Kawaii

Experimentations with color.

Umbrellas & Girls

This entry is completely unplanned so if you read the entire post, be prepared for an unedited, sleepless version of constant color talk. (I'm babbling now.)

It's 4:22 a.m. where I live and I should probably be asleep. I don't have class tomorrow, but I really should be keeping up a good sleeping schedule for when my final exams come around in two weeks. Alas, the creative energy is pumping and I couldn't help but load and edit the photos I took earlier today. This morning was beautiful-- heavenly, if you will. I woke up to find the sun pouring in all the windows of my house and a 75 degree day waiting for me. I asked Kathleen if she was interested in doing a photoshoot today, and with much eagerness, she agreed to do one.

Of course, doing a photoshoot with Kathleen means fun, but it also means a lot of waiting on my part. After her shower and an hour (or more) of putting makeup on and doing wardrobe, she was ready. I didn't really have a plan for this shoot, but I knew that I wanted to focus on the weather and express it through Kathleen's image. I think I succeeded in my attempt at pure energy.

Magic Days

Kathleen brought her parasol along, and with only my camera and her enthusiasm, we went outside to our backyard. I have to add that our backyard isn't the normal suburban yard; it's connected to a park with a huge field, which is the perfect photo opportunity. She ran down the hill while I attempted to snap some shots of her-- that is, until she ran into the huge puddle of mud where the hill connects to the field at the bottom. Normally, I would expect someone to express some sort of disgust, but no, not Kathleen. She flung off her sandals and started splashing around in the loose mud, which made controlling her in photos a little more difficult. I think it all worked out for the best though, mud and all.

I'll admit that it took a while for me to get into the swing of things with taking photos earlier today. I haven't been keeping up with my photography (among other things) as much as I'd like to lately. I think I've been secretly desperate for some good weather so I can change my pace with photo subjects. Once I snapped one or two photos that I was happy with, everything fell into place from there. I think Kathleen felt the change, too.

We stayed outside for about an hour or so. I was able to get around 140 photos in all, and from those, I was confident that at least 30 would turn out the way I had hoped. After editing, I realized that I was happy with even less the amount, but I don't mind at all. The final results of the ones that did turn out were better than expected.

Sprawl

Kathleen and I wrapped up the photoshoot, but I wasn't able to load and edit the photos until a few hours ago. Jeremy came into town (again!), so Shawn and I made sure to meet up with him. My mom even noted the smile on Shawn's face when he's around Jeremy. There's something in the air when those two are together, and I'll admit that I like it, haha. I think the extra spring in their steps made me just as happy. They're both in the next room right now, laughing (giggling), talking (whispering), and watching TV (who knows what). What a pair...

Even though we're all pretty tired, we still have some energy pent up inside of us from earlier tonight. On our way to my apartment, Shawn and I passed the casino. We started talking about going there, and sure enough, the three of us hit the tables-- well, maybe not. I took my seat at a few slot machines while they went to the tables. Shawn likes the card and roulette type of action, whereas, I'm all for the simple pushing of buttons. I didn't win big this time, but I know when to stop playing, so I consider that a reward in itself. After browsing the floors (and getting carded left and right), we hit the food area. It was nice just sitting and talking with some drinks. I'm not much of an alcoholic drinker, but I do like the occasional fun drink with a tiny bit of alcohol... especially when I'm with m'boys.

We're all a little overly happy right now, sitting here together. When all these good feelings come together after the end of a nice, long day, I feel like I've reached the pinnacle of happiness. And it's true. I have.

And finally, I'd like to wrap up this entry with a small explanation of where I headed with my photoshoot in the editing process. Like I said before, I had no plans for where this shoot was headed. I ended up playing with the colors in every photo a lot, so I decided to deem this shoot "Experimentations With Color." Each photo displays another facet of colors and Summer. I wanted to evoke all emotions that I've held inside me over the years whenever Summer comes around. I'm happy with how this turned out.

