Saturday, April 25, 2009

Give unto ceasar what is ceasars

One of the most tragic betrayals in history has been recorded all wrong. I'm sure you have heard, or read, the story of Brutus slaying Ceasar. It's been told as a story of deceete and abandonment. But in reality, it was a greusome tale of a beautiful woman and a fight for her heart.

Chapter 1
On a silent night in the darkest streets of Rome, a cry was given birth in the night. The city was awakened by the sound of this newborn child. Little did they know that during that minute of that hour of that night, a god had decended upon them. His name would be called Julius and he would reign over these people.

As a child, Julius noticed that he was different than the rest of the children he would play with. In solid silence, he would hear voices. In conversation, he would see visions. He simply ignored these peculiar powers, because he did not know that he was a god. During his many years of schooling, Julius' powers became more and more evident. One night, while his mother was making dinner, Julius heard a faint crying. He looked around, but saw nothing.
"Is something wrong?", asked Julius to his mother.
"Oh, it's nothing dear.", his mother replied.
But as Julius looked into her eyes, he felt something. His vision began to shake and the walls around his were now gone. He was scared. In blackness. Alone. But as he began to look around he began to see huge explosions and soldiers running to and fro. Then, Julius saw him. It was Julius' father, laying on the ground. He had been struck with an arrow. Julius began to run toward him, but his legs would not move. Everything began to tremor again and Julius closed his eyes to escape the chaos. Silence. As Julius openned his eyes, he realized that he was still in the kitchen with his mother. Confusion ravaged the mind of Julius.
"Is daddy alright?", Julius blurted out to his mother.
"What makes you ask that?", replied his mother.
"I just had the most awful dream that father had perrished."
"It wasn't a dream, Julius. It was a vision. There is something I must tell you."

Chapter 2
As Julius and his mother sat at the kitchen table, the cold dark night of the roman land rolled over the fields.His mother explained to Julius that he was born of the Gods. She revealed to him his powers. Julius was told that he could read minds and even see the future. She told Julius that his father had died and that the vision that Julius had had was nothing more than a reading of his mothers mind. That night Julius sat in his room and cried. He felt so different. So alone. But as the tears of sorrow turned to tears of joy, Julius realized what power he now had. He realized the influence he could obtain with his new powers. He mad a vow that night to rule over all of Rome to please his father and make him proud.

Chapter 3
By the age of 30, Julius had developed his powers so well, that he could influence anyone he spoke with. He used these powers to climb the ranks of corprate Rome and eventually reached the top. One his 31st birthday, Julius became the ruler of all of rome. Many tried to minipulate him, but all of their plans failed, due to the fact that Julius could read minds. Julius ruled with power and did not fear any man. He did, though, fear other gods. He had heard rumor that on the same night he was born, another god was brought down onto the earth. The scriptures of the time proclaimed that man as brute. He was proficied to be the downfall of ceasar.
On dawning of seripuck, a proudly honored tradition of rome, Julius had made a declaration to all the people of his land. The declaration said, "I, Julius, the ruler of all of rome, hereby declare a tournament to be held on the third night of seripuck. The game of the tournament will be floxno and the winner of the tournament will become ruler over all of rome." Julius made this declaration because he knew that he would win. How could anyone beat a man who could read minds?
Upon the next night, thousands and thousands of subjects attended that extravigant tournament. As the clock struck nine o'clock, the floxno board were brought out for the competitors.
Floxno is a mythical game that involved both letters and numbers. The goal of the game is to create an "entrapment" around the pawn of the other player. This is done by guessing number and letter combinations. The first player to trap the pawn of his opponent would be declared the winner.
The tournament raged on and on until, at about midnight, the two final players were brought to the final floxno table. Julius was in the final round becuase of his ability to read the mind of the other players to find their pawns. As the crowd parted, a dark and mysterious man emerged. Julius extended his hand with pride, knowing that he would win the tournament.
"What is your name?", Julius questioned.
"My name is Brute.", the dark stranger answered.

