In2 Another Journey

My Green Apple

I didn't know that green apples can last a long time

Good morning ☀ 

On Thursday I felt lost, scared, and confused.  Why am I in the design program?  The question exploded within me during our final project.  What is it that I like about the program that I want to promote it in my video?  One of my classmate's asked me to say the reason on his video... why, how come, what is it?  When Prof. Jimmy asked us what was the difference between design and art... most of us were unsure, and I realized that I was in BIG trouble.  That evening, instead of writing on my blog, I did some research.  I went to google and typed each word of our program: What is Graphic?  What is Design? What is Visual?  What is Communication?  Then I paired them, What is Graphic Design? What is Visual Communication?  It may seem like a no brainer, but to me this research saved me.  I no longer feel lost, scared, and confused.  I noticed that the more I learn and experience about this major it feeds me with confidence.  I even posted a couple of links of the AIGA that I found really helpful on my class facebook group.  My professor mentioned, "Design creates what isn't. Imagine, re-imagine, create new."          

I'm now looking forward to the next quarter... or should I say, into another journey ^_Ő/  

Golden Adjectives

1.) Green: Secondary color created when the two primary colors of yellow and blue are mixed.  Color also represents nature and energy. 

2.) Thrifty: To wisely use money and other values.

3.) Superfluous: Unnecessary. 

P.S.

I took the pic. this morning... this is the same apple that my prof. gave me on the first day of class ^_~

Balance b/w Work & Hobby

Prof. Jimmy drew this... What if

♧ Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

What stood out to me most on Tuesday was when Prof. Jimmy said that computers are hypnotizing.  He even said that the computer is not the design, they're for making... and that hours disappear when we're in front of the screen.  This is sooo true ***^0^*** I remember the first time I had to write on my blog, hours did go by because I was thinking too much what to put since anyone will have access to read it.  I deleted words, sentences, even paragraphs ~_^  I realized that I don't write freely, and that I should stop... I'm like a flying bug that gets attracted to the light >_<  Nevertheless, I'm impressed with how much I have grown with this class.  I have gained some self-confidence in this new major after being so intimidated.  I have been involved with the GAUGE club and I did make new friends \^_~/\^_^/\Ö_~\  

Prof. Jimmy showed us the famous Modern Dog website, which are the ones who designed the poster of the penguin wearing a gangster $ necklace with a fairytale-like background.  I learned that they ❤ making posters, but in order to continue to make them, they need $$$  Therefore, they must do other *work* in order to get the money to have *fun* by creating their worldwide known posters.  I know I'm going to be in a very similar situation.  I'll probably won't get paid for my graphic novels, so I'm most likely to be a freelancer, but that's not going to feed me.  

Golden Adjectives

1.) Shrewd: Smart, astute, clever, fair at judging

2.) Jaded: Lack of enthusiasm, bored, tired, mainly when not interested when dealing with something 

3.) Providential: Opportunity, lucky/fortunate "perfect timing"

Imagine_What if...

Good evening ^_~/ ✯

Yesterday we played a game in which we all had to ask a, "What if?"  Prof. Jimmy's question was, "What if time wasn't linear?" The purpose of the game was for our creative minds not to be locked.  It was to help us become brave by freeing our ideas, whether they are good or not.  Some of my classmates asked:
What if there was no gravity? What if we had eyes at the back of our heads? What if we were inside out? What if everyone saw the same colors differently? What if there was a female U.S. president? What if our destiny's are already written? (We either worry or not worry about our futures) What if oil stops running tomorrow? What if space was God's heart? What if we didn't have thumbs? What if there were no country boarders? What if we lived in Pangea? What if education was free? What if there was no sexual identity? What if 9/11 never happened? What if...

Is a list of unlimited questions, just like with numbers... they just keep going on and on, what if they were to stop?  My what if was, what if there were no religions? (Would people believe only in science?) At the start of the game I felt intimidated because I didn't want to ask a silly question.  However, I don't think there can be any silly what if's, because any of its questions can lead us to imagine otherwise.  In other words, we approach them in different perspectives.      




Golden adjectives:

1.) Imaginative: Dreamy, creative, inventing

2.) Silly: Lack of common sense, foolish

3.) Permissive: Provide permission, tolerant

German Shepherds Team_V.C.

