realiz the signs.

And I joined Facebook.

I pretty much always said I would not join Facebook.... Not because I was anti-Facebook, but rather because I knew it would take a lot of time out of the business activities...

ARGH!

But I had to weigh out the pros and cons of it all... and I bit the bullet.

It's been a fun ride thus far, seeing a lot of familiar faces and friends.... I understand a little bit now about "Facebook drama".

"Why didn't he invite me as a friend?"
"She wrote WHAT on your wall?"

And the whole prior beef thing....

hahaha

And I also joined the professional network site LinkedIn and creative networking site Behance.net.

For all the creatives out there, join BEHANCE.NET. I simply love it. The customizable features and portfolio gallery is clean, and there's some great artwork and creative work on that site. I'm on it every day and see something great I like.

Well, now that I have all these online social networking sites.... I probably won't have any time to even be sociable IN PERSON. It'll all be online.

Is that what social networking is all about? I'd rather see you in person...

RealizDesigns.com is officially here.

After a period of what I call beta testing, the site is ready to launch.

You can find my recent work, along with some past favorites for clients. If you get a chance to have a look at the site, I would always appreciate critiques or comments, both good and bad.

Damn.

My internet suddenly stops working when I need to send a client an important email attachment! I call *hiddeninternetprovider* to ask them what's going on with my service, and they tell me it can take 24-36 hours to figure out, but mind you, this is on a Thursday. So by my estimation, because *hiddeninternetprovider* technicians do not work on the weekend, I'm looking at getting the internet back up and running by Tuesday or Wednesday at the earliest. And during a pressure-cooked week of email communication deadlines to boot!

So go to Future Shop to make sure this email gets to the client asap.

Yeah. Future Shop.

So I try to stealthily hide my USB memory stick into the back of one of the IMac's, and proceed to check my email there... while stealthily going back and forth from programs in case any of the commission-hungry sales reps tries to swoop in too close and find out what I'm doing.

Low and behold, they are sharing the internet connection... with all 50 demo model computers!

Can this day get any worse?

So while I wait for this slow-as-heck upload of my attachment, all the while seeming so genuinely interested in this IMac.... Then a sales person starts to observe me. (I almost hear the doot...doot...dootdoot...DOOTDOOT radar sound in his head going off, all pointed at ME.)

*cue moody faster paced music*

Right now the upload bar can't move fast enough. I feel like Sandra Bullock in "The Net" during the convention when she's on the computer and the bad guy is coming....Or any other tech-savvy movie where they always upload the file onto a disk just-in-the-nick of time.

UPLOAD COMPLETE.

SEND.

LOGOUT.

Close window.

Just in time!

ME, smoothly: "Wow, this Imac is pretty cool."

SALES: "Yeah, Let me show you some of the features like...."

Forget this, I'm ghost. I'm already starting the car by the time he turns around.

What I find out about all this?

I need the internet to run my business smoothly. There's just no way around it.

What else did I find out about all this?

I DON'T need the internet. Now before I get lambasted about the benefits of the internet. I need to stress the word "need". I really did okay the remaining 5 days without the internet. With the exception of being able to email any business-related things at my brother's house or a friend's place..... I was okay.

*gasp!*

Yeah it was a pretty peaceful week, sort of like the huge eastern-seaboard blackout, but smaller. And only focused on the internet. And I could still use elecricity and the computer. And I still could use the net if I had to at someone's house...

okay bad analogy, but you get it I hope.

I just heard word from my boy that he just traded in 5 used DS games for a brand spankin' new Nintendo DS at EB Games... The crimson/black version....

It doesn't list it on the EB website....So I went to the EB Games at Scarborough Town Centre to check it out... and it's true! The only stipulation is that the value of the used game has to be listed at $8 or more, which isn't too bad, but you can also trade in old xbox or ps2 games too (but the $8 rule still applies).

You can't bundle up cheaper games to make up $8 either!

Since I've been wantin' the Crimson/Black DS for a while still, I figured this is a good time to clean house of some old games anyways, and try to get a new DS!

Crimson_ds_small

EB Games

If you want a PSP too, they got a similar deal: Trade in 8 games and you get a PSP. (I think the value is greater than $8 too, but don't quote me on that.)

Go check it out if you don't play your older games once you finish 'em.... and I'm probably gonna look into a cyclo evolution (If you don't know about it, google it! It'll be worth your while!) =)

Makes sense though.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

***Update***

I just came back from EB Games Markville, EB Games Scarborough Town Centre, & EB Games on Milner/Morningside. (Don't EVER try to trade your games at EB Marville though, the manager there is NOT helpful whatsoever, and made it pretty difficult to deal with. He even said "He'd get in trouble from the head office if he tried to help me out). Luckily the Scarborough Town Centre AND Milner/Morningside EB Games were both very helpful.... and all-in-all, I got my DS!

