On Paradigms

So I just finished my readings for my class tomorrow, (yay I did my homework)...

this article described in specific detail how objects such as teddy bears, cereal boxes, or magazine covers have images with certain connotation. In the article was a quote in bold:

"If bears are dangerous and scary, what makes your teddy bear different?"

So when we (designers) are faced with symbols that contain connotations, such as chuck taylors, guns or baseball caps, how do we strip the object of its implications, of its connotations and apply a whole new idea to appeal and change the perspective of the consumer?

I have the answer.

Unfortunately, it is not within my hands.

I can however attempt to describe it to you...

but the answer is hung in the student design display at OSU.

By taking these simple objects, and then connecting them with abstract meanings, we can therefore strip the object of its previous paradigm, and give it whole new meaning.

I love what i do.

On Firsts

Isn't it weird we have three first days an academic year???

So I have a total of 23 credit hours...

Art Education 252 [Photoshop]

Art 300.02 [Digital Photography]

Anthropology 200 [...]

Rural Sociology 105 [...]

Edu P&L 270.04 [RA Class]

Mostly GECs, seems like an easy quarter, but you never know...?

I'm starting to miss my classes last quarter. Design 310 really was amazing.

Here's my irony of the day...

why is it hard to do things during the day?

either way you end up staring into some empty space letting random thoughts fly around

and when you finally can concentrate or control yourself enough to actually do your homework, there are better things to do?

i hate homework.

On Rain

When the clouds come out, and the rain pours... nothing

nothing is left, nothing but the truth.

The truth comes out in the rain.

...

...

I love my father. To me, no one has more strength than my father.

And I hear him from the room nextdoor.

As well as the voices of disappointment, arrogance, delusion, anger, pain...

and he speaks with a calm voice, to deal with what I can't. And as i lose myself in tears, in water, in rain

I see his soul.

If I were to ever lose him, when that day comes, the rain will come down in sheets.

and I thank God for my father, and his ability to reason.

that is all.

On time

There's such a big difference between having nothing to do,

and then having things to do, but choosing to not do them.

that difference being boredom.

could be loneliness, I'm used to being surrounded by people.

this is weird.

I find myself watching two movies which do nothing but make me swoon over the fictional character. I bet you can guess one of the movies. (hint... very fictional)

So I kinda came to several realizations over the past few weeks..

1. Time passes quickly

2. We change as time passes

3. We never take note of the time passing

4. Returning to old time is well... weird

5. Friends are precious

6. Family is precious and permanent

7. Friends aren't.

Kind of bleak. It's disappointing, don't get me wrong.

Blame it on this being the first time Im coming back from college, but that doesn't really count at this point. Do you ever feel like something is weird and you don't know what it is? Like something is not right and it's not anything you can fix because you don't even know if anything is wrong in the first place.

And as time changes, we change and so do the people around us. In my case, they only grow further. And there's no use holding on is there? If what we are is destined anyway to move on? What's the use of holding on to something that won't even last? What's the use of even starting one?

Very bleak things about me.

1. I'm a pessimist

2. I'm spontaneous

3. I'm incredibly lazy, I will not call you

4. Vanity is my curse

5. I never think about the future

6. My biggest paranoia are of what other people think of me.

7. I deliberate more than any human should

Why is it that we... in this case I, are so concerned about what others think, about materialistic qualities such as our appearance?

...if it's not even going to last. Why do I bother?

because I can't trust others. Simple. I like to think I can, but the truth behind it, is that I have a hard time trusting anyone but myself. That's why I worry about these things, because I am sure of no one else, but me.

It's sad, but true. Why can I child living in the slums, begging on the streets for money know what real happiness is? How is it they can understand true value, and I... suffering from neverending credit bills don't even know what value feels like? Why have I been in relationships, friendships, and not really understand friendship?

