Monthly Archives: July 2009

Photo Dump

Paper Patisserie by Peculiar Pair Press

July 31, 2009 – 12:21 pm

..is an awesome alternative to Moleskine.

DAY NINE. See? I’m making some progress. I’m little by little getting out of my cave, letting go of things I’ve gotten used to (yes, I meant Moleskine), and trying out something new. *This is the part where you shower me with congratulations and pats on the back.*

So yeah, I’m taking a break from Moleskine but that’s only because I found a prettier (and yes, cheaper even) alternative. Behold, the Paper Patisserie Mini Journal Set (sounds prettier too, eh?) by Peculiar Pair Press.

By the way, I’m taking a break from being wordy also. So tonight, I shall try visual.

Paper Patisserie Mini Journal Set by Pecular Pair Press

Paper Patisserie Mini Journal Set by Peculiar Pair Press

Paper Patisserie Mini Journal Set by Pecular Pair Press

Paper Patisserie Mini Journal Set by Pecular Pair Press

Paper Patisserie Mini Journal Set by Pecular Pair Press

Paper Patisserie Mini Journal Set by Pecular Pair Press

*Got the notebook set from Full Booked at PhP 700+. Just now I found out that it’s available online too at $14.95. Awesomecakes.

Good night, one and all.

30 Days of Awesome, 9/30.

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Design Inspiration Photo Dump Web Hopping

Soft, Dreamy, Vintage Photographs

July 30, 2009 – 1:28 pm

DAY EIGHT. I wasn’t able to take a photo today, but this post will have a bunch of photos just the same. :)

Tonight I got home from Bible Study, replied to some emails, got some work done, and.. when all the work-related browsers were already out of the way, I readied myself to take in my daily dose of inspiration. It’s amazing how I’ve been around the web for so many years and yet, how little I’ve actually seen. Sometime in the last couple of months, I have unknowingly opened a door that lead to blogs, and photostreams, and realms that I never knew existed. It’s like finding a gate to a secret magical place, and each step of the way I find something/someone new to draw inspiration from.

These are just some of the photographers I’ve been following lately (fine, stalking, but really, I’m planning to let them know I’ve been admiring them from afar, like through an email or something, soon).

+ Kristybee: Flickr | Etsy Store | Blog

I love Kristy’s soft pastel colors, and polaroids, and flowers, and vases, and that window sill, which, for some reason, makes everything on it look oh-so-lovely.

Kristy Bee | Lilylove1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

+ Susannah Conway: Flickr | Shop | Blog

Susannah’s photographs look like they came straight out of The Secret Garden. I’ve been toying with the idea of buying her prints so I could put them under my pillow so I would dream of them.

Susannah Conway | Unravelling1, 2, 3, 4

+ Amanda Gilligan: Flickr | Photo Blog | Personal Blog

Amanda takes both film and digital, but really, whenever I browse through her streams, I cannot tell them apart anymore! And I love how she takes photos of some of my favorite things — polaroids, books, and coffee.

Amanda | Lyptonvillage1, 2, 3, 4

Dreamy, vintage-like photographs never fail to make me swoon. I love how each one of these female photographers — Kristy, Susannah, and Amanda — is able to own up to a certain style that makes her photographs distinctly unforgettable. You’ll never miss Kristy’s soft tones. Or Susannah’s dreamy touch. Or Amanda’s vintage style.

And when you’re a photographer, having people associate your name to your photographs is just waaay awesome. Someday, I hope to find my own way too.

30 Days of Awesome, 8/30.

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Paper Stuff

Typecasting: Twitter 1.0

July 29, 2009 – 12:11 pm

DAY SEVEN. It’s becoming more and more difficult blogging about awesome things, not because I’m starting to get lazy already, or I can’t think of anything to blog about. Nope. It’s kindof the opposite, actually. Since I started this 30-day challenge, everyday seems to be bursting with awesome things that I find it hard to choose just one.

Thrifted Dress, A Good Book, and Comfy Slippers

7/30. Typecasting my awesome things.

Like yesterday, for example. I thought I’d blog about thrifting, because I seem to be doing that quite often lately, whether online or offline. The pretty vintage dress *points to picture* was delivered to me yesterday from UkayManila (Thanks, Lauren!), and I have another one coming from InTheFishbowl tomorrow. OAN, I thought it would also be nice to blog about this book I just started reading, The Virgin Suicides, and a bunch of other books lined up for me after I finish reading this one.

