So some of you may recall I mentioned I ordered one of these fancy Leap chairs back in December right? Well I finally got it maybe a couple weeks ago. It has to be specially manufactured up in the Mainland and then sent over. You can to choose all the fancy colors, the materials, the chrome, yadda yadda. It's a bit like buying an exotic car except without the big engine and the hot chicks wanting to come ride with you.

So what's the result? Well......overall I'd say I'm not thoroughly enthused about it yet. I'm not about to go around raving, "This is the BEST office chair my precious butt has ever set on in my life!" It's OK so far, but maybe I simply haven't used it long enough or my expectations are too high.

It's fantastically well built though. Every part of it feels solid. The chair itself has some good weight on it. Metal frame. All the swivels and connections glide smoothly. The rubber padding for the arm rests feel very solid & supportive. The mesh fabric and the seat cushions also feel like they give me just the right amount of pressure.

So why aren't I raving about it? Well, simply because my back is still sore. Granted I still have conditions in my home that might contribute to my bad back (e.g., my crappy bed mattress, my work desk might be at the wrong height). So I can't say for sure this has anything to do with the chair. But I just haven't noticed any significant changes to my sore back since getting this fancy chair.

I found this little golden nugget of a website called TapeDeck.org, devoted to collections of classic tape cassette designs. Oh I don't miss these suckers at all. How many of my mix tape collections got chewed up by my old Celica car tape deck?

I think I still have a bunch of these left at home. Some old UTFO tapes, Fat Boys, Def Leppard, Weird Al Yankovic... maybe I'll go listen to these right now and hope another one doesn't bite the dust. Those of you remember out there having to hunt for your favorite songs on tape?

*click* whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrr "click* music *click* whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrr *click* music *click* whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrr

Motivation

My best friends' daughter Kinohe sent this email to me showing this rare "fire rainbow" above. I thought it was a fake a first. You know, when you work on Photoshop all day long, you become skeptical of anything you see because I can pretty much make a fake image that looks just about like anything.

Turns out this effect is real though. Which is rather neat. Perhaps I have to keep my camera at ready maybe someday I can capture this kind of event myself if it ever turns up here in Hawaii. Thanks Kinohe.... it was perfect timing.

You know I'm finding out one of the most difficult things about working for your own business is that you don't have a built-in cheering squad. Yeah you get compliments from your clients once in a while when you do a good job.... but everyone knows that you need cheer most when you have those bad days.

Yesterday I spent almost 14 hours crunching numbers. I had to update my Quickbooks files after having had a bookkeeper do some house-cleaning on my files for the year-end. It was about 9:30pm at night when I just got super fed-up, "what the hell, I just spent my entire day looking at numbers, what fun is this?" I asked myself.

And then I get those occasional days where I get chewed out by someone for some reason or another. I take my hits & learn from them. But it certainly spoils the day...nobody likes to get complaints or yelled at. I get other days where I spend extra effort trying to get a sale and the person ends up with someone else.... c'est la vie.

In days like this, you really just have to cheer yourself on. You don't have staff or working colleagues to say "good job" or "it'll be fine". This is certainly one of the downsides of self-employment.

I got 2 signs up on the wall near my desk that says "No Fucking Around" as motivators to work hard. No bullshit I really do. My brother recommended it once and I listened. But perhaps I need to change that this season and try something more uplifting "You can do it!" or something cheezy like that? How about, "When God gives you beans, make a burrito" Yeah I don't know how the real saying goes. But I like burritos.

AHHH! Or maybe I'll make my own motivational poster using this fire rainbow image! *ding*

Monday Monday

Found this brief but fairly well-written article today on how to choose a graphic designer:

As a potential client, you recognize the benefits of hiring a professional designer to create your logo, stationery or marketing pieces, but there are just so many designers out there that it can be downright overwhelming. How in the world can you find one who is right for you?

How To Choose A Graphic Designer

On typical un-related left-field writing I normally do, I thought I'd just post this beautiful song that got "Best Song" for the Academy Awards this weekend:



I haven't seen the movie yet but this song definitely caught my attention lately while it's been on rotation. It reminds me of the old folksy music of the 70's that I grew up with. The Gordon Lightfoot kinda stuff where it's all just vocals and an acoustic guitar. "Sundown", "The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald".... anyone else in Gen X like me know of this stuff but me? Must be...my uncle spend some of his hippy college years here and babysat me while all playing all this kind of music so I kinda grew up around these sounds. Anyway, I think it's kinda cool the "songwriter" movement is coming around again lately.

