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.
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
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It doesn't matter who's wrong or right, just bleed It! bleed It!
Posted On 3:00 PM by nerdluck | 1 points of view
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.
I remember being given an assignment for the holidays back in High School. We were (t)asked by our Homeroom adviser to list down all of the thing we wanted to improve on ourselves for the year 199?. In simpler words, make a New Years Resolution. Back then, I thought it was a silly thing to do. Not anymore. Now that I have grown a little older and a little wiser (hopefully), I actually like making these so called "resolutions." I know a lot of people gave up on it. Like they are resigned to the fact that they will break one or two or all of 'em before even thinking about February. So what's the point? Well, the point is trying at all and getting back up again if we happen to fail. And we WILL fail. We we're built that way, like it's hard-wired into our very system. That is being Human. And part of being human is the desire to constantly improve ourselves over and over again. Who was it that said, "We will keep on changing until we can no longer change." I think it was from a movie I saw when I was young... or not. These memories are all a jumble to me.
Anyway, Here's to a better you and a better me this 2008! Cheers!
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Anyway, Here's to a better you and a better me this 2008! Cheers!
The title says it clearly. I'm not a big Christmas fan so this will be the closest thing to a christmas blog entry I can come up with.When I was a kid, I loved the christmas season for the long holiday it came with but I totally dreaded the school christmas parties and the family reunions that I just HAD to go to only because it was the normal thing to do for a kid. It may sound extreme but think of it this way. It is never fun to be meeting old relatives when their idea of catching up is a "your cousins are better than you" sermon. The line "What can you expect from (insert absentee aunt or uncles name here)'s kids?" has burned it's marks in my young mind. After the sermon, we have to swallow what is left of our pride and line up for our annual Quezons, Osmenas and occassionally, Roxases. Talk about power tripping. I wished the ground would swallow me up and spit out my bones. The queasy feeling I had in my guts during the ride to the place is akin to knowing you are on your way to getting your ass kicked in a school yard brawl with the judo club captain. Speaking of school, Im glad I'll never get to open up another stupid picture frame as a christmas gift from someone in my class. I mean, a picture frame is something you give to someone you know nothing about... someone who is just a little better than a complete stranger, not someone you've been in class with for the past year or three. Come on! It would have been special had they put our photos in it instead of some blonde guy with perfect teeth. And what's with the fashion show? Where was it written that you HAVE TO wear the latest in kiddie fashion on primary school christmas parties? It was strange to me when I was nine... I wouldn't tell you what I think of it now.
The truth is, I don't hate Christmas. What I hate is how cheap we have made it to be. I am in no position to tell you what Christmas is about but I know what it isn't. Families don't come together on this day to put each other down. Ninongs and Ninangs arent cash machines to take money from. Christmas is not about parties. It's not about the Noche Buena or the gift giving or the new clothes.
well, that's it for this months rant. Reading back on what I wrote, I may have been unfair in describing our family reunions or the christmas parties in school. I have always been the odd one in the bunch. I must have been just looking at it wrong. I might just be an Ebenezer Scrooge after all. Except that I ain't an old miser, and I don't believe in ghosts.
Not one to be put down easily by one bad opinion, I decided to channel my attention (and frustration) on to something useful... making my own shirt. I've wanted to do one shirt featuring my little corner of the cloud for half a year now. But it always stuck in the back of my mind that it would seen kinda vain. And when I somehow got myself to work on it, I would be my own worst client and criticize everything. Believe me, I'm a bitch of a customer when I do something for myself (probably the reason why I can't seem to get anything done for myself.) This time, however, everything seemed calm. I found myself getting rid of everything unnecessary in the design and came down with only the bare essentials. There were no kicking and screaming arguments. There were no battles in my mind. It was so refreshingly simple and I don't care if it looks overly simplistic. It's a simple solution and it makes me happy. Isn't that how design is supposed to beAnyway, Ill probably wait till the holidays are over before printing the shirt... Going to DV to buy supplies right now is suicide...
I thought I could keep myself from blogging about politics and religion. I swore to myself never to alienate or antagonize any of my readers by means of an irresponsible impulsive rant against anyone from another ideology so I elected to stay away from ANY discussion about gods and demons of both celestial and human government. But in light of the recent Glorietta 2 blast, I'll have to bend my stand a little on this one. Do take into consideration that this is more personal than political.
