How To Be A Film Major

My observations from school, week 1:

- wear black framed glasses

- make use of an Apple product before class and during breaks (iPods, iPhones, iPads, and laptops are all acceptable).

- use the "thinking grip" (fingers holding chin) while watching silent features, shorts, or any other below-average-quality film in attempt to find the deeper meaning.

- nod your head if the professor recites little-known film trivia and facts (as if you already knew).

- don't take notes.

- impress each other by nonchalantly mentioning all the sets you've worked on, and the amazing cameras and lenses you have "just laying around."

- use curse words in every piece of script and prose you write.

- talk about the lighting.

- close one eye, position your fingers in the shape of a rectangle, THEN look at something.

- give a moment of silence after watching a work that seemed like it should have been moving.. even if you weren't moved. Then simply sigh, or utter things like "wow" or "man," until the professor begins lecturing again.

- possess unashamed nerdiness of your craft.

...I'm actually very excited to have started my film classes. And not everyone is like this (in fact, hardly anyone is), but there ARE people who do fit the typical "film-major" stereotype that I heard all about; which is why they're film majors and not biology majors. It was a fun week though! It's a very good feeling to have that initial intimidation behind me. And now that I know how to be a film major, I can fit right in! Just need to find those glasses...

Hometown

It's been a while since I've posted.

More than that, in fact.

I guess that lazy summer afternoon air has just gotten to me.

I find myself feeling pressed for time within the confines of what would otherwise be a pretty light schedule. I think part of that feeling stems from the fact that as much as I didn't want to leave Long Beach in May, I'm not 100% looking forward to going back either. This run-down town has been stealing pieces of my heart ever since I first looked up and saw the sun through its sycamore trees. And yeah, I know it's a place that most local high schoolers die to flee from- but they're looking through a jaded lens. I

know because I've been there; though I've never hated this town like the rest, I don't think. I found (and still find) simple joy in a drive through what's left of the city's countryside; seeing the dusty, dusk sun stretch itself through orchards, and between wooden cracks on roadside barns. I still like, every now and again, to go up with friends to Knights Ferry and look at the stars... even though that old covered bridge totally creeps me out. I like driving by my old high school, and thinking of all the memories I carried from there. But most of all, I just like being at home. It's nostalgia to a certain degree that plagues me, but more than that- it's just familiarity, it's laid-back comfort. It's not the hustle and bustle of the 405, or the overwhelming "be perfect" vibe that drearily hangs over southern california- thick like the LA smog.

But in 3.5 days I will all begin again.

A new school year.

Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to it-

just currently feeling a bit torn..

"Don't ask what the world needs.

Ask what makes you come alive,

and go do it. Because what the

world needs is people

who have come alive."

-HOWARD THURMAN

23,000 words worth... and then some.

might I entertain you with some favorite photos and memories from the last few months?

Navigators

1) Practicing for worship before our last Navigators meeting for the semester. Being a part of the worship team is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things I've experienced.. and its loads of fun too :)





Music

2) This guys is great. Josh Ray. He's taught me so much about music in the last two years and has a heart for worship that's amazing to see in action. Spontaneous guitar-practicing and music-swapping on the dorm lawns was the best.

Clouds

3) My developing obsession with clouds and my final climatology project left me with about a billion cloud pictures in my iPhoto.

click this to read my blog post about clouds.

<-- cumulus clouds over the grapevine.

TOMS

4) Got a pair of TOMS. Mine are the red ones.

browse TOMS.com - great cause. great shoes.

Lil Sis

5) No, not the sorority kind.. the REAL kind. Got to see my sister play drums in her winter percussion group a few times. She's the one off the left shoulder (your right) of the snare player at center.

The show was unbelievable!

Friends - 6) Quality time with people you love is like nothing else in the world.

... especially when its spontaneous :)

Surfing

7) Alright so, even though I'm still slightly terrified of the sport, surfing in the morning is just about the best way to wake up.

<-- Justin and I paddle out.

Party

8) So we had a birthday party for our friend Athena in the common room of one of the dorm buildings. I feel like everything was fine, fun, and quaint- and then everyone suddenly went crazy! Most of us were acting like 8 year olds who had been given a case of Monster energy drinks.

<-- In this picture we see how much fun streamers can be. Notice them all ripped up on the floor.. yeah.. we had quite the dance party.

