Honestly, i find this too frivolous and tasteless. And even if I have the money, I would not buy this. But that's just me.
This is the iPhone 3Gs Supreme priced at £1.92 million designed by Stuart Hughes. According to their website it took 10 months to make, the whole casing created with 271 grams of 22ct solid gold, the front bezel housing 136 flawless diamonds. The rear logo in solid gold has 53 flawless diamonds amounting to 1ct and the front navigation button is home to a single cut very rare diamond at 7.1 cts. The chest which houses this unique handset is made from a single block of granite, in Kashmir gold with the inner lined with Nubuck top grain leather, weighing a massive 7kg.
I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. (Agatha Christie)
Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow. (Dorothy Thompson)
Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired. (Erik Erikson)
If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Is there a role/character that Meryll Streep can't portray excellently? Because in my book, she is clearly THE best actress in the world and watching her graciously (and sometimes surprisingly) shift from one character to the next in every movie is such a delight.
I just finished watching Streep in Julie & Julia and even if i do not know who Julia Child was before the movie, I still watched, because she (Streep) is in it. The movie is adorable and Streep is outstanding in it. The hand gestures, the voice, the accent, the facial expressions - Streep was just perfect. And even if you're not exactly a fan of French cooking or does not know who Julia Child is, Streep's acting is an enough treat to watch the movie.
Plus, watching the movie will definitely teach you a thing or two about French cooking. As for me, i got hungry after watching it and wished I would be able to taste Julia Child's signature Beef Bourguinon. Hopefully i can find a decent French restaurant in Manila serving it when i get back home.
Outside, it's very cold. I did not turn on my AC the whole day, The Filipino Channel (TFC) has been on since i woke up this morning and it's been a while since I last visited this blog.
I miss writing and blogging. I miss the routine of checking blogs and youtube and being updated about the latest designs and design inspirations from popular design bloggers. My last post was September 18th and since then, a handful has changed about my work and my work environment.
1. I have officially waved a temporary good bye to my freelance work with Linkage Design in Manila.
2. I am now working 9 hrs/day as Art Director in a foreign land... (see #3)
3. I am now temporary settling (at least for the next 2 yrs) in this country where women wear black tarhas, restaurants are separated between a "Singles Section" and "Family Section", the weather could go extremely hot to extremely cold and there are virtually no movie houses.
4. I miss my friends. I miss my family. I miss the complexity of life back home.
Found this video a few days ago and the theme spoke to me. It tells about BubbleBoy and how his inner demons and his past has affected the way he views the world and therefore, himself; limiting his potentials - the possibilities and opportunities of life seemingly unreachable.
The intentional eerie atmosphere and tone of the short film has given it more character and perhaps, helped in vividly communicating its message.
The Story of Bubble Boy
Synopsis: In a stab-happy world, a sad outcast wrestles with his demons. The story of bubbleboy is a film about being trapped by the past and redeemed by the future.
Director: Sean Ascroft Producer: Sean Ascroft Karl Mather Kristy Fransen Writer: Karl Mather Cinematographer: John Simpson Sound design: Danny Grifoni Composer: Hylton Mowday Editor: Sean Ascroft Key Cast: Andrew Supanz Nina Pearce
Saw this a few days ago and it's totally adorable; an office romance sprung forth by the use of post-its. I know, using post-its to create a collage of love messages isn't exactly earth friendly, but hey paper is recyclable anyway and when you're in love, one tries to get the message across in any (so long as they're legal and decent) way possible.
Pablo Neruda is one of the world's most gifted poets and my most favorite. His poetry is music and love weaved into lyrical perfection.
Let me share with you another Neruda poem which I truly, truly love. Written and published in 1959, here is...
I Do Not Love You (Sonnet XVII) I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off. I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers; thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance, risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
And here is a video of Robin Williams from the movie Patch Adams with the poem. Emotional.
For those who love technology and fashion with the same flair, this one's for you. The second generation HP Mini Vivienne Tam Netbook unveiled at the NYC's Fashion Week. Though it looks like nothing's really changed under the hood from the first generation, the original red flowers design have been replaced with butterflies that "represent romance, freedom, empowerment and transformation".
Personally, I like the first generation more, as the design aesthetic is more mature and well, professional. I could see this new batch appealing to a younger market though. I just hope HP comes up with a couple more design options next time and upgrading the specs couldn't hurt either.
