Air-Sex, another great Japanese discovery.

Dudes! Air Guitars are so Passé…It is now time for AIR-SEX! Viva la revolucion!

Cant get a girlfriend? Need to practice your women pleasing etiquettes? Need to get in shape but in a truly fun and stimulating manner?

Air-Sex will solve your woes!

“Air sex was originally invented by guys who couldn’t get girlfriends, but desperately want to have sex,” J-Taro Sugisaku, the self-professed creator of air sex, tells Weekly Playboy.

-Mainichi Daily News

As interesting as this is, I highly doubt I’d perform such an act in public, much less admit to doing it.

Source
Japan’s air sex world champion licks himself into (Daily Mainichi News)

Internet Disease, defined and explained.

The original Internet Disease.

What is Internet Disease?

“Displaying old, faded, blurred or otherwise non-descript photographs of oneself, taken with bad lighting and at awkward angles, on the Internets in order to make you appear more attractive to people online than you are IRL (In Real Life). Internet disease was invented in 1998 by Natsuki, a Jap living in Michigan at the time.”

-Internet Disease, Encyclopedia Dramatica

Internet Disease: How it works.

I dont remember how I stumbled across the picture above but I’d like to give my 2 cents concerning it.

To be honest, I am not surprised at the fact that there are people who be so vain as in trying to ‘project’ themselves in a much better light than they really are in reality but am truly surprised at the fact that this sort of phenomena has its own definition.

Considering the fact that these said definers of the Encyclopedia Dramatica, who used to be contributers to wikipedia (but were later banned) does show that these writers definitely know their stuff.

I mean, who am I to doubt them, correct?

I find it amusing to note that they’ve not only defined this phenomena but have also managed to explain the techniques and methods used in creating these ‘greatly improved’ pictures of themselves.

Kind of weird as to what you can actually find on the internets, no?

Anyhow, if you are uncertain whether or not you, a friend or a loved one is suffering from Internet Disease, here’s a chart detailing the many variations of the disease.

The many types of known Internet Diseases.

In closing, all I have to say is, “God, save the human race…and the internets, please.“

Source
Internet Disease (Encyclopedia Dramatica)

Powers of Ten

Powers of Ten (1977)

Just another quick post here.

I’ve got a few write-ups in the pipe but anyway, I recently discovered that YouTube was hosting this very interesting documentary concerning the relative size of things in the universe, as noted in my one of my earlier posts.

Anyhow, enjoy the show.

I do hope you’ll have a mind-blowing experience as I had when I first saw it.

Links
Powers of Ten (YouTube)
Powers of Ten Review (IMDB)

MI-24 HIND

The Russian made, Mi-24P Hind-F.

Posted because Russian Military hardware is cool looking and extremely practical. Who would have thought that a gunship could actually double as a troop carrier and still be able to kick such major ass on its targets?
Plus, this photograph to me is beautiful.

‘Nuff Said!

Source
Mil Mi-24 (Wikipedia)

My Sunday spent on Floor 23

Floor 23. Dun, Dun, Dun!
/cue foreboding background music

For those who have been following my entries, you would have known that I was involved in a private photo shoot as organized by my brother on the 17th of September. I was tasked with assisting him with his lighting equipment, which in layman terms meant, moving lighting stands all over the place. =(

Still, what’s there to hate about the shoot right?

Seeing that there’s a beautiful young model hired for a day’s worth of shooting, make-up artists doing the model’s hair and, duh, make-up, other excited lighting assistants who volunteered their time for the day, a couture based theme of shooting/modeling, some somewhat heavy-duty lighting equipment, all set in a wonderful shoot location that was recently completed and has not been opened to the public as of yet.

With all this shot on the 23rd floor of one of the tallest buildings in my village.

So yeah, what’s there to hate, right?

On paper, it definitely sounds intriguing, no doubt. I am sure that everyone who thinks of a fashion and glamour shoot starts imagining a super cool and exciting environment that’s all artsy fartsy in all its intrepid notions.

To be honest, I was so bored to death that I had actually contemplated the question of how much of my bodily matter would spread across the pavement had I decided to jump from the 23rd floor, just to end it all.

