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Sunday, February 9, 2014

my Graphika Manila 2014 experience!


it was so amazing!  it's my first time to attend a GM conference so i can't compare with the previous ones! if i'm only going to rate the speakers, i'd give the graphika team a 9/10 for bringing in the best creative inspirations from all over the globe! the missing 1 goes to, hm, not having someone to represent the Web Design department hehe. anyway, may balance parin naman cos there were 3 for graphic design (illustration, lettering, identity) and 3 for motion design (visual effects, motion graphics, and animation). since i'm more interested in graphic design, shempre my favorite speakers are from that field! haha

btw, we were seated far from the stage so the best pics i got are from the led screen cast and most of them are slides pa so i'm just gonna go around the net to find better equivalent pics. hehe



SPEAKERS

1) let's start with my new found favorite graphic designer, Isabel Gatuslao, the only homegrown speaker of the bunch. she specializes in branding and identity, and has done a lot of crazy and amazing projects like these:

a rebrand for national bookstore's Best Buy product line:


seriously diba? super level up na ang Best Buy, pwede na magtayo ng sariling bookstore with that branding alone.

another rebrand, this time for an HMO called MediCard:

brilliant. just brilliant. seryoso, has an HMO ever made an impression on you like MediCard now does? mukang mamahalin na diba? mukang iingatan ka na rin ng mabuti hahaha. their head office at makati is looking really posh na nga rin eh. the power of branding talaga haha

i love it how she makes the identities she works on increase in value! i super duper look up to her!

this one's for Liz Uy, which is, take note, feng shui master approved! hahaha



now i'm inspired to make monograms. >XD

and lastly, this shoe is for Lebron James!
not a fan of LJ but as she explained the concepts behind everything patched on that size 16 shoe, i decided the item is better off locked behind a glass case.


it's just so precious looking
 on top of her awesome portfolio, she's also a really hilarious speaker! there was never a dull moment! haha



i also find her pretty and young looking! i mean, she looks 20-something lang but considering her experience, i really don't know. haha she looks like a fuse between lara quigaman and ana capri. wala lang. search na lang kayo ng pics online ang ganda kasi ng kuha ko eh. i wonder how old she is! hehe >XD

my take home from her: BE OBSESSIVE! pick on every little detail, research on all related stuff, and totally immerse yourself in your work to be able to come up with a fitting and smashing design concept. as she puts it, "Obsession is the secret to an exciting life." >XD

2) next up is DVEIN, a madrid based group of designers who does animation and live action. they're my favorite among those who talked about animation because they're so quirky! haha



what i liked about their approach is that they're very experimental and crazy. they're also very funny too! >XD the best things i liked from their presentation is the animation they produced incorporating 3 elements they want to see in their video, which they thought of individually. they're paint, landscapes, and old people. crazy mix. but the end result was so amazing! as in di ko maisip na naisip nilang gawin yon. sorry can't find a video. stalk them maybe? hehe

my take home from DVEIN: ALWAYS HAVE FUN! you know how even passionate people get stressed over their work right? but they make it seem like every shoot is an opportunity to enjoy the world and pick up ideas! such goofballs!

3) Sara Blake aka ZSO






her style is something i dig so much! ink drawings + digital coloring is something i'm trying to learn right now and her illustrations have all brought an immense amount of inspiration to me! please please check out her website so you would understand how excited i am to learn more! haha

during the event she's also selling limited edition silk scarves designed by her but they're so freakin expensive (4,000++ even on a 30% discount), i don't even know if anyone actually prepared that much money for it. sorina, ngayon lang ako nakakita ng 'designer scarf'. hehehe

my take home from her: DRAW LIKE A CHILD! never mind if it's not looking how it's supposed to be. just keep on drawing! >XD

4) Jessica Hische!
my 2nd favorite speaker next to Isabel. man, she talks a lot! i'm a big fan of typography so i really enjoyed her talk. i can't even say for sure if it's typography or not, or just fancy writing but yeah. it looks simple when you just look at the raw file (which she submits)...