Today we learned about the importance of visual communication.  I must've looked into the future on a crystal ball... because last evening I was watching a few YouTube videos based on the topic ^o^ Ahahah!!! We learned through another fun activity how to solve a a problem as a team.  The class was divided into two equally groups, half of the ladies and half of the gentlemen had to be on a team.  There were fourteen ladies and ten gentlemen present in class.  Prof. Jimmy then introduced us to a set of numbers in the following order: 
                             1
                             10
                             11
                             100

The problem was to figure out what number was next.  One of my classmate's multiplied the given 10 by itself to get 100, and suggested 121 to be the next number after multiplying the given 11 by itself.  His solution was very logical, but I mentioned that the "2" breaks the pattern of the 1s and the 0s.  My team and I then concentrated on the following number to continue with the pattern.  I noticed that the first column is a continuos 1, and the second column has a pattern of a 0, 1, 0... so it made sense for the next digit to be a 1.  Then I noticed that the third column starts with a 0, and added the 1 to continue with the pattern from the second column: 0,1.  Therefore, 111 came to be our solution ☚⎯ ^_Ő/✌  

However, the third column could've continued with 0s, by following the pattern of the first column, but the numbers wouldn't continue to increase.  If it were to be a 0, then the solution would've been 110, but the number after that would go back to 100.  I believe that the set of numbers is designed in this form to state that the first column must be a 1, as it has four rows providing the same digit.  In contrast, the third column is vaguely limited to a single digit, but by understanding its pattern it can grow.  One of my friends had to represent the entire team by explaining our solution on the board.  We were called the German Shepherds because our prof. asked her for her favorite animal, and she replied by saying that she likes dogs... & her favorite breed is the name of our team Ö_~


The importance of visual communication is to get to the point in a simple and clear manner.  According to "The Power of Images and Symbols," one of the YouTube videos that I saw yesterday, the power of images and symbols: can tell a story, stimulate our minds, engage us to read, guide us to interpret... and so on.  Prof. Jimmy demonstrated that a word is not read as a set of letters, but as a shape, a symbol.  The word is interpreted by its shape of the outline.  He said that's what we're going to be learning in Letterform, which I'll be taking next quarter ^_~/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aThOZNFrCEM


Most of us had so much fun.  I had more fun than on Game Day, mainly because I was interacting with more classmates'.  Some of us were taking pictures and/or recording to use some of these moments for our final project.  My group was incredibly energetic, and I'm usually quiet... but, I suggested for my group to sing "Happy B-day" to my friend Angelica (the girl wearing the Batman sweatshirt)  \^O^/ LOL!!!  Due to her request, I didn't record my group singing... but I saw one of my classmate's from the Foxes group recording ¬_¬ ✧


Also, today's sign in sheet was special, as we had to include a word besides signing in. No wonder the sheet took a long time to get to my side of the room ~_Ò'  I was told to put a word for how I felt, and I was feeling happy, so I even drew a similar emoticon ^_^ The instructions were incorrect, because we were supposed to write an adjective and not repeat it... but many of us wrote how we felt, and a few of us wrote "happy."  Now I know why someone wrote "punctual" '^,~\  


Goodnight Ladies & Gentlemen ^.^ zzZ
     

      



Golden Adjectives:

1.) Happy: Feeling cheerful.

2.) Punctual: Meeting deadlines, to be on time.

3.) Logical: To think reasonably, clearly, rationally.

Y 19 Min's?

Good evening ✬  

On Thursday we learned why talks last 19 minutes.  Prof. Jimmy showed us two videos on John Maeda from the TED Talk show, which stands for Technology Entertainment Design. My friend Joe researched for its definition & told the class.  Prof. Jimmy confirmed that it's been proved that the audience will be attentive to a talk for up to 19 minutes, and after that time limit the audience will lose interest.  A classmate, who sits to my left, asked why movies last over an hour then.  He highlighted a good point, and I mentioned that cartoon episodes last 20 min's (approximation).  However, I didn't answer his question.  I mentioned cartoon ep's because it made sense for its duration purpose (not including commercials).  That explains why episodes in most t.v. shows last around 19-20 min's, they obviously want the audience to finish watching the episode that's being aired Ö_~    


We also learned a little history about the show.  Prof. Jimmy told us that a woman around his age, Maria (he couldn't recall her last name), but he mentioned that she was an innovative designer, and that the man who took a chance on her is none other than the one who created the TED Talk, his name is Richard Saul Wurman or "Ricky."  Nonetheless, Wurman must have seen potential in Maria as a designer, or else he wouldn't have given her the opportunity of her life.  Indeed, she didn't let him down as she was able to grow the Hot Studio in San Francisco, which has become very successful thanks to her outstanding work ^_Ő/  We then moved on to Maeda's talks.   