Ok, Ok, I was just exaggerating back there but really! It was truly a MEGA-BORE to have been a participant there! In actual fact, the assistants that were there were more than enough for the ‘lighting equipment’. This meant that I spent most of the shoot just loitering around and just observing the ho-humness of it all.

I was also told that I wasnt allowed to bring my own camera to the shoot. The actual reasoning as to why I would want to bring my camera was to conduct a semi-documentary or a “behind the scenes” collection of shots of the actual shoot that day. I guess my brother was worried that I was trying to muscle his model away from him during the shoot but to be honest, I am not terribly interested in the fashion and glamour genre. Maybe in the future I would but as it currently stands, it just makes me yawn the loudest of yawns.

Anyhow, I spent most of the day shooting with my camera phone, which is a Motorola V360, as you can see from the pictures attached to this post. I must admit that the camera resolution in this phone sucks major ass but still, I wasnt shooting for the sake of actual keepers and such.

The primary objective was to conduct my cheesy “Fun with perspectives” shoot, as the day dragged on.

The objective of my shoot was simple enough. Capturing images from the oddest of angles and trying my best in maintaining proper composition and framing. To be honest, I had wanted to conduct my “Fun with perspectives” shoot for quite sometime now, after having glanced at some photographs from *questionable* resources.

*Ahem*

I will elaborate on those sources in another update in the future. A post that I’ve been meaning to post for quite sometime now but have no idea as to how I should eloquently word it.

Anyway, please enjoy viewing my cheesy set that was derived from that day. It was really fun actually, shooting with a camera phone. I just shot and deleted like mad and just basically tried stuffing my cell phone in the weirdest of places. All this in hopes of getting something reasonably cool.

 

 

Now, let us look at my shots.

This was the shot that started it all. I was so bored that even the excitement on the television could not even get me pumped up for the day. And YES, I did root for Philly’s team.

This shot was the view from the coffee table in the room. That pillow you see on the glass table was the only thing that comforted me during my moments of extreme boredom, which ended up with me mashing my face against it as I slept. =(

This was the view from the television, in relation to the location in which I plopped my head as I laid in sorrow with my ‘best friend for the day’ pillow.

Shot from the same location as the previous shot, just at a much weirder perspective. Good times!

This was one of the first shots that I liked, seeing that it has this sort of David Lynch sort of vibe. I am now somewhat reminded of a line that goes like this, “Wrapped in plastic”…I dont know why. =(

Not long after the first few initial volleys, I developed a fetish for the furniture in the living room and tried to shoot those said items in the most compromising of positions. I like teases. =D

Not long after that, I too developed a fetish for the glass table situated in the same room. Such sexy curves…Oh, how naughty you were! Yes! Yes!

Having exhausted all the fun the in the living room, I proceeded into the bedroom and was greeted with this extremely underwhelming view. Hey look! Everything below me is somewhat smallz! LOLZ! *Narf*

Underneath the window that housed that *wondeful* view, I found something that was shockingly familiar to me. =( Too bad my actual camera wasnt there that day. The poor Nikon D70 in this picture was actually under-utilized by its owner for the whole day. That poor D70. =’(

Soon, I too discovered the evil secret of the womens in tempting us men with their beauty and splendors! I had found…PANDORA’S BOX AND OH MY GOD IT WAS OPEN!!! Then again, why does Pandora’s Box contains marker pens and detached eye lashes?! Hmmm…OH THE HORROR!!

Another look at PANDORA’S BOX. THESE ARE TRULY THE ITEMS FOR THE CREATION OF THE APOCALYPSE!! FEAR, HUMANS! You saw it here first!

Wow! Calligraphy brushes! Awesome cool!

Warning: None of the items in this picture are edible or consumable. Darn… =(

Tools of the trade.

Hey look! I am trying to be artsy fartsy! *Snort* *Snort* KISS ME NOW YOU F00S!!

Note: Prolonged exposures to Chemical-X may result in the growth of 5 additional fingers on one’s hand or cause double-vision. Either way, you are completely screwed, buddy. Have a nice day, dumb ass!

