I liked a part of the poem, and instead of posting it on my website I immediately thought of MySpace. Why? I have no idea. Kinda strange.

Anyway, so this is what I post…

and it started a mini-discussion with a friend. Here’s a response:

So after a few minutes of processing that I wrote a response:

My Response

You’re right, skin color isn’t the point.

“I must be measured by my soul
The mind is the standard of the man.”

Perhaps you’re right. He is assuming the existence of God, that he created humans, the faith in God, and the standards by which God measures humans. And it assumes that God created us with a “soul”, which is what is meant by “in the image of God”.

The exterior (body, skin color, etc.) has nothing to do with the “image of God”. And I’ve been arguing with myself for several years over the idea that the “soul” is a different thing from the “mind”. I’m not sure. Because being in the “image of God” means the creating, choice-making, loving, blah blah aspect of God.
And technically the “mind” is what does all that.

i digress….
I didn’t write it though; he did. However, I am a sucker for dynamic speeches, preachings and ’soulful’ word performances. So I enjoy his speeches any time of the year.

And of course I agree with his and others’ desire for the unity of humanity. However, the “soul” part to which you’re probably referring goes hand in hand.

That, of course, is because I believe we are created by this God, in His image.

so in a sense, perhaps “faith” is what he might’ve meant. but faith isn’t separate from the choice to live for God. Or rather, to realize/know/accept/believe that God exists and he has a purpose for this big Story we call Life, is to put your entire being into this cause and purpose. Because outside of it there is no purpose or meaning. faith is inevitably a part of the human experience, including the mind.

This “meaning” entails the compassion, unity, peace, love, responsibility, and action demanded of our ’soul’. or mind, I guess.

that effort as an individual would be the standard by which we are measured to this God.

and since MLKjr was obviously speaking within the context of a racially-stirred turmoil, and through the filter/lens of christianity, he uses the illustration of the keyboard and God - that all people, from bass-black to treble-white, are equal and valuable creations of God.

i talk too much. Good conversation starter.

Since I’m not much of a blogger, I hope someone appreciates this re-posting of thoughts on a somewhat interesting topic :) What do you think? Any thoughts on the poem or what we mentioned?

Like last night I saw “No Country for Old Men“. The movie is brilliantly awesome and is possibly the Best Picture this year (at least in American cinema). But when I get home I’m like: Should I make a blog post about my moved-to-tears experience watching the Coen brothers latest film? And if I do, what do I say? All I have to say at the moment is that “it was totally awesome, and yes, Joel and Ethan Coen may be the best American filmmakers of their time.”

But is that really full-post-worthy? I mean is it enough to bug someone’s feed reader? Is a simple sentence really worth the time to click on over to my site?

Maybe I’ll include a movie poster in the post. My current Wordpress theme uses post excerpts on the homepage for only the latest post, and it doesn’t display any pictures unless you select a “latest post” custom field built in for posting post-related images. However for the latest post image to show on the homepage, the dimensions are inflexible and should be 470×175. So that means I’d have to find a “No Country for Old Men” poster or production still online and crop/resize it to fit the dimensions and upload it to a particular folder, call it out and then it’d be ready.

But that’s still not enough of a treat to make readers forget that they wasted 1 minute of their life to read about how some stranger liked movie.

le sigh.

I hate Pepé Le Pew.

I’ve often wondered this myself. But only occasionally and more recently. When I started out online, probably back in like 97 when Geocities was all the rage, I think my narcissistic tendencies are what drove me to create my own personal space online. My first online spot was dedicated to drawings, cool “animated” gif’s, poetry I wrote, and cool links. But I never intended it for making money. I suppose I started it simply to be famous in some sense. Like declaring my existence to the big void of cyberspace: I don’t know what I’m doing or where this is going, but I’m here, darnit!!

Well, that’s not really true either. I was born an artist I guess, in love with drawing and artsy stuff. So when computers started becoming more accessible and popular, the internet being a new creative outlet for sheltered kids like me, who couldn’t always afford more canvases or be featured in galleries - it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Graphics, design, and all that creativity could be expressed easily with clicks and taps. Truthfully it all started because I saw an animation online about Jesus’ resurrection on “easter” Sunday. I was really amazed since it seemed like a simple animation, and I was determined to figure out what this “Flash” technology was and how I, a wannabe cartoonist and animator, could use it. From that sprung my self-education in the web world.