Explosive Simplicity

Lethargic in the Grass

Summer Space

Sunlit, Bleak

The Romantic

Attention Vox Banners group! (Please read.)

Hearting My Beads

It has been recently brought to my attention that entries that are not banner/design related are being submitted to the Vox Banners group. I know that Vox doesn't have a lot of control options for the moderators of groups (yet), so I would like everyone to know that I will be closely monitoring more of the posts that are being submitted. I know that most of the posts that are non-banner related are really harmless, but I'd like to make sure that Vox Banners allows Voxers to scroll through the site with easy navigation, rather than having to pick through posts that have nothing to do with what the group is about: banners.

If you're curious as to what kind of posts Vox Banners is looking for, here are some suggestions and light guidelines of what you should post in the future:

• Banners you create for other Voxers to use
• Requests for specific banners
• Tutorials for Photoshop or other illustration/photo programs
• Ideas for banners and future designers
• Important Vox or banner related news/updates
• Vox management or tutorials/help

If you have any other ideas of what should be posted to the Vox Banners group, don't hesitate to let me know! I'd love to hear your ideas. Just leave a comment in the post and I'll consider adding it to the list.

I know that Vox Banners has grown a lot over the past few months (348 members), and sometimes maintaining such a large group can get a little difficult. I have, however, already begun to remove some of the unrelated entries from the group. (This may take some time.) Please don't take the removals personally, for I just want to make the Vox Banners group's atmosphere pleasant for all users!

Many thanks from your moderator,
Lauren

The Angry Bunny says "no" to smoking.

Angry Bunny Eyes

Kenn is hosting a contest (that happens to be ending tomorrow). He sent the people who entered his last Angry Bunny contest a little prize in the mail and then asked them to particpate in another contest. The stickers we all received were to be used in any way we wanted, and we were to take photos of our creativity. This was exactly what I needed to kickstart more outdoor photography.

For those of you who don't know, Angry Bunny is a comic created by Kenn. He's an amazing artist, a person who I really admire and am grateful to be friends with. Angry Bunny rocks my world.

I've been so wrapped up with other parts of my life lately that I haven't had time to take many photos. I wanted to make Kenn's deadline, so as soon as I came home after class today, I asked Beth if she wouldn't mind posing for me. I told her my idea and she agreed to help me out. After she came back from her last class, we went outside to find not only sunny skies... but warm weather as well. I was ecstatic to get started!

The idea I had in mind involved an anti-smoking theme. I wasn't planning on putting photos together in a collage, but as it turned out, there were too many photos that I wanted to use. I opted for the more complicated version of an entry: a kind of comic strip/collage of a smoker becoming an anti-smoker, thanks to the Angry Bunny nicotine patch. ^__~ (The final product will be posted on the bottom of this entry.)

Now, I will admit that I don't agree with Beth smoking. I don't like the idea of her doing something I despise and that I'm honestly disgusted by. She helped me out though. She isn't a regular smoker, and I think she buys a pack once every few weeks to few months because she considers herself a "social smoker." I'm glad she isn't addicted like a lot of people I know are (such as my neighbors, the cough hackers, downstairs). I guess my ad is kind of a contradiction now that I think about it. Anyway, she knows I don't really approve of the idea. I still love her though. <3

The Sinister Pretty

I made sure to get the "nicotine patch" in most of the shots. I wanted to focus on it as much as possible. As the photoshoot went on, I grew more interested in taking other kinds of photos of Beth. Eventually, we ended up without the stickers (after I knew I had some good shots) and we started using our apartment building as a fun backdrop. As decrepid as our building is, it can really be beautiful with the right sunlight. The light coming through the fence cracks hit Beth just right. Not only that, but I was finally given the chance to use the fire escape for a photoshoot. I've been wanting to do that ever since Beth and I moved in almost two years ago.

