• Days with 30D: 497 (25 July, 20007 to 2 December, 2008)
• Months with 30D: 16 months, 8 days
• Photos taken: 10,016
• First photo taken: IMG_1293 (thanks to not formatting the card at the beginning)
• Latest photo taken: IMG_1168
• Average photos taken per day: 20
• Average photos taken per month: 834

“Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself “as often as possible” while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages.”

http://yaledailynews.com/articles/view/24513

However,

“According to a statement released by the University today, Aliza Shvarts ’08 was never impregnated. She never miscarried. The sweeping outrage on blogs across the country was apparently for naught.”

http://yaledailynews.com/articles/view/24528

All I can say is “interesting”.

Really, I feel like I am trying to do two things at once: conceptual art and film. And I feel like I have to decide between the two.

I thought this was hilarious, sad, and amazing all at the same time.
Originally from Montage: Unmonumental Online at http://rhizome.org/art/exhibition/montage/.

Pierrot le Fou (9/10)
Thumbsucker (7/10)
Rocket Science (7/10)
Margot at the Wedding (8/10)
F for Fake (9.5/10)
Punch-drunk Love (8/10)
Pretty in Pink (6/10)
Broken Flowers (7.6/10)
Sydney (Hard Eight) (8/10)
There Will Be Blood (10/10)

Elsewhere in life I have been slacking. I have many ideas for projects, but none of them have come anywhere near seeing the light of day. If I can get through this school year then I may feel like working on them this summer. I would like to at least begin a book or script and start work on some sort of long-term photo project before the end of the year (school or calendar).

I have been slowly progressing my study abroad application. I am pseudo-accepted by my home university, and my host uni application has been filled out and should be in the mail. I have been attending all of the required meetings here and if all goes well I should be abroad this fall and next spring. This is my second attempt at going abroad, as the first one was foiled by my change of major approximately a year ago.

a work in progress

Top 10 Albums of 2006 (That I Didn’t Hear Until 2007)

10) Dashboard Confessional - Dusk and Summer
09) Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
08) Castledoor - Follow the Dove (EP)
07) Sean Lennon - Friendly Fire
06) Cold War Kids - Robbers & Cowards
05) Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
04) mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister
03) Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
02) John Mayer - Continuum
01) Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s - The Dust of Retreat

Top 10 Albums of 2007

10) Copeland - Dressed Up & In Line
09) Kanye West - Graduation
08) The Rocket Summer - Do You Feel
07) Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours to Keep
06) Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
05) Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
04) Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
03) White Stripes - Icky Thump
02) Radiohead - In Rainbows
01) Feist - The Reminder

Top 10 Movies of 2007
10) Beowulf
09) I am Legend
08) Ocean’s 13
07) Grindhouse
06) The Bourne Ultimatum
05) Reign Over Me
04) The Darjeeling Limited
03) American Gangster
02) Paris je t’aime
01) No Country For Old Men

Yesterday (November 2), all of the first year art students went on a field trip to SOFA - an international exposition of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art. While we didn’t see any sofa’s, there was a lot of cool stuff on display, mostly very expensive ($10,000+).

The piece you see hanging from the ceiling was toward the end of the expo, along with a few other pieces standing by themselves. Being young artists with a different perspective on life and nearly seven hours to kill in one expo, we decided to create our own art then and there. In the spirit of Erwin Wurm’s one minute sculptures, one member of our group laid down in the spotlight as you see here. We put a hand-made price tag by his body that read

"The Sleeping Man
by Paul Habeeb
$50,000
PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH"

Some people actually walked up to him and looked at him, as from far away, the price tag created the illusion that he was truly a piece of art for sale. We decided that next year we are going to go back and make more insta-art.

1848 Total Calls: 48 hours, 42 minutes, 44 seconds
604 Received Calls: 19 hours, 20 minutes, 16 seconds
1243 Dialed Calls: 29 hours, 21 minutes, 36 seconds

Don’t ask me why it doesn’t add up correctly.

Old stats here.

• Days with 30D: 84 (July 25, 2007 to October 16, 2007)
• Months with 30D: 2 months, 23 days
• Photos taken: 4281
• First photo taken: IMG_1293 (thanks to not formatting the card at the beginning)
• Latest photo taken: IMG_4265
• Average photos taken per day: 51
• Average photos taken per month: 1547
• Gigabytes of photos taken: 34.75 GB
• Number of times the 4 GB memory card has been filled up: 8.7

Today in Photo 2 we had the second half of critique for our latest project. My work didn’t get to be critiqued in the first round, so I went today. In general I would say I didn’t learn anything about my project - I all ready knew the problems and why they didn’t work and how to fix them - and for some reason that disappoints me. Both critiques of my work in that class have felt very open and shut, like I wrapped everything up into a ball before the class could say anything about my work. I cannot decide if that’s a good or bad thing. I just feel like people don’t usually have much to say about what I’ve done and I don’t know why they don’t have much to say. Is my work boring? Or are they just not sure what I’m trying to say? Or are they shocked at what I said? Or do they just not care? I honestly cannot figure out what it is about my photographs that evokes that response (or lack of one) from my class. Perhaps it is just the dynamic of the people in the class itself that causes it.

