October 29, 2009
An Epiphany in Girl World? I think so.
So, as I am standing in my kitchen doing dishes and thinking about various events going on in my life, I realized something and had to suddenly stop my frantic cleaning, and share. Let me start with one question. You know how every (or almost every) girl has “that one guy” in their life? Well just think about that for a minute and let it stew in your brain. Maybe its the Carrie Bradshaw in me but just think about Carrie and Mr. Big. Okay, so now I know you are nodding your head saying, “Wait, YES!” Now that we have that settled, let me start from the beginning. Towards the end of high school I met my “guy.” He was amazing and I totally fell for him. Eight months later, it ended abruptly and I still am unsure of the reasons why. After that we remained in contact for 3 years, give or take… PROBLEM NUMBER ONE. This is where it all begins.
Girls, let me tell you I believe the reason for him being “that guy” is just simply because we can’t have him, or we know it would just never work, as hard as you try or as much as you want it to. He is the guy that you could never get. Its almost like a game. You just keep playing because you want to win and get better at it, but deep down you just know that you never will win. You might not even “love” him as much as you really think, its just the fact that you can’t win/get what you want (some exceptions).
On the other hand, you attempt to hang out with other guys just to make yourself feel better and to show yourself that you can still in fact get a guy. But then you just end up blowing him off, for (who else, but) “that guy.” DON’T DO THIS. It will make you feel worse because in turn, you hurt someone. Don’t get me wrong, it is great to meet new people, just make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.
My point is that we can’t spend all of this time wondering and trying to figure out the game. It will tear you apart inside, literally. In cases such as this you just need to turn your heads and realize what is best for YOU. I realized this recently when a good friend of mine pointed it out. Honestly, I never thought of it that way. I always wanted to please the “guy” or try and do anything I could just to “win.” Look where it got me, sitting in my almost-clean-kitchen writing about it. One day you will figure it out for yourself when you are sitting in your kitchen. You can have people tell you over and over again what you should do, but you just refuse to listen. One piece of advice, LISTEN to them. They are right no matter what you think. People who can see it from the outside have a much better view than you, being trapped inside of your emotional pumping heart.
My point is that sometimes, no matter how hard it is, you just need to let go…for YOU.
Oh what the hell, I miss him.
September 22, 2009
Photo Story: Philadelphia’s Blade Dancers
Let the music begin...
Here we go!...
Jump and spin!...
All together now!...
Woah!...
This is awesome!...
This is how you do it...
Phew!...
Finally!...
Until tomorrow...
May 6, 2009
Sonny Hill Basketball League
The Sonny Hill Basketball League is an educational organization in Philadelphia, started by Sonny Hill. It not only teaches the young kids to play basketball, but it also teaches them how to prepare for their future. Every Saturday it is mandatory that they go to something called “Career Awareness.” This presentation usually entails either a professional or a college basketball player who has succeeded greatly. For this project I spent a lot of time with Scott Blanding’s team. I went to their practice, game, and Career Awareness presentation. I got to see how this organization shapes the kids into becoming better people. Enjoy. 
Click Here for SlideShow…
http://astro.temple.edu/~tua37027/PhotoSeminar09/BasketBallWeb/index.html
April 7, 2009
Kait’s Shoe Stories
This project was to document a classmate and make a slideshow about them. I documented Kait. At first I was going to focus on her work ethic and how she fits it all together with school and manages her time. However, after starting this theme I came to the realization that I did not have enough material, and though it may become repetitive. One thing I always notice about Kait is the neat and unique shoes that she always wears. I found this to be really interesting and it also describes a lot about her. I had Kait talk about each pair, which most had entertaining stories. The little things about people can tell a lot about them. Enjoy
http://astro.temple.edu/~tua37027/PhotoSeminar09/DocKaitSS/index.html
February 17, 2009
An Up Close Look at Philly
Philly A-Z is a close up look at Philadelphia starting with the letter “A” ending in the letter “Z”. I went around the city and shot close up photos of everything. I tried to make it a challenge to guess what somethings are, kind of like a “What is it?” Although some are pretty obvious, take some guesses!
