About Me

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Sealand
Pretty much enjoin' life right about now. I have too many hobbies than there are hours in the day for. God knows I need a blog to just type out all sorts of things for hours now too. I really like drawing. Making movies is what I hope to do for a career!

5.28.2009

The McDonald's Toy-Graphic Novel


Graphic Novel

STORY

yes. read my inferior writing to sara's. D:
SARA FIX MY GRAMMAR. I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND COMMAS

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, and in a time not so long ago, there was a world conference. The 2009 world conference of course, and all the nations were there as well. They sat around a perfectly round polished wooden table, a round table was chosen so that no one nation would feel less equal to another one. Of course, that could never be the case for America.

Arriving late as usual-just so that he could watch all the heads turn around to look at him to see who it was. As if they did not already know. America strode in, heading to his seat on the direct opposite side of the room. He was his normal egotistical self, acting as though he was most certainly not the reason all of the other nations had terrible colds. He was the hero after all, and Heroes did not cause the world's economy to crash!

He grinned his hollywood smile, and sat down in his designated seat between Italy and Canada. America USED to sit between England and Switzerland, but that did not last too long after the year 2000 hit. England already could barely stand his former colony sitting next to him for extended periods of time, and it did not make him very happy to be constantly jumped over when America and Iraq would go at it every meeting. Switzerland well... He had a history of shooting anything that set foot in his territory. However, things had started to go much better since America had taken a seat between Italy and Canada four years ago. Italy had a short attention span to being with, and would usually end up bother the poor Germany sitting on his right. Canada was unbelievable patient with his super-power of a bother, and at least sitting next to America let people actually realize that America did not just clone himself. So it was all good there.

America was not being anymore irritating than what was expected. They had set the meeting to start a half an hour late to accomidate his lateness. No one told him.

He sat down and sat a little red and yellow box on the table. A very STRONG smelling red and yellow bod. It gave off a very strong smeel of something that was very greasy and very deep fried. Italy looked over curiosly while Germany seemed to be talking about something with Russia.

"Boun goirnio America! What is that?" Italy asked, watching America try to pull out of some clear plastic wrapping.

"The toy I got in my Happy Meal!" America said excitedly, shoving the toy right into Italy's face.

It was ugly. Really really ugly. Ugly enough to make Japan faint, and China to scream. Even Korea probably wouldn't even claim that he invented it first. The toy was actually from one of America's new movies "Monsters VS Aliens." Leave it to him to create something so... American.

"What does it do?" Italy said. America put it down on the finely polished wooden table. This was probably the last thing the poor table expected to be shoved down ontop of it.

America gave him a funny look, then returned to his task at hand. "You pull it back, and the it goes forward!" he answered cheerily, pulling the Cockroach-thing backwards so that the wheels began to make a chilcing sound. "You let go and..."

"It isn't doing anything America."

Italy was quite right. the little toy was not moving, and that did NOT make America very happy. Not to admit defeat so easily, her grabbed the toy again. Again the toy refused to budge.

"Stupid toy!" America said angrily after his fifth or so try. So much for being mature... "It is all because China made you, isn't it? If you were made in the USA, it would work fine!"

"Can I try?" Italy asked pleasantly. America ignored him, muttering about getting led poising from the toy next, communists and something about air polution. Italy took his whining about China as a yes. He pulled the toy back with a focused face, just as America had done.

He failed.

"SEE! ITS F'ING BROKEN! HEY CHINA!" America stood up, pointing a finger at the asian country sitting almost directly across the table from him.

Meanwhile, Italy turned to his long time friend. "Germany! Germany!" Italy siad, pulling onto the other country's sleave. "Help! Make it work!"

Germany took the toy from Italy, and simply pulled it back. He let go and it wobbled forward on its wheels past Italy on the table. He returned to his conversation with Russia.

"LOOK AT THIS PIECE OF SHI-" America was still yelling at China wehn the little Happy Meal toy continued on down the table right past him. He stopped mid one of his favorite words to slam his fist down on the table. Right on top of the little toy, like an immature kid.

