Busy, but alive.

pages2type: I have two hands anyway…

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:44:26 -0400

I have two hands anyway…

Summer log (henceforth, SL) #1

Thu, 16 May 2013 01:53:00 -0400

The city is beautiful at night.
You can hear every sound emitting through the streets from up here.
Anyway, I clack away at this laptop while prepping for tomorrow’s tutorial. The Korean writing system; i.e., the Great Writing (as translated), makes so much sense to me — I find it very intuitive, especially as someone coming from a linguistics background.

Confession #1: The way my instructor says “tutorial” is the cutest thing I have ever heard.

Confession #2: The way my instructor says “difficult” is the second cutest thing I have ever heard.

Lab work is going well. I’ve been consigned to manage all things data related: scoring, double-scoring (and sometimes triple-scoring), SPSS entry, and recruit training for the above tasks. Yeah, sounds kind of boring, but this data is slowly becoming an extension of my being as a researcher; I am gradually encoding myself into every protocol. This in itself is a form of immortality: if death should take me, then at least my work remains.

The river.

Fri, 10 May 2013 02:24:00 -0400

The streets leading up to the river were dry and dusty, but that was because of the construction that was always happening on the outskirts of the boy’s small town. The town was always plagued by the noise of the construction machines performing their construction tasks, but that was because there was never a winter for the machines to take a break; it never got cold enough for snow, and so nothing stopped the machines from continuing on with their endless work of constructing the town. Despite there being no winter in the boy’s town, there were windy days — fantastically windy days that fascinated the boy.

“I wish I were a cloud,” the boy confessed to the girl as a gust of wind blew past, deafening the noise of the construction machines behind them. The girl, who was walking along the street with the boy, looked at him with bright eyes, selfless eyes, the kind of eyes that inherently asked, “Why? Please explain so I can understand.” She was nothing perfect to the boy. She was short, skinny, had long dark hair with ambitions to cut it short, and lived strictly to the laws of her timepiece; however, she made time for him, which meant she was everything perfect to the boy.

The townspeople obeyed their timepieces, and seldom did they make time for anyone else. They followed along the current of this town, all of them, ever flowing in, never changing, a current they could not see or feel — the boy simply swam against it, and the girl followed him, and the boy loved her for this.

“If I were a cloud, I would catch the next wind out of this town.” Another burst of wind spun around the boy and girl, condescendingly. They finally reached the river.

The town was close enough to an ocean for it to be called a seaside settlement but was far enough that the river cutting through the town flowed into the continent and not out to sea. The boy and girl stood by the river and watched their disfigured reflections in the slow moving water.

“Y-you look nice today,” the boy said awkwardly as he peered into the eyes of the girl’s reflection. The girl didn’t reply.

They made their way to a bridge not too far from where they were standing. The walk was as awkward as the boy’s compliment. Another gale of air pushed past them as they stopped in the middle of the bridge. It was quiet right after: no construction noise, no wind blowing, no words said. The sound of the rushing water beneath them was the only thing the boy and girl could hear as they looked to the horizon where the river entered from.

The boy broke the near-silence.

“Listen, you’ve followed me, even though I ran against time itself,” said the boy as he faced the girl. He continued, “I’ve grown… fond of you.” The last three words trailed with what could easily be taken for as courage, but it was regret — he knew it was regret. The girl didn’t break her stare towards the horizon; the boy looked down to his feet.

“I’m sorry,” said the girl, “but I can’t.”

“Oh.” He gulped, and something dropped into the pit of his stomach.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” The boy hated apologies more than anything in the world — he hated hearing them and he hated saying them. He didn’t hate the girl; he just hated how vulnerable he felt. He hated every word he said, but what he hated the most was how awful the girl must have felt when he said those words: “I’ve grown… fond of you.” Yes, it was definitely regret.

A sharp, cold gale swept over the bridge. The girl continued to look out to the horizon, her hair blowing in the wind, while the boy looked up towards the sky and saw an unbelievable sight: a snowflake.

