My Linkin Park items and Concert remembrance

I recently purchased two Linkin Park items, these are limited edition items one is based on the music video "Breaking the Habit" and consist of the anime of it and the DVD of how the video was made and the music video. I love anime, so I thought it was a brilliant choice and it didn't cost so much at all! The item on the right is Minutes to Midnight, which was the same concert with some friends. The song "What I've Done" was the ending theme of the first Transformers movie. The first time I heard of Linkin Park went even further. They did a remix of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" now at first, I really didn't like the remix, but after a while, it started to grow on me, and I gotten fascinated by Linkin Park. Then by watching the first Transformers movie , that's what gotten into them as well. I downloaded a lot of their songs.

The Concert: The concert was around March I think, it's been a while! It was a few years back. I remember I asked my mother if I could go to the concert because Kimmy and Carla said you should go and have fun. She let me go because of my grades were so good, and she believe I deserved it. My aunt took me because it was at the Staples Center( mostly any concert or big events happen there along with the the Convention Center, which is next door to the Staples Center) I already purchased a ticket, because they were selling out like crazy! My ticket I remember it was $52.00 my seat was at the top, I remember seeing so many people there, you can hear several voices at once. I wanted to bring my camera but the note said no cameras (which I so regretted it!). I was in the wrong sit because I looked at the numbers wrong, I guess being excited and nervous at being at your first concert, things happen like that. There were two other acts before Linkin Park though, I think one was called Coheed and another band I can't remember at the moment. But when Linkin Park came to the scene, everyone was standing up! I was sitting and chatting with two fans next to me, they were so excited! I had to stand up the rest of the concert because I couldn't see the band and then I was too far away, but around you, you could see several lights flashing like stars in the sky, because everyone had their cameras. My old phone which was a razor, the photos I don't have anymore, but there was a screen/projectile/projector they had where you can see the musicians, my camera on my phone was terrible, all I kept getting was Chester Bennington and not the other band mates. The first song they perform funnily was "What I've Done." After half of the concert, I saw Kimmy and Carla, they were sitting diagonally from me. They already had their tickets when they told me about the concert so it made sense, when you have concerts, they have assigned seats oddly enough. The concert was an astonishing experience, the musicians especially Chester were vibrant and lively, and I was told he was sick that day too, it was amazing because he did back flips and all kinds of jumping and shouting so it was hard to believe that he was sick. I know another class mate was over there but he had the VIP ticket, obviously he paid in advance. After the concert, I said goodbye to my friends and my aunt was waiting patiently for me, and I was checking up on her, and it was a few minutes to midnight (henceforth the album title) and I wanted merchandise from the concert but it was so costly. I know Carla had a beautiful shirt and Kimmy had a jacket with the symbol LP submerge together like the book you see in the photo. I remember there were bands that do promotional when big bands come out. So they were passing out CDs and stuff this band name Panima(I still haven't gotten around of listening to it.) I took it because I knew how it felt when you want to promote yourself and stuff: common courtesy. Finally after that, I asked my aunt could I please get a shirt so I gotten the shirt you see on the photo below, it was not from the inside, it was one of those discounted people who sell cheap or discounted  merchandise so basically, I gotten my shirt for $10.00, I was satisfied enough because my friends had to pay almost $100 for their clothes ware. I had a smashing night, once I find the shirt I can put the actual date on it. I come across the shirt every now and then, I would wear it sometimes. This was indeed a fine art moment I think! I do plan to go to more concerts soon, the only other concerts I have been to were jazz concerts called Jazz Fest West where they have them from next door to the water park Raging Waters. (I might have a blog post on that so stay tuned!) Again it was a great moment for me, because even to this day my mother and I were shocked she made that decision to let me go to one!

This is me with my Linkin Park shirt, and this is one of my friends Kimberly.
She was one of the friends that went to the same concert. 

John Hughes collection

I love John Hughes movies, there's still more I need to explore of his movies. I'm missing Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Home Alone at the moment. All good movies though! I like how he had Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall in three movies all of them they played different characters of kinda fall back into the same level in away. The only movie that's not part of John Hughes is Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but the other two movies Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club are his work. The guy was a genius, was nothing like other directors, the fact he wrote these stories when he was young and encountered situations like that, now that's the perfect way to make a movie I think. And then by having really good actors and actress really make a difference. All the ones including Ferris Bueller, they are bonus editions. Now Home Alone is the only one I have that doesn't have a bonus feature, and ironically that was the first movie I knew about his work, and gotten me into the actors from it. I was shocked he did all these other iconic movies, a lot helped out actors including Jon Cryer's career which was pretty awesome! Once I find my DVDs and maybe purchase the edition of Home Alone, I will have an update! These are good movies and the soundtracks are outstanding: Simple Minds, Oingo Boingo, New Order, the Smiths, OMD, etc! 

Jon Cryer collection

I know this seems a bit weird, but what can I say the guy is a good actor, a lot of potential and skills. These are the available movies I can find him in at the moment. All from Amoeba except No Small Affair DVD. They didn't have the DVD so I ordered it off from Amazon, it wasn't that expensive really. I know he plays the a nerdy character in all of them basically but each of them have something distinctive about them. I plan to find more DVDs or movies of him, he's definitely an actor of interest. The first time I heard about him was in Pretty in Pink because when I saw Two and a Half Men, he looked so familiar to me! These are all comedy/drama movies some are funny than others and he plays different levels of roles like Stay Cool, he wasn't the main character. If you like movies and love nerdy people or characters, definitely something to search for! 

