cap it off, my cap is off. =] I've created my fifth shirt design (nonapus v.2) titled "Hats off". I'm somewhat done. I'm working on some minor stuff. Hopefully I can get that out by the end of summer!

Coming around full circle,

mrtigerrr

Inspired Works Inspire More Works

2011-02-17T23:21:00.000-08:00

Holy Crap.

There were so many great works up tonight. I was working on my webseries script with a friend. You will eventually see it in few months!!! Anyways, we finished up, I headed out, and found myself in the middle of the MFA art opening.

It was so inspiring. The grad students are a select few, so the work they make is really, really good. This one cracked me up. These letters were on a table inside a tent. Intimate relations?

Floating grass. Genius! It's not even grass. I don't even know if it's fake. I just called it grass for the sake of having it make sense to me.

These "birds" are almost alive! They inflate and deflate depending on the number of interactions. It's like dying and reliving. The cycle of life.

This column was made so you can't see the bottom. It messed with my head for a bit. Until my friend Noe flash his camera light down there. It takes away the magic. There should be a note down there. Something like, if you can see this, you're doing it wrong. That would be pretty funny.

I don't know what this is, but it inflates and deflates. Kind of like the fan people that you find near car dealerships except the art version.

Note to the wise, if you ever go to a gallery, be very careful not to touch the pieces. As I was in there, it started to inflate again. I quickly rushed out.

These pieces are by a friend of mine. Janice Miyagi. I've been running into her lately. Even at the UCLA juried exhibition last week. I wish I had a photo of her to show, but they all turned out blurry. Poo. The middle one is not chocolate.

I really like these pieces. It's like she is trying to tell us something, but doesn't want too. I'll leave it to you to figure out what each one says.

I go in and out of love with art, as with all the other things I'm doing. It's why I dabble in so much.

I get bored easily. Tonight, I realized, if you are around enough inspiring works, you become surprisingly inspired.

I almost forgot how that little spark of inspiration feels like. You kind of fall into a groove and forget why you're doing what you do.

Then you get all worried about the future and try to work harder to ensure your success. However, all the stuff you make isn't that great.

After running into a few friends who graduated and now have jobs, I realized life is going to be okay. It really is. Sometimes you just have to let life run it's course. It will be okay.

Recognize that shirt? A few months short of a year, Maivy sports her mrtigerrr shirt. =] I sold that to her at the No Junk show. Back when I was writing blogs on my Wordpress.

You eventually start to see the work pay off. It take a while. I'm just starting to see the fruits of my labor. It's a nice pick me up. Life is starting to come around full circle.

Life is still weird though.

mrtigerrr

Dream it and Real Life it

2011-02-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to hit the point in my life where I'm seeing my friends' lives start to fall into place. The same goes for me as well. This time, the attention is on my friend Iris. She transferred over to UCLA from UCI and got into the juried exhibition. Pretty big deal.

Some of the work made me want to jump all over it like a pile of leaves.

Some of it makes me wonder.

Some made for pretty nice pictures.

I met Loi, on the right, that night. He attends UCLA. He also went to high school with Joey, on the left, and my second cousin Vicky. It's a small world. Really though, I ran into some other UCI people there. One was a girl I happen to meet the night before at a DIY meeting. It's a small world.

And the piece that I came to see. I remember seeing this piece for the first time during a lecture. Iris asked me if the text was in the foreground or background. I said foreground. I was standing there listening to other people talk about it. I heard one guy say this was his favorite piece. That's right. I know her.

We headed back to "The Hills", which is the dorms. Iris's roommate was kind enough to swipe all five of us into the commons that night. UCLA's dining food is pretty good. Of course, that's just my opinion.

This is how you bus your own trays. I guess all dining rooms have some kind of conveyor belt. This one, I like.

And the girl of the hour. I'm sure she will be successful. You seen her here first. =] Those are some cool glasses too.

Coming around full circle,

mrtigerrr

Build a Laptop Case Workshop!

2011-02-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

Last night was a big one for DIY. We put weeks of planning into this one. We turned old sweatshirts into laptop cases. See for yourself. =] This is actually the sweater that I wanted to use. =]

I really like this print. It's one of those shirts that you won't buy normally, but if it's in a thrift store, you will.

We only have enough supplies for 30 people.

Five minutes into it, we ran out. Whoa.

I helped her sew this one up. Then I helped again. When we were about to wrap up, I helped her again. It's always nice to see the progress. =]

Here's one of the more innovative ones. It kept the zipper!!

You can imagine how fun the leftover scraps from the sleeves were.

Really though. That's your new president to be on the right. I'm happy to pass down the presidency to a good friend. She is playing in the scrap pile like it's leaves by the way.

We like to have fun. =]

This is our signature shot for every event. =] Camera on camera.

Two people are missing, but here's a regular photo of the staff. We have a rule where we don't show our faces. It's just a tradition. However, rules are meant to be broken sometimes. In this case, it's to show you who's responsible for organizing one of the most successful craft event UCI has ever seen.

Couldn't be more motivated,

mrtigerrr

The Official DIY Staff Shirt

2011-02-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

As of late, I either became a closet maker or haven't been making much. That's why I haven't been posting as often as I would like to. It's time to break that with the new official DIY t-shirts. I finally took the new sewing machine out for a spin. Apparently, I had some trouble. Stupid self threading.

4 hours later, I finally got all 7 seven shirts attached with new embroidered pockets. =] So the three founders of DIY, including myself, lived in the Cielo hall our first year. Cielo means sky. The sky's the limit. DIY is where we reach it. Ha. =] You can kind of see the blue lining. It's one of the coolest patterns I have. That's all I can show you for now though. =]

Check out the back! Credits go to our advertising coordinators for that.

All ready to go. I had this idea where I was going to just sew pockets onto to shirts for my own brand a while back. Consider this a preview of things to come. =]

Finally coming around full circle,

mrtigerrr

Partners in Crime Mission One

2011-01-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

Some background information. DIY has Partners-In-Crime, where members are assigned with board members. We then make stuff outside the club. After this mess,

my partner-in-crime and I made those flower pins in her hair. =] I made the blue one. I like crafts. I just like making things in general. It's relaxing. My partners-in-crime(PIC) and I challenged another PIC in contest for whoever bakes the most delicious/beautiful cupcakes ever!!! I'm overly competitive sometimes. Just letting you know, I have two PIC's. I'll have photos of the other one up too. =]

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Knitting with UFOs

2011-01-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

It's the first meeting of DIY this quarter. We learned how to knit again and I like to say it was a good turnout. =]

Really though, see for yourself. =]

She impressed me. Look at what she made. It's crazy prefect!

Here's my friend Mary. She saw my bell I tied to my dolly. It rings when I walk. She said I'm like a little kid. If you know me, you would know it's true. It really is.

Here's partners-in-crime Monster L and Santosh. I had a paparazzi session with our historian Hannah. We were talking about turning around as fast as possible to snap a photo of them. We did, but Santosh was already smiling. How is that possible?!

Don't mind all the things on his face. I wasn't being mean. It just happened when I was constantly redrawing my logo and adding it. It's pretty much a record of my thought process. By the way, do you like the logo? It's a UFO. I'm just having some fun now and putting them anywhere I like.

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

No Days Off

2010-12-08T23:13:00.000-08:00

Hello. This is my first day off. Finals are over. =] I know it's been quite some time so I visited this blog. I been posting on my new blog -- OVENcubes. I started it for class and it pretty much takes attention away from this one. However! I can't talk about my life like I can on this one. Here's how my life has been. =]

I'm not a staff photographer like I wanted to be. I couldn't find the time to invest in it. However! I'm technically still a photo intern and this is the first photo of mine published in the school paper. =]

I found a new use for my blinds. I use it to dry my clothes. I miss making clothes. I'm going to have to take a trip back to it when I can.

I haven't been making clothes, but I did make a backpack. What?! Yep. This is the first one I ever made. Do you remember me talking about starting an accessory line? Well I'm getting closer.

