Use it Before You Lose it

Another Borders 40% off one book coupon! Valid only for May 1 and May 2.  Use it on those expensive ass nursing books or equally expensive art books.

Enjoy your read!

Posted via email from JJ's posterous

SFgate.com Horoscope Reading [Libra] 04/29

Good thing my girlfriend pointed this to me since I actually willingly passed today's reading on Google Reader. It reads:

"Little things--like thank-you cards and notes--matter. Others may [make] fun of your Miss Manners approach, but little touches forge lasting alliances."

=)

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This post was copied from my pesonal design site: JJASEF.COM

Abbot & East Moltke: Couch

For some reason, this reminds me a living room set up. I wished someone hung a frame somewhere and it would be complete!

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Abbot and East Moltke is an on-going project documenting the various items left by households at the corner of where I live. Different items have been left already and some of which I've already unfortunately missed. This photo series will continue for an unknown period of time and is planned to be [self] published once body of work is completed.

Clinical: Public Health Meeting Regarding Swine Flu

Had clinicals today for nursing and there was a meeting with the office's public health nurses regarding the Swine Flu cases in California.

I took a quick grab here and just so that everyone is up to date with it, please refere to CDC's guide since most news are referring to it anyway when they do reports:


CDC: Influenza [Flu] - Swine Influenza

Apple's Mighty Mouse [Wireless] = Workstation Complete

Got a gift card [ok, more like Best Buy's Reward Zone certificate] and headed there to pick up something worth its money. I've been eyeing this for a bit and came across into a lot of mixed reviews. Taking the risk, I decided to get it and I'll give my reasons below.

As usual, Apple's design packaging is simplistic and clean. But that's not why I got this. For starters, I do have the Macbook Pro which I use as my main computer. That being said, it's become a desktop replacement for me and to use its trackpad for long periods of time, it gets cumbersome and strains my hand.

I do have the Logitech's Cordless Trackman Optical, their top of the line trackball which I love for its customizable buttons. While I've used it for my Windows laptop, I was able to configure the buttons for Mac but I was left with NO usb ports on my Macbook Pro.

Apple's Mighty Mouse uses bluetooth to connect to the laptop. I don't know its battery life but I'm hoping I get a few good months of it like my trackball. Pictured here is the bottom of the mouse in which it's turned off--you slide that cover to reveal its sensor and a green light indicates its power mode.

While it doesn't seem it offers much with no indications of buttons, you click with your left index finger as you would for left-click and right side for right-click. A cool feature is the trackball since it's capable of scrolling "360 degrees." While a lot of screens nowadays accomdate websites' designs and all, this will be useful when scrolling through an image when zoomed. I don't think there are other mice out there that offer that control.

Here's the downside: the Mighty Mouse is infamous for this trackball to get messed up. People claim it loses its functionality after a 1 month or 2 and that it becomes "gritty" and such. Let's just hope it works out fine. I'm sure regular cleaning will help prevent that and if it doesn't work in general, I bought a SquareTrade Warranty for $7.99 for 3 years.

For the Macbook Pro, I love how you can access your desktop by swiping four fingers forward or if you'd like to see all you windows laid out, four fingers down. Pictured here are the side buttons and when I do press it, all the open windows/applications get laid out and when I press the trackball, I can access the desktop. Programming it is a cinch using System Preferences > Keyboard and Mouse after pairing my laptop with it.

My external [wired] keyboard next to the Mighty Mouse.
I also wanted to get a really good [bluetooth] mouse so I can finally set up my "work station" aka my kitchen table. Pictured here is my Macbook Pro with Editor's Keys for Photoshop on top of my Logitech Alto Cordless stand which was used for my Windows laptop. Next to it is my Seagate FreeAgent Desk 1tb for Mac used inconjuction with Time Machine. Upfront is my external wired Mac keyboard and finally the new mouse.

With this set up, with my laptop propped up, I can hook up my external screen and it will be close to height of the external monitor ideal for photo editing. With the extra space, I can comfortably work with my tablet as well.

Let's just see if the mouse holds up.

Washington D.C. Prep Materials

Just received today from Amazon: Moleskine City Notebooks edition: Washington, Guyot Designs TapGuard, and 3 packs of 10 Pogo Zink prints packs. These materials will be used for my trip to Washington D.C. with my girlfriend in end of May.
First off, the Moleskine to record everything for the trip: itinerary, places to go, contacts, maps of the area [including station index!], and space to write the experience and post pictures.

Cost: $12.21 [versus $17.99 in stores]
Guyot Designs TapGuard. This baby fits into wide bottle resueable bottles like my Nalgene bottle I already use and filters water from chlorine, iodine, and other bad tasting chemicals (up to 95%). By using this, according to its lovely package, you save 400 plastic bottles, 65 lbs of CO2, two gallons of oil, and $500 presumably from buying bottled water. The package also comes with two filter refills. My girlfriend too has a wide mouth Nalgene but we'll be using this to refill hers during our trip. With this lil thing, that means no buying bottled water there [or anywhere for that matter] = saving money!