I guess out of all this, there is a upside... a different kind of confidence. Not enough to get me out in public without taking a shower, but definitely enough to know that what I do, what I love to do... that alone brings me a happiness I can't quite explain. For a moment, I can forget... about the drinks I had last night, about the screaming in the other room, about the friend I valued above others... and lost in a matter of hours, about the increasing amount on my credit card, and about the gradually decreasing grade point average... I can escape to a world where none of it matters but my own expression, there is no pain, there is no sick feeling... there's just me.

Of any movie I have seen, which have been numerous, I find solace in this quote. Said by Kate Winslet from "The Holiday," her monologue reads:

"I understand feeling as small and insignificant as humanly possible. And how it can actually ache in places that you didn't know you had inside you. It doesn't matter how many new haircuts you get, gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends. You still go to bed every night going over every detail, and wonder what you did wrong or how you could've misunderstood. Or how in hell for that brief moment you could think you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he could see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, You'll go somewhere new and you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff... those years of your life that you've wasted... that will eventually begin to fade."

Goodnight. Sweet dreams...

On Irony

Irony seems to follow me wherever I go...

In my search for boredom's cure, I began to subscribe to various blogs which peaked my interes

t. These included blogs on design and food. =)

I came across several that I added to my feed. I was browsing my usual sites when I came across this on a design

blog. I half laughed and I half cried:

Here's why it's so

ironic:

I mentioned before about the design entrance exam for OSU... but incase that's too far back to c

heck out, let me recap.

The exam consisted of the following...

a. student profile

b. student transcripts

c. student questionnaire

d. test material (non-specific)

e. test material (specific)

f. optional (but not really) student portfolio.

steps a through f were not a problem.

exclude d, e and f.

the most important parts.

d had two halves.

the first part was to create a ballot instructing first time voters how to vote .

This was a dilemma because

1. I have never voted.

2. I am of age.

3. I am not legally allowed to vote. I am a permanent resident, but not a citizen.

with the cases provided I did not know how a ballot looked like, and images were not sufficient on any search engine I used. So basically I just winged it.

Now I just found out... here is an image that displays very well the design and the instructions. Simple, good design. Where was this when I needed it?

Here's a last thought...

On Magic

It really amazes me when I see things like this...

There is no more Mattoni

or this...

Her Morning Elegance

I'm caught at a complete numbness for any sense or logic... these are just amazing!

Amazing that these people have created something so beautiful that they defy what they really are. They creat

e an alternate vision, something that relates to more than one sense. In the case of the first link, not only is it something we see on television as an ad, but we feel the water, we know what it is, and it brings this new magic to two familiarities: water and television ads.

This is magic.

I'm proud to be a designer, we bring to life magic. I love what I do.

There is a difference.. I never actually say if something bothers me, but one of the things that gets on my nerves, is the fact that design is treated as an art. While that may be true to form, don't call me an artist.

Artists understand certain abstract qualities of life, they have a stream of consciousness that flows in a level far beyond another's imagination. In that sense, one artist may create a beautiful piece that may mean something profound, it may even describe the meaning of life.. but it is only understood by anyone on that same stream of consciousness. Which realistically, is nobody.

Creating works of art that take incredible imaginatio

n and refined skill of deliberation, these masterpieces are hung on a wall, mounted on black or displayed in a gallery, but there is no purpose. There may be all the meaning in the world, but like I said... no purpose.

In Design, you can call us artists. You can call us engineers. You can call us scientists. You can call us researchers. Whatever it may be, it requires a handful of skills to carry out a task. Given a problem existing in the world as of this moment, we are problem solvers. We find a problem, research ways in which the problem can be fixed, and fix it, but do so in a way that is innovative, creative and... magical. So ofte

n, the greatest design exists without notice.

I bet you've never REALLY looked at this design.

Look at it. Look at the colors. Look at the flavors.

