These days, I'm always living on the edge; I get distracted by something, usually because of the Internet, and then I realize that it's late at night and I still haven't done my homework. Then I have to make a mad scramble to finish it, which is annoying not only to myself but to my parents, who feel that I go to bed too late (compared to my classmates, I actually sleep pretty early...still, I do think I'd feel a lot better if I slept more), and particularly my dad, who insists on staring at me angrily until I'm inside the bedroom. (He actually goes to bed earlier than I do on most nights, though. He gets tired early because he wakes up too early. But I don't think he's become healthy, wealthy, and wise from it...)

I used to live by the motto of "Work hard, play hard", but I seem to have lost the "work hard" part...My efforts nowadays are concentrated on things that are not urgent, such as Tumblr. I really do enjoy looking for high-quality pictures to share on my Tumblogs, though. (I do fear yet that some artist will storm in yelling at me for putting up their pics without permission, although it has not happened yet)

So I suppose there isn't much difference between how I spend my time on school days and how I'm spending it now, on my week off. I'm still on the computer much of the time. I visited Crunchyroll the other day (though I meant to quit, somehow I'm still hanging on by my fingernails...Now I'm thinking that I could just make a new account instead, and have waaaaay less buddies on it) and spent a lot of time looking at the groups (it's like a club or guild). I figured I'd request a new avatar if I found a group that didn't charge for graphics. There's technically no currency on CR except for CR points, which you can't give or receive anyways, but some groups say that you must invite all your buddies, upload X number of photos, post X number of comments on the group wall, etc. So it is refreshing when you are able to find a group that makes graphics quickly and for no charge.

Seeing all those graphics has made me long for the old days when I made graphics more actively. I think I've made a total of two graphics this school year so far and haven't taken many photos compared to last year - but at least since it's springtime I have more photo opportunities again. Anyways, though, the last graphic I made was an avatar for my Crunchyroll account, around December...



At the time when I first made it, I thought it was really great, but now I think it doesn't have quite the right amount of pizazz toward it. Maybe less of the sparkles and some other kind of brushes or textures would've been nice. (Not that I would ever go back to fix it. In my book, once something's done, it's done. That doesn't sit too well in Writing for Publication class since we have to make many drafts of almost everything we write.)

I really feel like making some graphics right now, because I want to practice and improve so that I can keep up with the times - lots of amazing graphics-makers these days, after all, and the number will keep growing - but I'm using my dad's laptop, so it's a no-can-do. Not sure if his company would appreciate me overloading their computers with programs and brushes. Guess it's time to brainstorm. I'll see if I have the chance to make some graphics once I'm back home again.

Labels: account, avatar, break, crunchyroll, distraction, father, free time, graphics, group, internet, motto, payment, pictures, plans, price, share, sleep, time, tumblr

One day, at lunchtime, I noticed that a few of my friends seemed to be writing on something. It was a piece of binder paper, and a girl was writing on it in cursive. Upon listening and watching, I realized that she was practicing signatures over and over again.

She was not just practicing her own signature. She also imitated the signature of one of her friends, and I think she got pretty good at it, because the person whose signature she was practicing writing said, "Now you write my signature better than I do."

It kind of made me think of how risky it can be to let someone get a good look at your signature. With practice, a person could probably replicate your signature pretty well. You either have to have a really wacky one or you have to keep it hidden from other people in case they feel the urge to forge it. Imagine all the things they could sign without your permission! And even if the person was caught trying to use your signature, it'd still be a big hassle.

Speaking of other kinds of signatures, I recently started submitting some of mine to some groups on DeviantArt. They're all pretty old by now seeing as I don't make graphics that often anymore (and when I do I am reluctant to post them on DeviantArt, because something I read suggested that perhaps it could be interpreted as art thievery if the artists making images used in graphics did not wish to have their art used in graphics). Well, I know that I have a long way to go (I've seen some people who make amazing graphics, and I applaud them) but it does tick me off a bit to be given criticism about older graphics, but I suppose it is better that I just swallow my pride. After all, I am sure no one is purposely trying to bring down my self-confidence, they only am trying to offer tips, so I figure it's just another challenge that I have to overcome. I would like to get back to making graphics more actively. Perhaps I should take a look at some tutorials. (The only thing is, I feel bad if I rely on a tutorial heavily since I feel like I'm doing nothing more than imitating someone else's graphics. But then again, imitation is one way of learning...After all, once you've improved you can then focus on developing your own unique style.)

Well, I guess it all goes back to that whole "small fish in a big pond" kind of feeling. At times I can be quite overwhelmed by how many amazing people there are in the world - or, on the other side of the coin, how many really harsh people there are (and I'm not talking about what I mentioned in the previous paragraph in this case). But seeing a lot of talent can inspire me to try harder too, so it doesn't always have to be something harmful. And perhaps by having to deal with unpleasant people will help me to harden myself and get "thick skin". I only hope that things can turn out well in the end.

