AMANDA REYES PHOTOGRAPHY

New Website, New Blog

2010-12-25T11:47:00.001-08:00

So I learned how to create html websites pretty damn fast (took me 4 days to do mine) and I finally have an updated website with relevant photos to my profession!! Yay!!

http://amandareyesphoto.com

I've also have a new more professional blog at http://amandareyesphoto.com/blog

Check it out and give me some feedback!

Also if you or anyone you know needs an html website.. let them know i'm down to do it for pretty damn cheap!

-Amanda

challenge me.

2009-12-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

Played a game yesterday with Austin and Paul...

Best photo in the park on 10 second self-timer. It was challenging, but here's what i got.

It was a good day.

ciao!

Huasos.

2009-11-18T17:22:00.000-08:00

Working on the rodeo...

and i love it.

<3

Tuga N˚II

2009-11-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

Santiago, you have been so kind!

I'm not one for big cities, but Santiago's pretty cool. I've been using so much public transportation! Everyday it has been... walk 1/2 mile to the metro, then take the metro, then take the train or bus. It's exhausting, but it makes me feel like a badass. i'm lame.

The first real shoot I had in Santiago was Tuga's performance at this little circus in the city. Adam, Austin and I checked it out...

. . . it was awesome.

I want to put up more... but i can't give it all away! For more, you should ask me about buying a presale of the book and DVD that comes out April 10th. We need these presales because the school doesn't give us enough money to make our projects, so we have to raise majority of the money ourselves. Any support would be greatly appreciated!

Also, to get a taste of what the rest of the group is up to, check out the Chile Blog... I'm really excited, this group is so talented! i have a good feeling about our project :)

That's all for now, more to come soon!

¡Ciao!

do you realize...

2009-11-06T04:48:00.000-08:00

instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know
you realize that life goes fast
it's hard to make the good things last
you realize the sun doesn't go down
it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round.

HEY! i'm in the southern hemisphere right now. . .

HA!

So i've left Valparaiso for Santiago to follow my stories. Emma, Austin, and I are working with the Federacion del Rodeo Chileno. We shoot our first rodeo this weekend!

Adam and I are also here to capture two of Tuga's performances... i can't wait! Not much shooting has gone on during the week, but the next few days are going to be intense.

:D

so just a few...

memma

Adam's interpritation of this italian restaraunt's rocket salad... i haven't laughed that hard in forever.

self portrait numero dos. . Valparaiso.

so happy to be here! Can't wait for what i'll discover next in Chile... hopefully a handsome cowboy? i won't hold my breath.

!

"not a protest..."

2009-11-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

"...this is a peaceful march."

On Tuesday, I happened to walk into this...

Oh Valparaiso... i miss you soo...

:)

activity.

2009-11-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

This is where i am.

This is one of the many murals painted around town.

This is one right outside the door to my hostel. I love it and i'm going to print it and take it and put it up next to my bed when i return to the states.

Did a short story on the elevator here. Just a taste...

Meet Carlita. She is the coolest 3-legged cat you'll ever encounter.

This is Emma and me after we ate a huge plate of fries topped with meat, onion and cheese.

I'm glad i'm a photographer, because words cannot express the way i feel.

I'm so lucky to be here.

Just a taste of Tuga...

2009-11-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

So I met Tuga yesterday...

i like him.

a lot.

street 101

2009-10-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

Goodmorrow!

I'm not used to the time change, yet. It doesn't help that i'm sick, either.

So my contacts have fallen through, so i've been searching the street for a story. My Spanish is good, so I'm constantly talking to new, exciting, kind people. Right now, i'm barely scratching the surface, but i'm enjoying the results...

I'm working on that interaction. I guess it's a pretty dangerous place, because every time i pull out my camera, a local immediately tells me to put it away and hide it. This makes me limited to what i can shoot and being able to capture a "moment" because my camera is never easily accessible. That's my excuse, and i'm sticking to it!

That's all for now, i need to go to bed, dammit. It's 2am.

¡Ciao!

light bright

2009-10-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

So it's kind of amazing here. AMAZING.

This city feels endless. Even though the food is greasy (in the best/worst way possible), the amount of stairs i have to climb daily will make my ass look amazing by the time i get back. Okay, that was a bit inappropriate, but it's a fact! I'm looking forward to my future perky butt.

What i'm really trying to say is that the architecture is crazy! The town is like a tie dye shirt.. except for the lame part. Bright, fun colors are sprinkled on everything. On top of that, you can't walk 5 meters without seeing a beautiful mural. i have hourly eyegasms because of it.

Then there's the massive amount of stairs all over the city. It's like a cruel maze at times with uneven STEEP stairs. it's like a test that i barely pass each time. If i were a local, i would get a big bottle of water and some chips and go observe the out of shape Americans who attempt to climb the stairs. Regardless, I wouldn't have it any other way. It all makes my heart smile.

Just a few for now...

muy contento.

¡ciao!

Chile!!

2009-10-31T20:09:00.000-07:00

I know, i know.. it's been a WHILE.

I made it back from Mexico with all limbs in tact and sin swine flu. It's been a crazy two sessions of too many classes, Chile preparation, moving into a new home, and dealing with college angst (lame, i know). Only 4 months until i graduate!

blah blah blah... i made it to CHILE!!!!

I can't tell you how nervous i was about this trip and this experience. Words cannot express the doubts i had in my mind. But now i'm here, in this beautiful country, having no trouble getting around or communicating with anyone. I cant thank my family enough for letting me go to Mexico for the summer. BEST PREPARATION EVER.

This is what i was born to do. I know it. When i'm in a different country with a camera around my neck, i strive. I truly feel unstoppable. Nothing can get in my way. Nothing.

Wow.. I'm a dork. I'll shut up now and let you look at some pictures...

First, i made a quick stop in Lima, Peru on the way to Chile.

Quick as in 25 minutes in the airport. Totally worth it.

Self portrait numero uno in Chile.

This was taken on the bus from the Santiago Airport to Valparaiso after 15 hours of travelling. i immediately fell in love.

Jason, me, and Adam up on the hill in Valparaiso overlooking the city...

it has only just begun. More is coming!

I miss you all back in the states... especially my new roommates. I love you all.

Now, do your best Jagger.

Sagrado Corazon.

2009-06-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

final week!

still having tons of fun, but a bit worried about the hurricane that's supposed to hit mañana. hmm... it would make for some awesome pictures (if my camera and/or i survive). i'm not a very good swimmer, though.

the other day i went to the church fair called Sagrado Corazon with my cousins! i rode on this dragon thing. it was fun for the first 2 minutes, but after 5 minutes i thought for sure the ride was going to break and i was going to fall out and die. it was wayyyy too long to be on that ride and let's just say the safety measures are a bit different her in Mexico. it was.. an experience to say the least! none the less, i survived and still managed to take some pics...

i wish i could stay longer.

that's all...

adios.

iguanas.

2009-06-20T10:14:00.001-07:00

so my tia Norma took me to see iguanas.

we went this property in Tecoman where a family lives in a sort of shack house. . . and a ton of iguanas living in the trees around them!! it's kind of crazy! i mean, a TON just crawling around in the trees, hanging out.

we went in the evening two days ago, and the iguanas were all in the trees. . but the man who owns the property told us to come back the next day at 11 am to see something cool. we show up yesterday and there's a ton of iguanas crawling on the ground eating TORTILLAS! hahaha ohhhh good ol' mexico.

i was thrilled to see these mini dinasours...

the family liked me so much, that they gave me a little iguana! i wish i could take it home!! his name is Gael (after my "boyfriend" Gael Garcia Bernal) and he likes me...

and my boobs.

adios!

B&W.

2009-06-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

i'm having some fun!

just a few black and white's i enjoy.....

this is inside my abuelito's (grandpa's) orange van:

badass.

muchhhhhhh more to come!

adios!

one.

2009-06-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

just one.

this picture makes my heart smile.

adios.

CHARROS.

2009-06-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

So my post called "gauchos" should really be called charros. A gaucho is an Argentinian cowboy, while a charro is a Mexican horseman. fun fact.

anyways, i had so much fun the first time i went, i just had to go back... how could i resist?

and my favorite...

these guys are pretty badass. i think i want to date a cowboy now.

just kidding, relax.

more to come...

adios!

back.

2009-06-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

wow, how time flies....

This trip has been very different than i thought it would be. only 13 days left! i don't want to leave!!!

So obviously, i haven't been good about update the ol' blog. my bad. When i haven't been out and about, i've been working on some self given homework for my español (which is coming along quite nicely). this is me working hard...

I've actually been really bad about downloading and editing my photos, which is something i wanted to work on while i am here. i must've downloaded like 20 gigs of photos today... eesh. there's still 13 days, i guess... i WILL do better.

My taco count is totally fucked...it's just uncountable at this point. I think my bug bite count would be good competition for my taco count. damn bugs LOVE my blood. My mom says, "it's because you're so sweet!" (i definitely get my dorkiness from my mom).

Fun fact: i've watched oceans eleven 5 times, and xmen and x2 twice. i have trouble sleeping at night... no better way to pass the time then with brad, george, and matt, with a side of comic book nerdiness.

There is so much i want to share!!!!! i want to work on multimedias, because i've been recording a lot of sound, but my Final Cut is constantly having heart attacks... it's impossible to get anything done.

Anywho, here's a small series i enjoy...

more to come....

i'm back!

adios.

esa fue la semana número uno.

2009-05-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

one week down, five to go.

i already know i'm not going to want to leave...
just like in india. geezus, i have some problem.

i better not pull that same stunt now or in Chile. paul would kill me.

I realized i haven't told you guys where exactly i am right now. i'm in Tecomán, Colima. My dad grew up here. i love it.

you know what it is? it's the culture. it's soo rich with tradition, family, and kindness. what's the US culture? fat people, malls, and plastic surgery??

okay, okay, i'm being a bit harsh. I think you know what i mean, though. i love my home, but i wish it had more... substance.

anyways, my family is amazing. i haven't started my spanish classes yet, but i'm already picking up a lot. i can finally have conversations! it's totally rad. even though my primos laugh at me because my pronunciation is sometimes off, i keep at it. It's cool, because it's the first time i've really ever had a chance to get to know them, and they're great!

soon i will post pictures of everyone.

yesterday, i had sushi for dinner.
weird, but delicious.

that's all.

taco count: 24

adios!

gauchos.

2009-05-24T14:49:00.001-07:00

this is just around the corner from where i'm staying.
...kind of awesome!

every day is a new opportunity. it's up to me to take advantage of it.

taco count: 21

adios.

soy mexicana.

