A lot of Babymag readers have been waiting for this for quite awhile. Baby Magazine has gone online with www.babycentral.com.ph and as usual, Baby Magazine takes things a step further with full articles from our distinguished panel of expert columnists and a community of parents, to trade parenting tips with. See ya'll there!

A little history lesson for us. This is an educational video of printing occupations, opportunities and technologies before electronics and computers. It pays to know something about how things were printed more than half a century ago.

Producer: Holmes (Burton) Films, Inc.
Sponsor: Vocational Guidance Films, Inc.

I found myself tinkering with an unfinished layout for 3 hours. Whatever I do seems ineffective and unable to "pass as moderately satisfactory" even for my lowest quality standards. I feel that there was a switch in my head I accidentally switched off and now I don't know where it is. I pulled myself away from work and took a 15-minute nap before heading out to have lunch. When I got back, I finished the infernal page in half an hour. I found my switch! Sleep! [or was it food, nah] I have not been getting enough sleep lately and it's frustrating. I have been through a lot of all-nighters but I have never felt so much like a mindless zombie before. All those sleepless night are catching up to me and setting my brain on emergency shut down. Did you know that Paul McCartney discovered the tune for "Yesterday" in a dream? I didn't. Not until I googled "sleep-and-creativity". For someone who is already hard-wired into turning in late, a few good tips for a smooth trip to dreamland is close to priceless. I am doing better now thanks to these tips. Here are some of the things I've learned and tried so far:

Took a bath with lavender scented soft soap - relieves stress.
Given up coffee beyond 5pm
Play music - Try using music with no words you can understand [another language perhaps]. Reggae does it for me since I really can't understand the accent. Chillout electronic music is best but watch out when you start having psychedelic dreams.

Try to develop a habit of having enough sleep. Be warned young designer. You may be squeezing yourself dry with all those all-nighters. Remember the lesson of the 3-hour-one-page-layout-puzzle.

Here's one for us, younguns... Photographers 16 to 35 years old are invited to participate in Outlooke Pointe Foundation's Moving Stills | Shoot to move the Nation.

Entries may fall in either B&W or full color categories (you know which is which, right?). The theme for the contest is "The Filipino Worker: Capture the dignity of the Filipino worker in one frame." Print and submit your best contest entry (8" x 10" borderless) photo at any Islandphoto branch nationwide along with your official entry form downloadable here. You can send up to three (3) entries. Deadline for submission of entries is on 31 December 2008

There will be five (5) winners for each category who will each take home PhP25,000.00 in cash, giftpacks from the sponsors and a trophy while the Top 100 (including the ten winners, of course) will receive a certificate and will be featured in a coffee table book. HOW COOL IS THAT?!

Hey! Before you go off shooting like crazy, take note of this little fineprint:
"Minor post-production tweaking to enhance color, contrast and brightness is allowed. Composite images and major manipulation will merit disqualification. Entrants must declare if the image was manipulated"

Now GO!

I woke up to great news today. As of today, my first font, MKF Tiler is now available for download at dafont.com. I guess dafont.com just took a while to approve the typeface and in fact didn't reject it at all. Please download it there instead of mediafire.

Thanks dafont.com

"It's so shiny" was used as main visual for the article "When kids do the darnedest things" by Regina Khan in the October 2008 issue of Baby Magazine. Kids are naturally curious about many different things and are usually vocal about their observations. It's inevitable that they may unwittingly embarrass their parents with their innocent comments about another persons hair (or lack of), or girth or whatever it is that our "grown up sensibilities" allow us to keep mum about. What do you do if your toddler decides to "tests" her new "chompers" on the neighbor's kids? Find your way out of these embarrassing situations on this month's Baby.

Exercise on motion freeze... need more practice on getting the right focal distance, though. Major thanks to James (James, right?) for that mad ollie.

But the real purpose of today's post is to talk about shooting complete strangers. For me, it's a non-debate whether I should randomly shoot anyone in public and publish their photo. Other photographers may argue otherwise but that is not an option for me. Now, the problem was I had some reservations about approaching other people because I have very poor first impression ratings. My wifey said I have this "aura" that makes me seem "disagreeable" and "unpleasant" at first. I cannot say I disagree about this assessment. What I do now is I "acclimatize" the subject to my presence and keep the camera in their view to let them get used to the camera being there. For this purpose, try walking around the area without shooting. I also try to engage the subject in some small talk but sometimes it gets awkward when you can't find a common ground to talk about or sometimes it goes on and on and on... but that is for another post entirely.

What do you do to make your subject (complete stranger) comfortable about letting you shoot them?

A sneak peek at the new display typeface I'm currently developing called MKF Raimund which will also be the typeface for my logo. I'm giving myself 6 months to finish all the glyphs... why so long? Because I'm currently spread too thin among everything I'm into these days. That leaves me about 5-1/2 more months to go.