It has been three days since the tragedy. I was so stunned when I got a message about a blast in a mall at the CBD (Central Business District) of Makati. I never thought something like this could happen anywhere near where I live. I felt a chill in my spine when news came out that there is a possibility that the blast was a terrorist attack. "Not here!," I thought. "please, not here!" After the initial shock, I felt despair for the victims and their families. I felt that it could have been anyone I knew.. My family... friends... colleagues... this was a mall we would frequently hang out in. It was so close to home... so close to home. Anger found its way soon after. How can anyone JUSTIFY the taking of innocent people's lives? It was all so senseless. To die so senselessly... for something they did not have no clue about. I was gripped with fear, there is no assurance that my family can be safe anymore. I felt helpless.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I heard on the news that night. Sen. Trillanes boldly claimed that he has reasons to believe that the blast was a machination of our own military to divert public attention from the recent scandals the palace has gotten its sorry ass into. I hope he's got data to back this one up 'coz this is one helluva thing to say right after a tragedy of this magnitude. I have no love for the palace resident but I would be damned to accept that bullshit. It just stink so much of opportunism to say something like this. It is irresponsible for a man of his designation and stature. I also don't think the concerned people are going to let him off easily if he is mistaken. Unsolicited advice mister senator... you can learn so much from Senators Lacson and Cayetano's experience. Get your facts straight before making such statements. Present it to the media with verified data and nail them in the ass. Otherwise, shut up. The families of the victims will appreciate that very much.
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It has been three days since the tragedy. I was so stunned when I got a message about a blast in a mall at the CBD (Central Business District) of Makati. I never thought something like this could happen anywhere near where I live. I felt a chill in my spine when news came out that there is a possibility that the blast was a terrorist attack. "Not here!," I thought. "please, not here!" After the initial shock, I felt despair for the victims and their families. I felt that it could have been anyone I knew.. My family... friends... colleagues... this was a mall we would frequently hang out in. It was so close to home... so close to home. Anger found its way soon after. How can anyone JUSTIFY the taking of innocent people's lives? It was all so senseless. To die so senselessly... for something they did not have no clue about. I was gripped with fear, there is no assurance that my family can be safe anymore. I felt helpless.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I heard on the news that night. Sen. Trillanes boldly claimed that he has reasons to believe that the blast was a machination of our own military to divert public attention from the recent scandals the palace has gotten its sorry ass into. I hope he's got data to back this one up 'coz this is one helluva thing to say right after a tragedy of this magnitude. I have no love for the palace resident but I would be damned to accept that bullshit. It just stink so much of opportunism to say something like this. It is irresponsible for a man of his designation and stature. I also don't think the concerned people are going to let him off easily if he is mistaken. Unsolicited advice mister senator... you can learn so much from Senators Lacson and Cayetano's experience. Get your facts straight before making such statements. Present it to the media with verified data and nail them in the ass. Otherwise, shut up. The families of the victims will appreciate that very much.
I woke up yesterday with a splitting headache... not again... It's one of those days when I can't even get anything done. I decided to stay home. I though I might be in denial that my chronic headaches could somehow be a sign of bad vision. I decided to get my orbs checked. Glasses are no stranger to me. I had a pair prescribed to me when I was in 6th grade that I wore until my freshman year in high school (imagine the emotional torment I had to endure as school bullies call me "nerdoid," I was scarred permanently.) What I hated most was the responsibility to keep them in good shape. I thought to myself, "I may have to go through that ordeal again, great..."
Earlier today, I became a (not so) proud owner of prescription glasses that I still don't know how to take care of... The optometrist forgot to fill me in on where to get those lens cleaners and stuff. My headaches gone though...
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Earlier today, I became a (not so) proud owner of prescription glasses that I still don't know how to take care of... The optometrist forgot to fill me in on where to get those lens cleaners and stuff. My headaches gone though...
It started raining again and I just remembered something that I wanted to blog about when I was too busy to even read some of my favorite blogs. It was about a month ago when typhoons Dodong and Chedeng wreaked havoc on our city streets. Because I was living just a couple of city blocks away, I got to the office just before my walking route became submerged and rendered impassasble for small vehicles and foot traffic (unless you don't mind some weird skin allergies). I had to stay at the office until after 7PM to let the flood water subside so I can safely walk back home (without said allergies). I was cursing at the ever reliable (sarcasm alert in case it wasn't obvious) people at our government offices and their efficient response to emergency situations. I mean "Haven't we seen enough of these flash floods every year for us to be so ill prepared? It's already August for f***'s sake. We should have been ready since June." (pardon the swearing if you are reading this via feed, I forgot kids might be reading this... edited for propriety)Anyway, as I was crossing Buendia Ave., I saw the man I should be screaming my filth on, the MMDA Chairman himself, Bayani Fernando with his trousers soaked in flood water, instructing his boys on what appears to be an excavation work to remedy the watery situation. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera on me to take a snap shot of the scene so I went back the next day to see how they were doing. I could have snapped more if they didn't start coming towards me and asked me where those photos are going to end up on. I could just grin idiotically and say that its purpose was personal. A month since and still no flood water on my intersection. I guess it is better late than never for these guys. Thanks Mr. BF for doing your job right. I'm sorry for the obscenities I uttered in solitude. At least you didn't have to paint my turf pink.
