What I Learned December 13- December 15, 2010

-"Doorag" is actually spelled "Durag"

-Olive Garden has a really good berry drink, but they're food tastes like its been sitting under a heat lamp

-My friend's dad has an idea to open up a restaurant for diabetics (patent pending!)

-At CSUN, classes up to 5 units cost $2000, and anything between 5 and 12 units costs $2700

-A lot of old actors/actresses died this year :(

-DENNIS IS BACK ON FACEBOOK!!!ONE!!

-The National Organization for Women (NOW) didn't, and maybe still doesn't, like lesbians because they felt they were ruining the image of women that were-and still are- fighting for equality

-Jesus has twitter

What I Learned November 26- December 1, 2010

-My dad has to have some sort of sandwich spread on both pieces of bread in a sandwich or he'll get the hiccups

-Dick Wilson (not the actor, I mean the corrupt Oglala tribal chairman) was an asshole and I hope he's rotting in hell

-South Dakota was, and possibly still is, the most racist anti-Indian (American Indian) state in the U.S.

-Michael Jordan can't fight (according to Charles Barkley)

-Stephen Colbert, when not in character, is an incredibly nice guy

-Firefly is an amazing tv show, and has been added to my list of shows that should have never been cancelled

-Most personal hygiene products (makeup, shampoo, conditioner, soap, sunscreen, etc) contain chemicals and toxins that cause cancer, premature puberty in young girls, learning disabilities, infertility, and a mess of other health problems. The European Union has recognized this and made it illegal to sell products that contain such chemicals. The U.S. still hasn't but there are hundreds of companies who have pledged to keep these chemicals out of their products. For a list of companies who have agreed to do this, as well as more information, go to safecosmetics.org

-There are no laws stopping companies from claiming their products are "natural" "organic"or "herbal" when, in reality, they aren't

-Triclosan, a chemical used mostly in anti-bacterial products but also in many other products and even clothes, is no more effective at getting rid of bacteria than soap and water.

What I Learned November 20, 2010

-An ancestor of mine was a carpenter and came over to the U.S. a few years before the pilgrims did. He was living in Jamestown, VA and got into some trouble and deported back to England. During the trip back, the ship got a hit by a hurricane and he ended up in the Bahamas. He managed to get back over to England and a few years later when the pilgrims were looking for people to go with them to the U.S, he volunteered and came over with them to Plymouth, making him probably one of the only people to have lived in both Jamestown and Plymouth.

-Jamestown, VA was settled in several years before the pilgrims came, but when the pilgrims came over, they found the town completely deserted with no trace of the inhabitants.

-There's going to be a blue moon tomorrow (Sunday Nov. 21)

-Ravi Shankar has 2 daughters- Norah Jones, Grammy winning singer/songwriter and Anuoshka Shankar, Grammy nominated sitar player. (do i smell sibling rivalry?)

-Anoushka Shankar married Joe Wright, a British film director of movies such as Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, and The Soloist

-Tigers are steadily becoming more endangered

-P!nk is prego. So is Alanis Morissette

-Leaves make great insulation

-Fire and water are the most important things to have for survival

What I Learned November 15, 2010

-Two beavers are better than one

-People who smile more live longer lives

-Ryan Gosling plays the bass. (*swoon*)

-Julia Stiles arranged a music video for M. Ward (She & Him)

-Life Unexpected is probably gonna get cancelled. I hope it doesn't.

-Charlyne Yi is so awkward and a terrible actress. But she knows it, so it's alright.

-December 17 is Free Shipping Day where over 1,000 sites will offer, well, free shipping

-Website where you can swap books with people- paperbackswap.com

-The color blue helps people be more creative as well as relax

-The color red helps people focus

-Looking at pictures of landscapes makes people more caring

-Michael Cera is developing a TV show about a guy who is in that awkward stage between being a child and an adult. Really?

