May 15 2007
Beach Trip: Now with Real Sun!
I’ve had bad luck with summer outings before. For the longest time it seemed like I was doomed to never set foot on a sunny beach again, but last weekend the weather gods finally decided to cut me some slack and gave me two full days of fun in the sun.
I traveled to Puerto Galera, a popular beach destination in the Philippines, with seven of my college friends. It was easily the best vacation I’ve been on in quite a while. The synopsis: We lounged on the beach, swam in the clear sea, got drunk on bonded over a pitcher of Mindoro Sling, hiked through a mountain, took a dip in a waterfall, and went parasailing! If you want the whole tale and the boat load of pictures that come with it, keep reading 
May 07 2007
What European Vacations Are For
This is a conversation I had with my friend Chrissa last night.
Me: Hey, let’s vacation in Greece!
Chrissa: I’m game! When?
Me: Well, we’ll have to save up first, so… three years from now?
Chrissa: Sounds great. (Thinks for a moment.) Will we be bringing boyfriends on this trip?
Me: Oh, definitely not! In fact, if I happen to be seeing anyone at that time, I might have to break up with him temporarily. I mean, what good is a European vacation if I can’t hook up with at least one hot local?
Chrissa: Exactly! Glad we’re on the same page.
So, men of Greece, it’s a date! Chrissa and I are coming for you in 2010
May 02 2007
A Cure for Designer’s Block
What do you get when you combine copious amounts of instant coffee with an ill-conceived plan to rid oneself of designer’s block? A new theme!
I’ve been in some kind of design funk this past couple of months, and I’ve had just about enough. I figured that the best way to crawl out of it was to impose a deadline, so I decided to force myself to participate in the Spring 2007 Reboot with only one-and-a-half days left. As you can see, I somehow managed to squeak through, albeit several hours off target. I blame my fandoms for distracting me 
Anyway, this layout is entitled “Breathe” — as in “breathe easy” or “room to breathe” and not “the exagerated sound Darth Vader makes when he exhales.” I was experimenting with different drawing styles when I came up with the illustration I used for this layout. I loved how the swirls in her hair turned out, so I decided to make a theme out of it.
This is actually my second attempt at creating a layout around that drawing. I started working on the first version almost four months ago, but I lost interest in the design before I could even finish it. It looked quite different from this one — all soft and quiet with its pale pinks and minty greens. Hmm. Now that I think about it, maybe the reason I lost interest in the first version was that it wasn’t anything like me. Needless to say, I like this one a lot better, or it would have ended up in the reject pile, too.
Let me know what you think! Like it? Hate it? Found bugs crawling about?
As for my designer’s block, I’m cautiously optimistic that I’ve broken through it. I definitely won’t be ready for another caffeinated cramming session anytime soon.