Great way to start the day. GPM #5 is out and this time 3D is in. This issue showcases different Filipino Vertice benders. Featuring the works of Dave Yu, Adrian Tecson, Arnel Telesforo. Head on over to Graphikapinoy to download now.

Graphikapinoy is a free downloadable pdf magazine in support of the Filipino creatives. A convergence of best talents from all aspects of the design industry whose works shall be showcased in every issue.

Found an interesting video of The Wizard of Oz today at imeem while looking for a playlist of the 2001:A Space Odyssey soundtrack. Everyone knows that Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon synchs with The Wizard of Oz but few really had the chance to see/hear it for themselves--at least very few of my friends did so here it is and enjoy all 101 minutes.

Richard Wright, keyboard player and founding member of Pink Floyd has gone to "the great gig in the sky" last 15 September he died of cancer at the age of 65. He was attributed to be the influence for the band's distinct sound.

"The juggernaut jeepney" is an individual assignment on motion with panning from the first week of the Basic Photography Workshop at the Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation (FPPF). It was raining for the most part of the week and it was difficult to find an opportunity to shoot. It was cloudy and all so I figured I have to compensate by bumping up the exposure. WRONG!!! The hood got blown-out and the image is generally over exposed but you have to admit I got that panning right... patience is a virtue, after all. This must have been the 20th jeepney I shot.

Got tired of the old template so I'm switching to the simple K2 template by Gecko and Fly.

I first came across mediafire through May Tobias-Papa, an illustrator who did the artwork for the "eensy, weensy wonderfuls" feature on this months Baby Magazine. I was already on the hunt for a file storage service for a while before and I was simply amazed at what mediafire offered. It is just perfect for my needs. Where else can you get unlimited storage for files less than 100mB each with unlimited uploads and downloads as well as bandwidth for a free account. If that wasn't enough, the Media Pro account offers a much larger file size limit of 10gB, SSL encryption, Advanced stats, priority support and redundant backups. You can also Hot link to files from your own website without going to mediafire.com. The interface is also really simple that you need no time to learn to use it. Too good to be true? You better believe it.

"Nail on the wall" is part of the group assignment on composition for the second week of the Basic Photography Workshop at the Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation (FPPF). The class held a practice shoot at Fort Santiago and this was one my favorite shots. It kind of became a little joke in the group that the most interesting subject I captured was a bent nail... I figured if I can get your attention with a bent nail, I would say I did a good job.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand is holding its second annual FCCT Photojournalism Awards for any pro or amateur photographer in Southeast Asia (defined as: Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei). Photographers do NOT need to be members of the FCCT. All photos must be taken in Southeast Asia. The FCCT will accept submissions in four categories:

• Spot news - for the best photos taken at news events in Asia
• Feature photography - for the best non-news “feature” photos taken in Asia
• Photo essay - for the best collection of up to 12 photos on a single topic taken in Asia.
• "Environmental" photography - for the best photos focusing on the environment, climate change, or natural resources in Asia.

In addition, the judges will select one Photo of the Year from all submissions to recognize the single most impressive photo of 2008. That photo will receive the year’s top prize: A new Canon EOS SLR camera (with lens kit), a $1,000 cash prize sponsored by Toyota, and a voucher for a 2 night stay in a luxurious Anantara Pool Villa at the soon to be opened Anantara Phuket Resort & Spa on Mai Kao beach in Thailand.

First-place winners in each category: A new Canon CP 760 mobile printer, a $250 cash prize sponsored by Toyota, and valuable vouchers for free dining at The Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.

Selected winners will also receive round-trip tickets for economy-class air travel in Asia, courtesy of Star Alliance, the global airline network whose members include Thai Airways and other international carriers.

In addition, all winners will be recognized in a special edition of FCCT’s quarterly magazine, Dateline, published to profile their work. Also, FCCT will sponsor a two month-long exhibition of the prize-winning photos -- printed by Canon -- at its gallery in Bangkok, including a special Friday-night reception in late 2008, attended by local photographers and media. Additional prizes may be added later as sponsors sign on to the event.

Deadline for submission of entries is on 01 October 2008 and the winners will be announced before the end of the year. There's at least a week left before the deadline so better hurry up and send those photo entries. Oh, and uhmm.. Photos must be submitted on compact disc or DVD and should be 3 MB or greater in size. Submissions can be published or unpublished work taken over the last year. Photographers MUST provide their name, a brief biography and full contact information (including phone and email address) or submissions will not be considered. Photo submissions should be sent to the FCCT at:

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand
Penthouse, Maneeya Center
518/5 Ploenchit Road, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330 Thailand

For more information, contact the FCCT at +66 (0)2 652 0580/1 or send an email to info@fccthai.com.