The first talk was about, John Maeda on the Simple Life.  He mentioned and showed visuals to prove that simplicity is important; for instance; the importance for having simple road signs.   However, that as human beings we l♥ve complexity; we would rather see a dynamic sky ☁☀ compared to a plain one.  It was interesting when he noticed a similarity set of letters in the words: SIMPLICITY and COMPLEXITY, the paint that he invented, and the Al Gore-like-graph that he demonstrated.  I don't want to spoil it; therefore, I recommend for all you to watch the videos.  They're less than 19 min's ^0^ LOL!!!  He also wrote a book by including ten laws and three keys based on simplicity.  I was curious on his book, so I checked on Amazon, and found out that it's around ten dollars... which is a great deal because that's about the price for a meal at a fast food restaurant ^_~  According to Maeda, "Simplicity is about living life with more enjoyment and less pain."  That's how I want to live my life, because life is so unpredictable that I may be gone in a blink of an eye  ~_^  I wouldn't want to depart from this lifetime by not having enjoyed it.  Life is a miracle and time is a gift ✌\^_^/✌


The second talk was about, John Maeda on His Journey in Design. I'm actually relieved that we got to see it, because when Prof. Jimmy asked us if we wanted to see another of Maeda's videos or work on our final project... I wanted to work on my final project '^,~\ However, almost the entire class wanted to see another video, which was better because I wasn't approaching a "specific" audience for my project.  I was watching Maeda's talk while scribbling ideas for my project video.  His second talk gave me hope in the design field.  I was surprised when he said that he was bad in design, and that he figured it out when he read Paul Rand's book, Thoughts on Design.  I'm planning on reading it during my spring break, if I can check it out from a library, since this book leaks out from my budget, and it must be another version because it wasn't red like the one that Maeda showed us.  I admired when he mentioned that although he's a technologist, he doesn't really like technology, and wants the world to be less technological and more humane.  I share the same intentions, because I don't want this world to be lost to a robotic system ***^o^***      


These are the links of the two videos:  
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/john_maeda_on_the_simple_life.html (16 min's)
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/john_maeda_on_design.html (17 min's) 




GOLDEN Adjectives

1.) Fortuitous: Event caused by coincidence or destiny.

2.) Contrite: To regret serious past mistakes.

3.) Intricate: Complicated, tangled.

Course Summary

Good evening ladies & gentlemen ^_~/ ✪

On Tuesday we recollected the topics that we have covered during the quarter.  The topics were: perception, brainstorming, sensation, game v. test, teamwork, critical reflection, mapping, methodology, storytelling, communication, presentation skills, critical evaluation, judging, storyboarding, visual interpretation, visual literacy, project briefing, emotional motivation, descriptive language, creative process, be fearless, punctuality-professionalism, networking, critique and its purpose.  Prof. Jimmy mentioned that these were only about half of what we've covered, but we were good with what we had.  I had mentioned socialism/socialize, but I learned that both share the same meaning '^,~\  I thought that networking was more related to the internet (such as facebook), while socialism is live/face:face/personal (without the use of technology). Now I know •^_Ò•

However, that was only half of the class, and the rest was to work on our final projects. Almost all of us talked among each other to get feedback about our ideas.  I believe there were three large groups, and I joined the group that was in the front of the classroom.  I had so much fuuun in my group... as if it were another game day ^O^ LOL!!!  We were motivated to spill out our ideas, energetic when providing feedback, and relieved to understand how to approach our final project.  All of us were intimidated to start it because we were insecure to be going in the right direction, so we were engaged to listen to everyone's ideas.  In other words, the class covered some of the topics that we had just went over.  We used teamwork and communication in our groups.  My group covered brainstorming, storytelling, judging, emotional motivation, and networking.  My topic for the video is to be brave/fearless to pursue our creative program.  One of my classmate's encouraged me to appear in my own video, since I want to approach my target audience to relate to my own experience.  I'm thinking of doing a short action, and do a voice over Ö_~  Some of us even volunteered to appear in the video of our group members... we became that friendly /^_Ő/\Ö_~/\^_Ô/\^_^\ 

Golden Adjectives:

1.) Innovative: Bringing forward fresh ideas.  Unique and creative thinker.

2.) Servile: Helping others without expecting anything in return, as in helping a friend.

3.) Spritely: Feeling and behaving lively/animated, causing others to feel the same positive effect(s).   

