Ok so this year is by far the best birthday I’ve ever had. I was totally blown away by the love my friends showed me. ^-^

So I woke up at 9:30 to be greeted by Andrea who made me an IHOP style breakfast. Much yums. I spent the morning in the sun reading my bible. I still have a sunburn to prove it but it was worth it, such a nice day. I proceeded to spend my day talking to everyone on the phone. (minutes …heh)

I ate lunch with all my animation buddies in front of the Lodge. Simon made me blow out ghetto candles stuck in cookies (match stixs.)

After that I didn’t see many of my friends and I was wondering where they got too…heh. Simon asked if was cool if we all went for dinner at 10. So I sat anxiously through class waiting for it to end.

Then having invited Kristina to go with we went to hop into the van which to my surprise was decorated with balloons and streamers. =) The ride was indicated with those little party guns that shoot confetti.

We ended up at a 24 Korean restaurant called Hodori in LA. And most of my friends where there!


Along with tons of fun toys and things we had these awesome Action man Extreme hats.


And great Korean food:


Happy happy


Hey look REAL candles.


Smiles…


And then Jihuen The girl above put frosting all over my face and everyone was laughing at me. (all in the name of good fun though) Especially Simon. So I got him back.


Afterwards they took me to this really nice karaoke joint in k-town.


It was fun though I can’t sing….heh. Jihuen and Vin were really good as was Yohone. So much fun! I’ve never done it before.



We got back around 5 in the morning in time to see the sun start to rise.


THANK YOU ALL sooooo MUCH!
I Love YOU GUYS!

-RAzi

ps:
Click the FOx to see more images of the party:

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Here I am sitting in my room back at home in Valencia.

I can’t wait until I can really start on my film. I’ll feel right when I am actually doing something productive…And I know what I need to do on it now. I have my vision back, and I will do whatever is necessary to get my vision completed even if it leads me down an obscure path…

I just got back from my Aunts funeral. It was sad of course but I got to be with my younger sister Lily as well as meet my eldest sister who has been hiding up in the back woods of New Hampshire my whole life and my other older sister Kim. I have three sisters and I hardly see them now …go figure. But despite the distance I feel closer to my family than most anyone else now.

Well I do have friends but save for a small few most of them seem to be fading away. It’s because I’m in school of course, but I makes me sad to have to travel off a separate path from so many cool people and now all I have is memories both fond and regretful. Sighs….But there is nothing I can do about that…

I really do feel like I’m on this weird separate path from everyone else’s. Seriously even here at school it always seems that everyone is over there doing something cool and I’m over here ding my own thing.

A current example it the big CA Annual art opening. Everyone hung their artwork yesterday while I was at the funeral, the second year in a row that I won’t be participating.

I walk on a path, many people traveling besides. Then ahead a fork in the road and there they go. I watch to my side as their forms and voices, happily conversing to each other, become faint and indistinguishable amongst the foliage and the trees then I pause and there is no sound but wind and trees and my own breathing.

At first I feel relieved but soon as I walk on loneliness sets in. I am used to it though. I think perhaps I could go back catch up with them and walk on their paths…

But no; deep down, even though I can’t yet see the destination nor comprehend how far it is, I know where I need to go and I know that some how the path I am on will take me there.

I know that even though I am lonely now my path will cross when I least expect with other travelers and for another moment I will be with them until another fork in the road.

So I step out wishing I had a companion but knowing for now I don’t and that I need to be ok with that.

So I move on.

+Razi+


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Gawh!
I just ran back here. Don’t know why but I feel so anti social today. I was in animation history class and there are two guys in there that I feel really uncomfortable around. One guy well…bad history together the other always flirts with me. He’s a good guy but he has some mental things. I understand that social graces aren’t easy for him but still I feel so freaked out by him. Well actually if he was a female I wouldn’t feel the same way. It’s just because he’s a guy. I try and be nice but he grabs on to that like crazy. I don’t want to be mean but man I can’t stand it. So I just ran back to my room.

It’s been quite here. My room mate is away. If find myself online more than I would like. I’ve been dreaming like crazy too. Like this past night I dreamt that I was floating in space with a group of people. There was an ice planet that we landed sliding on. It was cold desolate and depressing. I don’t know why we were there. We walked into a huge ware house. Each levels floor was entirely ice. In the ice deep were different things, pumpkin in one case. We then realized that there were also bodies in the ice. These rooms were for different families to store there dead loved ones. One room we were in was immensely deep and the ice was defrosting. I feel into the water and climbed up the side of the wall onto a window seal. I realized I had to go back in to get across so I feel back in. I remember floating downward looking up at the floating ice chunks on the surface wondering what I would see if I turned and looked down. I realized that I couldn’t get out even if I did get back to the surface.

Yeah every night I’ve had these types of dreams. In another I shot a friend of mine on accident and while I was trying to pull the shell out of the gun appalled it exploded in my hand. I hardly ever dream this often, much less are they all themes the same. I think dreams say a lot about what’s going on in side but I haven’t a clue what these all mean. It’s not that I’m depressed though…Eh.

The one thing that is intensely on my mind is this year’s film. I think I’ll go work on it now…I should in any case…






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So this Year is certainly different than last year. I feel like an Animator now.