Chrome Dome Syndrome. Yeah, I talking to you Shredder and Krang…

Hey ma look! It is the elevators of Floor 23 reflected on the chrome surface of a number 23 that’s directing the occupants to their room! <(^o^)> PURI! PURI! PURURURIN!

 

And this concludes this unusual entry. This represents probably half of what I shot that day and probably is sufficient for the readers here, seeing that I do not want to cause any brain damage to occur from the viewing of the other shots.

Have a good one, folks!

 

Don’t ask. I don’t know either.

1:53AM…

That dame was something.

Even though she looked like an angel, she sure as hell took me for a ride.

A ride to hell.
Angels going to hell.
Angels that took me to hell.

In many ways she reminded me of myself when I was so naively clinging to my idealism of a perfect world. Worlds that do not have sadness in their dictionaries. Worlds that do not suffer. Worlds that exist only in one’s wildest dreams.

Would string theory solve all my woes?

Yet let us not forget.

Damn, that dame was really something.

Now please forgive me at my poor attempt at noir. With me forgiven (I hope), let me surmise my plight and reasoning as to this short entry.

I awoke in the middle of the night, surprised at the effects of nicotine disrupting one’s rest cycle. It has been 2 weeks since I’ve been awaken at this obscene hour. I know I should be sleeping right now, for I am to assist in a photo shoot in the next 10 hours. It will indeed be an ardous shoot, for it is projected to last about 8 hours with me lugging the lighting equipment and such. I look forward in partaking in this event but truly wished I were asleep now rather than spending my time writing this.

Yet there are various thoughts that are going through my head right now. Various thoughts that I want to consider and validate. I’ll just suppress them for now…let those thoughts simmer and boil in the melting pot of my mind until they are ready to be consumed.

Though I would like to mention the one thing that I find disturbing. Disturbing in a sense that even I would ask myself such a thing.

“Who am I?”

I ask myself over and over again. The answers that I’ve given thus far have not satisfied me. So I ask myself again.

“Who am I?”

Until I can truly give a proper answer.

“Who am I?”

To which I will continue asking, lest I ask in response,

“Who are you, asshole?”

Awesome cool Ring-esque pbase gallery!

Lawrence Ripsher’s - The Forgotten

I was rummaging through Pbase today and discovered this gallery as I was doing some research for techniques on action photography. All I have to say about this gallery is, it was actually quite breathtaking to view these photographs that have been composed in a sequential ordering as to frame a narrative along with it.

Awesome shots. To be honest, the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the above photograph was, The Ring.

That alone wins a few gazillion prop points from me alone.

In my opinion, the color, the tones as well as the composition just makes it feel very surreal. To think that the concept in itself is relatively simplistic just drives home the point that photography has more to do with the artistic eye of the photographer versus the actual equipment used.

Anyway, a little digging in the EXIF data shows that he was using a Nikon D200 and a Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G AF-S, the very lens that I’ve been eyeing as one of my purchases in the future.

I will admit, the saturation and the resolution in his shots are amazing. I wonder how he managed to squeeze in so much colors from his shots. I do wonder if it has got to do with his AWB settings but I guess I will have to experiment on my own to determine if this was the case. I also noticed that he had used a high ISO setting as well as slow shutter speeds for this shoot. Interesting but not surprising seeing how the natural lighting conditions in the photographs show.

His compositional eye on the other hand is simply amazing. Every shot in his gallery evokes somekind of emotion and heightens our sense of curiousity as to the hidden meaning behind the image presented.

I also noticed that he used quite a bit of exposure compensation in these shots. Its very interesting to see its actual uses seeing that I have not really used the feature in my shoots as of yet. Interesting results, I will make note of this for my future shoots as well.

Simply put, it was a very awe-inspiring gallery. Makes me want to seek out some abandoned and rundowned locations as well.

Source
Lawrence Ripsher’s Photo Galleries (Pbase)
Lawrence Ripsher’s 2006 Collection - The Forgotten (Pbase)

Interspecies communiques with extra-terrestial beings through non-violent means with the prime objective of averting a potential flashpoint, all within my backyard with (pictures and translations) aka the Praying Mantis Apocalypse

They’ve come to suck our bodily fluids and take our scalps as trophies. The apocalypse is upon us! ULTRA-VIOLENCE!

