I Deeply Hate "Love-Scammers" (03.08.17)

I started chatting with Tyler Salinas on the app MeetMe. He really drew me in, kept chatting with me, got sick so I sent him $50 for meds, and started talking about a future with me. Online, I found out a Nigerian scammer, maybe by the name of Balogun Tosin, found Klib Salinas and used his photos.

Kik:  tyler3075
Gmail:  Styler3075@gmail.com

The famous Joshua Porter pictures! I met the scammer Patrick Donald (Porter) on Mingle. He was kind and friendly and we chatted about many things. He kept asking for iTunes cards and money, and then I found a lovely site called ScamHaters with very familiar photos. My bestie chatted with the real guy who is frustrated and annoyed that people are using his photos. He said to look for his watermark.

WeChat:  lonelynsweet
Gmail:  pd64083@gmail.com

***

From Jack to Tyler to Patrick... there have been more guys I've chatted with and insisted on being friends with who have dropped me. I guess... Losing $1k this time to both of them put together is better than the $5k I lost to Jack.

Lesson learned... I'll be in pain for a while, disappointed with myself... Just be careful!

Ballet vs Hip Hop | Annika Verplancke

Beauty... is in the eye of the beholder...

Week 3 Mess Up Essay

I was writing an essay happily and then... I realized I'd misread the prompt as I was about to post it on the discussion board! Well... here it is... how you guys enjoy it!!

Of all the organizations out there, the one I want to bring to light is Omaze. Started by Ryan Cummins and Matt Pohlson, they gathered a team of dreamers came together to put together a powerful and interesting organization that brings together people with their passion and obsessions, for “once-in-a-lifetime experiences.” What makes this organization so memorable is that it functions similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and yet, is on-going and raises funds for multiple purposes in a similar format as Indiegogo.

To start, Omaze will choose a cause and learn as much as they can about it. Then, they will select a celebrity or team and create an ad that will encourage donations to the organization as well as fans of the celebrity guest. The most recent one is Idris Elba asking a donator to be his valentine. When the donator goes to the actual website, they will get all the information they need about the offer as well as the cause. At the bottom, each donation receives a perk, from digital cards to signed covers. After the campaign is closed, there is a raffle and the winner will enjoy their perk with the celebrity guest as their prize.

According to Koontz (Hirsch, 2015), Omaze heavily relies and utilizes social media for their benefit. The goal defined by Omaze is to raise funds for causes. The target is people who are looking to donate for a good cause while having a chance at something they want in return. Social media comes into play because of the celebrity or star attached to the cause, and all promotional videos and materials used after. The popularity and success of past fundraisers for Omaze has led them to be featured and mentioned in papers like The New York Times, Fast Company, AdWeek, The Wall Street Journal, and the Hollywood Reporter, along with popular morning shows like the Today show and Good Morning America.

The public relations between Omaze and the donators are consistent and continuous. There are emails fired out to all donators as the timeline for the campaign comes to a close. Reminders of how much time is left along with additional promotional items are sent out to encourage more donations and sharing about the campaign with others. The extravagant lengths Omaze can go to is made possible by the good causes celebrities want to be known for being attached to, thus the branding of the celebrity and cause. The marketing team for Omaze works hard to attach the good deeds the celebrity is doing whenever they can, especially in magazines and commercials.

All in all, Omaze found a way to advertise to the young through celebrity stars like Shailene Woodley and through the older generation through stars like Idris Elba, with Lena Dunham appealing to everyone in between. Omaze has, recently, also tapped into the music world through Sting and the international K-pop craze by having an event with G-Dragon of BigBang. Their reach continues to broaden and grow because their marketing capabilities are endless and there is no one that cannot be reached by the enticements of Omaze.

Did you like it? :D 

Tough Decisions Made (02.06.17)

It's a bit crazy, but I'm single without anyone to play with. By choice, of course, because of the difficult times ahead of me. No guy is good enough to be kept around for such a journey...

Moving Home after a rather intense two years. With the closing down of RainBridge's side faction, other projects are still alive though I'm super spent and tired. I need a break and I want to rest a bit before starting up anything else. So, the move home and the change of the faster for the slower pace in life is necessary to effectively change things for me. Not to mention, the costs of starting and ending a production company, being love-scammed, and trying to survive Grad School on my income? ... I'll admit to getting suicidal ONCE but, that's another reason I'll be making the move. Much of my emotional support system is back home... my family, my sister, my older friends, and moving back to a world that is where the SanB, OC, and LA Counties meet... You know how it is.

Being Single is something I have a lot of experience with. I mean, I was single for 30 years before I got my first kiss. The jerk also happened to perform unfavorable acts on me, which led to a sudden life of promiscuity on my behalf, but after much therapy and talking, I've managed to wean that part of my life off. This move restricts me even more, thus helping the casual end and the dating and serious relationships begin. I can only hope and pray that this keeps up. I'm for the taking! I aim for relationships that will lead to marriage. I'm not good at the casual despite being offered time and time again. I'm not that girl anymore. I'm not ready to give a testimony about it, but I am ready to get my life right!

