left-handed wanders

Morning Rush hosts Chico&Delamar had a telephone interview with Matt Scannell VH’s vocalist & guitarist. It turns out they’re playing at Araneta December 7th. I want to watch them live but the tickets are kinda way over budget (I get paid this thursday/ and it has two last two weeks–they arrive 1st week of Dec "alanganin").
***

But it’s not what this post is about.
I just want to reminisce.
I’m jumping on the chance to reminisce about the days when everything (which I had no idea at the time) was much simpler.

When the album "Everything You Want" came out the year was 1999. I was graduating elementary and off to High School that makes me 12-thirteen? And when "Everything You Want" the single came out I remember that I didn’t liked it that much at first. But MTV & Channel V’s constant airplay soon had me singing along to the song (Oh, this was also the time we migrated to VHF/UHF to cable TV).

And now as I look back the song is really a classic.
It’s one of the songs that got me really into alternative rock.
I still have my cassette tape of the album, owning CDs were unimaginable at the time, whoa.
I remember th electronic sounding intro wherein a car rolls out on a split screen, one reflecting the other.

The little subtitles that litter the music video like: "every six seconds you think about sex" or "wherever you go, there you are"

My favorite is the last part of the song where you just go all out:

I am everything you want!
I am everything you need!
I am everything inside of you that you wish you could be!
I say all the right things at exactly the right time!
But
I mean nothing to you and I don’t know why (?).

(sing with eyes closed, top of your lungs)

classic.

***
One time, I got a bit carried away in singing a long to it. I was alone watching TV,  Channel V I think and the video played so I sang.
In the middle of it I managed to stir the whole family napping at the time.

classic.

My design past is laden with Adobe’s legacy.

***

I am in an age where computers have monopolized the commercial aspects of the design/art (?) world. It can’t be helped these digital toolboxes have automated/streamlined/mass produced the design scene more to its benefit. One of the most significant capabilities of today’s designers: Undo / Redo  functions that made the creation process more industrial than ever, ever since man’s use of the steam engine.

***

Last summer the software giant released Creative Suite 3. With it came the new Illustrator, now, 3 versions ahead from the one I’ve learned to love. Ai 10 was my first vector drawing program. It is where I developed my preference for vectors rather than pixels. I remember the days when I used Photoshop as a layout/image editing/drawing program; Adobe Photoshop was called 5.5 back then. With my introduction to Ai I began to start using it for almost all my designing needs except for raster images of course. I love Ai. But it was only recently that I discovered the joy of using FreeHand MX. The vector-using public was torn back then, polarized, some preferred Adobe some Macromedia. I remember one of my professors preferring it. But Ai was my first love, so I was reluctant to try and seek any replacement. Besides how can Freehand MX match Ai 10’s start-up screen. "F" & "H" characters over Boticelli’s Venus?

But soon enough, after leaving college, I realized Freehand MXs appeal to the artist. Its a layout/vector drawing program. But this discovery is now insignificant in the light of Adobe’s acquisition of Macromedia. Now Illustrator is left without a competitor. InDesign has become very popular as well, a bunch of versions ahead from my first layout program Pagemaker 6.5 My only qualms: With Adobe’s ownership of Freehand they have seem to split its strong points to Illustrator and InDesign. I liked Freehand’s multiple-page capability and the Assets palette and I hoped it be carried on to the new suite. But it seems that Adobe is bent on creating distinctions between the programs. Besides, to think of it, this wouldn’t a problem cause CS3 is more seamless with Adobe Bridge. With Adobe’s shift to Creative Suites, I still remained loyal to Ai 10 and Photoshop 7 all throughtout my college yrs. Though the product logos are a giant leap from before (more real-complex-like to simple-symbol-like) I never really liked them. Especially with CS2. I hate when I start-up Ilustrator CS2 and see that yellow lily/daisy flower thing and InDesign’s Moth-Eye-Feather thing. But with CS3 I must say, the logos are genius. Now the product logos are simpler than ever: Square boxes with initials such as Ai, ID, Ps. Very table of elements-like. This scheme I can especially appreciate when you put them at Mac’s dock. I’m excited with CS3. More innovations. More thing to learn & Unlearn.

Too bad

I’m a bit short for CS3’s system requirements. Need an upgrade.