 but when you add in effects and whatnots... boom!



so pretty! i think she didn't do the post-processing here though. hehe but being a fan of black and white, that clean writing for me is already awesome!

i love it how she doesn't run out of things to say! her energy is so high! haha as the last speaker of the day, she's quite a breather cos i almost dozed off the entire segment before her hehe! >XD



because of her, i have a new found fascination with drop caps! will probably do my own sometime! >XD


my take from from Jessica Hische: not exactly a life lesson but an adobe illustrator hack! that WIDTH thing she demo-ed that adjusts the width of your paths or something. haha will research on it when i hit AI someday. >XD

5) and 6) hehe Ash Thorp and Eugene Gauran of The Mill

i told you i'm not that into motion graphics so i can't really say much but these two are high-end! Ash Thorp has done visual effects projects for x-men: first class, iron man, and ender's game to name a few!

the hosts w/ Ashe Thorp
Eugene Gauran representing The Mill, has worked ad campaigns for sony, nike, adidas, and honda, etc. and hey! he's Filipino! hehe



that's it for the speakers hehe

VENUE

i'll give it a 7/10 sorry hehe

SMX is big yes, but it's flat! i mean, if you're at the left or right side, you're gonna face the LED screens instead, which is sad cos it doesn't feel live at all! i'm just freaking looking at the slides the whole time. T__T; 

last year i think they held it at PICC, i think they should stick to that venue. parang cinema type na may levels yung seats para at least kahit malayo, kita mo parin ung stage hehe. wala lang. hahaha if food is a concern kasi malayo nga naman ung kainan sa PICC... i dunno... provide food na lang! hahaha >XD

KIT AND FREEBIES

7/10 din hehe

i loooove the art book! it's a big book of inspiration for me! sadly, that's about all the value the kit contains. well they also threw in 2 stickers, a ballpen that doesn't write, a button pin, a tote, and a bunch of fliers from sponsors but really. i didn't quite see how my 1,750 pesos poured into this. sure the speakers are great and i went out really inspired and wanting to start a project asap but as for the tangible take homes? hmm. 

maybe i'm just expecting too much, maybe that 1,750 is nothing compared to what i've learned and took home mentally but... okay fine it's not cheap to source bad ass foreign speakers nga naman. i rest my case. BUT IT'S STILL TOO EXPENSIVE! haha



PRICE:

7/10 because it's still too expensive for me, even as an employed person. we paid 1,750 for the early bird rate. it's not even a workshop seminar. >XD if it's the foreign speakers that's elevating the price so much, cut it off! we have an abundance of home growns making it big here as well. i know you also have to get speakers who can show you that there is money in art but well, bottom line is, it's a conference on creativity! >XD


OTHER REMARKS:

THE RAFFLE. it was cool that they raffled off an ipad air but what's uncool is how there's only one winner among the thousands who came. seriously, one (super duper) lucky winner ONLY? i would've appreciated it if they raffled off many small items like shirts! or WD hard drives the price of an ipad air (assuming the ipad was not sponsored hehe).... instead naman of a one time big time prize that only one person will benefit from. wala lang. chaka walang thrill ung raffle eh. parang, okay, yun na yon? bitter bitteran ang peg ko ha sorry na. 

NO BACKDROP FOR PICTURE TAKING. it's disappointing that i saw not one space in that huuuuuuge hall with a good backdrop to take pictures with. as in nada. was there even a photo booth? how hard is it to put up a backdrop so we can take pictures naman? in the end we just posed against a boring white background. hahaha >XD

jec, ava,  and me :)

despite all my reklamos, i cannot deny that the event has a lingering effect on me even after a week has passed. i'm still super duper stoked to draw something! i guess what really made graphika manila "priceless" are the speakers talaga! hehe see you next year! >XD

