Thads' body was found this afternoon more than 100kms north from where he was swept by the river current 3 days ago, during a river trek/mountain climb. He only made himself found today, ironically, on his 32nd birthday. For someone that hates melodrama, I give the props to him for going out with a bang, still with his wry wit and humor.
I have something of a bad habit - I get excited about a new online social service, compulsively use for a month, and leave it stale afterwards hehe.
With the case of Multiply, it just wasn't so. No, I'm not crazy over it, it's the other way around actually...I hated it from the moment I signed in. Honestly, if it weren't for my friend's request to upload and share some songs there, I wouldn't have signed up or much less use it at all.
I know there are scores (well actually, hordes) of people using Multiply - I wouldn't argue with it's purpose at all since it's a 'friends' app that's really useful in keeping in touch with everyone's goings-on (or who's keeping tabs on you hehe). I could relate to it as a bloated tumblr.
I cringe every time I use it, but it'll grow on me I'm sure. Actually, it's close to what Tumblr is if it weren't butt ugly.
Easter Sunday is a great day to crack open a new blog, and resurrect a good thing.
4 years ago
After 4 years in rotation, I took down my personal design site after giving up freelance and setting up Method1. An overlooked casualty that went down with it was my first blog — which was filled with design links, quotes, snippets about my work and what-not. It was terse, spontaneous, in-the-moment, and without regard for much writing - which was easy to update like a bad habit.
Back then, I would call it 'micro-blogging', while all the 'serious' bloggers with either a Blogger or Wordpress blog would call it 'news updates', heh. Now, the concept of micro-blogging has taken a new form altogether with the likes of Twitter, Jaiku, Pownce, (which I've all tried) and ultimately, Tumblr.
Last Year
After Bryan introduced me to Tumblr last year, I didn't warm up to the idea probably because it was quite ahead of its time. Although it was a breeze to start, it had some UI design issues, as well as lack of social and technical features, and boring themes — which were all, surprisingly, addressed recently. I'd like to spare you from my rambling, so get it straight from the horse's mouth.
I've had a Blogger, Wordpress, Yahoo 360, and recently, a Vox blog — all of which served fine as the common online journal for generally long-winded posts like these. Now, my new blog serves as a trusty swiss knife — able to digest and show these long posts, interesting snippets, links, photos, quotes, and amazingly, also my feeds from my other stuff (Flickr, delicous, etc) with effortless ease and simplicity.
The Good Thing
Aside from the Tumblr updates, one of the things that dragged me back to Tumblr and got me working instantly was Paul Giacherio's Museum Theme, which is absolutely brilliant. I remembered initially designing my design studio's Wordpress theme in a likewise float container style (black backgrounds and png transparencies to boot, but in a column), but Paul's concept making a poster grid of the containers is a visually sound representation of tumblr's whole idea.
I just put some personal touches and tweaks into it and resurrected my old mark, which many might think stands for my old moniker, but actually doesn't. It's actually a logo of my real-life signature.
Well, that just about sums up how I 'tumbled' back to an old good habit, something I hope that I'll catch on with again.
Visit my new blog at http://jlucasreyes.tumblr.com
I just had to post this.
See that Translucent Menu Bar ticker option below?
You'd have to admit, Mac OSX Leopard is the bomb...except for that
translucent task bar (especially if use some designer-y light
background). I just did a system update and was surprised seeing the new setting while doing my weekly wallpaper change.
Apple listens after all.
Oh man. Gotta have this besides that portrait Web 2.0 poster.
The real genius is the marketing genius of Apple ads.
Actually, I've been reading well-written blogs more often nowadays than rather writing something of my own. Sure, I get lifehacking tips quickly here and there, but there's actually more significant learning that happens when you write about yourself. Here's something I wrote while I was enjoying Apple Mail 3's Notes weeks ago that I just thought deserves to get posted here:
The past year has been my best year yet, after my previous memorable one that I've spent mostly by myself away from family. I've realized I've gone back to some same old ways of mine, but some DIY things have stuck with me and evolved when I moved back home for the meantime.
I'd like to jot down some simple things I've gone through one by one, just to remind myself how this year has taught me a lot and is always worth looking back to.