"Just when I thought things can't get any worse..." I found myself repeating this phrase innumerable times that day when the above photo was taken. That was the day I was supposed to take my drivers license card from our very customer friendly people of LTO Pasay.
The day started like any other day except that I had this nagging feeling that this is not a good day for me. A week before, I applied for a drivers license but I wasn't able to get the plastic card because their computers we're offline and couldn't process my records. This is the day I came back for my card. I went to the records window and gave the lady the receipt of last weeks application and asked me to wait by window 2... It was either that or she asked me to wait 2 hours... 'coz that is about the time I waited by that window before I asked the lady why all the other people I came in with 2 hours ago had already had their photo taken for their card. I found out my form was missing...What the Hell!? You can imagine my frustration. It was already after lunch break that they found out that my papers weren't missing but were in fact found at the hands of an evaluator who neglected to inform anybody that there was a problem with my application. The LTO database showed another license application of mine from 1999 that expired in 2002. I had to go to the main office in Quezon City to pay the penalties and come back to Pasay to reconcile my records.They could have told me this before they went on lunch break. Off to QC I go... This is where the photo up there comes in. The cab I was riding turned right from Timog Avenue to EDSA when 2 buses (seemingly) racing against each other slammed on both side of the cab pushing us about 10 meters. I couldn't get off from either doors so I had to climb out of the car from the driver side door. IM IN A HURRY FOR PETE'S SAKE!!! I didn't even think that I could have died in that cab if I had my head against the window. I had to walk the rest of the way to the LTO main building and guess what... It began to rain. I love rain, but at a time like this... uhhhggg... I was ready to go ballistic that I sneered at the fixer who offered to "help" me transact faster and avoid all the bureaucracy inside. It took me another 2 hours inside the Licensing office before I got my turn at the licensing officer... I am literally at wits end. It was too late for me to go back to Pasay so I elected to go home. There was no cab in sight and since it is raining, I took the bus going to Makati... I felt miserable as I shivered in the air conditioned bus for the whole trip home. In 2 weeks I'll be going to the Pasay office again to put this exercise in stupidity to rest... If anything like this happen again... I'm going to give up driving for good.
American Pie
Don Mclean
A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.
Don Mclean
A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.
We were cleaning out some old stuff a couple of days ago when I found this old guitar pick. It was THE first guitar pick I bought around 12 years ago during my garage band years. It was the one I learned the basics with. I had mixed feelings the moment I held it between my thumb and index fingers just like I would when I was playing. It's been years... I have not played the guitar in years. The last time I was in a band, I was singing... I was writing... I have given up on the ax long before I have given up on the music. Probably because like most of the things I do, I think I wasn't good enough to be taken seriously. Looking at this worn out guitar pick, It makes me wonder. Had I kept on believing... Had I kept on working on it... Had I not given up... Could things have gone a little differently?
Photo available for FREE download. Just click the Picasa logo
In preparation for the synchronized Baranggay (Town) and Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) Elections in October, COMELEC, opened a special registration from July 15-22. Why does that have anything to do with me? Well... I have just realized that I have a civic duty on this city that has been home to me for the past four years. The last election I participated in was the 1998 presidential election. We all know how that turned out and I lost interest in the electoral system.So there I was, somewhat excited about officially being a citizen of Makati City by being a registered voter. I went to the COMELEC office in Makati but what I saw made my heart sink (refer to photo.) What you are seeing in the photo is not even half of the number of the people there since the COMELEC office IS ON THE SECOND FLOOR and there is more on the other side of the building. One particular middle aged guy was telling us that some of the people was already there as early as 5AM, apparently, the COMELEC is only going to accommodate 200 of the lot. Cutting the long story short... I got up and went off to blog about it. It could have been a lot easier (and faster) if they set the registration at each baranggay. Then they wouldn't need the whole week. Citizenship will have to wait 'till after the October election when regular registration resumes. My fault, really. I should have registered last year.
I came in at about 12 mins before 7 o'clock in the morning. I think I was the 20th guy there. Today is the day I filed an application for my social security ID card. It was long overdue since I have been a worker ant for more than 6 years now. But years of procrastinating and poor time management coupled with the fact that I always just make my deadlines by the skin of my teeth lead me to this day. You see, I never was a crowd person coz I always find some people weird that they creep me out. You can imagine how I feel about sitting in a room full of strange strangers... let me tell you about the characters I encountered.