After class I met with my professor and asked how I could “step up the game”. All he told me was to take the three images I had made for this project and up them to twelve, and for our final project to also turn in twelve images. He also said that he doesn’t think I’ll have a problem getting into the photo major, but it isn’t guaranteed since he isn’t the only person who decides. That was good news. It made me feel less nervous about the whole process, since if I am not accepted, I do not know what I will do.

Next year I will hopefully be studying at Goldsmiths in London. I have wanted to study abroad since high school, and I love travel so it should be a good experience for me. I’m still waiting for a grade to change from DFR to the actual grade. Until then my application will be incomplete.

That’s all I can think of for now. Now I plan on going to rent Elephant from That’s Rentertainment.

This Friday I am going to see Paris je t’aime with Rebekah. I have all ready seen it, but not in the theatre. It is a great film, and should be even more magnificent on the big screen with surround sound. On Saturday I hope to go up to Chicago for the opening of Sympathy for the Devil at the MCA. When I was there last I saw that the show was opening on the 29th and really wanted to go. I’ll probably also hit up the Museum of Contemporary Photography. One of my professors has a piece in a show there right now, so that will be cool to see.

Other than those things, I don’t have much to talk about. I feel that my photography is constantly improving, thus making the thousands of dollars spent on this education worth the cost. Back to work.

I also moved my blog to a new folder and will now be posting my photography on the main website.

What my next photo-related purchase will be is completely up in the air. I’d like to buy a medium format camera, but the ones I want are expensive. A good 35mm film camera would be nice, but since I already have access to one it would seem like a waste of money. Or more lenses? The options are endless.

I am still not sure what type of photography I would like to go into. Photojournalism sounds nice, but I would want to start out working for the New York Times, or some other prestigious outfit, and not with the local newspaper. I would enjoy fine art photography, but I am not sure how well that would support me financially. I might be able to incorporate elements of fine art photography if I shot for ad agencies, but I despise ads and am not sure if I could bring myself to make them.

Really, above anything, I would like to be able to travel and take photographs that convey a truth, lesson, or story about the world that I have chosen. Photojournalism cannot offer this, because to be a good photojournalist you must be unbiased and simply show what is happening. I could do this for a while and just to bring in money, but I would not be completely satisfied with my work. Fine art photography would let me spew my opinions, but I wouldn’t be traveling much. Advertising wouldn’t give me a chance to travel, either.

Maybe I just need to invent a new type of photography?

• Days with 20D: 175 (December 12, 2006 to July 18, 2007)
• Months with 20D: 7 months, 6 days
• Photos taken: 12682
• First photo taken: IMG_8609
• Latest photo taken: IMG_1292
• Average photos taken per day: 64
• Average photos taken per month: 1761
• Gigabytes of photos taken: — GB
• Number of times the 4 GB memory card has been filled up: –

I work everyday this week to pay for the 30D. I’m also working on scanning every photograph my family has. Not very far in to that project. My dad is paying me for it though, because he wanted it done in case of a fire.

School starts in about a month. I move in sooner than that. Tomorrow I find out if my roommate has changed since the last time the university notified me.

Other than that, nothing is happening in my life.

How am I going to afford all this?

Lately I have been writing a script for a mockumentary of the making of Judah Goes To College. I don’t want to give away too many details, but in the film I will be playing a controlling director and the cast of Judah Goes to College will be playing extreme versions of themselves. I have already spoken with a few of the cast members and they are up for it, so hopefully I’ll finish the script within the week and we can start and end filming before July.

On July 4, my family is flying to Seattle for two weeks. We haven’t had a real vacation together since 2001, so the trip will be a nice break from life for all of us. We plan on staying in a house southwest of Seattle for 9 days and spending the rest traveling and visiting friends in Oregon and other places in the northwest. I think the trip will be great; much better than if we had gone to Florida or California.