FIN.
Moral: GERMAN ENGINEERING SAVES THE DAY.


So yeahhhh.
This is a freaking TRUE STORY. Or rather based on one. It was more like, me, sara and this other chick dressed as America were sitting on some carpeted floor right? And America-chick had a McDonald's toy. She couldn't get it to work, and I couldn't get it to work. But Germany-Sara totally was the only one who could. D:
But. It was too funny.

5.26.2009

Persepolis Blog Ni.

I reallyyyy don't want to do this right now.
and i have had this window up for 2 hours now, and still have to read half of persepolis.
I mean- I AM RESPONSIBLE AND YOU DID NOT HEAR THAT ERIN
i like caps lock today...


QUESTION 5
In an Associated Press review, Satrapi said, "The only thing I hop is that people will read my book and see this abstacting thing, this Axis of Evil, is made up of individuals with lives and hopes. " And in her introduction to Persepolis, she explains that she wrote this book to show that Iran is not only a country of "fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism." How does Satrapi go about challenging this myth? How does Persepolis dispel or confirm your views on Iran? In what ways does reading this book deepen your understanding and knowledge of Iran, and the current situation in Iraq?

Firstly, I would like to say that knowing a lot about foreign affairs has never been my forte. Since being a child in America, I have been fed that is right, fed, things that I should know. My main example I am going to compare all this to is what I know about WWII.
So. I know nothing about Iran. Nope. Never been given the opportunity to learn about it either. I suppose there are just too many countries to know everything about, more than a few snippits here and there about what the uneducated pubilc knows. Or, thinks they know. This graphic novel has helped me a lot to better understand what went on in Iran. I had no idea there even was a war going on like this in that country, which is just like how it was with me and WWII. I just thought it was the like, Nazis killing jews. America thought that was uncool, and beat them up. And somehow Japan got bombed around that time by us-no clue why.
NOW however. I can tell you about WWII and about the stuff that went down in Iran. Why you may ask? Because comics. COMICS yes. I have learned more history from comics than anything else. Which is sad.
Does this make me understand more about Iraq? I do believe so. I mean, everyone fhas issues over the different types of one single religon. People have been killing people over this for as long as religon has exsitsed.


QUESTION 7
I believe that without enjoying life, it is impossible to get through it. My sole purpose in life right about now is to make myeself, and those around me happy. Infact, whatever I do for a career, i want to know that somehow my work makes people smile.
HAS ANYONE ELSE NOTICED THE ISSUES THAT THIS SITE HAS WITH BOLDING AND ITALICISING?
Anyway, in Persepolis, Marji is always making up new games. New games that are based off whatever horrific story that has recently been told to her, in a way that can make the good times bad. It is like "ring around the rosey", a game about children running around graves and falling down dead with disease! Depressing! Horrific! Terrible! Yet, I did not even know this until this past year. I always thought it was a stupid game with no point anyways...
It is pretty funny to me all of Marji's silly games, because I know i would totally be the one to go around and play them with her in the middle of a war. These scenes are relevant to the story as a whole because they show more than just facts off a page. they show the daily life of people-and i am not going to start quoting my own lines from our town here.

Question 14
Skipping a few here...
I believe that without people telling stories about what has happened, there would be no history to learn from and remember. How do you think some urban legends like the tooth fairy started? Freaking parents passing it down to their kids, and to their kids and their kids. Story telling is an important part of the world today, and being able to put it down on paper is a way to preserve it forever. Now, actually painting pictures with more than words, makes it easy for a story to reach the masses.I believe that a graphic novel was a good choice to put this story in, for it makes it interesting and easy to understand. Personally, I don't know how many people would like to just read a book on the irania revolution... The expressions and pictures just make everything so much easier to relate to in words. Even if the characters are very stylized, and not as realistic as they could be,


5.22.2009

Persepolis Blog

This is not late, and I am not a procrastinator.