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Juice Cleanse/Detox: a list of providers/shops :)


if you're looking for a list of cold-pressed juice sellers for detox or cleansing in the philippines (particularly servicing to metro manila), you're at the right place! >XD

this is more of a note-to-self, since i'm going to try juicing again sometime later (pag may pera na haha). it's hard to keep tabs of the many cold-pressed juice sellers i follow on instagram so here's a list for easy reference instead. i've added in remarks about prices and stuff of those i've researched on but take note that they're all subject to change. to be sure, just visit their respective social media accounts also provided below :)

if you'd like to add more to the list, feel free to comment on this entry so i'll have more to consider in the future! onga pala, if you're gonna suggest a shop, make sure it services metro manila at least hehe.

disclaimer: all photos are from the shops' respective accounts. :)


1. Detoxify Bar



http://www.detoxifybar.com
http://instagram.com/detoxifybar
https://www.facebook.com/DetoxifyBar

Pricing: 
Php 1,350.00 / 1 day package (5 juices, 2 organic tea bags, 1 thermal bag)
Php 220.00 / 330mL bottle

Branches: 
2nd flr, Techno Plaza 2, Eastwood City, QC
GF Bldg. 3, Tuscany Private Estates, Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifactio, Taguig City (soon to open)

2. The Skinny Juicery



http://instagram.com/theskinnyjuiceryph
https://www.facebook.com/theskinnyjuiceryPH
http://www.theskinnyjuicery.com/

Pricing:
Php 1,700.00 / 1 day package (6 juices, 2 yogi tea bags, 1 thermal bag)
Php 200.00 / 350mL bottle

3. Sly Diet



https://www.facebook.com/slydiet

Pricing:
Php 1,750.00 / 6 x 350mL bottles
Php 1,575.00 / 5 x 350mL bottles

My experience:
http://yangabbles.blogspot.com/2013/11/sly-diet-3-day-detox-program-juice-diet.html

4. Squice Ph



http://instagram.com/squiceph
https://www.facebook.com/squiceph

Pricing:
Php 150.00 / 250mL bottle
Php 200.00 / 350mL bottle

5. Juice Ko Jo




https://www.facebook.com/juicekojo
http://instagram.com/juicekojo

Pricing:
Php 1,000.00 / 1 day package (5 juices, 2 yogi tea bags)
Php 150.00 / 250mL bottle
Php 200.00 / 350mL bottle

6. Juicing with Kristal



http://instagram.com/juicingwithkristal

Pricing:
Php 250.00 / 350mL bottle
Php 190.00 / 250mL bottle

7. Coco Green Co.



http://instagram.com/cocogreenco
http://www.cocogreen.ph/contact/

Pricing:
Php 300.00 / 380mL

8. Sweet Earth Extracts (formerly Fitness Potions)



http://instagram.com/sweetearthextracts/

Pricing:
Php 125.00 / 250mL bottle
Php 1,300.00 / 1 day package (6 juices, thermal bag, detox plan)

9. Juice Bomb



http://instagram.com/juicebombph

Pricing:
pending

10. Juju Cleanse



https://www.facebook.com/jujucleanse
http://instagram.com/jujucleanse
http://www.jujucleanse.com/

Pricing:
Php 2,500.00 / 1 day package (initial order - 6 juices)
Php 2,300.00 / 1 day package (next order - 6 juices)
Php 1,350.00 / solo kit (6 x 250mL juices, cooler bag, ice pack)
Php 300.00 / 350mL bottle

11. The Health Potion



http://instagram.com/thehealthpotion
https://www.facebook.com/thehealthpotion

Pricing:
Php 1,500.00 / 1 day package (6 juices, 2 tea bags, thermal bag)
Php 180.00 / 350mL bottle