2009-05-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

i'm starting to think in spanish.

i'm so happy to be here!

taco count: 20

peace.

aborto

2009-05-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

it's hot.

i don't know exactly how hot... because i don't know the conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit. i'm too lazy and hot to look it up. i don't think i want to know.

Last night, i walked about 6 blocks to get dinner with my cousins at 930PM. i had to stop to get water because it was so hot my thighs were dripping with sweat. 930PM!! i'm not kidding, it was disgusting.

Then we ate at a street stand called "dogos, hamburger & sushi"

in the US, i think i would've found a different place to eat, but when in rome...?

i ate a piece of warm sushi, and a room temperature hot dog with bacon around it.

don't worry, this one wasn't mine.. it was marlenne's.

it was good, but in retrospect, that might not have been the best idea. my dad would've killed me. thankfully, i didn't get sick.

anyways, time for the main attraction...

i don't know what your beliefs on abortion are... but here's the video i helped my cousin make for class:

(the girls know how funny this is)
my cousin is the doctora in the video! she was hilarious with that poker thing.. hahah

keep in mind, this was only my 3rd day in mexico... i literally barely knew what was going on. most shots we only shot once. AH. what i'm trying to say is, don't judge me from this camera work, hahah.

i don't think this is what paul had in mind when he said to work on multimedia while i was gone...

taco count: 14

peace.

don't worry....

2009-05-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

even the dead are being careful.

swine flu, you ain't got nothin' on me.

abortion video coming later today.
Stay tuned, you won't want to miss it.

taco count: 14 (slowed down a bit)

peace.

fotos

2009-05-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

i've been having some trouble shooting these first few days. i think it's because my body needs to adjust to this new location. . i'm too distracted to have any creative energy.

...but that doesn't make any sense because the first days in india i shot like crazy good. i think it's because i'm being constantly monitered by my family; i have to behave myself COMPLETELY which makes me feel... uneasy? not that i normally behave badly, but i just have to reflect a certain.. persona out of respect for my family. it's hard to explain, but i hope you understand.

also, i feel kind of useless since i can't hold a decent conversation. pretty much everyone knew english in india, but here... not so much. i might as well be a terrible mime.

not being me is making it difficult to be a photographer.

these first few days, i was forcing myself to shoot. i took my camera everywhere, and made sure i took at least one picture at every new place i went. even though i wasn't feeling it, i got a handful of images i like.

finally, yesterday was the first day i felt like taking pictures. it hit me when i was helping my cousin sammy and a group of her friends with their homework project... which was to make a short movie about a girl who gets an abortion (i'm not kidding. when i finish editing it, i will put it up). I was in charge of this teeny camera with video and i remembered that this is what i love to do. the girls were having soo much fun, i just couldn't help but steal from their energy and get creative.

anyways, here's what i like from yesterday...

and it just wouldn't be me without a reflection shot...

now, i gotta work on my audio.

even though i can't communicate with anyone properly, i'm still having a lot of fun... i love my family... my primos are really fun and nice! i can't wait to learn more spanish so i can learn more about my family.

this is going to be a great 6 weeks.

taco count: 13 (still...)

peace.

mexico!

2009-05-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

i have arrived.

I took this trip to Mexico to work on me.

I'm going to Chile this fall/winter for the next documentary trip, and i need to make sure i'm as prepared as possible.

My father is 100% Mexican and my mother is 100% white (but wants to be Mexican >>loveyoumom!<<), but she's a college Spanish professor, and has her Ph.D in Spanish Literature. I'm telling you this because i need you to understand how difficult is was for me NOT to learn Spanish. I can understand a lot, sure... but i can't hold a normal conversation. My brother, on the other hand, makes me look like an a_hole for not knowing enough because he's pretty damn good at it.

So i'm forcing myself to learn. Being fluent in Spanish is something i always wanted, but i was afraid to go for it. Six weeks in Mexico should do it.

Also, i'm here for photography's sake. Practice makes perfect, right? Well, maybe not perfect, but it helps...

I need to establish a good traveling workflow. I get distracted easily because i love to explore, but i need to make sure that i stay organized and on top of my files, captions, and edits. I think this will be more challenging than learning spanish.

But really, this trip is a vacation for me. Technically, i haven't been enrolled in school for 3 months now, but somehow i was still constantly working on either SVARA post postproduction or Chile preproduction. I haven't had any time for myself, which sucked.

So, i'm visiting my family that i almost never see, taking pictures, eating tacos, going to the beach, tanning, exploring, and having a lot of fun.

Do i look mexican yet?

Taco count: 13

peace.

dear wordpress,

2009-05-19T10:44:00.001-07:00

dear wordpress,

i don't like you. you have really ugly templates for your blogs. your "add photos" page is way more excessive than necessary. your fixed widths suck.

on the other hand, i like that you don't have the rights to use my images, unlike BLOGGER. your dashboard is cooler than bloggers, too.

if you get a cool template that i can customarily change to my liking, i will use you instead, but until then i will stick to my first love, blogger.

peace.

alexxx

2009-05-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

just a few pics from alexandria's graduation...

I'm so proud of her!

I know that anyone who has ever read this blog knows that i love alex.
she's got balls, takes chances in life, and is overall just awesome.
and NOW she's got a BA in Film.

watch out, world.

peace.

MAYhem

2009-05-02T01:26:00.000-07:00

i can't believe it's May already.

quickly... i want to thank everyone for an awesome birthday and for all of the birthday wishes. i love my friends :). i'm twenty-two years old. what an ugly age. i have a good feeling about this year though... great things are going to happen!

on a sucky note. . . i was supposed to leave for mexico this month but the damn swine flu looks like it will be delaying my trip. what the hell am i going to do?? this flu could ruin everything. i so badly want to go visit my family, learn more spanish, and continue to shoot and work on small projects. agvjbfhsnkb

i'm going to be positive about it and hope for the best.

so the only plans i have for the next few months are to go to my chile meetings. The group has been chosen, and we have our first meeting on monday. this trip is going to have a completely different group dynamic. . . it's scary, but exciting! i know it's kind of crazy doing this all over again, but i know that doing anything else wouldn't make me as happy.

besides that, i'm currently home in monrovia watching flight of the conchords. it's nice being home and relaxing. my dad loves cooking whenever i come home, so he's been making some amazing dishes. it's also nice being home because alexandria is only a hop and a skip away!

like today, we took kai to the park, watched some baseball, ate sushi, and watched born into brothels, caramel, baby mama, and part of clueless. i love days like these. . .

this is Kai Kingston. he's a badass. he's going to be gorgeous when he grows up. is that creepy to say??

this time away from school is going to be good for me. i can feel it in my bones.
I'm having fun with my new 35mm f1.4
it makes me happy.
almost as happy as him....

what a rock star.

peace.

my family won't like this...

2009-04-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

but i find it amusing.

justin posted this image up on his blog...

©Justin Saiki

to which i commented....

...which started this conversation:

sometimes you have to look past the words to find the true meaning.

. . . uh, not so much with that last one.
that's just a gross and funny joke.

sorry family. it's kinda funny, no?

peace.

BAH!

2009-04-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

i finally have time...
(something i almost forgot existed)
BUT now i'm bored.

i have a lot of things to do, actually. . .
they're just busy work that i can slowly get to.

AND it's week seven... no one can really hang out.

so today i cleaned my car, took it to get washed, got some food, returned some buckets, watched grandma's boy, laid out by the pool, cleaned my room, danced and sang to the killers, muse, and vampire weekend, talked to myself, attempted to kill a moth, and now i'm doing laundry and listening to rx bandits.

i'm pathetic.

someone please entertain me and take me on an adventure.

right meow.

peace.

content.

2009-04-21T00:47:00.000-07:00

sometimes you get so busy, you forget how nice the little things are.

like....

the lunch buffet at the taj cafe

having just 45 minutes to swim with a friend on a monday afternoon

giving a gift to someone awesome

taking a nap

dancing by myself

making guacamole and chicken tacos for friends, just because

playing (beating everyone at) mariokart

watching a few episodes of it's always sunny in philadelphia
___________________________________________________

great monday.

peace.

ahhhhAHHHHahhhhh...

2009-04-19T03:15:00.000-07:00

dayman...

so i posted a drunken vlog at 3am
but in retrospect, i realized what an asshole i sound like. . .
so i took it down.

basically.. it was smurphy's bday yesterday. We all pitched in to buy her and all of us tickets to see It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia show: The Nightman Cometh. BEST DECISION EVER. it was an amazing show, at the TROUBADOUR which is a tiny venue, and we got to meet the entire cast AND fred savage.

s o m u c h f u n .

Danny DeVito is shorter than me, btw.
i'm 5'1''.

sam, jeff, adam, alana, jesse, alexandria and myself cant ever forget last night.

i hope you had a good birthday, my love!

charlie day... i'm kinda in love with you.

i love life.

peace.

the opening.

2009-04-11T15:01:00.001-07:00

April 2, 2008 in Santa Barbara, CA...

SVARA PREMIERE

i was a little nervous. . .
but i didn't fall
and no one booed

so i think
it was
a sucess!

i took zero pictures at the other 2 events (i know, i suck)... but they were all awesome! especially the ventura campus event. it was insane.

we did it! we pulled it off!

we had A LOT of support from family and friends, so i want to thank you all SO MUCH!

BUT a special thanks to those who came from out of town:
mom | grandma | scott | brandi | jason | brooke | papi | joaquin | matt | tia irma | tio jaime | lillian | jaime | alexandria | julianne | justin | ryan | kyle w. | derek | david a. | david m. | kyle k.

I really hope you all understand how much it means to me that you guys came. your support has made me so happy. I FUCKING LOVE YOU.

and thanks to everyone who helped out. there were a lot of students who volunteered at the events, and we really couldn't have done it without them. i will always be grateful to have such amazing support at Brooks. THANK YOU.

so, it's officially over. we're going to enter the separate projects (book, dvd, website) into competitions and see if we can win anything. besides that, i can only hope to one day work again with these amazing set of students. . .

NOW i'm focusing on chile! applications are due next week, and i have a lot to do. in fact, i should be doing that right now instead of this BS.

i can't believe i'm going through this entire process all over again... am i reytarded??

kinda.

peace.

random THOUGHTS

2009-04-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

until i get my camera back from alexandria cesena, i'm not going to post about the openings. give it a few days.... :)

SO i haven't blogged much in the past 2 months, but i often write down random thoughts that go through my head.

here are a few of my favorites that i jotted down in the past 2 months, in no particular order:

"I know that i've said if i had any super power that it would be very similar to Rogue from xmen... but lately i want the power to be invisible. NOT to spy on people, relax, i'm not that nosy. . . but to mess with people. i like confusion and awkwardness, and i would truly enjoy popping in and out of sight to freak people out."