      

           

Philosophical Pieces

Good afternoon ☀

On Thursday we talked about the philosophy of our class.  Google defines philosophy in two ways: 1.) The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, esp. when considered as an academic discipline.  2.) A set of views and theories of a particular philosopher concerning such study or an aspect of it.  The reason why our class revolves around philosophy, is because there is no right or wrong answer in Concept Development.  Some of my classmates mentioned that they've never had a class like this one before, where they're uncertain if they're doing well in the class or not as they do the assignments but not get a grade in return.  I can relate, but I believe that as long as we complete them, we're earning the points to pass the class.  Also, I see each assignment/project as puzzle pieces.  Our mission is to understand the concept for every piece as best as possible.  In addition, the more pieces we collect they'll help to develop our creative minds as we complete our puzzles.  Furthermore, everyone's pieces is different.  Hmmm... how could I explain it.  I picture every puzzle as our own perspective to solving the problem that it's been given, and we all have different perspectives; therefore, even if we all complete our puzzles, they will all differ... but, based on the same concept.  In conclusion, Prof. Jimmy gave us our final piece to complete our puzzles.  It would be a one minute video, uploaded on YouTube, which culminates our demonstration of what we can do based on the BIG idea/concept during our journey.  In other words, we have to show it off to our audience.  We also have to create a postcard that includes the URL to promote the video and its content.  I'm fascinated to create my own postcard and video, even though I'm not sure yet what my contents will be '^,~\              


       


Golden Adjectives:

1.) Philosophical: Rational, knowledgeable, open minded.

2.) Exhuberant: Over filled with positive energy and excitement.

3.) Assertive: Confident, direct, decisive, and strong-willed behavior.

Listening Skills

Good evening ☆

On Tuesday we practiced our listening skills.  We moved our tables and placed our chairs in a circle to talk about Kali Nikita's presentation.  I didn't talk, but I listened carefully to what my classmates were saying.  In Dan O' Hair's, A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking, he defines this method as, "Active Listening-listening that is focused and purposeful-isn't possible under conditions that distract us" (16).  Most of us were attentive to focus on what a classmate was delivering to us, by not being disruptive and waiting for her/him to finish talking before another classmate continued on with the criticism.  One of my classmates was asked a question by another classmate, and at first she gave the impression for not listening attentively when addressing the question.  However, she was able to answer it after a brief moment.  O' Hair states, "Each of us devotes about 40% of our daily lives to listening.  Executives dedicate even more time to this highly valued skill, upwards 50%.  Yet if asked to recall a message immediately following a listening event, the average person can only summon up about half of what was said" (16).  I believe that my classmate was trying to retrieve the information given in order to answer the question as best as she could.  I know that if I was in her situation, I would be in a very similar situation '^,~\

After we finished with the criticism, Professor Jimmy introduced us to a bizarre and very challenging game that concentrates on listening skills.  The game is played by giving names to two objects, in order not to identify them as a coffee mug/cup and a cell phone... which were the two objects that we used.  Instead, the cup was named a "what" and the cell phone a "who."  Sounds bizarre, but it's very challenging and fun as it requires team work to fulfill the game.  A person has to start with the two objects, and he/she must give one of them to the person sitting to his/her right, and the other object to the person sitting to his/her left.  When the person hands the objects, she/he must hand them in a form of a statement; for instance, for the cup (what) as, "this is a what."  The receiver has to accept the object in a form of a question as, "This is a what?"  If the receiver was sitting on the left side, then he/she must  hand down the "what" to the person sitting to his/her left, and follow the same process.  However, when the new receiver asks, "This is a what?" the previous receiver must turn to the first person who released the objects, and ask him/her, "This is a what?" and the releaser then states again, "This is a what."  Notice the difference, the releaser doesn't ask, but states that the object is a "what."  Then the first receiver follows the same process by stating that the object is a what to the new receiver, and the game continues in a repetitive process.  The same applies to the cell phone (object) "who" which goes in the opposite direction.  If a player failed to recall the object in its correct statement or question form, then the game had to be started all over again.  The challenge is when both objects cross, and the person receiving them has to concentrate by listening critically when receiving the objects by not breaking the routine.  The goal is for both objects to get around until they get to the releaser... it may sound as an easy and insignificant game; therefore, I dare you to play it with a group of at least six people, and you'll be surprised how challenging it is /^_Ö\