I surveyed the room and saw "the box" where we [applicants] put our E-6 forms face down. The logic was for the first ones there to get their papers processed first. Like what the posted announcement said, I placed my "duly accomplished" form in the box and went to sit down to ready my "two valid ID's. People rarely sit beside each other on these occasions so there where a lot of gaps between applicants. I elected to sit on the third row, and as I was making my way to an empty seat, some ladies would put their bags on the seat next to theirs. Probably trying to say "there are lots of other free seats, do not take the one next to me..." as if! I sat down between a 50ish woman and a middleage overweight fellow who smells like toothpaste. I noticed that there were only a few forms in the box before mine and that most of the people who came before me hadn't put theirs in.. There was a big glaring announcement infront of us, how could they miss that? People started lining up to put their forms in the box FACE UP [don't these people know how to read?] One particular lady caught my attention. instead of putting her form on top of the pile, she had the gall to lift some of the papers and put hers ahead of most of us. I was amused at the pathetic effort to get one up on other people.
A lot more was coming in. A particularly annoying girl in her 20's couldn't stop pacing and shifting seats. She went to one of the list of postal code in a bullettin board and then to another. [the list were the same] she then went back to the box to get her form. She must have realized she put the wrong zip code. True enough, other people went shifting between the lists and checking their forms. Everyone was on their mobile pretending not to care about what anyone else was doing. And yet, they mirror everything anybody does. The constant beeping and ringing can drive anyone nuts. The girl infront of me didn't car to put her phone on silent letting everyone suffer her "pogi-rock band" message tone. A few seats to her right where two guys dressed in smart casual attire. They had matching tumblers and they have their sunglasses on their heads like rudy project models or something. They are what you would now call "metrosexuals." in gym-enhanced physique. They were also on their mobile phones and couldn't stop giggling like little girls who knows a secret. I'm not saying they're gay, just because they can't stop touching each other's arms and keeps getting lost in each others eyes and the only girl who was with them was seated 3 seats away with no one in between... no, I'm not saying they're gay. [Disclaimer: Im not a homophobe. I have gay friends whom I respect so much. Some people - gay or otherwise - just don't have a sense of propriety in public.]
Another character is the one I named block head. A 6-foot tall guy who constantly pestered the lady in the booth to ask if his name will be called soon. He also didn't bother to bring his own pen and had to go around to borrow one from. He hurriedly grabbed another guy's pen and did not even say thank you afterwards. Jerk. I couldn't recall the other colorful toons I encountered. Maybe when i start having nightmares, I will. I got out of there at half past eight, only an hour and a half... It felt a lot longer than that.
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I surveyed the room and saw "the box" where we [applicants] put our E-6 forms face down. The logic was for the first ones there to get their papers processed first. Like what the posted announcement said, I placed my "duly accomplished" form in the box and went to sit down to ready my "two valid ID's. People rarely sit beside each other on these occasions so there where a lot of gaps between applicants. I elected to sit on the third row, and as I was making my way to an empty seat, some ladies would put their bags on the seat next to theirs. Probably trying to say "there are lots of other free seats, do not take the one next to me..." as if! I sat down between a 50ish woman and a middleage overweight fellow who smells like toothpaste. I noticed that there were only a few forms in the box before mine and that most of the people who came before me hadn't put theirs in.. There was a big glaring announcement infront of us, how could they miss that? People started lining up to put their forms in the box FACE UP [don't these people know how to read?] One particular lady caught my attention. instead of putting her form on top of the pile, she had the gall to lift some of the papers and put hers ahead of most of us. I was amused at the pathetic effort to get one up on other people.
A lot more was coming in. A particularly annoying girl in her 20's couldn't stop pacing and shifting seats. She went to one of the list of postal code in a bullettin board and then to another. [the list were the same] she then went back to the box to get her form. She must have realized she put the wrong zip code. True enough, other people went shifting between the lists and checking their forms. Everyone was on their mobile pretending not to care about what anyone else was doing. And yet, they mirror everything anybody does. The constant beeping and ringing can drive anyone nuts. The girl infront of me didn't car to put her phone on silent letting everyone suffer her "pogi-rock band" message tone. A few seats to her right where two guys dressed in smart casual attire. They had matching tumblers and they have their sunglasses on their heads like rudy project models or something. They are what you would now call "metrosexuals." in gym-enhanced physique. They were also on their mobile phones and couldn't stop giggling like little girls who knows a secret. I'm not saying they're gay, just because they can't stop touching each other's arms and keeps getting lost in each others eyes and the only girl who was with them was seated 3 seats away with no one in between... no, I'm not saying they're gay. [Disclaimer: Im not a homophobe. I have gay friends whom I respect so much. Some people - gay or otherwise - just don't have a sense of propriety in public.]
Another character is the one I named block head. A 6-foot tall guy who constantly pestered the lady in the booth to ask if his name will be called soon. He also didn't bother to bring his own pen and had to go around to borrow one from. He hurriedly grabbed another guy's pen and did not even say thank you afterwards. Jerk. I couldn't recall the other colorful toons I encountered. Maybe when i start having nightmares, I will. I got out of there at half past eight, only an hour and a half... It felt a lot longer than that.