FCCT and Canon will retain the right to reproduce any photos submitted for the contest in the FCCT gallery, in Dateline magazine, and in other promotional work related to the contest. Prints of the winning photos will be produced by Canon and may be used by FCCT and Canon -- with attribution to the photographer -- for up to one year following the contest.

Robonanny was one of two illustrations I did for an article for the September 2008 issue of Baby Magazine with the title "The mother of invention." A few months ago, Baby Magazine asked mothers the question: "If you were a brilliant inventor, what would you invent to make life easier for mommies?" What came our way were some of the most interesting inventions. This one was for a robot nanny with artificial intelligence and looks like the mommy. I wish I could have the time and space to illustrate each of them. That would have been lots of fun.

An editable copy of this illustration is available for FREE... BUT! only if you are subscribed via email, that is, and remember to ask nicely.

I am already 2 weeks into the Basic Photography Workshop of The Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation (FPPF.) I must say it did me well to be a cheapskate. I signed up for this workshop because it was the most affordable one around the metro at PhP3000 for 5 Sundays. In this case, you definitely get more than what you paid for. To say that the lectures were great is a gross understatement. After only 2 weeks, I have already gained much confidence in the quality of my shots and I am looking forward to more lessons.

The Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation (FPPF) was created in 1987 for the advancement of Philippine photography and the welfare of Filipino photographers. It is a non-stock, non-profit organization that encourages cooperation rather than competition among fractious photography associations—of which the Philippines has more than enough. Visit www.photoworldmanila.com to learn more about the FPPF and it's workshops.

I really think every designer should try their hand in type design at least once. What I mean is, what serious designer doesn't have a fascination for type? I just recently started dabbling in typographic design and was so eager to finish my first typeface so I decide to do a very simple one. So here is version 1 of MKF Tiler, my very first display typeface, now available for download here. (I hosted it in mediafire.com since dafont.com wont accept it... huhuhu) It has very few glyphs due to limited options in the design to keep with the original idea inspired by tiles. Nevertheless, I'm proud of my first typeface and I hope it finds it's way to many designs. Development is still on-going so please check back on this space for updates.

By the way, since this is a very simple one, I refuse to believe that nobody has thought of these glyphs before. If you ever know of other typeface with similar design, give me a heads up so I can give credit where it's due. Also, if you know of any sites where I can submit this typeface, I'd appreciate it if you can help me spread the love by giving me the URL. Thanks and enjoy MKF Tiler.

For those who have been coming here for Babymag updates, please accept my humble apologies for failing to post anything about Baby for the last month (or two.) I have been involved with other pursuits and my blogging time was really cut down immensely. I am so excited to write about what I've been doing the past weeks but that will be for next time. Anyway, I am back on track now and Baby updates will resume its regular appearance soon.

PEMSEA and HP Philippines present the EAS Congress Regional Photo Contest with the theme, "The Coast, The Ocean, My Community."

Contest entries should demonstrate local actions/implementation and good practices in sustainable coastal and ocean protection, development and management. Entries can show local and national initiatives that address natural and man-made hazard prevention and management; habitat protection, restoration and management; water use and supply management; food security and livelihood management and pollution reduction and waste management.

The contest is open to nationals of the East Asian region, and is divided into three (3) categories:

• Youth category - for amateur practitioners who are college students or young professionals, between 18 and 25 years of age.
• Hobbyist/Amateur category - for amateur practitioners, beyond 25 years of age, who pursue photography outside of his/her regular occupation, engaged primarily for personal fulfillment.
• Professional category - professional practitioners who derive income from the sale of photographs and/or provision of photographic services.

Click here to download the complete contest mechanics.

The above information are taken from the Pemsea website. This blog claims no ownership of any images or text above this line.

Good typography...
Excellent photography...
Three revisions at most...
A client who knows what he wants...
Concise design brief...
Learning in the process...
Unlimited budget
Enthusiasm to actually do the job

Filipino illustrators sharing their visual style, process, and how they made it in the art scene. Featuring works of Isabel “Pepper” Roxas, Sergio Bumatay, Armand Serrano, May Ann Licudine, Chris de Joya and Gerry Alanguilan. Speaker Fruits, a Filipino collective society in the US gives their views on Philippine contemporary art. We also had a blast with the launch of “Ugnay,” Gene De Loyola’s solo exhibition at the Alab Artspace.

This month's GPM grips me in so many ways. It made me remember the past, recognize the present and look to the future of my own path as an illustrator. Well, I'm not exactly an "illustrator," rather I just get to stretch my legs on these waters much more now than ever before. I had to do some serious re-thinking after reading this issue. Precisely the reason why this post is soooo late...