"i don't believe in love at first sight... but i do believe you're an idiot if you do."

"i'm not a romantic, but that doesn't mean i don't enjoy romance. hint, hint." (i don't know who i'm hinting here... but that's what i wrote on march 16th)

"where the hell are all of the dorky, funny, socially awkward men? Do they all hang out at a secret location that i'm not invited to? what the hell."

"machine work. i feel like i've been programed....LIKE A ROBOT. does that mean i'm missing a heart? no, brain? i should really watch that movie again."

"street fighter 2, donkey kong country, and mario kart for super nintendo, THEN mario kart 64 and super smash bros for nintendo 64... next rainy day."

"kill your babies!" (not real human babies, relax... i'm referring to pictures)

"i want to go hiking."

"cunt demon." (i'm not joking, look...)

"don't you hate it when you have 20 "friends" that are online, but you don't want to chat with any of them? quite frankly, myspace and now facebook needs to rewrite the definition for "friends," or at least come up with a new title for the majority of people you let read your status bullshit and see pictures of you.
like:
"the people i want to be associated with because it makes me feel better about myself"
or
"the people i feel too guilty to not accept as a 'friend' because we had one class in middle school together.""
(i was a bit angry that day?)

"that's my job.. fucking with young people's minds." (PMM)

"i'm not afraid of being someone you don't like."

"how do you fall in lust? anyone?"

"sometimes, i really truly wish i was a lesbian." (uhhhhhh, yeah.. i wrote that.)

(just) "ragamuffin girls."

"happiness is only real when shared.
anyone want to share?"

"can a day go by where i don't have to try so hard to not be clumsy or embarrassing? really??? really."

"I think god enjoys laughing at me."
_______________________________________

i should probably see a shrink.

peace.

nervous.

2009-04-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

wholly crap. . . less than 24 hours until the premiere of SVARA.

....and i'm retarded.

peace.

sfran

2009-03-29T01:40:00.000-07:00

this post is way overdue.

if you didn't know this already, i've been working very hard for some india documentary for school. i was at school 7 days a week for at least 10 hours a day... most of which was sitting on my ass, in front of a computer screen, color correcting or toning.

anyways... i was in desperate need for a break.

so when break week rolled around (3/1-3/7) i knew i had to get away.

i called my partner in crime (alexandria cesena, duh), and we decided that we have to get out of this fucking black hole of boring day-to-day bulllllllshit and do some exploring. honestly, we both just needed a little change of scenery.

i kidnapped jeffjohns and smurphy, alex got the escalade, and we headed to SAN FRAN for some bad decisions and good times.

oh, and a little photography, of course.

so on the way to sf... another car called 911 on us for supposed reckless driving.

we just got a warning... but funny as hell. yeah yeah, alex was doing some interesting manoeuvers with her car through traffic, but was it really bad enough to CALL THE POLICE?? i think not.

then we arrived...
48 hours in san francisco: reflection.

exactly what i needed...

indian food; bars; bad decisions; drunk; explore; lasagna; sleep; wake up; shoot; market; chinatown; chinese food; the wharf; sourdough and tomato soup; the haight; nap; thai food; bar hopping; shots; drunk; watch alex jump for at least an hour straight; bad decisions; pass out; wake up; drive home; success.

in other words

DONUTS AND HAPPY ENDINGS.

i love us.

peace.

i'm bAck.

2009-03-27T16:14:00.001-07:00

HI! i've missed you all so very much.

that's bailey behind me.. he's one of my new roommates.

let me give you a short recap of what's going on in my life:

SVARA premiere... ONE WEEK away.
so excited/scared out of my mind.
i can't wait!

i moved......... and i'm not currently enrolled in school (though i've been there everyday for 12 hours working on the openings).
i'm living with jeff johns
we're bad news together.. it's trouble.

i'm going to mexico for two months (may-june)
My cousin Helio will be there with me for part of the time
i'm going to become fluent in spanish.
it's going to be amazing!

besides mexico, i'm going to be living at home until the sep-oct session, which is when i'll be starting classes again.

AND, if Pauldo accepts me, i'm going on the next doc trip to CHILE.

explanations for all of this will come soon.

now... some fun.

haiku by smurphy

a note from p.brain to sam and me while we were rush color correcting for the av show.

in like 2 weeks...
i will have nothing left to do for india.
what am i going to do with my life????
it'll be so weird to not be busy 24/7.
i think it's going to suck.
.
.
but that's why i want to go to chile!!!

that's all for now.

peace.

SVARA SVARA SVARA

2009-02-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

I CANNOT EXPRESS TO YOU HOW BADASS MY INDIA GROUP IS.

i screened the AV show today...

it is unbelievable.

the stories are told beautifully.
the transitions are SICK.
the sound use is incredible... both the sound we recorded and the music the av group chose for the stories.

OH MY GOD.

i am so proud to be part of this group.

FUCK!!!

i'm so excited! :)

i don't even care that my ass is becoming deformed due to WEEKS of sitting in a chair, staring at a computer screen.
i don't even care that it's been so long since i've been around new people that i've forgotten how to be social.
i don't even care that i may be losing friends because i have been literally living at school.
i don't care that there's possibly a rat in my house because it's a disgusting mess.
AND i don't even care that i only see people in color percentages of CMYK now.

that's how awesome this project is.

ohhhhh man. you should all be jealous.

APRIL 2, 2009.
we are going to blow people's minds.

peace.

rain drops

2009-02-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

it just keeps piling up

fuck.

it's been a tough week.

end of last week:
-brought up some shit that needed to be dealt with in my india group. a few people got really pissed at me.

-since some were already mad at me... i decided to get the balls to call my mom and tell her about the tattoos. that didn't go over too well.

-then i saw my parents in person... and they let me have it for several hours.

-more color correcting

this week:
-car and phone issues

-upset more people today... to the point of yelling.

-and to top it off.. 380 more images to color correct. by tomorrow.

This project is consuming me.

you know, i hate playing this role. i hate being this person that has to bring up the problems. i don't like the drama. i hate it. i just know that if i don't do what i think is best for the group, i wont be able to live with myself. and THAT i would hate more.

i wish (and i know a number of other people wish this, too) i could sit back and say nothing.

bleh.

Anyways, on a more positive note . . .
i saw the pretty much final edit of the india book today!
it looks amazing!
if you didn't buy a presale from me, you should have.
it's soo cool to see all of our hard work put together into this beautiful HARDCOVER book.

We are awesome.

i miss justin.
sorry i haven't been a good friend lately, buddy.
i'll make it up to you soon.

and jbeezy.
live closer, dammit.

i miss scott. he was my best friend.
scott was the best at times like these; he always knew how to make me laugh.
i would go home to him after a long day of bullshit, and he would listen patiently and feed me.
then we would lay in bed and make fun of all of the bad actors on tv.
it was the best.
god i miss him.

fucking emo post.

it has to get worse before it gets better, right?
well i think it's time to get better.

i have some fun stuff to post up for next time!

...including a fun little sound bite.

i'm going to bed.

peace.

smeagol.

2009-02-03T21:17:00.000-08:00

i am SO sick of color correcting.

this sucks. i have no say or real influence on the creative process of the book. i thought this session would be a lot of fun, but i'm totally over it. i was REALLY excited to help design the book. i even took tutorials on ask linda for indesign.

instead, i'm just doing technical work. bullshitbullshitbullshit.

i need a creative outlet. someone find me a project, fast.

i'm not upset with anyone in my group, or anything. i understand that having too many people working on the design and layout would be disastrous. someone has to do the color correcting, and i am good at it.

dammit, i wish i wasn't.

IT'S BEEN BEAUTIFUL OUTSIDE... and i've been stuck inside photoshopping like a tool.

i must say, it's easy to procrastinate when you're suppose to be doing something you don't enjoy.

i had so much passion for this project... but it's slowly fading. i guess i just thought i would be playing a more important role.

the book is going to be great, regardless. it's really coming together quite nicely.

seven more months of bullshit school work... that's it.

chop chop chop.

i'm SO bored.

does anyone want to play? i want to play some sort of game. like capture the flag! do you remember that game? think about all of the possibilities now that we are full grown! we could have the most epic game EVER.

i'm going to the beach tomorrow. that's fucking it. i'm so sick of working. i'm gong to take at least an hour out of my day to sit on the beach and read. i'm going to bring two capri sun splash coolers (best flavor ever), a water, and a book. dammit, i don't even know where to look in my mess of boxes to find a beach towel.

god i'm bored with myself.

i'll leave you with this...

my voice is a bit off because i'm still a bit sick.... i think.

peace.

six.

2009-01-30T01:21:00.000-08:00

so i am a big ball of crazy.

i'm sick. the book is due in 5 days.
.......i got sick during crunch time. great.

last night i had a very tough time sleeping. i'm a bit feeverish, so i had pretty intense chills. on top of that, my throat is slowly closing in on itself.

so this is where my craziness kicked in..

i was in and out of dreams all night about how if my throat really does close up, NO ONE would know and i would die a lonely lonely hag.

see, at first my dreams were about how i wake up panicked because i cant breathe... but since i live by myself, i have no one to help me. so i go to the front house where my landlord lives, to try to wake her up... but the damn dogs keep barking and jumping at me. i'm so weak and can't breath, i fall and die while the dogs lick my face.

i might have been crying in my sleep... hah!

i'm a very positive person, i swear.

then i was hallucinating about passing out in class because of lack of oxogen to my brain. my professor would have to call 911 and paramedics would come to save me. luckily, i was wearing one of my cute bras, so when they had to rip off my shirt i wasn't embarrassed.

one of my classmates, who was really zach braff (i've been watching A LOT of scrubs lately), performs CPR on me until the paramedics arrive, and stays with me while they take me to the hospital. i have emergency surgery to get my tonsils removed, and while i recover, i color correct images for the book in my hospital bed. by the way, my gown in the hospital was xmen themed. bamf.

like i said before, BIG BALL OF CRAZY.

i guess i'm just subconsciously weirded out because this is my first time being single in FIVE YEARS, i moved to a city where i know no one, and i'm living by myself for the first time.

i'm SO lame.