Cost: $16.50
Lastly, I'll be using these sheets inconjuction with my Polaroid Pogo printer that has been on a haitus for the past few months. This trip though will surely determine its usefulness as I'll be printing out pictures and sticking it onto the Moleskine ala photo album.

Cost: $3.24 [versus $3.99] x 3 for total of 30 Sheets

Can't wait to embark on the adventures!

Buddy!

Went to San Jose with my girlfriend and family to visit her cousin over the weekend. After eating a late lunch we ended up in their recently renovated [and well maintained backyard--look at that cut grass!] to see play with the dogs. This is Buddy, who is my girlfriend's cousin and her husband's Boston Terrier. My girlfriend's dog was there too to soak in the sun.

Film Screening of Objectified [dir: Gary Hustwit] and Signing of Helvetica x Moleskine Notebook

Took my girlfriend to watch the 2-night screening of Objectified directed by Gary Hustwit in San Francisco's Sundance Kabuki Theatre. $25 a pop + processing fees but I had an intention in mind...
...to get this bad boy signed: My Helvetica x Moleskine notebook edition from Japan I got a few weeks back. If you didn't know, there's a film entitled Helvetica directed by this very same man.
Two of the designers were present tonight and had a Q&A after the screening. The movie itself was really good in my opinion. It had a lot of talk about design and what designers think and how they design objects of desire and ordinary objects.

There are plenty of good quotes regarding design and I wished I wrote them down but luckily, there are quotes on their website. It's a good movie to watch even if you're barely interested in design. Must remember that design is present in everything we use and therefore, learning more about its process and execution and its who's, why's and such is enlightening. Even my girlfriend agrees that the 75 min film is quite good.
Right after the Q&A session, I give my digital camera to my girlfriend and we headed straight to the stage and introduced myself.

"Hey Gary! My name's JJ and I got here my Helvetica Moleskine and was hoping you can sign it..."
"Oh... I've seen those." Chuckles while taking my notebook. And at this moment, the word "success" was echoed in my head.
'Thanks for signing!"
"No prob!"

Here I am with my signed notebook and him taking a pic of my girlfriend with his white Leica Digilux digital camera.
Ta....
Daaa!!!!
Mission accomplished baby.

Abbot & East Moltke: Matt Rest

Another mattress rests comfortably.

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Abbot and East Moltke is an on-going project documenting the various items left by households at the corner of where I live. Different items have been left already and some of which I've already unfortunately missed. This photo series will continue for an unknown period of time and is planned to be [self] published once body of work is completed.

Redo: 2004's Immigrant Project for History Class [High School]

Originally created on January 18, 2004, click for larger version

Retouch: April 19, 2009, click for larger version

So I'm here looking over ALL my photos organized in folders on my external hard drive and came across this project I did for my high school history class. The assignment was to make an illustration/drawing of some sort of your parents' immigration story and naturally, I did mine on my mom.

I remember using my Nikon 2100 [yes, that's 2.1 MP] and photographed my mom at the park going up the stairs with my concept in mind. She was in a sense leaving her homeland represented by the Philippine flag, her basis of who she is, to go to America in which for sure it was going to be an uphill battle to try and work hard for me in order to get a better life.

With the help of Photoshop, I remember outlining my mom out of the original picture and using a photo of the beach I took previously as the new sky. The stairs I pretty much cut and pasted several times along with the railings [and mirrored it] to make a long cliff-like stairway to the America.

For kicks, I decided to redo the image with the knowledge I have of today. First off, I removed the text layover since it took away from the image [although it was required I believe to put that information]. I removed my mom's "ghosted" image since it reminded me too much of another thing if you know what I mean.. and instead focused on what the image is portraying. To make it more dramatic [and more realistic], I dodged the areas to shape the image as if the sun was really shining behind the American flag and casted a heavy shadow below.

Maybe I'll continue with these "redos" since I do have several projects utilizing Photoshop.

SF Camerawork: Portrait Party: Assistant

I just got confirmation with SF Camerawork that I will be the assistant to one of the professional photographers enlisted for the Portrait Party.  Before I contacted SF Camerawork, I actually contacted Kathrin Miller, one of the photographers, whom I met by chance at a friend's party and asked her directly if SF Camerawork has assistants/volunteers. And even if the spots were filled out, she said I could assist for her regardless! So after a few email exchanges, I finally got confirmation that I will be assisting Kathrin Miller on May 9th. Sweet!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from JJ's posterous

Throwback: JEAN Productions

First off, I'm posting this entry through posterous in which you just email post@posterous.com and it automatically makes a blog for you.  It's 1) easy to make blog entries since you just simply email pictures, links, text to an email address and 2) integrates it quite well to many other online services [I automatically link mine to my twitter and photography blog now]

I'm going through my external hard drive and came upon this collage I did for a "company" I started in 2003 called JEAN Productions.  It was basically a media group [mainly photography and video] that covered teen club events] and eventually died off at the end of my high school years when me and the two other main members moved on.