(You know what, I might just blog about these next time!)

Now, you see, I’ve been typing about these things with my Olympia, too. (I know, what a nerd, right?) I initially wanted to type something coherent, only I ended up typing random thoughts throughout the day. Oh well.

Anywayyy. It’s Henry’s turn to speak now. Check out my second typecast, twitter style, just because typecasting is awesome like that. :)

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Life as I Know It

Blogging with Nokia E71

July 28, 2009 – 10:07 pm

..is awesome!

DAY SIX. Wow. People can actually do this? :) Forgive my amazement, I came from two years with a Samsung E250, which I thought was kinda jurassic (it came with a Sun Cellular line so how can I complain?). I never really figured out how to use WAP on that thing even, but I’ve grown to love it just the same. After all, it served me well for two years and survived dropage (lol, is there even a word?) of various forms and ways, the last one being into a pail of water in my bathroom, before finally succumbing to death.

But that’s the E250. Let’s talk about this *cough*still-unpaid*cough* Nokia E71.

Luvin' my white Nokia E71 :)

6/30. Blogging with Nokia E71

I’ve always thought I’m a Nokia person, though I happened to have tried a Sony Ericsson and a Samsung in the past. Woot, I’m back to using a Nokia now. :)

Truth be told, I’m a sucker for pretty-looking phones. Often, I’d choose one for its looks, not for its technical specs. I still currently have in possession a pink Sony z70i, which I only bought because it’s pink but never really got to use so much. Oh hey, i’m putting it up for sale btw. :-p

This Nokia E71, while loaded with awesome features, was actually a choice I made because I thought it was really pretty. I even waited for weeks to find the white version because I refused to get the black or the silver one. And mind you, it was not easy finding this. The white E71 had been out-of-stock for some time, trust me when I say I’ve looked far and wide, that’s why when I finally found one last remaining stock at some store in Megamall, there was no room for second thoughts.

And here I am now, feeling like I won the lottery for finding a cell phone that’s not only pretty but also a useful tool, considering my line of work. I love how I can check email anywhere, and read through my favorite feeds. And I’m loving the qwerty too. I didn’t think I’d have the patience to learn qwerty since my fingers have already become accustomed to the normal way of texting all these years, but now, qwerty is the way to go baby!

Lastly, I like being able to blog in a situation where it’s crazy — not impossible but crazy — to open a laptop, like in a cab ride such as this one. Why hello traffic, this one’s for you! The only worry I have now is if this thing has autosave, I think not, so this has to be posted on my first try.

Or else my next post will be about why mobile blogging sucks. :-p

In the spirit of being consistent with my 30 awesome things, I shall upload a photo to come with this post, later with my mac. Yeah, I’m OC like that. Ta-ta!

Edit, few hours later. Notes in parenthesis are added with my Mac. :)

Edit, some more hours later. Added a photo.

30 Days of Awesome, 6/30.

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Uncategorized

Watching the Half Blood Prince for the 3rd Time, and siiiiigh, Severus Snape <3

July 27, 2009 – 11:15 pm

Oh noes, someone noticed I missed the July 27th post. I didn’t realize anyone would actually notice. Thanks Sharra, for (uhm) noticing. I fell asleep typing this post last night, that’s why. So, err, here it goes. :)

DAY FIVE. No, not 3rd time. 2.75th time, if I’d be more specific, because 3-quarters of the way through the second one, I suddenly remembered a deadline I had to catch, so we left somewhere in the middle of Harry and Dumbledore’s cave scene, which was okay, since I saw the movie already anyway.

But my brother and I had to watch it again last night because we’re fanatics like that. First 2 times (err, 1.75 times) with Rico, and this last one with Kuya Niks.

HBP

5/30. Watching HP and the Half Blood Prince for the 3rd Time

At this point, I’d say, it gets better the second time around, and gets even better the third time. I’m not sure though, if I’d still say the same thing if I saw it 10 times. Not that I would do anything like that, I think three times is enough.