12. Spruce Cold Pressed Juices





https://www.facebook.com/drinkspruce
http://instagram.com/drinkspruce

Pricing:
Php 250.00 / 350mL bottle

13. Detoxiholic



http://instagram.com/detoxiholic
https://www.facebook.com/detoxiholic

Pricing:
Php 215.00 / 350mL bottle

14. The Juice Barista



http://www.thejuicebarista.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheJuiceBarista
http://instagram.com/thejuicebarista

Pricing:
Php 168.00 / 250mL bottle
Php 268.00 / 350mL bottle
Php 368.00 / 500mL bottle

15. Nadine Tengco's Detox in a Bottle



http://www.detoxinabottle.com/

Pricing:
Php 2,500.00 / 1 day weight loss package (6 juices, 1 cleansing soup, 1 enzyme tablet, 5g ground fiber)
Php 2,000.00 / 1 day cleanse package (6 juices, 1 cleansing soup, 1 enzyme tablet, 5g ground fiber)

16. Juice Jab



http://www.juicejab.com/
https://www.facebook.com/juice.jab
http://instagram.com/juicejab

Pricing:
Php 1,100.00 / 1 day package (initial order - 6 x 250mL juices)
Php 900.00 / 1 day package (next order - 6 x 250mL juices)
Php 160.00 / 250mL bottle
Php 260.00 / 500mL bottle

17. Jus Bar



https://www.facebook.com/iamjusbar
http://instagram.com/iamjusbar

Pricing:
Php 1,500.00 / 1 day package (8 x 250mL bottles)
Php 3,000.00 / 2 day package (16 x 250mL bottles)
Php 4,000.00 / 3 day package (24 x 250mL bottles)

18. You are what you drink

http://instagram.com/youarewhatyoudrink

Pricing:
Php 150.00 / 350mL bottle
Php 1,300.00 / 1 day package (6 x 350mL bottles, 1 whole lemon, yogi tea)
Php 2,600.00 / 2 day package (12 x 350mL bottles, 2 whole lemon, 2 yogi teas)

19. Juice Hut


















http://instagram.com/juicehut_manila

Pricing:
Php 120.00 / 250mL bottle
Php 720.00 / 6 x 250mL bottles
Php 1,400.00 / 12 x 250mL bottles
Php 2,100.00 / 18 x 250mL bottles
Php 3,500.00 / 30 x 250mL bottles
------------------

if you happen to be a seller, i appreciate it better if you post your prices online, makes it easier for us! hehe

so my suggestion is:
place your prices where it can easily be seen and updated.

*on instagram, you can post a photo with the prices and put a special hashtag on it like #yourstorenamePRICING and put that hashtag on your IG description/bio (you may do this on your payment and delivery methods as well)

* on facebook, same as instagram, may tags naman na ang fb so yey. also, you can list your prices on a NOTE and in your ABOUT page.

so there you go! if you reached this point thank you for reading hehe, i hope you find this entry informative at least hehe!

chill >B)

Friday, January 24, 2014

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact - my dream phone (for now)

i'm about to tell you why i instantly fell in love with this phone, and why i'm going to save up for this no matter how long it takes hahaha

specs from gsmarena: http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z1_compact-5753.php

and if you don't mind taking note that this is not a review entry. i just want to let out my feelings for this piece of gadget that is yet to arrive in Philippines shores. 

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact


specs that won me over:

- LTE enabled
even though i'm a sun user, i'm in high hopes that sun cellular will roll out 4G signals eventually. i mean, come on!!! >XD

- 4.3" screen
it's a pity that the market is being saturated with overly large phones, and if ever a small phone did emerge, it's either entry or mid level only. it's frustrating how the size of the phone has to be in proportion with its specs. urgh. but thank you Sony, you're a genius. my small hands will definitely marvel on this masterpiece!

- hardware camera key
isn't it frustrating how you can't get a decent selfie because you have to target that elusive button on your screen?