Our class was divided into two groups, and one group had to go to another classroom, in order for both groups not to get disruptive while playing.  I was the third person sitting away from the releaser.  When my group began the game, I misunderstood the question part, by receiving the "what" as a statement instead of as a question, causing the game to start all over again.  One of my classmates, who is very egocentric, put me in the spotlight for my misunderstanding, but what fun would it be if we were all perfect and complete it with no challenges.  Eventually, there's a phrase that points out, "what goes around comes around," because when her turn came she got confused too, and we had to start all over again.  Unlike her, I didn't get annoyed due to the fact that I know how to have fun when it comes to playing games.  In addition, we weren't the only one's to break the routine... because everyone playing got confused.  That's how challenging the game is.  We even switched seats, and when Prof. Jimmy told us to change the cell-phone to a "what" and the cup to a "who," which took us time to adapt to the shifting of their names because we were already used to calling the cup a "what,"and the cellphone a "who," which Prof. Jimmy informed us that was not the point of the game, as we didn't have to get used to their names, since the purpose was to listen to what we were receiving to eventually receive anything as naturally as possible.  We also didn't start by playing the game correctly, since we needed to practice to understand the game, so we used one object at first.  Another problem was that we had two releasers instead of one, but it was still fun.  We had so much fun changing the objects names, especially to a "cat" and a "dog," which were the last names that we used.  I learned that listening is a challenging skill to master, and that it can be improved with a lot of practice and concentration.  O' Hair states, "Rather than being a passive activity that simply "happens" to us, listening is the conscious act of receiving, comprehending, interpreting, evaluating, and responding to messages (15).  I had to concentrate by avoiding to look at the objects and at my classmates sitting next to me, to be able to distinguish if they would either ask or state about the objects in order to follow the process without breaking the routine.  I appreciate for practicing our listening skills by playing this game, because most of us had so much fun, considering how challenging it was to listen at a higher level.  I wouldn't have been enthusiastic if we were to approach our listening skills as a regular academic exercise compared to a game, because games provide the effect of an exiting experience no matter what challenges it provides.  The game became so meaningful to me as it challenges all of its players to do their best, because if a player failed then the team wouldn't advance.  Fortunately, we met the goal just before the class was over, making us feel proud and happy, which led us to place our hands together in the middle of our circle followed by the shout of, "Teamwork!!!" /^o^/ /^.~/ \^0^\ \^o^\          

     

Works Cited

O' Hair, Dan, Hannah Rubenstein, and Rob Stewart, eds. A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking. Second edition. Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. 

Golden Adjectives: 

1.) Fallible:  Capable of making an error.

2.) Egocentric: Center of attention.  Selfish.

3.) Passive: Not affected by others negative actions/occurrences.  

Presentation Critique Part II

Good evening ^_^/ ✧ 

Tonight’s sooo cooold ~ >_< ~ 

On Thursday I presented my game concept.  It didn’t go well ***^O^***  (tears of disappointment).  I dedicated a lot of time in brainstorming and creating my game.  I   even made a mini version of it for my presentation board… but I blew it when I had to present it /~_Ô\  I didn’t make it entertaining at all, and it was completely the opposite as how I imagined I would present it.  I think I know what my main problem was, I think too much, so it was like I wanted to say everything at once… getting tangled with all of my information.  I even forgot about the name of one of the men in the twelve dollars, and I only remembered that he was in the $100 bill and mentioned that he’s considered the First American…  it was Benjamin Franklin /^0^\ Aarrgh!!!  Another major problem was my voice.  I have a loud voice, but when I get intimidated it becomes low, and I could still remember it sounded breaking… so embarrassing. ‘^,~\  The good news is that I learned to clear my thoughts for future presentations, to avoid the same problem.

I was only concerned with the sizing of my mini bills.  When Prof. Jimmy pointed out that my presentation board had a lot of problems in terms of visual communication, I still don’t know why, but I do want to learn the reason(s) in order to improve them; however, when he mentioned that my mini bills had the wrong rectangle shape for a dollar bill, I disagree because I did measure a bill.  Perhaps it may not have had the perfect size, since I had to consider the limited space from the board to make twenty-four mini representational bills.  Twelve of the bills have the images of the face value men in the center, and on the four corners their dollar amount.  The other half has their information, such as their name, if they were a president which number were they, and an important fact as to why they’re important in history, as well as their years from birth to death.  In other words, their images are matched with their names and information for learning purposes.  For example, in one bill is Abraham Lincoln’s image and the $5 in the top and bottom corners.  Its matching mini bill is: 16^th President, Issued Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln, (1809-1865).  Nonetheless, the critique was about my presentation skills, but I’m eager to learn how to provide successful presentation boards as well.   