Have you ever closed your eyes and typed every thought that enters your head? i don't care what justin says, it's totally possible because i did it. i got so absorbed in my thoughts that before i knew it, 20 minutes had passed. it's crazy because i had no idea what i wrote down.

i wish i had the balls to post what i typed, it's just WAY too revealing.

you should try it, though. i highly recommend it.

i love my india group but geezus, if i'm not smiling for like longer than two minutes EVERYONE asks me what's wrong. i guess i should be flattered by their concern, but when the hell did i become the designated happy chick?

i fell asleep on the lawn chairs out by the pool on campus today.
it was amazing.

have you ever wanted to rip your clothes off and run naked? today was one of those days for me.
maybe that's the medicine talking.

can i just give a huge shout out to miss alexandria cesena...
i fucking love you. thank you for listening to all of my bullshit about school. you're the only one who really listens to me, and for that you should get a nobel peace prize. if i didn't have someone to talk to about it, i would have blown something up. i know half of the time you're humoring me, but it's the effort that counts.

i don't know how you put up with me.

i wish you were a dude.

and thanks to justin...
even though i can HEAR your eyes roll back into your head whenever i bring up anything about my book group bullshit, i appreciate the fact that you constantly try to distract me with funny anecdotes and food.

you keep me sane.

this is longer than i expected. . .

peace.

ohhhh say can you.......

2009-01-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

i think the best when i'm in the shower.
i need a waterproof recorder to record my thoughts.

busy busy busy bee.

there are SO many more productive things i should be doing instead of writing this blog. it's sad.

anyways...

don't ever tell me the following words when i misplace or lose something: "it's always the last place you look."

....i will fucking kill you.
OF COURSE IT'S THE LAST PLACE I LOOK. why the HELL would i keep looking after i find it? who thought of that saying??!

someone (who will remain nameless) said that to me yesterday, and i gave that person a looooooong lecture on how only dumbasses use it.

it frustrates the hell out of me only because i misplace everything so i hear that saying all of the time.
all the time?
all of the time?
meh.

****side note: i'm not mad today or anything... just wanted to share a few thoughts***

also..

i was driving behind this suv the other day, and they had 5 bumper stickers. all of them were about christianity (which i have NO PROBLEM with) but two of them were making me mad: Got Jesus? and Got Faith?.

now, mister suv man, i'm totally down with your faith.. but be a little bit more creative with the way your expressing it, okay? first, you have FIVE stickers about your faith. i'd believe you if you had just one. but i understand that you're super into it, however, "GOT ____" is so overused already, and you used it twice? COME ON!!

*sighhhh

on more of a positive note...
BARACK OBAMA IS OUR PRESIDENT.
how awesome is that???
i'm proud of us, america.

so, remember how i was super excited about the title we picked for the india project? well we've changed it... twice. the first time we changed it, i really didn't like it. But we chose again, and this one i'm okay with. i'm not as excited as the first one, but i don't expect that all of the decisions made by a group of 20 people are going to make me excited. but it's good. rolls right off of your tongue.

i'm still not telling you what it is, though.

the past 3 days of my life have felt like a month. is that normal?

The beegeez (book group) are meeting every day until february 2nd. yesterday was a 12 hour day for me. it was....long.

i hope i don't get fat from this.

everyone shot AMAZING images. i'm very proud to be a part of this group! we're killing it!

i need to clean my room.

peace.

heartbreak kid.

2009-01-19T01:29:00.000-08:00

i'm in desperate need of sleep.

So this past week has been weird.

The book for the india project needs to be done by Feb 2nd. Done.
geezus.

so we have to go over 20 people's images and edit them down.
it's a lot of fun.

i had a really hard time editing my work from Light and Life Academy. going through hundreds of images of people i miss so much really took a toll on me. The worst was listening to the sound i recorded. i'm pathetic.
i avoided doing the work as much as possible. i watched the entire 4 seasons of the office, 4 seasons of entourage, and all of extras*****which is AMAZING and you need to see it. can't be healthy. i had a hard time leaving the house.. and doing anything productive. i felt really overwhelmed and i didn't want to revisit my feeling of leaving india.

sometimes i turn into this wimp that cant handle reality.

but i snapped out of it!

yesterday was kyle and derek's party. they broke my heart.
I SAW JULIANNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it was a lot of fun! miss alexandria came, too! and ryan and justin and much much more! i really love these friends... they're such good people. you know, we all have friends that you get embarrassed to be around, don't want to bring them in front of your other friends, and really kind of hate sometimes... well these aren't them. these friends are the kind you're excited to introduce to your parents, teachers, grandmas, pets, and all of your other friends.
we had a slumber party.
that's how badass we are.

s o m u c h f u n.

if you were thinking about going, but didn't, you're an idiot.

Then today i took the crew on a small tour of monrovia! They got to see the house i grew up in, my cats, and my dog that derek is afraid of. it was nice :)

Julianne shouldn't live so far away.

oh man, i just coughed a sick kind of cough.
i better not be getting sick.

when you drive when you're sleepy do you ever slap yourself in the face to keep you awake? cause i do. i always wonder if any other driver has seen me slapping myself while i drive... i did a lot of that tonight.

i need to sleep. like now.

peace.

meant to be.

2009-01-13T19:11:00.000-08:00

muahahaha!

my phone's not working... and i'm too lazy to go to the at&t store.

i want to go visit my family in arizona.

i made spaghetti sauce tonight....... yummm.

aaaaaaand i will do anything to avoid doing work.

the office is amazing. specifically season 2 disk 2.

i miss alexandria.

mammoth...

i love that picture because there are TWO alex's.

snowboarding for the first time
i'm a dork...

but i'm also badass.

thank goodness there are no pictures of me actually riding...
i was on my ass most of the time anyways.

sooooo i'm trying to be a better person..
india has inspired me to do so.
but it's hard!
i used to lie so much about the stupidest, most meaningless things...
it's hard to get out of that habit.
and don't judge me...
but i used to steal things that fit in the palm of my hand.
relax, only at stores.
for example...
i went to the grocery store the other day and i wanted to buy white ground pepper.
EIGHT DOLLARS.
eight! that's 400 rupees!!
that could've easily fit into my purse and exited the store with no problem.
and 3 months ago i would've done just that...
but i didn't.
i bought the damn pepper and it tasted delicious on my homemade mac and cheese.

being good is making me poor.

meh.

you know what else is kind of cool?
india has made me brave!
i am no longer afraid of spiders.
if you know anything about me, that's a miracle.
sorry peta, but i've killed like 7 spiders without a squeal!

does peta care about insects?

this is a spider that a few students at light and life academy caught to take a picture of...in india

yikes.

and i have a better attitude!
i don't get mad much anymore.
LA traffic still brings out some road rage in me, but it's not nearly as bad.
and i continue to be clumsy, like yesterday i dropped a frozen avacado (don't ask) on my foot, and it hurt SO bad, and i just laughed it off.

... i think that might just mean i'm crazy.

how old do we have to be to get stuck in our ways? i hope that never happens to me.

today we picked out an awesome title for our india project!
it's perfect and i love it and i'm excited to tell my friends in india.
but i'm not telling you, yet. . . so suck on that.

i like this

india fog is so much cooler.

i'm getting bored with my surroundings.
someone want to capture me and take me away?

i am so excited to go to kyle and derek's this saturday.
i haven't seen them in forever..
AND i'll see justin and ryan... but most importantly (sorry boys) JULIANNE!!!
damn, i miss her.

we met this past summer and we were inseperable until she graduated and i left for india at the same time. now she's all the way in sd :(

picture from this past summer... don't get scared because we have no makeup on!

i love her. we get in trouble when we're together!
saturday will be interesting.
are you nervous?
ha!

i want to make my own clothes. teach me?

i think i'm going to make more spaghetti.

what do you think the chances are of me meeting ryan gosling?

i a m a m e s s.

peace.

i'm eating candy.

2009-01-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

helloooooo!

i don't know what that face is.. but i figured it was bloggable.
so it's been a while... so much to go over!

it's been an awesome break! so sad that it's over, actually.

i spent most of my time with this young lady right here:

Alexandria motherfkin Cesena.

we did the most random things.

i love her and mister kai.

we saw 7 movies in theater in 11 days.

also....
this might be the way my parents find out that i got these... and they're going to kill me.
sorry mom and papi... i love you. just remember, i'm a good kid! :)
my first tattoos (yes, plural):

i know... i'm crazy.
please don't kill me, mom.

saw some good old friends

played some games... swear i wasn't cheating

tried to recapture that feeling :) thanks matt!

more friends

i love jason.

can't you tell how awesome he is?

mister frank bucci... ryan gosling has nothing on him.

Jason and Garret!!! Garret is going to be a brain surgeon. no joke.

party at Davids....

David and Lee! i've seen both of them naked. not in a sexual way, relax.

Andrew and Mark

this really sums up Lee.

then random few...
pig.

fog.

tattoo convention.

paw prints... my puppy loves me.

recap:

saw the following movies:
Slumdog Millionaire
Benjamin Button
Milk
The Wrestler
Yes Man
Revolutionary Road
Doubt
moved to ojai
saw vince vaughn
got my first three tattoos
went to mammoth and snowboarded for the first time
road on a motorcycle
saw three bears
chinatown
picked up a friend in jail
hung out with some of my best friends ever
made some cool new friends

peace.

hello 2009, my name is amanda.

2009-01-07T00:03:00.000-08:00

i hope you're as good to me as 2008 was.

If you could just help me with the following 2009 new years resolutions, i would be eternally grateful!

be healthy.
i let the stress of school and life get to me both physically and emotionally. i can't let it negatively effect my life. i want to make sure i stay active, because that's when i'm the happiest. also, i need to deal with my stress in a responsible matter.. i can't shut down anymore.

do something new.
every week. everyday, dammit. i want to explore! i don't want any boundaries... just go. anything, too. it can be as small as trying a new restaurant to randomly going to mammoth for a day to snowboard for the first time. i love life, and i only have one, so i need to make the best of it!

do it.
i want to do a project where i go back to india for 6 months. It will need some financing from an outside source. i've started a marketing plan. i have a lot of passion for this project, and it's going to take a lot of work... i just have to do it. i'm going to do it.

that's all.

thank you, 2009.

love,
me

peace.

exuse me, amanda... get it together.

2008-12-31T20:52:00.000-08:00

you're getting stressed out again.

you can't let yourself shut down like this; it's not healthy.

you have a lot of work to do, and i know it's not going to be fun, but you gotta do it.

you know this reaction is not right, and you CAN do something about it. use those tools that you learned in your cc class... get a planner, make your to-do lists, prioritize, and most importantly, schedule down time for yourself. you know it works... so get out of your head and move it!

tomorrow will be a new year, new chance, new opportunity to approach your life.

let's use 2009 to it's fullest potential.

i thank you, 2008

2008-12-31T14:59:00.000-08:00

2008, you have been very good to me.

Let's take it back.....