The boy whispered to himself, “I wish I were a cloud,” and this was the last piece of his vulnerability he gave up before the two followed the river’s current back to town, back to the cacophony of construction machines, and back to their timepieces, respectively.

It’s been a while. It’s been busy. It’s been fairly enjoyable, though. The summer is starting to...

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:02:06 -0400

It’s been a while.
It’s been busy.
It’s been fairly enjoyable, though.

The summer is starting to pick up speed; I wonder where it will take me.

The lab has been good, despite all the table-flipping that’s been going on… I only blame myself for not writing that manifesto of troubleshoots and protocol procedures for the new generation of RAs.

Summer school is right around the corner. I wish I had another week to relax, but such is the way of things.

I’m losing my ability to stay up at night. I feel like Peter when he started losing his spidey-powers, or like Kiki when she started losing her ability to fly. I’m afraid this is what it means to grow up. Work starts early and ends late, and sleep is the arduous burden of life, unfortunately. Well, at least I’m getting money, and I’m drawing more, and writing more. I hope I don’t lose myself like I’ve done with everything else in my life.

superfist: Truth.

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:30:54 -0400

superfist:

Truth.

rachelelm: i love outer space. i love the space program. i love...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:48:20 -0400

rachelelm:

i love outer space. i love the space program. i love science and scientists and pilots and airplanes and astronauts and human ingenuity and drive and exploration and wonder and i dont give a good goddamn if thats cheesy

deviantart: Who says superheroes from DC & Marvel can’t be...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:11:03 -0400

deviantart:

Who says superheroes from DC & Marvel can’t be friends?

*rawlsy pairs superheroes in an ongoing series called “Little Friends”.

Which is pairing is your favorite?

via Design Taxi

I love… them all.

Iced coffee. Black.

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:54:00 -0400

Joven was the one who introduced it to me.
The key to it, though, is to not add any sweeteners or milk.
It’s best to keep it simple, cool, whatever.
Don’t worry. The ice somewhat makes up for the bitterness.

Oh, iced coffee. You veil yourself and parade around looking like a glass of cola. And with every condensed droplet of water adhered to the outside of your glass, you become more and more irresistible. I can hear the ice cubes gnash and clink as I drink you in. And as I sip from the dark well of your cup, I can taste ultimatums form on the tip of my tongue:

Give me the veins in which I shall work my magic, or die.

Bitter, bitter cold, but I’ve never felt so alive.

Dante Basco: On the Amtrak, heading towards Boston, listening to #KendrickLamar, on...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:04:53 -0400

Dante Basco: On the Amtrak, heading towards Boston, listening to #KendrickLamar, on...:

rufiozuko:

On the Amtrak, heading towards Boston, listening to #KendrickLamar, on the East Coast listening to some West Coast tunes. Being from the West, trains are so foreign to me. There’s something romantic about trains though… Seeing towns and trees pass by the window… The landscape’s so different, the…

It’s been raining for three days, and cold for weeks, but that’s the weather for you....

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:33:12 -0400

It’s been raining for three days, and cold for weeks, but that’s the weather for you. I’m excited to finish this thesis paper. I’m also excited to start my job as a paid research assistant at Geva Lab *cue Drake’s Started from the Bottom*. Lastly, I’m looking forward to studying Korean over the summer (as I’ve alluded to for many months now). I just need to be careful not to put too much on my plate — I have an awful tendency to do that.

An invincible summer approaches.

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:28:04 -0400

I can feel it in my veins.

Suffering another long night. The literature of Filipino English is so very unfamiliar to me. This...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 01:17:23 -0400

Suffering another long night. The literature of Filipino English is so very unfamiliar to me. This is probably why it’s taking me more time to write this paper than previously expected (that, or I procrastinate more when I’m in uncharted territory). I can’t wait to be finished this paper so I can get back to my thesis work.

By the way, today was part one of the NCSC turnover. We ratified all of the new council members into their positions (after a three hour constitutional review -_-“). It feels great to be able to close yet another chapter of my life. What exciting new experiences will follow from this? I don’t know, but that’s the best part: not knowing!

