Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Droplets on the Coffin


As the light rain falls,
Saturated hair clings to my face.
Rain ...tears become one.
Droplets intermingle on the surface
Of the cherry oak coffin.
A banal breeze blows through:
Smelling of sodden air.

I Listen to the pitter-pat of droplets
Splashing on the surface.
My feet rustle the wet leaves
As I reach out to touch
The coffin's perfection of symmetry
Which harbors the vessel
Of a woman so complete.

Her ashen face
Adorned in false paint.
Cherry lips dulled
To shades of mauve.
Remote reflection
of her past.

Surrounded by sweet aromas.
Her hands like fine sand
Worn from years of erosion.
In her arms,
Affection stretched like the horizon.
Twice as warm as the sun

But now the sun sets;
The clouds enfold her
As droplets descend
Upon my face.

Poem Copyright © 1997 A.M.J.M.

Photo Credit: Death Valley by Simonsun08

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Lily Allen Retires at 24? Really?



Low and behold, when I wake up this morning after getting only four hours of sleep, I turn on twitter and notice Lily Allen is listed as a hot topic. So, instantly, I knew it was either some truly fantastic news or something that would probably piss me off. Sadly, it was the latter.

Why oh why, did I have my morning ruined by the news that Lily Allen is "possibly" retiring? Well, it turns out she has decided to pitch a petulant fit over the state of illegal downloads. Apparently, she even started a blog to talk the controversial issue which she took down in day mind you. Don't get me wrong. I hate ratfink digital pirates as much as the next person that makes a living from music, movies and digital content.

But!

Throwing childish temper tantrums is hardly the answer to the problem. What I would like to ask Miss Allen is ... what about the true fans? Some of us actually slap down the price to buy legal downloads on Itunes, and there is also the sainted few who even fork over the exorbitant
price for the whole CD. Why exactly would you give all of us the big heave ho because of the minority that have virtual sticky fingers?

I truly hope that this is only a silly publicity stunt to shed light on the pirating problem or to get hype for a new project. At least then, I can just hate on her a little while before playing "Smile" again.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Blender Tutorial: How to Learn Texture Baking in Blender

I just got around to writing my first tech tutorial. So, since I am working on a Blender project at the moment, I decided to write one on the often overlooked skill of texture baking. It has a highly useful technique if you work with game engines, Flash 3D or virtual worlds like Second Life.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Danmell Ndonye's Gang Bang Rape Hoax

Watch the Video.

While browsing the net today, I was dismayed to read about yet another case of a rape hoax. The 18 year old Hofstra University student, Danmell Ndonye, accused four young men of gang raping her on September 13, 2009. However, she turned right around and recanted the whole sordid tale 3 days later only after the police found out that the incident had been recorded on video. Apparently, Ndonye appeared to eagerly enjoy the bathroom sex romp.

Reading about such cases always fills me with a swirling mix of sadness and anger. Not only has she caused these men and their families a considerable amount of grief and heartache, she tarnished their names in their own community. Forever, their names will be associated with a rape case despite the charges being dismissed. There's no doubt that some of them will have serious issues trusting women in the future. If I were one of them, I'd want signed contracts of consent before even thinking about getting to third base after that nightmare.

However, the real lasting damage will be for date rape awareness and the countless victims of this crime. False witnesses like Ndonye perpetuate the stereotype that women only cry rape because they have guilt about their sexual behaviour. What will happen the next time a woman comes forward with a rape claim at Hofstra University or anywhere else for that matter? Some will point at her case as a shining example of why date rape is a fantasy.

The tragic truth is that many date rape victims never step forward because they don't want to be categorized as just another tart with remorse after the beer wears off. They don't want their lives picked apart moment by moment to judge if their sexual purity is worthy enough. Indeed, they fear that no one will believe them.

I can only hope that Ndonye will be prosecuted by the State of New York for her false claims. Perhaps then, she will see that she has placed one more detrimental hurdle in the way of real date rape victims.

Further Reading

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Patrick Swayze's Death: Now For Something Completely Different ...