-For the best shave, put a light layer of oil on dry skin to soften the hair then shave sans shaving cream. No lotion post-shave will be necessary either

-December 15 is the first day for the best shopping bargains before Christmas

What I Learned October 31- November 4, 2010

-To defuse a German WWII bomb, carefully locate the fuse pocket then listen to the fuse to see if it has been disturbed in your discovery of it, resulting in the timer on the fuse starting to count down again. If it is, you have between 30 minutes and 74 hours to defuse it. Then get salt, water, scissors, plastic tubing(6mm), hand operated vacuum pump, small bicycle pump, putty, a hand drill, 4mm drill bit, self tapping needle (generally, you have to use one specifically made for the model of bomb you have found). Make a salt water solution to jam up the clockwork and attach some tubing to it. Take some putty and make a sausage shape and a pancake shape. Drill VERY CAREFULLY into the fuse between the locking ring and the fuse itself to create a hole into the fuse pocket (DO NOT USE AN ELECTRIC DRILL, THIS IS A VERY DELICATE PROCESS, YOU COULD END UP IN A BLOODY PULP IF YOU DON'T BE CAREFUL). Create a vacuum inside the pocket. Take the self tapping needle, screw it into the hole. Take the putty and put it around the fuse to create an air-tight seal. Take the tubing and attach it to the needle, then attach the salt water solution to the pump. Then pump until the vacuum is at 25 inches of mercury, then flip the switch and invert the solution bottle to send the salt water into the hole you drilled. Cut or pull off the tubing from the connection at the fuse and attach the bicycle pump and pump to push the water harder into the timer and stop it. Wait about 45 minutes and salt water crystals should form inside, stopping the clock and leaving the explosives inside completely inert. BUT! Many of these bombs have booby trap fuses to be detonated if the original fuse is removed. So, be careful and don't ever try this! For a demonstration, and more details on what tools you need, watch the first episode of James May's Man Lab.


-To throw police dogs off your trail, you can use urine and pepper. Pee in a trail for the dog to follow, then at the end leave a handful of hot chili pepper. The pepper will leave the dogs' noses useless for hours.

-Halloween in Hollywood means massive amounts of girls wearing less than what they wear at the beach, creeps trying to get the girls to sleep with them, delayed busses, self proclaimed "bootleggers" from South Central asking girls to come down to their house to watch their bootleg movies, girls that look 14 -but say they just got out of jail for attempted murder and manslaughter- complimenting my friend's costume, and random black women telling me I'm not white enough.

-Zen Buddhist monks sometimes sit around and say that there is no such thing as Buddha, enlightenment or anything even close to nirvana, just to try to trick each other into saying otherwise.

-Zen Buddhism is meant to be word-less. The Zen Buddhists believe that through questions like "What is Zen?" seekers are trying to fill the lack in their lives with words and concepts, rather than realizations about the world.

-The main concepts of (Indian) Buddhism stems from the Four Noble Truths, which are as follows:
1. Life is suffering. Every living thing suffers and nothing is an exception.
2. There is a 12-link-chain cause of suffering
(suffering-birth-existence-attatchment-desire-sensation-sense contact-6 sense organs- name and form- consciousness- karma- ignorance)
3. There is an end to suffering. Enlightenment/reaching nirvana. In nirvana, there is no pain, suffering, soul or reincarnation. But there is bliss.
4. There is a way to end suffering. Follow the Eightfold Path (right view, right intent, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right contemplation)

-During WWI, black workers from the south came to the north to take over factory jobs because the immigrants that normally had the jobs couldn't come over during wartime.

-In 1966, Stokley Carmichael replaced the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and took on a more militant organization (later renamed the Black Panther Party for Self Defense). He declared that all the white people should be out of SNCC because white people don't know what it's like to be black in a racist country. They can't relate to slavery, the language, the culture, the food, etc. He added that blacks needed a strong racial identity and called for separation from white history, banks, schools, and political parties.

-The Black Panther Party (for Self Defense) acknowledged that white people helped their cause but they needed to achieve their goals by themselves.

-DENNIS DELETED HIS FACEBOOK! Oh the horror!

-At Skywalker Ranch, George Lucas has trees put in to block parking lots, buildings, and any sort of human activity from the view from his office. So when he looks out his window, all he sees is his beautiful land.