Never wanting to work with computers, I ended up studying filmmaking in college, but never gave up the computer stuff, and strangely always working in some sort of computer graphics environment, and now a web content specialist (basically a webmaster). How the heck did all this happen?

And now I toy with the idea of going back to my roots as a cartoonist in love with art, and wanting to make beautiful movies.

Sigh. I do believe I’ve digressed greatly here.

So I don’t make money off my site/blog. In fact, throughout the years, I’ve never considered it to be a blog. My site has always been a hub for my creative work. A spot to post my doodles, videos and thoughts, I never intended it to be a blog, although I have always kept some sort of recorded commentary and updates on the site. For a few years, I kept the same cartoony flash interface, until I got sick of it and switched to a cleaner ‘bloggy’ look. Now I’ve no time and/or am too lazy to redesign it to the look I have in my head. And now, strangely enough, analytics tell me that I had a ton more visitors back when my site was all cartoony, with games and sound effects. Also, I used to sell a few t-shirts from that site back then as well. Now that I’ve gotten all ‘wordy’ and ‘texty’, only a few people visit (basically my mom and two kids from Norway who keep asking for peanut butter).

Alas, complacency and comfort have been my bane. I have a good job in the Silicon Valley and my time for artsiness and pursuit of a film career seems to be less and less. I am a part-time movie critic, and I suppose that makes me feel like I’m being both creative and connected to the film industry at least once a week. But it’s not enough. I must find the time to fuel my passion.

I should have titled this “All over the place”.

We’re watching a scene where Denzel is visiting a heroin supplier in Vietnam and all of a sudden things shake and I’m like ‘dang, the wind is strong’. But the shaking gets harder and the big ol’ Mercado theatre is rumbling, ceiling shuddering and ground quivering.

During this I think “oh dang, an earthquake.” but that was quickly replaced with “oh come on already, please fade quickly, I gotta see Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe be awesome!”

But no, the projector stops and I’m thinking “Crap.”

So yeah, they evacuated the theatre and gave us passes. I suppose that’s a good deal: free screening and they give us a free movie pass. Except I DIDN’T SEE “AMERICAN GANGSTER”!

Stupid earthquake, apparently it was a 5.6 on the good ol’ richter. Everyone’s fine, no injuries or fatalities reported, but did I mention my sore displeasure for being denied the viewing experience of “American Gangster”?

I should of gone to church.

I’ve wanted to be able to fly since as long as I could remember. I don’t mean flying in a aeronautical vehicle; I mean actually physics-defying flying. To be able to fly is like complete physical freedom: no limitations, no cages, no restraints. just the freedom to soar, to glide, spiral, dip and loop-d-loop.

Of course, you would have to watch out for airliners, birds, large bugs, and the occasional experimental, top-secret government aircraft. So you’d need ‘invulnerability’ in order not to get hurt too bad when coming across these air-bound objects. But then, since your invulnerability combined with your speed in the air might damage an airliner full of passengers should you actually collide, you’d probably need super-strength to carry the plane to a safe landing.

But then, having the powers of flight, invulnerability, and super-strength, you’d totally need some sort of comfortable outfit for your feats of flying and saving planes. Something that doesn’t need too much washing, preferably made from indestructible, alien material and is brightly-colored, easily recognizable from afar. You’d probably have to wear some sort of plain-clothes disguise as well while you’re doing your normal run-of-the-mill stuff like getting a coffee or bagel - this would probably something like a hat and/or glasses, because you couldn’t walk around all the time as your super-self. It could get really annoying being all mobbed every where you go, especially if they’ve spotted you in the sky, flying around in your brightly colored suit, saving planes and stuff.

So after all that, you’d most definitely find yourself in the role of the “guy who should come to rescue when no one else can because he’s got super powers”. And you’d end doing a lot of dangerous things, and of course, there’ll always be some wacko genius that got their experiment destroyed during one of your superhero savior spectacles, and they’d get all embittered by their loss because of you. Perhaps as a result of this, they’d get mutated and/or enhanced by the destruction of their experiment, so then you’d have a super-villain thing on your hands, on top of saving the world.

