Wilde Cut

This is, I think, my first attempt at a pop-up card without a template ... so, as expected, my calculations and measurements are a little off. (Not to mention the lack of structural support in the text so that the first are is collapsing backwards.)

The background isn't coming through the way I thought it would (it's the starry night-sky background I created for my VSC 2 assignment, the Cirque des Rêves booklet).

This is one of my favorite quotes (out of context). Something I hope to remind myself when times get shitty.

A Quick One

The basic building block of this thing (three-sided triangle-faced) came to me while I was lying in bed on Sunday morning. This thing turned out to be kinda 'movable'—as in it can be rotated like flip food lunchbox.

I guess if I used bugle beads or something with clear nylon thread, this could arguably be worn ... right?

Mini Projects

As soon as I decided on wearable himmelis, I started making a butterfly one (cribbing from a design I found on Etsy) which is definitely not wearable.

Completed this one on Friday ... and it doesn't look much like a butterfly because I eyeballed the different lengths required based on the design. Ah well.

Also, I finally finished the first of my Islamic pattern cuttings yesterday:

I don't quite know what to do with this—mount it? Make it into something of a lampshade? What??? I gotta try to give this away to a friend so it's gotta be made into something.

I've also been on a bit of guilty-reading binge. I borrowed a bunch of books last Wednesday and the Wednesday before last after my blood test and a doctor consultation (re: blood test results; I'mma stop my thyroid pills now that my TSH and other crap have leveled out) and have been steadily going through them.

Guilty reads so far:

• The Girl Who Saved The King of Sweden
• Explosive Eighteen
• Notorious Nineteen
• Takedown Twenty
• The Outsourcer's Apprentice
• The Woman Who Died A Lot
• Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute

Gotta say, I absolutely adore the Thursday Next and Johannes Cabal series! It used to be Tom Holt was my favorite (because of books like Who's Afraid of Beowulf and Expecting Someone Taller) but Jasper Fforde is now my new hero. And Jonathan L. Howard—hoo boy, I love me more of the brothers Cabal!

Not What I Had In Mind ...

See, what I'd intended to make was a bangle/bracelet; what I ended up with was a fucking wreath. A tiny wreath, but still a wreath nonetheless. Fuck.

I'm quite determined that I make something wearable today. And not flat.

The Devil's Workshop

Idle hands, devil's workshop ... No, but really, I find working with my hands therapeutic, soothing, and kinda rewarding (depending on how the final product turned out).

It started with wanting to make a housewarming gift for a friend (whose housewarming I eventually didn't attend): I was wavering (two to three days prior to said housewarming party) between a calendar and a hanging planter but soon decided that a plant seemed like more an appropriate gift. I was really taken by the himmeli planters I saw online and thought they didn't look very difficult to make ... (HA!)

Materials:

• Black straws (bendy bits snipped off)
• Cocktail straws
• Embroidery floss (I had loads from Daiso leftover from the friendship band attempts) and a long needle—I did try regular sewing thread (too fiddly for my fat fingers) and a spool of twisty tie (it doesn't lie straight and flat and curves the straws uglily); I think if I were to continue making these straw mobiles/ornaments, I'd use clear fishing wire/nylon beading wire thread.

I used the design of a star pendant I found. The whole thing measured approximately 30 cm; I cut my straws into 15 cm and 8 cm lengths. The plant I bought was an air plant, Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides), which Emily pointed out resembled an untrimmed (pubic) bush.

So ... yeah. (That wasn't why I didn't attend the housewarming and give this thing I made though.)

These recent days have been weirdly tiring ones for me. Inexplicably so. I couldn't wake up, didn't feel like I slept restfully, and spent most of the day in a fugue of sorts. Making another himmeli was the only productive thing I've done between Monday and today (and the damn thing only took less than a single afternoon—while I was half-watching, half-listening to Drishyam.

Filmi-digression: Drishyam was decent enough but anybody expecting Rahasya-level suspense and thrills will be sorely disappointed. Tabu was fricking amazing and my, my, my does she look so delish. I also liked Shriya Saran enough to want to watch her other Hindi and English works, namely Gali Gali Chor Mein and Cooking with Stella).

