And Cut!

(post for Monday)
My last day here was spent in another city. Kinda crazy how another chapter has come to a close. I always think it's funny how it takes a few days before I really realize what I miss. It doesn't sink in until it's gone I guess.

Although I think I've fairly mastered the art of packing with all the practice I've gotten, I am choosing to stay awake tonight. There is a heavy pit in my stomach and my awake brain wants to keep it company.

Currently listening to: Freshmen - The Verve Pipe

Questionable Content

New "I'm a PC" ad from CP+B that strikes back at the bashing Microsoft has gotten these last few years from the Mac ads. Not sure what to think of it but it's certainly interesting. Crispin, what are you up to?


The Valkyrie is taking forever to come out. On our tour around Berlin we walked past one of the filming sites. Another movie that I will probably not see but the poster is pretty cool.
Had fun at church and good conversation over dim sum with M~ today. We walked around the nearby area. Kinda nice taking it slow after all the sightseeing by foot we've done in the last week.

Currently listening to: Duck and Run - 3 Doors Down

Veggie Minded

Found this great design packaging from Pick Me vegetarian dishes on The DieLine. Veg with edge, too cute.
Have fallen ill so I took it easy today. M~ is staying over for the weekend so it's like one big sleepover! She brought home these great pastries that are a signature of this city. Yum. Thanks M~!

Currently listening to: Infinity 2008 (Klaas vocal edit) - Guru Josh Project (off of M~'s computer)

Press Return

Back from my week full of gallivanting around. R~ dubbed me Miss Carmen Sandiego and I think I like the new nickname.

Currently listening to: Whispers in the Dark - Skillet (yay, back on YouTube and internet!)

Wish You Were Here

First time in a long while that I've gotten to just rest. No time to be sad though because today was full of planning!

Simple, beautiful dish and kitchenware made of bamboo from Ekobo.
Fantastic iPhone cupcakes by Nick and Danielle Bilton. These beauties just won their parents the NYC Cupcake Decorating Championships. Danielle's blog has a bunch of other fancy delicacies and some recipes, so check it out if you find yourself in a baking mood.
Anti-theft lunch bags by Sherwood Forlee. Check out her site to order your own.
In case you missed it, today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Google celebrates in its own way by offering "Pirate" as one of its language settings. So cool! To see how to make the change, click here. Arrrrr...

Currently listening to: Wish You Were Here - Salmon and the Bear

Fin

Congratulations, graduating class. We did it!

Now it is time to party! And also to say goodbye.

Currently listening to: Drugs Don't Work - The Verve

Closing Credits

Day 3 of screening is done. I can't believe it. It went decently and I got some good feedback. I am happy. It's over! It is always nerve wracking to show your baby out to the world.

Now this feeling that I am left with is bittersweet. Relief, happiness, sadness, nostalgia. Funny how change never lets us get too comfortable.

Currently listening to: I Can Feel a Hot One - Manchester Orchestra

Second Lap

A strange mixture of emotions today. Day 2 of screening. I am getting feedback and also trying to be on my best behavior.

On a completely unrelated note, I bought eggs today. So exciting! I haven't had eggs for a long time.

Haven't had the chance to post this until now, but check out Sony's new Twirl N' Take Camera. Powered by kinetic energy (instead of batteries), this digital camera requires about 15 seconds of twirling (the round head rotates) to charge for a photo. [Source: Inhabitat]
Great signs from GreenUpgrader.
Sorry the recent posts haven't been the most earth shattering blogging ever. The screenings really take a lot out of me. M~ and I are trying to finish off another ongoing project as well. Despite being exhausted, I know I'm going to miss this in a week.

Currently listening to - I Will Follow You into the Dark (Death Cab for Cutie cover) - Kina Grannis

Hi, Nice to Meet You

Exhausted from a long day of screening.
We have interviews back to back and it is pretty intense to present yourself well all the time. I'm really grateful to get a chance to meet with these agencies. There are some that have done amazing work (one of which created an ambient that I fell in love with before I even started in the industry). Trusting in God to put me where I'm supposed to be.