Other than that, I been busy this whole time making and directing videos. That's me directing the final project for my video production class. =] I made a little short, called Paper Planes, about a girl who likes to throw airplanes as a way to let her feelings go. The video is on the OVENcubes page. As a matter of fact, all the videos that I worked on this quarter has been on there. Before I forget, the photo below is by Nikki Jee. She's the photo editor for the school paper.

See, I been doing things. Don't lose faith in me. =]

P.S. My camera is being fixed right now, so I can't post any pictures until it gets back. =[

Still going strong (It's been a while since I said that),

mrtigerrr

Photo Night

2010-09-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

I don't do photo walks or runs or whatever they're called. I'm not the type of person to go somewhere and take photos. I prefer having my photos organic and spontaneous more than anything. Since I had my camera this night, I thought I give it a shot. Downtown Disney is really pretty at night. =] I went for the fireworks, but sadly there were none.

It's was filled with lots of musicians though. It gave it a nice vibe. I always wanted to perform, but I don't have that kind of talent. =[

It had lots of Disney things too, but that is expected.

Hopefully my photography is getting better. I'm thinking about being a staff photographer for the school paper. Wish me luck. =]

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Proud

2010-09-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year. Welcome week. I would usually be walking around checking out the different clubs, but this time was different. DIY made our first ever appearance. =]

We rolled out our quilt for an impromptu table cover. Here's my little section. =] The idea is that new members make a square. We sew that square in. Next year, we pass it down and the pattern continues until it's GIGANTIC! Good idea right?

ML even brought out the candy because people like free candy. =]

Shoutout to the lovely folks boothing for Catalyst Gallery. They made me out of Play-doh. =]

This is our simplest set-up ever. However, clubs were out there in the hundreds. We needed something eye-catching and that is what Antonio is for. =] Have you seen my video of him? He went from getting in trouble to DIY's new spokesperson. =]

See. It's working. This is my friend Leo. =] We lived in the same dorm freshmen year. Now he is singing for Circle of Fifths and I'm president of DIY. =]

Look. It's working again. =] This is Corinne. She is on board for Catalyst Gallery. I met her in my drawing class first year before I knew how to do anything artsy. We were pretty good friends before either of us got involved in anything. Now DIY is going to partner up with Catalyst to put on a little something later on. =] Collaborations are awesome.

Besides Antonio getting attention, DIY's little cheering squad definitely helped. =] They did awesome.

Especially ML. She was her own little cheering section. She literally yelled and people came to the booth.

Did I mention the bookstore was giving away free otter pops?

Yum. See the girl with the red Otter Pop? That's DIY's historian, Hannah. She agrees free Otter Pops are good too. =]

It's DIY's second year now. I helped start it last year with just two other people. By the end of the year, we had about 15 loyal members. Now we're back for our second year. After our day boothing, we were able to get 8 pages of e-mails. THAT'S 181 PEOPLE INTERESTED! I was overwhelmed.

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Dear Chinatown,

2010-09-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

I hate you Chinatown.

With your rude manners.

Your lack of customer service.

How every store carries the same cheap items.

But, how I appreciate you at the same time.

For all the culture that lies in you.

For the fact nothing in you ever changes.

For the fact that you helped raised me.
I'm very indifferent to you.

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Balboa Pier

2010-09-12T18:19:00.001-07:00

I was suppose to go to the Great Park and do something. I don't want to say what that something is because it's going to be used in my upcoming film. =] I been working on it for a while. I'm not trying to force it so I'm working on it little by little until I'm content. =] Well I didn't go what I wanted to do. I decided to explore the city instead. It all led me to Balboa Pier in the end of the day. I didn't realize how close it was to me. You are starting to grow on me OC. =]

The pier was filled with people fishing. Of course. The whole place smelled.

It was all windy and cold. My ears actually started to hurt after a while. It was weird.

The place was filled with humbled families who didn't speak English. They all have their coolers packed with things and bait laid on benches. The people on it are so real. Such a wonderful experience. I wouldn't mind taking another trip to it. I would say it's one of my favorite places to be.

Off the pier was a different story. Girls in short dresses, beach-front shops, pizza sold in the slices, expensive cars. The vibe is way different.

Well this is honestly one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. No editing. I couldn't do it justice. I love how the grandma is holding her grandchild up to have the whole world entirely in her hands. Beautiful. It's the American dream.

Yes. I wear Vans on the beach.

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

For the Time Being

2010-09-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again. I hate moving. It always takes a long time to pack, unpack, and just settle in.

Well the kitchen looks nice.

It's my first apartment too. I'm sharing it with these guys. It's going to be at least one year at this place. We'll just see where life takes me afterwards.

Back to this too. You would think I would lose weight, but I actually lost weight over the summer staying at home. How odd.

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Patchwork at OC Foodie Fest

2010-08-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

OC Foodie Fest was yesterday. I came home with a big headache and woke up with a bigger headache. Plus, I'm sore now. I was moving around a lot. I like to keep myself busy. Here is my side of the booth. I remember when I couldn't fill up a table, but now I can barely fill it up.

Here's Belinda's side. Her side always looks good. I feel like one day, her aesthetic is going to rub off on me some more and our two sides will just blend together.

I decided to bring out some of my old stuff. It was all sitting in a box in my room. I even revamped my sign.

I brought out some even older stuff too. Here's a snapshot of my vintage collection. That's my favorite jacket out of all of them.

I took a look at the map and they spelled my name wrong. Lame. It's mrtigerrr. All lowercase, no period, no spaces, and three R's.

As 11AM rolled along, the lines were starting to fill. If you look close enough, you can see all the people waiting at the fence. That's the VIP line.

Here's the regular line. The event sold out beforehand online.

Luckily for me, I could take a stroll around before the crowd came in. I don't know what this truck sold, but it makes me laugh. It even has rims.

I tried to get some food from these guys before the event even started, but they weren't open til 11:30. I came back at 11:30 and I was the 4rd customer of the day. =] I have a thing for places with simple names.

I got the garlic butter shrimp, which had a lot of garlic. I like garlic, and butter, and shrimp, so I didn't mind. The only thing to really take pictures of was the food. That's what OC Foodie Fest is all about.

And when the event finally started, you can see all the lines pile up. Here is the Nom Nom truck. The line was long, but I heard it was worth it.

Well back to the crafts. Here's from my neighboring booth, Clover Threads. When I came back from walking, I noticed they were both at my booth, so Belinda and I decided to go to their booth. =] These shoes are cool.

It was smart to beat the lines and get food early. This guy was yelling fresh coconut water the whole time I was in line for some pulled pork sliders.

Here's a precious moment. I tried to capture some family's moment. Haha. See the Beer & Wine Garden? My booth was near the entrance. Too bad no one came out drunk and bought all my stuff. Oh well.

I spy a baby's face.

To my surprise, I heard my name yelled out. I thought I was hearing things. Nope, I actually got to see some familiar faces. They helped make the day better. I thought I wasn't going to see anyone I knew. I figured most of my friend didn't buy tickets online. These three were smart enough to buy their tickets early. =] They're the ones who told me about this Nom Nom truck. They even got the founder's autograph.

I believe her name is Ashley. I'm terrible with names. Really though, I am. When I do remember someone's name, they usually stay around enough to have an actual conversation with. She didn't buy anything, but it's fine. She took my card and that's perfectly satisfying enough. =]

I like these two as well. I didn't meet them until that day, but I could talk to them like I knew them. I talked to them once and another time after they came back. =] The guy is Justin and the girl is Simone. The girl likes my creepy charming aesthetic, which is awesome. The guy has the same camera as me, which is just as awesome. =]

This is Chantal DeFelice. I started talking to her because her art caught my eye. I really like the details she puts into it. It's like my work. The wavering line and the solitude of each is nice. She was stuck at her booth all day because she had no one to help. Hopefully, you'll see her more on this blog from other shows.

I speak about all these connections I make in person, but sometimes the connection is made through my tags. I put a lot of effort into each one. They're all as personal as can be. This lady read the tag and laughed. She left and came back to show that guy. She couldn't help it anymore and just had to get it. =] I feel like she can really appreciate that doll.