This super-genius villain would make a life’s mission to find your weakness and then always use it to the advantage of his nefarious schemes.

Oh and forget about the whole ‘falling in love’ with that spunky co-worker or friend of yours, because once your arch-nemesis finds out who that is, you may as well start picking out her casket if you’re gonna start saving the world and entering into a courtship.

and then family?? holy heck, you’d constantly be worried that the super-villain was gonna mess with them.

crud. you know what? forget flying. I’m good with being average and mild-mannered.

“…Christians that aren’t fundamentalists are just metaphysical tourists that are only in it for the weekend barbecues and cut-price child day care. Simply put, if you’re not a fundamentalist then you’re not really religious. You either believe it or you don’t. Even fuzzy logic doesn’t cut the mustard because the purported rewards and punishments these religions will promise you are not planned to be dealt out on the basis that you 67% believed in the Holy Spirit. Nor will Satan let you off lightly with a roasting in aisle B of the 3rd level of Hell if you refused to commit murder in 9 out of ten opportunities. It’s in the very core of this dogma that you’re either in boots and all, or you’re out, and you don’t want to be out. …”
~ An excerpt of a comment made by OzJuggler on an article at kuro5hin.org

OzJuggler is not a christian, he’s an atheist. I don’t completely agree with OzJuggler, but there is truth in what he says. A lot of religious folks, let’s say Christians for the sake of example, are afraid of being classified as or associated with the term “Fundamentalist”. And at least here in California, people tend not to like Fundamentalists, regardless of the religion. Even my cousin apologized for referring to me as a ‘fundamentalist christian’ once, while we were having a conversation. It went something like “…oh curse those stupid fundamentalist christians. oh, not that you would be one, I didn’t mean that. I apologize. I know you’re not like that.”

I have two thoughts about what my cousin said. ONE: It’s funny that she thinks I’m not a “fundie”. I mean, she’s known me all of her life, and she knows what I stand for, morally, politically, etc. I should be a fundie to her because I’m fundamentally opposed to most of her moral-sociopolitical views. (In some ways, I could be a threatening(or sadly deluded) fundamentalist to her — the kind who is intelligent and functional in society yet still believes in an invisible creator-god, and bases life on a centuries-old Book written and compiled by multiple authors over a span of 1500 years or so, which are supposed to be the words of this creator-god.)

TWO: This may sound weird, but I feel a bit ashamed that she didn’t associate me with fundamentalist Christianity. Because, this is my point I think, “fundamentalism” in Christianity should literally mean Biblical Christianity — doing it like Jesus did. Not the passive buddha copy that so many think Jesus was, but the real Jesus, the dude who whipped the hustlers outta the temple; the dude who used spit and mud to heal a blind man; the dude who loved someone so much that he actually let the person make the choice to leave and be lost; the Jesus whose first words recorded were “CHANGE!(Repent) For the kingdom of God is at hand!“. The Man who actively pursued his mission and took on a horrible physical torture and death, and yes, ultimately, raised himself from the dead.

Of course the fundamentalism stuff also has some bad connotation to it. Blowing up abortion clinics, bashing homosexuals in word and deed, and general hatred. As with any group or religion, there are always the really bad eggs that seem to spoil the bunch. If Jesus and his followers were around today, would they be doing what a lot of those bad fundamentalists are doing? Based on the historical writings, which are all we have to go by, I’d say NO. They would, however, be offending many, that’s for sure.

Eniguey, I’ve never cared much for labels, and I don’t care if you call me a fundie, a bigot, a commie, a fascist, a conservative, a nazi, a christian, a fool, or narrow-minded. Nothing really hurts my feelings, honestly. But I do understand the importance of words, labels and categories. Humans seem to need them, it keeps things tidy, I guess. So it may be easier not to analyze, investigate, or think in general, simply throwing folks you don’t agree with into tidy little labelled categories. I get that. Sure, go ahead and continue using the labels, but I say, no matter your background or philosophy, just Think. Please.