Concert

9) Finally got to see Anberlin in concert. They played in Biola's gym (which was so cool). There were some strange people there though. Let's just say that Zack and I spent the majority of the concert tallying up these fine folks and all their weird disturbances (like the two very large mosh pits filled with very scrawny boys in fedoras and American Apparel).

Shoes

10) I didn't wear shoes for a whole day. And I wrote about it too - click here.

Paper Planes

11) I fly like paper, get high like planes, if you catch me in the dorms I've got.. a bunch of guys launching paper airplanes at each other. I was just waiting for someone to get a paper cut on their cornea..

Karaoke

12) Spontaneous karaoke trip to a venue called Ding, Dong, Dang. No joke- that's actually what it's called. It was more karaoke/dance party as you can see from the picture. I rocked Hanson's "Mmbop" with Alissa. Good times, people.

Roomies

13) I seriously had the best roommate ever last year. I think its so funny that we had to travel all the way to Long Beach to meet each other and become friends. She lives about 4 blocks away from me in Modesto... what the what.

Sometimes my eyes look a lot lighter than they do on a normal basis.

14) Like right here. My eye looks so green compared to its normal dark-browned-ness. Doesn't it? That's what I thought anyways- so I had to take a picture.

Prom

15) So me and some close peeps organized a formal dance for all our friends. It was so fun dancing and seeing everyone all fancified and dressed up. I highly suggest formal wear if you want to have infinitely more fun at dance parties.

Fun Times at the Beach - 16) After a short photo shoot on the beach, a soon-to-be-married couple discarded this perfectly good 24 x 36" canvas. We had a small photo shoot of our own and then I took it home with me. I'm still deciding what I want to paint..

Sunrise

17) After an entire night of picture-sorting and video-editing, I decided to take the 10 minute drive to Bolsa Chica beach to watch the sunrise. This is one of the views from the lifeguard tower where I stationed myself. Yeah I know, they say not to climb those things, but nobody's out there at 6 AM anyways... except the giant pod of dolphins I saw playing in the waves!

After Party

18) I feel like half the fun of big events is the after party. Amiright? Some of the best bonding time occurs when everyone is just hanging out. The after party announcement being written on this whiteboard followed an annual end-of-the-year event for the Navigators where we look back on the year and honor the seniors (that's what that all-nighter video project was for).

Greatness

19) These women are great. They're on staff with the Navigators at Long Beach State and do so much for me; including, but not limited to: lending me their oven, taking care of me when I'm sick, giving me a place to sleep when I need it, encouraging me when I'm down, helping me plan things, revealing their immense wisdom to me, offering an ear, driving, and so much more. Right now, Alissa (on the left) is in Russia and Alicia (on the right) is in the Middle East - they're both doing missions work. How cool is that?!

King David

20) With the help of my parents, I finally upgraded to a Taylor 314ce acoustic-electric guitar. I found it on craigslist for a jaw-dropping steal.My mom agreed to buy it for me as long as I paid it back to her in the future. Turns out that the super-nice guy who sold it to me was not only friends with my best friend's brother, but we took guitar lessons from the same guy during the same few years. What a neat coincidence. (I named my guitar King David because he wrote a bunch of really awesome songs).

Chasing the Sunset

21) Dani got a new camera. Photo shoot time.. I mean, who wouldn't? Heather took this photo of Dani and I up on a well, silhouetted against a gorgeous sky. I have amazing friends, and this outing taught me a lot. And hey- I wrote about it! Read it here.

Hope you enjoyed some of these photos of my life :) Real blog post to come soon!

Love Modesto

So today is Love Modesto day! When I first saw signs for it, I thought it was some kind of sentimental gimmick to get people to do unrealistic recreational activities like community softball and group picnics. But that's not what it turned out to be at all! Today is a day of community participation in service projects (totally neat, right?) Several churches in the area partnered with community leaders and organizations to kick-start this soon-to-be-annual event. About 1200 people gathered at Big Valley Grace Community Church this morning for a little worship and prayer for the day before splitting into the groups they had signed up for. Habitat for Humanity, the Gospel Mission, World Vision, Second Hand Harvest Food Bank, Delta Blood Bank, and Teen Challenge Ranch were among the the organizations participating in the Love Modesto service day. My home church committed to partner with World Vision in creating relief kits for certified caregivers in Haiti. The United States gave immensely to the Haitians after the earthquake that devastated their nation. But we know all too well that once the disaster lost its hype on the news, we forgot that Haiti still was still in need. World Vision has been in Haiti for 30 years. Much of their mission now is focused on relief efforts. Today we put together 170 relief kits to be distributed to caregivers in Haiti. The drawstring bags were filled with items including latex gloves, soap, washcloths, acetaminophen, bandages, vaseline, bags of cotton balls, and personally written notes of encouragement to the recipient of the package. The items will be distributed by caregivers to others in need. Putting these kits together went so quickly and smoothly that the reps from World Vision agreed to do another event like this, but double (if not triple) the amount of supplies and bags! The kits we put together will be shipped on Monday- wah hoo!