When I visited Fullybooked Bonifacio last weekend I saw the movie tie-in edition of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s "Love in the Time of Cholera". I’ve heard about the film adaptation on TV and thought it interesting. So, seeing it again in book form (with its vivid red rose cover) heightened the buzz for me to see it.

I read it back in 2006, summer of 2006. It was the time of my internship at C&G. I remember the heat, latin America, the wait.

I like Marquez’s magical realism though I find his novels a little laborious to read, meaning the story kinda drags sometimes. One of the things that got me through One Hundred Years of Solitude was my friends comment that it had a "killer" ending. I like his short stories though. But I must say with Love in the Time of Cholera Marquez was up again in my book.

I liked it a lot. Mainly because I was projecting myself as Florentino Ariza most of the time as I read it. How can you hate something you could definitely relate to?

Sana may debede na si manang.

"Hardcore."
Was the first thing I thought when I heard of Marianette Amper’s suicide. I mean here I am existential and all while a twelve year old girl has resolved that life isn’t worth living.

Hardcore.

***

Her story wasn’t my first encounter of suicidal musings over a diary (We all have entries like that, though she was one of the few who followed through). My youngest sister talked of killing herself at one point when we were young. She wrote it in her diary that my other sibling read. I remember it because I was the primary reason for her suicide. Yeah. She and I are entangled in this bunso-panganay animosity thread. I dismissed it as pathetic when I heard it at first but secretly I was disturbed. So after that I tried to be a lot more nicer to her–we were young ok.

***

I can’t imagine how hopeless Marianne must have felt. To a little degree I can relate to her qualms about not getting money for school projects. But no money for pamasahe? 40 pesos a day for a living?

shit.

What makes me sad about her story is that she must have valued her education a lot. It was her only hope. It was her ticket out. And because of her poverty she couldn’t even experience it?

***

I always feel a degree of respect for people who endured a lot just to finish school. Those people who worked to pay for their tuition etc. These are the kind of people, more often than not, you can count on.

Sometimes I can’t feel anything but irritation to those rich students/people who dismiss poverty as something they’ve experienced, especially when the "experience" was something like visiting impoverished slums or not being able to afford gas money for a year.

Its not their fault I know. I just hate it that they still have the luxury to say it so lightly. For me you haven’t experienced poverty if you go home and sleep in your nice little homes period.

Like Marianette. She had to wake up every morning to it–for twelve years.
Rest in Peace.

Friday again. Got paid for the first half of the month and the impending weekend is urging me to spend again (like crazy). I’ve been reminded about the value of saving a lot. I know its practical it might save my life one day–but as of now I haven’t saved anything yet. Next pay day I guess.

Also, this week has been fun. I looked forward to work actually. And for the first time, I was actually happy to work over time (Even if I’m not paid for it).
I don’t know–coz I am using a Mac?

I hate to admit it but I guess the work environment was one of the reasons that drove me out of advertising. I’ve also realized that it doesn’t hurt to know that your work gets appreciated once in awhile. Artists need affirmation I guess. Is that a good thing?

So here I am happy to be at work. For now.

I’m looking forward to spend at Fullybooked Bonifacio, finally. I’m dragging my siblings along tomorrow. hehehe

Also I’ve developed a sudden distaste for Jane Austen and more praise for Haruki Murakami.

And I’ll try to go jogging 3 times a week for 30mins.

And I think I’m still coming back to school on June or after I get a MacBook.

I’ll try to juggle work and study and see if which one has to go. But I’m still hoping that doing the two can work.

There.

The PC that I use at work is now dying. So my boss asked some of our departments if they have any Macs than we can borrow temporarily. And tada!
I’m using one right now.

An eMac.

I know Apple doesn’t make this anymore but still, they’re pretty ok. But man, it is heavy (I had to carry this from the storage room up to our office). It sings too, though in only one note. It sounds like an airbus about to take off.

I remember my first Mac, I named him HAL. So I guess I’ll name this one HAL.2
until Hal.3 comes.

I was told that the office is trying to acquire the new 20inch iMac for my use.

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!

I hope OS Leopard na.

I hope it follows through.

I finally saw Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution last night. In general I liked it a lot. Great musical score, cinematography, acting, directing etc.

And it’s a good thing that it’s shown in its whole here in the Philippines. Don’t wait for the pirated DVD watch it in theaters.

It’s a sad story told beautifully.