All I really care about is living how Jesus and his early followers (the ones who wrote the new testament) would want me to live today. No, things don’t always go right, and boy, do I have to lot to work on (temper, anyone? sorry KION/KCBA), and yes, there are many people who won’t like me or other christians, but that’s just the way it is. The Dude said it would be that way.

“…You will be hated for my namesake… They will persecute you.”
~ Jesus Christ.

So, when I come across comments like OzJuggler’s or my cousin’s, it reminds what this Christian thing is supposed to be about. In a sense, OzJuggler is right: there is no middle ground. You’re either In or Out. You believe or you don’t. There must be a fundamental agreement with the cause, religion, teaching, faith, and your mind. You cannot take some of this and some of that. In any religion, it should be all or nothing(or something else).

At least in the JudeaoChristianMuslim religions, we’re not being judged on a curve. it’s a pass/fail test really. You either did your best to follow or you didn’t. You did what Jesus said to do, or you didn’t. You’re either fully devoted to Allah or not. You either followed God’s commandments or not.

Because in the end, you only have two options: Up or Down.

The poster is supposedly a “distinctive” play on the famous Leonardo painting “The Last Supper”, but instead of Jesus and his twelve disciples, it features well-known, sado-masochistic, leather fetish members of the community.

To clear the whole blasphemy cry off the table: the poster probably doesn’t offend God. Ask Him. Perhaps the lifestyle and choices the poster/week/festival promote offend Him, but not the poster itself. It’s merely a crappy photo made by a puny human being. This supposedly original and clever poster is only really mocking Leonardo da Vinci. And based on some historians’ accounts, I’m not sure he’d mind all that much anyway. *wink *wink.

Anyway, it’s interesting to note that it’s partially funded by a hotel tax on San Franciscans.

The subculture of society that the Folsom Street Fair celebrates is not an ethnic group or a religious group, it is a group of people who share similar tastes and preferences regarding sexuality. This is how the money is justified. The Fair and the Week are considered celebrations of art and diversity.

Really? Do fetishes count as art and culture?

This year, the official poster uses well-known community members as players in an innovative version of the culturally iconographic “Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci.
~ Folsom Street Fair

I think it’s funny when people think they’re innovative when they rip off a famous work of art.

Related Articles Online:
Here and here

“We don’t care about the home that’s our Earth and now the planet is getting angry with us and making hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, tidal waves,” he said. “I think the planet is getting sick and tired of us and it wants to eliminate us now. It’s a fight.

“We want to destroy the Earth and the Earth wants to eliminate us, and I hope the Earth wins.”

What!?

Because there is neither metaphor nor poetic personification of the earth in his statement, I just think Jorge Cotardo (source of the quote and singer of Sektor Core) sounds a bit retarded.

I mean, c’mon… He just said that in this supposed battle between humanity and the earth, he actually hopes that humanity loses, that we are eliminated.

Rather than being a backstabbing traitor in the ranks, why not fight for the greater good in favor of the earth’s survival - at least for our own sake? We need the earth to survive, so yes, we should definitely try to keep it clean and preserve it because our survival depends on it.

And on top of that, it sounds like an excuse to continue to treat the earth like crap, while adopting a self-destructive mentality.

or… simply retarded.

Now that sounds kind of rude, seeing as how I’ve never met him or heard his band’s music, but I suppose his opinion is just as good as mine, right?

> Read the quote within the context of the article in Ink - 9/6/2007

This stuff needs some editing as it’s a big mess of pasted stuff and a lot of it is duplicate.

“Why grab possessions like thieves, or divide them like socialists, when you can ignore them like wise men?”
~ Natalie Clifford Barney

God, make me a billionaire so I can give it all away…

i live in the country of California. although i love to draw and paint, i do not get to do that for a living. i’m a son to Tina. a brother to Felisha & Michael. blood to Los Olivérez. fellow saint in the household of faith. and a friend to all. i’m a Global Web Content Specialist. i studied filmmaking. i get to write my opinions about movies in ink and moviebabbling. i like coffee. i like superman. i wish i could fly, or at least walk around with a red cape without anyone making fun of me. i’d like to be a billionaire one day so i can give it all away, helping fund local charities, shelters, kitchens, families, etc., including the Dream Center and aide to medical and missionary work in suffering areas of the world; for now i must settle for giving what i have now - “faithful in the small, faithful in the big”. i wish i could act in movies or theatre. i would like to some day direct a movie. i’d also like to be a cinematographer, working in HD. i like cheez-its. and spoken word performance. but not necessarily together. I am not fond of netiquette chat abbreviations ike LOL or LOMSECIPFREELYX. i really don’t like computers. i like reading about religion and culture. i like guitar and trying to play it. i love ping-pong but don’t have anyone to play with. i like some other stuff that might make you think i’m cooler than i really am.