Labels: art, challenge, criticism, danger, deviantart, feelings, graphics, harsh, old, people, problem, pros and cons, safety, signature, style, thick skin, tutorial, unexpected, world, writing

That's the sort of feeling I get, because I've been remembering a lot of past things. For example...Since the previous Friday was a school spirit day, where you were supposed to dress colorful (I woke up late and forgot about it), I recalled that when I was younger, I used to have a shirt I really liked. It had thin horizontal stripes on it with various colors. I had a picture of myself with that shirt and a butterfly (not dead, luckily!) perched on my hand. I also started carrying around one of my old stuffed animals, a rainbowy dolphin. It's really quite pretty. It used to be a childhood favorite of mine.

By the way, I finished the banner I was making. (Look higher up on this post.) I'm pretty proud of the way it turned out. (Better than I expected, anyhow.) I'm starting to improve at graphics, but if I draw something and scan it, it turns out terrible. Maybe instead I ought to use a program like GIMP, or my tablet, to make it work out better. If I only stopped being lazy. Maybe I'll get around to it by the time next summer is here. XD

Labels: graphics, memories

This is a really pretty image (I think it's meant to be a desktop background). I found it when I was browsing for a new header image. I'm too lazy to edit one myself. I should, though. Maybe it would actually look okay.



Soon as I finish that banner of mine, I'll put it up. In the meantime, I am just going to talk to myself again.
Last night, I was talking to my dad on Skype (this Internet phone-ish thing, basically). I hear some rustling sounds, and ask my mom if it's raining. She says it's just very windy. When she looks outside, she realizes that I was right. (Maybe I ought to be a meteorologist, or that could be a backup job)
I keep asking my parents what their salaries are. I'm just curious, that's all! Honest! But they think it's suspicious, and tell me I don't need to know. I try all sorts of tricks to make them accidentally tell me, but they're smarter than I thought. (Note to self: Stop underestimating intelligence of parents. Just because my dad sends emails and drinks free coffee all day, doesn't mean they're stupid)
It was really funny yesterday when I turned on my Wii to play some Wii Fit. When you don't come on for three days, your "Mii" (character you make and select) falls asleep and snores. The whole family was snoring. (I think it's just because my dad is gone, though. But he'll be back tomorrow.)

Labels: graphics, parents, video games, weather

It being the morning right now, I thought I'd address y'all in Japanese. I'm kind of tired because I woke up at 8 am. -_-;; I've adjusted to Daylight Savings, but I'm still used to waking up around this time for school, so now I kind of have a dilemma.
I finished a book, Penny From Heaven, by Jennifer L. Holm. (Turns out the author also co-wrote the Babymouse comics. o_O) There's a black-and-white picture of her on the back cover-flap, as well as a description. It says that she lives in Maryland, "with her husband, their son, and a rather large cat". Wish I had a cat (but not necessarily a "rather large" one).
Since I've been bored lately, I decided I was going to make a new banner for Nutrinopets. Once it's finished, I'll be sure to edit this post so all can see it. Or, I'll just upload it to Photobucket. Either way.
The persimmon trees in my backyard look like they're dying. (Yeah, I know, it's almost winter. By the way, persimmons are fruits, which are orange. They look sort of like tomatoes, but they grow on the trees) The squirrels and birds love them. Every year, around Halloween, they'll come and eat them up, and leave a BIG MESS on the ground for us to clean up. Looks like they don't have any table manners.

Labels: books, graphics, morning, outside

Okay, I have been trying to get into Crunchyroll all morning. It worked before, but now whenever I try, it never loads properly! I have no idea why. I can access just about any other site on the Internet, just not Crunchyroll. And I was meaning to upload some more pictures, and make new albums. Ugh.

I heard I really am going to my mom's friend's house...I didn't want to go because I feel dizzy and I never like riding in the car for so long just to visit my mom's friends. They just pat my head and tell me how I've grown, and then ignore me the rest of the time. I just wish my mom would allow me to stay home and carry out the plans I had for this weekend...But my mom is real stubborn and it's hard trying to fight her. I probably sound like a spoiled brat whining like this, but I can't help it, I'm trying to relieve my stress right now. XD

So, anyhow, I made an avatar for Crunchyroll, and also a header for one of my "pages" there. Take a look, they are in this post.

Labels: anger, carsick, graphics, internet

I only had math homework, and studying for my science test. So today I really did not have much to do. I'm glad, so now I can spend more time wasting away my life on the computer, haha.

I've been using Google Translate like crazy lately. I love translating things from English to other languages, such as Italian, or French, or Japanese... It's so much fun. You should try it sometime. It might confuse people, but it's still quite entertaining.

Mostly I have looked for a nice image for making a header. I plan to make a header for my Anime Watched page, and maybe even a divider if I need one. And then I might even make a Manga Read page, but it seems a little pointless because I've watched more different animes than I've read different mangas. (Well, I have a link to my profile if you want to see what has happened so far.)

Eh bien, jusqu'à ce que la prochaine fois!
うーん、次回まで！
In other words... Well, until next time!

Labels: anime, graphics, manga, school

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