AND THERE ARE LIKE, 10 DAYS LEFT OF SCHOOL
and here teachers are expecting me to still work and pay attention. Man, last time last year we were just working on final projects and doing some stupid matrix stuff in math.

Ugh. These are deep questions. More than 500 word responses if I want to answer in my own "creative voice."

I also just remembered that my Great-Grandma is coming up from Illinois this week and next weekend. So I kinda sorta have to finish my graphic novel this weekend. Fun. I need to do the spring cleaning on my ghetto computer first.


QUESTION 1
The New York Times hails Persepolis as "the latest and one of the most delectable examples of a booming post modern genre: autobiography by comic book." blahblahblah
Why so popular? Why chosen to be told this way? something long...Have you read other graphic novels? How are they similar/different if you have? Would you call them a comic book? Where would you put it in a book store?

Well, one of the reasons this must be so popular is how easy things are to understand in a picture form. While else would half our knowledge on world history come from videos projected on a screen? It is easy to follow, and images can help show how specific scenes are supposed to play out, not leaving as much space for misinterpretation. I believe the author chose to share her story this way because so many more people can get a handle on it at a younger ager. When I first read Maus back in seventh grade, I got a much better understanding of the holocaust in this graphic novel than the novel Night that I read in eighth. Persepolis is not a comic book. Comic books are strips that are about super heroes. Duh. It is its own different genre. Graphic autobiography. If I ever made an autobiography for myself, you'd better expect it to be a freaking graphic novel- i would be offended if it were anything less. Not only that, I could have the drawings go from really suck-AWESOME by the end to signify my rising action, and then leave a scribble at the end if the problem was not resolved. Oh I am so creative. Graphic novels need their own section in the library. So there.


QUESTION 2
Written as a memoir, is Perseptolis more powerful than if Satrapi had fictionalized the story? Why or why not? Compare this book to other memoirs you have read. Wat are the benefits and drawbacks of memoirs?

I have not read very many memoirs to tell you the truth. I like me some hilarious fantasy books thank you very much. But, I have read enough of them to answer this.
I believe that Persepolis could be equally powerful either way. (this is going on dictionary.com's 6th definition of the word having great power, authority, or influence) If Persepolis was written in the way of something like Animal Farm I am sure it could be more powerful. Simplifing events in history down into something nearly anyone could understand can make everyone more knowledgeable, and having the power of knowledge is important. I think she does not need to fictionalize this story of hers. The way it is now-as a graphic novel, is just the way I would pick to learn about the Iranian revolution. Dude, all the History I have ever learned has come from a) videos, b) HETALIA- a webcomic or c) maus or persepolis and maybe some from an actual textbook. I don't like memorizing dates for history tests. But man, personify each of the countries into people and I TOTALLY GET IT NOW. I can tell you almost anything about WWII or the places/flags of all the cool countries. HA. I FAIL NOW.

QUESTION 5 are you even still reading this?
Describe the writer's voice. Is it appealing? Which aspects of Marji's character do you identify with or like the most, the least? Did your reaction to the little girl affect your reading exprience?

Personally, I like the author. She is pretty freaking hardcore. haha, it is late. She is very clear in getting her point across, and I like that. People dance around what their real aim in a conversation too much. The way Marji tells it, makes me understand what is going on without a lot of extra stuff to confuse me into not getting the picture. Like, how a story can be told quicker with panels then writing. Not that panels can be misinterpreted. I totally messed up on the last quiz because of it. BUT THAT WAS HARD. Sure, i could draw each of the characters from memory and remember the exact shape of their nose, but the words escape me.
back on topic now mkay.
I don't think my reaction much took away from the writing in and of itself. Sure I like the main character, but it is not in such a way that I would be swayed into only seeing her opinion. My middle school social study's teacher beat that out of me for three years. I must keep an open mine. WHEN EVERYONE KNOWS COLUMBUS WAS A LYING MURDER AND KILLED AMERICA.


