An apology

Now that you’re here, I am sorry about the senselessness of all other posts before this post.

When I was picking up this blog again, dusting it off and slowly polishing it, I figured it would be wise to see how other friends with blogs have been loyal with theirs. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to start with blogger friends from The Guidon, or Heights because then it became a little too intimidating for someone who hasn’t written anything longer than 5-word catchphrases for ads in months.

I looked at my past entries here and I knew none of my past editors would approve. Even I wouldn’t read this shit! It’s really a shame I’ve forgotten to put more thought and importance to the stringing together of words. Worse, in my day job where the purpose is quick impression on customers, I am forced to cut off 80% of words, ignore proper grammar and stick to 5 syllables per sentence. How am I supposed to get back to proper writing when 8 hours a day, I have to do the opposite? (That is not me making up excuses!)

My temporary solution: take photos instead. Leave the writing to a minimum, at least until I can muster enough courage (or effort lol) to write something decent. It’s part avoidance, part baby-steps strategy. In the meantime, I’m sorry. To friends who used to laugh at my Multiply blog, to friends I used to be with in Features, to strangers who can’t believe another prick wasted more internet space on crap. I will make up for it. Zat ees a promees.

Clutter is the comfy cushion of creativity

The past few days I’ve been working on a freelance project that required two photoshoots (one with people, and the other an impromptu photofest with these teeenybopper clothes), and a lot of layouting (all of which are done on this table). Although I’ve had this workspace for almost 8 years, only recently have I seriously made it my creative cocoon, nap spot, lunch table, and ultimately my procrastination witness.

But because the room I share with my sister is too big (we have a storage loft area that fits two queen-size beds above our bathroom) and the 2horsepower aircon is getting overworked, I’m going to have to leave my beloved workstation and move into the (much smaller) guest room for my whole-day work.

I will miss you love, and I promise to be back.

Littol update! Finished the magazine project, here’s an online preview for you to check out. You know, if you’re a teenage girl who hates pimples and loves clothes.

Doodle #1

She's smart, stylish, smiling, and she's made by me!

Now that school’s over, I got me some time to play with my Wacom and practice some drawing skillz!

Yes, it’s clear I’m going to need a few quite a number of lessons on illustration, hopefully I can still cram that in between finding a job and setting up Kustom Kreatives.

Driving duties

It’s nice to have a break from my years of driving duties. In 2008, because I had to leave for a semester abroad, Paula was forced to take over my driving duties. Since then we’ve been alternating to-school/going-home shifts. This shot was taken on the way to school, crossing the bridge over SLEX, facing Laguna Bay sunrise, and I was just chilling at the backseat.

Can’t believe my days of forced-learning was three years ago pa. Summer of freshman year, my dad and I went through a series of grueling, shouting-crying series of driving lessons. For him, it paid off–no more driving from The White House to The Blue University every freaking day. For me, it was the start of my autopilot days–two hours of the same route, Monday to Saturday, I mastered this route like I owned the whole SLEX-C5-Katips extension. But I have to admit it was only on my last semester that I realized there are only 5 turns from my house to the Ateneo gate–Intercity Homes main gate, turn left to service road, turn right to bridge, turn left to toll gate into SLEX, turn right from SLEX tollgate to C5, straight straight straight to Katipunan and turn right into campus–amazing, I know. Apart from my own record of 23 minutes, the usual 40-minute drive really really isn’t that far. All you need are smooth tunes, maybe a good conversationalist in shotgun, or even just the windows down.

Back in the game

Trying to come up with a 5,700 CWS (characters with spaces) article was never this hard.  In writing my last article for The GUIDON, I realized how the lack of practice has made squeezing coherent, interesting words and phrases together a bigger challenge than resisting  chocolate with zero calories.

But I must do it. Because after reading through some writer friends’ works, I remembered how great it felt to just share, think out loud, amuse a reader, maybe even make them laugh. I want to start ASAP–I’m not even going to wait for the next five days (my last examinations week evar) to finish, I promise NO EXCUSES for not coming up with something–anything–at least once a week. Maybe I’ll even cheat and just jot down random thoughts on my brand new Moleskine (hell yeah, a little woot-woot for consumerism for the arts)! So, that should be easy enough, think that makes for a good start? I do. Now let’s watch it get better.