NOTE: The clip keeps getting pulled by YouTube probably because it's a clip from the Oscars that's copywrited. But just look for "Falling Slowly" on the search field and I'm sure someone has a clip up.

Well, it's not design related but it's a nice song to start out the week don't you think? Is it just me or does that guitar have a few extra holes on it because it's been worn in by the strumming? That's pretty hardcore folk playing. I'm sure he can afford a new acoustic now.

Play night

My band "Miss Buddha" is playing tonight over at the Loft. It's my first time there. Never heard the other bands/DJs there either. Come check it out if you have a free evening.

I'm still under the weather but the show must go on. I'll be the a hacking, snot boy bass player there who will be barely keeping on my feet. Nah, I go all-out at the shows but I'm only afraid that will give me a major relapse of this cold I have. I better keep it somewhat cool tonight and not stay too late. Sounds so old eh?

The flier above is pretty interesting. They got this 80's cheese vibe going on with it. Didn't that old band "Ratt" use that similar font in their logo? God it scares me that the 80's fashion has made a comeback...I'm seeing some of the ugliest colors being worn on the street again. I might have to bust out my old neon pink fat laces again.

Still sick

Wow this cold or flu going around is really kicking my butt. I've been rather cocky these past couple years, "oh I never get sick" blah blah blah. Now here I am humbled by a tiny virus. If I could stick a hand down my throat and scratch to my heart's content I would...oh it's so ITCHY!

Reminds me of an old Rap Replinger sketch on his Poi Dog CD.

You itchy?
Yes, very itchy
Well scratch 'em den.

Yeah, not a huge sound bite....but still hilarious in my current state of mind. You just have to hear the way he said it. I miss Rap.

Anyway, I'm still screening calls. Sorry folks, but my Jabba voice just isn't suited to answering a long phone conversation with a potential client at this point in time. Every so often I pick up the phone just for laughs and as luck would have it, it's always a pre-recorded sales pitch which bugs the shit out of me. So, please...just leave a message and I'll do everything possible to reach you back.

You know...I'm frustrated. Too clouded in my head to design, and not enough current pure design projects to stay fruitful. Oh I get the web stuff here and there, some coding, some business cards, etc. But they don't really get the juices flowing where I'm sunk hardcore into design. Haven't had much chance to bus' the camera out to take the shots either. It's been rainy all winter season.

I think in March I'll be helping a friend take action shots for his sport photography business. So at least I can take the camera out then. But it's been a slow winter.

Is business slow? Eh, still hard to say. I'm getting calls and potential projects but they're all still very manini ("small"). The I have some big juicy ones I'd like to finish but it seems like the people involved are in less hurry then I am to finish things so they're sort of in limbo right now. I think that adds to my frustrations a bit. But eh, what can you do? Just one day at a time and do what comes up in the meantime.

Still no lucky Kokua Festival tickets have landed on my head. I know it was sold out in minutes but somewhere in the back of my mind I'm hoping some miracle tickets will scooped up somewhere from the heavens, and dropped down miraculously on my doorstep by a giant vaporous hand. People are scalping those tickets for like $400 - $600 a pop now on Ebay. No thanks...I'm not that desperate.

Anybody out there want to donate some Kokua tickets to a sick local boy and his cute foreign wife who's NEVER seen a show at the Waikiki Shell before please do! hehehe. Yeah I'm not above desperate pathetic mercy begging. I think maybe I'm better off wishing on the giant hand eh?

Jabba

I think I may have to screen my calls today. So it's best to reach me by email today if at all possible. Or please just leave a message on my machine I'll do my best to call you back when I can.

I think it's been about 2 years since I've gotten sick. I think it's finally hit me on the head today. My throat was itchy all day yesterday and finally today my voice is pretty hashed. I sound like a frog. Add to that I haven't been exercising regularly these past couple of weeks like I'm used to...so I'm feeling a bit like Jabba the Hut today. Hey, I even got his voice, "Jabba no bodda! Har har har har"

Wealth Management Logo

A finished logo branding project for a client I have in the financial sector. This concept may seem simple in the end, but boy it was one of my more challenging projects because it was so hard to come up with a concept that spoke "legacy" to the individuals involved. We went through a lot of angles.

Finally I think this simple asymmetrical form just expresses something that builds upon each other and progresses upwards. Orange has always been considered a positive and energetic color. So I think the combination of these hints will probably communicate the proper message to their customers.