GENERAL INTEREST IN
art, design, movies and filmmaking, cinematography, acting, street art, urban design and fashion, bible, christianity, religions and philosophy, sociological stuff, comedy and humour, web and graphic design, superman, ping-pong, baseball, and that’s pretty much all there is to it. that’s me, the end.

INSPIRATION
el greco, jan van eyeck, m. night shyamalan, michelangelo, caravaggio, keith harring, jackson pollock, vasquez, bill watterson, banksy, selflessness, matthew libatique, japanese paintings, watercolour paintings, greco-roman architecture, early christian art, roger deakins, robert richardson, tak fujimoto, casablanca, macario, eternal sunshine, triplets of belleville, images of the archetypal ‘mexican’ woman in ads and posters, golden age mexican cinema and some new wave, black and white cinematography, tim burton, alfred hitchcock, orson welles, darren arronofsky, christopher nolan, joel and ethan coen, rich colours and textures, justin bua, moving and handheld camera work(in movies), stylish fashion with a sense of practicality and comfort, and other stuff.

HEROES
There are bajillions of people today and throughout history who’ve done selfless, heroic things. Those who put God, their families and communities before themselves are heroes to me. But if we’re talking specific word-association: my Mom (no man or woman impresses me more than she), David (the shepherd-king of Israel), and Superman (Man of Steel) come to mind.

+ Wait a minute.
- Everyone says that. But I don’t grant any reprieves.
~ Det Sjunde inseglet

MOVIES
The Fountain, the Passion of Joan of Arc, Macario, El Laberinto del Fauno, Unbreakable, Matrix(pt1), il Postino, Angelitos Negros (1948), Memento, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Chocolat, Requiem for a Dream, Citizen Kane, Habla Con Ella, Le Fils, The Return, Collateral, Kundun, Lola rennt, Napoleon Dynamite, Truman Show, La Cité des enfants perdus, Christopher Guest’s movies, La Vita e Bella, The Sound of Music, minority report, Strangers on a Train, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Harvey, magnolia, crash(2005), voces inocentes….

TV
4 8 15 16 23 42. heroes. smallville. ugly betty. interesting stuff like animals, food, and cartoons.

MUSIC
stuff that sounds nice to me. i don’t know much about popular musicians, bands, genres, or the wannabe-obscure re-hash of a band on your tshirt.

BOOKS
i read stuff that interests me, not what the fools, the thinkers, the revolutionaries, the washed and unwashed masses, the unspoken for, the spoken for, you, They, or Oprah tells me to read. and i won’t try to impress you by dropping titles and authors like i care if anyone thinks i’m well-read or not :)

in other words: i don’t read much. i like to read about art history and criticism, urban art, street art, fashion illustration, cinematography and filmmaking, philosophy, christianity and theology, world religions, origins of life and Big Questions stuff, cultural/social/ethical stuff, other stuff…

i read much fiction, except for maybe some comic strips and short stories. Check out Calvin & Hobbes, Stuff Sucks, or Bone.

The End. for real.

about efrain

cartoonist, illustrator, artist, designer, redundant.

art: drawing, painting, design, galleries, crafty stuff, urban design, fashion.

film & video: watching movies, filmmaking, cinematography, criticism, camera and editing

food: i like to eat. italian, indian, and ‘mediterranean’

I like coffee, cartoons, superman, denzel washington, learning about relgions and philosophy, spoken word performance, open mike nights that don’t suck, helping people with web, graphics, and video, good comedy with an appreciation for words and a sharp wit.