Last night I got 현우’s car from Paul Kim, and as we were driving around we began to talk about Korea and flying. I have always planned to go back and either live there or visit, but since my trip in December I have not really had an overwhelming urge to return within the next couple of years. However, talking with Paul last night dug that desire out of me. I also was talking to Rebekah about her trip to China this week which only intensified my longing to go back. If my family was not going to Seattle this summer, I would probably save up my pennies and fly there in August. Two vacations in one summer would be too expensive and too extravagant for my pocketbook.

Another reason I have decided to quell my urge to return to Korea is because 송이 is attending NYU this fall, and I have definitively decided to visit her during the gap when I am on Thanksgiving break, but she is not. I have practically booked my tickets for November 16 to November 20, but since it is only June and she has not set foot on the campus yet I am going to wait a few months.

I chose to write this entry to pass the time while the film I developed earlier was drying, and I think it may be dry now, so I am going to end this entry with a quote:

How awful, the first time it felt impossible and the world around me was no longer wonderful. I can’t give back your influence, perspective is hard to undo; thank you for the experience. Here’s some anxiety to keep you company as you waste your energy, trying to build your legacy. Tell me what more can a man do then eat drink and enjoy his toil? I want to be casual, but taking it easy is too stressful. Anticipation nowadays looks a lot more like anxious. Time killed away our imaginations: we used to escape into fantasies and fairy tales. Now we medicate. How do you feel?

• Days with 20D: 175 (December 12, 2006 to June 4, 2007)
• Months with 20D: 8 days shy of 6 months
• Photos taken: 10211
• First photo taken: IMG_8609
• Latest photo taken: IMG_8820
• Average photos taken per day: 58
• Average photos taken per month: 1702
• Gigabytes of photos taken: 57.73 GB
• Number of times the 4 GB memory card has been filled up: 14.4

Don’t ask me why. I don’t know why. One would think that of all websites I am a member of, this one would be the last I would forget to post on.

Oh, well. School is almost out for the year. I had one final this morning, two more on Friday.

• Days with 20D: 109 (December 12, 2006 to March 30, 2007)
• Months with 20D: approximately 4
• Photos taken: 6489
• First photo taken: IMG_8609
• Latest photo taken: IMG_5099
• Average photos taken per day: 60
• Average photos taken per month: 1622
• Gigabytes of photos taken: 30.8 GB
• Number of times the 4 GB memory card has been filled up: 7.7

Paul,

The College office has approved your curriculum acceptance form. You will be dropping the Actuarial Science program and beginning the Art Foundation program effective fall 2007.

Cheers,
Jason

“Of the four aspects of strategic analysis and definition, it is the contingency planning or entailment organizing role that reaches the highest development in Masterminds. Entailing or contingency planning is not an informative activity, rather it is a directive one in which the planner tells others what to do and in what order to do it. As the organizing capabilities the Masterminds increase so does their inclination to take charge of whatever is going on.

It is in their abilities that Masterminds differ from the other Rationals, while in most of their attitudes they are just like the others. However there is one attitude that sets them apart from other Rationals: they tend to be much more self-confident than the rest, having, for obscure reasons, developed a very strong will. They are rather rare, comprising no more than, say, one percent of the population. Being very judicious, decisions come naturally to them; indeed, they can hardly rest until they have things settled, decided, and set. They are the people who are able to formulate coherent and comprehensive contingency plans, hence contingency organizers or “entailers.”

Masterminds will adopt ideas only if they are useful, which is to say if they work efficiently toward accomplishing the Mastermind’s well-defined goals. Natural leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command of projects or groups, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once in charge, however, Masterminds are the supreme pragmatists, seeing reality as a crucible for refining their strategies for goal-directed action. In a sense, Masterminds approach reality as they would a giant chess board, always seeking strategies that have a high payoff, and always devising contingency plans in case of error or adversity. To the Mastermind, organizational structure and operational procedures are never arbitrary, never set in concrete, but are quite malleable and can be changed, improved, streamlined. In their drive for efficient action, Masterminds are the most open-minded of all the types. No idea is too far-fetched to be entertained-if it is useful. Masterminds are natural brainstormers, always open to new concepts and, in fact, aggressively seeking them. They are also alert to the consequences of applying new ideas or positions. Theories which cannot be made to work are quickly discarded by the Masterminds. On the other hand, Masterminds can be quite ruthless in implementing effective ideas, seldom counting personal cost in terms of time and energy.”

-The Portrait of the Mastermind

More on masterminds here.

Some women may see 100 million colors, thanks to their genes

A tetrachromat is a woman who can see four distinct ranges of color, instead of the three that most of us live with … A true tetrachromat has another type of cone in between the red and green — somewhere in the orange range — and its 100 shades theoretically would allow her to see 100 million different colors.