I couldn't finish a Patrick Swayze dedication without mentioning one of my all time favorite Saturday Night Live skits of all the time. The whole idea of Swayze and the late comedian, Chris Farley, having a strip-off for a Chipendale audition is enough to make me fall onto the floor and laugh for days.

RIP Chris and Patrick.



Patrick Swayze's Death: Remembering the Man of Romance

After hearing about Patrick Swayze's death on September 14, 2009, I was more saddened than I could have ever imagined. I had really taken for granted the impact he had on my life where it concerned love and romance. Not only was he the man that captured some of my all time sensual and loving moments on film, but he was the man that accomplished the impossible by maintaining a strong real life love story with his wife, Lisa Niemi, for over 30 years.

Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I'd like to celebrate his life by taking a moment to remember two pop culture classics that made the women pray to god that the sort of passion and love he exuded on the screen wasn't just celluloid fairy tales.

After all these years, I can still remember my reaction to the dirty dancing club scene towards the beginning of the film. The raw sexuality that flowed from Swayze's character, Johnny Castle, was enough to make a naive young girl want some of that titillating energy once she became a woman. But beyond the obvious sensual currents in the film, the powerful romance of the finale has forever shaped my dream of the modern day knight saving the damsel. When he uttered the memorable phrase, "Nobody puts Baby in the corner.", I knew with every fiber of my being that I wanted a man of my own just like him someday.

Ghost (1990)
Although I'm not actually in love with this film as a whole, I am in love with Swayze's character, Sam Wheat, in it. Yet again, he had a marvelous way of bringing the ladies to their knees with another steamy scene. Who knew that anyone could make a pottery wheel sexy? As someone that has played with plenty of clay, I can tell you it isn't the most romantic environment.

However, any woman that saw that seen would tell you she would have given her right arm to have been that lump of clay in his hands. The scene was both extremely sexy while simultaneously being one of the most loving depictions of a couple I have ever seen. Needless to say, Swayze's portrayal of a man so in love that even death couldn't dilute his passion will always hold a special place in my heart.

So, cheers to Patrick Swayze. He immortalized the high capacity of love that a man can have for a woman in fiction while showing that sometimes art imitates life in a most beautiful way.

Vaya Con Dios.


Monday, September 14, 2009

A Muzzle for Kanye West?

... Ah, yes, a new award show and a new silly Kanye West outburst ...

While I was clicking through one of my favorite social networks this morning, I noticed that someone asked what people thought about Kanye's inappropriate VMA upstaging last night and his subsequent mea culpa on his blog later that night.

I wrote the following:

I must say that I wasn't all that shocked to see Kanye West make a sheer spectacle out of himself at an award show ... once again. He obviously feeds off of being the center of attention. Of course, it wouldn't be a vast stretch to see these recurring outbursts as just wily marketing ploys. However, I tend to think it's a mix of marketing and just a plain infantile personality.

It's pretty sad that he didn't take into account Taylor Swift's age or the fact that that was her first VMA award. Thank god that Beyonce showed class and professionalism by allowing Swift to have her moment in the end.

As for his apology, who knows if it is sincere. Personally, I was more struck by how it sounded like something written by a 15 year old. One would expect that if he was sincere that he would have sat down and truly contemplated the moment. He wouldn't have made pitiful excuses on his blog like "I'm just real sorry for that".

I suppose no one told him there is a time and place for everything.

To view what others said: Mahalo Answers
To view a snippet of his blog apology: Kanye Disses Taylor Swift
To view a history of Kanye's rants: Outburst Timeline

MTV's 2009 VMA Show: Predictable Upstaging and Surprising Acts

Yesterday, I actually had no intention of watching MTV's Video Music Awards. Frankly, I had gotten bored with the stale musical award show years ago. However, I was intrigued by the idea of seeing Janet Jackson's planned tribute to her brother, Michael Jackson, who died on June 25, 2009. Despite my mixed feelings about the King of Pop, I, like many others, acknowledge the great loss of talent to the music world. So, quite naturally, I assumed that Janet, another great entertainer, would put on a fantastic tribute to her brother.