Anytime I sell anything, it's usually because people take the time to read the commentary I put on it. I don't really have the when people see something and say "Wow, I need to get that" moment. I get the browsing, decides something is interesting, reads the tag, and goes "I have to get it" moment. =] It's a longer process. This is the only yellow one I ever printed. The little note on the back sold it for her. She was even going to wear it right afterwards. =] In that sense, the people who buy my stuff understand a little something about me.

Since I include lots of text, I always see people standing there and reading things. I find it awkward because I stand there silently. I don't want to disturb. That table had a mix of Belinda's stuff and my stuff, so it was filled with silent reading and that's so cute comments.

This girl was walking around and taking snapshots of our whole booth. The event was filled with fancy cameras. I didn't mind if people take pictures of my stuff. I take pictures of everything so it's all good. I actually liked how she came back and showed a friend everything. It always nice to see people come back.

At the end of the day, the dance crews took to stage. I stayed long enough to see Team Millennium and left before I could see Beat Freaks. I was busy packing up my stuff.

And here it is. The end of the day. It kind of looked like the beginning of the day as well. I got there at 8:30AM. Left my house at 7:30AM and got back home around 8PM. Long day.

Goodbye parking lot of the Honda Center. Hopefully I'll see you again.

Of course, I had to take some free stuff home. Drinks were selling at $3 and at the end of the day, they were free. I had to grab some. I'm not trying to promote the the brand. The drinks are okay. I'm just saying I like free stuff.

I'll promote Soap Tart though. They were the other neighboring booth. She gave Belinda and I a bar of soap. Afterwards, I told her I'll give you one of my wallets because I know you liked it." She responded back with "If you do that, I'll give you a box of soap then." Haha. I love trading.

I'll end it with my box of free stuff from Belinda, By Belinda. She always has stuff lying around she doesn't want. She ends up giving it all to me. I usually take a few things here and there and give the rest to my club. I know it gets use there. Thank you Belinda. I feel like I know someone who is going to get crazy successful. =]

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Classic

2010-08-23T15:10:00.001-07:00

Today I got a message from a friend about one of my videos. It goes as follows. Excuse the grammar.

Friend

hey tiger iwas watching one of ur videos n while u were tlking my son came to the computer n was tlking to u.. it was cute he was having a convo wit u. just thought i would tell u

3:08pmMe

That's cute

How old is he?

3:08pmFriend

i thought i was funny couldnt stop laughing. he is 2. he is my oldest

he stopped watching spongebob to tlk to u. n he dnt stop watching him for any1

3:09pmMe

haha

Nice

That makes me feel good.

She was referring to all my old videos. She was going through them for fun. It's nice that my old videos still get views. My old videos have me talking and I'm still a little self-conscious about my voice. I'm just self-conscious really, but to my voice, I been more accepting of it after I kept hearing it in videos. Before that, I never really heard my voice before. Have you heard your own voice for the first time? It's so weird! It's okay though. It just makes me be more distinctive and have my own identity.I just find it funny how my little kid voice makes little kids stop watching Spongebob to talk to me. =]

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Night Time is Weird

2010-08-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

A trip to LAX gave me the opportunity to take some of the weirdest pictures I ever taken. I didn't take the LAX one. My girlfriend took that.

Making my mark

2010-08-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

I went to the pub on campus the other day. It's a bar, but I don't drink. I go for the good cheap food. Since it's a bar, I figured it might be dirty so I like to wash my hands. I had to take a trip to the mens room after and saw the chalk wall over the urinal. I figure I should make my mark.

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Native Shoes

2010-08-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

I fall in and out of love with fashion. I like looking at other brand's work and admiring the creativity and aesthetic. I don't like sitting around admiring all the time though, so I try to do it myself. It's a bit discouraging because it's so hard. I guess that's when I fall out of love with it again. I'm starting to fall back in it again. Mainly because of these shoes. I been reading the Hundreds blog all day catching up on whatever is going on. The moment I saw these I was like "What?! I want those!"

I don't really have those moments often, but I like it when I do. It's inspiring. I told my girlfriend that I like them because I can wear them to the beach, and still keep my shoes on. I can drive afterwards too and not have to wear stupid Crocs because those are ugly." Yep. I might snatch me a pair somewhere. It's a great way to combine two different lifestyles.

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

I Keeps It Real

2010-08-17T12:04:00.001-07:00

This is why The Hundreds is one of my favorite brands.

"Again, branding is about personality, and that is what The Hundreds has always understood. From the start, The Hundreds was formulated as a personal brand, an authentic and intimate lifestyle project. Meaning that everything you see from us, whether here on the website or in our print magazine, the shoes on your feet or the wallet in your back pocket, has been infused with our own story. We do, and make, what comes logically from us and our backgrounds and interests, and that complements the sensibility of the brand. That was never intentional or strategic, as it was natural and organic. We’re obviously the best at being us, why try to be something we’re not?" -BobbyHundreds

I take the same approach to my brand. Not to be like them, but because it just makes sense to me. Anyone who ever got their hands on a mrtigerrr, feels all the personality I put into it. It's like I'm there. I told you before "I keeps it real".

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Almost Famous

2010-08-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

I met up with Hans the other day for lunch. I must say I'm pretty proud of this girl. I lived with her in the dorms so I her most of her problems because she likes to voice them. She is now getting some acting gigs and there seems to be a certain someone that keeps popping up in her life. It seems like things are starting to turn around for her. One of the nice things about college is that you get to meet people right before they get to where they want to be. Sometimes it's a nurse, engineer, or someone famous. Since my emphasis is on art, I feel like most of my friends are going to be famous. Keep an eye out for her.

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

OC Fair

2010-08-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

OC fair anyone? I always hear it on the radio and now I finally got the chance to go. I didn't know what to expect really. I don't go to fairs or carnival type things. I don't find the rides worth it and the games are always rigged. This was the first thing at the entrance. I actually went to this last. I knew it was going to smell though.

I forgot what this is, but I like it's little legs. I wanted a dog with little legs until I realize they poop and pee everywhere. The same goes for this thing.

Keeping in mind that petting the animals is not the cleanest thing to do, I decided not to touch anything. This photo makes it look like I did right? I never seen a cow up close before.

Well there are some weird takes a lot of different things. I learned about his sculpture in art class. I think I learned about it anyways. There are so many of these nude body sculptures we have to memorize that they end up looking the same.
Here's another piece, but it's made out of butter. I don't understand what would compel him to do so.

This ride is called Speed. It's one of the two rides I went on that day. If it's one ride in the whole place worth riding, it's this one. My girlfriend went to the line and I went "I guess I can die now." Now I'm alive and quite happy about that.

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Surprise!

2010-08-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Everytime the summer comes around, there are so many birthdays. Well for my little cousins anyways. This time was a little bit different. It was a surprise party for my little cousin whose age I don't know. As I wait, my other cousin Sam let's me play Starcraft II. Yes. He got it the first day it came out. I remember everyone going crazy when they got it. Ahhhhh how I love happy people. =]

The day kind of dragged on because we all had to wait. No worries. I was getting some personal drum lessions. =]

I had to run errands as well. Of course. Here's umm, Loco? My other cousin Lisa gave this to me to paint on for her. It's the creepiest thing I have in my room at the moment. Especially when I woke up to see it the first day, oh man.

Other than that, I took pictures of everything and anyone who asked me to take a picture of them. Oh well. I guess when you ask for a picture, remember not to blink. =]

And the moment we all been waiting for. She had a shocked face on for at least 30 seconds. It was so cool! =]

Still going strong,

mrtigerrr

Back up.

2010-08-11T14:23:00.001-07:00

You may be wondering what the heck is going on. What happen to the old post and what are these other ones? Well for technical reasons, I'm bringing it back to what I started with and going back to my blogspot. =] For all my 2010 posts, comments and pictures, it's all here at http://mrtigerrr.wordpress.com/

I never really noticed how much I grown in one year until I looked back on this old blog. I cleaned it up quite a bit and took out some posts that weren't necessary. I hope you notice the growth as well. =]

WELL WELCOME, OR WELCOME BACK. =]

Start of ...