1. Focus. One goal. Be the man with a plan. Sounds so easy doesn't it? 2007 is perhaps the smoothest, happiest year in my life yet. Particularly because I've set my sights on a goal, and accomplished it just before the year ended, with exalting joy - to be ready (mentally, emotionally, financially, and spiritually) for a lifelong commitment. In the process I've been able to mellow down my long-due-to-be-expunged traits, established my new design studio, and gave myself seeming a fresh start after turning 30. Truly, the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step... and the journey continues this year.
2. Happiness is where your heart is. Choice has always been a powerful thing - towards a better life. I've had a cool working gig for 5 years but I hate to admit that personally, I just thought my chops are a bit unupdated and I was growing weary with every new project. I finally decided to give it up and start anew, and it's been a terrific start doing design work I'm pretty much happy and comfy with the usually immediate results. In fact, it's unexpectedly the best and most financially rewarding year I've worked yet.
3. Delegate. Running along the thought above, it was one big idea at first to have my brother (who's also a designer) in the design studio as my right hand man, now I wouldn't want to imagine going through tons of work without him. Clients graciously followed my new payment scheme and picked up files they want rush. Now why didn't I think of that before? I'm grateful also coming back to my mom's ever sumptuous cooking that fuels my brain, and for weekends spent with family. Delegate is such a small word for its enormous benefit.
4. Give up control. Simplify. I obviously can't do everything, and much more EVERYTHING over and over again. There, I've said it. I've taken note of the silly things I've had the compulsion of maintaining under my sometimes obsessive control - icons, to-do lists, font kerning, grid spacing, and heck, even pairing silverware at the dining table. It's pointless most of the time, so now I know better and when to let go.
5. Slow down. As I've read on my favorite zen habits blog - 'The wise carpenter measures twice and cuts once.' Thinking and considering before acting takes a level of impulse control that’s missing when I become overly stressed. And I've done nasty things in the past as a result of a lashing temper. This year, I've tried my very best to keep my head when all those around me are losing theirs. Multitasking is a nice thing, but one thing at a time has been better for me. Slowing down is not about being lazy. When people slow down, we notice more.
6. Make time work for you and not the other way around. One of the pleasures of being your own boss is having the power to decide where most of your time goes - but in my past case, it became a curse that set my life in humdrum monotony of stressful work. Not this year. Sure, there were 2 or 3 days that work stretched from morning to midnight, but I've learned the ugly sides of a burnout too often and worked out weekly schedules to recharge, to recreate. It isn't easy to trim the usual 15-30 tasks of hecticness down to just 3-6 things daily, but hey, the great wall of china wasn't made in month, so that makes perfect sense. Remember one thing tho - try not to take extra long vacations unless really necessary. It's always good to stay hungry.
7. Reflect daily. At times, I was quite used to the useless thinking exercise in search of life's meaning. But in life's vastness it seemed that everything can be a priority, which either leads to somewhere you don't expect or nowhere you want be. Finding a quiet nook and talking to God daily couldn't be a better habit for the restless in thought. I've never talked to God more often in my life than this year, and it's been a heaven-sent dialogue that led me to where I am now. Love for everything God has provided me, whether a blessing or trial, fuels my life with purpose and direction.
These two keep me company at work. Thanks hun for the extra cheese =D
Got this from Bryan's blog, lol:
...for the music lover, that is.
For the uninitiated, ITMS is the iTunes Music Store...which, matter-of-factly isn't available to us here in Manila unless you have U.S. 'resources'. Oddly enough, among other huge strokes of luck the past months, I got my own iTunes account while sitting here on my desk, Facebooking.
Sure there's Limewire, Acquisition and all that but nothing comes close
to iTunes Music Store as THE biggest accessible music library on the net. It's a daze shopping for music with a selection close to no limits.
Well, what better first thing to do than to look around for my favorite stuff that died along with my old cassette tape collection, the stuff I used buy off saving my baon hehe. Among those I've resurrected are...off all things, Gary V's Heart & Soul live double disc (!), The Wannadies' Be a Girl album, and some tracks from Pavarotti and thank God, Andreas Mattsson's solo album after Popsicle (which I couldn't possibly get anywhere here).
Steve Jobs, other than the Mac, ITMS is one of your greatest gifts to humanity.