I never thought I'd see Mang Gerry in the pages of GPM. Being a fan of comicbooks as a youth, my early influences we're Sir Gerry Alanguilan himself and those whom he worked with. I remember screaming like a girl when I saw the initial artworks for STONE where Sir Gerry worked with Sir Whilce Portacio. I also remember flipping through the pages of WASTED and feeling Eric's pain (that book saved me.) Also in this issue are Children's books illustrator Pepper Roxas, and Sergio Bumatay, 2008 Philippine Board of Books for Young People (PBBY)-Alcala Silver Prize winner for his artwork on Naku, naku, nakuuu! by Nanoy Rafael. Both illustrators are already familiar since I come across children's books quite a lot in my "day job" as layout artist for Baby Magazine. I also found the feature on Armand Serrano and May Ann Licudine so inspiring they we're actually the ones who made me remember why I loved drawing in the first place.

Download it here

Graphikapinoy is a free downloadable pdf magazine in support of the Filipino creatives. A convergence of best talents from all aspects of the design industry whose works shall be showcased in every issue.

This illustration was used as main visual for an article in the July 2008 issue of Baby Magazine with the title "P" as in "boy"? Understanding the dyslexic child by Sankie Simbulan. Dyslexia is an impairment of reading and spelling skills despite the dyslexic persons normal or at times superior intellect. It is said to be inherited.

My heart was breaking as I did this illustration. I was thinking how scared and confused the boy probably is when he can't make sense of the written word and realizes that this is something he can't do as good as any "normal" kid. Dyslexics describe words "flying" off the pages. Gee, I thought I had it rough as a kid when I can't figure out d's from b's. Come to think of it... I still mistype them on my keyboard.

An editable copy of this illustration is available for FREE... BUT! only if you are subscribed via email, that is, and remember to ask nicely.

Yesterday, I walked around with unmatched shoes. Why? you ask... No special reason at all. I just thought I'd try to get a reaction, any reaction at all. I'd chat some people up everywhere... in the office, on the store across our building. All while studying their faces to catch a glimmer of realization that I am wearing shoes from two different pair. Only one noticed, though. This little experiment got me thinking towards two directions: 1)Your shoes only matter to you. Other folks don't really care. 2) Those around me probably think I'm the type to go around sporting unmatched sneakers. I choose not to answer and leave this experiment inconclusive.

It has been a long day and I was ready to turn in for the night when I decided to check on Graphikapinoy. Lo and behold! I was surprised to see that this months GPM is already up and ready for download. This months focus is on Street Art or more commonly referred to as "graffiti" featuring the frontrunners in the underground Philippine Street Art scene (quite an oxymoron if you ask me.):

• Jakarta-born Filipino graffiti artist, Graver
• Wheat paster, among other things, Krayolaeater
• 14 man bombing crew, Crime in Style (CIS)
• Urban Aestheticists, Pilipinas Street Plan (PSP)

Also in this issue is a rundown on the events that happened on the recently held Pecha Kucha Night written by yours truly. I hope to secure permission to have the article published in this here blog of mine. Nudge nudge, hint hint. ;P Oooooh! What great way to cap off a busy day.

Download it here

Graphikapinoy is a free downloadable pdf magazine in support of the Filipino creatives. A convergence of best talents from all aspects of the design industry whose works shall be showcased in every issue.

Very nutritious... Baby's nutrition month offering is very healthy to say the least. Learn about the value of reading food labels in "Read the Label! and take a peek at what's inside the refrigerators of two of Baby Magazine's crew in "Refrigerator fun." Learn to have fun in the supermarket with the kids in " Grocery-shopping made meaningful: How to get your preschooler involved."

Aeleina Reese Ocenar loked very much the happy healthy little girl that she is on this cover shot by Ralph Alejandrino at St. Francis Shangri-La Place, Level 1, Shangri-La Plaza Annex.

Sometimes I get an ad material I'd have to set in a page in a magazine I work on and then I find out the ad doesn't have bleed on them. Many times I receive materials in this state despite efforts to enlighten the guy who makes them and I am tempted many times to write (and hopefully, do something) about it. I am weak against temptation so here it is. Yes, I made this post for you! you'll know who you are if ever you stumble on this blog somehow. If you don't, then at least I have helped someone else learn about bleeding and prevent some other guys from bleeding their brains off. I'd be happy either way.

Well now... Bleeding, as the name implies, is about making the artwork spill out of it's container. The container being your page's physical size, your artworks colors or images that are (supposedly) touching the page's edges should be made to EXCEED the page's trim edges. The reason for this is simple: This is to prevent having unprinted "white" areas from creeping into your page should the cutting misses it's mark. Remember, magazines, books and other publications are chopped cut as a whole-making it impossible to be sure that every page is cut accurately. If you would look at the corners of the image, (click to enlarge) the inner cropmarks show the page's trims and beyond it... you guessed it, BLEED AREA!