2009-09-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

My camera is still out. It's been too long without hearing from me so I used my phone. Well I took a trip over to Borders. Look it what I found. I remember looking at the illustrations when I was younger and was awed. Still one of my favorites.
Another favorite. Madeline. I forgot all about her until I went pass the "Classic, but never out of style" section. This girl isn't even scared of tigers. It said so.
Later on at night, there was a free locking class. My friend Aaron and I went and figure before we even walked in, we were in way out of our heads. No pictures but it's okay. There was nothing from us two worth showing. haha. Even so, we, well I am, still crazy enough to go back next week. haha. Bboys Anonymous(BBA) was right after. Now this was way different from class because this is where the real dancers come in and session. We went in. Realized we had no moves, left, and practiced our four locking moves outside. End of night.

2009-09-15T16:16:00.001-07:00

I like this short film. It seems like something I would make. I been growing out of the whole making love cliche stuff lately because it may be getting a little old, but I still like watching it. The film lost me halfway when I felt it was getting a little far-fetched. I like to keep things as real as I can. So I want to make a film now. Maybe when I get back to school and find some actors. The size is off so you may have to click the video to see it right.

Oh man.

2009-09-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

If you don't know by now, I don't have my camera for at least two weeks. It's being fixed because it has dark marks on the screen. So until then, I guess I'll be reposting up old pictures or pictures taken from my phone. That also means the three paintings I was going to do this week aren't going to be posted up. It's okay I guess. I woke up from this dream this morning where I even decided to pull my camera out and vlog. That's how I know I been vlogging too much. haha. Well stay safe, stay happy, and remember to have a back up camera.

Good Company

2009-09-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my friend Patricia's Birthday dinner at BJ's. She's the one in the black dress. Afterthat, a few friends headed out to my friend's Karley's house so we can go to this haunted house, but we didn't get the chance to. So instead, we waited hours and realized the people we were waiting for aren't coming so we decided it was time to go home. Before that, we just hung out.
It's been a year or so since I last seen most of them and it's just pretty much the same. That Asian guy is Andy. They say we look the same.
You can see how much bigger my friend Manuel is by seeing how far his feet are off the ground. That is when you realize how amazing this is.
I didn't see this in the dark. It wasn't until I saw the picture when I realized that Andy has green socks.

Like Green Eggs and Ham

2009-09-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

I had to show this. I'm starting to like coconut more and more now. My parents came home with this and look at the color of it.

This purple can't exist naturally. It just doesn't seem right like green eggs and ham.

I Mean Ladies

2009-09-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

I spent hours just trying to editing this. The audio kept shifting and it was giving me trouble, but I thought it's been a while since I posted a video. So here's a video blog instead of a regular blog. Hope you like.

The Giving Tree

2009-09-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

I should be done with this painting by the time the weekend is over. That's of course if I estimated it right. It may not seem like much now, but I assure you, there were plenty of headaches along the way. I know it seems like a mess. That's just how I work. I'm trying to weave the different parts together. You can also rotate it whichever way you like and it seems to be the right way.

I Like Your Shirt

2009-09-02T20:58:00.001-07:00

Sandy wore the same shirt as me when I went to go play tennis. Not planned at all. Someone had to wear a mrtigerrr shirt and it's surpising to not be the only one.

Messy as Always

2009-09-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a drawing of my new piece. This mess will somehow work itself out. It always does. This mess though is more of a mess than usual. I'm trying something new.
A comparsion shot. It's roughly about three times the size. I got some work ahead of me.

Food and Toothpaste

2009-09-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

It's whiter than Vanilla ice cream. More coconut than the coconut ice cream from the ice cream man. It's coconut ice cream from the Thai place. Tida bought it and I ate some. Delicious.
She also asked me I wanted something from the Asian market. Since I been carving bread lately, I asked for bread.
Then it was back to school shopping. I still take a long time to decide what to get, but one hour later, I was good. The only picture I took inside was of this bottle of toothpaste. You push this lever down and the tooth paste just comes up easy. I had this when I was little and it isn't until now do I realize how cool it is. haha.

Walcott

2009-08-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

Now for the flashback of the day. Walcott. Now to address any questions. Why these flashbacks? Well the past is what makes you. By understanding the past, you somehow understand the present. I don't know where this video ties in, but I like it. Enough said. Plus, I get to brush up on my editing skills before they get dull and people get to see how they changed. I seen some recent photos of Joey and it's obvious there is something different. So this is for you Joey. I suppose ML too because she got a haircut.

Out with the Old, in with the New

2009-08-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Lorena dropped by today to pick up my sexy turtle painting and drop off another canvas. I known her since high school back when I was doodling on napkins, my jacket, and whatever else I could get my hands on. Now she's studying to become an elementary school teacher, while I try to get this artist thing done. Well she commissioned me for another piece and hopefully I can do well on this one. Hint: The Giving Tree
I haven't named Mr. Turtle yet. I always called him Sexy Turtle. Now he has a name. She named him Nelson the Spiffy Turtle. Doesn't he look like a Nelson?
Here's Nelson in all his sexiness for those who missed it.

Life in Technicolor

2009-08-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

It was too good not to put back up.

Making my Rounds and More

2009-08-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

Introducing Key Club President for something years, Alma. Okay I forgot what she was, but she was the head on the board. Well she has one of my shirts now. I think she said she wanted to take a little piece of home with her to college. If not, it sure does sound good. I gave her a call ahead of time and she knew it was me by my voice. I know I sound like a seventh grader...
Here is Gabriel, proud(?) owner of my Icee Cup painting. I remember he was a little short on cash so I said it's okay, just take me out to lunch sometime. I forgot about it until he brought it up today. I really didn't mind if he did buy me lunch. Since he brought it up though, I thought I take him up on the offer.
We took his car.
Some people may not find this appetizing, but I finished it up. 3x3. Considering how skinny I am, Gabriel didn't believe that I could eat it all. I don't blame him. He got a 2x2 and animal fries and got full half way through his fries. I ate my burger all, fries too, and with room left to spare. I didn't think a 3x3 was that much though thinking how the guys back in Irvine "down" 4x4's like candy. .
Thought I share my sense of humor with you. There's wooden sticks attached to the house.

Next Project

2009-08-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

My friend Sandy has one of my shirts. Here is a comment she sent me.

yup yup i did. lol i wore it on wednesday. the day after u gave
it to me:] my friend r--- noticed that it was the shirt u
designed. people were wondering wat tha design was suppose
to be so i told them to jus use their imagination. lol

I wish I could have been there, but it was just as rewarding. Anyways, it gave me this idea. I wondered how it was feel to see random people wearing my shirts. I'm sure it's just as rewarding, but how do I get them too? My solution, just drive around the city and drop off shirts into random people's mailbox. With a note explaining it of course, or someone might think it has a disease or something. I think that would make someone's day. I know it would for me. Like one of those times people walk those big checks to the front door or when Xhibit comes to "pimp your ride". So I decided I'm going to do it. At least with one shirt or a plushie or just a note. That is my next project, to lend a little "pick me up".