 

 

The situation: September 10th, 2006

It all started on a a beautiful Sunday morning. I was outside my house just doing a bit of a morning cardio workout, just technically minding my own business. Wonderful morning it was indeed albeit it being extremely hot as the sun was crossing above.

It was like any other day, another simple day of rest. Then as I was taking a break from my workout, I encountered this odd creature that was scurrying across my water heater.

What’s this?

I was surprised at the sight of this newfound creature in my backyard. I was curious as to what this creature was and decided to reposition myself to get a better view of it.

As I closed in into its peripherial vision, I noticed that it seemed alarmed and somewhat surprised at my sudden appearance. I then quickly shrugged and laughed at my simplistic sense of curiousity. I quickly concluded that this creature wasnt anything that surprising or unique.

“All in all, It was just an intergalactic being from another planet.”

BAH! What a waste of time!

As I was leaving to resume my workout, I noticed that the creature was gesturing me towards it. Dumbfounded at this, I stared at the creature as it made some weird gestures with its arms. At this stage, I had no idea what it was trying to convey to me.

 

After a few minutes of observing it, I realized that it was trying to tell me something. Based on the distance I was at, let us zoom in and determine what this creature is trying to tell us.

Alas, it seems that this creature is speaking in a language much more foreign than ours. Could it be speaking Latin to us?

No, no.

It must be talking in Spanish!

Whoops! It wasnt Spanish after all!

Anyway, after much gesturing and much guessing, it was soon determined as to what it was trying to say to me. Its response surprised me and made me feel sad to the loss of pleasantries when meeting other beings for the first time. I would have guessed that it was talking about ripping hymens and such but it saddens me to hear that it actually wanted to ‘rip my #@!%ing head off‘.

I then asked, “Why would you do such a thing? I dont understand the need for you to rip my #@!%ing head off. You cant just go about doing that! It just isnt right!”, to which it quickly replied.

Oh.

That does explain everything but it still doesnt justify its cause for rudeness to start with. Before I could voice my dissatisfaction with its uncouthness earlier on, it then proceeded to start its spiel without asking me first.

Flashback backstory. Yawn…

I’ve been always told that one should always treat others as to how you’d like to be treated and seeing how rude this creature was, I decided to walk away and just ignore the silly thing. I couldnt care less if it were trying to rip my #@!%ing head off and take my scalp. It can go and find someone else’s head to #@!%ing rip off for all I care!

Yet in retrospect, with I being unsatisfied with the situation, I decided to change my interpretations of what it was trying to say. Needless to say, the newly re-interpretted text is a lot more pleasant and pleasing to my ears. Plus it is a lot more suitable for the young one’s who read this. ^o^

Yes, now this I approve! Ah, it is a perfect world indeed! So cute and without all the rudeness during the first initial encounter!

Come to think of it, I have single handedly averted a potential intergalactic, interspecies war just through the powers of photoshop! Now we can all rest well in sound knowledge that we all wont be overrun by these fiends in the future, if God willing. :(You all must be asking now, what actually happened to this creature after I had left it?

Last I heard, it was trying to steal my dogs bodily fluids but in the end was defeated in an extreme case of ‘nudging‘ from those said dogs. I guess that plan didnt work out for the poor creature.

Better luck next time.

The End.

Total EngRish: The first purely ENGRISH film straight from Japan!

Yamato Damacy Extra 4 - Total English

The film above was the best 16 minutes I have ever had in recent memory. I was laughing all the way not just at the amazingly cute and funny ENGRISH, but at the whole premise as well as its ‘interesting’ production values.

There are so many elements to like about this video. There’s guns, sword fights, ninjas, a sports car, deaths, broken bones, girl to girl love and one wicked leading man with an excellent evil laugh to boot! Heck, the presentation of the film also pays homage to a certain American TV series that I personally like. Wait, it even has a song from Densha Otoko! Talk about paying homage!

Now after all said and done, it does sound pretty cool, doesnt it? So what is the film about, you ask?