January- got my puppy loki and started my upper division classes!!
February- went to my first nascar race with scott and nick.. yes, i LOVE nascar, specifically carl edwards.
March- i first started to truly believe that i am a photographer
April- got accepted to go on the india trip
May- meeting julianne, justin, ryan, kyle, derek.
June- nature class camping trips... jb and i had THE most fun.
July- Lake Mead.. wakeboarded for the first time! got a pretty good tan, too
August- a million lunches with jb and justin
September- taking over the ventura campus
October- are you nervous?
November- india. the friends/family i made there. elephant riding. just india.
December- Ooty. finally realizing what i want to do with my photography.

honorable mentions:
-14 hour vegas trip with alexandria.. what the private party, bowing lanes, pool table awkwardness? i don't remember what month that was in lol
-the dark knight, slumdog millionaire, milk, the wrestler, burn after reading, iron man, juno, no country for old men, wall-e, pineapple express, there will be blood.
i love movies.
-the office's holly. she was the shit.
-reading, yes reading, inglorious bastards
-the random adventures with justin and jb
-jake gyllenhaal and ryan gosling... just for being so damn hot.

thank you, 2008, for everything this year. you have been the best year of my life... so far!

peace.

smiling

2008-12-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

So i've been meaning to post for a while now.. and decided that i wouldn't get out of bed until i did just that.

so here i am, in bed, editing photos to post on my blog

i'm SO glad photobooth doesn't take high resolution pictures.

ohhhhhhh man. . . it's so nice to feel happy again!

First, i have to tell of the interesting decision i made...

i moved to OJAI!

into a studio... by myself.

goodbye santa barbara!

i figured since i'm going to be at the ventura campus a lot anyways next session. . . might as well move closer. it's a really nice area... super close to lake casitas and only a 20 minute bike ride to the ventura campus! This will be good for me. i can feel it.

some pix of my move:

first i broke spidey. had to leave him behind...

look at all of the shit i threw out! those trash cans are full of just my stuff.

my car.. poorly packed. i actually rented a 27ft uhual (yes 27fter) but was too embarrassed to take a picture of its ginormoty (yes i just made up that word).

new place!

big main room

my-sized kitchen...

and my own backyard :)

i've got a good feeling about this!

So my last post i was definitely still super mad and sad and upset and all bad feelings. Later that day... i had a visiter that changed everything for me... miss alexandria cesena!!

she's such a good friend. she knew i was in a funk and drove all the way from monrovia to visit me for a day! she really lifted my spirits!

we are the ultimate duo:

I'm still upset about not being able to stay in india, but am no longer dwelling on it. instead i'm now working on a project that combines fine art and documentary photography that will take place in india once i graduate. Alex and i are working on it... we have a solid concept and theme, and we're currently working on a marketing plan! it's exciting to have something to work towards! It's going to happen!

This experience in india has made me realize what i want to do for my career!

how awesome is that??!

Anyways, now i'm home in Monrovia, ca for a few days.

Christmas was nice. It was the smallest yet, which was peaceful. i actually slept through most of christmas... i'm finally catching up on sleep. It's nice.

here's my grandma and my mom! i love them both so much... they're my biggest fans!

my puppy loki

ZOEY and my broster

teddy thinks he's a present.. but he's just trouble.

dessert

teddy thinks he's a baby... and my dad eats it up!

next years family xmas card picture??

i love my family.
it's good to be home.

Yesterday i went to alexandria's casa for a bit...

this is kai kingston. if he was like a year older i would totally be his girlfriend.

This made me smile so big... this calendar is up in alex's kitchen :)

i love these two.

so india is still following me everywhere! I saw two movies the past few days that i knew nothing about going into them... and one was completely about india, and the other the main character goes to india at the end of the movie. WTF?!

Go see them, though... they were both awesome. seriously... really really good.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

okay that's all... i'm off to the gym!

peace!

time and time again

2008-12-23T11:00:00.001-08:00

my jet lag is fading.

i'm not so down anymore... but i feel numb now.
i've been really focused on my move, it's distracted me some.

i'm just really upset with Brooks.
i need to accept it and move on, i know.

okay, one last vent...

I hate being treated like a child. I'm sick of trying to prove myself to people.

goddammit Brooks, who the fuck are you to waste my time and money? what gives you the right to tell me what i can or can't do during my break?? how is it that to go on this trip you forced me to sign a paper saying you're not responsible for me, then tell me i would fail this fucking class if i didn't go back?? how did this happen? how the fuck did they get away with this?
it doesn't make ANY sense. MY money, MY break, MY choice, right?
I'M A FUCKING ADULT.
there had to have been some sort of legal document i could have signed to be able to stay. why wouldn't they give it to me? why the fuck did they tease me?

87% of me wants to tell Brooks to FUCK OFF, sell all of my shit, and go back to finish what i started. really though, if i wasn't so close to graduating, i would probably drop out.

I would find another school that wasn't a CEC money making machine. You FUCKING IDIOTS, you're ruining Brooks reputation. You wonder why enrollment has gone down soo much? it's because you're letting people into the school who AREN'T serious about photography! YOU'LL LET ANYONE WHO IS WILLING TO TAKE OUT LOANS INTO THE SCHOOL. your enrollment process is a joke! no portfolio, no references, nothing. i didn't even write the STUPID one-page essay, and i got in. it's retarded. Then you charge $26,000 a year for just tuition... that doesn't even include the materials we need.... you can easily add $10,000 a year to that. with the way our economy is, who the fuck is going to invest in a school that has a high drop rate and costs an arm and a leg?!

DAMMIT.

i could be in fucking india right now.
____________________________________

but i'm not. that's it.

I know i just ripped Brooks a new one... and don't get me wrong. The teachers and classes are amazing here! CEC is just fucking up big time. They're firing teachers that shouldn't be fired and making a lot of stupid financial moves that is giving Brooks a bad reputation. It really sucks, because the education you get here is so good, but this company is making it really hard to support it.

I think the only way i'll be happy with Brooks again is if they buy me an open ended roundtrip ticket to india.

i won't hold my breath.

negative nancy has left.

It feels good to vent. i feel a little better.

i look sexy when i haven't showered.

back to unpacking... pictures of my odd decision are coming soon.

peace.

change of scenery.

2008-12-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

This is my cool, badass, american myspace pic.

i look possessed.

i <3 that bracelet, though.
.
.
.
something big is happening.
i've made an odd decision.

pictures are to come...

it'll be interesting, to say the least.

one of these days, amanda

2008-12-20T04:21:00.000-08:00

pow, right in the kisser.

it's 4:25am. i need a haircut.

you know what i did yesterday?? NOTHING. you should all be so proud.

i got out of my pjs for like 5 minutes to go say bye to justin... but didn't even make it.

i literally laid in bed all day. not even sleeping. just being there. I'm trying to get back on the right sleep cycle, but it's just not happening.

hahah!

i'm thinking of doing an internship in india. how fucking awesome would that be? My friend Ankit sent me names of 4 different commercial photographers in india... and i especially love the work of one. I'm doing it. it's done already. July 2009... india, watch out!

goals for today:
-walk for at least an hour around town and shoot at least 10 pictures.
-start packing
-figure out if i should move into a place or just get storage space for now
-go to the gym
-go see a movie and eat some popcorn.

Scott bought me a Volcom sweater for christmas and i love it. :)

aaaaand i like this:

don't i blend in?

self portrait

Rahul is fucking awesome

josh and me. i found my foot twin.

that's all.
peace

figure it out, amanda.

2008-12-19T05:16:00.000-08:00

i think my body refuses to adjust to being back in the states. i am not getting over this jet lag. i've been up since 10pm.

class was interesting today. i was actually calm and rational when explaining my feelings on the theme of our project. even though i'm going insane, when i talk about india, i make sense. pretty much everyone was super exhausted. Except for sam... she said she's never been better. it's crazy how different we all are.

Paul was pretty stressed. barely anyone was prepared to turn in their images. i turned in mine, but they weren't captioned properly. Post production did not start off the best.

I'm just so overwhelmed. I don't even know what to do. I think i want to change my major, but i don't know if i can. i have to figure out what GE classes i'm taking next session, but i don't even know where i will be living. I'm homeless. i might move to ventura because it's cheaper and i'll have to be there a lot next session. i don't know.

I went out to lunch today with adam, sam and co. At one point adam looked at me and said, "you're really heartbroken over this." then he said something about my spirit being crushed and how he wants the old amanda back. well, i want india back.

It's nice being able to talk to scott and justin again. I feel like i'm terrible company, though. all i can talk about is india. i'm so pathetic!

i don't even know who i am anymore.

i don't want to watch tv. i don't want to go shopping. i don't want to go to the movies. i don't want to take pictures. i don't want to do anything.

why can't i snap out of this?

actually, i kind of want to go walking. i think i'm going to make some time to do that and take my camera and see what happens.

Justin's leaving for hawaii tomorrow. what a bastardo.

now some awesomeness...
i got to check off something on my "things i have to do before i die" list... RIDE AN ELEPHANT.

check it:

Ganesh, Kannan, and Leshmi

maddy and becca

adam and josh

we got to feed them pineapples and bananas

then we got to bathe them

see some tricks

and last but definitely not least.... Leshmi gave us a shower!

peace.

adjusting

2008-12-18T06:45:00.001-08:00

So i felt a little better yesterday...
I called a friend in india and talked for over an hour (sorry mom i used the house phone!). I got totally lost in the conversation that i forgot where i was for a bit. It was wonderful. i was in this extremely good mood for a while after that.

then, i had to drive back to santa barbara a day early because i have to move out asap. my landlord is threatening to sell my belongings to pay for rent for that room my roommate neglected to get filled. It's great to be back.

i refuse to stay at my apartment because i can't bare to be around my roommate... so i'm continuing to live out of my bag. it doesn't bother me, though... i'm used to it now! it kinda makes me happy.

I saw justin yesterday! He makes me smile. i actually took a picture yesterday with his 5d mark deuce... the bastard. i didn't want to.. he made me.

Scott let me stay with him last night. It's really good to see him. He's seriously my best friend. :).

I still have a few people i HAVE to see soon... Alexandria and Julianne! I talked to them both yesterday... i can't wait to catch up.

Unfortunately, i haven't been able to do any work. I'm supposed to be editing, but dealing with this whole housing situation, being jet lagged, and feeling very down about not being in india is really taking a tole on me. i have class today at 10am and i really don't want to go. i can't focus.

Even though it's nice to see all of my friends again, i really feel like i don't belong here.

You know what i realized? i have so much shit. i want to sell all of my belongings. i don't need any of them! why the hell do i have a 40'' tv and 400 dvds??