Damnit

DARNIT!! I missed the opportunity to buy tickets to this year's Kokua Festival. My wife and I don't share very much music in common but we both like Jack Johnson. So I figured this year we'd go to his concert at the Shell when he comes. This past Saturday it was supposed to be on sale online....all week long I had it in my head to go wake up early to buy tickets.

What happened? I got sick! Spent all day Friday and Saturday on the edge of throwing up. I totally forgot to get tickets until this morning.... now all the tickets are sold out. SUMMAMMABEETCH.

Sounds like a complaint a teenage girl would post huh? Yeah, it's a little pathetic I admit.

But I think I need a little bit of JJ music to lift my spirits again lately. I've been feeling a little crappy lately with my mood and I can't pinpoint the problem. Could it be work? Taxes? Money? Housing? Maybe all of the above but I know these issues will stick around for a while...

Perhaps I gotta go hardcore like the last time I was in a pissy mood....I'll have to do sensory assault with positive stuff. Nothing but Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Bob Marley on a permanent loop and swear off watching the news for a while. There's just too much crap going on in the world these days.

I must say though, yesterday we got to spend some time with old friends to just chill and play party games. First time in a while I felt a genuine recharge of positivity again, I think it was good. (Thanks buds!) Which goes to remind me, all this physical stuff we want and surround ourselves with will not give us permanent happiness, the game consoles, the new cars, the houses, the cameras, etc....It really just comes down to health, friends and family.

Alright, this whiney bitch is signing off before my eyes roll off into the back of my head.

C'mon let it whip

I get weird when it's a brisk day of work. When I'm hopped up on caffeine and sugar, I'm either climbing the walls or talking to myself.

Today I find myself singing something from Dazz Band. I have no idea how that ended up in my head all of a sudden. Everyone sing with me:

So let it whip
(let's whip it baby)
Child
(let's whip it right)
Let's get a grip
(let's whip it baby, work it all night)
What's your trip
(oh no)
Child, c'mon let it whip
OWOOOHOOO!

Yeah.... tell me about it. Here I am pacing my apartment singing this like some crazy nut.

Momentum is picking up again. Signs are pointing positive for a good couple of months so I'm feeling good. Still entertaining the idea of either teaching or picking up a small part-time side job just to help stabilize our family income for a first home purchase sometime soon....but I want to do that without disturbing all that I've done with Lowe Studio.

Finally got that Nintendo Wii I've been wanting ever since that thing was first shown as a preview video on YouTube. The thing is damn fun but I'm getting carpal tunnel swinging those nunchuck controls around like some kind of spastic.

Back to work. OWHOOOHOOOO!

Who's the ghetto Mickey Mouse you ask? No, it isn't the carnival mascot. That's my wife. hehe.

Yeah, I took her to her first local carnival today, the Punahou Carnival. For those who don't know, this carnival has been hosted by one of the big local private schools here every year around this time for as long as I can remember.

9 out of 10 times it always rains during this carnival, so it's sort of been a tradition to just go and get dirty at this event. I think I must have lost at least one pair of slippers in that mud field over these years.

Anyway, I thought I'd take my wife over for the experience this year. I told her, "Dress with your crappy clothes because it's going to be a mud fest." Sure enough, it's been raining on and off for the past 2 or 3 weeks so that field was nice and ripe.

She didn't have any junk shoes so her idea was to get these 2 plastic bags to put over her feet. I didn't think she was serious until we got there and put them on. Yeah we'd walk by people and everyone pointed down at her feet, "Hey, good idea!"

I was more embarrassed then she was. I think when it comes to choosing between looking like a hobo or ruining a pair of shoes. I think I'm ready to toss the shoes.

Gung Hey Fat Choy

Gung Hey Fat Choy! Xin Nian Kuai Le! Happy Chinese New Years everyone!

So ends the reign of the Year of the Boar *oink oink* My year. I must say last year was quite a bang for me, it was wild but it was pretty darn mindblowing. I got married on a whirlwind tour through 2 countries. Add to that I have my wife move in with me and wreck...I mean, clean out my place. On top of that pushing my business ahead to an even better year then the last. Hey, t'was a good year even though at certain points it didn't look as clear and rosey.

Now we got the Rat year. My wife's year. Somehow, despite what we see in the news, I'm carefully optimistic although I can't quite put my finger on it. Something deep in my gut tells me this will be a good year as well. Maybe the good karma that came to me last year will carry over to my wife this year. I'm just a passenger this time...I'll take any luck I can get.

Anyway, have a good one folks.