Long story short, I did end up watching the VMA show with every intention of changing the channel after Janet's performance. But, too my shock, the show was actually... dare I say it... entertaining. From the Kanye West/Taylor Swift melodrama to Pink's amazing aerial act, I actually didn't get the anxious need to channel flip. Without further ado, I'll just hit on my favorite and wtf moments.

My Highlights

Janet Jackson and the Michael Jackson Tribute
Obviously, I would have to start with the Michael Jackson tribute that began with a speech by Madonna. To be honest, I was fully prepared to hate her speech once it started, but I must admit that it turned out to be a touching and thoughtful one. This was followed by a stage show filled with dancers in Michael's most famous costumes and performing his signature moves. It really was a yawn moment. Although they were great dance moves, the emotion and spectacle was lost with so many panning cameras and dancers stretched about the large stage.

I breathed a sigh of relief once Janet Jackson finally burst forth on to the stage. She performed a somewhat synced rendition of the Scream video with her brother who was on a widescreen behind her. It was as emotional and powerful as I suspected it would be. But, I was disappointed that it was so short. In retrospect, it may have been the powerful nature of the performance that convinced her to keep it short and sweet in the fear that she might get too emotional and lose it. Either way, her performance saved the tribute section from totally tanking.

Lady Gaga
Out of all the gossip and buzz about the program, Lady Gaga's appearance caused me the most curiosity. I haven't really followed her career closely since I don't really feel her musical style. Yet, I do find her fashion and personal style intriguing from a performance art point of view. Needless to say, she didn't disappoint with a plethora of weird costume changes throughout the show that the cameramen were nice enough to showcase every time they could. I wasn't sure rather to be impressed by her bold, unique fashion choices or whether to run from the TV creeped out.

As for her performance of her hit song, Paparazzi, I wasn't crazy about the new musical composition. Don't get me wrong, I understand why they slowed it down for theatrical effect to match the high drama stage show, but it still wasn't that pleasing to the ear. Yet, I still give it points for keeping my attention with Lady Gaga's performance intensity and the seriously random blood gush at the end. The girl has diva drama on lock.

Beyonce
To my joy, Beyonce performed her song, Single Ladies. I don't really love this song musically but I adore the video/music combination. For that reason, I think it was quite perfect that she won the Best Video Award for it. It's the epitome of what MTV is about ... the synergy of pop music and visuals to create something spectacular on a visceral level.

During her stage performance of the song, I was up on my feet dancing along the whole time. The beat as well as the dance moves were infectious and had me going from beginning to end. This was no real surprise since she always brings her A game to these events.

Pink
Pink is an artist I have followed since forever. Being a punk at heart, her music has always touched me. However, her performance at the VMA blew my mind. I would have never have expected a poignant aerial acrobatic show to come from her. But, she pulled it off stunningly. No one can claim that her performance was the same old cookie cutter award show trash.

Other Notables: Green Day and Muse
Last but not least, I'd have to mention the two groups that represented for rock. Green Day and Muse proved that the rockers can still impress at an award show with the sheer power of kick a** music. Like Beyonce's performance, I couldn't stay still during their time on stage. Not only were the crowds going crazy with excitement, the bands flowed with electric energy.

WTF Moment
Predictably, Kanye West showed yet again that he is the most classless person in all of celebrity. For those living in a cave, Kanye upstaged Taylor Swift while she was accepting the award for Best Female Video. Granted, I wouldn't have picked that video in a million years to win that award, but it surely wasn't appropriate for Kanye West to jump on stage and grab the mic from a teen girl. Geez, blogs are talior made to rant on such silly award giving travesties. Try blogging first so you don't have to post childish apologies on your blog after the fact, Kanye.

In the end, I felt the MTV Video Music Awards weren't a total waste of a couple of hours. I'm not sure if the improved show was a testament of a better crop of artists this year or better programmers at MTV. However, I just may give the VMA show another chance next year ... maybe.


Sunday, September 6, 2009

The New Blog

So, after over a year of friends and family pestering me to start a blog, I've finally decided to give it a go. You may be wondering what you will find here after stumbling onto the page. Well, mostly it will be my rants on politics, the insanity of American culture and anything else I find moronic on any given day.

Of course, I'll toss in some random viral videos and naughtiness for the poops and giggles. ^^