Your first breath.
Your first day of school.
Your first crush.
Your first family reunion.
Your first car.
Your first concert.
Your first kiss.
Your first detention.
Your first vacation.
Your first heartbreak.
Your first experience out in the real world, by yourself.
Your first time hearing your favourite band.
Your first visit to another country.
The first death of someone close to you.

Disorder | Rating
Paranoid: Moderate
Schizoid: High
Schizotypal: High
Antisocial: Low
Borderline: Moderate
Histrionic: Low
Narcissistic: Moderate
Avoidant: High
Dependent: Moderate
Obsessive-Compulsive: High

URL of the test: http://www.4degreez.com/misc/personality_disorder_test.mv
URL for more info: http://www.4degreez.com/disorder/index.html

1016 Total Calls: 31 hours, 15 minutes, 36 seconds
316 Received Calls: 12 hours, 40 minutes, 6 seconds
699 Dialed Calls: 18 hours, 34 minutes, 38 seconds

Don’t ask me why it doesn’t add up correctly.

• The Dust of Retreat by Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s
• O by Damien Rice
• Dog Problems by The Format
• The Question by Emery

I need to listen to it more before I say anything definitive, but so far my favourite songs are Nocturne and 혼.

• Fevers and Mirrors by Bright Eyes
• On the Strength of All Convinced by Daphne Loves Derby
• Stay What You Are by Saves the Day
• Elevator by Hot Hot Heat

• Anything by Brand New
• Soviet Kitsch Regina Spektor
• The Black Parade My Chemical Romance
• Any album by Copeland
• I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child by Manchester Orchestra

EDIT: Looks like they both got a boost in their ratings.

I still haven’t returned the camera Scott let me borrow to him. I need to do that soon - it’s been over a month since I got it from him. I just can’t let go of it. Maybe he’ll give it to me. I wish. Oh well. I’ll buy a 5D sometime.

This year I have decided to do something different with the lists and include a new category: top albums of the previous year. I chose to do this because a lot of albums came out last year that I didn’t discover until this year - enough for me to make a top ten list out of it.

Also, I didn’t see many movies in theatres this year, so the movie list is a tad short. I’m ashamed that I have to include some of the movies I saw in the list, but most of the movies I watched this year were older, so despite the fact that I saw a lot of films, most of them don’t qualify for the list. Otherwise, everything is as normal.

Top 10 Albums of 2005 (That I Didn’t Hear Until 2006)

10) Epik High - Swan Songs
09) Coldplay - X&Y
08) David Crowder Band - A Collision or (3+4=7)
07) Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman
06) The Rocket Summer - Hello, Good Friend
05) Kanye West - Late Registration
04) Terminal - How the Lonely Keep
03) Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
02) Daphne Loves Derby - On the Strength of All Convinced
01) Bright Eyes - I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning

Top 10 Albums of 2006

10) Men Women & Children - Men Women & Children
09) The Hush Sound - Like Vines
08) Kevin Devine - Put Your Ghost To Rest
07) Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope
06) Saves the Day - Sound the Alarm
05) Manchester Orchestra - I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child
04) Underoath - Define the Great Line
03) Copeland - Eat, Sleep, Repeat
02) The Format - Dog Problems
01) Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me

Top 8 Movies of 2006

08) When A Stranger Calls
07) Underworld: Evolution
06) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
05) Mission: Impossible III
04) X-Men: The Last Stand
03) The Departed
02) Casino Royale
01) V for Vendetta

We did a lot of things after my last post - too much to talk about now that I am back in the USA. I really enjoyed Korea and I wish I was still there. I hope to go back soon, maybe this upcoming summer or fall for studying. I’m not sure when, but I will definitely set foot in the country again.

Our next stop was a McDonald’s in Myeongdong. We were on our way to Namsan Tower and just happened to stop there. I don’t know why we ate in McDonald’s, but we did. Of course, we saw Americans there. I would have been surprised if we didn’t.

After our meal we headed up Namsan Tower. Well, we didn’t actually go up the tower (it was free, though), but we did go all the way up the mountain which provided us with a great view of Seoul and all of its smog. We took the cable car down the mountain after walking part of the way up and taking the bus the rest of the way up.

We took a cab back to Myeongdong after seeing Namsan and proceeded to shop until 6. I bought a coat at TBJ which I really like. I’m trying to see if I can find a website that sells TBJ and will ship to America because I really like a lot of their clothes. Myeongdong had a lot of cool stores, and I wish we had gone in more of them but for some reason we didn’t. Tomorrow we are going shopping again so hopefully I will be able to buy myself some more clothes then.