-Graphene, the thinest material on earth, is 1 atom thick

What I Learned October 1- October 20, 2010

So, it's been a while since I've done one of these. I'm just gonna put things I remember that I've learned from the beginning of the month. Alright yeah, I'm sure you understood that just by reading the title. Or maybe not. Whatever, I'm just gonna get to the list now.

-The term "greaser", which now is a slang term for anyone who emulates the style of the American 1950's, originally was a derogatory term for Mexicans.

-You are the richest man in town as long as you have friends. (Yeah, that's right, I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" for the first time.)

-Griffith Park is huge. And easy to get lost in.

-Some guy with hairy ears at Amoeba really hates Italy. "I mean $15 for a pizza?!?!"

-Favorite Thing About Rain #90i9854783-08r: Seeing girls walk around pissed off in their wet Uggs (and most likely with swamp feet)

-Nick Swardson finally got a tv show. (Powdered donuts, make me go nuts!

-Theres a Winnebago Man documentary.

-Elderly Armenian women don't like to get (ACCIDENTALLY) hit in the face with my backpack. And no matter how many times I apologize, they won't acknowledge me/ my apology.

-Galileo demonstrated the first telescope in 1609

-The L.A. Zoo's idea of scary is putting a Pepto-Bismol pink bed frame with "LOVE" spray painted on it and hanging a "dead" cat from the headboard.

-We are losing our car insurance because my dad got too many tickets this year.

-Mayan calendar will not be ending in 2012. Specialists don't know the exact date but it has been argued that it could be off by 50-100 years. Sorry conspiracy theorists.

What I Learned September 23, 2010

-Penguins use a form of prostitution for pebbles to build nests.

-Deer and monkeys are among the animals other that humans that masturbate.

- In 1964 in St. Augustine, FL, blacks and whites went into the same pool to promote desegregation, and a man came up and poured acid into the pool in protest.

-In 1954, in 13 Mississippi counties, 14 black votes were cast.

-James Franco read all the Twilight books and has seen all the movies, but he doesn't like them. (Though he says he is fascinated by the whole phenomenon)

-Norway, a predominately Atheist nation, is the most peaceful country in the world, and also has one of the lowest unemployment rates.

What I Learned September 3 - September 7, 2010

-There is a guy on the Oakland A's named Coco Crisp

-This guy that I've been friends with since we were both pretty little, but haven't really talked in a few years, was in a car accident a few months ago and was told he would never walk again. When I saw him he had a cane and was able to walk with some assistance.

-In the late 70's my dad worked on the Barry Manilow Show and apparently, Manilow was approached by one of the workers who politely asked for an autograph for his daughter. Manilow gave him the autograph and when the fan left, Manilow turned to another worker and said something along the lines of "fire him. no one approaches me like that"

-More than half of my aunt's senior year in high school was spent not in school because everyone was always protesting something.

-Buddy Rich liked softball and creamsicles.

-Seth MacFarlane will be joining a big band in October at the LAX Marriott for a Frank Sinatra jazz festival.

-In China, if you have a Bible, you will very likely either be imprisoned or in some cases, killed

-Before the civil rights movement, in California, Hispanics could only use public pools on Mondays because they cleaned the pools on Tuesdays.

-Before FDR, the roles/views of the democrats and the republicans were reversed. The democrats were more conservative especially when it came to slavery.

-In 1942 the Rose Bowl was moved to North Carolina for fear of being bombed.

-During the time of the Japanese internment, Japanese American soldiers were given time off to help their parents pack their things to go to the internment camps

-At the height of war production in WW2, Californian workers would build 1 naval ship per day and 1 plane every 15 minutes.

What I Learned on August 27, 2010

-Artichokes are green when not in bloom.

-The U.S. cultivates the most amount of artichokes in the world.

-The D.E.A. is hiring 9 "ebonics experts" to translate what drug dealers are saying.

-A friend of mine hates cats because he had one that killed a german shepard then tried to drag it up the stairs. And when they tried to put the cat down, it attacked the doctor's face.

-There's a lot of books that I want to read.