For the past 7 weeks i only needed the following:
clothes- 2 pairs of pants, 5 shirts, 5 pairs of undies, 1 sweater, sandals, shoes and 1.5 bras.
toiletries- toothbrush, toothpaste, nail clippers, shampoo/conditioner, soap, razor, tweezers, face lotion, hair dryer (my hair takes over an hour to dry naturally)
makeup- mascara, powder
electronics- ipod, laptop, 2 hard drives, headphones, 1 camera body, 3 lenses, memory cards, card reader
other- backpack, medicines, chapstick.

everything else seems trivial, now.

i've gone mad.

India has helped me learn a lot about myself:
like i don't need anything that i used to think i needed... like more dvds, clothes, and 7 different face lotions. Those things don't even make me truly happy.
i learned i enjoy, more than anything, a good conversation. I feel like some of the conversations i had with the friends i made in india were so honest and interesting... it wasn't like what i'm used to; where the other person is just waiting for their turn to talk.
i love listening... but i hate listening to idiots.
i love making other people smile or laugh. it makes my heart smile.
I have a tough exterior, but i'm really just a huge softy inside.
i'm not afraid to let other people into my heart.
i'm indecisive not because i don't know what i want, but because i want to know what you want... i don't care about what i want.
i can find humor in anything.
i don't sweat the small stuff.
i love learning about new things and new people. LOVE that.
i appreciate the little things.
i love indian food and miss it dearly.
i look up at the sky a lot. it reminds me that i'm just a tiny part of this fantastic world.

The thing i miss most about india is the people.
then it's the following:
the colors.
the 'you get there when you get there' attitude
the power outages
the shower buckets
the tea.
the food
the rickshaw drivers

every place i went in india... these things i miss were always different. India is very unpredictable, and that's what i love most about it.

huh, i just figured that out.

now, i'm off to try to feel like myself again. wish me luck.

peace.

jet lagged

2008-12-17T07:36:00.000-08:00

since i'm now nocturnal... here's more pictures to make up for the ridiculous amount of writing in the past couple posts!

train from chennai to bangalore..

i like this.

backwaters in cochin

Fort Cochin

beatriz got down!

:)

my plan for the next few days:
edit caption tone india images
look up storage and moving companies
pack and move
sleep.

woooooooooo

blah.

2008-12-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

I'm back.

It’s so weird to be home.

So I was thinking about my last post… and i said a lot of things............ that i don't regret saying at all. i gave out my blog website to a lot of people in india, so i feel a bit bad for cursing so much.. Sorry! But everything i wrote is 100% true. it's completely real and raw and honest. There was more that happened that i didn't mention... because i'm not going to name names and give a formal or informal statement to administration on my blog, because that's just not the right place to do it. i am very upset still, but i'm dealing with it.

It was so hard admitting to myself that i had to leave. Poor Paul. He was watching me like a hawk at the airport. i'd go to the bathroom and i would see this gray head of hair in the crowd start moving around to make sure i wasn't making a run for it.

I got really excited because my passport wasn't scanning properly when i went to get my boarding pass. i actually smiled because i thought there was a chance... but then they typed in my information manually and it worked.

We got to immigration and i tried to pull a fast one. I asked the man if he had the power to make me stay. He didn't really understand what i was saying and i explained that i want to stay in india, but my teacher wont let me. He said "you can stay, ma'am. your visa is good until February." so i told him i know but my teacher wont let me... and he said, "teachers always get in the way." Adam freaked out when i was talking to the guy.... he looked at me and said sternly, "Amanda, what are you doing?!" It was funny because it's so hard to take him serious with his mustache, haha.

I felt like everyone was staring at me... waiting for my breakdown or blowup or something. i was not a happy camper. i was a total downer debbie. I didn't want to be around anyone, either. i just wanted to be alone.

Of course i was the last student on the plane, and Paul made sure i got on before him. If he didn't physically see me for like 5 minutes he would call another student and ask if i was with them. i was a serious flight risk.

Once i got on the plane i started crying. I texted all of my friends in india... telling them that operation keep amanda in india failed miserably. Poor Adam was sitting next to me... i was the worst company. I just cried, slept, and cried some more the whole way to hong kong.

i was still pretty mad in hong kong. I stopped crying before i got off the plane, but it turned into anger. i just sat on my computer and talked to some friends to vent for a bit. Paul continued his inconspicuous attempt to keep an eye on me. not as bad as in the india airport, but his gray head of hair was always popping up in my peripherals every 15 to 20 minutes.

Then we get to the ticket counter to board the plane... and my ticket goes code red! if that's not a sign then shoot me now. They had to make a phone call, check some data base, my passport. Paul thought i had something to do with it! I started getting nervous that the plane was going to crash or something like in final destination. poor adam, hahah. i was great company until chennai!

Now i'm home. The clouds were super crazy cool here when i arrived. i haven't taken any pictures in like 3 days. You know a photographers depressed when she carries her camera everywhere for days, but doesn't take a single image.

It really doesn't feel right here. I feel so bad for my parents because they're so happy to see me... and i just want to go back. The christmas tree did make me smile, though.

i didn't buy any souvenirs. I was so convinced i was going to stay... i didn't want to have to carry all of the souvenirs and gifts around for the next 3 weeks. i seriously went crazy. my christmas gifts could've been soo cool. damn.

i miss you, india.

i'm going to sleep.

you have my heart, india

2008-12-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

I wrote this yesterday morning...

I woke up crying this morning.

Fuck.

I can't leave. This is so stupid.

I don't have class until January 12th... why can't i stay a few weeks longer?

This has been the most amazing experience for me. I've never been so happy. I didn't know i could be so happy!

But something is really telling me that i'm not finished with my time here.

Everyone is telling me that i can come back... of course i can come back! I'm going to come back. That's not the point. I'm here NOW. i have christmas break from school when i get back. What am i going to do with that time? i mean i love my family... spending time with them is important... but i'm not going to spend all of my time with them. I'm probably going to go home, hang out with my friends, get drunk, go to the movies, blah blah blah. I could be here for a few weeks longer, learning, studying, understanding a beautiful different place and culture. Meeting people, seeing new things, and experience REAL LIFE. Not the bullshit i already know in America.

It's cheaper for me to stay here, too. It's a waste of money to leave.

It's crazy being back with everyone in chennai right now. We all had such different experiences.. good and bad. a lot of people are ready to go home. It boggles my mind.

I've become really protective of india. We've been discussing themes for this project... and people have been joking around a lot. It pisses me off! It's so crazy that i'm getting all emotional about it... but i started getting really mad. i'm sad that everyone didn't have the same experience as me. I'm actually kind of mad. I'm going nuts.

i have to stay.

I'm seriously going to be ridiculously depressed. I know it, i can already feel it. i feel like throwing up.

Goddammit, Brooks. LET ME STAY.

I can't even enjoy my last day here. I knew it was going to be hard for me to leave... but i'm serious when i say something in my gut is telling me not to go. I think if i had the few more weeks to stay, i will feel i used this opportunity to the fullest extent, and i could leave. I'll be sad to go, but i won't feel like this.

And i'm so fucking sick of people worrying about me. I know i'm a small 21 year old woman. You don't think i know that? I don't need anyone to worry about me... i just want to be me. it's like they just forget that i'm responsible, smart, good with people, and cautious. I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF. really, i can. What's the point in being an adult if no one is going to treat you like one?

I'm so close to taking an F for this class, just so i can stay.

FUCK.

The people i have met are so amazing. They are just truly genuine. It's funny how kind everyone has been to me here... and back home my roommate is trying to fuck me over while i'm not even in the country. In India, people are constantly thinking about others before themselves. That's the biggest difference i see in our cultures. People with NOTHING will invite you into their homes, feed you, ask you if you need help, and do whatever they can do. It's AMAZING. Then there are people like my roommate in the US who neglected to tell me that my other roommate moved out, and then neglected to find a new roommate. She decides to email me a few day ago saying that i need to pay for ANOTHER room that i'm NOT USING because it's supposedly my responsibility and not hers.

HEY KELLIE... FUCK OFF.

That's besides the point.

The fact is, i'm an adult. I signed a waver before i left that if anything happens to me in India, it's not Brooks responsibility. Why is it okay for them to get involved now? It's not like Brooks paid for anything... nothing. not my plane ticket, not my food, not my transportation, not my hotels. . . WHY DO THEY ALL OF A SUDDEN CARE?

They flat out said if i fly home... get out of my plane in LAX, turn around, get back in, and fly back to india... THAT would be okay.

why waste my time and money?

i hate this.
__________________________________________
That was written the morning i had to pack and leave.

Now i'm in Hong Kong awaiting my flight to LAX.

if 280 people donate 5 american dollars to me i can go back.
I think i'm going to start at the Hong Kong airport.

i feel like my soul is gone.

A lot of bullshit has happened since i wrote that yesterday. A LOT.
... and i'm very very very upset with Brooks. I need to reevaluate some things when i get back.

And mostly, i'm disappointed with someone who i use to really respect.

I had an amazing experience in India. My life has definitely changed. And i will be back, soon. I just really believe i should still be there now. I'm very upset over this.

Thank you to everyone in India that really made this trip amazing for me... Sabita, Lisu, Minal, and especially everyone at Light and Life Academy. Big shout out to Charan, Karthik, Arnab, and my new true friends Ankit, Rahul, Shivani, Garima, Shubhi, fuck... every student there. Being with you all for 12 days helped me learn so much about india. You let me into your home, brain, and heart. Our paths must cross again.

I never thought i would get so emotional about this... but i have a feeling it's going to take me a long time to feel right again.

now some of the last pictures i took in india:

This is Charan! He's been amazing! Definitely the sunshine of india.

The clouds in Ooty were especially amazing on my last day there...

hanging out at Light and Life... kicking Ankit's ass at hot hands!

Shivani!!!

:)

unbelievably happy.

I wish i had ran away and stayed.

This is from my bus window when i was leaving Ooty... Shivani and Garima are pretending to be American myspace girls, haha!

Fucking awesome!

Then i left.

fuck fuck fuck!
this sucks.

Overall... good trip... fucked up administration... amazing india... genuine people... true friends.

and I love this:

Alright, America... i'm coming home and not on my own terms. I hope you're better than what i remember.

India is number one in my heart.

fucking awesome.
peace.

back in time, time.

2008-12-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

helllllllllooooooooo!
Scott, you would be happy to know that Sienfeld is on tv in india.

Sorry that i just popped up again out of nowhere with no explanation on what has happened in the past 3 weeks. I haven't had internet for more than 30 minutes since that last post in November.

Where to begin...