Japanese Keiichi Iwasaki travelled across 37 countries with only $2 and his bicycle as his only means of transportation. Iwasaki, 36, left his home and his air-conditioning job in Japan in 2001. After cycling the country for a year he decided to extend his journey to South Korea and continued to 36 other countries. He cycled over 45,000 kilometres during his marathon adventure and became the first Japanese man to climb Mount Everest from sea level without using any transportation.
He chose to avoid air travel and opted for cycling or ferries for transport in order to soak up the atmosphere.
''I didn't want to use aeroplanes because I wanted to see and feel everything with my own skin. With bicycle, I can always feel the air and atmosphere of the place.''
Mr Iwasaki is in Switzerland and hopes to climb Mount Blanc, Europe’s highest peak, before travelling to Africa and the US over the next five years.
Three words befitting the amazing art of Arghavan Khosravi, a female Iranian illustrator/traditional artist who has made one of the most indelible impressions in me since I have become a member of DeviantArt four years ago.
Arghavan's illustrations depict a world where hope seems to spring eternal - where one abandons their prejudices - where one rekindles their lost romance with their childhood.
If an artist's work is truly a reflection of his or her inner self, then perhaps it is her beautiful state of mind and perception of life that yields these art works showcasing a world we all want to be in - positive, inviting, lovely and colorful.
Arghavan has truly found that one distinct "voice" in art that is absolutely her own; and her mastery of that "voice" is ever so consistently displayed in her amazing body of work.
Below are some of my most favorite pieces from Arghavan's DeviantArt gallery.
I find short animated films to be a forward-focused medium capable of greatly affecting its audience even though it could only run for a few minutes. They are short but powerful and mostly mind blowing. In fact, i believe that it is the time constraint that essentially helps the message become pure and heartfelt.
Further, the kind of work, the amount of time, effort and creativity that these people, the animators, put out to produce these outstanding animated films is absolutely admirable .
In this breadth, I have decided to share with you 10 animated film treasures and my favorites that are mostly leaning on the more sentimental (I'm a sucker for sentimental themes); those that make one reflect about love, hope, the triumph of the human spirit, desperation,dreams. These videos are incredibly meaningful and has struck something tender and lonely in me and I hope that you take the time to watch them and hopefully be moved by them as well.
I haven't really blogged much these past months. Though i continue to roam around the internet in search of beautiful and inspiring things, I have not felt the urge, the spark, to actually hit the Blogger Dashboard and write new posts.
The reason, I have been making great changes in life, both in my professional and personal lives. For one, though doing freelance design+corporate pr work since 2002 while consequently handling the marketing of a small restaurant group has been extremely rewarding, I have decided to go back to a regular day job, not here in Manila though, overseas.
So wish me luck peeps. I will be leaving very soon. And I am excited to take my life to a whole new, albeit better, dimension.
MS Office 2010 (previously codenamed Office 14), the next version of Microsoft's highly successful office and productivity suite is on the verge of its launch. Proof of which is this teaser movie that has been generating a lot of buzz in the web.
Check out this screenies below, this has been the way things are with the Blogger Dashboard for days now. Strange that this happens only on my Mac, but on my Windows machine, all is good. Is it my Mac or has Blogger really been buggy with Macs lately? Please enlighten me.
I tested the Safari 4 Beta from its initial testing stage (when it was publicly made available; I'm no Apple Developer) up to a couple days ago when it finally went out of beta stage on my 2nd Gen White Macbook. I was not too happy with the Safari 4 beta, as i found myself still going back to Firefox 3.5 (also in beta), primarily because of it (Safari 4) still being a bit of a memory hog aside from the tolerable frequency appearance of the dreadful beach ball.
But, ho-ho-ho! The just released final Safari 4, blew me away! What a BIG improvement and great browser experience this piece of software brings. Forget the ouster of the 'tabs on top' or the 'progress bar in the menubar' or any other miniscule 'i shall miss that' features, this browser is fast, really fast, it blew me away when i first used it; browsing is just more fluid, and of course Apple's design aesthetics mixed with unquestionable function is ever evident here (i.e. coverflow view for history and bookmarks).
