I heard your cries...Jasmine...and I am here to make an excuse

Some of you might have noticed that I was on a prolific blogging spree (7 entries in April. An all time high!) but abruptly stopped without offering an explanation. So here it is:

I am moving to Boston! I signed the lease for an apartment, bought my plane ticket, and notified loved ones. This shit is going down!

My decision is not as spontaneous as it seems since I have more or less spent my entire college career planning my escape. If you're from the West you would know that most native Californians romanticize the East Coast and associate it with black wool coats, hot cocoa, and gentrified cities. So when I visited Boston in October I fell in love with the idea of riding the subway in the snowy winter while drinking an overpriced beverage. I know how naive this may all sound to those who have to deal with 6 months of snow per year and I hear your protest But despite your complaints I am still looking forward to being one of the privileged city-dwellers that bitches about the MBTA.

Unfortunately, for my blog, this means I will have to take some time off from writing in order to pack. Yes, I'm going to get so much packing done I won't even be able to compile 6 random links a week for my Weekly Roundup. However, when I do finally settle in, I will probably be bored, unemployed, and near a college campus with free Wi-Fi. So get ready for a wave of entries in August.

Lazy Tuesday

I just got back from Seattle. Work today was slow and painful. Naturally, I decided to pass the time by logging my activities:

10:14 Got into work. Talked about Seattle. Checked mail - all spam.

11:25 Open Photoshop. Stared at blank canvas.

11:40 Meeting on this week's schedule. Lots of banner ads needed to be made.

11:55 Decided to be on Facebook all day and flood people's newsfeed with my activities.

12:10 Decided against the idea out of fear of being unfriended. This blog entry was born.

12:10 Told co-workers how much working sucks after Memorial day. They concur.

12:30 Ate Mexican food from local restaurant. Beans were too salty but the rice was just right.

1:00 Started working on banner ads. Wanted to die.

1:20 Had internal debate about whether or not Museo is overused. Decided it wasn't an issue.

2:30 Starbucks run (side note* I didn't buy anything from Starbuck when I was in Seattle but I did visit McDonalds 2 times. I was the worst tourist ever)

3:00 Internet down.

3:05 Internet working again. Read this article on Webdesignerdepot.com. Realized how much I miss the simplicity of the Nokia 5110

3:40 Started working on Magazine layout. Not sure how many more of these I can churn out in my lifetime.

4:10 Checked buddylist - where is jasmine when you need her? Back to working.

5:30 Bantered with friend on iChat.

5:45 Creative juices has stopped flowing.

6:00 Home.

*to potential employers: I am actually a very diligent employee. It's in my Asian blood to work harder than I play (refer to this article). Today was an anomaly.

Weekly Roundup 5/14

Finally! The Chuck Bass movement is catching on [ Whatchuckwore ]

Play Goemon, Legend of Zelda, Frogger, and more! [ amog ]

Affordable handmade crochet bib necklaces. [ White Owl ]

Aziz Ansari vs IMAX. Someone probably should have told him Star Trek wasn't filmed in IMAX. [Azizisbored]

Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight. Coming soon to a theater that's in the vicinity of a university campus near you. [Arthouse Film]

Floating Heads!

Movie Poster Floating Heads - watch more funny videos

Hilarious!

Weekly Roundup 4/27

Google Logo in honor of Samuel F.B. Morse's birthday.

Awesome Typewriter Ribbon Tin Collection on flickr. credit: Jasmine Ou [Flickr]

Are you getting what you paid for? Indepth look at the quality of designer clothes sold at Target & H&M [Wall Street Journal]

CNN rates four logos from our failing banking system. [CNN Money]

"5 Reasons Why Developers are Switching to Mac" or "Ways to get a lot of pissed off geeks on a comment frenzy" [Smashing Magazine]

Yahoo plans to shut down Geocities! What will become of my Sailor Moon Shrine? [Yahoo]

Anvil!: The Story of Anvil

If you have to watch one movie this week I urge you to see Anvil!, The Story of Anvil. Yes I know, watching Beyonce kick Ali Larter's ass may seem really enticing, but it will not fill the empty void in your heart the way Sacha Gervasi's love letter to his favorite childhood band can. In brief, the documentary is a classic underdog story about two Toronto musicians (Robb Reiner and Steve "Lips" Kudlow) who spent 30 years of their life trying to recreate the fame they once achieved in their youth. Gervasi shows the pitfalls of their blind dedication to a dying genre, a fact that everyone in the world seems to be aware of except Anvil themselves. The greatest achievement of this film is that you don't have to be a metal head to appreciate Lips and Robb's perseverance. In fact I kind of left the theater wishing Metal would make a comeback just so Anvil will get their second big break.