I did get feedback about my presentation from some of my classmates.  I remember one of them telling me to talk as if I was explaining my game to friends.  Another classmate told me that I looked a lot at my presentation board.  Others told me the problem that I had with my voice, by being low and sounding as if I was asking questions rather than stating.  I have mentioned before that I love critiques because I learn so much from them, and they help me to see my mistakes and improve.  Now I have the opportunity to explain my game as a creative brief… kind of like selling it to a client Ö_~/

Golden Adjectives:

1.  Visual: Perception in the arts.

2.  Trendy: Fashionable in the arts.

3.  Bizarre: French word for weird/strange. 

Presentation Critique Part I

Hiii ^_~/ This week I was unable to challenge myself to write comfortably on Tues. & Thurs., since I was in zombie mode… due to a midterm & many projects on top of me /~_^\  Nevertheless, I’d rather write when I don’t feel the pressure of time suffocating me to post anything and get rid of it ^_Ő

On Tuesday I was surprised that we finally had a speaker for the Graphic Design club called Gauge.  I thought that Prof. Jimmy forgot all about it, since the weeks kept passing by ‘^,~\  I’ve only been a member for the Gravitas (Animation club) when I was still in Animation, and now I want to join Gauge.  The speaker was nonetheless than the vice-president, and he invited us to attend their meeting on Tuesdays, from 4-6 p.m., which I’ll start attending next week ^_^/ I’m looking forward to making new friends, learn from them, and get feedback about my projects.  I also want to socialize to improve my communication skills •^_^•  I’ve been waiting for this opportunity so that I can get more involved with what I’m studying \^O^/ LOL!!!  

If you recall about the nine original game ideas that we had to present in the previous week, now we had to present only one out of those nine in either a black or gray presentation board.  I chose the twelve face value bills in a combination with the five coins of: penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half a dollar to turn it into a memorization game.  However, I was part of the students who didn’t present on this day since we were running out of time, so almost half of the class was able present.  Everyone got nervous, some more than others, and they all showed it in different aspects.  Some of them showed it by not providing eye contact with their audience, others by the tone of their voice by being too fast, low, or saying a lot of “Um,” and others through their body language or a combination of all or any of these.  One of my friends went first, she’s very good at talking, but she moved her hands a lot.  Another friend kept crossing her legs and moving her body from side to side.  One of my classmate’s, who’s also good at talking, grabbed her presentation board during her entire talk… which we learned that this approach represents a shield (to be protected), and the audience focuses only on the board rather than on the speaker.  Furthermore, by crossing either our arms or legs, or both, it indicates that we don’t welcome our audience for any questions and comments.  There is so much to know and understand about professional public speaking, and to practice among ourselves by observing our classmates tone of voice, eye contact, and body language did benefit all of us to improve with our own communication skills… we also learned to critique one another for our own good, because in CSULA we’re so FRIENDLY \^_~/\^_Ö/\Ô_~/ 

Golden Adjectives:

1.     Nervous: Feeling highly tensed and uncomfortable to present in front of a crowd.  Afraid to be on the spotlight.

2.     Social: Able to interactive with large numbers of people, such as joining groups to talk about topics and become friendly.

3.     Experiential: To learn from real life observations. 

Game Concepts Critique

Good evening ^_~/ ✫

Today I learned to admire game designers.  The reason is that it's a real challenge to create and develop an original game concept, since it's highly possible that a game with the same concept already exists... I mean, there are numerous types of games in the world '^,~\  Therefore, to create nine original game concepts is a super tough challenge.

Even though I had fun playing with my first three game concepts, it doesn't mean that the intended games are successful.  According to our homeplay (hw) assignment, in order for a game to be interesting, it must be challenging and fun.  Sounds ez right?  Well, it's easier said than done ~_Ô  However, knowing a few questions about the game helps to meet the criteria.  For instance, who is the audience?  There are different age groups, so knowing the specific age group will enhance the design and purpose of the game.

I can proudly confess that I like critiques.  I learn so much from the feedback, comments, questions, etc...  I was actually surprised that Prof. Jimmy was interested on my last game concept, which wasn't fully developed, but he saw the beginning of an idea O_~  When he told me that he was going to be hard on me, I didn't get scared or felt hurt; on the contrary, I'm grateful because I do want to meet his expectations in order to grow healthy as an Art Student.  In other words, he's our caring coach who is training and guiding us to become winners.  That means that I need an intense workout ^O^ LOL!!!  Hmmm... especially in brushing up my communication skills, and building up my confidence towards my creative works •^_^•


Golden Adjectives:

1.) Admirable: Person/event that is highly respected and remarkable.  Role model.  