Part of the reason VitaminWater is so successful is the design. Drink halfway, the the design is only increased. The splash of color, the use of black, the simplicity of the label, the typeface...

those are all deliberate. These have been created to be as popular as they are. The clear lid? It only captures attention when the liquid color is seen through the lid.

If the same product were sold in a regular water bottle... would it really be as popular?

It would just look like powder packets added to a water bottle. This has been designed to the point that is is almost an accessory. You notice people carry it, you notice people buying, you notice when people stop running and take a sip of VitaminWater.

Think about it.

Yeah.

We are magicians. We delve into your mental process, and we play with your logic. We manipulate how you think.

We're designers.

We're magicians.

On glasses

The time is now 1:29... primetime. =)

A man sits at the table, in front of him, his 25 year old son and facing him, three windows overlooking a baseball diamond, several houses, and naked trees against a cerulean blue sky, dimpled with shades of white. The man barely speaks, but today is an exception. Each time words come out of his mouth, they are few in number, but infinite in size. Wisdom and truth is his language, and advice are his words. I love this man. I look up to him. I strive to be like him.

My father.

And he is the reason I am posting this. None of my posts are really "self-help" and "inspiring"... instead, they are a means of me reiterating advice, so that I, primarily gain from what I say. There's an art to learning not through words, but through experience. Just a taste of what goes through my mind on a day to day basis.

The topic?

Control.

A man misses his alarm clock and wakes up half an hour late for an interview. Without showering, he puts on wrinkled pants and a white button up blouse. His shoes are not tied. As he steps out of his apartment towards his car, he takes note of the downpour soaking through his white blouse. Already 45 minutes late, the highway is full of other cars, all in a rush, all in the same direction.

What does the man think of his life?

What do you think?

He could very well be the happiest person in the world, as well as the most depressed, most pathetic creature to have existed.

Three shades here... blue, green and yellow. Accordingly...

a. "Why does my life suck?"

b. "This happens."

c. "I should pick up some Starbucks."

what do you think?

we could argue that fate, or some higher power is punishing said man. we could argue that these things happen to everyone. Or we couldn't argue and instead... put on those yellow glasses.

No, we can't control the weather, the traffic or power outage that messed up the clock... but really, we can control how we go about it. We could laugh, we could ride it out, we could cry. In that sense, we actually have control over what happens. Make an effort to make the day better because if you say it will be bad, then it will be. Life is what we make of it. We basically have all control. It's up to you... do you want a happy life? Make every disappointment a vertex and rise from that and be active. Do you want depression... keep it up. Or rather, down. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "no one can make you feel inferior without your consent" and with that in mind, you have control over anything that happens to you. You just need to believe it.

Odd that this comes from a determinist. If you know anything about philosophy, I am a determinist. Weird huh?

There exists multiple perspectives as to how much control we have over our lives. Two ends of the spectrum are determinism and libertarianism. Determinists believe what happened in our past influences a major part of our future. Whatever happens was fated to happen due entirely to fate and our past. Bleak, gives a reason for those of us to procrastinate, or not study (it was meant to be this way... i get what i get... whatever happens happens...)

On the other hand, libertarians are those who believe everything is up to us. Our past has no significant reigning power over our future. Everything is in your control and every decision is strictly your own. Optimistic.

Quick thought about optimism/pessimism... we need both. Don't tell me to change and be an optimist. I am what I am, and if you don't like that... go find someone else to converse with. The world is in need of both... for the Optimist created the aircraft, while the pessimist designed the parachute.

My father was raised by a single hard-working woman. You make think it ill-fated and terribly unfortunate. So many have that misfortune... but he used that, and it is his learning guide, by which he raised three beautiful children. Don't dwell on the past, spring from it. There is no use... it's gone already and you're missing on opportunities.

Which glasses do you wear?

A case for spontaneity

What awaits us in dreams?

