Next Stop on the NKG Line

DJ APPES "Into The Mix" part 2

The academic semester has finally come to an end! *Pause for Cheers* This semester went by relatively fast but I definitely felt the heat and struggle of this academic year. This semester I got the chance to intern at Diesel while at the same time still working at the store and going to school. I found it hard trying to balance all three, especially in the beginning because I was used to having a lot of free time. I had to really learn how to time manage this semester and it sure was a challenge. 

This semester, I experienced a lot and I learned a lot. There were lessons I wish I did not have to learn about for the experience was too brutal but we all learn from our mistakes. 

I tried new things this semester like attending a three-day festival (if you remember the electric zoo post, my very first blog post), and I also did things that I used to judge before even trying them out, for example blogging. I used to think it was pointless for me to blog because no one would be interested in what I had to say. However, after having to create a Tumblr account for our Media Writing Workshop class I was proven wrong. It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be and at times I actually found myself looking forward to creating my next blog post and comment. 

Overall, this semester was definitely an eye-opener and probably life-changing semester. I’m excited to see what everyone is going to get up to next semester. Looking forward to it!

Nqobi's Podcast, Part 1.

I'm using my last blog post for this semester in Media Writing to write a review of sorts of my Tumblr blogging experience. When first introduced to Tumblr, it seemed like a scary thing to me, as new things always do. I had a hard time figuring out how to post things correctly, how to follow people on their respective Tumblr's, and most importantly, how to make a layout. What I've learned is that Tumblr requires patience at first, then once you learn the basics, it really is a user friendly sight for the most part. 

First joining Tumblr, I think I was thinking too much into the layout of my blog, rather than it's content. In doing so, I was getting myself way too deep into technical stuff about a Tumblr page, and even managed to make the blog not user friendly. I'd recommend to find the simplest layout for your Tumblr page and focus on content first. 

I have found blogging to be fun and interesting. Even though it was technically homework in this case, it didn't feel like it. Writing about topics that interest you, so therefor you're able to expand your thoughts and feelings on feels good to do every once in a while. Ideally, if I had all the time in the world I would like to continue to post to my Tumblr page, create better tags to reach a wider audience, and have posts that people like to read.

It's been real Tumblr.

A year and a half ago the whole world was waiting, then watching as Prince William and Kate Middleton were married. The anticipation and news coverage leading up to it was frequent and many seemed to fall into this royal spell. The day of the wedding coverage in the U.S. was quite frankly amazing, with channels showing the wedding on repeat all day, television shows focusing solely on the new royal couple. So is it really surprising that news of The Duke and Duchess’ expecting a baby is taking off rapidly, being only 24 hours since they first announced?

  Yesterday the palace released a statement sharing the news of Kate’s pregnancy; they say they had to release this information now because she is being hospitalized for an issue that is sometimes common in pregnancy that results in extreme nausea that may sometimes last an entire pregnancy. What I find a little redundant is news shows sending anchors over to London to  report on Kate’s pregnancy. There isn’t going to be any interviews with the newly expectant mother, who is still hospitalized, so I’m not sure what the anchors are having to go there to report on that they couldn’t do here. I think to be excited for the happy couple is one thing, and that there is going to be a royal heir is exciting, but the media coverage and the tabloids seem to be a little extreme to the point where I think we may need to be concerned; concerned for our culture who is obsessing over a baby who hasn’t arrived, and a baby who, most likely, none of us will ever meet. Let’s put our focus on something else this time of year, like Christmas, and charities who are in need for donations. Click here to donate to Toys for Tots.

I agree that the ugly Christmas Sweaters are becoming popular again, but for a whole new reason. In the 80’s and 90’s they were popular as Christmas fashion people wore as everyday clothes during the holiday season, not popular as cloths people wore to parties dedicated solely to making fun of the sweaters. There is something special about these sweaters, perhaps all the bells and whistles that are sometimes attached to these sweaters, (no, really, they do have actual bells and whistles attached sometimes) that make people search store after store to find the perfect Ugly Christmas Sweater to wear to parties. Even on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon they have a segment dedicated to Ugly Christmas Sweaters where audience members can win a sweater; but on this show they’re not called “ugly Christmas sweaters”. So my question is, Do you thing we’re being too harsh calling them Ugly? I vote for a new name, Awesome Christmas Sweaters!

