2007, be gone!

Okay, so one last post before el New Year. I did s'more sketching yesterday. Of note, they all look horrible. The first is just off, the second has a mangled hand, and the last has massive thighs. They're all from ref, fyi. You may have seen the one of the left from the video circling the 'tubes where a chick fires a deagle and practically pistol-whips herself.



Oh, and just for the record, Julia Stiles is way hot. Oh, if only I wern't completely out of her league, was closer to her age, happened to see her on a street and had enough guts to approach her... I might just say something to her.
Happy 2007/2008 (however you want to look at it) everyone. That is all.
-Cril

Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
He ate a slice of wonder bread and went right back to bed
And history books forgot about us and the bible didn't mention us
And the bible didn't mention us, not even once

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the stars came fallin' on our heads
But they're just old light, they're just old light
Your hair was long when we first met

Regina Spektor - Samson

Swirling clouds in violet haze

Ok, so I did my 100th post and then... That was it. Kinda sad, really. I met the goal I was aiming for so then I stopped completely. Well, to be a little bit less of a lazy bum I'll post once more before the new year. That way I can say I exceeded my goal. And that sounds far more impressive.

Christmas was pretty good this year. I have to say, my haul wasn't anything truly fantastic, but the atmosphere in the house was great and I think everyone just had a good time. I got some Lego, some socks, lots of candy, a map book, a personalized cleaver, and other odds and ends. No 8800GT or iPod Touch or Gears of War or Call of Duty. Oh well. We did get the Wii though (that's what we used all our Christmas gift money for... And then some). It's been lotsa fun so far, even though I can't seem to really securely beat the computer at tennis. Mario Galaxy is pretty fun too, in the whole mind-bending, having to look at things in another type of dimension kind of way. Much like how Portal really messed up the way you had to approach puzzles and whatnot. But we've been having lots of fun with Wii Sports too, it's so simple but enjoyable at the same time. I can't say we've touched much of Wii Play, though.

Steam has a great sale on all the games right now, so I went ahead and bought Psychonauts for $10. Great game - I'm probably about half way through so far and it's been a bundle of laughs. Great concept, and excellently funny writing. It's a really unique game, I can see why so many people love it so much. It too has a mind-bending level a la Mario Galaxy/Portal. Good times. Well, often frustrating too.

Anydangway, today I discovered that someone I know is engaged. What is with returned Mormon missionaries getting married within four months of being home? Apparently nobody is really concerned or even take note at the fact that these people get married after only a few months of courting each other. Maybe it's just me. Heck, it probably is just me. Maybe I'm concerned so much with this because it's finally someone my own age that's getting hitched. I always thought of that particular guy as being a bit of an oddball. A nice guy... But a bit odd. Hmph, certainly makes me wonder why I'm not so much part of the mold as other people. Does it even matter? I can't say. But it does bring me to question myself in oh-so-many ways.

A new beginning for two people and a re-examination of another person's life. I guess that would classify as an appropriate New Years Eve-esque post.
-Cril

Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflecting Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hands

Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
How you suffered for your sanity
How you tried to set them free Instant Song Lyrics
They would not listen they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now

For they could not love you
But still your love was true
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do
But I could have told you Vincent
This world was never meant for one as
Beautiful as you

Don McLean - Vincent

Truly gorgeous lyrics.

100%, in more ways than one.

Well, that's it. I finished my last exam today, it went... Maybe a little bit worse than I expected. A few questions I didn't expect, but overall I think I did alright. I went to get my graphic design prints afterwards, though, and they weren't on the wall like the prof said they would. Oh well, I guess I took longer than I should've to get them. As long as they haven't been pitched and I can pick them up later I won't mind.

I got a bit of company work to do this week, two ads and a few website banners. Hopefully I can get that wrapped up soon. After that, I need to clean the kitchen, register for an extra-curricular art course, do some laundry, and... Play my sax. On Thursday we're probably going to go see I Am Legend, which should be pretty good. I've watched the Dark Knight trailer at least three times now. I am sooo stoked to see that one.

I'm not feeling particularly talkative (would... 'blogative' make more sense?) So I'ma close out here. Oh yeah - this would be post #100, looks like I met that goal before the year was out. Woo hoo. I'm ofta bed.
-Cril

God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born upon this day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray

O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Barenaked Ladies - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

I have something on the mind...

Can you guess what it is? It's was a ridiculously boring day otherwise - I've felt like nothing but dirt all day - Slouched in my chair at the computer - doing absolutely nothing. Ceck out Digg. Check Joystiq. Check Kotaku, check Digg. Play crappy flash game, give a quick glance to the clan website. Go back to the start. Lather, rinse, repeat. What a... Blech feeling. I suppose the fact that I've eaten nothing but waffles and ichibahn all day doesn't help. So yeah, after ~12 hours of incredibly unproductiveness, I did a bit of sketching and the following occured:



This in part was due to me breaking out the tablet yesterday and drawing a little cartoon for the company Christmas cards. I put my signature in the bottom-right, where it normally goes... I tried to keep it subtle, so that it wasn't too prominent on something for the company. Apparently it's too subtle - the boss couldn't spot it at all. Meh, whatever. I may or may not be getting a new (and used) tablet soon. Mine is losing pressure sensitivity, and can be a bit frustrating to get consistant results from. My uncle is getting a new Intous, and I might get his (older) 6x8 Intous. A Wacom, if I weren't so poor I'd have your babies.

...

