A favour for a favour…

So I recently bought a tree, a Ginseng Bonsai to be precise. I never thought I’d care for plants very much but it seems like lately I’m thinking about it a lot.

I worry about how it’s feeling, if it is eating well and getting enough sleep. Like any good parent would…

Why though… right? I could stop watering, feeding and nurturing this plant and literally torture it until it succumbs to a slow and meaningless death and it wouldn’t feel a thing. It wouldn’t have a flash of previously enjoyed days, moments or meals before it’s eyes. It wouldn’t plea for help, and it definitely wouldn’t ask “WHY?”.

It is simply a plant with no feelings, likes or remorse. It exists for one simple reason, to exhale what all of us need to inhale to survive. It keeps us alive, simply by accident, or accidentally on purpose depending on who you argue with.

Could it be that simple though?

We exist and have no idea why, we can’t even begin to have a serious conversation based on any facts on why we truly exist. Even if you believe there is a God that made all of this, or if you believe we simply grew from space germs over eons, it still doesn’t explain the root of every conversation on the matter no matter what side of the fence you reside on…”WHY?”

My plant doesn’t think of these things, it doesn’t have the burden of not knowing why it is here, it just simply exists thanks to me exhaling Carbon Dioxide and in return grants me a little bit of life with some Oxygen. A favour for a favour… “Thanks”

I am now a fan of <3 plants <3

A soggy city…

It’s been a minute…

After months of neglecting my blog I’m finally back, and this time from a new city (Vancouver) with a fresh mind and new ideas. This blog was originally started to share my views (and favs) on music, food and design which I’ll try to stick to, but can’t help ranting on about other topics here and there. A lot has happened in the last few months, I’m no longer living in Ottawa for one. I now live in Vancouver which is absolutely amazing, maybe it’s the mountains talking or the fact that every other day its +8 or warmer in January, but this city is amazing.

Okay, so on to this blog of mine. I have a couple things for all of you which have recently come to my attention (and YES it involves cake). I’ve recently been turned onto a guy called “Twin Shadow” and can’t for the life of me turn of his album “Forget“

I included the link to steal this album so I advise all of you to do so, you will not regret it. unless of course your arrested and jailed for thievery. Doubtful, but just in case blame me but PLEASE (and I can’t stress this enough) gimme a little heads up. Also on the agenda in the music category is my man “KWES” with his recently released album “Against the Dying of the Light” which has been called the greatest album since Jesus recorded that one with that guy that time? Basically download, listen and repeat people!! KWES also started and runs “Rifle Eyes Music” which is a blog keeping up-to-date with artists and bands around Ottawa and Montreal. CHECK IT OUT!!!

 

Now onto my new found favorite effect in Photoshop, taking normal looking pictures of very normal looking things and making them look like toys. Sounds weird and lame but watch, I promise it will impress. Take this very modest house for example, just a simple home in the hills (It’s the Spelling mansion by the by)

(click for full-size image)

So this is just a photo of a massive house in the hills, but with a few simple steps in Photoshop we can turn it into a miniature toy house that looks like it’s part of some kids  toy collection… like so.

To achieve this effect find or take on overhead view of something, use a photo that has something you can use as your focus point to better direct the eye of the viewer. In Photoshop press “Q” to open up a mask layer and use the gradient tool and select the area you to apply the effect to (turn into a toy). This will take some time to get the gradient on the perfect spot, once satisfied press “Q” to turn off the mask layer and you should be left with the marquee lines on the photo. Under “filters” choose blue/lens blur. Usually the default setting is enough but play with it a bit to find the perfect amount of blur for your photo. Press “Cntrl+D” to turn the marquees off and now press “Cntrl+U” and turn up the “HUE” to about +40 or a little higher, this will make the bright colors pop as they would on a model toy from the paint. Now press “Cntrl+M” and adjust the “curves” so the input is 7 and output is 9. Now your selection in your photo should look like a model toy. It will take some playing around especially with darker photos but play with the levels and you should be able to achieve the effect pretty easily.

This effect is usually achieved with a $2000 – $3000 tilt shift lens. The problem with this is first off I don’t wanna buy a $2000 lens, second of all by comparing the two online I’ve found the Photoshop route to be much more dramatic in the final result. If you don’t own Photoshop but want to give it a try you can download a trial for free from “Adobe“

I don’t have a food post this time, my apologies. I’ll have something up soon enough, hope you enjoyed this post and I’ll have more soon.  I know I promised cake but It’s still in the oven

 

-ME

 

spontaneity

I’ve always been someone who fears change, whether it was coming home after school to a re-arranged living room, or a complete lifestyle change that could effect the outcome of my life entirely. Over the last couple years I’ve taken change head on in an attempt to become more used to change, lessening its effects on me. Taking a different route to get somewhere, saying yes when your brain says no, and vice-versa etc…  I’d have to say I have accomplished this goal. I now greet change and see the benefits of changes in my life. You can’t control everything in your life and at times you can’t control anything. Things are going to happen and they are going to happen to YOU. This doesn’t have to be a scary statement, good things are things too. So try and learn to stay on the upside things. If your so far from the bottom in fear of falling, just look up the slope and realize how close to the top you are instead. You got there, wherever you are, YOU ARE THERE, and someone in the world is jealous of that and would love to trade places with you. Embrace all changes life has to offer, you can only learn from them and that’s really the most important thing in life, learning as much as you can and passing onto your seed all that you’ve gained.