Last night, I dreamt of a certain crush of mine. For the past couple weeks actually, I've had the same dream, and I usually never dream. For this purpose, let's call him Daniel. For the past couple weeks, I've dreamt of Daniel. Circumstances have made it almost impossible for me to even meet him, but in dreams anything can happen. And it always happens the same way. We meet, we fall in love... happiness. There exists no sorrow, no pain of heartbreak, no complexity... just pure undiluted happiness.

But if this were how we live, without pain, without heartbreak, would we consider it happiness? There would exist no means of comparison between what is joyful, what is sorrowful, what is glorious and what is mystical. Everything at our fingertips.

So why then are we faced with depression to understand blessing? Why heartbreak to know what love is? Why unemployment to cherish our belongings?

Happiness is a weird thing. We never know we're happy until we're... well... sad. So does that justify then the moments when our life is brought to shambles? When there exists no meaning for life, that ultimately, death in one way or another may bring happiness?

What brings us happiness? Where does it come from? Does it come from the new car, waiting for us after graduation? Does it come from weeks of work to afford an Abercrombie and Fitch Jacket? Does it come from a goodnight kiss? Does it come from a big refund check in the mail? Does it come from the Jimmy Choos, or the 3.88 GPA? Maybe not so big...

With every minute that passes, thousands of events occur at the exact same time. While I sit here typing on my mac, someone else is studying for a major chem test next monday. Comfortably laid against pillows on a queen size bed, someone somewhere is sleeping without a mattress, or even just a pillow. And as I inhale... someone is exhaling their last breath. All while this may be depressing, find hope that while we go about each day, we are blessed. Having a family, having a bed to sleep in at night, having a sturdy shelter over our heads to keep the rain and snow away.

Even more subtle, are the moments we pass by. Every second with our closest friends, maybe not even talking, just being with them is enough. Or every kiss goodnight from our loved ones... the little things are what make us happy. And little by little, the accumulation of little things are enough to pass us through the hard times. While every kiss, or breath, or hug, or blink may be our last... take charge.

Dont regret. If there's anything you need to know about me and what I hope to achieve in life, I hope to never ever have regrets.

Blaze a trail. Leave it flaming. Be spontaneous...

take that dive

take that leap

and put a little heart in it.

I promise you, You'll be glad you did it. You never know when the next opportunity will pop up, or even if it will.

Just think about this:

every second that passes by is a second closer to death. How do you want to be remembered?

On Goals

On life I have three goals.

1. Find love in whatever form that may be, person place or object, it will be finite.

2. Leave a legacy, make a mark, leave behind a message because although we are dust in the wind,

I assure you, my existence will not be in vain.

3. See the world. There is so much to see, the wonders of a world we take for granted. Someday, will all be obliterated, vanished far beyond where it now stands. I intend to see all of it, and not from a clear window across a lace-lined bedroom in a lavish suite, rather on my own two feet in sneakers that are muddy and have the soles ripping off, with a heavy backpack filled

with 10 items only.

What would you bring?

Where would you go?

The remainder of this post will list all 109 places. I've decided after each visit, I'll post a picture. That'll take a while, but the best things in life are achieved after hard work and time.