Currently listening to: How to Say Goodbye - Michael W. Smith

Last Minute

(post for Saturday)
Just got back from a crazy spur of the moment day trip. My feet really hate me, but I had a great time. M~ and I did an insane amount of walking, meeting other tourists (surprisingly a lot from the Midwest), and sightseeing. We even met a guy from Tasmania and got to chill with him for the day. I felt there wasn't quite enough time at each spot for my little trigger happy self but we still got some good photos. Made me remember how much I love traveling. Thanks Matthew for being a rockin' guide!

Currently listening to: Tears - Tinie Tempah

The End of Many Things

Today officially felt like Fall. Yesterday I was prancing about in the 70s and today it's dropped down to the 50s. Something about the cool wind, change in light, and leaves on the ground makes me want to grab a mug of hot apple cider. Yum!

Congrats to everyone for finishing the term. Woot! It's been so much fun. Definitely one of my favorite terms.

A little documentation of my last week or so.
The bag of scrap paper I generated this term (that I dragged to recycle today). As C~ wisely put, we can't put trees back together so might as well recycle. Don't worry, I make sure to use both sides.
Mikado, the European version of Pocky! V~ bought me this to fuel my Pocky eating obsession.

Yummy rice pudding from D~. M~ and I dug in!

Sahne-kefir, a creamy pudding/yogurt-like concoction. Strange on first try but curiously addictive.
"American" bread. I find it interesting that loaves (like what you would usually get at the supermarket) of white and wheat breads are designated as "American." Guess we do sliced bread like no one else? This brand is particularly tasty.
Last but not least, one of the triplets. Finished and ready for screenings. I'm the proud mama.

Currently listening to: The Nicest Thing - Kate Nash (so true)

Sending Them Off into the World

We all handed in our babies yesterday. It really felt like I was giving up a kid. I mean, it's a perfect metaphor - 9 weeks of toil, pushing each step, made lovingly, a copy representation of me.

I say often how I'm continually impressed by YouTube's tweaks and refinements to make it more and more user friendly. Today they changed their information column yet again to streamline the process. I am just waiting patiently for them to update their "Favorites" page selections (so you don't have to scroll down to select the songs you want to play and then scroll back up to add them to your Quicklist). Perhaps this just signifies that I spend too much time on YouTube.
Spent long hours again at school (but this time for no particular reason). Watched F~ (aka the Photoshop King) rock out three campaigns in one night. Congrats on getting London!

Remembering 9/11.

Currently listening to: You Don't Know Me - Ben Folds ft. Regina Spektor

Visual Storytelling

I wanted to feature amazing photographer Eugenio Recuenco.
His work has a bizarre, old school circus kind of feel. Haunting, dark, and gritty. You can see a story being woven through the images. Recuenco is one of the few big photographers that I have seen who uses Asian models with such frequency. I like how he also manages to encorporate other famous fine art/architecture and fairytale into many of his photos. These are some of my favorites (click to enlarge).










In case you aren't feeling the photos today, check out GE's Crane TVC (closely reminiscent of KLM's Swan), which I like for more ways than one.

And because it's always fun to watch advertising that makes fun of advertising: Kia's Expectations spot...

Currently listening to: Rainy Day - Big Dismal (this song always makes me think of you, C~!)

Typical Sunday

(post for Sunday)
The sun peaked out this weekend. Yay! My usual walk to church was interrupted by a cycling marathon through the city. Never a dull weekend here! And my normal church experience was punctuated by an acquaintance determined to set me up with one of the only Asian male attendees. I politely refused but was cut off before I could protest further and she non-discreetly dragged him out. Poor guy.

HP has streamed lined the packaging for its laptops. Now each comes with its own bag (padded individually) and this cuts down on store and shipping waste. Read more about it at Gizmodo.