What surprised me more and made me even love Safari 4 is how it also seamlessly integrates itself in Windows, specifically Windows 7, which i am testing via VMWare Fusion. Same fluidity, same aesthetics, same speed - and without pushing the Mac interface down your throat! (Hope they could do that to iTunes for Windows as well, but that's another story)
So now i am floored! Safari 4 is my second most favorite browser, ever. Next to Google Chrome (when it releases its final version for Macs, which i hope would be really soon).
National Artist for Literature, Virgilio S. Almario (a.k.a. Rio Alma), will be holding a two-hour seminar entitled Mga Epiko at Katutubong Tula ng Filipinas on June 19, 2:00 p.m. at the newly opened C&E Information and Resource Center at 1616 Quezon Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City.
In the same event and venue, Alma will also be launching at 4:00 p.m. his latest book Huling Hudhud ng Sanlibong Pagbabalik at Paglimot Para sa Filipinas Kong Mahal, a modern epic about his various travels in the country from 2006 to 2007. The book is the culmination of his long-time research about Philippine legends, history and current events shaping the country today.
Also, the book−designed by Fidel Rillo, is presented in coffee table format−rich in photographs by known photographers locally and internationally. The bulol on the cover is from the art collection by National Artist for the Visual Arts, BenCab. Grace Nono will sing during the intermission.
The event will be attended by representatives from the various schools and universities in Metro Manila and the suburbs including University of the Philippines President Dr. Emerlinda Roman.
The C&E Information and Resource Center houses the first-ever Philippine Medical Bookshop, a state-of-the-art hub for medical and allied health sciences students, practitioners and other professionals. The facility offers an extensive selection of textbooks and references, online journals and other databases, and spacious seminar and function rooms that can accommodate up to 200 participants.
Global warming's tipping point means that if we don't do something in the next ten years, it will be too late to do anything at all. So, there are just 365 days left to save the world... and counting.
Finally, definite album news and release date for one of the world's greatest and most affecting voices, and my greatest singer of all time, Whitney Houston. Whitney's new album will be released worldwide September 1, 2009 on Arista Records. This is Whitney's 7th studio album. Since her 1985 self-titled debut, she has built an illustrious career that has generated over 170 million combined worldwide sales of albums, singles and videos. Cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as music's most awarded female artist of all time, with an unsurpassed tally of 411 awards, inclusive of 6 Grammy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, 23 American Music Awards and 16 Billboard Music Awards, Whitney remains a singular force in music today. Be sure to visit www.whitneyhouston.com regularly for up-to-date album information, exclusive photos and more exciting news!
And to remind us how great a singer Whitney Houston truly is, below are two exceptional performances that showcases her ability to richly interpret a song and touch people through it -no qualms, no lip-singing, no dance brouhaha - just the voice and a phenomenal stage presence that makes you stop and listen.
Manila's very own super-fashion blogger, Bryanboy, gets interviewed by Dolce & Gabbana's digital arm, Swide. Well BB has been interviewed a lot in the past, but this one interview struck me as the most interesting because the questions and answers captured in part, what I wanted to know about BryanBoy, the person.
In his blogging life - fashion superblogger BryanBoy has been described as an "Internationally-loved fashion superblogger" by the New York Times/The Moment, "a cult read in fashion circles" by Style.com and "one of the nine hottest internet celebrities" by The New York Post - Marc Jacobs even went so far as to name a handbag after him (the BB ostrich bag).
What is your take in MS New Zealand's recent print advertising efforts for Windows Vista ?Centered on the idea of the leisure at the house, with this series accompanied by the baseline “Fun up your home”. An idea of the agency Young & Rubicam, and a strong will to show a younger and connected image.
The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is a film competition and festival that aims to encourage the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers – works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity. It also aims to invigorate the Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers. Each year, ten fresh talents are given a seed grant in order to create the film of their dreams. These films are then featured in a nine-day long festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines every July and compete for the coveted Balanghai Award. Awards are also given in twelve other categories, as well for the best efforts in short narrative features. The film festival begins on July 17 until July 26, 2009.
These are three short films made to promote this years festival.
"Saan Nagtatago Ang CCP?" (Looking for CCP) Stars Dino Jalandoni.
