I am surviving with half a brain. Or, half a working brain. The traffic last night (due to the rain) was terrible; I got home late and I slept at 3am, and I have a 9pm meeting later and I’m not understanding any of my lectures. In Javascript class earlier, I couldn’t understand what we needed to do and how to code the thing, and our prof said there was a loophole BUT I JUST DON’T GET IT.

Despite this, I want to be the one to code my thesis. My prof in Javascript class suggested I ask for a CompSci person or someone like that to code the whole PHP/mySQL/etc. database for me but I was too shy to tell him I wanted to do it myself because I wanted to learn! Curious bee! And one of the things that’s driving me to also learn how to develop it is because I’ve been reading this book entitled The Art of Interactive Design: A Euphonious and Illuminating Guide to Building Successful Software and Chris Crawford (the author) specifically mentioned programming ability as “one of the qualifications for an interactivity designer.” And right now, I’m just aiming for that. I’m going to take graduate studies on Interactive Design in Europe and have grand, exciting (and hopefully, including romantic) adventures while I’m at it.

Yes, this is how I’m coping with depression. =) At least I’m looking forward to so many things again, instead of getting held back by so many frustrations and unpleasant feelings and people.

AND BOOKS. I’ve finished the first story from Simon Van Booy’s Love Begins in Winter. I originally wanted to buy The Secret Lives of People In Love but I couldn’t find it, so I might try to look for it elsewhere some other day. It’s amazing that although I should be busy with a mountain of academic and freelance work, I manage to read short stories in between. This is better than a full-length novel because I wouldn’t be able to work otherwise.

I have so, so, so, so much work piled up. My CS Flash project, a bunch of freelance work, Bananalou’s thesis, MY THESIS (!!! waaah! presentation and video and paper!), PHILO AND THEO (which I don’t mind learning or reading about but orals right now = will contribute to paving the way to a near-death experience) — I’m determined to start saying NO to people from now on. :(

Bananalou’s thesis might be the last film I’m going to PD for this year, mainly because I really have not much time for production design because of everything I have to do/finish. As a general rule, I try to stay away from styling and costume design because it gives me more stress than I can handle. Although reading Jeffrey Kurland’s interview (costume designer for the movie Inception) proves how much respect and admiration this man, like other amazing costume designers (goes with any design team in production groups, I suppose), deserve.

Costume design reflects greatly on the movement of the plot, most significantly through character development. Character development is at the forefront of costume design. The characters move the story along and with the director and the actor the costume designer helps to set the film’s emotional tone in a visual way. In a more physical sense the costumes’ style and color help to keep the story on track, keeping a check on time and place.

Really, if that doesn’t make sense, I don’t know what else will. Now I want to watch Inception the second time just for the costumes (Ken Watanabe/Saito’s costume at that scene he first appears in is to die for) but I doubt it will still be out in theaters the moment I have time to watch a movie again.