“Well, the story is a coming of age story between two girls who are students in a Japanese Junior High School. They both love each other but there are others who oppose their ‘love’ with one another and finds ways in breaking them up. What happens next is an epic struggle in which the heroine has to protect her love from the ‘bad guys’ in various stages of confrontation. All this delivered using the best ENGRISH script ever!”


Why cant the lovers be left alone?


Well to be honest, I thought their spoken english was pretty good actually. Though it does sound a bit weird but conversationally, it was well understood. Maybe if they were to make more films like this, they’ll improve their conversational pronounciation by then.

I also thought that the kids in this film were darn cute. I mean, you can see it on their face as to how much fun they really had making this film. They were smiling all the way in every frame, no matter how nefarious or omnimous the scene’s actual tone was.

In closing, I would also like to add that even though the love presented here is technically a form of ‘affectionate friendship love’ but I cant help view it as a form of lesbianism between them. Ah, young girls and their love for their best female friend’s. Such pure and innocent feelings.

Anyhow, do please enjoy the film!

Source
Yamato Damacy Extra 4 - Total English

Further Reading
ENGRISH (Website)
Densha Otoko (Wikipedia)

Farewell Steve Irwin. (February 22, 1962 – September 4, 2006)

THE Crocodile Man, Steve Irwin, is dead. He was killed in a freak accident in Cairns, police sources said. It appeared that he was killed by a sting-ray barb that went through his chest, Queensland Police Inspector Russell Rhodes said.

-The Courier-Mail, September 4, 2006

Steve Irwin with his favourite subject.

 

The Crocodile Hunter is dead.

In light of this, I would like to comment on this as well. I’ll be honest here; I have never really been a fan of his shows. I’ve always found his commentary and banter during his shows to be obnoxious, incoherent as well as annoying. I always had this slight impression that he was a wee bit abnormal.

Though I will admit, that was probably just his television persona. Yet it is sad to know that that is probably the thing most people will remember him for, the psychotic, over the top, daredevil who seemingly enjoys manhandling live, dangerous animals for the entertainment of many.

My personal memory of Steve Irwin in this respect was my visit to the Australia Zoo in Brisbane, Queensland in the year 2003. It was really funny actually, though I had not met him nor saw him perform his crocodile feeding shows and such, it was almost impossible to not meet him. I mean, the whole Zoo was what I termed as the ‘Steve Irwin Propaganda Centre’. Everywhere you went in the Zoo, you would see his face plastered on all sorts of posters and banners that were strung up all over the place. Yet the one thing that surprised me the most during my visit was his ‘Wall of Fame’.

As aptly as it was named, it was technically one big wall that stretched to about 6-8 meters in length that was wholly dedicated to him. On that wall, there were numerous articles from magazines, newspapers and so forth, all chronicling the phenomena that he was. Heck, I even remember seeing one article on that wall highlighting Steve and Terri’s SWAT-esque training. Actually, now when I think about it, the wall in itself was kind of intimate as to its presentation.

Looking back, the wall itself did show to many his love towards his family as well as his enthusiasm towards his work. In many ways, I felt like I did indeed connect with this strange man, looking at his life not from his own words but from the words of many other observers.

At the end of the day, I did feel somewhat awed by it all. Funny how I feel now in comparison to the oddness I had felt when I first saw that wall. One’s perspective does change to reflect the circumstances at hand, doesn’t it?

Anyhow, though as odd as he seemed, I will admit that the Steve Irwin I saw that day was truly an Australian icon. He was atypical of the typical Australian stereotype to me, being truly somewhat of a wildman and extremely bold as well as adventurous. As silly as his antics got, I will admit, they were pretty funny.

It is a pity that his death came so sudden. I am sure many of us who knew him by reputation are probably more shocked at the suddenness rather than the actual cause of death. Still, I feel that Australia has truly lost someone special whom many, in the world over will admit, is irreplaceable in the dying breed of true, nature conservationist.

Farewell Steve Irwin.

You will be missed.

Source
Steve Irwin Dead (The Courier-Mail)
Stingray kills ‘Crocodile Hunter’ (CNN.com)
Steve Irwin (Wikipedia)