F
A is for Philadelphia Museum of Art
B is for Bike
C is for Philadelphia Car Share
D is for Dog
E is for Energetic
F is for Fountain
G is for Garbage/Ghetto
H is for City Hall
I is for Italian Market
J is for Jail (Eastern State Penitentiary)
K is for Kimmel Center
L is for Love Park
M is for Murals
N is for Night Scene
O is for Old
P is for Philadelphia Parking Authority
Q is for Qdoba
R is for Rivers
S is for SEPTA
T is for Traffic
U is for Universities
V is for Violence
W is for Water Works
X stands for X (Cross) Walk
Z is for Philadelphia Zoo
February 10, 2009
South Street: From the Schuylkill to the Delaware
Starting at 27th and South Street in Philadelphia I mapped out the street block-by-block through photos. I chose to document this area at night time for I thought that it would be a different view of this part of the city that not everyone sees. Another reason I did this is because at night time South Street has a lot of stores with neat and lights where a lot of people come to hang out. In addition, I wanted to try and get lower angles of the street directly in the middle, which made it easier at night time (less traffic). However, because of the bad lighting, some of the pictures came outEvery fifth block I would take a photo of the street sign just to keep on track and connect a theme. By doing this assignment I realized how different the city is at night time, and learned how close the two rivers really run. Each photo was taken about 2-3 minutes apart, starting at 7:50 PM until 9 PM on Monday evening. Enjoy
27th & South -- 7:51 PM
26th and South -- 7:53 PM
25th and South -- 7:55 PM
24th and South -- 7:58 PM
23rd and South -- 8:00 PM
22nd & South -- 8:02 PM
21st & South -- 8:05 PM
19th and South -- 8:10 PM
18th and South -- 8:12 PM
17th and South -- 8:15 PM
15th and South -- 8:18 PM
13th and South -- 8:21 PM
12th and South -- 8:23 PM
11th and South -- 8:25 PM
10th and South -- 8:28 PM
9th and South -- 8:31 PM
8th and South -- 8:36 PM
7th and South -- 8:40 PM
6th and South -- 8:42 PM
5th and South -- 8:44 PM
4th and South -- 8:47 PM
3rd and South -- 8:48 PM
2nd and South -- 8:50 PM
Front and South -- 8:51 PM
Delaware River -- 8:57 PM
February 6, 2009
Twelve at Boat House Row
Clint (on the right) has been living in the city for four years and works construction around the area. His favorite thing about residing here is the accessibility to lots of locations, however he does not like how unfriendly some people are. "People just have the wrong attitude," he stated.
Nelson and Belinda have been residents of Philadelphia for around 30 years. They really like the people and enthusiasm that they come across. However, they both agreed on the facts of racial tension, which neighborhoods are segregated as well as some jobs that makes for a negative reaction on the city as a whole.
Berto, Karen, Anna, Betty, and Jair (from left to right) have resided here for about six years. Together they agreed on the fact that the museums, food, and history are their most liked parts of the city. On the other hand the crime is something that they hate and fear.
This is Patrick. He has lived here for seven years and has really enjoyed the cleanliness and attractiveness of the city as well as the urban landscape. On the other hand, something that ruins this is the hectic and over crowdedness of the city.
Mari-Anne and her husband have been residents here for about two years. She loves commuting to work , walking on the trails, and rowing in the river. On the other hand she hates the litter and the dirtiness of the city, but overall she really enjoys it.
Naomi is a nine year resident of the city. She really enjoys going to the various art galleries and museums. However, she really enforces how she does not like the attitude of the people here and how "everyone is all about themselves."
Cintia and Fabio are on vacation in the United States and have been in Philadelphia for five days. They are from Argentina and have come to explore the history of the city. They also thought that the city itself is very clean and organized, especially in Fairmount Park.
January 29, 2009
Philadelphia Past and Present
For this assignment, I traveled around the art museum steps, also in and around Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The ten photos that I have found in the archive are good representations of the museum area, and the city skyline as a whole since this 60 year transition.
This is a gorgeous view of the fountain in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Bennett, 1949)
A statue from the fountain on the parkway, looks towards the city as he sits in the sun. (Ross, 1943)
This view from the art museum steps brings about the wonders of the city. (Unknown, 1945)
This officer looks down Ben Franklin Parkway to watch traffic on a beautiful day. (Ross,1943)
Another wonderful view of the skyline from the art museum steps. (Lawrence Keighley, 1941)
The General Washington Statue stands tall above the parkway. (Unknown, 1935)
Standing high on the museum steps, the large fountain seems small with a serene look of the city in the background. (Unknown, 1933)
This is a tight shot of the fountain in front of the museum with General Washington on top. (Unknown, 1925)
This is another wonderful view of the city, taken from the art museum steps. (Unknown)
Standing on the gazebo above Water Works shows a great view of Boathouse Row and the Schuylkill River. (MacAllister, 1941)
