I'm going all Hollywood.

It's like a portrait-drawing frenzy, whoaaaa!


This woman is supposed to be Gene Tierney. Hottt.

I've noticed how, on DeviantART, the photos or drawings of mine that I really love are never popular to the DA community, while photos that I think are not very spectacular freaking explode with views and favorites. It's very peculiar...

So there's this boy at work who I like and he likes me, but he's not single despite the couple's off and on relationship problems over the past couple of years. I feel very conflicted about how to behave around him now that our feelings are out in the open, and I'm sure he's conflicted about what to do next. It's all rather complicated. I never meant to become attracted to him--he was just a friend up until a couple of months ago when the ritual hugs were prolongued and became more affectionate. Although, I think that was of his initiation... Oh, bother.

Like the '30s.

Whoaaaa, new drawing!


It's supposed to be James McAvoy. My mom insists that it really does look like him (and she's usually pretty honest about my works), but I don't believe it. Regardless, it's a portrait of someone.

I'm starting to read a book I purchased for my mom as a gift. I don't know if she read it or not... Maybe she tried but couldn't continue? Who knows. But I'm giving it a try--it's called Christine Falls. I'm on page 49 and I still don't know who Christine Falls is.

Work today wasn't bad at all. It was really slow and we were very productive, so there was a heck of a lot of down time and joking around. I was moving a trash can and noticed how heavy it was, commenting on it to Johnathan. He shrugged, and I gasped, "Is it a dead body?" Johnathan nodded seriously, and then I said, "You know dead bodies are supposed to go in the compost, not the trash." We busted up laughing for several minutes. That line should be in a movie somewhere.

Ah, good times.

Rant.

by Abdulla Al Romaithi
My brother left for bootcamp at Fort Benning yesterday. We held hands in the back of my car on the way to the recruitment place. I was tearing up a bit, but I don't know if he noticed or not. Maybe it's too soon to get all emotional for his eventual shipping out to some sort of combat zone? I'll see him again at Christmas after the three months of basic training. I don't know. I'll miss him a lot.

I'll be handing out my reference forms for the applications I've decided to start sending out soon. My old anatomy and physiology professor from several years back who moved to Arizona is my top choice. He remembers me well. I mentioned him before, actually, he emails me sometimes. Weird, right? Heh... but he offers really good advice and encouragement about medical school and all that. I know he thinks rather highly of me:

Study and take that MCAT! That's an order!
Haha. Kidding. I've learned to let other people tell you no...
but never limit yourself.
That's your pep talk :o)
Yep. He's a good dude.

Now, I'm sorry, but I have to be really immature right now and say that growing up is stupid. Yes, stupid. You have to be required to get a job and be miserable in order to support yourself and your family. What is all that about? We need to change the system so that there is no misery.

I mean, labor forces are always complaining about how technology is taking their jobs in the form of robots. Well, yes, that is a problem in this system, but in a system where there was ALL robots doing ALL jobs, then no one would have to work if they didn't want to. People contribute to society because they want to make a difference in the world, not because they have to in order to stay alive. No one would be miserable. Everyone gets equal shares of wealth, and no one is dying of poverty or starvation or malnutrition. Honestly, it's not that difficult a concept to understand.

Loads of loads.

Everyone has been out of the house this weekend, and I've been using that time to be as lazy as possible before my mom starts harrassing me to get on with my research for all the papers I have to write this semester. I was browsing YouTube a lot and was reminded of my attempts at manga when I was in middle school and high school. Needless to say, back then they didn't turn out so great. I had only just started drawing and didn't learn much about nothing.

Anyway, I was reminded by these how-to vidoes by a guy named Mark Crilley, who has his own channel on YouTube dedicated to drawing manga. He's very talented, making it look so easy when it really isn't. Much of drawing has to do with intuition, but he tries to narrow down the basics for a bit more structure. Here's what I came up with after watching one of his videos, surprised that it turned out well enough after a couple of attempts at the eyes, the most difficult feature.


The hair was surprisingly easy to draw, but I think that's only because I'm used to knowing how hair behaves in drawing realistic portraits.

I drew the structure to the right after I finishing the portrait on the left in order to show you guys what Mark Crilley was suggesting in order to keep proportions straight. I'll probably put up a step-by-step entry on Mix Tape once it's my turn to post something on art.

Well, I finally saw Vampires Suck with my friend Leslie. It was really, really funny, especially when you're not a fan of the cast of Twilight or the ridiculousness of it all. Then we had some teriyaki chicken bowls and headed over to her house so I could take her portrait! Yay, I finally had a model to use!


And then I went to the park during sunset and took a few pictures. One of them came out really "wow" because I can't come up with another term for it.


I can't wait to graduate.