I found this photo just randomly when I was using Stumbleupon.  I like it and thought my blog would be a good place to store and share it.

The second image i found as someone’s header on their blog.  Its a compilation of a wide variety of their photos.  I like the retro photo style.  My friend has a helga camera that takes some similar style shots.  I might steal their idea and use some of my own photos for this blog.

a pretty cool ad for NBA TV.   i really like the use of old footage and highlights mixed in with newer clips.

Whenever I’m watching a game with friends and this ad comes on, everyone stops and watches.  Sports fans love retro highlights, dramatic music, and a wide variety of players.  This ad holds a fans attention very well, making me curious what they’re advertising for.

Spalding does this well too.

multiple players, old and new, quick transitions, and an unknown company behind it all.  I like the ad and it holds my attention as well.  I also really like getting to see a bit of each player’s personality when they’re at the line.

Lastly, here’s a cool MJ ad i stumbled onto. (it takes a few seconds to get started).

I’m in the middle of a six hour layover in San Francisco’s International Airport. I’m on my way home to Singapore for winter break. I flew from Portland to San Fran at 4 pm. My flight arrived a little after six. Now I’m waiting til midnight to fly to Hong Kong and then I fly from Hong Kong to Singapore. I thought I was used to this trip but this is pretty brutal. At least I’m on Singapore Airlines. Sing Air is guaranteed to have personal tv’s and food that is a step up above United or Northwest.

When I got in to San Fran, I walked almost directly to security and to the International Terminal. Big mistake on my part. Once I got into the International Terminal there was no turning back. This branch is acceptable if you have tons of cash and maybe a 2 hour wait. Being a college student with a six hour layover isn’t exactly ideal in this location. There are about three restaurants, averaging $10 per entre. I asked how much the 12 oz bottle of water was at the deli…$3.99.

In Portland I was a responsible traveler, getting to the airport 2 hours before my International journey. That being said, I had some time to wait before boarding. PDX, being the great airport it is, had free Wifi and I was happy as a clam for my hour and a half. Not surprisingly, San Francisco Int’l has wireless internet that operates through T-Mobile and you guessed it, they charge you. I might sound like a stingy complainer, but what reasonable 21 year-old can survive in this place?

It was a really nice view coming in to land in San Fran, seeing the golden gate bridge and the whole bay. We land right by the water and I was feeling very content. Now I can’t wait to get the hell out of here. I feel like Tom Hanks from The Terminal.

19 more hours of flying and probably 24 hours til I land in the wonderful island of Singapore. Tiger one, uncle.

PS both Hong Kong and Singapore had free Wi Fi. boo san fran

So i went to the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, over thanksgiving break. Not a bad movie by the way. I didn’t really hear great reviews from my friends but I liked the movie. Regardless, I’m writing about it because I really liked the opening credits and the art/graphics involved. I’ve been really interested in the creative aspect of art lately. How people come up with ideas, the brainstorming process. I think its all pretty interesting and fun to be a part of. As i watched the James Bond silhouette walk across a desert, i thought to myself, who thinks of this? This bond movie has nothing to do with a desert but it still was a very cool intro and fun to watch. Check it out:

Another site got me thinking about art and digital media. This is a site rating the latest top movie posters. Looks like they would be fun to think of and make. I’m thinking about taking a digital art workshop or some sort of art class soon because of this.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/19/40-exquisite-independent-film-posters/

haven’t been on here in a while, felt like it was time.

I am back in eugene, the second week of school is underway and I’m loving life.

in this post i’m gonna talk about my summer concerts.

I was lucky enough to go to 5 concerts this summer and spend only around 150 dollars. I started off seeing The Wailers at the crystal ballroom in portland. I went with my buddi Rossi and it was his first show. I enjoyed experiencing the excitement of someone’s first concert. I remember my first concert vividly and I hope I can take other people in the future. Needless to say, Bob Marley was not the lead singer but instead they had a rasta’d out white guy from LA named Elan Atias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elan_Atias). Being a Bob Marley fan I was singing along to every song and loving every minute. It was my favorite show of the summer and I will definitely go the next time theyre in town.

the second show was Matisyahu at the Zoo in portland. Matis was cool, the venue was awesome. Unfortunately the crowd was a little too laid back and my friends just wanted to chill, sitting down on the lawn. I had a good time but it could’ve been better. Still love matisyahu.

Third show was Jack Johnson in St. Helens, Oregon. The concert was outdoor, somewhat like one stage at woodstock would be like. Huge grassy area and 20,000 people. We were about 8 rows back. Went with two close friends (scott r and ronnie b). Had so much fun and I’d been dying to see Jack since i started listening to him a couple years ago. He was extremely laid back. He came out with shoes on, said it was the first show he’d worn shoes in a while, and 30 minutes later he was barefoot haha. i’m not ashamed to say i’m a fan of jack johnson and i would definitely go to another one of his shows.

the fourth show was a rap concert at the Roseland Theatre, part of Music Fest Northwest. The bill included King Cool Nuts, The Cool Kids, and Del tha funky homosapien. King Cool nuts was alright, i heard he opens for a lot of big rappers that come to oregon. The Cool Kids actually impressed me a lot. I liked their style and presence on stage. I actually downloaded their album and i’m still listening to it. Del was alright, I only knew a couple of his songs but the show was worth goin overall.

finally, the last show i saw this summer was Common and N.E.R.D. This one was in eugene and cuthbert amphitheater. I went with a bigger group of friends this time. I had seen N.E.R.D during Kanye West’s Glow in the Dark Tour. Once again, they didnt dissapoint. Tons of energy, had me jumpin the whole time and even crazier was the fact my friend JP got on stage and danced with Pharrel. check out the youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAayY-g-r08

Common came on second. I’ve listened to common for a couple years now and had my hopes up. He performed well but his stage presence just seemed a little forced at times. He had awkward conversations with girls, trying to sweet talk them and seem smooth but it just came off forced. still like common, just not quite as much.