Quality Time

2009-08-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to drive myself crazy so I took a break and took the night off with the little lady. She likes to tell me how I never put her on my blog so here. Now she's going to read this and hit me like I know what for.
I had to go to fix my phone first. It just isn't working. The guy did a master reboot and fixed it. That means he took out the battery while it was on and took out the sim card and put it back again. I did the same, but I didn't take the sim card out. Lame. Anyways, I see all these phones. I guess the new thing now is to have it slide sideways. I'm not into it as much because I find it looks funny when it slides out. I find things funny.
Now off to Market Night. Instead of staying in San Bernardino, we went over to Redlands. I love it there. Everything feels so old and alive. It looks like Boston. I wouldn't mind setting up shop here. A little East Coast town in the Inland Empire. Well enough of that. Here's the night in blurry out of focus night vision. I don't even like comic books, but I had to go in the comic book store. I wasn't disappointed. Great art work and ugly dolls all around.
It wasn't my type of music, but for the night, I was feelin' it. I was going to join the couple on the dancefloor, but I don't know how to dance to country music.
Then there are the folks who come out to show their culture. This time, the polynesians came out representing in their booty shaking, loud chatting, drum hitting manner.
How can there be a market night without the vendors? So this one is for them. The flowers.
The food.
The paintings. I might say, they were some really good paintings. Nothing I like, but I know when to admit someone is good.
The little lady caught this. They spelled sandals wrong. We like to argue until someone is right and this was one of those situations. Only difference being I will admit when I'm wrong and I was wrong. This is what she told me the other day when I proved her wrong, "You are right, but I'm not wrong." That makes no sense at all. Last, but not least, a music store. Now I have a place to go and come back home without buying anything.

I Didn't Know what I was Doing

2009-08-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

When I'm not working on my stuff or taking pictures of what I eat, I usually have to do chores for my dad. This time it was going to the hardware store to find wood carving tools. You would think it would say it straight out. Wood Carving Tools, but no. After looking for a while in the rubber smelled place, we found it and left it smelling like rubber.
Oh, these are fake cameras. I thought "Wow, $10 for a security camera". That was before I realized it was fake. It just moves and has a blinking light. Pretty smart though.

Taking You Back

2009-08-27T13:15:00.001-07:00

I have lots and lots of videos I recorded throughout the year and it would be a waste if only I could watch them. So today is deemed "Throwback Thursday" where I will show some old videos. Nothing serious. Just for fun.

This is my friend Joey. I think this is the first time I probably sat down with the guy while he played guitar. The date says 11/13/08. I'm not sure if that is right, but he was singing a song for my friend Crystal's birthday. I don't remember how we ended up sitting there, but it somehow happened.

Go With the Flow

2009-08-26T01:10:00.000-07:00

I have this idea for another video. No talking. I want it to be like my The Animal Fries Days Wouldn't last video. I want to make a film of it, but that seems too hard for such a short time frame. I need actors and cameras and stuff. So it's just going to be words. That's it. However, there will be some sound. I'm starting to get tired of looking at myself. So I'm going to change it up. That's all I wanted to blog about today. I'm actually quite excited for it. I don't know how well people will accept it, but it doesn't matter. When inspiration comes around, it's best to just go with it.

I Work Too Hard

2009-08-25T01:44:00.000-07:00

I wake up every morning and go back to bed until I'm hungry. A few minutes later, I start my day with a blow of Applejacks.
The usual business. Checking things online, thinking of the next project and so on. Business is a little slow, but I didn't expect it to "blow up" in one day. It sure was one of those, "What am I going to do with my life?" kind of day though. At the end of it, I brushed it off, keep faith, and trust that in a few months, or years, all the hard work will make it all worth it. At the end of the day though, I find my friends, ML, Marisa, and Rachel, blogged about one of my shirts. That made my day. I really appreciate it. Big time. I had to dig in old folders for those pictures.

This was nearing the end of school. ML is exhausted from her slide making with Joey and Marisa seeing the fruits of her labor.

I remember this day. Keys were lost. Moving out next day. Choir singing. I wanted to say keep faith, but didn't want to sound like an idiot. Didn't have to say it. Found keys on top of piano. I like happy endings.

Just for kicks. Here is Monster Latin's video of her drawing final. She was up all night. I was too because of a paper. I went to Grad Night and a high school graduation and other things and somehow pull the paper out my butt and got an "A". haha. This is why I honestly keep faith. Things happen that you can consider lucky, but when enough lucky things happen, I think there is more to it. Call me crazy.

Enough of that. With the store out the way, I don't have much to do now. Just fill orders and go. Nothing new. Plus, school's in a month and I should really just relax now. However, school's in a month and I got to start working harder to finish the summer off right. That, or I'll just keep beating myself up later for not doing anything. So I'm back to making some more videos and making some more things for my store. Here's the next video/thing in my store. I'm thinking about remaking one of my performance pieces from class.

I work too hard...for someone with no job. I realized if this artist/clothing line thing is going to work out, I might as well start now. I gotten over the whole "You're an art major" reaction. It got old real quick. I think I can finally say this and have it sound appropiate.

Carpe Diem

What a coincidence

2009-08-23T23:14:00.000-07:00

Haha. I guess it's only fair. The Etsy site is on maintenance. I guess everyone has an equal shot now. See, keep faith and things work themselves out. So to give everyone a fair shot, the site is mrtigerrr.etsy.com. I think maintenance is going to be finished around 3 AM pacific time. Yep. I think I'm going to let the discounted prices go on until Tuesday. After that, it's going back up. So I hope you guys enjoy it. Thank you very much for the support.

So Close I Can Taste it

2009-08-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

So my store is now ready to go, almost ready anyways. I have pretty much everything up, but I want to give it a day before I give out the site to make sure I fix anything that comes up. But for those of you who figured out my site already, enjoy. For those of you who haven't don't worry, I'll give it out tomorrow. Until then, here are some of the photos I shot today.

This one was at the spur of the moment. My cousin and brother wanted to go buy some chicken, but before that, I had to get them to do this for me. I wanted to make it look like he was flying but his arms broke.

I know most of these are like "What?" Yea, I thought people would remember it more. Plus, it was just more fun. I know my brother didn't think it was that fun though. haha.
Here's the new one I said I was going to release. My cousin Roger came over today and helped me out with this one. Really good timing. See, keep faith alive.
In closing, I don't have much in stock so sizes are might be backordered real quick. No worries, I will try my hardest to get it out as soon as possible. That's it. I hope this is like Christmas for you because I giving you readers who you get there ahead of everyone else a pretty big discount. Remember if you can't find it, I'll give the link out tomarrow.

Leaking.

2009-08-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

My friend Kenny recently asked me about my store. I thought I share it with everyone else who reads my blog. It will be out in a day or two. Until that time, all I will say is that you have to register for an account on esty.com to buy anything. It's free to make one so there's nothing to lose. I thought I tell you ahead of time so it doesn't catch you by surprise. Oh, and I only accept Paypal, but you can pay with a credit card through Paypal so you wouldn't have to make a Paypal account. Well that's it. Hope you guys are enjoying your day.

I'm a Mind Reader

2009-08-21T23:43:00.000-07:00

I know what you are thinking. That's if you scrolled down of course. "Tiger needs to stop posting a million new blogs in one day. I'm never going to read all this" My computer now works so I'll be back to posting regularly. I kind of liked not having to carry my camera around everywhere. I only have two pockets with three things to put inside. Phone, Wallet, Camera. You don't have to do the math to realize that's one too many.

"Hey, Come See What I Made"

2009-08-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

Dad is always trying to show me something hoping I would learn something. This time it is how to make the heavy thing on the end of fishing lines.
You put some really hot metal in here for a minute and open.
Then he goes on about how much he saves on making them, instead of buying them.
I'm sure I will end up just like him. "Son, come look at this new shirt I made. I made a new color by mixing my red and blue inks together."

"Guns, Flowers, Happy Faces"

2009-08-21T22:13:00.001-07:00

If you don't know yet, design two is finish. I think I need to make a Twitter so I can update people on all the unnecessary things I want them to know. I haven't decided to jump on the Twitter bandwagon yet. Here are some detail shots of the screen. I call this one my "Guns, Flowers, Happy Faces" tee.

The words came out pretty good. I think I'm going to put words on all my stuff. So that way, no one can bootleg my designs. "Please keep the volume and jibberjabbering up. =]"
The tiny details didn't turn out as well as I wanted to. I was truly disappointed. There's always a next time though.

Keep an eye out. =]

More Sneaks.