I think I like the outdoors and beaches even though I don’t often get the chance to enjoy those things. I’d go skating and/or ice skating all the time, if I had, well… more time.

i’m a boy. i’m 26. i live in the country of California.

although i love to draw and paint, i do not get to do that for a living.

i work as a web content specialist for Trend Micro, and occasionally moonlight as an artist and movie critic for MovieBabbling and INK. i studied storytelling through media (TAT at CSUMB), emphasizing in filmmaking.



I’m a Christian and I love art and design, color and creation, beauty and poetry and much of what some call ‘artsy fartsy’.

i wish i could fly, or at least walk around with a red cape without anyone making fun of me. i wish i could act in movies or theatre. i would like to some day direct a movie and/or be a cinematographer, working in HD.

i like cheez-its. and spoken word performance. but not necessarily together. and don’t you hate cheezy jokes?

i really hate computers. i like reading about religion and culture. i like guitar and trying to play it. i love ping-pong but don’t have anyone to play with. i like some other stuff that might make you think i’m cooler than i really am.

i maintain a boring, neverly-updated, personal website

Kindalikesorta is my online creative media home for bloggy stuff, artwork, designs, videos, movie reviews and random musings. Lately it’s been mostly blog junk. It’s all kindalikesorta, y’know?

other likes & unlikes

i like a lot of stuff: Sunlight, life, air, warm blankets, comfortable jeans, jumbo spinach tortellini, ping-pong and ‘breakfast cereal’.

i love cereal. morning, noon, or night, in a box with a fox on the rocks — cereal is always good. i think LIFE cereal is possibly my favouritest — blissful chunks of heaven packaged in lightly-sweetened chexy squares.

i absolutely hate when i’m eating cereal and milk dribbles down my chin. it makes me so mad i want to punch whoever’s closest to me in the face. But no one is usually around cuz i’m eating in the closet, so i just bite down really hard on my spoon, hoping that i’d at least bruise my spoon’s ribs. my spoon never reacts, it just sits there, and i’m the one with my tooth chipped and fillings torn out. oh spoon, how i loathe thee.

i don’t like pleated pants, or snobby restaurant hosts, or people who insist that the proper pronunciation for ‘bruschetta’ is broo-sheddah.

i also hate it when people say “how was your weekend?” or “how are you?” as they scramble passed me in the hallways at work. Every time They do that, I want to throw hot coffee in their left eye. Why the left eye? well because it sounds cool like that girl from TLC.

my unlikes seem to have overwhelmed my likes…. oh! i like saltwater taffy being smooshed and stretched in those machines. and feta cheese. and falafels. and hummus. and baklava. what the? ‘mediterranean’ food items. that was weird.

Walking Contradiction

People, no matter how simple, ignorant, naive, intelligent, angry, shallow, or whatever….are complex. We simply cannot be described easily in an “About Me” box.

We are walking contradictions, paradoxes, miracles, simultaneously wise and foolish, at times meandering in the maze of mediocrity while striving for the high plain of peace, good will, success and all that.

in a nutshell: i’m a weak boy and a strong man. i am angry and i am nice. i am a punk and a gent. i am an artist and a hack. i’m a nerd with a desire for the suave and debonair. i am both genius and fool. i am lazy and ambitious. i am unsure and determined. i am funny and boring. i am bitter and at peace. i laugh at the supposed self-sufficient spoiled sillies, while at the same time weep at the self-imposed frustrations of my own life. i accept the things i cannot change while cursing them all along the way. i shake my fists at God while clenching them in prayer for grace. i am hip hop and classic bach. i am superman and i am stick man. i am a dirty rag at the feet of God, and i am a prince in His court. i am talented and without skill. i am knowledgeable, but know nothing. i love nature, but never stop to walk through it all. i have privilege, but no luxury. i’ve fallen seven times, only to rise again and move on. though the waves of life encompass my circle of vision, i will move on.

i am all these things and more, and yes, perhaps even less. i am efrain. hear me squeak.

i’m a son to Tina. a brother to Felisha & Michael. blood to Los Olivérez. fellow saint in the household of faith. and a friend to all.

