"Goddammit, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables, slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man; no purpose or place. We have no Great War, no Great Depression. Our Great War is a spiritual war. Our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised by television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars. But we won't; and we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."
Guess who made the front of Nikeskateboarding.org again?
Start the youtube video for the answer to that question.
I still can't believe they think my stuff is good enough to feature on their front page. Hopefully all this online E-Fame for my customs will allow me to achieve my biggest Custom Sneaker goal:
Get commissioned to make a pair for a celebrity.
That would be soooo unreal! But then again I would be doing something based on their ideas and not my own...But still that would be the SWEETNESS.
In other news, today I came to realize an appreciation for the friends I have. I've noticed that a lot of the people around me don't even keep in touch with their childhood friends. It seems as if once some people go to college, they basically cut ties with their old friends and place more value in there new college ones. Now sometimes that's a good thing since you'd rather not deal with those stupid people who hold grudges on things from your past. But sometimes they lose the good ones, because of the fact that they feel like they have the ability to change their whole personality and way that people look at them because they're in new surroundings where nobody knows their name. Its like an opportunity to reinvent yourself. But sometimes I think people take it too far, and lose sight of who they really are in the process. I don't really know what I'm trying to get at with this and I guess I was just doing some deep thinking, but I'm thankful for the small circle of close childhood and HS friends that I still have today. I'll take quality over quantity anyday. No matter how many new people you meet in your life, you can't forget about those who were there with you from the start.
The winning pair Link to the victory: http://www.solecollector.com/forums/sc-custom-contest-2008-finals-results-t870276.html
I hate to reiterate since I practically posted this everywhere on the internet but I just had to say it one more time that I won the Sole Collector Custom Contest Finals 2008!!! I was SOOOOO surprised! I thought I had a chance at winning but never actually thought I would take the crown considering I was going up against some extremely talented sneaker customizers that have so much more experience than me. It feels so crazy! Almost like winning the lotto. I went into this whole customizing sneaker business because I loved sneakers and I loved art. I simply put the two together and I've been in love with the combination ever since. I actually think I've earned some respect in the custom sneaker world now and it feels really nice after doing this for nearly 4 years to finally be recognized by some custom veterans even though I only know them online. I honestly don't think this custom sneaker thing will ever become a legitimate source of income, and I only do it because I love it, and if people will pay me to do something I love that just makes it all the more sweeter. Regardless of whether I make money or not off of it, I'm gonna keep at it because it's fun, I love doing it, and nothing will ever beat a pair of 1 of 1's baby!!! "Art is what you do for yourself, design is what you do for other people."
I can honestly say that custom sneakers are something I do for myself.
Obama's Inauguration Day, and a HUGE accomplishment for me...Today is definitely a day for the memory books...One dream accomplished, a million more to go...
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fun Fact for the Day: Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one of four United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person...
This had me silently laughing to myself for quite some time...I have no idea why it's so funny to me. Maybe cause I'm a tech dork and I go through flash drives like nothing. I really wanna create one of these...Time to go hunting for a prosthetic thumb!
In other news, I was sitting in church today and this middle-aged filipino lady kept looking at me as I was standing next to the pews at the back of church. Now as much as I would like to think she was staring at my dashingly handsome face, she was giving me the stink eye and I could not figure out why. It really bothered me and made me think about how as a Filipino we tend to look at other filipinos and stare at them like we think we know them. How in the world are we all related to random filipinos we meet??? I never got that. It's always some outlandish connection like mother's sister's brother's friend of a nephew's acquaintance, but its a connection regardless. It's mind boggling how we manage to find some type of relation. It made me realize that if you think about it, the Filipino community in general is a very tight knit one with strong emphasis on family as well as extended family. That's the only way that could explain how we all some way or another know each other. Although I have yet to learn my native tongue the more I hear about people's journeys to the PI, the more motivated I get to want to learn. As a third generation, a lot of us are already beginning to lose sight of our roots, and I've realized that's widely apparent in my life. If you asked me about my own cultural heritage, I'd be embarrassed to say that I know very little and I feel ashamed a lot when I have to admit that. Even when people start speaking Tagalog to me all I can do is sit and stare like a lost sheep and nod my head, its slightly disheartening to see that bit of disdain on their face when they realize that I can't speak the language. It's like they think I'm ignorant to my own culture but I wasn't raised that way. I guess I need to be a bit more proactive in doing so since, my family doesn't really embrace their filipino side that much. Well that's a personal journey I'll have to take on the rest of my life. Discovering my heritage and educating myself more about filipino culture. Mmmm. Sounds awesome, awesome indeed. I think its time to head to Downtown LA and pick up that $50 pirate copy of Rosetta Stone for Tagalog and get to work!
well...maybe not the game art ones at my school...but HIGH FIVE TO JESUS for making the rest of them!
hahaha
Captain Kirk demands status updates. Roger that captain: Ryan's life is MAD chill. His quarter should be interesting to say the least with so many advanced classes that are helping him transition from being a student into a professional artist. Obi wan hopes that the future is bright for this young padawan.