Weekly Roundup

99 Things you should have seen already - I'm probably a loser or old or something [youshouldhaveseenthis.com]

Walmart redesigns their own line of product. It looks generic because it is generic and I have no qualms with that. [Brand New]

Business Week discusses the new PC ads. I do have some qualms with the arguments made here [Business Week]

Great incentive to lose weight - UA plans to charge obese people double for flights [CNN]

Works from Pyrotechnic solo exhibition by Rosemarie Fiore. [Rosemarie Fiore]

Better Late than never: Estimated cost for Topshop's NYC opening [FWD]

Life After Art School

photo of me working on a painting for my senior project

I often have people approach me with questions about pursuing a career in Graphic Design. This isn't because they see me as an incredibly successful and talented individual, but because employed designers are hard to find in La Mirada, CA. Usually the questions come from paranoid mothers who are desperately searching for reasons to keep their children away from art schools. My mother was no exception and her go-to-person was my cousin who went to Art Center. During family gatherings he would tell freelancing horror stories (ie. ridiculous competition, crazy work hours, and insanely stubborn clients). His disdain for his job resulted in my mother refusing to let me apply to art schools. So when frightened parents come to me for advice I try to offer them a positive perspective. Yes the hours can be rough, a lot of clients are indeed insane, and the competition will continue to grow as long as 5th graders are learning Photoshop. I have never heard the words "you want to be a graphic designer? I hear the pay is excellent" muttered before in my life. But despite this people continue to go to design school because working a job you love is an incredible privilege.

Of course deciding you want to be a designer isn't the biggest obstacle. As with any job the first couple years of interviews, coffee fetching, and screwing up can take its toll on your enthusiasm. As someone with only two years of experience under me, this is where I stumble when offering advice. One day you're a self proclaimed genius and the next day you're freaking out because you found a bunch of typos after the press check. Needless to say I've made more than my share of newbie mistakes my first year and I still second guess myself due to my lack of experience. So when I let my insecurities get the best of me I find comfort in knowing that I am not alone. For those, like me, that need the occasional encouragement here is a list of reading materials:

Junior - Life At the Bottom is an amazing resource for students and those finding their niche.

Never Sleep - The site addresses the awkward transition period between student to professional. Never Sleep is actually a book, but the site itself has some great essays by Professors and Art Directors in the industry.

AIGA: Presenting Your Portfolio - Advice for Getting Started by Steff Geissbuhler. Short, simple, and concise.

May I Show You My Portfolio - Michael Bierut shows off his first portfolio and offers some insight into his student work.

Speak Up: Pick One - Debbie Millman talks about her disastrous first job interview. There are also some equally hilarious anecdotes in the comment section.

Speak Up: Design Academics - Generally all the articles here are worth a read if you're interested in Grad school.

It's Aziz

I caught the TV on the Radio show yesterday at the Glass House in Pomona. And yes, Kyp Malone's beard was just as magical in person. The crowd was pretty tame at first (probably due to the lack of alcohol at the venue) but eventually Tunde's hip shakes hypnotized us into dancing. This drunk white girl and her 6'7 boyfriend decided to take advantage of my short Asian frame by positioning themselves next to me the entire evening. I tried to find refuge in an elevated area next to me but security told me it was off limit. Never one to argue with authority, I gave up and enjoyed the rest of the show starring at some guy's back. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed someone sitting in the "VIP" area. I immediately thought "who the hell is this asshole and how did he sneak past security". The asshole turned out to be Aziz Ansari from Human Giant/Parks and Recreation. He was chubbier in person so all that camera adds 15lbs thing is not true. Still, I'd do him for the street cred.

Weekly Roundup

One week only: Feist music video starring Cilian Murphy directed by Kevin Drew. Beautiful reimagining of the lady in the lake story. [pitchforkmedia]

A different kind of body art [fabrikproject]

It's bad enough that Macs are overpriced, but must all mac accessories be expensive as well? Still, I want..[ex49.com]

Ever wonder how newcomers survive in NYC? Early days in the city as remembered by Cindy Sherman, Andy Samberg, Chloe Sevigny and more. [nymag]

Educational Tables vs Divs guide for those of starting out in web design [smashing magazine]

Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black's new blog is up and running. And yes, I know I'm probably the only person in the world that would consider this news. [michaelandmichaelhaveissues.com]

Oliver Peoples ad feat. Zooey Deschanel and Matt Costas. Doing the geek chic glasses thing right [youtube]