I love Andy Warhol and all his work too! In my room I have a lot of his posters all over my wall as long with his muse, Edie Sedgewick. I did not know that there was an exhibit going on for Warhol, so I'm definitly going to make it a point to stop by and see because I have never been to one.

I understand your frustration with the lack of organisation. It sometimes feels like you are missing a section you should check out or a really cool fact on one of the pieces. Even though museusm can be boring, it gets fun when you are going to see something you actually like and are interested to learn more about. For example last year, The Met did a Guitar Hero Exhibit which was based on the real rock gods. 

Today, while surfing through tumblr, a post caught my eye immediately.

The post is by a blogger  under the username arpeggia. I was so attracted to the pictures because they were evoking different feelings in me and I first saw it. 

This is only one of the three pictures that are shown on the tumblr site. The blog post depicts the rush hour of New York. Rushing hour meaning early in the morning as everyone in the city is trying to get to get to work on time. There are so many people rushing around, multitasking and dodging others during rush hour. It is a battle to not to get trampled over or stuck outside waiting for the next subway because it was too full to fit you. But the experience in the subway is another story. These pictures create feeling of sadness or darkness because of the choice of the colour black and grey. It adds an haunting feel to a daily morning battle. It almost is like it is drawing the life of the people as they constantly have to do the same mundane routine. 

I assume that the faces of the people depicted in the pictures are blurred because it is meant to be symbolic as thousands and possibly millions people go through the subway a day and not many of them will remember the faces of the people they are around. Maybe a certain look or pants caught your attention but otherwise people are more like gushes of winds pushing past, and everywhere, you. Lost forever

These pictures really captured my attention because it did not evoke any emotions of stress or anger, how I usuallly feel, when I think or see the subway. Especially in the mornings, people get in everyone's way and everyone is extra grumpy as they have to squeeze in tightly just to grab a pole that leads you to stand under a smelly man's arm.

Looking at some of the people in the photo, some look like they are bandaged up. Maybe to symbolise their struggles and pain?  The heightens my assumptions on it being a comment on the people who are unhappy with something. They are fading as they continue to their same old mundane jobs they probably not happy with. Of course there can be multiple other factors into play.

Now, how did these photos make you feel?

Like Nqobi, I too have been reminiscing about my childhood lately and things that I used to play and watch. Growing up in the 90's, I loved watching Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Nick at Night, and occasionally, Cartoon Network. I feel like I grew up on the ladder that led up to this boom in having technology as entertainment. I had the first PlayStation, a tamagotchi, and computer games, but all of these came later in the 90's for me. What I was really into playing growing up we're Barbie's, coloring books and other non electronic forms of entertainment. Recently I discovered a twitter hat like myself, reminisces all about the 90's as the twitter handle is @the90sLife. Here they post pictures from movies, toys, shows, and games that were all popular and loved by most every 90's kid. Ohhhhhhh I love the 90's! 

Yesterday there was a video circulating around the news and social media sites of actor Angus T. Jones putting down the show in which he has co-starred for years, Two and a Half Men. In the video the actor talks about how everyone should stop watching the show because it's "filth". He goes on to say how he doesn't even want to be on the show anymore and is against everything the show stands for.  All of this comes a little over a year after Charlie Sheen had his famous breakdown and was fired from Two and a Half Men after bad talking the show and the show's creator, Chuck Lorre.

 For Angus T. Jones it seems as though he is being influenced by his religion, or his religious leader into making this video that puts down the show that as brought him fame. It seems lately that a growing number of people in Hollywood are having these "breakdowns" that may seem our of character for them. This begs the question: is Hollywood putting too much pressure on stars to the point where they break? Or have these celebrities just have had enough with the Hollywood lifestyle; maybe it's all not as glamorous as we would think.