2009-08-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

I don't consider myself good at photography, but I thought I give it a shot. Here's my cousin Binly helping me out. He wanted to cover his face though, which is fine. He used one of my paintings for the job. Well, it's his painting now because I sold it to him. Hopefully, it will be worth more and he could sell it when times get rough. I'm hoping that happens to all the people who buy my stuff. My art actually helps someone.
Back to the whole covering the face up, it reminded me of this. This was when school was in session and I believe it was late at night during final's week. We probably hit our limits on studying. Here's Joey, the guy who plays the background music in most of my videos and the one I turn to when I need help in anything guitar. That patch I made reminds me of a Batman mask.
I think I might make a bigger one. So then all my models can wear one. It can be a mrtigerrr thing. Someone's probably done it already though with the billions of people in the world. Oh well. Here's Emily. Again, good luck in New York.
Now fast foward to the shirt, I put this on the lower right side. So now people can check out your butt and say they are reading it as an excuse.

Common's Colors

2009-08-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

I went with my dad to look for some part that broke. I found these instead. It brought back memories of the commons on campus.
Seriously, it's the same thing. It has to be. I never seen those colors in anyone's house. It's like common's blue, yellow, red, and green. Like Post-it yellow. You know exactly what yellow I'm talking about.

Don't Leave Money in the Car

2009-08-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

I always tend to spend my money on my future. Shirts, canvases, gas. There's always those times that hit you out of no where though. That's why I ended up here.
My car didn't want to go in reverse anymore. I have no idea why, but it fits in with these other cars that don't seem to go in reverse.
They still do it anyways.
One thing I learned, don't leave money in the car. Lucky the mechanic was a friend of the family and told me. I tried to put it in a safe place so only I know where it is. In case of emergencies you know? I hid it so good that I forgot I left it there.

Long Day

2009-08-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

I like to experiment when I'm printing, when I do anything really. It's the only way you can learn something new. Here's what I got. Nothing serious. Just for fun. These colors don't work well together though. I guess that's what happens when you throw things together. It's like how I cook. Looks good so I'll throw it in.
My shirts took up more space than I thought. mrtigerrr for dinner?
For keeping the bed warm too?
Well that's design one finished up. Store up very, very soon. I need to get some shots in so the shirt looks all pretty and what not. After that, it's good to go.

tigerSUPER?

2009-08-17T01:43:00.001-07:00

I need a store name. I been thinking mrtigerrr is just to hard for some people to remember. For some reason not that much people know it's three "R's". So I was thinking of something more easy to remember. I talked to my significant other, Tida, about it. She works at Mr. You Express. First thing out of her mouth was TidaExpress. So TigerExpress. It don't like it as much though. Besides, she goes "Ten dollars please because I copyright that." That's her answer to everything. Here's a bunch of others she thought of, TigerFat, Tigerlolli, Don't vote for the lion, Vote for Tiger, and probably the one I liked out of all, TigerPop. I'm sure she was thinking about food for this one too.

I took a little something from the local video store, Video Super. They fixed it to Super Video though. I really liked the super after the word so tigerSUPER. It sounds catchy like TigerPop, except I feel tigerSUPER has more behind it. It shows culture, especially the one where I'm from. Broken English. Local mom and pop shops. The more important meaning is that it flips the whole English system. It doesn't let the surrounding society decide what it needs to be, it lets culture decide. It has conflict between what is considered proper and improper. I feel this is probably what most kids in my circumstance feel like. You learn how to do things the right way, but sometimes you just got to figure it out on your own and "wing it." Sometimes conflict isn't good, but sometimes it's the best thing. So I think I'm going to settle on tigerSUPER. So now you can say "Hey, did you check out tigerSUPER store?" It sounds like Tiger's Superstore. haha. I wanted to play a little on Asian markets as well. haha. I guess I wanted to capture the local mom and pop shop feel, where everything is so personal. At the same time, give it a fresh urban, corny feel. haha. If you think, "Hey, Tiger just somehow pulled that whole thing out of his butt." Does Super Tiger sound better?

Well that's it. No pictures. My photo editing software is on the "fritz" so I can't really do anything. Please comment on what you think about the name. Be honest. I really don't mind. Even leave your own suggestions if you like. It would mean so much to me. Beside, tigerSUPER isn't official yet. I haven't decided.

I couldn't leave you guys with something so dull though. I been watch "Whose Line?" on Uoutube lately. I love that show. Here's a clip to hopefully keep you laughing.

On a side note, I finally printing my shirts. I have at least one in every color, black, maroon, and teal. Sadly, I only have one shirt in some sizes. New design, I'm going to release it on the day I open the store, but it's going to be a pre-order, because I have no blank shirts in stock. That's it offically it. I really appreciate the support. Thank you for taking your time and reading all the way to this point. Have a great day.

The Day in Short, Plus Not so Short

2009-08-15T01:50:00.000-07:00

Tida came over today with juice!
and pop chips for me. =]
Mom's noodles sold out in stores.
My new batch or shirts finally came in. They are Hanes Beefy tee. I found out they are ring spun which means it's softer. It is also thicker so it last longer. That means you can wear it to sleep, to excercise, to study, to the cafeteria where it will end up smelling like pizza. It should still last. That is if you didn't do anything too crazy.
Time to start printing tomorrow. That means I'm going to have my store up soon. I'm pushing for late August or early September. I'm not going to have much in stock, so you should act quick. Prices. Discount for those who catch the annoucement early on in my blog. I really appreciate the support. Here is what I figure though, I been letting a few shirts leak for $15 to my early on supporters. I was going to extend that $15 as my discounted price, but considering the shipping, it would just set it to $20. To somehow show you guys I appreciate you reading, it will be $15 with FREE SHIPPING, or for marketing purposes, $10 + shipping and handling. =]
It's the least I do. Thank you very very much. Oh yeah, on the day I release, I'll have the old design out with some new color ways, maroon on white, and black on white. Plus, a new design. Something more in my usual style with the pen work.

If you need a little refresh of what the old design looks like. Here's the link.

If it isn't too much, can you shoot me an e-mail at realmrtigerrr@gmail.com if you're interest in buying a shirt? It at least gives me a general idea of how much I need to make. Include a size too please. Thank you very much. Please remember it's a guy shirt too. I don't have any girl shirts in stock. Please don't blame me. Think of it like this. Would you let your boyfriend pick out clothes for you? haha. That's it. I'm trying to share my art with the world. I hope you help me share it and I hope it somehow helps you. I will admit that I don't know how it will help you, but I really hope it somehow does. =]

De-bombing Dry Denim

2009-08-15T01:46:00.000-07:00

I had stickers on my laptop. They were getting old and I decided it was best to take them off. I ususally like everything "bombed" with stickers, but when the whole thing isn't completely bomb, it doesn't look as nice.
Now it looks kind of boring. A old retro kind of boring. I find it somewhat attractive.
You ever seen dry denim? The point is to wear it for a long time without washing, then wash it so it fades in the right parts. Doesn't this sticker look like that? That rectangle can be the pocket where you always put your wallet.

Super Car Heroes

2009-08-15T01:37:00.000-07:00

Remember that broken mirror? Well today was the day to fix that and all the other problems wrong with my car. We went to this place first. My car doesn't go in reverse sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes. It just happens that the day I take it in, it works. Man.
So they couldn't figure it out because it was working fine. Besides that, I like the whole inside set up. The roof was impressive enough for me to share it with you guys. See those strips of wood? Each one is one really long piece of 2 x 4. I was like "Man, you can build boats with stuff like that." Too bad it's the Inland Empire, where it's way too hot to have a ocean around.

I play guitar too. Learning anyways.

2009-08-12T00:04:00.000-07:00

I'm well aware I need new background music for my videos. My brother has a mic. He's working on his music career and I'm working on my art career. It's funny how we both didn't turn out the way our parents wanted us to. haha. Since I decided to make my own background music, I been practicing on my guitar more. I found a new purpose for it. My fingers weren't working well so I bought some picks. I didn't know what I was doing so I called up my friend Joey. He said Tortex, Dunlop, Red. That simple.
Here is where I first used the song. It's by my friend Joey. It took really long. We were hungry. Finals due. Nevertheless, we somehow pull it out of thin air and finished it. This piece is still one of my favorites. I know it doesn't get that much views because the video still is some simple and boring. Those who actually take the time and watch always seem to be touch not by "wow's" or anything crazy. They like the simple realness of it.