“Only one thing made him happy, once it was gone everything made him happy.” – L. Cohen

Surroundings…

We tend to live in our surroundings.  As obvious as that may sound, do most of you take the time to actually acknowledge your surroundings on an emotional level? Do you take a deep breath and just live inside one particular moment and just feel? Allow you body’s energy to flow louder than it ever has within that once instance and feel every vibration on your skin, in your heartbeat or in the weight of your eyelids. This can often tell you how comfortable your are in where you stand. If you exhale all your thoughts and just let your body fully exist and you feel completely at peace than maybe you are truly happy and should stick around a little longer. If doing this creates a sudden rush of anxiety that you literally have to shake out of, than maybe it’s time to move along. Such a large world we have to roam through I think the first step to being happy is not who you’re with or what you have, but where you are. If you can exist somewhere on this planet and feel happier than any amount of money or drugs can make you simply by being alive, than I would call that home. Than you can allow others in to enjoy the experience and share each others energy and go on living in peace with a community of soul finders.

Surroundings…

look between the obstacles…

The world is mine, I’ve worked too hard to let it go. I’m here now and forever, all of it belongs too me. Coasting coasting coasting…”Figure it out” k got it! Now I’m ready to jump in head first with my feet against the sky. The clouds feel like cotton candy and I stuff them into glass jars. Break it all down and everything that exists all comes from the same particles and ingredients. You are gold, your are mud, you are cloud, you are tree. So why is gold worth more than tree. Is it based on sight? If you can see something more often than its worth less. What a strange place we have built for ourselves to live.

My perfect scenario,
Move somewhere that’s always warm, anywhere with a beautiful beach on the ocean that I can access the internet. Bali will do… Ill live on the beach and build websites from the comfort of my fruit and sun. “BSDesigns via Beach Comfort” gotta nice ring to it no? What could be more inspiring than an ocean view, sand bottom spot with a palm tree backdrop.

Hard work and determination can and will get you absolutely anywhere you want to go.

Do what you love everyday, you are capable.

A Hip-Hop mriacle/musical?

For those who know me know that music is very important in my life. If you don’t know that than you don’t know me. I love it, I am actually in love with music, especially Hip-Hop. My favourite year in Hip-Hop was 1994, back when it was still real. The grittyness was still their. Not like today with these bullshit artists like 50-cent or Soulja Boy ruining the precious ears of our youth. Hip-Hop wasn’t about “being cool”. It was a culture and a lifestyle filled with graffiti, parties and breaking. It was this culture that bread some of the dopest albums of all time. One of my favourite albums from the 90′s was Warren G’s “Regulate”. I wore that tape out, and I say tape because it was actually on tape… in my Walkman, remember those? couldn’t skip a Walkman. You could however break the tape and have to repair it with, well…tape. I listened to the “Regulate” album so much that it broke. The words were worn right off the cassette itself. I remember the day it broke I was devastated, it was even worse when I went to replace it and all I could find was the CD. I didn’t want to CD because it took away from the authenticity of the album just like I’m sure tapes did to vinyl. It was a different sound completely, when you listened to your tapes so much they would develop little cracks here and there that only  you would notice. Also the problem with the CD was that on the tape version of “Regulate” the tracks would blend into one another making the whole album like one long story. On the CD they put blank spots between the tracks. So to me it really wasn’t the same album at all, I’ve always had this crazy idea that the “Regulate” album would make an awesome Broadway musical. Listen to the album beginning to end and picture it being played out on stage, or movie for that matter. I recently shot this idea to Warren VIA Twitter and he responded “That’s Dope!!”. yeah so me and Warren are like basically best friends now…

Hip-Hop in this day and age is so boring and childish. I feel like its become this huge competition of who can wear more comic strips on their over sized sweaters, or who likes The movie Scarface the most. So stupid, what the fuck does any of this have to do with how much YOU love Music and creating great Hip-Hop. In the 90′s you could grab an album, listen to it and actually believe it. You didn’t even question whether or not these dudes were real or not in what they were rapping about because it wasn’t a competition of coolness, It was real music about real shit. I’ll admit that now and then ill throw on some brainless album like Rick Ross “Deeper than Rap” but its all just for fun. Kinda like how club bangers are easy to listen too but have little skill. So I guess you could call it “easy listening” Hip-Hop, but when it comes down to it very rarely is there an album that compares to anything the 90′s produced. I don’t want to say Hip-Hop is dead or dying, because it’s not. It is very much alive its just the audience is being dumbed by these poor excuses for good artists. I want to name some old school artists and think of all the memories and feelings that come rushing back when you think of them.

