Reeling it in

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
-William James

One of my biggest flaws, among many many flaws, is my ability to let myself get carried away by things that excite me. Sometimes, this is a good trait to have. I’ve actually been complimented on it by friends and peers who find difficulty in enjoying their day to day lives because they’re bored. It’s not that I don’t get bored, per se, but I have an easier time than others getting out of that funk. For a while, I wondered if I had ADHD because I have a hard time keeping my focus. One way that this has been manifesting itself recently is in the amount of things that I want to learn.

Currently, I’m reading three books on video editing, theatrical camera techniques, and writing for the screen. I’m also knee deep in tutorial DVDs for Final Cut and VisionLab. But then there’s Unity3D, which is a call back to a previous hobby of mine, 3D art and gaming. I also try to write a bit every day on a script that I’m working on, keep up with friends, cook healthy meals, keep my apartment clean, and stay up to date with the news.

I guess I’m having a hard time prioritizing. There’s this clutter in my life that isn’t always visible. I guess if I had to put things into order of importance, it would go like this:

• Health
• Writing
• Software
• Entertainment

It’s hard to stay focused by myself, so I’ve been trying to find friends and peers to collaborate with. My thinking is that if others are holding me accountable to something, I’ll have that extra bit of motivation to stay on track, instead of letting my focus wander. This coming weekend, I’m going on a short trip to visit a friend, and I hope that the change in scenery helps me clear my head. My thoughts are all jumbled, and need some straightening out.

How do you keep focus?

Also, here’s a quick video I made of my commute this morning. Just playing with a video editing app on my iPhone.



On a completely different note, I’ll be fixing the commenting section of my blog tomorrow. The system that I’m using now, JSkit, decided not not be free anymore (bad move for their current userbase), and so they’re charging for a service that they had given away for free. Needless to say, there are other (and more user friendly/efficient) systems out there. I plan on using one that will allow you to sign in by using your Twitter, Facebook, Google or other ID.
Until then, please bear with me.

The Year of Action

What am I capable of?

So, even though the title of this entry is “Year of Action”, It’s taken me a full month to write this entry. So instead of resolutions, I’ve decided on goals. I’m going to film at the very least, two short stories by the end of the year; one comedic and one scifi. I’ve already started on the scifi story, writing a script and doing visual effects tests. I discovered Visionlab for my visual effects, and I was surprised by the results that I was able to achieve.


I also picked up a copy of Final Cut Express, which is used for general video editing and composition, so I’m pretty set there. Now, I next had to find a program to write scripts in. This brings me to my next discovery. When you’re on a Mac and writing a script, you use Final Draft, which is pretty expensive for my budget. Luckily, there’s Celtx, which is a full script writing suite, complete with storyboarding, production notes and more. The way I see it, we’re in 2010. Years ago, people made much more with much less. This new venture is keeping me busy, and I get to learn new things. Lets see where it goes.

NYE

Here’s a vid. Happy 2010 everyone!

A Bento a week...

One thing that I’d like to do this year is be healthier.

And one way to achieve that is to eat healthier! Near the end of 2009, I started making bento lunches to take to work. If you don’t know what an obento is, you’re not the only one. Many Americans have no idea what an obento is besides the overpriced box meals that are sold at many japanese restaurants. The obento that I’m referring to is defined as, “a Japanese-style packed lunch, consisting of such items as rice, vegetables, and sashimi (raw fish with condiments)”. Bentos serve a few different purposes. They are generally healthier than fast food or restaurant bought lunches. They are less expensive to make. Lastly, they help with portion control. On a bad day, I can eat a full pizza from CPK. No matter how healthy the pizza is, eating the whole thing can’t be good for me.

My plan is to start making one bento a week for lunch. Hopefully, I’ll increase that to two, or three times per week by my birthday. I already reached my goal of getting my weight down, so it’s not dieting that is driving this change. I want to live healthier, and every little bit helps. By following this plan, I can do my best to stay away from fried foods, know exactly what I’m putting into my body, save money and live better.

For those of you interested in bento, check out the Just Bento blog. There are a number of recipes and resources for those who’d like to give this a try. I highly recommend it.

Hello 2010!

2010 is in less than 12 hours. 2009 brought with it love, loss, learning and motivation, not necessarily in that order. Tonight, I’ll be welcoming the new year with the best friends that a guy could ask for in Brooklyn, NY. Hopefully in the near future, I’ll be spending much more time there.

Happy Holidays everyone, be safe tonight, wherever you are.

Peace Walker

Coming out early 2010.

I can’t wait

No Snow Day

Off to work I go...

And it’s a cold day...

Pic from last night: