spring cleaning

after running through a torrential downpour to and from the subway to school (only to discover that i had forgotten to transfer my indesign files onto my flashdrive...brilliant, i know!), an early evening tea stop at argo with jess, a stop at home depot, and 2 failed attempts to visit staples (both locations were already closed), i stopped by barnes and noble and curled up with a couple graphic design books to fill my mind with typefaces galore. then it was back in the crazy rain and then finally home. a serious cleaning has been long overdue, and tonight was the night that i could finally do it without completely stressing over school, thanks to our much anticipated spring break.

it was amazing to realize how much crap i had accumulated over the last couple months of living in my new apartment. some of it was easy to place in the garbage, while others required more thought and deliberation. all in all though, i feel so much better after having sorted through all the piles and properly putting things in their rightful places. there is still more cleaning to do, but i think the bulk of it has been taken care of, which is definitely a relief. the mess was starting to make me crazy, so it's nice to have room to breathe again :P

i hope tomorrow will be more productive on the homework front. the list of tasks i must accomplish during my spring break is longer than i'd ever have imagined it could be, and i know that it's going to take a lot of discipline and sheer determination to see that everything gets done. so much for spring BREAK, though it'll definitely be nice not having to go to class this week.

muckety muck

been dragging my feet to school for the last couple of weeks trying to keep my head afloat while all the chaos swirls around me. classes and teachers have been out of control, demanding that we give more time than humanly possible to a plethora of projects, many of which are completely unrelated to what that course should even be about in the first place (and building your own teaching portfolio should never be your first priority as a teacher. teaching your students the course material should be). work has also been incredibly stressful with both programs being accredited simultaneously and deadlines piling up one after another. there seems to be no rest for the weary and all i can say is that i feel incredibly worn. my brain is fried, my body aches, my eyes are tired, and i've experienced a marathon of mammoth headaches unlike any that i've ever experienced before. sleeping 5 hours a night on average surely doesn't help the situation as i feel my focus drifting away. graduation is just around the corner, but the fight to get there is going to take everything i've got.

sweeeeeet

gotta say that getting an autographed paul sahre poster, a banana chocolate croissant, and finding out that tomorrow is a snow day definitely made an unexpectedly sweet evening :)

so much else has happened since the last time i wrote, but an update will have to wait for another day...now, back to my type management...

on rotation

3 hrs of sleep last night (thanks to a crazy school and poor time management), a crummy day full of stress (running down 8 streets and 2 avenues in the span of 10 mins to buy 2 rolls of specialized film is not something one should do when they have already reached zombified state), missed office hours (even though i knocked 4x on federico's door and called once, he was never around during my breaks within his 9-5 office hour day...go figure), interactions from incompetent people who work within school (payroll and student employment) and at the world famous photo lab, duggal, which ironically produces crappy prints and overcharges for regular 4x6 single copies...argh...still annoyed, and spilling half of my pear sizzle martini on brian's pants, amounted to 1.5 drinks of pear sizzle down into my near-empty stomach (don't think a homemade ramen with nothing but soup mix and a peach cobbler count for much) and a spinning head. perhaps some sleep will help my spinning head and bring about a better day tomorrow. just maybe...

p.s. did i mention that water bottles were thrown at brian, ali, and i while walking back towards the hotel? the nerve!!! if i weren't in my spinning state, i would have ran after that gang to give them a piece of my mind...though on second thought, that might not have been such a great idea...

one more

another late night to add to the growing pile since the semester started. at least it's not 4AM yet, but still late enough that my body feels like it's gonna shut down on me at any given moment. oh school...how you love to steal my sleep, my meal time, and often try to steal my sanity. 3 more days til the weekend. let the countdown begin.

what they don't tell you on the course calendar

i can't believe i've just spent the last 2 hours designing a template for a box. many sketches, cuts, test models, and precise measurements later, and voila. ah, the life of an art student. makes me wonder what shape my bones and body will be like in 10 years. all the craning over my desk, staring at the computer screen till my eyes can barely stay open, sitting till my butt is completely numb, trimming prints till my arms are sore...it's bound to do a number on your health, if not sanity. in any case, i'm gonna call it a night. it's been another long day at school and i'm mentally and physically wiped out from all the work from this week. thankfully 2 out of 3 big projects are done and out of the way. just 1 more biggie tomorrow and then i'll be weekend-bound! can't wait for saturday, cupcakes, and a movie. it's been way too long...

p.s. a super happy birthday to my baby sister who's not such a baby anymore ;)

miso love soup!

after another long day of work, school, and a lecture by mr. abbott miller at SVA, i arrived back at my apartment to discover a rather large envelope with my name on it! seeing as i usually only receive junk mail, bills, and the occasional magazine (i can't wait for my communication arts annuals to start arriving), it was quite exhilarating to find something new. and who doesn't like surprises in big packages? exactly.

so after unloading all the bags i was carrying (by the time i made it through my front door i had 5...my backpack, SLR bag, purse, frozen dinner and OJ from duane reade, and a bag of ziploc containers from home depot...clearly i travel hobo style), i tore open the envelope to discover a sweet, encouraging letter and 2 big bags full of instant tofu miso soup to cheer me up from my uber crappy week last week.

many thanks to naomi, another angel from back home, for mailing me some yummies! i had forgotten how much i love miso soup (it's definitely been a couple months). i had a cup of soup tonight and look forward to all the other soup nights to come. though i'm still exhausted from all the homework and late nights, it definitely helps to know that there are people rooting for you and caring about you. and it is their encouragement and friendship that often helps me get through all the chaos and craziness that is my life.

paula

today i got to hear graphic design giant, paula scher, lecture at FIT. i am quite a fan of her work (my faves include the shake shack identity, symphony space and bloomberg headquarters signage and wayfinding, and of course, her poster work for the public theater...gotta love that bauhaus flavor), so it was so wonderful to hear her speak about her life and career from backwards to forward. wish i had pictures, but like the scatterbrain i've been lately, i of course left my camera at home today. bah.

and now, off to bed. i overslept by over an hour this morning and woke up at 10:34AM, 4 mins. after i was already supposed to have been at work. talk about getting a bad start to the week. hopefully 2 alarms will have me up in time tomorrow.

on a side note, it's sad when you think that 1:39AM is "early"...

these days

these days i work till my eyes burn and can barely stay open, my back and neck tire from sitting in a chair confined to my desk and computer, and the clock strikes 4:30AM. it's hard to stay motivated when all you want to do is sleep, but something deep inside tells me that if i want to succeed in the big world of graphic design, i have to pay my dues in my share of late nights.

tomorrow will mark the start of week 6 and this week is gonna be a killer. 3 major projects due, 2 guest lectures by paula scher and abbott miller, work, class, and other smaller projects almost guarantee late nights every day of this week. just hope my body is up for the challenge and all the germs stay away from me.

plan b

after completing week 5 of this semester, i can safely say that all the staying up late, stressing over school/work/life, and constantly getting/feeling sick (the 1.5 month-long cough has finally subsided and my nasal passages have been in the clear for the last 2 hrs...ahhh the small victories in life), has not worked out so well for me. and so now, onto plan b...

adam, my brilliant packaging design teacher for the semester, suggested a different way of working, and the test run ran tonight. in working in 20 mins intervals per class, i was able to maximize on my productivity while minimizing on burning out in that subject and keeping my momentum going. 2 hrs later, i'm halfway through my advertising design homework, got a good chunk done for my packaging design project, and have taken some big bites out of my graphic design homework, though there is still much more to go for that class (trying not to get overwhelmed, but that class has supersized homework loads). it also helped to have a friend along for the ride. thanks to nina, timer extraordinaire, and homework buddy for the night!

so now some shut eye before another packed day tomorrow. it's gonna be a tough year, but i'm a fighter.

angels + miracles

after a rough and exhausting couple of days (with one more day to go til the weekend), i left my apartment early this morning feeling downhearted and unprepared to face another day of catastrophe (as many of my days have been recently). instead, i experienced a mini miracle, much understanding, and angels who truly made my day...

after missing work yesterday due to my failing immune system, my boss greeted me with complete understanding and concern that i was getting enough rest and eating well (both of which i haven't been able to do much of recently, but i'm doing my best to change that). then i explained how the recent mortality of my usb key had wiped out major projects, one of which was due today. without hesitation, he gave me permission to step out of the office and seek some IT help. though claudio wasn't able to help me with my drive, he referred me to roberto, who miraculously was able to pull all contents off of my drive onto his desktop before the usb key died once more. tidal waves of relief washed over me.