Typical Tuesday

2009-08-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday. I guess it's time to play tennis. Guess who came with their mrtigerrr shirt? She only wore it because she knew I wasn't going to. I have to wash it. Lucky. I took a million pictures of her because I need a model for my shirts. The cardboard guy I made isn't going to cut it for all my photos. He just can't stand on his own anymore. She wasn't any better when she doesn't want to cooperate.
We wore the same shoes today. Grey chucks. So if I wore that shirt like I always do, we would be twins. She doesn't like that though so she called me ahead of time to make sure I wasn't wearing that shirt.
Here's Will playing with no shoes. I don't know why.
Here's Ray. He will be leaving for Humboldt this Friday. Good luck out there. He and Kenny, his partner beat Tida and I. We were winning, but I guess we stop caring and lost. Our interest only last for 3 points so next time, we play to 3 instead of 6.
Sandy let me eat her funnel cake because it was soggy. I didn't mind. It's like pancakes with too much syrup. When I'm hungry, I'm hungry. Hey, I'm a starving artist.

Grandmas Like Wrestling

2009-08-11T00:53:00.000-07:00

I stopped with the experimenting on this piece. I went straight to what I know with what I learned when I went exploring in other styles. I hope you like it. I went out on a limb again and try to "open up" on this piece. I know most people can't speak their native tongue. Especially when there is no one to talk to with. So I guess you kind of lose it. When that happens, I guess you lose communication with a few people. Mostly the older ones who don't speak English. I hope this makes people know they are not alone and find some comfort.
Here's the video of me explaining everything.

Make Me Proud

2009-08-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

I been blogging about my mom lately. I can't help it. She's doing her thing. Very inspiring. It makes me get off my butt everyday. Now she is selling her noodles at two local supermarkets. Crazy. I just helped make the labels. She said now I'm going to hire you part time to go sell for me. haha. It's like me hiring my cousin to sell shirts for me. What a coincidence. I wanted to hire my mom though. It's one of my goals. That, and help out the rest of the family too. Make them proud of me. But she, and the rest of the family might beat me to it too. haha. Makes me proud. =]

Got to Love It

2009-08-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

My little cousin painted me this. So thoughtful. I'm going to hang it on my wall. It took me a while to figure out what it says. It's like trying to figure out what graffiti says, except it isn't graffiti. It's what little kids do though. I can't speak "little kid" that well, but here is what I figured. "Good Luck, Be Safe, Have Fun" I don't know what it says on the left though. Either way, it's going on my wall. Yes.

Next Best Thing in the Airport

2009-08-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

I went to the airport today and came back with the next best thing to the actual person you're picking up, a handful of brochures. They all seem to catch my eye.

Why wouldn't this catch my eye?
Skydiving anyone? I guess this is what you want to do after you get off a plane. You want to get back on one and jump off.
I remember Sea World. My dad videotaped the trip with his really big old video camera. I guess I turned out like him because I videotape everything too. No real reason. Just in case something happens.
I didn't know they had brochures for this.
I remember going there and riding the teacups until I got dizzy. That's how I found out I'm not a rollercoaster person. I get dizzy too easily.

My Camera and I

2009-08-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

My mom is on her "grind" again. This time it was dropping noodles off at the temple.
While I wait for her, I took some lovely pictures to pass the time. I didn't know that these stencils existed. I almost thought some guy did it for some art piece. Something like Banksy. That's what art classes do to you. It makes you think everything in the world is art, which it is.
I still don't see the purpose of these wood chips. I remember they had these in playgrounds. I always saw it kind of dangerous. Imagine jumping off the swing and landing on this. Of course, you don't make the landing.
Can you see it? They only painted the front of the cement brick. I almost missed it at first until I got curious on why the cement block was white. I took three pictures of this trying to get a good shot. However, it's hard to make cement blocks look pretty.
I forgot where you get these things. Matter of fact, I don't remember the last time I ate a Lemonhead, or an Applehead while I'm at it. It's been too long.

Insomnia?

2009-08-09T23:03:00.000-07:00

I had candy for my late night snack. No wonder I couldn't go to sleep.

I Got it from my Mama?

2009-08-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

Here is where my mom lived when she first came to the United States. To come from these apartments to where we live now is quite a "come up". Not a really big "come up", but one indeed.
The reason we were here, my mom had to drop off her noodles to a customer. He is a hustler. Yes she is. It's been a while since she was selling noodles, but now you can see the fruits of her labor. And the rest of the family's too. She wakes up everyone just to help out. She is a very hard worker indeed. Even though she is like most parents telling me to become a doctor, her actions give me hope that this art thing might work out.
It's really weird though. My mom use to work at this silk screening place. She made the designs. My dad did the printing. Then my mom became a seamstress. She sews things. Without knowing it, I somehow fallen in the same path they did. I design, silk screen, and sew. Now I'm just trying to step it up from where they left off. Wish me luck.

Birthdays. Again.

2009-08-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

Another little cousin's birthday. Like always, there was my favorite, juice. Even if it was my favorite, I liked water more today.
Food alert. Here's my usual food pictures. Spring rolls!
Alright let me break this one down. Far left, egg roll. I overheard the ladies saying something about frying it when it is still frozen and the "shell" breaks. It could be the other way around though. I was focused on my food. Next to the egg roll is some coconut desert. Then angel chicken. I think that is what it is called. You take the bones out and stuff it with meat. So it is some kind of hybrid chicken pig cow thing. Next is some pork thing. Lastly, is some shrimp thing. I obviously don't know the names. I just know how it taste.
Watermelon!
Here is la pinata. Little kids are so much more stronger than they seem. It might be the stick they were holding, but they sure pack quite a swing. Some had little kid swings though. They're little kids so you can't complain.
Here is Uncle Gary. His plan was to blow a huge balloon and pop it when the kids grab the candy. Why? Because it's what uncles do.
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake hits the spot.

Homesick?

2009-08-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

I know it's always that time in the summer where those high school graduates become college freshmen. I remember when that happened. It was a complete change in everything. I mean everything. Some didn't leave home, but I was one of those kids that did. So I guess change was inevitable. The first couple days are hard. I got homesick. Yes. Homesick for the ghetto. haha. Sounds crazy, but until you get back, you won't know how good home feels. So for those guys leaving, I thought I grab a few pictures for you so you at least get a little piece of home.

Remember Taco Tuesdays?
You will miss how much cheaper gas is even though it is still expensive. haha
You will miss the Stater Bros.? There is no close one to my school.
You will miss how people think any set of rims make their car look "good".
Even the guy pushing the shopping cart gives you some odd comfort.
Or how the side of the freeways look like this.
Or how graffiti is the norm.
Or how orange groves are on the side of the road. I'm sure you guys wanted to stop and pick oranges too.

Well good luck out there. For those of you staying home as well. College is kind of tough, but it's managable. It's probably not as bad as you think though. Don't worry about your major. It's okay if you don't know what to do with your life at 18. Don't forget to buy a parking permit, or say hi to a parking ticket. Don't stress about papers. There will be plenty more where those came from. 1am is an early bedtime. You will get sick of cafeteria food. Buy some bottled water and soap too. That's it. Enjoy college. After that, it's just work, work, work.

I Wish I Took Autoshop

2009-08-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

Just when you think nothing can go wrong, my car mirror somehow comes loose. I looked at it closely and common sense tells me a screw is loose. However, common sense doesn't tell me that the screw would be so hard to screw. So I'll leave it for another day. Most likely the day I have to drive somewhere.

My Grandma

2009-08-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

It's a painting of my grandma. My white ran out so I had to work from the little white paint I had. All that color was mixed in the same cup. I started off with white and yellow and kept adding colors. Then I realized I needed to go back to yellow and white because I missed a spot. Lesson learned. Don't miss spots. If you do, fill it in with whatever color is in the cup. Yes. No one will notice. Expect a video of this out either tomorrow or Monday.