An overall great summer concert series, i encourage you all to get out there and go to concerts, the rush I get during a good song is almost unbeatable.

oregon’s football season opener was this saturday against the Washington Huskies. i went down to eugene for the weekend and had a great time. my body hates me and i’m exhausted but it was all worth it.

RB jeremiah johnson

the ducks are starting the season in what i think is a building year. we aren’t necessarily a team loaded with veterans at the key positions, looking to win it all. I see us as a team with a lot of youth, looking for some players to step up. from what i saw saturday night, the ducks are heading in the right direction so far.

as everyone knows, oregon’s quarterback slot is up for grabs. Justin Roper started the game. He was solid but not incredible. He threw a pick and came out early after a concussion. Masoli came in and impressed many in attendance. I thought he was solid but not that special. He was pretty mobile and accurate, wont turn it over. he’ll be good at holding a lead but i dont see him as the spark we need. 4 Star freshman QB Chris Harper came off the bench running for 60 yards and 1 TD, throwing zero passes in freshman Tebow-esque fashion. everyone in the crowd, myself included, was excited to watch harper in action, i hope he can show us some consistent passing and move to be that dominant #1, but this might just be a building year for Mr. Harper. speaking of running quarterbacks, jake locker is very impressive physically. I’d be watching, convinced he was thinking pass, and then he would take off, gaining 15 yards out of nothing. He didn’t amaze me with passing yards, but he doesn’t have much to work with either.

At running back Oregon has jeremiah johnson who played phenomenally with 125 yards and 2 TD’s. LaGarret Blount will be coming off the bench as the second half of oregon’s running committee. he runs like a monster, refusing to go down, and was impressive in oregon’s spring game. i’m a little concerned about oregon’s wide outs. we have the bumbling jaison williams (who again dropped another perfect pass down field). at 6′5, 240 he’s capable of being a monster but all that potential goes to waste if he cant catch the ball. our secondary is my favorite part of this years team so far. the ducks were lucky to have the hard-hitting Patrick Chung return for his senior year. Corners Jairus Byrd and Walter Thurmond III are in the top tier of college corners in the nation. Byrd impressed me even more with his closing speed and on top of his abilities at cornerback, he’s returning punts too this year! check out this years Herbie awards to see some love for our secondary, offensive coordinator, WR Jamere Holland, and our student section woo!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview08/news/story?id=3548678

on a more serious note, Oregon sophomore football player Todd Doxey passed away this summer. patrick chung wore his number 29 in memory. a different oregon player will wear 29 each game. here’s a link to read more about the late Todd Doxey

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=845128

sunday the 24th was the fourth and final day of the AST Dew Tour’s stop in Portland, Oregon. i worked all summer as a street team intern, promoting the event throughout Portland and at various events in Oregon. after all the hours leading into it, I was excited to see the final product.

during the actual Dew Tour, i worked in helping the Action Zone. The Action Zone was a ticket people could buy for $100 per day or $250 for the entire weekend. With this, they were let into the events early, were given a tour, received a free hat and a magazine subscription. During the tours they were also given access to walking on site at each of the venues, walking side by side with the likes of Dave Mirra and Chaz Ortiz. Helping lead the tours were some of my favorite parts of the Dew Tour. It was fun talking with the various guides and chatting with the Action Zone crowd about their favorite dew tour athletes.

now that its over i’m now helping out with final recap work, compiling an overall hit list of places we distributed collateral to. I will then help out with other work done by Oregon Sports Authority, including work on their campaign to bring MLS to Portland.

so a little about what I’m doing this summer.

my first job is an internship through the Oregon Sports Authority (http://www.oregonsports.org/). I am part of a team of interns, currently focusing on promoting the AST Dew Tour (http://www.ast.com/). So far we have been distributing posters and flyers to skate shops across Portland and getting involved in extreme sports events as well. For example, last weekend I worked at a booth at a wakeboard competition, handing out fliers and spreading the word about the Dew Tour. It was good experience for creating a personal relationship with customers and learning how to effectively get someone’s attention and maintain a conversation about the event. I had a good time and saw myself improve as the day went on.

My second job is working part-time at the Nike Employee Store in Beaverton. My title is a “seasonal sales associate”. My training starts on monday, i’m looking forward to it. I’m really glad to get my foot in the door with Nike, hoping to stay with it and work my way up.

Should be a busy summer working two jobs but it’ll be good experience.

Here’s a preview of this year’s skate vert competition at the AST Dew Tour (http://video.astdewtour.com/player/?id=145544#videoid=258238)

i moved out (for the summer) on friday the 13th. spent two nights in salem. on monday i flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico to visit my grandparents. It was good to see them and I had some great, authentic mexican food too. after 5 days I flew back to portland. stayed a night in salem, followed by two nights at a friends’ house in portland. worked during the day and hung out at night. so far I’ve had a sleeping bag and a couch/air mattress for 7 of the last 9 nights. i’d wake up for work at 7:30 on my buddy’s couch with my contacts still in and no toothbrush nearby. as one of my friends would say, my life was in shambles.

i’m complaining about living out of a suitcase… on the other hand, i love traveling and experiencing different places. i appreciate the spontaneous backpacker lifestyle, given thats what i ask for. I’d love to do a trip across europe, backpacking and staying in hostels. ya, it sounds like a cliche college trip but it would be a great way to see a lot of countries and cultures on a smaller budget with a smaller time frame. hopefully soon after i graduate.