Bone Thugz, Lords of the Underground, Das EFX, Leaders of the New School, Scientifik, Common (can I borrow a Dollar), Mobb Deep, DITC, MC Lyte, TLC, Aliyah, Digable Planets, Redman, Group Home, Heltah Skeltah, Smif n Wessun  Could go on and on…

The youth of today are being bombarded with this fake music being sold to them based on a style and the fear of not being looked at as cool by their peers. This isn’t right and I fear that one day were going to lose all the greatness that this genre has brought to our lives.

Just a note to artists, make your art whether It be by paint, voice, pen whatever your art style may be just make it real. Don’t make it based on anything but yourself and how you are feeling. And to the audience, if you have to “choose” what you like than your not being honest. If you truly love something especially something as beautiful as music than it will chose you. this may come across as hating, but its not. I believe all art forms have their place in the world and all music has its place in the industry (excluding country) I just think a lot of what’s being called Hip-Hop these days shouldn’t be at the head of the race.

SIDE – A

Walk into the Sun

Due to this unforeseen snowfall after +15 weather, I thought I’d re-post this piece I wrote a while back when we first got some sun.

FINNALLY the sun came to visit me!! I welcome you with open arms my sweet sweet friend.

The winter blues have devoured my mind and soul this winter and the only savior is the beautiful rays of sunshine that so pleasantly woke me up this morning and followed me around for the whole entire day. I was also promised another visit tomorrow and the day after. A great week ahead of me, all I need is the sun no matter where I am or how I feel. With the sun shining above me, I cannot come down. Its like heroin coursing through my veins filling me with this enlightened new self. I’m so much happier on sunshine. So why am I in this desolate city confined to these blank walls and constricting arms we call streets. I can’t breathe here, I’m choking I can’t move. My inspiration Is caught in the grips of this grey town. Please use me as your ammo in your giant cannon and blast me away as far as the eye can see. Blast me somewhere warm, clean and green. I want fresh fruit and fresh fish. Clean air and generous, curious people. I want to exist where my existence is appreciated by the earth and where I appreciate the earth I exist on. The beautiful green world awaits my arrival so light the fuse I’m ready to fly now…

suck.uk

Suck.uk is an online store based in the UK. They specialize in simple yet very creative products that some people (such as myself) find interesting. From things as simple as a door-stop which reads “STOP” or the “Terrorist Kettle” which is basically a kettle with eyes wearing a balaclava. I enjoy collecting designer items and this site is full of em. I find that design in Europe is more along the style that appeals to me, very clean and simple designs not too over the top. European designers seem to be ahead of the game when it comes to design whether its furniture, web design, print etc… Usually you can spot a design from across the pond right away, It always seems to have that “Why didn’t I think of that” feel to it. Suck.uk has tons of products that make you go Daaaamn!! And you can order them  right off their website.

Suck.uk offers the opportunity to work for them on a 3 months placements or students working towards a career in design. You can apply for your opportunity to work alongside some of London’s leading designers here, All they ask in return is that you are somewhat qualified, confident, outgoing and most importantly can provide a playlist of music that isn’t top 40 BS. If you want a career in design and are willing to work for it and have a great personality than maybe this is for you. Designers these days are a dime a dozen so try to stand out by knowing whats current and having an idea of where you want to go. Stay on top of the game and look around and see what other people are coming up with and use their designs as inspiration.

We all get bogged down sometimes and lose focus in what were doing. How many times have you cleaned your apt or done the dishes just to avoid the work that really needed to be done (I do this often) but now with the internet giving us access to designers work from all around the globe your inspiration is just a click away. Not always though, sometimes you still need to get out their and get inspired by a dancing pan handler, or a dog chasing a squirrel. Inspiration comes in all sorts of different packages and just think, whenever your feeling uninspired that someone out their has been inspired by something that you’ve said or something that you’ve done.

Open your eyes!

All work and no play…

Just left school after a twelve hour day of straight work. Not complaining though it could be worse. I will however complain about these dumbshit bus drivers we have in Ottawa. Bus rolls up about 200 ft before the actual stop and expects people to RUN to the bus. Fuckin prick, he starts waving his hand “hurry-hurry” so I obviously slow-my-roll. Like what, he has somewhere to be? And if its being late for the next 100 stops he’s. Worried about than he should a) Try actually stopping at the bus stops. b) Stop being a dickfuck! Yeah I’m lookin at him right now (God I love my Blackberry) hoping hell ctach my mean-muggin in his rear view. Probably not though he’s too involved in being an asshole. I guess being paid 60-100 G’s a year to speed through Ottawa streets in some cases on-the-sauces in a comfy ass seat isn’t enough to have manners and not be a goof to complete strangers. I don’t know if its the twelve hour day in the lab or the fact that I haven’t eaten in almost ten hours, but that piece of shit pissed me off.

Be kind to those around you and you should expect the same in return. Be a dick and get treated like a dick. Besides, you never know when your gonna need help someday and if I’m the only one around when that fuckers choking in public I ain’t heimlich’en shit!

Anyways, I’m off to do more home work and order pizza, maybe hit up some FF13. Work in less than ten hrs.

-Peace all