Happy Valentine’s — I handed in my resignation letter today! I should be relieved, really, but if I have to be honest with myself, I am feeling a bit, grey, about the overall experience and my time spent there. …I guess there are more than a few faces I will miss.
It took a trip 4000 feet under the sea off Baja California, Mexico to witness this underwater reflective light show, but the payoff was worth it — as the lights of the E/V Nautilus‘ remote-operated Hercules submarine revealed the colorful tentacles of the Halitrephes maasi jellyfish:
But it freaking should! Bought me an energy drink from a little old women who owned a dairy along Ponsonby Road, even though I could have gotten two for the price of one at the Countdown three blocks back. Nothing wrong with supporting local business owners. At least that’s what I was cool with earlier today, but now I’m not so sure. No, sir. Fuck that!
So I was eating pizza, bored with the lack of visual stimulation in the vicinity, when I decided to take interest in the bottle. The original “V” brand logo I expected to see was replaced with a letter “E”, odd, but there was a comic bubble with promotional guidelines next to it that explained it, stating; SPELL IT, SHOOT IT, SHARE IT. #VCHAT Ends 31.01.16.
That’s right — 2016!!! The promotion ended at the start of 2016, meaning the liquid in the bottle was produced in 2015, or earlier considering the shelf-life for these types of drinks is ludicrously long. Knowing that, I wasn’t really gagging or anything. Several questions popped in my head though, such as, how much energy is contained in a bottle of energy drink from 2015/16, should I bother walking back up the road to waggle my finger in the old lady’s face, and was I going to die? Well, I’m still alive. Old lady lost herself a customer though and one who doesn’t care enough about her business to enlighten her. I should have suspected something was amiss when I saw her giant jelly crocodile plastic bucket was empty, save for four green crocodiles. Bitch needs to restock and get her shit together, for real. I’m back to drinking water for the next few weeks in the meantime, that’s for sure…but I’ll probably ease into relapse with ginger beer.
2017 marked the 100th anniversary of Japanese animation. From crude drawings, puppetry and stop motion, anime has evolved ever since it started back in 1917.
Namakura Gatana, a silent short anime from 1917, is regarded as the oldest piece of Japanese animation with a surviving print, and using it as a starting point for the medium makes anime 100 years old. In celebration, the Association of Japanese Animations has released a 15-minute video (122 works are featured) that looks back on landmark Japanese animated works of the century since Namakura Gatana was released:
The Association of Japanese Animations had two major criteria for inclusion in the video: historical significance and permission to use the footage. As such, if your favorite anime isn’t part of the retrospective, it is likely because of licensing issues, or simply because even as long as the video is, there’s still not enough space for every great anime of the past 100 years.
Oooo the force is strong with this one. The mysterious It’s a Small World recomposes elaborate tunes using her musical calculators. “This calculator doesn’t have every note, so there’s many arrange. but i hope you like it..”
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The image below (from GitS) immediately popped in my mind when I first saw the video lol. I must say, I am intrigued by her unique skills. I wonder what her WPM is?
And holy lolz, here is Darude Sandstorm on ballpoint pen:
I am a strong believer in following one’s own intuition, and this was love at first sight. One of my favourite shops along K-road is Retro City. It’s like a high quality second-hand store but the owners have sick taste in artwork, vintage and collectible items. I want so much stuff from there, but so far I have only purchased Bic Rung’s Drive album (1997), a book written by Russel Hoban (Amaryllis Night and Day), and as of today, my first art prints. They just stood out as unique, like they belonged in a gallery or should have already been in someone’s possession and not hidden away from view in an Auckland boutique of all places.
I lost track of time while examining their pleasing aesthetic. Watercolour on parchment paper. Edges singed by a naked flame. Traditional (maybe original) Chinese character design. Eye-catching composition. The artist’s use of negative space and lighter shades of colour to depict depth of field. What I held in my hands was illustrated with devotion, and I wanted to keep them.
Retro City told me they had imported 13 others like it, and although they could not tell me who their supplier was or the name of the artist, I did manage to find some concept looking drafts online (8 though, not 13). Some stock image website and still no artist information or link to any supplemental page.