Yeah, cuz that made sense.
-Cril

I want to wrap all my moments around her
I want to watch as she glitters the night
Floats her dreams in the air
People watch, children stare
At these tears of captured light

While she awaits ever patient
She awaits rarely seen
Still her moments are taken
For in the dead of the night
Gathering light
Christmas dreams

And a tear falls upon her snow-white hair
And it runs to the end where it lingers there
Then it falls through the air of a winter's sky
Till it captures a dream and it's crystalized

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Dreams

66.66%

Got the PHIL100 exam over with today. It was absolutely brutal. Long. Oh so long. I left class, and at the bottom of the campus stairs was a table setup for buying used textbooks. I ditched my book then and there - a symbolic washing of the hands. And I got $34 back for it too!

I used the tablet a few times this week, mainly for work stuff. But, as it so frequently happens, I doodle when I should be getting other things done. The real problem, though, is that I don't doodle except when I have other, tablet oriented things to do. It's rather pathetic. I should be drawing for the sake of drawing, not to procrastinate something else. But when I do doodle I enjoy it. Makes me wonder why it's so hard to do it on my own. I think I'll take a drawing course in the new year. Not for credits, but using real tools and stuff. Anyhoo, this is what I dun doodled. A doobie doo.



Anyways, gotta get some other stuff done. I can't believe Christmas is a week and a half away. How freaky is THAT?
-Cril

Remember that old fireplace
That held the room in warm embrace
And as we watched for Christmas ghosts
The fire held the shadows close

But now upon that Christmas scene
The candle wax of melted dreams
And ornaments of shattered glass
Now belonging to the past

But all these things are now long gone
And not to be wished upon again

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - The Music Box

33.33%

Well, one exam down and two to go. Got MACS over with today - the exam was pretty short itself. It took me about half an hour to do it and another fifteen to look it over. I'm not to confident about it though - I used the same study method for the midterm, and that went a lot better. Ugh - and this isn't even the cumulative test for MUSC or the uber long AND cumulative test for PHIL.

I haven't figured what to take next semester. It's a bit of a problem for a few reasons... I don't actually want to take any courses, but I kind of need to so that I can stay on my Mom's extended medical plan and get dental work done. Without the extended medical I'd be paying almost as much as courses themselves. Might as well take a few more extended studies...

I've played and beaten Gears of War PC. Good game - a bit repetitive at times - but otherwise a good game. I like the shoot and scoot mechanics, and the cover system. The cover system, by the way, somehow drastically warps my mind when I play other games. All of the sudden I was trying to press space to immediately go into full cover behind objects. Really throws of my Team Fortress and BF2142 game. Bah. The question now, though, is whether or not to purchase it. I ran well enough, and I'd like to play it online, but... Will it be worth $50? Maybe I'll go for it if I find a good deal on boxing day.

And speaking of deals... I don't know why but I am oh so tempted to upgrade my computer right now. All I need is a new motherboard, processor, and video card. And maybe a case. That'd only be what, $550-$700? Yikes - it sure looks more scary when you post the totals like that. Sigh, it must be nice to be not poor. Oh well, I figure I'll upgrade in a year and a bit. Not this summer, but maybe next. I think I can justify upgrading every 3-4 years. I can wait. I hope.
-Cril


Life inside the music box ain't easy
The malots hit the gears are always turning
And everyone inside the mechanism
Is yearning to get out
And sing another melody completely
So different from the one they're always singing
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But then I feel mortality surround me
I want to sing another melody
So different from the one I always sing

Regina Spektor - Music Box

Beethoven has never been so badass...

That is, until the electric guitar, drums, lighting systems and flames. Big, 10 foot high flames. That were multicoloured.

And what am I talking about exactly? Yesterday I saw the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Vancouver. Wow, was it intense. It was about 2 and a half hours of rockin' goodness. The first half was the Christmas Eve and Other Stories album with narration, which was hella cool. The second half was a bit of everything, including some Beethoven, Mozat, and Linus and Lucy. The sound was a bit loud - I was hoping I would adjust like at the movies, but the treble was rather piercing the whole way through the performance. I could've used some earplugs or something, just to take the edge off. As for the visuals... YIZA.

Quite an incredible lighting system they had. There were different rigs that would rise and lower and rotate with various lighting attachments. There were textures on huge screens, spotlights, laser shows, and flames. At first I thought the flame emitters were just those novelty-store items, the ones with lit up orange fabric being blown around by a fan. And then flames shot ten feet high. In five or six different colours. In time with the music. Wow, was I blown away. Then they had an elevated uber flame with the sound/production crew near the back by where we were. That thing was massive. We could feel the heat. Way intense.

So yeah, hella good time. We went to Anton's for pasta before the concert, and that was pretty good too. Afterwards, though, there was not an ice cream joint to be found - Starbucks, DQ, and some milkshake place were all closed, so we just went home. We got back at ~1:30am, after which I proceeded to sleep for 12hours. Yup, I woke up at 1:15pm. Blech, what a nasty feeling, I wasted the majority of the day. I did manage to get most of my long procrastinated philosophy essay done. I should be able to finish it off tomorrow and have it ready for class on Monday.

It's snowing. I went out for a walk an hour and a bit ago, but it was really light. Now it's coming down a bit heavier. I want to go for another walk...
-Cril

An angel returned
That night through the sky
But time it was short
He had to decide

And so as he flew
Back over the land
A gift for his Lord
Was there in his hand

It was the glow of a light
It was the heart of a song
It was the tear of a child
Where they never belonged
It was the wish of a soul
On an old neon light
And the Lord smiled at him
On that cold winter night

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - An Angel Returned