- 20.7 MP
just imagine the quality of photos you could take with that. Exmor + G Lens, i don't even know how good these specs are, but they sound superb haha

- the color selection!
white is perfect <3


- 2300 mAH battery
my current phone (lenovo p700i) has a big and heavy 2500 mAH battery that lasts me 2 days with regular use. this 2300 mAH may fall short at some point considering the specs specially with that camera and OS, but this is already good! other manufacturers are so stingy with loading their bats with enough power so i appreciate Sony for at least breaking the 2k norm.

- waterproof!
up to 1.5 meters in freshwater for 30mins. and yes! you could take underwater shots with it! >XD just mind the limitations yo.

- the processor/OS
qualcomm snapgragon, quad-core, 2.2ghz, 2g ram, andoid 4.3 jellybean
need i say more? okay fine, maybe octa-core will oust these specs in a few quarters but, for now this is what i consider the best for myself. hihi and hey that's already very very good!

- pin hole for lanyards or charms
something that's been missing in recent phones. a small feature that fits the size of the phone just well :)


specs that made me think

- built-in battery
sorry, you can't remove it. this made me think a bit, cos i'm not used to not being able to pull out the battery when my phone hangs. hmm

- micro-sim
i know the trend is going this way and eventually i'll have to cut my sim. but yeah, reluctant as i am about punching my sim for fear that it may break, i think i'm going for it anyway. given that my phone has to be this! haha i won't cut my sim if it's not the xperia z1 compact! no! haha

hay Lord, it's been a awhile since i lusted over a smartphone like this. i mean, okay Lenovo S820 fine, but i haven't made a feature post right? so i'm not as in love with it as i am with this phone right? haha

price check:

it's already out in other countries, and as per my ebay searches, converted amounts range from a whopping Php 34,000-40,000. so freaking expensive. anyway, we have yet to learn how much it's going to be worth when it lands in the Philippines. and because i'm so interested with this product, i asked Sony Philippines via fb if there's already an SRP for it.


they didn't give a price yet but said it will be available by the end of March. :)

orayt, let the saving begin!

#GLOBEProjectWonderful2014 - A gift of reading :)

If there is one thing you can give to the Philippines, what is that gift?


Every second of volunteering, every peso, every drop of perspiration counts.
But no matter how much we give, there is always this feeling that it does not seem enough.
There is a dream to give something bigger and to make a difference.


last year i was blessed with an opportunity to volunteer as a layout artist in this non-government organization called The Storytelling Project.



at first my intention was just so i could lend my creative skills in layouting and illustrating, but learning more about the project and getting to know better the people behind it, i came to realize how passionate this group really is in envisioning a community of Filipino children who not only knows how to read, but LOVES to read.

it's quite a common act of charity to donate storybooks and build libraries. but after shelving the books, painting the walls, and cutting the ribbon, what's next? most of the time the charity ends there. but TSP's vision extends to a point where children are reached and taught storytelling and reading, by immersing into their communities and engaging them in a 3-phase program: IMAGINE. CREATE SHARE

IMAGINE - Build the kids' imagination through the 21 Day Storytelling Program and empower the community through the trainings and seminars 
CREATE - Create avenues for exploring their newfound love for reading through the TSP Library Project
SHARE - Share knowledge and experiences with the community through the TSP Book Club activities.

one of TSP's goals is to produce storybooks! as an illustrator, i've gathered a few inspirations! >XD

if #GLOBEProjectWonderful2014 were to really sponsor a gift i'd like to impart to the Philippines, it would be to support this organization i'm in, and in effect be part of this social movement where we present Filipino children with a gift of reading by providing storybooks, building libraries, and immersing into their communities and teaching them how to love storytelling and reading.

to know more about this organization i'm in, please visit The Storytelling Project facebook page and read on the info section, it contains everything you need to know about this movement. :)


what about you? if there's one thing you can give to the Philippines, what is that gift? 

share your answers by commenting on this entry! who knows if i win, you may get your wish granted, or you may just win an ipad mini 2! bongga! >XD in case i win though, since i'm no apple fan, i'll most probably sell it and give the proceeds to help fund future TSP's activities.