On Grammar

This semester has been relatively writing intense. With 4 softy business courses, one would expect nothing less. The point is though that I found myself editing SO much bad grammar that it was almost exhausting. Some factors that contributed to this:

- Apparently, most people have terrible grammar.

- Apparently, some people do not agree with what I consider good grammar.

- which, given my lack of sufficient self confidence, causes me to question myself and my faith in ze Grammar Godz

- which, after much hair-pulling, results in my realizing that I was right all along.

- Lastly, I’m anal about grammar / style / formatting

I think this is one of the few things (HAHA) that I am OCD about. (<- see there, I really want to write “…about which I am OCD” but that’s not proper colloquial lingo =/)

I like experimenting with language and grammar (mostly english, I dont know any other language well enough to play) because I see a lot of possibility to make things sound better, express more vividly, etc. I dont really see it as work so much as play… though it does give me stress sometimes. One of my youthful aspirations (of which youth is no longer a factor) was to be an editor. I know right, a TOTALLY explosive occupation. I can’t really recall now (youth was so long ago), but maybe it was during the same time as my aspirations for creating writing began (i.e. being an author, of fantasy novels of all things).

I think a part of me still holds those thoughts, in the back of my mind when the vivid-vague universe resurfaces during times quiet or darkness. Some analysis to be done here for good measure, and since I’m bored:

One of the many problems that blocked me from producing a proper story is I am anal about style and grammar and tend to crouch over a sentence for an obscene amount of time, enough time for all other thoughts and progressions to fade before crystalizing.

Another problem that I found was my voices cannot often be distinguished. What I mean here is that when I have multiple characters, obviously with different backgrounds and personalities and purposes, often speak and think in the same voice. Well, obviously I created all of them so my fingerprints are all over their psyche, but even when they start out quite differently I find their thoughts to all converge at some point and hence pushes me onto a path of retrieval to go back to the point of convergence and bring back the story’s authenticity. This is often hard and time consuming, even in the lightspeed of my mind. And consequently discouraging.

It is hard, and frustrating, and I feel the growing voices in my mind impatient and standing in a white space, unmoving as I am unwilling and they unready. At least this is what I perceive.

Sigh, I guess this post isn’t really on grammar, but on the white space within it.

I shall draw first – my first love, and deal with words later.

-L

On what to spend money?

With the incoming work term, believe it or not, I realized my budget is about to get tighter. Rent is always a big cost. And food – even if I cook at home – which I feel is going to be a predominant source (for better, I hope). But looking at the things I have, I feel like I need to spend some money on some items:

Things I need for the winter term:

- good sketchpad, and find my pencils, or get really awesome black pens ;D

- still need a good, comfy pair of shoes – BEFORE my current pair dies permanently – the front has already completely discoloured and become grey

- probably more work clothes… honestly do not know what people wear at work =/

- bring vacuum cleaner >.>

- bathroom filter

- a chair/bean bag for alternate sitting/put clothes on station XD

 

Things I want soon:

- computer sketch pad – if I want to get into some design, useful for colouring – which I still haven’t decided yet

- a new phone… BEFORE the impending death of my current one – the back of the phone can no longer close properly <= THAT is a sign! =/

- depending on the phone I get, need better music player

 

Other stuff I can’t think of at the moment

-L

A Sketch A Day Keeps The Sanity At Bay

I know I wrote about 30 days of whatever challenge in the winter term to be accomplished in the last 6 months or so.

Well we all know that didn’t happen – definitely not under time constraint considering how tragically eventless this term has been – although admittedly last semester was quite busy.

ANYWAY, enough of that. It was about new/newish things I wanted to try out and have the discipline to continue for a month at a time. But, I guess I realized maybe I should start with things I like to do and see if I can develop those little bits of skill I have over a longer period of time.

So lo and behold: I challenge myself to sketch something for each day of the Winter 2011 term (need to upgrade sketching pad). So roughly 120 sketches should be produced by the end of the semester. I think a sketch (sans pencil outlining first) would take about a solid hour. So an hour a day to do something I like doesn’t seem that intense, does it? I can fit in my classes and other fun stuff =] To do is to live, ya?

I guess I should put some outlines here, not so much to constrain myself but to know where the lines are if I so want to brush past them:

1) Small sketches, not full 8 by 11, although this reminds me I need to get a good solid sketching pad soon. Using my IDC writing pad will last for now (while I sketch anyway for fun XD)

2) No pencil outlines, unless I want to do the drawing in pencil only. And unless I want to do a more formal drawing, and not a sketch

3) Try to use only one utensil, like how I’m currently trying out my staedtler triplus roller (by no means an artist’s pen) just for fun. Anything that makes a mark can be used. Perhaps try other mediums – but don’t get fancy at the base.

4) Use drawings already existent (online or print). Unless I want to get creative. This is a drawing exercise, creativity can chill this term =) Maybe at the end I can draw more character-based, from-my-head drawings if I want to get shifty.

5) Forget drawing classes. Hip hop and night classes are enough to worry about – oh and swimming, gotta get ready for dem beaches (getting off topic but that’s okay)

Happy drawing!

-L

Unnecessary Stress at Night

Last night word got around in our class (at midnight) that the marketing report was due the following day, where the original deadline was 2 days away. Lo and behold the world went up in chaos. Everyone freaked out. Some went through all-nighters, some ragequit (like me) because of lack of manpower and not giving a shit.

The next day, the prof apologized because he wrote the wrong date or something… like seriously?

This level of carelessness is detrimental to student psyche. Today was also the prof eval day – and for the very few people that actually showed up to his abysmally boring class and listened to his rant (I was not one – conscious decision at 9am), they were gifted with the rare opportunity to violently object to his prof-ism and exact absolutely no change in the administration (re: bill zou for actsc231 last semester).

Anyway, my point here in this short rant is that the quality of our professors at UW were starting to suck in 3rd year – with bill zou, and peter balka before for stat230 but in general they were decent.

However, at Laurier, this semester, all profs were terrible, except for maybe the HR prof – he seem to care and is charismatic and I go to his class – so that shows something.

Marketing prof – boring and disrespectful and disorganized and don’t know what the hell he’s doing.

Ops prof – cannot understand a word he’s saying. I’ll blame the accent.

Finance prof – self-centered bastard who makes you pay $90 for an online textbook that has 0 resale value (so guess what? I’m learning from textbook and ditched all his classes since first week =P)

On the UW side: CS330 prof – tries but dang just reads material… honestly attention span this semester has went to hell.

Even if I get decent marks this semester, I’ll know it didn’t come from motivation and it certainly didn’t come from the quality of these profs.

Good luck to me for finals! (and the 3 projects due this wednesday… fun)

-L

Procrastinating Methods

- look up breakfast recipes at wee hours of the night (possibly aided by late night hunger)

- look at webcomix. namely SMBC on repeat random.

- watch the same youtube mvs over and over –_-

- writing this blog

-L