Looking back to it, this thing that I started became the grounds of who I am [and I'm sure the other two members can attest to it as well].  So this is for you JEAN!

Posted via email from JJ's posterous

Ugh... THIS is what I want to do.

All the lights, working with THOSE cameras and equipment, and of course the talent in front of the lens that make action come easy.

What a sweet gig to land to shoot for a magazine and especially for Vanity Fair.

As everyone knows me, I'm definitely in awe and set back when photographer Norman Jean Roy photographed Seth Rogen as Frida Kahlo. Dangit.

"Thaht's nawt nyce, Tito [uncle]!"

My little nephew had to take a twoosy today and for some reason left the door open, and when I passed by I was cracking up. So I whip out my camera and he says, "Hey! That's not nice!" hahah

And for his sake [and mine, he's about to be a green belt and will probably kick me hard], I blackbarred him. Funny lil guy.

Have a Seat.

During today's clinical at Marin City, I attended a meeting with [public health] nurses and before entering the building there was a bus stop across from where I parked and stumbled upon this site.

How convenient to have a comfy seat in the shade of a bus stop!
And you can read a newspaper while waiting in the seat. Nice!

Have a Nice Day!

Flower [or palm tree? lol] and sign made with two Winterfresh gum wrappers during my Ethics class at USF. [If you didn't notice, yea I wasn't really paying attention.]

Hopefully whoever stumbled upon this did have a nice[r] day!

Wind Wins

I went to Lucky's to return my RedBox dvd rentals and well what you know, with the crazy winds [up to 60 mph reported] blowing by SF/Daly City, I guess the wind knocked down something important because Lucky's and the rest of the plaza's stores was closed due to a power outtage.

This guy pictured here in the reflection was looking at me funny because I busted out my camera. I was looking at him funny because he kept swearing on the phone to his friend and then behind him [the one wearing yellow] his mom was there looking all puzzled.

Classy.

When Conversation Works.

In conversation with Catherine at Starbucks on life in general. Today's session was full of realizations.

Also, thanks for the copy of C magazine Catherinee! [She happens to be one of the interns there and her name is published in the credits. Nice.] as well as the souvenir postcards!

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My friend Catherine was also the editor and writer for the introduction of my project Nonage published last year.

SF Japantown: Cherry Blossom Festival (St. Mary's Volunteer)

Today was the start of SF's Cherry Blossom Festival at Japantown. I signed up weeks ago to be a Blood Pressure screener which will count for my clinical hours.

The first "shift": Me, Michelle, and Jill.
Ruth, an RN from St. Mary's Hospital, volunteers annually.
My set up: bad photo because that actual blood pressure reading is skyrocketing high haha
Free t-shirt and nifty ID holder [can stuff money, ID/Bus pass and pen loops in back.
Free lunch! Bento box had salmon terayaki, seaweed salad, egg, fried potato hash brown-like thing, and some random veggies that I didn't know what they're called. I just ate it all.
After my shift*, I walked around a bit and had plenty of goodies around. Unfortunately [or fortunately], I didn't have enough cash to buy anything.
Can't be at a cherry blossom festival without seeing some.

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* Thanks to my friend Ghia who spotted my typo. It originally read "After my shit, I walked around a bit..." hahah! Nice find.

Back it up.

In general, BACK UP YOUR HARD DRIVE NOW.

Everyone's in the digital age--documents, pictures, videos. Go and get an external hard drive [500GB fits most of people's needs], hook it up to your comp and drag and drop and copy all your precious files.

Or, get a mac and with that external hard drive, use Time Machine. tee hee

Another thing to back up, your BOOKMARKS NOW.

If you're like me, you bookmark many websites online and if you're also like me, you organize them in folders. If you do any of the above, I'm sure losing them would be like loosing receipts--you can live without em but it's good to have record of what you bought/spent/went. So this now.

Taken from wikihow.com:


BACKING UP YOUR BOOKMARKS [mozilla firefox]
Open up your bookmarks and go to "Organize Bookmarks"
Select all your bookmarks.
Select "export" in the file menu.
Select your save location and file name

INSTALLING BOOKMARKS
Go to the Bookmarks tab, then "Organize Bookmarks"
Go to the File tab, then "Import"
Select the Bookmarks file.
Select "Open"

LAST PART THAT I DO ONCE YOU BACKED UP YOUR BOOKMARKS: email it to yourself. [you can even now open your bookmarks in any computer just by installing em.]

Abbot and East Moltke: "Coffee Pair"

A pair of coffee tables up for grabs.

--
Abbot and East Moltke is an on-going project documenting the various items left by households at the corner of where I live. Different items have been left already and some of which I've already unfortunately missed. This photo series will continue for an unknown period of time and is planned to be [self] published once body of work is completed.

Attraction

Picture taken at Marin City today [clinical]

For some reason, I'm attracted to the old Beetles and figured out that if I have money one day and time and patience to learn, I'd buy one to fix up. I just like the classic look and I can definitely see myself driving one.

This is a far cry of my xB's usefulness/practicality, but like I said--one day with money + time + patience.