A bleed is usually 3mm or 0.125" on each side of your page making your letter size document 8.75" x 11.25 instead of 8.5" x 11". capisca? entienda? verstehen Sie?

Note: I am not the arrogant, egotistical, presumptuous, overbearingly assuming fellow that this post makes me to be. It's just that I believe that one should learn at least the basic rules of print design before being let loose in the industry. This is the reason Graphic Designers get no respect in this country. There is no bar to keep the standards up and there's no stopping anybody who can use photoshop effects from advertising himself as a Graphic Designer. That just grinds my gears.

"Rehearsals start at five. Be there, no excuses. We only have a week for this." Ruthie's message was clearly posted on the classroom board. Damn.. I wish I didn't have to do this but I'll fail freshman English if I don't. Why should "participation" form a big part of our grading system. I can't imagine myself acting in front of an audience... let alone in front of my schoolmates. Worse yet, I'm playing a secondary role with much speaking lines. My guts are all in knots and I feel sick... I have a feeling this will not be a good memory...

Although I'm not at all thrilled about this, I know that I have to do my best not to mess this up. My rep needs a lot of boosting already. I had all my lines memorized and I'm all psyched up to play a convincing antagonist. I'm gonna blow 'em all away.

8:00 pm. Ruthie's eyes are red and I can understand why. Any saint tasked with helping me learn to "act" would die of frustration. Ruthie is no saint. Soon, I find myself in the receiving end of a vicious tongue-lashing from our diminutive class leader. I can't help it. Even in this small group, raising my voice to barely audible is a herculean task. I am too conscious of every set of eyes and ears in the room. I have awkward movements that make walking seem like a strange dance. I blew them away alright... laughing. I made a fool of myself today... again... I fear for the fate of Ruthie's play...

This months Graphikapinoy

• Robert Alejandro
• Electrolychee
• Avid Liongoren
• Heavyhitterz:Manila

Download it here

Graphikapinoy is a free downloadable pdf magazine in support of the Filipino creatives. A convergence of best talents from all aspects of the design industry whose works shall be showcased in every issue.

Pecha Kucha Night!!! What on earth is Pecha Kucha Night?! I found myself asking this question when I saw an email from behance network alerting me (and all those in Dan Matutina's creative circle) of a new entry in Dan's übercool portfolio. Well, it turned out I've been living under a rock all this time to have not heard about this innovation in multi-media presentation.

According to the Pecha Kucha Manila site:
Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (Klein Dytham architecture), was conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.

But as we all know, give a mike to a designer (especially an architect) and you’ll be trapped for hours. The key to Pecha Kucha Night is its patented system for avoiding this fate. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.

Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation) has tapped into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and informally shown, without having to rent a gallery or chat up a magazine editor. This is a demand that seems to be global – as Pecha Kucha Night, without any pushing, has spread virally to over 100 cities across the world. Find a location and join the conversation.

The presenters for the First PKN-Manila includes

GRAFIK SALAD is an all-Filipino design team based in Cebu. They are involved in graphic design, illustration, fashion, art direction, and advertising work showcasing local art and culture.

PILIPINAS STREET PLAN is a group of artists expressing their passions through grafitti art. They have been colouring not only the streets of Metro Manila but also all over the Philippines, and other parts of the globe.

JIN JOSON is a Fine Arts major at the University of the Philippines. She is an avid anime/manga fan, and cosplayer.

WHAM BACABAC is an illustrator, graphic designer, motion graphics artist and animator with a distinct style. He is noted for the tattooed portraits from his joint exhibit “Skins and Needles.”

LEEROY NEW is a sculptor with an affinity towards grotesque forms. His recent works include the Psychopompous! and Anarchophobia exhibits.

LEO ABAYA is a painter, and production designer for film and theater. He has exhibited work for award-winning films such as Rizal, Muro-ami, and Kubrador, wherein he expresses how in his art “design and painting inform each other.”

INKSURGE. Brewed in Manila, Philippines 2002. A design studio concocted by digital baristas and authentic coffee junkies Jois Tai (she takes it w/ milk) and Rex Advincula (he takes it w/ sugar).

VISUAL POND Artspace, Inc. is a non-profit organization committed to the visual arts. Based in Manila, Visual Pond aims to be a dynamic player in the Philippine contemporary art scene through projects that engage and promote local artists both here and abroad.

NICKY SERING is a commercial and travel photographer. He is currently working on a personal project documenting the lives of boxers who have struggled to find glory.

JONI CAPARAS is currently the head of art at BBDO-Guerrero-Ortega. Over the past year, her work has been recognized at The One Show, Cannes Lions and D&AD.