Anyway, back to wrestling with Excel.

THE 104TH TRAINEE SQUAD Biggest crush on Mikasa.

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 22:14:55 -0400

THE 104TH TRAINEE SQUAD

Biggest crush on Mikasa.

Everyone has gone off to the New College formal and I’m stuck at home coding data, running...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 22:17:00 -0400

Everyone has gone off to the New College formal and I’m stuck at home coding data, running stats models, and clacking away at two laptops. I want to finish my undergrad already, geez.

SENTENTIAL AMBIGUITIES AND MULTI-NEGATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS!I just can’t get enough of them. I...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 01:43:30 -0400

SENTENTIAL AMBIGUITIES AND MULTI-NEGATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS!
I just can’t get enough of them. I just can’t!

…speak to me in maths, Love.

16 hours to complete this paper… Last year of my undergrad and I’ve yet to learn my...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:44:00 -0400

16 hours to complete this paper…

Last year of my undergrad and I’ve yet to learn my lesson. Is this what it means to be young, and wild, ~~and free~~?

16 hours… It will feel like one.

Apropos of nothing, I’ve been watching a ridiculous amount of television by myself — It’s very lonely. When I’m finished with this semester, I intend to watch many more movies and T.V. shows, but with my friends and family. Maybe watch with someone who won’t find my analytic idiosyncrasies annoying.

idrawnintendo: Spring must be around the corner because my...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 03:23:41 -0400

idrawnintendo:

Spring must be around the corner because my seasonal Earthbound nostalgia is kicking in.

razerathane: (x) by lanimalu. My heart hurts looking at this.

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:52:12 -0400

razerathane:

(x) by lanimalu.

My heart hurts looking at this.

Favourite scene.

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 23:53:07 -0400

Favourite scene.

jamesthefourth: When I first saw Mark Waid’s Insufferable go up...

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 04:21:01 -0400

jamesthefourth:

When I first saw Mark Waid’s Insufferable go up on Thrillbent, I had this moment where I felt I saw the future of the comic industry, a quick flash to the potential of comic narratives being built specifically for online distribution, without any of the limitations of print. I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I had to start playing with the future of the industry from right at the start of my career. This was before the first issue of Talon came out. I had three comic credits to my name… And still, I managed to get my pitch in front of Mark Waid. A pitch to do something really horrifying.

The story was called “The Eighth Seal” and the logline was “Rosemary’s Baby meets The West Wing.” It’s a political, psychological thriller, with extreme horror elements that will escalate over the course of the series. Thankfully, Mark loved it, and my first creator owned comic book project was born.

I wanted to use the Thrillbent format to get scares like you can never get in a printed comic… Suddenly on the page something shifts and becomes frightening in a totally unexpected way. It’s the thing where in a different kind of story, a character is sitting reading with his back turned to the window, and on the swipe, you see the killer standing right outside, and on the next swipe, he’s gone. There’s SO much opportunity for building tension in this format, and I really think this is going to be something special.

I’m working with an incredible team, and you can see their work in that delightfully terrifying piece of art above (be sure to click to embiggen)… Jeremy Rock is my partner and good friend, and the artist on this project, and I think this project is going to show the world what he’s really capable of when he’s unleashed upon the screen. We have an incredible colorist in Nolan Woodard, whose work on this is absolutely unbelieveable, and casts the tone of the series perfectly. Our letterer is the amazing Troy Peteri, who gave us that incredible logo, and brings so much character to the book… I couldn’t be happier or prouder of team TES, and we’ve been working our asses off to make this the best series it can possibly be.

There will be a lot more about it in the coming weeks (and I’m really hoping that we might have some prints for you to pick up at my table at C2E2), but here’s the core of what I have to say:

The Eighth Seal will launch on Thrillbent.com in just a few weeks, on April 23rd. I hope it terrifies and delights you.

Too excited for this.