This entire trip turned around for me when i got healthy again. Sam had left to Mysore, and Adam had to leave for the jungle. The tripod was no longer. I was really kind of scared to be alone, so i found out that two other students, Janine and Beatriz, were also in Bangalore on the other side of town! I decided i would stay at that hotel so i wouldn't be completely alone.

This is going to be really lame, but it's completely true... i then became the person i always wanted to be.

It was awesome. I would wake up in the morning, have breakfast with Janine and Beatriz, then we would go our separate ways to do our stories. Writing this down seems even lamer than saying it... but please, it's really how it was. I loved the time i shared with Adam and Sam, but i was using them as a safety net.

I felt liberated.

I'd plan my day, get ready, and go. I walked the streets of Bangalore alone. I bargained by myself prices at shops and for rickshaws. I had no problem asking for directions.

I wasn't afraid of being on my own!

Here's the lamest part... and i don't know how to put it any other way...

I felt so cool!

i hope you're all laughing, because i would, too. it's so lame, but i'm being completely honest. i'm baring my soul to you guys, so try not to judge!

So through my awesome contact Sabita in Chennai, i met Lisu. She is so sweet! She taught me how to cook an indian pork dish that is making me drool just thinking about it.

She then set me up with Minal. Minal is a dancer and a dance teacher. she has been dancing since she was 4 years old! I did a great small story on her and on of the many classes she teaches.

Her passion for dance blows my mind. She has such a great spirit, and her students love it. I had a really great time with this story. I wanted to do more with it, but i had to leave Bangalore. I gave my friend Alana the story to do more work on it so we can combine our super powers and make a good story out of it.

At night i would meet up with Janine and Beatriz. One night we went to this cool place called the 13th floor. Did you know they banned dancing at clubs in bangalore?? No one dances. . . I guess it's a misinterpretation of the law. They were trying to rid of exotic dancing, but instead made it all dancing where alcohol is served. I was all excited to see and learn some india dance. That didn't stop us from having fun!

Next up... Cochin.

sdfjkfhgvjk

2008-12-09T08:47:00.001-08:00

Fuck.

So my friend Rahul and Nilesh got in a bad motorcycle accident last night. They're out of danger, but both have serious injuries and are going through operations. I'm very thankful that they are alive.

Rahul has been my main host since i've been in Ooty. He's been very kind to show us around, invite us into his home, and taken us to all of the best places to eat! He's been so kind and awesome... it's like i've known him forever. My heart hurts just thinking about the pain he's going through.

I had to cut my day short today. An essential part of my story was happening today, so i had to shoot, but i could barely concentrate. i'm worried sick.

Everyone please pray they recover fast and there are no complications in their surgeries.

some pictures...

Rahul

Rahul, Nilesh, me, and Ankit.

FUCK. i feel terrible. I had to get away from everyone and be alone. I'm in my hotel room, in bed, by myself, going over and over it in my head. Even though i know they're okay, this is really freaking me out.

Dammit... my heart hurts :(

**** UPDATE ****
They're both out of surgery and are okay. Their injuries are serious, but the surgeries were successful. Thank god.

keep me, india.

2008-12-08T01:08:00.000-08:00

i want to lose my passport.

I seriously believe that i might be the happiest person on earth.
I don't mean that in a bragging way... i'm being completely honest.

I wake up smiling every morning here.

I don't want to leave.
There's so much more to see here!

People here are so kind it hurts.
it makes sad that us Americans are the way we are.
There's so much to learn from people, but we don't give them the chance 90% of the time.

Right now i'm at my favorite place in india so far.... Ooty. I'm working on a story of Light and Life Academy. It's a photography school that was started by a Brooks grad named Iqbal Mohamed and his wife Anuradha.

This place is just amazing. The students here have so much enthusiasm. It's crazy... i'm on the other side of the world, in a country so different then what i'm used to, but it's really all the same. We all have the same problems, the same friends, the same families, the same love life. There's no difference really.

ah. mom, papi, joaquin, friends.... i don't want to go home!

It's crazy... i don't feel like i'm a foreigner. well, i notice it when i go out in a big public area and i get some stares... but that's because i'm so white i glow in the dark. I wake up, get ready, leave my room and start my day like any other day. I do miss my mom's cooking, but the food here is amazing. Especially when you have kick ass people who take you to the good places.

i lost my wallet and i don't care.

that's how happy i am.

okay.

so i want to tell you all more about what has been going on, but for now some images...

These are the first elephants i saw. I think my soul almost exploded of happiness when i saw them....

This is Kanyakumari. The very southern tip of india.

We went to this small Kerela theater that was so interesting... it blew my mind the way they could move their faces. . . i can't even explain.

That's all for now... more later. SOOOOOOOO more later.

<33333333333333

dr jones

2008-11-18T06:04:00.000-08:00

Sooooooooooooo I'm better now, for the most part. I'm coughing up buckets of flem, but there's no fever! The past 3 days i've been taking it slow. My sickness really took a tole on me... i still have very little energy and i'm pretty sure i lost muscle mass.

Anyways, Bangalore and I haven't meshed well yet, though. It's super busy here and hard to get anywhere. Even the taxis don't know where they're going. It's exhausting. I did see a bunch of monkeys today, though! i'm going to catch one and name him oscar.

Things will look up. I called my contact today so hopefully i'll have a story to work on tomorrow. I'm really getting restless here... i feel like i haven't shot any good images since Chennai.

I will post some images of Bangalore soon. For now... more old stuff.

These are some pictures from November 6, 2008 in Chennai.

This was the first cat i saw here in india... i freaked out and tried to steal it.

I miss Chennai.

More is soon to come.
Hope everyone in the states is appreciating the food they have there. I would give my left boob for a good grocery store with anything i want in it. I really want to make spaghetti, dammit.

OH! I watched Indiana Jones Temple of Doom last night with Adam and it's AMAZING. For being such an avid movie fan, i'm dissappointed in myself for neglecting to ever see that movie.

I need to start a story.

better.

2008-11-16T06:36:00.000-08:00

So yesterday i stayed in all day because i was still sick. It was a good day though, because Adam bought me a box of Kellogg's Chocos Planets & Stars, and Becca let me borrow this Harry Potter 5 in 1 DVD she bought here in india! I think the combination of that and the fact that i finally shaved my legs made me better today!
(So i was in this competition with sam to see who could last the longest without shaving their legs. i could've gone longer, but i believe that my leg hair may have been contributing to my sickness because it was mentally grossing me out and giving me a negative outlook on myself. Is that at all believable?)

Anyways, here's a picture of me yesterday night, happy by myself with Harry and Chocos!

Even though i've been in Bangalore since TUESDAY, today was my first real day out and about. Unfortunately, i didn't have a lot of energy, and there wasn't much to shoot, but i was just happy to be out of the hotel room! It's supposed to start raining tomorrow, but that won't stop me from shooting! I HAVE TO SHOOT.

Now, some real pictures....

textures

These images are from November 4th in Chennai...

My sickness has given me the time to edit. More soon...

maybe it's the drugs...

2008-11-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

I AM NOT HOMESICK.

just sick sick.

Being sick in india sucks.
I actually don't mind being sick in the US because it gives me time to relax and do a lot of things i love doing.... such as:
Putting my 40" Samsung to work by
watching ENTIRE seasons of TV shows like: Entourage, The Office, 30 Rock, Scrubs, Chappelle Show, Family Guy. (my mom is going to puke when she reads this)
Watching back to back to back to back movies on HBO/Showtime/Stars
and by playing Super Street Fighter 2 on Super Nintendo.

Being sick also inspires me to cook.
NOTHING sounds better right now then making my spaghetti sauce and spaghetti with garlic bread. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMMmmmmmmm.
Or Korean chicken and rice with miso soup with green onion and mushrooms.
Or scrambled eggs with turkey bacon, refried beans, tortillas, and homemade salsa.
Or homemade mac and cheese!!!!

i'm hungry.

Adam, Becca, Josh, Maddy, amd Sam all went out tonight while i stayed behind to get better....
I requested for them to bring me ice cream brownie thing or cheese popcorn. I hope they bring one of the two!

This past Sunday we saw the new bond movie. I think they cut a lot of the scenes. Also, in the middle of the movie there was an intermission... weird! I was so excited to go just for the popcorn.... and that's exactly what i got. I ate SOOOO much popcorn. okay i'm just talking nonsenses now.

publish post.

sicken it.

2008-11-14T09:10:00.000-08:00

First of all, excuse my spelling errors. I write these post spontaneously, and if i didn't, they would never be posted. I try and go over them, but by the time i finish editing, resizing, toning, and arranging my images, i'm all burnt out. Also, i'm sick. I read my posts from yesterday and some didn't make sense. I must have been delerious. I edited them today, so hopefully they are better now.

ANYWAYS...
Being sick sucks. Check it.... Yesterday morning i was all excited because i finally got some conditioner and i blow dried my hair.. so i took this photobooth pic:

How soft does my hair look? It was BANGen.
About 12 hours after that image was taken i started feeling like crap.

Then today i woke up feeling worse than EVER. My throat was trying to kill me and i couldn't stop coughing. I went to the hospital because i still had a fever of 101.2. This amazing doctor treated me, and gave me new medicine that better work. It's funny, this doctor was better than the majority of other doctors i've had in the states. They didn't have the same equipment though... to look down my throat, the doctor put a curved metal thing in my mouth and used a huge camping flashlight. kind of awesome.

Anyways, this is how i looked all day today:

I'm a sexy beast. HAB, actually.
i haven't had a fever since this morning, so that's a good sign. My throat is still bothering me, but i'll manage.
I'm getting really anxious though! I WANT TO GO OUT AND SHOOT! With all of this downtime i've editing my work, and it's getting me all excited to shoot; but i'm bedridden.

I NEED TO GET BETTER, NOW.

Sooooooo
since i've had all this time to edit... i have more pictures to share!

November 4, 2008
Sheba Temple, Chennai India

We went to the Sheba Temple to shoot. We got there and all of these people are talking about this big event that was happening later that night. I have a terrible memory, and i don't want to get this wrong, so i'm not even going to try to explain in. Just check out the images...

I just realized i couldn't tell the story in 5 images. Well, you'll just have to wait until April 2nd!
I'm really excited about this story because 4 of us worked on it... and we all got a lot of good images and sound!

That's all for now!
Wish that my sickness is defeated by tomorrow!

me.

The Element of Surprise...

2008-11-13T02:31:00.000-08:00

So my adviser, Paul PapaSmurf Myers, just emailed the entire crew basically telling us to stop posting all of our images! He's, we need people to be surprised when we get back, or why would people come to our show?