Check out Paris Breakfasts, a cute little blog that I found, which details little Parisian stores (mostly bakeries) through a watercolor painting-a-day.
More Obama art - this time in the form of a shoe bottom by artist Jimm Lasser. The cool engraved sole makes for a killer footprint. [Source: Highsnobriety]
Great pic from Yahoo!News from this week of children in Kenya playing with snow.

Currently listening to: Blower's Daughter (Damien Rice cover) - Jason Acosta (live!)

Chill Child

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago I was up to my neck with craziness. I am thankful today was productive yet much more relaxed. I hope you are all enjoying the first weekend after the start of school. No doubt it's been a crazy week for you as well!

Cool tea cup designs from koolgirlposse.
Cute doggy toys from Multipet. The Charms Blow Pop made me laugh. [Source: Box Vox]

A how-to on books made with a chalkboard front just in time for the start of school [Source: Bookmaking with Kids]Fantastic short animated film, Oktapodi.

And in case you ever need to explain the Bible to someone in 60 seconds:

Currently listening to: Hallelujah, Jesus - Monk & Neagle

Fruits

(post for Friday)
Books are bound and done! And they cooperated nicely and turned out better than I expected. I'm blessed with beautiful triplets (the last one will remain unbound for future use).

Yay for a little sun and rest this weekend.

Currently listening to: Fell in Love Without You (acoustic) - Motion City Soundtrack

Baby Mama

My baby (actually I got quadruplets) came back from the printer today! I am a proud mother. So excited. Now starts the hard part with the binding. I'm nervous about it cuz, while I love bookbinding, I am not particularly a fan of Japanese stab binding (which is what I will be doing). We shall see. The dummy book turned out well so here's hoping the quadruplets follow suit.

A big congrats to M~ for getting into CP+B for next quarter. Woot!

I have to admit that this week has been a bit strange now that the book (at least the content part of it) is done. It's like that weird state of sleeping awake that you sometimes get when you're up really late working on something. I don't know how to describe it. It's like I don't really know what to do with myself.

While waiting for our prints, V~ and I had lunch at this great pasta/salad place. Only in Europe would you get such great fast food gourmet food. Individually cooked on the spot and a variety of sauces. I've been a big fan of the tomato, basil, fresh mozz lately. Afterwards we poked around and did a little bit of shopping. I tried on this amazing black leather/pleather jacket, but it was a little pricey (understatement). Maybe next time.

New Wave Chess board, which is light and perfect for travel, as the pieces are flat and inserted into the board. So cool! Now I just need to find someone who plays chess the right way to play with me.
In the same vein, check out this amazing ad for Ace by Grey (Istanbul). It's one of my favorites.
I am continually impressed with the onslaught of user-generated art supporting Obama. His campaign has struck a chord with a completely new sector and/or people are caring enough about this election to campaign in their own right. This tongue-in-cheek button from Democratic Stuff totally made me laugh!

Currently listening to: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room (John Mayer cover) - Gabe Bondoc

End Results

Sorry for the misleading post yesterday. Sleep and I did not actually reconcile. I meant that I was really sleepy. Pulled some late hours last night and started to get a little loopy (though not quite to the deriously-quoting-Shakespeare stage) but I had company, which made everything humorous rather than desperate.

But it was all worth it! V~ and I showed our books and got the green light. I couldn't stop smiling! Tidied everything up a bit and then trotted off to the printer. My baby is off in someone else's hands now.

And now it is time to rest. Sleep and I have a nice evening planned ahead of us.

Last but not least, a big happy birthday to a certain navi. Aren't you glad you don't have to call waxing salons this year?

Currently listening to: Swallow the Sea - Matthew Perryman Jones

Hippo Birdie

Special post:
Happy Birthday to an amazing someone! I hope your day is extra special!

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Zzzzzzz...

Currently listening to: F~ brainstorming