la mia famiglia

my mother is a little woman with a voice that can shake the heavens, a hand that can move mountains, a prayer that can move the hand of God, and a look that can cut you in two. and even after all the heartache i’ve caused her, she still loves me, my brother, and sister more than anything in this world.

my sister is kindalike a wacky, more outgoing, punk version of my mum. she thinks she’s big and bad, but she’ll always be my little sister ;

My brother is a big ol’ giant little brother. he’s a Divo. haha. a singer/vocalist and musician.

as far back as I can remember…

I always wanted to be a gangster. Okay not really, but since I was about two years old, I’ve loved to draw, paint, and do creative stuff. Cartoons after school and on Saturday mornings have a special place in my heart, inspiring much of my doodling throughout the years. But like all artists, my artistic enrichment comes from the work of many sources — from the frescoes of the Renaissance to Banksy’s bold commentary to the inimitable beauty of God’s creation.

some artistic inspiration

el greco, jan van eyeck, m. night shyamalan, michelangelo, caravaggio, keith harring, jackson pollock, frank lloyd wright, vasquez, bill watterson, matthew libatique, japanese paintings, clean watercolour paintings, greco-roman architecture, early christian art and imagery, nature, beautiful cinematography and photography, tim burton, alfred hitchcock, orson welles, darren arronofsky, joel and ethan coen, rich colours and lighting, justin bua, moving and handheld camera work(in movies), and other stuff.

heroes //

There are bajillions of people today and throughout history who’ve done selfless, heroic things. Those who put God, their families and communities before themselves are heroes to me. But if we’re talking specific word-association: my Mom (no man or woman impresses me more than she), David (the shepherd-king of Israel), and Superman (Man of Steel) come to mind.

movies //

+ Wait a minute.
- Everyone says that. But I don’t grant any reprieves.
~ Det Sjunde inseglet

The Fountain, the Passion of Joan of Arc, Macario, El Laberinto del Fauno, Unbreakable, Matrix(pt1), il Postino, Angelitos Negros (1948), Memento, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Chocolat, Requiem for a Dream, Citizen Kane, Habla Con Ella, Le Fils, The Return, Collateral, Kundun, Lola rennt, Napoleon Dynamite, Truman Show, La Cité des enfants perdus, Christopher Guest’s movies, La Vita e Bella, The Sound of Music, minority report, Strangers on a Train, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Harvey, magnolia, crash(2005), voces inocentes.

tv //

4 8 15 16 23 42. heroes. smallville. ugly betty. interesting stuff like animals, food, and cartoons.

music //

stuff that sounds nice to me. i don’t know much about popular musicians, bands, genres, or the wannabe-obscure re-hash of a band on your tshirt.

books //

i read stuff that interests me: art history and criticism, urban art, street art, fashion illustration, cinematography and filmmaking, philosophy, christianity and theology, world religions, origins of life and Big Questions stuff, cultural/social/ethical stuff, other stuff.

i don’t read much fiction. but i do like to read some comic strips and short stories. Check out Calvin & Hobbes, Stuff Sucks, or Bone. I recently read “Leaper” by Geoffrey Wood - that was an awesome book.

that’s pretty much all there is to me, the end.

since i’ve basically summarized my entire being in these boxes, you need not ever meet me or contact me as there is nothing more to know. :p

First up: there is no such thing as ‘de-caffeinated’ coffee. most ‘decaff’ roasts still have about 3% caffeine in them. With some, as low as 1% caffeine. That’s the lowest I’ve seen at the moment (Estate Roasting Co. in Monterey).

So, really, when people are like “oh no, I can’t have caffeine, I’m allergic…just gimme a decaff”, I hope you start choking with allergic reaction because there’s still caffeine in that cuppa joe I just gave you.

Second up: I understand that maybe sometimes people just don’t want the buzz, and they just want the taste of coffee. I can relate.   Caffeinated or not, I like the taste of coffee. Caffeine doesn’t make much a difference to me.

I have to mention that i’m not addicted, and don’t need it every morning. I just love that coffee bean taste whether it’s in a latte or a regular cup of coffee.

So now that I think about it, I think I just convinced myself of a reason as to why people order decaff coffee: they could simply enjoy the lovely taste of the coffee bean without worrying that the caffeine gonna mess’em up good.

never mind.