The Sweet Prelude of November

Writing things that I’m grateful for this month is a little tricky. Let me explain why. There are a lot of things that has transpired over the quick days of November. It felt as though the days sped away like a mouse being chased after by a hungry cat.

Speaking of mouse (which, I am eastern zodiacally speaking), I am slowly inching my way into the rat race. Although it might seem a little bit off because of the disparity between the days, I mean, it’s nearly a year that I’ve gone corporate again, but I’m slowly beginning the burn of the race. Like, I have to prove something to myself. It’s the birthday month in December and it’ll be my silver birthday. It’s a great time for me to be a douche and excuse myself by stating that I’m having a midlife crisis when things don’t go my way. But I know myself better. I have to go up that imaginary corporate ladder and seize the moment. This is why I’m thankful for having a very understanding senior and I just wish my papers would be processed quickly in the coming days.

I also have to admit that buying a new gadget has its pros and cons, and I’m thankful that I literally saved up almost a year (plus another year of starving of on honorariums and freelance gigs) before I decided to buy a new phone. I’m just so grateful that I have learned the value of stalling for big purchases, saving up for it, and finally letting go of that money to see yourself rewarded and insanely in-like with your new shiny toy.

My dad, who won a stereo set in their annual company dinner early this month, gave me the set. I didn’t want it at first because it all started out as a joke. One of my titos asked me who among my dad’s kids will “inherit” the stereo set which my dad recently won then, and I joked that it’s natural for my dad to give it to me because he can’t give it to my other siblings due to geophysical constraints. My dad thought I was dead serious, but during the day that he hauled it over to my room, I told him that I only said it because I can’t think of anything else to say. I felt selfish as I was staring at the box. My mom, however, said that I should just be thankful that I was the one who received it and then went on and on about how it would be nicer that I should have it. And I am grateful that my father chose me instead of other siblings. I just hope they don’t read this part.

Another thing I am majorly grateful for this November is the fact that I have gone to hear my first mass in Aramco. It should’ve been an unlimited engagement according to one of my titos but since my parents are back home to enjoy the holidays, that mass is probably my last one for this year. I made namnam of every moment I was there in the compound. I couldn’t take pictures of the venue pre- or post-Eucharistic celebration so I just bathe in the glowing power of the Words (and the choir! I'm so negotiating to be a part of it) and diligently took mental pictures and juxtapose them from my memories since my last visit to the place in 2005. A lot has indeed changed since then but if there’s one thing that I still liked about hearing mass in Aramco is that it’s the most civilized mass I’ve ever been into. I swear by next year I’m going to do a comparison on how they do things here and over there in Pilipinas.

Since it’s also the last day of the Eid holidays, I’m grateful for this brief vacation because I had more time spent with my parents before they left the country. I never knew that going home could be such a harried experience! We have to box this, buy this, and arrange this and that. It was on the borderline between nightmare and sweet (I know, they don’t mix at all) but I’m just thankful for my mom showing me the ropes on how to cleverly arrange the pasalubongs in the box and how to tie the rope around the box so it has handles that won’t rip your hands off as you carry it.

I have to admit that living in another country alone is scary. I’m just thankful my parents have prepared me mentally and emotionally for this because it’s bound to happen eventually. It’s only been two days since they’re back home and I’m learning more than I could possibly can.

Here’s to November, the prelude to the wonderful, concluding month of December.

I'll be doing this Tenchu (that's my baby talk for 'thank you') posts at the end of every month to chronicle the things I am grateful for. Count those blessings! ;)

Bohemian Rhapsody by The Muppets

Me likey! 70 Muppets and a monster song equals a friggin' awesome pick-me-up video at the end of a tiring day.

[spotted]

The September Issue

What font should you use for the documentary about a fashion magazine? Of course, a stylish and chic one!

At first look I thought it was Jubilat, but I can feel it on my bones that it's definitely the elegance exuded by H&FJ's Archer.

I love, love, love the font! Oh, did I mention I love it? I am so saving up for this one. It's kinda above my purchasing level right now.

I liked The September Issue for showing how Vogue, the magazine, does its much glorified issue. I have to admit that I didn't like the idea of watching it at first because the media was ogling at Anna Wintour, EIC and so-called "face" of the magazine.

After finishing it though, I absolutely fell in like with Grace Coddington, the magazine's creative director. It's such a darling to see how she works. I find her to be an epitome of grace under pressure, much like an unsung hero too if you look at her work.

No Entery - Prince Mushin Road

I was on my way with my family to our very first mass for this year (and the last, probably) inside the Aramco compound. As the stoplight hit red on the corner, my parents saw the traffic sign and it says, "No Entery."

We couldn't figure out why they even misspell the word Enter, but I'm guessing it helps with the pronunciation.