RAYMOND RED is a noted filmmaker. He is the first Filipino to have won the Palme D’Or award at the Cannes Film festival 2000 for his short film Anino. For Pecha Kucha Night, he’ll share more about his other passion: collecting old toys.

KAIE ENCANTO is an art director for Ace Saatchi & Saatchi. She which won Second Prize in the Poster Category of Adobo Magazine for her work “Tabi Tabi Po: Eto na Ang Aming Mundo”. She is also part of The Cheshire Cat, a team of local young designers specializing on graphic design.

DOMINIQUE MARIE TIU is a 19-year-old undergraduate student at the Ateneo de Manila University and founder of Mann for Every Woman, an online-based clothing retail business that will be launched this June.

DONNA MIRANDA of Green Papaya Art Projects, is a contemporary dancer and choreographer who is a member of Dance Forum Myra Beltran. She was last year’s recipient of the Jury Prize in Solo, Duo and Group Division of Yokohama Dance Collection, and the recipient of Rimbun Dahan Choreographer’s Residency in Malaysia.

JAN VINCENT ONG is a writer who prides himself in also “judging books by their covers.” His website Read Now features blogs about his “adventures” in the writing world, as a literary enthusiast and a book critic.

Pecha Kucha Night Manila is on this Friday, 13June 2008, 8:30PM to 11:00PM at MAG:NET Café 2/F B3, Bonifacio High Street. Pecha Kucha Night Manila is brought to us by Idea!s Creatives.

For more information. Drop by at http://pechakuchamanila.com

Many thanks to Mon for posting a heads up over at his blog at Hazy Reality. I wouldn't miss this for anything. I just wish tickets are still available when I get to the venue.

Finally... I see an end to the bane of "Death by Powerpoint"

The image above and all information regarding the event was taken from the Pecha Kucha Manila website. This blog claims no ownership and is not connected to the organizers of PKN Manila aside from sublime admiration.

The Nikon Photo Contest International has been held by Nikon Corporation since 1969 to provide an opportunity for photographers around the world to communicate and to enrich photographic culture for professionals and amateurs alike.

"At the heart of the image" is not only the brand statement of Nikon Imaging Company, but it is also the theme for the 32nd contest, in which entries are invited in two categories. The first category is free subject and the second is entitled "My Planet," and entries to each category are accepted as prints sent by conventional mail or as JPEG images sent via the Internet. With this theme and these categories, we look forward to receiving expressive images from around the world that are true to people's emotions.

The Nikon Photo Contest International aims to create an occasion for photographers around the world to communicate and exchange their photographic vision, irrespective of professional or amateur status. It is our hope that this event will further enrich and broaden global photographic culture.

The above information are taken from the Nikon website. This blog claims no ownership of any images or text above this line.

For more information, visit the official Nikon Photo Contest International microsite and read about the contest details.

Sometimes, I am still awe struck with how much technology has changed our lives over the last 20 years. At the same time, I feel worried that my children would not experience the same kind of fun games I used to play as a child. These days, you hardly see children play outdoors. The younger ones play with their animated "friends" in the small screen while the older kids play with their cyber "friends" in virtual landscapes. It seems that this is where it is all heading and there's no escaping it, ...or is there? In this month's Babymag, meet parents who "took control" of technology by taking it by the horns and beating it to submission. No, really! Setting the rules and sticking to them is really the only way to tame this unwieldy beast.

Because June is also the month when Father's day comes along. Babymag features a cheatsheet for fathers facing their greatest challenge ever: Mastering the science and art of changing nappies. An illustrated step by step guide to a fathers rite of passage. Flip the pages to Fatherspeak, a monthly column that breaks down every issue that comes with fatherhood and highlights the joy of being "there" for your kids. This month, Manny Escasa of EduChild writes about what sports can do for your children. Read about a very special dad who's getting back on his feet after the loss his wife in a tragedy. Also, fatherhood is all about responsibility and Family Planning is a responsibility for BOTH husband and wife. So be responsible, read and learn about the Billings Ovulation method. There is so much more for dad in this issue. Hey! whoever said Babymag is a women's magazine?

The strapping young "pirate" on the cover is Boston Ryan Phillips through the lenses of George Cabig. Many thanks to Spin for the denim jumper.

They say time slows down when you know you are about to die... It is so that the scenes that matter can pass before your eyes and you can see how you have lived your life. Probably to give you a chance to be happy about it somehow.

Well, I didn't die. Not in the real sense of the word.

I always hated Karl's guts. For a boy of small stature he thinks highly of himself. He walks around with a swagger that seem to say he's better than everyone else. Or maybe just me and a bunch of others like me. He snapped at me on the fist day of our sophomore year in High School 'coz I was tapping my pencil too loud. He was the heckler, a year before, who got the class in a laughing fit on a school play at my expense. The year before that, he got the other guys to roll me up in a gym mattress and piled up on top of me. I had a growth spurt during last summer and I noticed he was now just about the height of my shoulder. . I thought to myself, I could probably take this guy if I had to. Then it happened...