At 6 we took the subway to COEX Mall (which is the only real, western-style mall in Korea) and met a friend from school there. We ate dinner at some Chinese restaurant. The dish I had was pretty hot, but not the worst I’ve ever had. After eating we looked around the mall at various stores at which I bought a few things for myself and others.

We left the mall after who knows how long and got on the subway. We parted ways with our friend when we got off at Gangnam Station. We found the nearest jjimjilbang and stayed the night there.

The next morning we got up and took a cab to the nearest subway station and then took the subway to Insadong where we shopped. They have a lot of cool traditional Korean things there and cool souvenir-type items. After shopping for a while we walked down the street to the Cheongyecheon stream and checked it out.

Seeing as our first visit to Gyeongbok Palace was a bust, we decided to go back and see it for real. It was a huge place and I’m sure we only saw a very small part of it, but what we saw was really cool. It definitely made me feel like I was in Asia, as the buildings were in stereotypical Asian style.

Once we finished at Gyeongbokgung we took the bus back to Daejeon and rested for a while. We met up with some of Daniel’s friend for dinner, two of whom I knew from church and the other two I had never met. We had some extremely hot food, the hottest I’ve had here so far. It wasn’t bad at all, just very hot. We went to a noraebang (karaoke) after we ate, and it was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. Apparently we are getting one in Champaign during second semester, so I will definitely be taking some American friends to it.

Today I did absolutely nothing, which is sad because at around $83 a day (only taking into account the ticket), Korea is too expensive to sit and do nothing. As I said earlier, we are going shopping again tomorrow, so I hope to buy some more cool clothes.

There are a ton of new photographs on flickr, but I’m sure that anyone reading this has already seen them because I uploaded them over a day ago. Look for new photos tomorrow.

In my boredom today I fiddled with the blog’s design a bit, so if something seems different you didn’t go crazy - I probably changed it. I hope it is easier to read and navigate now.

Yesterday I went to church with Daniel and his family. It was the same as American church except it was in Korean. Nothing unexpected happened and I felt very comfortable there. The church was actually on the 7th floor of some building, and at the end of the service they opened a curtain and you could see out over the city. Definitely not something that happens at my church.

After church Daniel, two of his friends, and I went out to eat at some Japanese restaurant. I had some sort of fried pork which was good. With some very small exceptions, all the food I have had here has been excellent. I think I’ve already said that, but who cares. After eating, we went to a PC bang (PC room). The concept of a PC bang is very simple: you pay very little money to use a computer for however long you’d like. The rates start at 1,000 won/hour (around a dollar an hour). There are a ton of computers crammed into the room and all have tons of video games installed on them so you can play. Most games required accounts, however, and since I don’t have accounts for any of the Korean versions of the games, I couldn’t play. That was okay, though, because I had the rest of the internet to browse. The computer itself keeps track of how long you have used it, so when you are done you take a card you were given to the front desk. They scan it and you pay them for whatever you owe. We stayed for a little over an hour, so I had to pay 1,200 won which is equivalent to $1.20. Not too bad I’d say. The room itself is dark and noisy and smells of cigarette smoke because a ton of people in Korea smoke, and many do it here.

Once we were finished with the PC bang, we came back home and did a lot of nothing. Daniel’s parents were gone, so his sister made us some really western dinner with pasta and some other stuff. Nothing else really happened that night.

Today I woke up and had breakfast with Daniel and his sister while watching Oprah. The episode was about eating healthy. I don’t know why I chose to include that. After breakfast nothing really happened until lunch. I don’t even remember what we had, but it included meat. It was some sort of kalbi, I think. As I said, I don’t really remember.

After lunch Daniel and I went to rent a movie to watch. We ended up getting a movie called “The King’s Man”. It was pretty good, but it had a lot of gay stuff in it. Not as bad as Brokeback Mountain, but certainly worse than a lot of other movies.

About ten minutes after we finished the movie, Daniel, his sister and mom, and I met his dad at a restaurant across the street. We had some very good pork kalbi there (see photographs on flickr). Since we ate I have been uploading pictures to the web and listening to Radiohead. Daniel went to meet a friend, his parents are hanging out with some of their friends here, and I think his sister is watching the movie we rented.

I don’t know what I’m going to do for the rest of the night. I’ll probably go to bed early since we have to get up somewhat early tomorrow morning as we are going to Seoul tomorrow. I’m really excited about going to Seoul. We are going to see some historical sites and do a lot of shopping. I’m more excited about the shopping than the historical sites, but both will be fun. I haven’t spent much money here yet, so I will have plenty to buy things with there. I’ll bring my laptop there, so I shall be able to update still. Woooooot.