5.17.2009

Final Feed

Well.
Sad thing is that my final project is like, way lamer than the rest of what I made.
My computer is being a freaking piece of crap, so I couldn't even make something pretty and shiny for you.
THANK YOU TECHNOLOGY
It is great when it works. Sucks when it doesn't.
I'll upload a copy of my fantastic paper and post it here later.

Even better.
I totally forgot the sheet of paper on what I am supposed to make this post on in my locker at school.
So I may or may not be looking closely at Sara's fantastic blog while doing this.

Basically I have like, no magazines that I own. So a collage was not about to happen. I mean my mom has a few chocolate magazines- and my dad a couple of woodworking ones... But that isn't quite what I picture MY feed to look as.
What really sucks is that I already made my OWN feed vision in the visual essay. Go me. I just totally know everything a head of time.


So about this pencil'd piece of paper.
You've got me, holding an american flag. And It also shows my lazy-ness bey not drawing in all 51 stars. ohoho, genius.
There is pretty much everything that I like on there, music, video games, my friends and family, a television, snowboard, soccer ball, cameras, a computer and even some Pasta sauce that got onto the corner of the paper!

The one part that takes so more explaining is probably the "Facebook is my Feed" part.
Honestly, I am sure you all can figure this one out.
But have you ever noticed the "suggestions" section in the upper right corner?
It gives you things you may like. Be it friends, events, groups, people/objects you may really like.
It is like an actual internet version of the feed.
You can even chat with people on facebook, send messages, it has a calendar and all sorts of advertisements everywhere.
How perfect.

Would I ever get a feed? Even if it meant losing my skin?
Well, yeah.
Who honestly wouldn't want it? All the conveniences the feed has... I would only get it if I had it since a child.
I would prefer to have a handheld version or what not. But you never can have exactly what you want.

5.10.2009

QUEENS

HAHAHA
Okay, so basically Sara and I are very very good at making ourselves look like idiots.
Cool idiots, but idiots all the same.

here we have a skit we improved the whole time. (except the dance obviously, Ze choreographed that, but never had any idea what we would use it for)



ITALY AND GERMANY
Hetalia is the best thing ever

5.04.2009

I totally have a life, what are you talking about?





AHHH SO SMALL. Click to make bigger and readable.

btw that is America. <3
Y'all can be sad now that I wasn't creative enough to make this idea up on my own now.
From an extra comic in the Hetalia web comic by Himaruya Hidekazu.


THIS FULLFILLS 4 DIFFERENT THINGS FOR ME
1. Shows how globally people thinking about Americans just wanting to buy more and more even now. Which relates to feed and what not.
2. IT HAS AMERICA IN IT. OTL <3
3. Hetalia is the best thing ever
4. Remind anyone of Minnesota's own wonderful spring this year?

Feed Vision

Seeing with the feed.
It can tell you what you want, and can tell you what you need to be cool.
Personally, I would think of the feed enhancing vision a little more, and bringing out certain colors you are interested in. Advertisements playing out of the side of your vision. Ones that you can't really focus on, but they are still there to annoy you.
I took this picture at the Rosedale mall just outside of borders.


This is the theme of my visual essay.
As Americans, it is well known that we use up the most of the world's resources for daily life. Especially considering our relatively small population for what it is we use up, and then do infact discard as waste.

Does anyone really need a giant pile of cash? I mean, this totally says "come on, steal from me. ENVY my good fortune"
It is nice to have money, but the way we were grown up t behave like is too strut our stuff. To show people what we have, and to most certainly show it off to others. Materialistic and consumeristic.






I am sure everyone knows just how much trash you put out a day. 4lbs per each person in the USA per day, making 28lbs a week. Times that by how many millions of people, and no wonder the world was over run with trash in Wall-E.
This picture is just a wonderful stack of pop cans. After of course they have been compacted into convenient little cubes.













Sadly, the world does not grow as we do.