"Candelabra" (The Candle Holder) Stars: Erik Matti and EJ Galang
"Ang Kapatid Ko'ng Nagpupumilit Makita Si Ricky Davao" (My Sister Wants to See Ricky Davao") Stars: Ina Feleo, Cinemalaya 2007's Best Actress, Ricky Davao, and Coco Martin
For inspiration and fun, i have gathered some of the best and most memorable McDonald's TV spots that i found over at YouTube. Most of these are really fresh, fun and heartwarming - the direction that all McDonald's commercials seem to take.
McDonald's is one of those global brands who has gone beyond race and geography and has reached a global mass appeal that is phenomenally unbeatable. And these kind of TV spots have helped in creating and empowering that global appeal.
A warm sense of homecoming beacons anew as Sentro 1771, the first in Modern Filipino Cuisine launches its new spread of delightful, adventurous and unique Filipino dishes. This time, Chef Vicky-Rose Pacheco innovates anew on many local familiar flavors, giving something exciting and appealing to today’s experienced diners.
The many additions to the new Sentro menu exemplify what Sentro is known for – a fresh new re-discovery of familiar home grown tastes. Seafood lovers will savor Sentro’s Catfish Adobo Flakes - hito cooked adobo style in vinegar, native garlic and yellow ginger then fried w/ all the garlic until crisp. It’s the kind of real comfort food that guests look for in contemporary Filipino cuisine.
Another creative modern Filipino dish that will soon be a real favorite is the Crispy Pork Ribs – deep-fried baby rib fingers served on the side with a tamarind sauce.
Must-try appetizers to a wonderful meal are the Shrimp Tops Salad, an original salad of fresh sayote tops with a light mayo dressing and topped with pink shrimps, boiled eggs, tomatoes and onions; and the Fresh Smoked Fish Spring Rolls – fresh lumpia of tinapang bangus with salted eggs, mustasa, onions and tomato.
For reservations and inquiries, call us at 757.3941 / 0917.8660449 or visit us at Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City.
Also, a second Sentro is now open at Serendra, Bonifacio Global City: for reservations call 856.0581. Starting on June 1, 2009, Sentro at Serendra will be serving breakfast.
Sentro 1771 is a member of the Chateau 1771 Group of Restaurants that include Chateau 1771 in Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City and Sidebar in El Pueblo Real de Manila, ADB Avenue cor. Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
Directed by Orlando Mesquita (Mozambique). Since 1984, Orlando Mesquita has edited, directed, and produced over 20 films, including features, educational programs, and documentaries. His projects explore the many facets of Mozambican life such as the role of women and war, refugees, and demobilized soldiers. In 1999 he won a Kuxa Kanema Best Video Award for his work as a co-director and editor on Community Stories.
Since its inception in 1993, C & E Publishing, Inc. has been at the forefront of the publishing industry providing quality educational materials for all levels, bestselling trade books, and general references from renowned local and foreign authors.
For the last 15 years, C & E has maintained its niche in the reprinting and distribution of textbooks and references, particularly in the fields of medicine and allied sciences. Proof to this is its exclusive copyrights and distribution rights to over 60000 foreign titles for the Philippine market.
Recognizing the immense talent and professionalism of Filipino academics, C & E has recently set its sight on the development of textbooks and trade books by prominent Filipino authors. It now boasts of a growing number of titles in the fields of nursing, accountancy, law, literature, and all subject areas in basic education.
As Ms. Candy Gomez, C & E’s chief executive, aptly states: “C & E has always been dedicated to education and learning, This dedication springs from our conviction that Filipino students deserve to have the best books and references to aid them in their studies which, in turn, will make them productive citizens in the future.”
Despite the global recession, C & E remains a trailblazer and continues to thrive in a highly competitive publishing business. It has taken the unprecedented move of opening the state-of-the-art Informationand Resource Center (IRC), an impressive hub for medical and allied health sciences students, practitioners and other professionals. Located along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, the facility offers an extensive selection of textbooks and references, online journals and other databases, and spacious seminar and function rooms that can accommodate up to 200 participants. It houses as well the first-ever Philippine MedicalBookshop which offers a wide array of medical titles for students and practitioners. Conscious of the growing role of computer technology and the Internet in education, C & E has established CE Logic, an affiliate brand that specializes in e-learning, interactive media and library automation systems, e-books and other online publications.