-German sweet chocolate was not named so because its from Germany, but because the guy that made it was named German.

-I get distracted WAY too easily

What I Learned August 18- August 19, 2010

-There's gonna be a Lost Boys 3

-Penguins have funeral-like services for their dead.

-When I scare my cat, she falls over

-My sleep cycle is allllll out of whack right now.

-I got a B in my summer school class.

-My grandma that I haven't spoken to in a few years says that I sound all grown up.

-My great uncle had a cancer scare earlier but he had surgery to remove it and seems to be doing better now.

-Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are siblings

-Michael Cera got drunk with the Jersey Shore cast, apparently. I wonder how awkward that was.

What I Learned August 9 - August 11, 2010

-There are Barbies with cameras in the chest now.

-Getting an hour of sleep in 2 days is not fun.

-There are more Real Madrid C.F. fans in Los Angeles than LA Galaxy fans.

-Unicorns can be jerks too.

-One of the dogs that I'm watching likes frozen grapes.

-Boy bands still exist.

-Kurt Vonnegut = BA

-There's a Russian part of West Hollywood.

-I can tell the difference in the smell of baby poopy diapers and old people poopy diapers.

What I Learned July 30 - August 3, 2010

-To avoid seeing things in the shadows outside the room youre sleeping in, closing the door to the room is most effective.

-Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is quite a quotable movie

-Keanu Reeves was born to play Theodore "Ted" Logan

-iCarly is actually funny.

-Afternoon naps can really re-energize you.

-Justin Bieber is going to have a book written about his life and have a 3-d movie about it, starring him as himself.

-Lens Crafters will tighten and clean your glasses for free.

-Don't leave delicious sandwiches on ottomans. Dogs will get a hold of them and eat them while the cat sits and laughs.

What I Learned July 21, 2010

-When shooting commercial editorial pictures, photographers use mashed potatoes instead of ice cream because the mashed potatoes don't melt.

-Most photoshoots are done at night using bright lights to give the illusion of daylight, but also being able to make the exact same lighting condition again if they need to reshoot.

-In all editorial/commercial shoots for clocks or watches, the time is always set to 10:10, so the date and the 3, 6, 9, and 12 are visible.

-There is a 9 hour time difference between Los Angeles and Paris.

-My teacher can not believe that my friend and I are not related.

-If you are on a sidewalk and someone with a camera is as well, they are legally able to photograph you without consent. If you are in some sort of privately owned property, they are not.

-People like my dad's face and how expressive it is.

What I Learned July 19 to July 20, 2010

-The location that pee comes out of on a turtle. (Learned by holding a turtle and having him pee on me)

-Yay I can slightly photoshop my pictures for my final project.

-I need to find better jokes

-Ali Larter is pregnant.

-It is really embarrassing when you're on the bus and the bus hits a bump while your walking and you lose your balance hitting some old lady then continuing to pinball your way through the aisle to an open seat, hitting about 5 other people in the process.

-BMX riders use a new type of chain for their bikes that are more like a band that never needs greasing like old chains did.

-People can't survive by eating human meat. There is some chemical in the meat that the stomach can't process correctly, resulting in eventual death. All cannibals/cannibalistic tribes don't eat only human meat and most end up dying very young (maybe 30s).

What I Learned July 14, 2010

-Rhinoceroses shed their horns

-Missing one day towards the end of a summer school class may result in getting way behind and require you to lose sleep to get caught up

-One year, for the final photography class project (which is a photo series) some guy made all the scenes of rooms and scenarios but would add a fake rifle to the images. For his last shot, it was him standing on a rooftop at the Brewery in Downtown LA holding the rifle. Unfortunately, he did not have the permit one supposed to have for photo shoots like that, resulting in neighbors calling the police scared about a man with a gun on the roof of a building. The SWAT team was called. He was eventually let go once the authorities knew the gun was fake.

-Last semester, photo journalism was cancelled at my school because not enough people signed up for it.

-That spider I just killed had it coming

-The tone that rings on my phone when I get a text is REALLY loud.

What I Learned July 11- July 12, 2010

-People are actually reading this! yay!!