Santorini, Greece

Sonoma, California

Rome, Italy

Tuscany, Italy

Kings Cross Station, London, England

Barcelona, Spain

Isle of Skype and Kinloch Lodge, Scotland

Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

Les Calanches, France

The Walls of Carcassone, France

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

Mykonos & Delos, Greece

Monasteries of the Meteora, Greece

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Venice, Italy

La Mezquita, Spain

Old Town Square, Czech Republic

Petrodvorets, Russia

The Ring Road, Iceland

Lofoten Islands, Norway

Aswan and the Old Cataract Hotel, Egypt

The Hanging Church of Cairo, Egypt

Masai Mara, Kenya

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe & Zambia

Petra, Jordan

Palmyra, Syria

Old Sana'a, Yemen

The Forbidden City, China

The Li River, China

Lhasa, China

Cherry Blossom Viewing, Japan

Chomolnari Trek and the Tiger's Nest, Bhutan

Hagia Sophia, Turkey

The Road to Mandalay River, Cruise, Myanmar

Corcovado, Brazil

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Machu Picchu, Peru

Little Dix Bay and the Baths, Lesser Antilles

Grenadines

Anguilla

Loch Ard Gorge, The Great Ocean Road, Australia

Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, New Zealand

Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia

Windsor Castle, Europe

Santa's Village, Finland

Dracula's Castle, Romania

Bali

Abu Simbel, Egypt

Zermatt, Switzerland

Barbados

Salzburg, Austria

Melbourne, Australia

La Digue, Seychelles

Dubai

American University of Sharjah

Luxor, Egypt

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Himalayaes, Nepal

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Iguassu Falls

Auckland, New Zealand

Maldives

Chichen Itza, Mexico

Uluru, Australia

TerraCotta Army, China

Regatta Hotel, Jakarta

Russia Tower, Russia

Penang Global City Centre, Malaysia

Gazprom Headquarters, Russia

Burj Dubai, Dubai

Berlin, Germany

Square du Vert- Galand, Paris

Ile Saint-Louis, Paris

Acr de Triomphe, Paris

Musee du Louvre, Paris

Mont Matre, Paris

Piazza di Spagna, Rome

S. Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane, Rome

Amsterdam

Easter Island, Moas, Chile

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Tokyo, Japan

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Area 51, Nevada

Half Moon Caye, Belize

Kjeragbolten, Norway

Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

Blarney Stone, Irlend

Stone Town, Zanibar

Lisse, The Netherlands

Christmas Island, Australia

Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

Madrid, Spain

Walnivalase, Fiji

Stockholm, Sweden

Warsaw, Poland

Munich, Germany

Tongatapu, Tonga

Montenegro

Manila, Philippines

Brussels, Belgium

Quebec, Canada

Montreal, Canada

Bora Bora

Boracay, Philippines

Palawan, Philippines

Cape Town, South Africa

Florence, italy

Istanbul, Turkey

Vancouver, Canada

Happy Travels!

On Good Luck

A few words, I don't want to take away from your study time. (yes, it's that time of year).

I don't believe in luck, so it would be idiotic to wish you good luck. Instead I'll leave with this: Good Faith.

Have faith in yourself, have faith in your abilities, and just have faith. Nothing will get you through, except for a bit of reviewing, but you did attend those classes, you did read those chapters, you did write those papers, and somewhere, (when you're done freaking out) you'll find your answers. The human brain is capable of so much with will power, now all you need to do is believe it.

No, I'm not an optimist.

On optimism:

"Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute."

-Gil Stern

Final word:

"The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success."

-Bruce Feirstein

I wish you OSU students (and myself) success and good faith

Peace.

On Rhetorical Questions

So I've come to two conclusions as a result of my procrastination...

1. Don't.

2. No matter how many times I tell myself, procrastination is habitual and necessary.

I also came to two conclusions regarding desire.

1. Have it.

2. Develop it.

My eyes constantly drifted from two things: the clock on the top right corner of my laptop, and to the drawing on the table in front of me. Not even close to being finished.

Why do i do this?

Two projects. Due in one day. Both halfway done. Both final projects. One is for Design 203 which is composed of three parts. The first is a written short story about another student in the class. The second is a visual student profile including a portrait and basic information about this particular student. The last part... a visual process, a comic if you will which visually describes the story outlined in part one. The portrait alone took most of my time, being a perfectionist and being as intricate as I am, this needed to be great since I never really gave my best effort in my class... this is my time.

Why do i do this?

The second project was for Design 310. Let me tell you: everyone has one class, one teacher, one quarter which stands up above the rest, and will remain the best throughout the college experience. I can tell you now, this is it. Design 310 is a color class... yes, color. But not coloring green crayons inside the lines... instead the color wheel, Josef Albers and Johannes Itten, Simultaneous Color Contrast, Monochromatic Scale, Color Transparency. Easily, the most challenging, yet the most rewarding class. Every project done, is portfolio material, and all the projects I had made a priority over my 203 drawings. Inadvertently of course.