then, my typography 3 class and a half-done project to hand in, due to my usb troubles. my prof was super understanding about it all, her and my classmates offered a helpful critique, and i felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

then to cap off the day, i received an unexpected e-mail from tony that reminded me how lucky i am to have such amazing friends that look out for me, especially in times of great disappointment and frustration. his thoughtfulness and kind gesture to help out was so moving and i couldn't help but feel so blessed. thank you!

forget the umbrella..how 'bout relocation?

so the bad luck storm i was enduring before has officially escalated to hurricane status.

just when i thought things couldn't possibly get worse (silly me...), my 4.0 GB USB drive decided to die today.

yes, it could have been worse and this could have happened at the end of the semester, just as it already has twice before (apparently some kind of data saving apparatus needs to die on me at least once a semester while i'm at pratt), but i'm still somewhat annoyed and frustrated since i lost about 3 weeks worth of projects. augh. technology, why do you hate me so much??? seriously.

why is it not friday already?

it's only wednesday night, but my brain is already falling apart and my body feels like it's already broken.

i woke up this morning with all my muscles screaming out in pain. whatever germs are still lurking around in my throat and nose are literally kicking the crap outta me and despite vitamins, a neti pot, and drinking lots of water, i haven't been able to shake this cold :(

i know the main thing that i've been lacking is sleep, but unfortunately being a full-time student does not really facilitate sleep. 24 hrs of class, 20hrs of work, 24–40+ hrs of homework, 6+ hrs of commuting, and 1–4 hrs of church (depending on whether i'm playing keys that sunday) per week does not leave a whole lot of other time for the other basics of eating and sleeping...so many times those get overlooked...

so 2 more days till i can enjoy some extra zzz's, have a bit of breathing room, and collect my brain and body bits before i have to face another week and do it all again. don't get me wrong. i do love learning and being in school, but i'm more than ready for a little break from being sick and having to think about homework...

and on that note, back to the homework mountain...

in need of an umbrella

they say that when it rains it pours, and lately i've been drowning in it all...

for starters, a couple weeks ago my poor canon g7 took a fall for the worse and that hospital bill came out to be almost $200. definitely not cheap.

then came my manual camera...an old pentax spotmatic f, which has been in my family for the last 35 years. i was so excited to be taking photography at school, learning to develop film in the darkroom, and pick up techniques passed down from the days before digital anything was around. little did i know though, that this course and camera would put me back another big chunk of change. due to wear and tear, bad weather conditions, and poor storage, the manual camera also had to be operated on. that bill came out to $120. augh.

so it's been quite an expensive month for me...from the 2 camera repairs to supplies for school, a microwave for the apartment, new internet installation, and all the travel costs associated with 4 out of town weddings this year, it's been pretty brutal...goodbye money :(

sugar rush

for as long as i can remember, i have always had a sweet tooth. from candy to chocolate, ice cream to cake, pie, cookies, and all pastry varieties in between, sugar and i have always had a good and close relationship...until today.

after enjoying a sushi lunch at hearst's cafe, i headed back to work to discover that more, a cupcake eatery in chicago, had made a special delivery to our company (one of the perks of working for the food network magazine), and had sent a good 40 cupcakes in every possible flavor that they could. though i was stuffed to the brim already, i found me and my curious stomach wandering into the conference room to scout out the newly acquired stock, and before i knew it, i had grabbed a plate to partake in the eating festivities. with so many kinds to choose from, i was handed a knife and encouraged to try as many as i could. so off i went and ate the following:
• bacon maple cupcake (what a strange yet great combo!)
• mango jalepeño cupcake (had a nice tang kick to it)
• valronho cupcake (mmm...so decadent)
• bacon brittle (quite interesting)

then came the visit to the kitchen where i discovered a tin full of gigantic cookies (thick as a scone and bigger than the palm of my hand). again, the temptation was too much to bare, and on it went onto my plate. in all fairness, i should have stopped while i was ahead, but i pushed my limits, and consumed way more than was necessary...ultimately leading up to the biggest stomach ache and sugar headache that i've ever experienced :(

it's a miracle that i lasted until the end of the day. there were definite moments of immense nausea, feeling faint, my teeth aching, and stomach churning. though i still do love my sugar, i know my body's limits and hope not to cross my sugar quota line again (or at least anytime soon)...