I thought the first time I saw it was rather frustrating because the expectations were so high. I couldn’t stop comparing the movie to the book, and listing down in my head the scenes in the book that were taken off or replaced in the film version –

  • Dumbledore picking up Harry from the Dursleys;
  • Bill and Fleur’s wedding; Fleur hanging around the Burrow (I stand corrected, the wedding’s on the 7th book, thanks Mara!);
  • Tonks secretly falling in love with Lupin, Lupin pushing her away;
  • Harry inheriting the Blacks’ house and Kreacher;
  • Voldemort’s roots, Tom Riddle stealing the ring from Morvolo, killing his father, working at Borgin and Burke, coming back to Hogwarts to apply for a job;
  • the battle between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix at Hogwarts!! (I really thought this one should be there);

I could go on and on. I hoped to see more of Fred and George too, their magical store was just soo fun to watch I wish there were more clips of that. And I thought it was totally unnecessary to set the Burrow on fire, that part was really sad (and totally not in the book!). And where is the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic in all of this? I missed Neville Longbottom, too, although I believe that his role will be more prominent in the Deathly Hallows.

At one point I thought the movie was an over-the-top marketing strategy for people to buy the book (or read the book again). It’s funny how those who’ve read the book would keep comparing it with the movie version that they end up frustrated, while those who didn’t read the book would have so many questions bugging them the entire film that they end up too focused on connecting the dots, and/or bugging the person next to them (who happened to have read the book) with questions throughout the film. You’ve read the book, you compare. You didn’t read it, you get lost.

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Family & Friends

Having Internet, Coffee and Friends when it’s Flooded and you’re Stranded

July 26, 2009 – 1:04 pm

DAY FOUR. Internet, coffee, and friends are awesome when you’re stuck in a building along a flooded and impassable Metro Manila road on a Sunday night. (Oh hai from the Philippines, where traffic and floods are nothing out of ordinary.)

stranded

4/30. Thank God for Internet, Coffee, and Friends

I’m not going to describe how it’s like to be stranded though, and will just leave the photos to speak for themselves. I dare not say that it’s an awesome thing either, being stranded, because, in spite of the many unexpectedly awesome things that came out of this experience, I’m sure these people I’m stranded with right now are all tired and just wanting to go home, crawl in bed, and stay there for the next two days. And I’m not about to describe also what the situation is outside this building, how the flood has gone waist-deep, and how some cars are stuck in the middle of the road for hours, not because the traffic is not moving, but because their engines have been drown by floodwater and have given up on them, i.e., this girl driving an automatic Toyota Vios, stranded across the street with a dead engine for the past 2 hours (take note, an automatic! ouch!), desperately trying to contact anyone for help. (My sentences are far too long sometimes, sorry.)

What I’m just trying to say now is, when you imposed on yourself to think (and blog) of everyday’s awesome things, surely you are bound to see the silver lining in every cloud.

Like, for me, in spite of being stranded, having internet and coffee and a bunch of friends around me, unlike that Toyota Vios girl who’s imprisoned in her own car, alone in the middle of the flood.

Or like, being able to check email, get some work done, order a Pluey, buy a thrifted dress, watch some clips over YouTube, leave comments over Flickr, upload photos, check Facebook, read celebrity news, tweet a bit, chat a bit — and all of these while stranded, and sipping a cup of coffee with friends.

I. Am. Saying. A. Lot. Of. Jibberish. I think I already made my point.

Flood, not cool. Being stranded, not cool.
Having reasons to enjoy being stranded, awesome.

P.S. When one is consistently late in publishing her 30-day challenge posts, is that considered creating a habit too? :)

30 Days of Awesome, 4/30.

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Web Hopping

Collecting Guitars and Displaying Them

July 25, 2009 – 1:51 am

DAY THREE. I think guitars are not only photogenic, they’re also awesome decorative elements wherever you place them. Truckloads of photos, coming up! :)

3/30 | Guitars are Awesome

3/30. Collecting Guitars and Displaying Them

[The guitars in this photo: Acoustic guitar -- the only one that is actually making any sound; the red toy guitar made in Cebu, from Ivy; and the two guitar magnets -- the bigger one I got from the Detroit Metro Airport during a stopover from last year's US trip, and the smaller one from my brother who got it also from Cebu.]

I have not played my guitar in a long time (and have stopped being guitarchic, too, if you haven’t noticed, lol) but I’m still fond of anything guitar, mostly because I like taking photos of them and seeing them displayed. And okay, playing them once in a while.

Collect and display, there goes a rule to live by. If you have guitars in your house, whether you’re using them or not, take them out of your closets and display them.

Let’s try visual now, shall we? Here are two ways to use guitars as decorative elements.

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