Final project is a tool to teach a single aspect of color to a specific audience. The projects ranged from a skateboard with the Bezold Effect, to a quilt of Simultaneous Color Contrast... a train design, a vitamin water test, a puzzle, a plaything...

Mine? Tea. I have developed an affinity for tea. Blame whatever you want, blame my asian culture, blame my previous employment at a tea company. I just enjoy the experience. So I made a product: A box of 8 teas in the formation of a color wheel. 8 flavors, 8 experiences. Showing is better than telling, but I should wait until I retrieve my product. I had hoped to teach that color is not just a shade to apply, a hue in the sky... color is a mood, color is an experience. Why is McDonald's red and yellow? What is red? What does red taste like? Now color is more than just a tint, color is a state of mind, a consciousness of the environment, an experience, a meditation.

And I made everything. I made the teabags, I made the 8 different cases for the tea bags, I made the box, I made the instructional pamphlet. I spent well over one hundred... and there is more ink on my fingertips as opposed to the box itself, the bags were glued, tape is keeping it together... in my mind: a great idea, a piece of shit.

But by the graces of fate, i receive nothing but praise from Herb Peterson. Odd... unexpected... weird.

Why do I do this?

I stay up late, I spend thousands, I don't sleep, I rack my brains out for one idea because I love it.

Design and everything about it. I love it.

Sure I can't find the square root of a quadratic equation, sure I can't sew a wound together, But i know what I like, what works for me, and I have a happiness doing what I love. In the end, I'm not working for the rest of my life.

Find something you love, and do it.

On late nights

Bittersweet.

I love what i do, really, I can't complain.

but i never get sleep.

And it may be a small price to pay for doing what I love,

but sleep is definitely a worthy price,

no matter how small.

I have two design finals due on Thursday. I've done my share of work, but the actual carrying-out the task and the commitment is quite a hassle. I tend to procrastinate. But I have reasons...

1. My best work is done late at night.

2. There exists a particular thrill to 'racing to finish the job.'

3. An immense trust in ability and fate is necessary.

4. It is the only way I can force myself to do something.

Here's a story--

The Design program at the Ohio State University is quite the catch. Hundreds of students in every rank and state apply during winter break. Six weeks are given to each student to tasks of immense feat. After the basic informational questions, such as grade point average, rank and extracurriculars, the actual process begins. Two questions are the same for every student, questioning planning, process, execution and final product to two very specific but very vague problems. The next dilemma is based solely on the aspect of design. Three sectors pose very different questions, Interior design, Visual Communication design and Industrial Design.

This year, the first question was to design a pamphlet instructing first time voters how to vote,

i have never voted.

The second question was to create a graphite composition of one organic object, and one inorganic object.

An apple and a tea strainer. Two random objects within reach.

The third question related to the Industrial approach...

re-design a shopping cart.

You know those stories of students told to students. Yeah, the ones meant to discourage students from procrastination. Ours went like this:

"Don't wait until the last night to do it. You won't get in. This is your life, your future. Do the best and plan it out, because it will show if you do it in one night."

A part of me wanted to test that out.

Yep, I am the discouraged exception to that rule. Still I tell you, don't be like me and wait until the last night. You won't be up at 4:49AM in the morning with bloodshot eyes and lazy limbs.

but if you need a helping hand,

you know where to find me, and a monster can of ROCKSTAR.

peace.

On Mondays

Technically, it's not really monday.

But it's 3:00 AM and I've been up. So I consider it monday. Worthless, I know.

As usual, my communication class failed to keep my attention, so I opened my browser. Reading the posts of one of my favorite sites, You The Designer, the article read:

"Ways to make your name known," and underneath:

Post a blog.

Done.