-It is sinful to play football because the bible frowns upon using pigskin.

-I take a lot of nature pictures. It's not intentional. It just kinda happened that way. [ to see some of the ones I have so far click --> http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/strawberrybutt/Fazi%20Photography/ ]

-There is a pretty wide selection of older movies at Barnes and Noble

-Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Goin on an American tour. Yes. Not quite the Big Four but still pretty cool.

-Viva Espana!

-My pictures for my photography class would be a million times better if we were allowed to Photoshop them

-Demi Lovato will be at our local mall next week. Why, I don't know

-My friend is a cocaine fiend. Another is an e-tard. And apparently I am a red hot chili pepper.

-This fall, the classes i will be taking are: Math 219/20 (self paced 101), Social Protest in the 1960s, and Comparing World Religions (Emphasis on Far Eastern religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc)

What I Learned July 8, 2010

-My photo teacher thought I hustled him/the class

-Said teacher likes to pick on quiet people. People who are paying attention, but just don't like to talk. (aka Me)

-Excision got his swagga back.

-I have new ideas for photo shoots/series that I want to do!

- I may have gotten my friend and myself in a little bit of hot water with her sister.

-Russian spies still exist

-The human body has more than one immune system

-New naturally occurring antibodies in an HIV study were able to neutralize 91% of 190 different HIV infections

-A friend of mine tried to kill himself a few weeks ago.

-My other friend's douchey brother is dating a succubus

What I Learned on July 7, 2010

-Ringo Starr is the hottest 70 year old I've ever seen.

-Some 8 year old kid at the park hates the government.

-There are a lot of homeless people in Seattle

-My photography teacher is half japanese, 3/8 black, 1/8 french.

-Some girly Armenian girls that wear heels to school and designer clothes, like metal bands like Arch Enemy.

-Most people I went to high school are surprised to find out I'm "cooler" than they thought

-My photography teacher rides a motor cycle. And thinks they are safer than Vespa-like scooters

-Joke: How many physicists does it take to screw in a light bulb? Two. One to screw it in and the other to say "Why bother? The speed of light will beat you every time"

What I Learned July 2 to July 4, 2010

-Pushing Daisies should have never been canceled

-The relationship between Ned and Chuck in Pushing Daisies is ADORABLE

-Let the Right One In > Twilight

-My brother's friend wants some girl to get AIDS

-Hrithik Roshan can sing, dance, act, is humble and nice and is hot as hell

-Eating spicy food can actually keep you cool when its hot out because it makes you sweat without raising your body temperature and sweating is the body's natural way of keeping cool.

-I LOVE the German soccer team for pwning Argentina

-When taking fireworks pictures, there should be a lower ISO and custom white balance. I didn't realize this until after all the fireworks around me were done so all my pictures ended up either with an orange tint or the fireworks themselves were too bright.

What I Learned from Friday June 25- Sunday June 27 2010

-World Cup referees can smd.

-I need to get my own DSLR somehow. Borrowing my dad's seems to conflict with both our schedules.

-My room does not have very many good angles and such for photography that is visually interesting

-My floor is REALLY dirty. I should clean it. But I probably won't.

-"God" is my new favorite song from John Lennon's solo days

-10 Things I Hate About You (tv show) was actually not a terrible show. Too bad it got cancelled.

-That little "french" kid from Passport to Paris that could speak english better than the other one grew up to be reallly hot and have a reallly deep voice. (Ethan Peck for those who dont know)

-Watching american coverage of the world cup is boring. Its better to watch it on a spanish network. Even if you dont understand what theyre saying, its a lot more engaging.

-A girl that used to be my best friend, and that I used to spend almost every waking minute with, has to think for several days about whether or not she wants to talk to me about trying to resolve our differences.

-Good news for all the child predators out there- there's a Play-doh perfume/cologne now.

-Succubi don't know how to do dishes or clean up after themselves.