The Nintendo DS cost me:

(1) Super Mario Bros. (DS)
(1) Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (DS)
(1) Metroid Prime Hunters (DS)
(1) NBA 2K7 (Xbox 360)
(1) Top Spin 2 (Xbox 360)

Total Value: $63 (At EB Re-Sale Value)

The regular price is $129.99 (+ taxes). So that's a savings of over $83!I highly recommend anyone with extra games to go out and get a free DS ('specially if you're NOT playing those games anyways!

I also traded in:
(1) NBA Ballers (Xbox)
(1) Feel The Magixc (DS)
(1) NBA Street Vol. 2 (Xbox)
(1) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

for a set of protective stickers (for the Nintendo DS). All the stylus rubbing will form scratches on the DS screens over time...

Great deal, go check it out now!

TelusTripleChallengeBanner

So one of my friends Jax is having a birthday week at Blue Mountain, Collingwood. She also happens to be the girlfriend of one of my creative colleagues, Lazi. It also happens to be the same weekend where the Telus Triple Challenge will be happening up at Blue Mountain. It's a sponsored (obviously!) Ski/Snowboard competition which also hosts a Multi-media competition (Graphic Design / Photography / Film).

My boy Lazi was the reigning champion from last Multimedia Show '07 (He took first & second last year! "Watchukno bout that?!") so I went up to celebrate the birthday and him entering. My bro suggests something that I should enter too, and I agreed it was perfect timing to do something like that, with the new RealizDesigns.com launching this year and whatnot. Kebron (our other boy, aka OLDe YORKe) also entered with 2 photos by us couriering it in an envelope for him to make the deadline. (He joined us oh the slopesThursday night anyways).

After seeing Lazi's pieces I told him I'm happy to take second in the Graphic Design Category. He put the time and effort into some new, some different-way-of-thinkin' type pieces. They were nuts. (Check the pics!) My pieces were my recent & past fav's from the recent Kahawa Coffeehouse Show "Introductions".

Why not?

I paid my $, entered, we were told that we could find out our placing by Friday morning, since the judging took place Thursday. But when Friday morning came (Lazi got there Tuesday, I came Wednesday) we were told we had to wait for the "Big Announcement" at the concert that night at 8pm. Volkswagon wanted to do it right with a presentation of the awards or something. Lazi and I knew we'd place in the competition, and Kebron aka OLDe YORKe had an innovative piece that could've got him top prize (depending on how the judges were judging). I ended up leaving because of other obligations and the BIG storm was coming soon. But understandably, Lazi had to stay. So 3 of them (Lazi, his girl Jax & K) toughed it out and stayed until about 9:40 for the announcement.

Sooo... While I'm chillin', winding down at home, I get the call from Lazi.....

I won.

I took 1st in the Graphic Design category. You have to understand that it was a crazy win, cause it was my first competition but also entered with one of my friends whose dedication to creative art is sick. But I know my pieces are great in its own right, it's possible that Lazi's pieces were imaginatively just outside of the rules and stipulations of the criteria, which may have been a good and bad thing for his entries.But to have entered a competition and come out standing toe-to-toe with a respected colleague in art? It makes the win worth more and (at least in my own mind) elevate my own progress as an artist. I am officially the Award-Winning Graphic Design Telus Triple Challenge Multi-Media Show Champion! (How's that gonna look on the resume? hahaha)

Most importantly, we all won ourselves passes to go boarding free next year and some cash to boot! It's a win-win-win situation regardless! There were a few good pieces entered in the competition, but we definitely represented. In the Graphic Design category I took first, Lazi second, and Kebron aka OLDe YORKe took 2nd in the photography category. Great weekend, great times, what more can you ask for?

Maybe one of those FATBOY pillows! Oh man, I fell in love with those big comfy pillows!

Nice.

2008. Elevate.

The last 2 pieces of Lazi's pieces, They're in 3 levels, with lights (!) installed.

06032008(019)

Mike eating popcorn in front of one of those amazing FATBOY pillows!

It's a little late now, but I just wanted to post up some of the pics from our Introductions... creative show. It was amazing, and even more people than we had anticipated attended! Truth be told, we would've been happy if 10 people showed up, but it was more like 3x that amount!

I left some critique cards for people to fill out, as we want to know what everyone thinks! Hearing good stuff is all fine and dandy, but it's the criticism and what people didn't like that makes you grow and evolve as an artist.

The buzz was amazing, and we went well past our 9:30 end time. It definitely was a night of coffee, graphic design, mixed media & photography.