Ironically, we were paired up in a science project where we had to slice up a frog. Our frog got messed up and for some reason, it became all my fault. I told him to shove it and before I know it, our "date" is set. 4:00 behind the east wing. At last, I have the chance to put this mouse in his place. At 4:15, I found myself sitting against the wall of the gymnasium behind the east wing with a bloody nose, torn shirt and a broken spirit. I just lost a school yard brawl against a shrimp.

'A great designer has to know everything while an artist doesn't have to know anything.' -Richard Tuttle

Don't get the above statement wrong. This is not an Artist versus Designer debate. There are more appropriate forum for that. Besides, I have no authority in a matter of this magnitude. What this [blog] is, among a lot of things, is a record of my thoughts and learnings as I pursue knowledge in Graphic design and the business of selling this design service. But some questions comes to mind. How much can one person learn? Do we really need to learn so much?

In his book, Design, Form and Chaos, Paul Rand said:
"Design is one of the most perplexing pursuits in which to excel. Besides the need for a God-given talent, the designer must contend with encyclopedic amounts of information, a seemingly endless stream of opinions, and the day-to-day problem of finding "new" ideas (popularly called creativity)."

This was in 1993. Nowadays, with information easily available on the net. It has become virtually impossible for any one designer to know all there is to know about his craft. I mean, there is probably a thousand ways to do a book cover from the same design brief and another thousand ways to interpret Market Researches and probably more than a few thousand different opinions on the same draft. A fledgling designer would be intimidated about the how much field he should cover. I know I am, even after some years of actual industry experience. Scared as I am with the vastness of the (unexplored) knowledge base that is the Internet (or "the cloud" as I referred to in this blog a couple of times) I am always excited to learn new ways of making things work together from the designer circles I move around in. Even though sometimes these guys make me look at my work and want to hide them where they can't be seen. But I digress... Being a designer means creating solutions... and if we want to grow, we will always search out new design problems to solve, messages to deliver creatively and figure out design trends. Whether these trends are for good design or otherwise doesn't matter. But that is for another rant altogether... So for you budding design superstar... soak up everything you can... Be the sponge!

Everybody's favorite girl is in for a treat! Mommies of all shapes and sizes are invited to jump in and take part in the Mother's Day Giveaway promo and win stuff.

As with every Baby that we put out, our Mommy month issue is the meatiest read. Five "mom-preneurs" tell the story of how the mottos "family first" and "follow your dreams" can come hand-in-hand in "Taking care of business." Baby sends mall scouts to check out how baby-friendly the malls are in "It's a mall world after all." We feature 3 malls every month starting this issue.

Have you heard of Human Milk Banks? Do you know why you must remove your nail polish before going into labor? What do you tell your child when he sees a child with special needs for the first time? How do you help your child learn not to be pikon? Did you know you need to start caring for your child's teeth before he's even born? How? You can find out about these and a whole lot more in this issue right here.

Cover photography by Ralph Alejandrino and the happy angel is Claudia Sofia Marchan Bozgan having loads of fun with bubbles.

That means colorblind for the rest of us. And my monitor won't be too since I got myself this baby.

I had been pining for one of these ever since I saw it in action at the Power Mac center's seminar on Color Management for Photographers (read here). Although what I saw in that seminar was this guys younger (read: sleeker, newer, more expensive) brother, I am nonetheless happy with my new pet.

Now, why do I need this? Well, I work with a lot of images for the magazines I work on and I have to make sure that what I see in my screen is, at least, in close color proximity to what it will look like on paper. That is called monitor calibration. The Spyder also comes in handy whenever I have some digital photos that I want to get printed. Imagine the disappointment I get whenever I edit some pictures and have them digitally printed only to have our faces printed a little too yellow... It was THAT bad.

The Spyder Pro is the leading monitor calibration tool. It is named like so because it looks like a spider hanging in front of the monitor. Cute...

Thanks to Aries for selling me this wonderful thing. It was great doing business with you. Now, how much are you charging for that PrintFi-Whoops! My spider sense is tingling... time for another calibration.

Being a self-taught designer has one major disadvantage. It is that gnawing, churning feeling in your gut that makes you wonder if you're doing anything right at all. That ever present wondering was the primary reason I elected to put myself through PCCI 's (the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging) two-day training workshop on Publications Design. The other reason being that no great designer is born by parthenogenesis, I wanted to have someone I can refer to as my sensei and gain the confidence of having learned from one. I spent the last 2 days with eye-opening lessons, mind-rocking design decisions on our exercises and heart-pounding critiquing session. At the end of it all, I slept like a log in a storm. Spent. Satisfied. Yet hungry for more. You run a meaty workshop, Sensei...

