Blog #11: Xtra Normal Movie

Larry King tries to have a civilized conversation with Sarah Paylin but unfortunately for Larry, Sarah is going through that time of the month. Things get touchy and well...you'll have to watch to find out!

                                    Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr29yieVaUk

Blog#10: Is That Your Final Answer?

I WILL NOT FEAR THE TEST!..I have the courage to say that now, but a few years ago if you would have said anything remotely close to the word I would've ran for cover. Even back in high school everything was fun until the tests time. To me high school was like one big house party and tests where the police called in to stop the fun. It wasn't the exams I had a problem with, it was the studying and the time required that bothered so much. When I did choose to study I had a very simple method. I would make up mock questions  based on the information given, answer them and memorize them until my brain fried.

Another method I used was muscle memory. I would do push ups while reciting the questions and answers to myself. Strange technique but affective. (And I was in great shape after wards). Now that I'm in college my study habits have changed a bit. A lot less drastic then push ups but still just as effective. Another useful thing Ive learned is to go beyond the area of study. If a professor gives you a chapter to read, don't just read that chapter, go further and gather more information. It's always good to know more then just enough. Professors know if you've memorized an answer or if you've taken the necessary time to evaluate your own opinion and formulate your own thoughts behind the question. Another mistake I used to make was waiting until the last minute to study and then try to overload my brain with information. What would end up happening is I would get my answers mixed up. Too much info and not enough time to properly memorize. Ive learned not only give myself enough time to memorize the information but to store it for at least 48 hours before an exam. When the time comes not only will I be ready but I'll be confident about the answers I put down because Ive rehearsed it to myself several times over the last few days. While I'm testing I make sure to relax and give myself enough time between questions. I have to constantly remind myself that it isn't a race. I pace myself and after wards I make sure to go over any areas that might be suspect. Here are some tips I use that hopefully can help you.


1. Precision is the key. Make sure to be clear and precise on all your answers.

2. If you get confused about a certain answer, try process of elimination. If that doesn't work repeat the question to yourself several times and try to relate any information you may remember to that.
  

3. At some point if your feeling overwhelmed, take a break. The last thing you need is a burnout during the final stretch.

4. Leave enough time to go over some questions or answers that your not too sure of.

5. Be sure to get sufficient rest on test day!

This link provides effective study skill techniques. *Several other links included as well.*

http://www.adprima.com/studyout.htm

Blog#8 (Freestyle) Graffiti: Art Or Vandalism?

 If I were to tell you that graffiti is on of the oldest forms of art, you'd probably say that I was crazy. Believe it or not graffiti has been around since 30,000 b.c.. Cavemen would carve drawings with bones on cave walls, wouldn't this be considered a form of graffiti? Although some conservatives consider this form of art to be vandalism, any artist would consider graffiti to be just as beautiful as any painting you might see hanging in a museum.

                                         (Ancient Pompeii graffito caricature of a politician.)


Cavemen have been replaced with street taggers, the caves with walls, and bones with fresh cans of aerosol spray paint. Any surface can serve as a canvas for street artist. Just about anywhere you go in the inner city, there's some type of graffiti to be marveled at. In the early 1980's, the train station was a popular place for taggers and graffiti artist everywhere to get there "name" up despite the obvious dangers.

Regardless of how you see or judge it, there's something to be said about the artistic creativity of it all. The biggest misconception is that taggers and graffiti artist are just destructive people looking for their next target to vandalize. This couldn't be all the more wrong.

As you can see graffiti breaks through to all races, colors, creeds, genders, religious views, etc.

 

In my opinion, graffiti is a voice painted out on a surface. Whether a spray can, magic marker or a bone for that matter, it has always been and will always remain as one of the first truest art forms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y333RhDQ8U

Bog#7: "Moment Of Silence Please"

For a long time I had a problem with my study habits. I cant say with full confidence that I've perfected the technique but Ive improved drastically. I had the worst habit of waiting until the last minute to study for a quiz or test, and then have the nerve to act shocked when I received my scores. 