Adjacent to the IRC is the classy Dolcelatte, a café, gourmet, and bakeshop rolled in one. Dolcelatte offers flavorful coffee infusions, delectable desserts, and a gastronomic feast of international cuisine. Both Dolcelatte and the IRC are equipped with wi-fi connectivity to afford clients and visitors maximum convenience while browsing and selecting the books of their choice.
To date, C & E maintains a chain of 15 well-patronized bookshops in key cities nationwide. These outlets not only sell topnotch educational products and materials but also provide superior service to their various clients.
The C & E Information and Resource Center formally opens May 12, 2009 at Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.
Filipino Tony Award winner Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Cinderella and The Flower Drum Song) performed two songs during the Earth Hour celebration in Manila, Philippines.
Daniel Paul Tammet is a British high-functioning autistic savant gifted with a facility for mathematical calculations, sequence memory, and natural language learning. He was born with congenital childhood epilepsy. Experiencing numbers as colors or sensations is a well-documented form of synesthesia, but the detail and specificity of Tammet's mental imagery of numbers is unique. In his mind, he says, each number up to 10,000 has its own unique shape and feel, that he can "see" results of calculations as landscapes, and that he can "sense" whether a number is prime or composite. He has described his visual image of 289 as particularly ugly, 333 as particularly attractive, and pi as beautiful. Tammet not only verbally describes these visions, but also creates artwork, particularly watercolor paintings, such as his painting of Pi.
Tammet holds the European record for memorising and recounting pi to 22,514 digits in just over five hours. He also speaks a variety of languages including English, French, Finnish, German, Spanish, Lithuanian, Romanian, Estonian, Icelandic, Welsh and Esperanto. He particularly likes Estonian, because it is rich in vowels. Tammet is creating a new language called Mänti. Tammet is capable of learning new languages very quickly. To prove this for the Channel Five documentary, Tammet was challenged to learn Icelandic in one week. Seven days later he appeared on Icelandic television conversing in Icelandic, with his Icelandic language instructor saying it was "not human." Article from Oddee
Truly, the iPhone has inspired and revolutionized the way we perceive and use the mobile phone. Not only is the iPhone flashy and beautiful, it is also functional and intuitive. With the imminent release of the new iPhone software and probably a new iPhone design, I have found over at Flicker (via Abduzeedo) one of the best iPhone design concepts which I think would make all iPhone fanatics out there hope that it remains not just a concept but a soon to be tangible and purchase-able reality.
Painting is artfully intimate - with every brush stroke, layers upon layers of colors seemingly mixed in a divine order producing a rich and vibrant picture - imagery created out of the artist's strokes, whether calculated or on a whim - translating and transcending the artist's language, character, state of mind, emotions and even intelligence - rousing the viewers analytic perception, piercing through his soul, touching what is sometimes unexplainable but real.
A painting is never produced the same way at the same time - every painting is eternity trapped, a moment preserved in every square centimeter of colors and brush strokes. Every painting is a creation, absolute and distinct and the painter, a god.
Thus, to me, painting is still the highest form of visual art. And I am and will always be in awe of the people who does them, regardless of genre, style and technique.
One outstanding artist who has greatly captivated me is Karin Zeller (a.k.a. karincharlotte) from Melbourne, Australia. Karin is one of the most gifted traditional artists in DeviantArt and it is through DA that I have discovered her beautiful work.
Karin's paintings are almost ethereal, mystical, dreamlike and captivating. Mostly dwelling on nature, animals and women, her work reflects the jubilant character of a young girl enchanted by the beauty of her surroundings and the moments and characters that make it memorable. She is never daunted by the use of colors, in fact her paintings are brought to life by the vibrancy of her palette. Her brush strokes follow an accurate direction of the shape her mind perceives without losing fluidity and tenderness.
Karin's style is reminiscent of Paul Klee's art, the Swisspainter of German nationality whose highly individual style was influenced by many different art trends, including expressionism, cubism, and surrealism.Like Klee, Karin works in different media - oil, acrylic, watercolor and mixed media and her use of all these mediums are excellent.
Her work has already been featured in various exhibits in Australia and her online gallery in DeviantArt has over 23,000 views as of writing. Visit Karin's DeviantArt Gallery to see more of her works.
Hi! Thank you for stopping by. I'm John, a Writer and Designer who is passionate about living a life enriched by beautiful things, technology, places, music, books, friendship and love.