These happy shiny people were the ones I walked along the path with. From far left is Tina, Jazz, Sir Ige, JL and yours truly. Photo by PCCI's own Sir Jun Miranda. (Pardon my crappy scanning, i will upload a better one soon)

Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), the country's premier digital arts training center, is operated by industry-recognized practitioners of leading applications in print, web and multimedia. We offer world-class training in Adobe, Apple and Corel products.

Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI)
2nd Floor, Kodak Building, 2247 Chino Roces Ave.
(formerly Pasong Tamo), Makati City, Philippines
TEL +63 (2) 759-3087 | FAX +63 (2) 892-5281
EMAIL: inquiry@pcci.com.ph

I've been to uncle John's many times before. But I felt there was something strange today. Carrie wouldn't talk to me the whole trip. Even though I can barely comprehend a word she say most of the time, I would still rather she humor me with the usual gibberish. Oh well, I'ts gonna be fun seeing my cousin, Justin, again. We get along really well even though he's just half my age. I left Carrie with Uncle John and Aunt Betty so Justin and I can get on with our usual fun. I can't always keep an eye on her. Sooner or later she's gonna have to learn to do things without me.

Time really flies when you're having fun. It's already dark, so I figured We would be staying here for tonight again. Except that I can't seem to find Carrie anywhere so I went to ask Aunt Betty. "I'm sorry, Gary, but your mother went home already. You're too young to understand now but from now on, you have to start getting used to calling me mom."

A week has passed before I was sure mom was not coming back for me. I was 4 years old.

Graphikapinoy's maiden issue went out into the cloud yesterday and I downloaded it as soon as I got the SMS from Mon (the brains behind GPM) announcing the fact. I was already excited about this release weeks ago when I learned that it will feature Inksurge, Dan Matutina, and Camille del Rosario. All of whom are so brilliantly talented and inspiring to say the least. I, personally, have been a fan of these guys for quite sometime now. Getting an insight on how the gears in their heads work is a real treat for me.

Kudos Graphikapinoy for helping raise awareness for the flourishing Filipino design scene. Can't wait for the next release.

Graphikapinoy is a free downloadable pdf magazine in support of the Filipino creatives. A convergence of best talents from all aspects of the design industry whose works shall be showcased in every issue.

We got a hot one here!!! This month's Baby is chock-full of hot summer essentials. First off in the list is THE LIST of summer workshops and activities for your little kids. From theater to music to science and reading to sports and everything in between. your kids are sure to have a fruitful and fun summer to remember for years to come. Speaking of fruits... you and your families are sure to love creating your own fruity smoothies off our "Fruit Math" feature. Enjoy it while splashing around in the pool with the little one. Just be sure to read "Water babies" beforehand to help keep it a safe and fun experience. For those who are planning on going on a trip, read Antonette Reyes' Family Finance and learn her tricks on planning an inexpensive summer trip.

kapangyarihan (kapangyar´ihan) n. power, authority

This illustration was used as main visual for an article in the March 2008 issue of Baby Magazine with the title Tantrum Control 101: What to do when your child throws a tantrum in public by Jamie Ilao. The article itself talks about how to handle a situation when your little angel suddenly burst into hellfire and unleashes the evil twin.

I, on the other hand, call this illustration, "Kapangyarihan." As a parent, myself, I wanted to show the helplessness of the parent under the "power" of the screaming child. Parents are really weak against their crying children. It is not easy dealing with tantrums especially with quizzical glances from the judging public. Do us a favor and try to look (and walk) away whenever you find someone in this situation. Believe me, when you have children of your own....

An editable copy of this illustration is available for FREE... BUT! only if you are subscribed via email, that is, and remember to ask nicely.

"Damn this cheap guitar!" I reassured myself after fumbling again with a simple chord progression from an early 90's song from a band named after some spices... I've been at it for hours on end since I bought this guitar at a mall sale. My fingers were tender and I was really frustrated. I was blaming the innocent instrument, betraying what I always believed that making a thing of beauty lies on the craftsman and not his tools. Out of nowhere, I felt a wave of grief... like somebody dear to me has died long ago and I've only come to realize at that moment. Holding back the tears was futile. I can no longer play.

The baby bump in focus this month. Take a peek at the milestones of your baby's development in "Look ma, I'm growing!" Learn about preventing high risk pregnancies from leading childbirth instructor, Rome Kanapi. Feel the love as husbands share their "labor day" experiences. Being bulgy doesn't mean you can't be fashionable. "Afternoon delight" features fashionable pieces for the expectant [fashionista] mom.