The stock website only said; “Tradition Chinese painting on Chinese temple wall”. If they were on a wall somewhere, they are missing several tiny details that are not present in the pictures I have, such as the tiger and the background colour work, which are exquisite. So, whether original or not, what I have was made by a fastidious artist.
Happy with my purchase and on my way back along K-road, I met a man painting Betty Boop in her birthday suit on a barber shop window. It is that kinda neighbourhood. Funky, thrifty, expensive, sleazy. All of that.
I just remembered something… The first piece of art that I ever claimed as my own actually, I got when I was 12 years old. Aotea Center in the city held an art exhibit just for children, so adults had to wait in the foyer as their kids roamed the gallery. If the children saw something they liked, they would remember its number and tell their parents who would then take it on good faith that their kid had taste, and then make a bid for the piece. All the artwork was made exclusively for the exhibit too. This is the picture/print that stood out to me as a kid — Kaikoura by John Reynolds — and that I still have wrapped in it’s original plastic:
I’ll open it when I own my own home or decent apartment, don’t you worry, and the same goes for my watercolour goddesses, of course.
Chinese soap operas look intense (damn I’ve been binging the wrong shows):
…I am honestly surprised at how diverse that was. Like, it wasn’t a case of ‘once you’ve seen one slap you’ve seen them all’ — there were counterattacks, reversals, a freaking 10 HIT COMBO, and I even saw an interception, for goodness sake! And sorry if any part of that video depicts your actual life lol. I suspect a small few of my friends are laughing at that but from an ironic point of view. Ouch (lol).
I hope this starts a trend — Back in April a massive 80-foot steel Kraken was purposefully sunk into the Caribbean Sea on top of a decorated WW2 ship:
The former Navy fuel barge and its monstrous passenger were placed underwater in order to jumpstart a new coral ecosystem, while also serving as a cutting-edge education center for marine researchers and local students from the surrounding British Virgin Islands. The project is titled the BVI Art Reef, and aims to use sculptures like the porous kraken as a base to grow transplanted coral.
The Kodiak Queen, formerly a Navy fuel barge named the YO-44, was discovered by British photographer Owen Buggy approximately two and a half years ago on the island of Tortola. Instead of letting the historic vessel get picked apart for scrap metal, Buggy approached former boss Sir Richard Branson about collaborating on a restorative art installation. Together with nonprofit Unite B.V.I., artist group Secret Samurai Productions, social justice entrepreneurial group Maverick1000, and ocean education nonprofit Beneath the Waves, the project was established as both an eco-friendly art installation, and a philanthropic measure to rehabilitate native marine species.
“It’s envisioned that within just a short space of time the ship and artwork will attract a myriad of sea creatures,” said Clive Petrovic who consults on the environmental impact of the BVI Art Reef. “Everything from corals to sea sponges, sharks and turtles will live on, in, and around the wreck. The ship will become valuable for future research by scientists and local students alike.”
To sink the massive ship, the project sought the help of the Commercial Dive Services who safely submerged the vessel off the coast of the island Virgin Gorda. It was the first time the ship had been in the water for nearly 17 years, and was lead to its final resting place by a bevy of boats and helicopters.
Filmmaker Rob Sorrenti filmed both the construction and sinking of the kraken and its ship. The full-length documentary is currently in post-production, with an estimated release early next year. You can watch a clip from the upcoming film below. For information on visiting the BVI Art Reef, and to learn more about its educational programs, visit the project’s website and Facebook.
For more photos, check out: https://www.facebook.com/pg/bviartreef/photos/
Wow, that took balls. Seen over Okanogan, Washington, the Navy said there was “zero training value in that maneuver.” The crew has since been grounded.
“The Navy apologizes for this irresponsible and immature act,” said Lt. Cmdr. Leslie Hubbell. “The American people rightfully expect that those who wear the Wings of Gold exhibit a level of maturity commensurate with the missions and aircraft with which they’ve been entrusted,” he said. “Naval aviation continually strives to foster an environment of dignity and respect. Sophomoric and immature antics of a sexual nature have no place in Naval aviation today.” …Giant penis cloud to the contrary.
Kia ora! Hola! Bonjour! سلام! こんにちは! नमस्ते Namastē! مرحبا! 您好！Hallå! Hallo! Selamat Datang! Welcome! ⭐(★´♡‿♡`+)⭐ You have found ditb
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