Welcome to the Real World

2009-08-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Bloo Boi did it! He graduated. Now welcome to the real world. You are going to have to worry about things you may not have before, like buying toothpaste. I'm sure if his dance career is anything like my art career, gas prices always empty your pocket and warm bottled water is your best friend. There is also the occasional "What am I doing with my life?" kind of days. Keep going. Keep faith. Lots of it. It somehow works for me. Here's some photos for memories.

Thanks.

2009-08-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

I do apologize for the lack of post. Don't worry though, I come to realized that I get a few regulars on the blog. As a treat for those people, I'm going to sell my shirts cheaper for you guys. How so? Well, when I finally get my store up, I'll post a blog first. When I finally decide to push it out all the way with Facebook, Myspace, etc., I'll put the regular price up. So thank you for reading. I'm glad you somehow find my life interesting.

Sexy Nerd

2009-08-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here is Mr. Turtle in all his glory. High school yearbook pose and everything. Doesn't he look spiffy? It is suppose to represent all those that aren' t highlighted in what you see everyday. You don't see any hero nerds do you? Well here is a sexy nerd. Yes.

New Found Inspiration

2009-08-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I found this old books in my house. These were my influences during those young, crucial years of my life. I loved reading this book. It was always so easy, so I chose to read it during silent reading times. However, it was too easy and I always finished ahead of time. So I end up on the pages you flip back and forth to make some type of animation.

This book always had some wierd funny stories in it. To start off, the school was built sideways. Instead of having one story with thirty something classrooms, it was thirty something stories high with a classroom on each floor. It's that kind of wierd funny.
I saw the pen work in this book and gasp. It looked just like my work. Except that the lines were more "clean". Mine is more quick and rough. Something graffiti like, where time is crucial so you rush to get it done.
I found this book and remembered these were the authors for stinky cheese man. I had to find that book in my house, but I couldn't. That was one of my favorites.
I had a lot of books, but I ended up throwing most of them away. Before I did that a long time ago, I kept these on a shelf because I couldn't let them go. Now a couple years later, I found some new inspiration. Yes sir. And from books too.

Photoshoot

2009-08-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to finalize things. I'm not even close and school is about to start. No worries though. I'll just continue it, just slower. Since I don't have any models, I made my own out of cardboard. He couldn't stand after a while so I had to retire the fellow. Before he finally collapsed on me, I got a few shots in. I will just wait until school starts to get some real models.

I like discounted items

2009-08-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

As I was walking through the aisle of Ross, I found this frog. There are some funny things in that place. If you can't find a place in your store, it fits in there.
To prove my point.
Something not even related, but I like the flower pattern. Reminds me of the print on all the spoons in my house. haha
****:Look at this cup with no handles.

Me: It's called a bowl.

House Hunting

2009-08-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I went, but I went with my mom to my aunt's house. I figure it would be a long drive so I brought my guitar. I still can't play a song yet. I only know four chords and I just play some type of variation of those. It still sounds bad, but it's progress.
I like to drink water. It's pure, refreshing, and invigorating. haha
I went with my aunt to go look at houses. This one has a four car garage. It's practically another house. I remember my uncle said something about wanting a three car garage and when he said this, he was speechless. haha
I like these cracks in the ground. It may sound silly, but they were the closest thing to home for me.

A Trip to the Aquarium

2009-07-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

Instead of posting a bunch of photos, I decided to do something a little different. I made a video blog of the day. Pictures can only say so much. Well hope you enjoy.

On Our Way to the Fishies

2009-07-28T00:20:00.000-07:00

I wanted to see the big fishies in the big tank so Tida and I took a trip over to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Since I have a lot of pictures, I decided to break it down into a couple of post. The first is going to be the trip over there. Well starting off, we stopped by at the donut shop for something to fill us up. I use to go there with my brother and my dad around 6AM when we had to go out for something. Like those days, I got a ham and cheese plus I could barely stay awake. I haven't woke up at 7 in a long time.
Anyways, Tida got a maple. I don't know what else to call it. This is her usual order.
To help wash it all down, water and juice. You can mind the soda can. It's been there for a while.
Tida had my camera while I drove and there seems to be a trend with her pictures.
Getting it yet?
If you haven't figured it out yet, she even took a picture of the word. Food.
After the hour or so driving, we made it. My bottom was sore because I haven't drove that long in a while. I should have stretched or something. haha

photos courtesy of Tida

Typical Night

2009-07-27T23:55:00.000-07:00

As always, here is the late night snack pictures. These were leftovers from my little cousin's birthday party. A rib and a shimp.
I actually had some pho too. Doesn't this picture look like it's something out of a menu from the local pho place? I'm trying to eat a little healthy so taking baby steps, I put some green stuff in it.

The Kids

2009-07-26T02:02:00.000-07:00

I think my mom ran over something. I think it was that black thing stuck on that car. It was stuck on it's front end for a while. My mom couldn't stop laughing. It was that funny.
I think this is the same car from Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. Ever since I saw the ugly thing I wanted it. I think it's the yellow.
Now to the point of the driving. It was my little cousin's birthday. It's always one of their birthdays. The first thing I did when I got there was eat. Watermelons, my favorite.
Juice, my second favorite.
It was too hot for anyone to go outside. I opened the glass door anyways and to my surprise, it smelled like dirt. It really did.
I remember I had this same Goku toy when I was little. I don't know how these kids were able to get it, but it sure brings back memories. Heck, I still watch Dragonball Z because I have nothing better to do during the summer.
Here is their closet. Why did you take a picture of their closet Tiger? Well this closet is an average closet except the people aren't average. The kids are like 2ft tall. How will they be able to reach their clothes? haha
I overheard the bread was good and had to try for myself.
You know it's fresh when you can poke a hole in it. It was just bread, but the most delicious piece of bread I ever tasted.
It was so good that I had to go back for seconds. The older crowd was laughing because I went back just for bread. It was worth it though.
This is Bambi.
These are her legs. She looks like a sheep.
This is the plastic cover on the table. I found it wierd that a cover had that kind of texture. I was the only person who seemed to noticed.
Well it was a trip to the PS3 where I played Little Big Planet. I'm the polkadot one on the bottom left corner. It was only run and jump, but there were so many more things that make running and jumping seem like the hardest thing ever.
It happens every time a pinata breaks. The kids go crazy.
I wish I had a collection like this. I only have one guitar and I forgot her name. I think it started with a p.
This is a white chocolate chip, banana, strawberry, red velet, ice cream cake from Coldstones. The four-year-old birthday girl picked it out herself. It was a little hard for me to believe too.

Comfort Food

2009-07-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

I really want a shirt like this. It's ironic because I never did when I was little. This is too small to fit me now. It still gives me an idea though. I like nostalgic things. It brings comfort so if I make something that came out of this, it might be comfort to someone else. Hopefully.
Speaking about comfort, here is discomfort. This place has too many spiders. I figure I just live with them.

Life's Little Lessons

2009-07-26T01:53:00.000-07:00

My mom's car died. It has been sitting around too long. This meant it was time to charge the car battery. Now I only charged my car battery a few times and forgot which clamps go to which. As you can see, the metal things aren't red and black.
So I just took a guess on where these would go. I didn't turn off the charger. I didn't think I would have to and BOOM. Sparks came off. Now I know for sure that something went wrong. I looked it up and Youtube but,
my mom figured it out by the time I was done. She used the same logic as me and clamped it on. haha. It just somehow worked for her.

That was Fast

2009-07-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

My shipping envelopes finally came. They are special because they have bubble wrap inside. I was talking to this person named Steppie about shipping. She ships her stuff out and I was wondering how to do so. These are the same ones she uses. Here is her store. It's has some pretty neat stuff. Well back to the point. You know what these envelopes mean? It means I'm a step closer to finishing up my online store. I would say a week or two.