Beth and I went back to our place and I immediately sat down to work on the bunch of photos. I haven't been this happy with a shoot in a long time. I think that's because I usually focus on inanimate subjects, like dolls and vinyl toys. It was nice finally being able to stray from the norm for once. I think I'll be able to do that more once warmer weather hits Wisconsin for good. She gave me a lot of her input as I edited the photos. I'm happy with the entry I sent to Kenn. I think it's kind of funky.

And now, for the main event of this entry. Here's a little showcase of today's work, along with the final submission to the Angry Bunny photo contest. Thankies for giving me the opportunity to do this, Kenn. I had so much fun. ^____^

Walls and Girls

Cross Gazes

"The Patch"

And here's my submission:

A follow-up and guide on Maple Story.

ROONIES (updated): light orange hair color, sapphire eyecolor, Jr. Lioner hat

Because of the interest shown through comments about Maple Story in my last post, I thought I'd introduce the game in a pretty general way in a follow-up post. So, if you're interested in gaming, just this game, or something that's completely adorable (and addictive), come and follow me into the world of Maple Story.

Basic starting-up info: Maple Story is an interactive online game that involves role playing, imagination and endless hours of fun. (I'm totally serious.) In order to sign up for the game, you'll need to first visit the official Maple Story website. You can reach it by going to Nexon.net. Once you're there, simple click the MS icon that's located on the top right side of the page. You'll then find the blue "Sign Up" button the left side of the page. Fill in the necessary information and then go to the Downloads tab that is on the top toolbar of your page, and click Games/Patches. Here's what you need to know in order to play the game on your computer:

• As of right now, Macs aren't fit to use MS, sadly. PC computers are usually required. I'm sure there are ways around this problem, but I'm not familiar with them.
• You will most likely need the latest version of DirectX on your computer. My computer came with the program, but I recently updated it (to version 9.0) to fulfill the requirements of MS.
• When downloading the client, press the blue button with the .EXE on it. Save it to your computer and then extract the files. If you aren't familiar with downloading games, there are plenty of online tutorials you can view for help.
• Most of the information on downloading MS is on the website. Make sure to do a thorough reading of what to do before actually performing any actions.

Once you've downloaded the game and have signed up for it, you should be ready to play. There are wonderful security cautions set up so your account has less of a chance of getting hacked. Phew, that's a plus for gaming!

The object of the game: Build your character up to higher levels and have fun. Go through the game at your own pace, and while doing so, try to meet people and enjoy the atmosphere of the game. There is no right way to play MS. You make it your own game!

Your character: You now have the option of choosing a character. Don't worry about personalizing your character too much at this point. There's plenty of time to do that later on (if you're willing to put some real money towards him/her). Even though you won't be picking your character's profession at the very beginning, I've found it helpful to have an idea of what I want to be so I can arrange my character's stats in a way that will benefit her later on. Here are your profession options: magician, thief, warrior and bowman. Each profession evolves as you play the game. There are three stages per profession, so you'll constantly be working towards your character's next stage.

If you're interested in finding more information about each profession, you can do a Google search. Under the search engine, just type in "Maple Story [insert profession] build," and you should be able to get a good amount of pages that show how you can build your character. There isn't one right way so don't feel pressured to be perfect! There's no such thing. ^_~

Starting on Maple Island: Even though the game is called "Maple Story," Maple Island will only be your home for your first eight or ten levels (depending on what profession you have in mind). After that, you're shipped off to Victoria Island where the real fun begins. The first ten levels are basically present for you to get used to the keyboard controls. You'll definitely get a better feel for the game if you look around and try new things on the island. You won't have to choose a profession until you reach Victoria Island, but you will have to have an idea of what you want to do.

Maple Island is a learning experience. After you spend some time there, you'll find that you know the game a bit more. You will feel a lot more comfortable by the time you reach Victoria.