2.) Critical: Positive and/or negative judgement during an analysis of a creative work.  

3.) Caring: Person(s) that are kind and who worry about the well-being and success of other people.    

4.) Sensible: Emotional person with fragile feelings.

5.) Specific: Clearly, only, identifiable.  

Analyzing Games

Today was GAME DAY \^O^/ Whooo!!!!!

Good evening ☆  I just wanted to positively express how I felt today in class •^_^•

The purpose for today's Game Day was to learn how to analyze games.  I learned that there is much more to a game than just to have fun... that is, the emotions that games trigger on their players ^_~  There are numerous types of game categories, such as: strategy, memorization, cards, luck/gambling, drawing, puzzle... u name it ^_~/  Also, not all games are intended to win; for instance, there are some that are intended for learning ^_Ő  Furthermore, what was the purpose of the game, it's history, is there a story involved, what type of characters are included, the type of communication, and so on.

The three games that I played were, No Te Enojes (Spanish for Do Not Get Mad, similar to the Sorry boardgame), the next one was Uno (Nintendo version), and the last was Connect Four \^_Õ/  The first two games I played them with three different players.  The last one was only two players, so I played with one of my classmates.  I won the first round, and she won the next two ~_^  It was so much fun and interesting how our emotions shifted from positive to negative and vice versa.  I l♠ved how the entire class became a social environment... playing helped us interact and become friendlier \^_Ö\  \^_~/\^_Ô/ /^_~/          

Before we all began to play, I learned a sad fact about the Monopoly game.  I've played it, even though it's been years, but I didn't know the history behind its release date.  When Prof. Jimmy read the year from the box, and asked us what was going on during that time, a couple of my classmates responded with "Depression," and "World War I."  Prof. Jimmy then began to explain that it was a time when people were starving, stealing, and making long lines for food, even for clothes.  It was a time focused only for survival.  Soon after the game was released, it became a BIG hit because all the victims wished for money... in terms for its necessity to provide them with food, clothes, and shelter.  Money became a social symbolism, and at the same time, to learn about capitalism.  On the other hand, there's a dark joke towards beating the old Monopoly character, which represents a white rich man.  This is an analysis of the history of the game, and its purpose.

Our homeplay (not hw) ^O^ LOL!!!!!  It's to create nine original game concepts... so far I have five, but I'm still brainstorming '^,~\  Nevertheless, I'm having sooo muuuch fuuun \^O^/ Whooo!!!!!  



Golden Adjectives:

1.) Emotional: The feeling(s) of positive and/or negative emotions, such as happiness or anger.

2.) Creative: Person who provides unique ideas from their imagination, such as drawing and/or writing them.  

3.) Unique: One of a kind, only, no duplication/repetition, different.  Example, time is unique as today's day, hour, minute, and second will not be repeated.  Fingerprints identify a person because they're different (unique) from the rest of the people.

Finding My Element

Combo of the 5 Senses and Elements

This drawing is dedicated to all of my readers \^_~/ It's a rough draft of the five traditional senses combined with the five elements.  I wanted to include the sixth sense of Intuition, and combine it with the air.  Why the air?  Well, intuition can't be seen but we can feel it, just like the air which cannot be seen but that we can feel when it blows.  However, I haven't decided if I'll use the mind or the non-physical heart for it.  What I mean is that love is represented by the heart, but love can't be seen, and there's a famous phrase that goes, "Follow your heart,"which means to follow our instincts.  The same goes for the mind, we can see the brain but not the mind.  Therefore, I'm still debating which one to choose.  I adopted the Earth Eye design for the sense of sight, and I designed the rest of the senses according to the similarities that I saw with the other elements.  This all happened by just playing around with the 5 senses and the 5 elements ^O^ LOL!!!      

On Thursday we were watching a YouTube video, another motivational speech, but we didn’t finished watching it since class was almost over.  When I saw that the video is an hr and 23 min’s long, I thought that we would be watching a movie, but I was surprised that it was a speech, waaay looonger than Elizabeth’s 19 min. talk •^_^• Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter how long a speech is as long as it keeps the audience interested.  We watched over half of the video in class, but I started watching it again from the beginning at home on Friday night… that’s how interesting and meaningful it was for me.  The speaker is Sir Ken Robinson, very funny man, and he talks about his book, “The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything.”  Once again, I invite you all to watch another inspirational talk ^_Ö ⎯☛ here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJAL21IE9fY.

What did I think about his speech?  I enjoyed it so much that I’m purchasing his book… & hopefully I’ll see him around in Los Angeles to get his signature ✍  His speech helped me reflect and feel better about my educational life.  I’m a month away to turning 26 years old, and the normal age to graduate from university is 24.  I still have one more year left, which means I’ll be graduating at the age of 27… that means, I’ll be three years late /^0^\  Indeed, I’m at the age where I’m supposed to have a career already, but there’s a saying, “Things happen for a reason,” or like I say, “Situations are meant for a reason.”  I’ve been in the education system for two decades, and I’m still not confident what I’m capable of.  When Sir Ken mentioned that education needs to be transformed, because many people who attend school leave without discovering what they’re capable of, he says that it’s not their fault since the education wasn’t designed to meet their talents, and ONLY met certain types of talents.  That was my experience during high school, especially when I was about to graduate.  I didn’t know which subject to follow, and my academic counselor didn’t help me either.  I was on my own.  I didn’t applied to any colleges even though I had a 3.3 G.P.A.  No one told me I had to apply a year before, and that I needed letters of recommendation.  I was the first in my family to graduate from high school… I was completely clueless about the process for college applications ´´^o^``  I found out about it by some classmates, when the deadlines were far over.  This is a serious situation.  I was disappointed in my school and counselor for ruining my opportunity to attend a university.  I even blamed myself for living under a rock.  Therefore, I agree with Sir Ken’s purpose to transform education, so that other students can get the adequate help to advance with their education, and avoid many mistakes like with my personal experience ^_Ő/✌     

I had a second opportunity.  The Winter after my graduation I started going to East Los Angeles Community College (ELAC).  I was there for over four years, exploring different subjects… but I still didn’t know what I really wanted to pursue.  I graduated and obtained an Associate in Arts Degree in Liberal Arts.  I then transferred to California State University Los Angeles (CSULA) in the Fall of 2009, with Japanese as my major.  Japanese… I took two classes in 2006, so I didn’t remember much by the time I transferred ‘^,~\  Then I changed to Art in Animation, and from there to Graphic Design (G.D.).  Why did I go to Graphic Design?  I took Connie for her two classes: 2D Art Fundamentals, and Color Theory.  The assignments were challenging and I did fair, but for the final concept ideas, she didn’t give me any feedback because she liked them as they were.  For 2D she even told me that I was the only one, from the class, that she didn’t have to give any suggestions to improve my concept idea.  For Color Theory, we didn’t need a concept idea, but I still came up with one.  I’m not good at painting, so the finals were another story \^O^/ LOL!!!  She’s also the Art Department’s Advisor, so when I consulted her about my concerns towards Animation, she told me that because she hasn’t seen my animated works she couldn’t say anything about it, but for what she’s seen… is that I have a strong graphical side.  I wanted to give it a try and maybe this is where I’ll discover my talent(s).  By the way, what is a talent?  Sir Ken describes it as an element.  He says that people achieve their best when they’re in their element, which is our natural capacity and aptitude, and where we feel comfortable.  However, since it wasn’t easy to change from Animation to G.D., I took a class of each at the same time with the same professor, and that’s when I compared the difference between the two and felt more comfortable with G.D.  I was also more interested in G.D. for the broader job opportunities, since I do worry how I’ll be supporting my family and myself in the near future.  I also talked to some friends who were in Animation and changed to G.D. as well.  My friend and former classmate, Andrew Lee, told me that I’m mostly into Illustration when I told him that I like to create my own stories but also my own characters, kind of like a graphic novelist and manga/comic book artist.  I can’t draw professionally, so I’m not confident to go on this field… it’s not enough for me to just like it, but I need to have a talent for it.  I think that taking a Storyboarding class last quarter helped me a lot as well.  I liked it, based on all the amount of time that it took to draw and color every panel.  If it’s what I’ll be pursuing, then I need to start drawing seriously.  Sir Ken tells us that we need to look hard for our talent, for they are often very deep and obviously not on the surface… I feel like mine has been deep within the sea, but that I’ve been a strong scuba diver for not giving up in finding my element. 

Golden Adjectives:

1.     Talented: Naturally skilled; gifted in a specific area; strong in one of the five elements for educational and career purposes. 

2.     Comfortable: Confident; relaxed; free of pressure. 

3.     Disappointed:  Negative emotions such as feeling sad and/or angry towards oneself, someone, a group of people, an institution(s) due to unfulfilling goals.  Shattered dreams.  Failure of high hopes.