Chapter 4
Julius shook with fear. Was this the Brute that the scriptures had proficied. They both sat calmly at the floxno table and began the game. Julius stared into the eyes of Brute, but something was wrong. Julius did not know the location of Brute's pawn. He could not read his mind. Brute looked deep into the eyes of Julius and for a moment stood still. As Julius continued to attempt to read the mind of Brute, all he could hear was the nervous beating of his own heart. Then, Julius heard it. As he was reading the mind of Brute, Brute said, "Ha. You fool. You cannot read my mind. I am from the gods and have come to defeate you." Julius was stunned.
The game raged on and Julius was playing remarkably well, for not being able to read the mind of Brute. But as the players made thier last moves, the game was coming to a close.
"A12.", Guessed Brute.
Julius was cornered. His pawn was surrounded and he had but one more move to save his dominion over rome. He could not read the mind of Brute and was forced to guess.
"A2, Brute?", guessed Julius.
As Brute began to smile, Julius realized that he had been conquered. It was all over. Julius could not stand the humiliation. He renounced his rule over rome and gave Brute power.
That night Julius went to see Brute. Julius carried a knife in his hand. He was going to kill Brute. As he barged through the doors into the room of Brute, he raised the knife high. As Julius began to swing, Brute ducked and turned the knife around, piercing Julius in the heart.
Julius was left laying on the floor as Brute ran. His blood covered the floor and that night all of rome heard that the mind reading god had been slain.

Monday, March 2, 2009

How To Be A Graphic Designer

Over the last 4 or so years of my life, graphic design has absolutely consumed my life. It takes a special eye and a special passion to design well. You have to have a mindframe of a designer. In this blog I will give you 3 steps to becoming a graphic designer.

1. Look at type
One of the single-most important aspects to design is type. You can make a beautiful image, but if your message is unreadable, too big, too small, too strong, or to passive, you will not be able to convey your message. Your type has to be perfect to maximize your message. To learn how to use type, create a mental bank of different fonts or styles in which you have seen letters displayed. You must learn to relate size, spacing, and thickness to emotions, sounds, or flavors. Learn as many fonts as you can. You can start out by knowing Trajan, Helvetica, and Avante Guard. Ask yourself what emotions you feel when you look at these fonts. When in doubt, use Helvetica.

2. Follow Design Blogs

The second most helpful step in becoming a designer is to pick a designer or design blog and follow it. Check it almost daily to look at the new trends, styles, or color combinations. Also, you can gain inspiration from a designer. Some sites that are great to start out are misprintedtype.com, justcreativedesignblog.com, bittbox.com, and deviantart.com. Pick one and commit to following it.

3. Keep a logbook

My final suggestion to becoming a designer is to keep a logbook. It doesn't have to be a physical book. You can keep it digitally or mentally. I keep my logbook on my computer and in my head. I see a color and think about what that color smells like, what that color sounds like, and what that color would taste like. I keep that observation in my head so when I need something for a cherry soda ad, I know exactly what color tastes like cherry. I also keep notes on my computer. If I am working on a logo and I have an amazing idea that does not fit into the theme of the current logo, I will save it and maybe even use it later on.

In conclusion, there are no three steps I can tell you to make you instantly into a designer. It is a frame of mind. You must begin to eat, sleep, and breathe design. But following the steps I just listed wouldn't hurt either.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Testimony

Growing up in a Christian home was more than simply a blessing--it was the beginning of a journey of faith. My birth parents chose adoption for me, not because it was the wisest choice, but because my birthmother was in Japan and could not have an abortion. God had his hand on my life before I was born. At the same time, my parents were praying for the family that God would someday bring to them. In a twist of events, my birth mother chose them to be my parents. Not a believer herself, she wanted Christian parents to raise me. Exit birth parents—enter mom and dad. My parents modeled what it meant to live a joy-filled life loving and serving God. The most important lesson they taught me from a young age was that I had to “own” my faith. So at the age of 8, I trusted Jesus as my personal Savior at a Billy Graham Crusade. For the next 7 years, I stayed involved in our church and closely connected to God through youth retreats, Sunday school, and the Christian school I attended from Kindergarten through 12th grade. However, it wasn’t until I learned to “own” my faith, that I really began to grow in my personal relationship with Jesus Christ and trust Him with the big things in my life. I took a step of faith and began to serve at church in the areas where I felt God had gifted me in Kidsfest on the drama team, small group leader in Encounter, Undercurrent leadership team, Sports Jam group leader, and middle school worship team. I found the joy and contentment of being a “passionate and productive follower of Jesus”. I believe that the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God, that the only true God exists as three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that the only way to salvation is to receive Jesus, by faith, and confess Him as my personal Lord and Savior. I know that Jesus, Son of God, lived a sinless life, yet paid the debt for my sins, and was crucified, died, and rose from the grave to sit at the right hand of God. It is through this act of atonement that I have salvation, not through anything that I have done, but it is a free gift, by the grace of God. As a child of God, I am called to use the gifts and talents that God has given me to reach others for Christ.