Our Characters, Looking Funny

Some things to keep in mind:

• There are two types of money: 1) mesos, and 2) NX Cash. Mesos are the currency characters can use towards weapons, armor and other miscellaneous gaming items. NX Cash is used for people who have Paypal. Real money is used through NX Cash for fun looking items. An example of such items can be seen above in my picture of Roonies. You can charge your Nexon account in amounts of five, ten and fifteen dollars at a time. Not everyone has access to Paypal, so if you're interested in NX Cash, make sure you have a Paypal account.
• Leveling your character takes time. Be patient. The process may seem easy at first, but as you gain higher levels, you'll begin to notice the longer length of time it takes to gain just one level. Once my cleric reached level 25 or so, I started noticing a big difference.
• When choosing a name for your character, keep in mind that millions of people also play this game. The chances of regular names or words like "Lauren" or "Cutie" will most likely be taken. Try to be creative and think up some new names and words. (I've found that to be more fun anyway.) You can always try other, more common, words just in case they're free!
• Although Maple Story is fun, it isn't perfect. There are constant glitches, and there are hackers that people have to deal with. The people who run MS try to keep the environment clean for your enjoyment, but they can't keep track of everyone and everything all at once. Once again, have patience. If you have a problem, make sure to report it when you're logged into your account on the MS website. The best way to protect yourself is to keep your computer clean and to not give away any information regarding your account.

End statement: I hope that this mini-introduction to Maple Story could be of some help to anyone that was interested in the game. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave me a comment in this entry. I'll make sure to answer anything you're wondering about. ^__^ I'll also make sure to update this entry as time goes on with any new details or thoughts that I think are necessary for understanding MS.

Maple news: my new character, Roonies.

ROONIES: Bunny fur dress, rainbow beanie, eyeglasses, bunny puppet (for thief claw), pink bunny slippers, metro hairstyle, blush.

I've been playing Maple Story a few hours every day this week. After trying to revive my interest in my last character, Minkka (who is level 48), I realized that something just didn't click. There wasn't any motivation behind training her. Instead, I decided to make a completely new character to train. Minkka was a cleric, and I wanted to change things up a bit this time-- so Roonies is a thief. I'd like to build her up to the final thief stage (which is a hermit) within the next few months. So far, Roonies is level 18, and I plan on building her to level 25 by the end of the weekend.

After I took this screenshot, Shawn bought me a new eye color for Roonies: sapphire. We agreed that the money put towards the new eyes will be my small present for our monthly anniversary this Friday.

I spent a chunk of money on NX Cash, but Roonies was completely worth it. <3

Vox video entry, a Kawaii production!

Kawaii Vox Blog Entry #256

Featured in this video: me (Lauren) and my Sanrio plushie (Kuromi)

Here's my latest video blog entry-- finally! I was given the chance to retake the video once I got home for the weekend. I'm sorry for the inconsistency with speaking and moving. As you may notice, the image is relayed faster than the sound. (-__-) Boo. That may be due to my camera or just a quirk with the uploading process.

For those of you Voxers who I've known since I started video posting, I first posted one back in 2006 and had the pleasure of being posted on the This Is Good (TIG) page. I was extremely excited about that, and I think that's one of the contributing reasons why I've become so attached to Vox. It's nice knowing that I can do something new and fun in a community like Vox once in a while. Since then, I've posted several video posts, all of which can be found on my Vox video page. They're mixed in with my favorite films, but they can be easily picked out!

Much love, Voxers. <3

From Laramie (and me) to all you Voxers.

I had originally made a video entry to post today, but unfortunately, there were some technical difficulties in the process of setting it up. I'm still planning on posting a video entry within the next week or so, but I think I'll have to wait until I get home so I can use my old camera. Until then, writing (er, typing) will suffice. ^__^

Hopefully, I'll be able to fall out of my little internet hiatus so I can catch up with you Voxers as soon as possible. (I felt bad for leaving you hanging.) I've been so swept up with random plans and going-ons this past week that I haven't even been online as much as I usually am. Kawaii will be back shortly.

For now, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of what's to come: Laramie! I haven't taken many photos of her yet, but there will be a dedication post for her within the next few days (as well as a video post).