I realized something about the character animation department. There are two groups within it. Freshmen and the Years, basically when you finish your first film you are fully accepted into the department. I noticed I can take any class and be around the higher years now. We’re on the same (post film-hell) level and I feel more comfortable around them.

I already know my film story. I have it in screenplay now and I’m itching to get it storyboarded. I’m ahead of the game and I want to keep it that way.

Man already classes are hard. It’s like WOE!

In traditional animation we are going to be learning the “Industry way” basically we’re given model sheets of a pre-existing character and we have to animate them doing certain things. I’m going to be working on Doppler the dog from treasure planet. I was down with it cause he’s and Anthro!

The other choice was Esma from Emperors New Grove.

Our teacher animated both so he’s teaching us how he learned. Smart I think.

A lot of other people took the lack of creative freedom really hard. I’m cool with it cause with only a few different characters to chose from we’ll all be on the same level. We can’t hide behind style and avoid acting. And we’re really going to be studying acting and only acting. I’m excited and ready for it.

I can’t say much about my other classes at this point because I either haven’t been to them or I haven’t got a good look at them. I expect though that they will all demand a lot and I will be stretched thin.

In terms of social stuff I am trying to like pick up the strings left over from last year. But with some people I am have great difficulty relating to anymore. It’s just awkward and stupid. It makes me sad that it is that way but It is what it is and I need to let go.

To quote the Travis, “Just get new friends.” I think this is a definite reality, So once I get totally settled in I’m going to try and get more ties or strengthen ties that were thin and new last year. We’ll see how that goes…

Guys…Yeah man I’m feeln’ the loneliness now. So many people are couples around me…Sometimes I feel that desperation to just feel special to someone. But everyone has those moments so I try not to dwell on them. As always I wish I could have someone but am here for my film and I must press onward towards that. Companion or no. [Heh I wish I had this logic all the time. Bleh]

I’m going to try and get pics of around here and the cube. So hopefully I’ll put them up sometime,

In short, things are going well. Good dorm room away from everything. Though it’s on the 4th floor and there is no elevator. My legs are killing me. I got good classes and a have a couple good friends here.

Chow to those who actually read this.

+Razi+



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Hey Guys,

I am coming back to Colorado the 9th of august and will bet there for 3 weeks. YEAH!!!! And just so you guys know Travis will be back there too. Lots of fun and surprises Just like old times.

And Just so that you all feel Jealous I saw the Shuttle launch with my own two Eyes. The wonders of being in Florida.

Chow,
+Razi+





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I have been drawing alot lately but mostly sketches. I ahve so many Ideas, tough I still feel some mental block. I guess I'll just have to keep pushing to get past it...

The first painting of Aiden. this is about a month old:


Most recent design after alot of redrawing:



Rexus my heroin in the VOid Walkers. to the right is an earlier design that I'm not going to totaly go with. The left is the most recent.
        

Hey look I've been playing with watercolors:



I did this when I was in colorado. It is one of the irigation things on the canals...



There is a great labrinth of houses under construction around here. I up and decided to go a wandering at night around them. I got lost a bit. It was cool and kinda creepy in that they all looked like deserted ruins. At least 2 square miles of this. And flordia type jungle in mingled with it and nicely cut long stretches of lawn and deserted parks. The hooting of owls and all maner of different creatres. No people at all and dimly lit street lamps. It was an interesting experence to say the least.

+Razi+

There was a big movie première in down town celebration. I didn’t ever expect anything special to happen here  
 but a small animation company called Genesis Orlando is right here in town and they just Finnish their first CG film,  
 “Tugger, The Jeep who wanted to fly.”  tuggerjeep.com  
  It apparently is a bigger deal than I thought. I found out a lot of cool connections about it but I won’t say them here. </o:p>
 
In any case it was cool to be apart of what an independent company accomplished. I had hoped to work for them but they 
 didn’t need me. And that’ s fine.  I actually meet some of the artists A sour and awkward conversation. 
 I want to blame myself and I want to be mad at them. But neither is right. It’s just how it was.

Pics of the ordeal (and more photos ):

Everybodies waiting for it to start in Down Town Celebration:

The screen is up high on a crane. Smart Idea really...:

The celebration lasted all day. It was also sort of a 4th thing. 
During a performance these kids were having trouble with the volume. 
Man I can only imagin just how much hearing capability I've lost 
 sinse I was that age. Eh i though these kids were cute. 
 The best part about these things is the people you get to see.:

The show starts up with an intro from the creators. 
The Guy on the right is Jeffery Varab the president 
of Genesis orlando. He worked on mulan and other disney films. 

And it starts!

This is part of the opening sequence. :

And some more part of the movie:

I actually ended up leaving half way. It already started late then they had some technical difficulties 
 that delayed it more. I had to get to work so I left. And well I have to admit the movie wasn’t holding 
 my attention very well anyway. It really seemed like a first movie and it was CG. But after having,  
 accomplished a movie myself I can appreciate their accomplishment. I’m glad I got to be apart of their beginning.
 
And after work me and mysister played with fireworks. MAn I love them!
 
 
 
Ah it's late yet again....sighs...
 
It surprises me how most of my time I am alone....but I'm ok with that now..
I guess I still miss my friends...But it seems so far away. sighs.... What can I do?
 
+RazI+

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