So i'm limiting myself to 3-5 pictures a post.... unless they are funny group shots. That's right, just a taste of what i got. It's going to kill me, but if you want to see more, you're going to have to buy the book, DVD, and come to our gallery openings (April 2, 2009 in Santa Barbara).

I also found out that we're still doing presales. If you have any love for photography, or me, you will buy a presale! It's $40 for a book/DVD combo. This is a good deal because when we get back, the price for just the book will be $45 and DVD will be about $25. Below is a jpeg of the presale form. All the information needed is there, but be sure to write my name, Amanda Reyes aka Amandar Reytard (somehow that has become my nickname here), on the form!

So click it, print it, fill it out, mail it in. NOW!!! *that means you justin... you promised before i left!

So i'll leave you now with this...
November 5. 2008 (In Chennai it was November 5th, in the US it was November 4. 2008)
Taj Hotel, Chennai, Madras, India.

The US Consulate General held an even at the Taj Coromandal Hotel in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, for the US Presidential election. When my group found out about it, we were excited, but didn't expect what we saw.
Red, white and blue decorations everywhere. There was a mock voting booth along with human size cut-outs of John McCain and PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. Tons and tons of students showed up... the place was packed with a line out the door and around the corner to get in. We interviewed the students and they knew all about the policies that were debated about between the two candidates. Unfortunately, when the students asked us about the election in India, we had no clue what was going on. 5 students covered this story, and we've already started to put together a multimedia video about it. It is AMAZING.

The Taj

This was right before the results were read... packed.

Everyone was anticipating the results.

I was in India, with goosebumps, when i first heard that Barack Obama was elected to be the President of the United States of America. It was my first time ever voting in a Presidential Election... and i'm so happy that my candidate won.

While we were there, we were interviewed by the local newspapers, and made it into a few. Stephanie, Adam, and I were all quoted in different newspapers. Check it out HERE.

i'm famous.

haha jk.

That's all for now... have i mentioned that i'm sick? Well, Adam's been sick for like 6 days and passed it along to me. i don't think it's anything too serious, just a cold with a fever. I went to the doctors yesterday and they gave me medicine, and i think it's working....

Anyways, i just downloaded the new episodes of the office, so i'm going to watch them while i try to get better so i can go out and shoot later!

until next time.....

me.

TukTuk/Rickshaws

2008-11-12T23:25:00.000-08:00

This is how we get around in india:

how bad ass are these rickshaws aka tuktuks?!?!

So as the intelligent adults that we all are, we've been racing each other....

In Chennai, we've all adopted our own drivers. Adam and I share Suresh

He is AMAZING.. and the fastest driver. We always kicked ass.

We are NUMBER 1!

Then these are just some fun night images...

See how fast we're going?

I want to buy one and bring it home.

what do you think, mom?

Mamallapuram

2008-11-12T07:32:00.000-08:00

November 3, 2008
Mamallapuram
few favorites....

i seriously don't need to saturate my images... everything is so colorful here

This man got really mad at me for taking his picture, but i like it!

there are bikes everywhere

I love animals, but i'm afraid to touch any here.. you understand

This boy was just naked. by himself. no adults anywhere near.

I love everything here.

coconuts are everywhere

I love textures. i cannot get enough.

So this lady hates me. I took her picture, and she wanted me to give her money after. That would normally be fine, but all i had was american $20 bills. I dug through my bag and found one rupee (there are 47 rupees to an american dollar). I gave her the rupee, and she threw it back at me and probably cursed. i couldn't understand what she said.... but i'm sure it wasn't good.

That's all for now!

more soon!

mi familia de india

2008-11-09T03:02:00.000-08:00

This is me not being home sick:

Don't worry mom and papi... I'm minding my head!
I LOVE INDIA!!!!!

Let's talk about my family here in India.
I never thought that we would all be able to get along so well, but we do!
The first 5 days we were all together and had THE most fun.
It's kinda sad that we're all separated now, but it'll make our Thanksgiving meeting all that more exciting!

First of all, there's Paul aka GeeDubS aka Papa Smurf aka Where's Pauldo aka Great White Spice aka P.Brain

He is our adviser for this trip, and he's the shit.

Then the kids...

courtnizzle.

john jeff, alanarama, ellen paige

They love eachother.

we're awesome.

This is my favorite picture ever.

amazingly, we still manage to get our work done.

Now for my current traveling family:
First is my lesbian lover sam (jk papi)

She's my roommate.

Then there's adam.

He protects me from all of the creepers.

They're awesome.

Together we are the ultimate tripod.

I love my newly adopted family. We are awesome.

i love you, india

2008-11-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

Really?

I could not be any happier.

I seriously feel like the luckiest person ever.
Foremost.... i am soo FUCKING happy that obama won.
sorry, mom, for cursing.

I will talk more about the election later because i did a crazy story on it...

ANYWAYS

I love india. i can't say that enough. I've been walking the streets for days... and every few hours i will turn to a friend and be like, "we're in india." It's almost unreal.

This is all very weird for me. I'm not use to doing VJ (visual journalism) photography... so i was very nervous coming here with literally no idea what good vj pictures are. Also i've never been critiqued on my vj photos, so i'm scared that paul (my adviser) will hate them. He hates me. lol.. he just texted me: i hate you.

But when i pic up my camera, i just get in the zone. It's been so much fun! i love my images, and even though a small, unconfident part of me is scared of what other people think of my work, i realized don't give a fuck because i'm in india!
****mom, i thought about it and even though i know you're reading this, i'm not going to censor myself too much... i love you! don't get mad!

I know i said i wouldn't post a lot of images, but i say screw it.

I barely shot on the first day, i was just taking it all in. I like this shot though...

The next day I woke up at 5am to catch the sunrise. We walked down to the beach and caught a lot of cool stuff happening...

i almost died when i saw my first monkey here! i want it.

so there are seriously wild goats and dogs everywhere. This image is for my mom and dad.. they like goats

there ya go.

more later....
i'm so happy.

i <3 india

2008-11-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

I forgot to add these with the last post...

Self portrait.

This is where i got in trouble at immigration. They told me to take out my film, HA.
Epic.

My bathroom has this spraying water thing next to the toilet. My goal before i leave is to use it. I honestly don't exactly get what to do.

This my room. Sam and I keep the bed together so we can teaspoon.

After 4 hours waiting at lax, 16 hour plane ride to hong kong, 11 hours in hong kong, 6 hours on the plane to india, 45 minutes loading a bus with 21+ bags, 45 minutes to hotel, 45 minutes getting bag, 20 minutes signing in. and a 5 minute walk to my room.

Outside my room.

First time we ate in india.

more very very very soon.

india pt1

2008-11-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

November 1, 2008
My first picture of India turned out really cool. With my fisheye, i took a picture out the window of the plane right before we landed. It's my favorite picture right now because it became a self portrait...

We exit the plane at 2AM and it's very different already. Hot and a little humid, it was really the smell that i first noticed. Not necessarily bad, just different. Immediately i was ridiculously excited to start shooting! This trip is going to be amazing! I already was warned by immigration about taking pictures, but i really cant help it! I'M SOO EXCITED!

We meet our drivers and they just throw our luggage on top of their vans. i start freaking out because i have about $10,000 dollars worth of equipment in my one bag! I'm waiting for something bad to happen, and i so thought it was going to be something with my bag... but nothing yet. Anyways, the drivers here honk all of the time. i thought our driver was doing that just for fun, but all of the cars were constantly honking! it's kind of scary, but fun.
Our hotel is really cool. I think the pictures will explain. The bathroom is kind of funny, but it could be worse. We have a gecko living in our room with us. His name is Pupert. i didn't name him.
Now, I just got back from buying a cell phone... it was quite the hassle. Trying to get 9 Americans cell phones is very exhausting. My phone number is 900 319 7258... i'm expecting some random texting.
The food here is good. My body is all weirded out so i'm barely eating, but everything tastes good! i'm only spending like $2-$4 American dollars on each meal. Not too shabby.
We walked around today and I wasn't as overwhelmed as i thought i would be. The only thing that's getting to me is the jet lag and heat. Don't get me wrong, India is completely different than the US, i just thought i would be in total and utter culture shock. I guess i prepared more than i thought.
So i had more pictures to post, but my adviser said that we shouldn't give the goods away! I'm kind of bummed, but i will post a few later.

My internet is sucky here, but i will do my best to post as much as possible. I will limit my self to 3 images of serious stories per post. I will continue to post silly non-important images thru out, i'm sure!

-me.

Hong Kong.

2008-11-01T00:50:00.000-07:00

I'm in India!!!!
This is my first time traveling outside of the US... besides Mexico. It's amazing. What took me so damn long??
LAX-Hong Kong-Chennai, India:
My flight was supposed to leave at 1AM Thursday morning, but was delayed due to fog. We didn't leave until 4AM, but it didn't seem that late. It was 17 hours to get to Hong Kong. SEVENTEEN hours. I don't know how i survived.. I probably slept a total of 2 hours.. i really didn't know what to do with myself. The plane was really nice, though! Every seat had it's own screen and headphones where you could play video games, or watch movies and tv shows! They had everything from Casablanca to Cool Runnings to Iron Man. The plane was fun because there were 20 people i knew on the plane that were spread out all over the place! Damn, this trip is so much fun already

We landed in Hong Kong to some humid weather. Our layover time was 11 hours, so we planned an 8 hour tour. Honestly, at first i wasn't very impressed. It didn't look much different. We had this crazy tour guide... she came off very rude, but i think it's because her english wasn't the best. She was pushing typical touristy places to go, which was very lame. It wasn't until we convinced her to go to the markets when i got excited... we started driving in downtown Hong Kong, and i started getting really ecstatic. Tons of people, cars, buildings, and more........ it was the first time it hit me that i was doing the one thing i wanted to do my entire life: see the world.

I can't even explain how Hong Kong was... i guess just check out the pictures and you'll see. We went to this really cool market thing that was selling really pretty jewelry... but i didn't buy any because i was afraid i would lose or break it in the next 6 weeks. It kinda sucks, but i love the images!

So we got back to the airport and ate a mighty fine italian dinner. i think i spent more money in HK than i will in India for food. Seriously. The flight to Chennai, India was about 5 hours. I pAAAAAAAAAAAAssed out. I don't know how much sleep i got in the past few days because i'm in the future now, but i know i was in desperate need of sleep. This flight wasn't as fun as the first because everyone was dead from the excitement.

Now i'm in India.

i'll post more later. Posting all of these images takes forever.

i love my family and friends, and i will miss them... but right now, there is no place i would rather be than here in india.

i'm sooo happy.

First and Foremost

2008-10-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Thoughts are for suckers.
This will be a good place for me to post info when i'm in india.
i like.