It was a mixture of laziness and distractions. At the time I allowed too many things to take away my attention from the task at hand. I'd have the t.v. on while the radio played my favorite tunes. With my head jamming to music and eyes wandering back and fourth from book to television, it was no wonder why I wasn't soaking up the information. I would read chapters of books and half way through not have a clue on what the last chapters were about. My attention was being divided and worse yet the studying got the least of my attention.

I was so used to that type of  environment, when I didnt have those elements around I couldnt study. I had to change the way I did things because obviously my system wasnt working. I began going to a place where not only was quiet a pleasantry, it was mandatory, the library. As painful as it was in the beginning I started to notice that the information I was reading was coming in a whole lot clearer. It started to make alot more sense without the chatter of the television or the melody from the stereo invading my ears. I began to actually enjoy learning and began to see it as a priveledge and a blessing rather then a daunting task.

I tried out different study guides and found the system that worked best for me. After a while my grades improved and my confidence grew. I once used to panic when presented with tests, but now that I'm aware of  how and where to study, panic is a thing of the past. Not only that, but life and everything around me has become a lot more interesting since I turned down the stereo and  shut the television off... 

 Learning new ways on how to study isn't always easy. Below is a link provided that may help you. Good Luck!


http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/howtostudy.html

Blog#4 (Freestyle) - "Life, Art, What's The Difference?

It's amazing how much more beautiful the world around you becomes once you open your eyes to art. To the untrained eye most of the things you see around you are just objects or advertisements that dont mean anything but your next possible purchase. To an artist EVERYTHING is seen as "potential". In the mind of a true artist there is no such thing as "irrelevant" because just about anything can be turned into art. Life is art, and art is life.The two go together hand in hand because they both represent and imitate each other so strongly that its hard to determine which one came first. All the colors we've been given, the images and all the elements that can  help create an artistic spark are everywhere.

From Leonardo DaVinci to Philip Sherrod (famous street painter), they (artist) all had something that made them see the world differently from everyone else. There times and eras are extremely gapped but the artistic view and creative genius is the same none the less. No matter the death of one, there is always the birth of another..so is the way of art.


I guess the moral (if you will) of this story/blog is to simple state that art is and always be the only true replica of life (or vise versa) , and the only true meaning of re- incarnation.



 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olL5_Ly5sRs


(I know this link doesnt give the blog the perfect fit, but at the same time I think it represents the meaning of the message I was trying to get across.)

Blog 9: My Creative Heroes

 I've been inspired by many artist,but one in particular artist has motivated me to take my work to new heights. Im talking about Aaron McGruder creator of the cartoon "The Boondocks". Aaron McGruder was born May 29th, 1974 in Chicago,Illinois. At the age of 6 his parents then moved the family to Columbia,Maryland. He attended a majority white Jesuit school that he felt repressed him. Eventually switching over to a predominantly black school in the late 80's and early 90's made him a fan of hip-hop. It was then that he would decide to challenge society from the "Angry black mans" point of view.  He graduated from public high school at Oakland Mills and attended the University of Maryland. While studying for a degree in African American Studies he began his layout for "The Boondocks".

His first publishing came at the hands of his school newspaper, called "The Diamondback". Things would soon fall apart between McGruden and the newspaper, and McGruden decided to remove the strip. Still, McGruden pushed foward and started to gain the attention of newspapers despite his contraversial topics. The comic strip gained eye raising attention when it attacked The Bush administration, causing some papers to move it out of their columns. Despite this McGruder continued on, and began working on the animated version of "The Boondocks'.

McGruder himself started controversy after meeting Fidel Castro in Cuba after being invited to accompany California representative Barbara Lee on a trip. He offended attendees during a 2003 reception hosted by The Nation  by defiantly recalling his support for Ralph Naders 2000 presidential bid, which many blame for George Bush's election. At the NAACP awards he called Condoleeza Rice a mass murderer to her face.

McGruden resides in Los Angeles California, his projects include The Boondocks animated series, The Super deluxe variety series and The rumble mix show. He is the author of 5 book collections and is a frequent public speaker on political and cultural issues. He still continues his work to this day and just signed a contract  to make The Boondocks a full length movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-5eX4f_ipc