Choosing God has never been an easy thing for me. I was raised a Christian and, before I knew it, it was the only life I knew. I didn't know how to be anything else and that worried me. So, when I moved out for college, it didn't matter much because of the strong presence of Christian friends in my college. And after college, moving home was suffocating. Moving back out to NoHo was a blessing and I loved it more than all else! I wanted nothing more than to stay out there, which was what happened when I got a job. Before all my financial endeavors, I had a rather strong relationship with God and then, suddenly, He was just a voice in the wind that I no longer let blow me around. I was walking on water and then, I fell through and as I began to drown, His hand caught mine as he pulled me back to the surface. I've not yet stood up on the water again, but He still holds my hand as I tread water...

Starting Over used to be an impossible thought for me. I mean, I'd drifted, fallen, cried, stumbled, and accepted another path for myself. Now, I can start in another field that expands my range, and gives my creativity a boost. I wonder if everyone goes through this epiphany? And if so, earlier than me? I actually stressed myself out to the point of getting sick before realizing all this. And though I leave behind several who I've enjoyed temporary happiness with, I'm still hoping for my forever happiness man. 

So... These are my most recent Life Choices for myself. Not sure if I'll lose myself a bit or not in the process. I hope not but there's no guarantee. Going home isn't the pleasant sounding thing most make it out to me. Nope. Going home is re-entering another war zone... naked and unforgiven. 

What a way to end, possibly, the most defining and life-changing year of my life. 

Xander Cage is Alive!! (02.03.17)

Hello dandies! SPOILERS AHEAD!!

I watched "XXX: Return of Xander Cage" and found it quite thrilling. The opening scene with Samuel L. Jackson and the new kid is quite humorous. And then the cool scene where four XXX agents steal a pandora's box and blew my mind. Deep props and appreciation to a fun and exciting beginning. Female empowerment, all the way! I liked it.

Film style and editing held my attention and the quick cutting made me quite happy. Hehe. I had a lot of fun with the silly humor and the very chill drama. There were some parts I wondered why there was so much talking, and the character/actor choices were quite fun to pick up on.

Naturally, the diversity has my excitement!

Deepika Padukone was stunning!! And her team of stunt doubles were truly impressive!! She is pretty, talented, and very good at her Priyanka Chopra impression, though carries her own zazziness that didn't really come out, but she has time and I hope to see her in the future for the franchise, I hope.

Kris Wu was... fun and musically engaging. Wu YiFan, most well known for being the leader of Exo-M, I guess debuting in Hollywood on the team with Vin Diesel is definitely a pretty great way to do it! Congrats to him... maybe he can take on a role that doesn't shame the Asian ethnicities too much in the future.

Donnie Yen was... interesting in this role. From the "Ip Man" series, I'm wondering if that was what threw me? From his diverse roles to the funner things in life, seriously... Donnie Yen?! Kinda strange with an interesting twist.

RUBY ROSE had the BEST introduction EVER!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! Seriously, badd-butted through the entire film. Easily my FAVORITE character with the BEST skills!! Such a stunning beauty with deadly skill. As always!! WOW!!!

From an audience point of view, I enjoyed this film quite well. From a filmmaker's point of view, I had a ball taking from this film as I went. Perhaps it's the information sciences talking to me, but I enjoyed seeing the metadata just drip off the screen. I enjoyed it and really liked it, for sure.

"Hidden Figures" Review (SPOILER ALERT! -- 01.07.17)

I've been itching to see "Hidden Figures" for quite some time!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! This film did not disappoint me!! I felt a full spectrum of emotions and music and silence filled my heart with delight!

SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!

YOU WILL CRY a few times. My goodness!! As it comes with discrimination, prejudice, and justice being served... Maybe a few happier events in rough times and some of the lower points as they come. There is, DEFINITELY, a few moments my eyes teared up... but those tears will come out!

YOU WILL SIGH a few times. I HATE re-watching the times of segregation. Only because, although the signs aren't up, Asians are still being discriminated against on a daily level. No one addresses it and no one says anything but it's because people know better than to verbally address it. Anyways, this film truly makes you sigh and whimper and moan and groan. It's definitely a crowd pleaser!!

YOU WILL LAUGH a few times. These ladies managed to keep their spirits high despite the crushing nature of the world around them. Also, as usual, When the ladies are apart, they manage to hold their ground, but when they are together, everyone starts smiling despite the grumpy mood they were in. As good and true friends, they stay in contact with each other and talk as close friends, putting each other in various situations, usually quite comical ones.

YOU WILL BE IMPRESSED!! From films like "Mississippi Burning" to "Remember the Titans", films about segregation had always been carried on by men, even "Coach Carter". This is the first time, in modern history, that the story is told from the female perspective. Filled with details about gender and color discrimination, and then bringing it home to the family life of marriage, children, and a single mother. Life is difficult and this film blew away those before it because of the broad spectrum of struggles it covered.

Overall Score:  4 out of 4 Stars (A)
*I highly recommend everyone to go see this film!

As a minority woman struggling in a predominantly White and male dominated industry... I feel encouraged, hopeful, and inspired by this film. I truly thank the filmmakers, producers, and team that brought these important stories to life.

... Maybe next, they can explore the stories of the thousands of Chinese brought over to work on the railroads... that connected the East to the West. Yup, those people that never received recognition and were later chased out of America despite the great service they did for America. What do you think?

Hidden Figures Special Vid. (01.05.17)

I love this story. So inspiring... Look forward to a review... fully passionate and all!