My iTechia Experience

I finally gave in and decided to buy a new phone. I didn't upgrade for nearly two years personally believing that the my old phone can do much of what my new phone can do sans the wireless Internet connection. But connecting with people especially that I'll be lonely in the coming days is a pressing matter to be dealt with. So after toying with my new phone for the past weeks, I've decided to protect it before having it "fondled" by everyone else outside my personal bubble.

I went to iTechia, an Apple (and other Apple-related brands) authorized reseller in Jarir Plaza, to have me and my dad's naked phones protected. I chose iTechia because of their minimalistic and warmly lit store in addition to having the products not password-locked so you can test them unlike some reseller stores. The store is just really inviting and engaging at the same time. Trivia: the owner of the store and the Mobily (the network) are cousins.

I asked the kabayan store attendant (who, by the way, is an Apple Certified salesman/engineer from Singapore) about the ScreenGuardz for me and my dad's phone. It came as a surprise that they can install the screen protector on our iPhones for free! I agreed and the attendant, Kuya Ryan, conveniently tells me the benefits of the product including the step-by-step process he's doing with the installation of the screen protectors. The latter was because there's a spare set of screen protectors for each of the boxes I purchased. While waiting for the solution applied on the screen protectors to dry out a bit (it takes more than 24 hours daw eh), we talked a lot about the consumer habits of the natives, their receptiveness to technology and, of course, the horror sales stories.

To also ensure maximum protection (and as a form of appreciation to the impeccable service), I purchased two hard cases for me and my dad. I chose a black one for my dad's iPhone. As for me, I bought a red iSkinz Solo FX case for my beautiful Mokona (so my Akazukin Cha-Cha wouldn't feel neglected) as seen below.

My dad naman thanked me for giving him the free case and screen protector since he'll be cash-strapped because of their holiday trip back home. (Aminin natin, mahal mag-Pasko sa atin). I actually did it to save me from teaching him the ways of the iPhone but it seems I can't get out of it even if the user interface is intuitive and that I printed him the whole user guide because the thought of staring at the screen reading PDFs tick him off. Now, I'm left with the task of inputting all of his contacts manually. One. By. One.

Adventure: A Coloring Book for Adults

I love coloring books since I was a little tot. Heaven it is for me to smell crayons freshly taken out of the box, to flip through numerous pages seeing images saying, "Kuloran mo na kasi kami," and to see how your colour palette scheming skills are improving. Yes, those were the days alright. Nowadays (no, actually make that this year), I haven't got around buying one to satiate my longing for crayons on paper. I miss my crayons, too. Kahit upod na ang mga 'yon, at kahit bagay lang sila, tinuturing ko silang mga malalapit na kaibigan.

I'm so wishing the local chain of bookstores here can bring this exciting new colouring book over here. Not that they don't have colouring books over here (they do, but I think it's time I grow up from balloons, clouds, and the sun to Greek gods and goddesses, di ba?); it's mainly because I'm afraid of purchasing over the Internet with my credit card. I've heard of horror stories of accounts being hacked that it makes me shiver at the sight of the words Checkout or Add to Cart on websites.


The Adventure coloring book features 42 artists from the Threadless Alumni so you'll be sure that the images are insanely illustrated!

If any of you has a golden heart (you know who you, guys, are), you may do so here. I'll make sure you have the first ever peek at my colouring job if you buy me one.

[spotted]

I am so not expensive!

This comic strip totally captures why freelancers are paid higher than the usual.

For more of Freelance Freedom, head over here.

[spotted]

Keep Clean This Area - Just Outside My House, Khobar

It's obvious that I'm kind of oblivious to my own surroundings because I just saw this beside my house this morning.

The hierarchy of the morphemes are downright wrong, and is probably the reason why the area isn't litter free. I asked my one of my neighbors after the morning prayers as to who did the signage for the area. According to him, it was not a kabayan if that's what I'm ultimately worrying about. Right then and there, I let out a huge sigh of relief.

Oh, hey, Congratumalations pala, Efren. Thank You, Manny, and the rest of the expatriates for making the Pinoys back home damn proud everyday.

Whatever Clock

It's expensive for a clock made from cork, but seeing the lovely, witty message printed on its surface of my every waking day makes the $99.99 tag worth it.

Can someone please hurry up with the DIY version of this?

[via]

Zombie Refusal

Even if the toxicity is high, I'm just thankful I have no dull moments at work.

I seriously have to find a way to break some of the monotony though because having fun with the fishbowl effect of a video camera would be kind of awkward especially if there are people around you.

Visual Guide to the Apostrophe

Unnerving it is to admit but some of us English language users still have a hard time figuring out the apostrophe.

It's a good thing Matthew Inman came up with a visual guide on how to use an apostrophe. It is a lovely resource with all the illustrations and muted colors, but I'm loving the last cautionary advice for everyone.