My Joy Division/ New Order collection

This is my Joy Division and New Order collection. The two sources I gotten from were Amazon and Amoeba. A couple of friends told me about Joy Division, after seeing bits of Control on YouTube and checking out Unknown Pleasures as well, I guess my interest went a bit deeper. I knew about the connection between two bands, but after hearing about them, and actually watch footage, they are actually pretty good! I still have one more I do have in my wish list: an Ian Curtis poster. I still have to read Torn Apart to see what more depth of the situation. It was so strange because the same year and day Ian committed suicide was the same as Mt. St. Helens volcano erupted and it was a helluva eruption too, it wiped out a lot of nature and civilians! When I see the volcano few years ago, it was so peaceful made me wonder was it the same volcano that caused so much terror.
The recent items are Heart and Soul and 20 Years of New Order but it also contained music of Joy Division, it was a promo disc, considered to be rare it was only $20! Heart and Soul from the looks of it is really good, the booklet is really nice. I still need to explore on these two bands, and are definitely a worth of interest!
Control is an excellent movie, Anton Corbijn did a fine job with this movie, the characters really suit and gave me a feel on how Ian was before he died and how the post punk era was really raw in the since of non sugar coating. The two interview DVDs are another fine items to have, they have astonishing bonus features!
New Order Technique(2-disc CD) and Joy Division's Still are considered out of print items! 

My Tim Burton collection update

This is my Tim Burton collection, I do have two missing DVDs that are lost in my room at the moment and those are Sleeping Hollow and Beetlejuice. I will buy more of his work soon, but for now this is what I have aside the missing DVDs. I have gotten a passion of his work, from watching behind the scenes footage, going to the exhibition with a friend of mine, etc, his work inspires me. The DVDs that you see before you are from Amoeba music, The Alice In Wonderland book I gotten from my previous college, they had a promotional thing at the time, and I was so eager of seeing the newer version of Alice in Wonderland and this book it shows how and what the character are and quotes and so on. I also brought the actual book by Lewis Carroll   , it was a good read and the illustration was good too! The Tim Burton book and the bookmark are from the exhibit, I actually wanted the bigger 1,000 page book at the time, but it was over my budget so, I brought this book instead, it just shows you his best work from the early days and so forth. The Edward Scissorhands shirt, I purchased this when I was in Hollywood, they had some shirts and this one caught my eye. I really love the collaborations of Tim and Johnny Depp, and then by it having my favorite color I couldn't resist to get it, and it was the last one in my size too! Last but not least, the Alice in Wonderland buttons are from a store in the valley my aunt took me to, it was one of the erotic stores that sold sex toys and stuff, but I was more into the buttons. When I find the two DVDs I will update about it! 

My High School graduation remembrance

 

My high school graduation

It was like almost yesterday, it’s almost been two years since I’ve graduated. It was a funny moment of my life.  I remember having to practice with my classmates with the seating and gestures and everything. Since I was one of the honor students, I had to be on the second row. You see, they had it divided from the honorary to the regular students. My grade point average was a 3.43 a “B”. I was shocked because I didn’t think I made it on the honor roll. I had tragic moments during my high school years, like both my grandmothers died a year apart and one of my grandfather’s was sick and my father at the time slipped on the floor trying to make to my graduation.  Everyday I would ask my friends and teachers to sign my yearbook, it was an astonishing moment for me, because again I didn’t think I would graduate. On top of that, being accepted to a University of California, it was too good to be true! I honestly felt like a nobody at my middle school graduation, they forgot I was one that been in that school for nine years, but it was funny because my mother embarrassed the school, West Angeles Christian Academy, which is a of now, a tutoring place. I made a few good friends, and a few good teachers too, but the rest was just horrific, and glad I made it out of there. Compare to Community Harvest Charter School, thank God for that school, I hardly made enemies there and the education was just right, I really gained a lot from Community Harvest, I know they are going through a rough financial battle at the moment, almost seem like I was destined to be there, because I gotten out in a nick of time! I really had no idea one of the staff knew who my family were on my father’s side, it quite shocked me when I saw her at one of my grandparent’s funerals. Anyway, the day it happened, it was pulsating because not knowing where people will be after years to come, and seeing my fellow classmates that were salutatorian and a valactorian* I think that’s how you spell it, they had the highest grade point averages and had to do speeches. I gave out invitations too,  to my family including a friend I known in my art classes. It was emotional, and a fantastic event. I remember my feet were in pain because I had to stand up in a line to be inside the building. I can’t find my white robe string, but I do have my honor roll medal that has my name engraved with my grade point average. I would usually wear it when I’m trying to use different styles when I dress. It was remarkable to finally feel like I accomplished something as a starting point of my life. I enjoyed the tassle/cap in the air moment. Luckily we all had our names on them so we would remember who’s who, because they were head size custom made. My mother told me something that really stood out to me: You’re not too high or too low, being in the middle is the best thing you can be in anything. She’s right, it’s like trying to say being over qualified or something like that but being just right, is the best part. I had both pieces of my family members five from my mother’s side and five from the father’s side there. I only wished my father was there and then my late grandmothers. However, one of my aunts told me that she had a vision of my her mother saying that’s my baby or something like that, she was happy, and she said it had to be about me because it occurred about round the graduation. We also received another medal for just graduation, I can’t find at the moment, it had the school’s symbol the eagle, some received the USC scarf for joining the University of Southern California(one of the top universities), the robes( they came in three colors: gold/yellow for the top two students, above 4.0, red was for the 4.0s, and white(which I had) was for 3.0s grade point averages and then the plague, which is in storage at the moment, of our certificates of graduation.   I also wished one of my best friends graduated with me, but she graduated a year later, which wasn’t bad.