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.