Piggybacking on the idea, I think it would be nice if we do something with txtspeak, right?

SIGNS

I have a soft spot for shorts, especially one with a real story to tell. This short film about the essence of communication is one of the 2009 Cannes Lions winners and made me believe in something I thought has died.

Don't you think the scoring is magnificently done? Kudos to whoever did it.

Butterfingers No More!

I've been itching myself to buy a digital SLR so I can really go full speed with my photography plans. Aside from the lack of financing my plan due to a recent toy splurge I've been toying around for days which kept me away from my online activities, I have this knack of dropping my things accidentally. I guess that's what we call "clumsy".

Imagine my delight when I saw this tutorial for a do-it-yourself camera handstrap over at Photojojo!

So chica, no? I would love to do one in orange or purple. We should all go make one! And, it's a cute li'l gift you can give to friends who are DSLR users too!

[image via]

A Week of No Interwebs Makes Bouie Buy More

A whole work week of no interwebs connection (not even intranet) could drive the knowledge worker in you crazy. A little trip to my favorite Japanese store is always a good pick-me-upper. I had the ex drop me off there so I have someone to talk to along the way there.

Browsed the store for over an hour and filled my little basket with these things:

A cute head of a bear which is actually a milk tooth box. It's kinda gross if you use it as a repository of your milk tooth (or even teeth!) but you can also use it as a trinket box.

The box out of its packaging. The bear makes you smile, no?

The head detached from the neck (or is it the stunted body?).

A dirt cheap stainless card case. Most card cases I saw on bookstores where a bit expensive so I got this one.

I'm not using it for my business cards but to use as an extra storage for my secret stash of extra cash.

Speaking of card cases, here's another one:

I'm not sure what size of your normal, everyday business cards can fit in this case but I guess it's for those "social" cards you give to friends and acquaintances during gatherings and reunions.

I heart the print for this case. I'm still not sure what I'm gonna use it for. Yet.

I picked up these stickers on the aisle where they were placed. It is so not obvious that I love anything with teddy bears (or anything that resembles an adorable furry creature). Print one of it on your product packaging and I'm already a sure buyer. Just one of my weird favorite habits.

I find the colors of these character adhesion memos cute. I'm using the green now in my office.

I'm using the small ones as the marker for my time card while the big ones are for the things in my workspace.

I'm not sure what these handicrafts were for, or what they are made of, but they're cute right? Sshhh... I secretly blush whenever I see an ampersand.

How cute are these Bs? It's a great gift tag for friends, no?

How adorable are these stamps? It's okay for me to do stamping all day long as long as I'm using these.

The stamps out of their packaging. I really, really love doodles like these.

I found a cheap alternative to the Thumbthing! They're called Page Stoppers.

They only come in just one size unlike the Thumbthing. They also have smaller "wings".

It fits perfectly! Woot!

I'm so glad things at Daiso are cheap because I can't go broke for now.

The Lighthouse Keeper

The story seems to be incomplete with the inadequate linking of the characters but it sure is one fine, dandy animation. The lighting for this one, in addition, is stunning for a student-produced project.

Makes me miss the swarm of alitaptap (fireflies) that crazily hovers over my windows when its about to rain.

[spotted]

Something Borrowed?

It's relatively okay to be inspired by brands and consolidate it with yours. Design and writing, I believe, are always a reincarnation of the past things made like a beautiful paraphrase of a thought or an image. Sometimes, however, you have to point out the obviously plagiarised from the truly inspired.

When I saw the old and new logos of PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (or Telkom) over at Brand New, I have this inkling feeling that they are so "inspired" by the logos of the two top telecoms in the Philippines.

With Telkom's old logo, it looks like an amalgamation of Globe and Smart's old identities.

You can see Globe's "globe" with an addition of disarrayed and horizontally flipped lines of Smart's. The only added factor for difference is the gradient color of the circle.

And now, with Telkom's relaunch under the brand positioning of "Life Confident", their new logo sorta gives off the vibe that it was strongly infuenced by Globe's "Globe Life" logo.

What's more surprising is that Telkom's new tag line "The World is in Your Hand" is a play of Globe's tagline Abot Mo Ang Mundo or, if translated from Filipino to English, "The World is within Your Reach".

What saved it from screaming copycat is the workaround with the typography. Globe uses a bold italics of Myriad Pro while Telkom uses Gotham Rounded.

Just stating the obvious.

All logos are owned and copyrighted by the respective companies.

Work Hard & Be Nice

Work Hard & Be Nice to People by Anthony Burrill.

A nice letterpress poster to kick off my workweek. Woot! Would love to hang this one out in my wall as a friendly reminder to my colleagues.