Please continue to pray for Haiti and for the individuals and organizations that are focusing their energy and finances on this country :)

Bobby Pins

I remember when bobby pins were really uncool. When I was in elementary school, it was all about scrunchies and clips and barrettes. No bobby pins. We thought of bobby pins as being outdated and for old ladies- but I have no idea why. Being in ballet classes, I couldn't really escape using bobby pins to secure my slicked back, hairsprayed bun, and that was okay since everyone in ballet class also wore bobby pins. I guess I kind of realized that bobby pins were accepted in the ballet world. But what was awful was when my two worlds crossed- like when I saw friends from school after a dance show, or when our dance classes would do performances at other elementary schools. I was so embarrassed about having bobby pins in my hair! How strange. I also remember how weird it felt to move out of that bobby pin shunning age. For the most part, I only avoided bobby pins because they were socially "uncool," even though I knew how useful they were after having to wear them since I was 4. It was in junior high school that I began to wear bobby pins to school if I needed to. At first I was afraid, but I kind of just embraced it. And now girls of all ages wear bobby pins all the time! Bobby pins are cool now- (or at least accepted)- and they come in all different colors, designs, sizes, some even have little decorations on them like beads or flowers or rhinestones. I'm boggled by how groups develop unspoken rules about things like bobby pins.. Needless to say, I'm glad I no longer think bobby pins are uncool. I use them all the time. And if you don't believe me, you can come look at my bedroom or my dorm- there's always like 50 of them on the floor.

He must become greater; I must become less.

Not long ago two friends and I traveled into West Modesto with a newly purchased camera and a particular interest sunsets. Eager to find the perfect setting, we drove somewhat aimlessly on the larger country roads before happening upon two stables- overgrown with weeds, disintegrating with age. Without much hesitation, we claimed the uncultivated plot for the evening and began to explore- documenting our journey with Dani's new toy- and being eaten alive by fiery red ants along the way.

It was captivating how much beauty could be held within the soggy wood planks of buildings that had seen much better days. There was yet sturdy life in the rusting, corrugated steel that roofed those boards. And as the sun-dried hills drank the light of the day, color spilled like wine across the forgotten walls of the stables; and it was as if 'admiration' had always been their purpose.

After the sun sank, and the response-time of the camera lagged in the darkness, our adventuresome hearts took over and we wandered from the stables. Not far out into the field was a well, and as my friends climbed up on it I couldn't help but stand back- in awe of their stark and brilliant black silhouettes against the expansive, radiant sky. I quickly fumbled with buttons and settings to capture this magnificent scene. Soon the three of us were conducting an extensive photo shoot where each captured snapshot was greeted with a gasp or sigh. It was almost too much to behold.

Up on the well, I could hardly help but drink in my existence. Rising above my accustomed perspective, I let my senses absorb their life. The smell of the farms- fertilizer, dirt, earth. The taste of the warm and weightless summertime air. The sight of the sunset and all it poured its light on. The grittiness of the concrete beneath my bare feet. The silence of the country.

During a moment when I was on the ground and my friends atop the structure, I looked up and there I saw it all: two people, dwarfed and darkened by a giant and magnificent sky, dancing, playing, being within this majestic creation. The royal blue and orange that pulsed throughout the atmosphere spoke of something greater than mankind- and my Creator did not go un-praised.

There before me was a picture of the living God, and an image so utterly tangible and true to the work He is doing in my heart.

John 3:30 says, regarding Jesus, "He must become greater; I must become less."

And there we were, these small yet intimate creations, 3 in 6.7 billion, not consumed by night but rather overcome and illuminated by a backdrop of brilliance, by an entity immeasurable, by the joy of Christ, by the living God. And so much greater is He than we! There, in that evening glimpse, He was greater, and we were less, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever beheld.

"The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joys is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater, I must become less." John 3:29-30