What I Learned on Tuesday, June 22 and Wednesday, June 23, 2010

-According to some kid on the bus, vampires are scared of mexicans

-If you wait that 30 seconds longer to walk out the door, you are likely to miss the bus by about 30 seconds

-On Facebook, my friend has her "religious views" set to Donnie Darko

-Kirk Hammett has really cool guitars. And he likes Boris Karloff.

-Dave Mustaine can't quite hit those notes like he used to.

-Dio's backstage ritual before every show was drinking a glass of wine and smoking half of a joint.

-Even at movie theater screenings of concerts, there will always be that one drunk guy that screams the name of the band every two seconds.

-Moshing in movie theaters is frowned upon by theater staff. Said staff is frowned upon by the audience.

-There are 3 camera formats for film cameras- Small, Medium, and Large.
--Small is 35 mm or less. The dimensions of the negative is 36mm x 24mm. Small format cameras are inexpensive, light and portable. This format is used mostly for photojournalism, documentary, event photography, family, headshots, animals and wildlife.
--Medium varies but the film is generally 120-220 film. The negative sizes also vary between 6 x 6, 6 x 4.5 and so on. These cameras are bigger than small format and generally require the photographer to look down into the camera and see a mirrored image of the shot about to be taken. This format is used in editorials, commercial, some documentary, portraits and some fine art.
--Large format usually start at 4 x 5 negatives and can go up to 16 x 20 and even larger. These cameras are the box-like ones that require the photographer to wear a cape over him/herself and the camera to keep light from exposing the negative. The photographer will make all the adjustments before putting the film in. When the photographer is ready to take the picture, s/he puts the film in the back of the camera, making it impossible to see through the lens. This format will have the most clarity and highest quality. This type of camera format is generally used for landscape, fine art, portrait and architectural photography.

-There are 2 formats for digital cameras- full frame sensor and non full frame sensor.
--non full frame refers to the sensor inside the camera that will read the light from the lens and change it to digital information that can be read by a computer. Non full frame means that the sensor only records part of the image, the center. Non full frame cameras are most DSLRs and are generally smaller than 35mm. Non-full frame lenses can not be used on 35mm film cameras or full frame cameras.
--Full frame cameras are the same size as 35mm cameras. They have similar quality to medium format on film. They have sensors that will record the whole image. Full frame lenses can be used on non full frame cameras but the image will be cropped. All film cameras are full frame.

-My photography teacher's "bad jokes" are actually pretty funny.

What I Learned on Sunday June 20, 2010

-My cousin is gay. (and for the record, I'm super happy for him. I wish him all the happiness in the world with his boylove. I dont see him any differently and if anything I admire him for telling the truth about who he is to the people he loves and who love him too. That's more than a lot of people can say.)

-Putting on nail polish then carrying things, getting into a car, buckling the seatbelt, getting out of the car, looking through books, peeling price tags off books, and getting back into the car will cause the nail polish to get smudged.

-Playing badminton requires you to actually move your feet

-My other cousin likes to cook.

-In the late 1800s in Encino, California, an ancient Indian (Native American tribes of Chumash, Tongva, and another branch of Tongva) burial mound was flattened out to make a stagecoach stop. In the 1950s some developers that were planning to build where some of the bones were moved to in the flattening process were found. The developers contacted the tribes to decide what to do with the bones and each group wanted to do different things- the Chumash wanted to leave them there, and both of the Tongva wanted to take them and bury them on their own sites. They needed to make a decision fast so they buried the bones across the street in the property of Los Encinos State Historic Park, that was originally one of the first ranchos in California.

-My computer has been in a Sexy Bitch by David Guetta kind of mood today. With some Sonata Arctica thrown in.

-I might be getting a DSLR camera soon. *crosses fingers*

What I Learned on Thursday June 17, 2010

-Snoop Dogg likes True Blood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8tODhvb47s

-Drunk Lakers fans in downtown LA after the championship game are stupid

-Getting 20 minutes of sleep does not count

-Bing Crosby made a spanish record (with 2 french songs on it) called "El Senor Bing"

-At a show in Jacksonville, Florida, The Beatles required the seating be non-segregated in a time when the south was still segregating.

-Bats like Dio

-People still buy CD's