The Christmas Star

Cried buckets when I saw this Christmas Station ID at TFC. The music done is really catchy with its slow jam, RnB mood but the lyrics was so piercing that it's the only Station ID made me cry yet. Most station IDs I've seen made me feel giddy and proud while others are so ho-hum that my eyes can't stop rolling over and over. This is the first for me.

The ABS-CBN 2009 Christmas Station ID



A little blue bird told me that the song was written by ABS-CBN Creative Communication Management Head, Robert Labayen, and the music was done by Marcus and Amber Davis. Here's the lyrics in case you want to sing along.

STAR NG PASKO

Kung kailan pinakamadilim
Ang mga tala ay mas nagniningning
Gaano man kakapal ang ulap
Sa likod nito ay may liwanag

Ang liwanag na ito
Nasa ‘ting lahat
Mas sinag ang bawat pusong bukas
Sa init ng mga yakap
Maghihilom ang lahat ng sugat

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw
Walang iba kundi ikaw
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Tayo ang ilaw sa madilim na daan
Pagkakapit bisig ngayon higpitan
Dumaan man sa malakas na alon
Lahat tayo’s makakaahon

Ang liwanag na ito
Nasa ‘ting lahat
Mas sinag ang bawat pusong bukas
Sa init ng mga yakap
Maghihilom ang lahat ng sugat

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw
Walang iba kundi ikaw
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Kikislap ang pag-asa
Kahit kanino man
Dahil ikaw Bro, dahil ikaw Bro
Dahil ikaw Bro
Ang star ng pasko

Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw
Walang iba kundi ikaw
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw
Walang iba kundi ikaw
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Ang nagsindi nitong ilaw
Walang iba kundi ikaw
Salamat sa liwanag mo
Muling magkakakulay ang pasko

Dahil ikaw Bro, dahil ikaw Bro
Dahil ikaw Bro
Ang star ng pasko!

The Recording Session



Saka, Bro, sana matupad ang kahilingan kong makasama ang buong pamilya ko sa Pilipinas ngayong Pasko.

[spotted here and here ]

Hindi Ka Nag-IIsa

I shared this over at Plurk days ago. My parents, both of which wanted Noynoy to win in the Presidential elections next year, said it gave them goosebumps.

I love almost everything about the video, actually; however, the most disturbing parts of the video are: the singer shrieking loudly at the ending (they could've faded that part out) and Noynoy's protruding stomach. Those just stick out like a sore thumb.

Saving on Ink

Businesses nowadays are trying their best to go "green". Even in the richly supplied offices of Saudi Arabia, most companies are engaging their employees and partners to join the green revolution. For example, Saudi Aramco has asked us months ago to send them our invoices electronically in order to save on paper, ink, and as well as time and the carbon footprint for going to and from the offices.

In contrast with the supplies-strapped offices back home, we employees are trained to be efficient with almost everything in the office like turning off the lights and the computer monitors when not in use or use the back pages of photocopied materials when printing drafts among others. I am happy to say that I'm still continuing some of these things here; it's like a forced habit already.

Spranq, a creative communications agency from The Netherlands, is taking the green revolution to another level. They have revised an Open Source type, Vera Sans, by punching holes in it. Their creation is called Ecofont and it promises to consume 20% less of your normal ink usage. Because of their efforts, they are now nominated in the Accenture Innovation Awards 2009.

Personally, I use fonts that are "light" in terms of font weight (or the thickness of the character relative to their height). I use Helvetica 45 Light as my "normal" font, and, instead of clicking on the "bold" function, I use the Helvetica 55 Roman as an alternative. (Helvetica... *drools*)

Aside from using "light" fonts, I also print drafts in 50-60% gray. The final ones, on the other hand, is in 85% grey so that the black ink of my CMYK printer would have a longer printing life than the usual.

What are the simple ways you do to help out in saving the environment through your organization/company?

Spotted: Borris Rug

Most people back home never fails to misspell my name like that of the rug I bought in Ikea the other day. (A best-selling rug, by the way.) The misspelling crime has been going on for ages that I refuse to talk or to cooperate with someone who misspells my name even though I've already told them that it's spelled with a single R.

Please respect my name's singulaRity.

A Minimalist Nativity Set

As a Catholic living in a country that restricts public practicing of religions aside from Islam (they do even if they say they don't), this handcrafted modern nativity set by Berlin-based artist Oliver Fabel would probably help me celebrate the upcoming holidays with some discretion.

[spotted]

Entrepreneurs can change the world.

This gave me that little inspiration (or should I say major push) I need to pursue my plans for social (and, let's not forget, sustainable) entrepreneurship.

Now, where did I put my idea bank?

The Lazy Worm Misses The Bird

I always knew there's a benefit for being a bum. This poster by Steven Silverwood truly worships that concept.

If you think that laziness is the new hotness, let's wait for this to become an official uniform so we can all wear it proudly. Bums and wannabes, volt-in! ;-D

[spotted]