This I made with the cocktail straws which had the two constraints of being of very limited length and very thin.

Conclusion: himmelis are actually really fun to make. It's just that I've nowhere to dump finish pieces (my mother will flip if I tried to display every single project I've made—from all my modular origami shit to paper-cuttings, and now this himmeli crap). For now, my sketchbooks and other assorted tools are scattered between my sister's vacated room (aka my dump-yard) and the living room coffee table (my preferred spot for working on paper-cuttings).

I wonder if it would be possible to make himmelis in a sorta paper-pleat pattern (which is also geometric). That would be interesting I think. Guess I could continue to scale down my himmelis to make them wearable art (look out WoW LOL!) ...

And speaking of paper-cuttings, I've been working on this for a few evenings now:

The coloring-as-therapy craze that's on right now—I find that super stressful. I can never be a color-er. Cutting is so, so, so much more relaxing and therapeutic. I'm also very much into the geometric Islamic motifs and patterns right now—not only are they pretty, they're really easy to cut!

Mini Collage (aka Didn't Know What To Do With Myself Today)

Collage as in I pasted vectors and patterns I found elsewhere into an artboard in Illustrator. All while listening to what I think of as a struggling-to-hold-on-hold-tight playlist.

Playlist:

• Dor – Yeh Honsla
• 3 Idiots – Jaane Nahin Denge Tujhe
• Hasee Toh Phasee – Manchala (this is my Hindi emotional counterpart to Sia's 'Chandelier')

Credit where credit is due:

• Feather vectors: Freepik.com
• Teardrop pattern: Creative Market
• Typeface: Notulen
• Dragonfly vector: Insects (Dover Publications, Dover Pictura Electronic Clip Art series)

(Scribble: mine.)

I think the word 'hope' is too off-center for my liking, but then hope always is ... Originally intended to make it into a cutting template but no way am I gonna be cutting that many curves.

Project: Paper-cut card

So someone I know launched her own studio, which is an amazing feat, and I decided a card is much faster to make than—say, an A3 cutting—because I only had maybe a week or so to work on it. (Even as a full-time bum, one week isn't a lot of time to go from conceptualizing to designing—and endless redrafts, given how quickly I change my mind about things—to buying materials, printing, and cutting (and re-cutting in the event of design or cutting mistakes), to presentation.)

This was the final product I gave:

The envelope was a simple one—Paul Jackson's angled envelope—made with tracing paper. The card design itself, lord that must've been the third of the three completely different designs I was working on.

I started out with a grid of letters ("congratulations") on a seamless pattern (which I took forever to decide on) but halfway through that, I started thinking of a variation of Cirque des Rêves (yes, based on The Night Circus) which had a circular motif and a typeface with beautiful swashes (Giza Pro).

Finally, because it was all getting overwhelming and (needlessly) complicated, I settled on this much simpler design which also meant an easier cutting time.

What I used:

• Typefaces:
  • Hello Script ("Hazel" and "I wish you every success")
  • Moon ("congratulations")
  • Reislust (the last two lines from Robert Crawford's 'Advice' which, fuck me, yes I didn't catch that I'd attributed it to Richard rather than Robert Crawford until I finished cutting and it's too late to reprint and re-cut. Major UGH.)
• Paper: Campap watercolor paper, 300 gsm, 229x305 mm
• Triangle pattern: I took a single triangle from a hand-drawn seamless pattern set then manually pasted it around (using Transform Each to rotate/copy). I thought of using the Symbol Sprayer tool but this was such a small canvas it was actually much faster to manually create the pattern than to spray, then shift/scrunch/size, etc.
• Colorful watercolor background from Freepik.com
• Silhouette: DIY from a photo of Hazel I found in her FB album

Making this card (as well as having 10 more sheets of watercolor paper left in my block) makes me want to do more cutting! So far, I've decided to do another card—this time, one with a quote in a simple pop-up—and two seamless geometric patterns. Will get those printed out at the only print shop I'd go to since I have the time to travel there—he works with a lot of students (from the nearby art school) so he's really patient and comes at really low rates and great advice (plus free throw-ins like cutting and scoring haha)!

Why

... do I appear to have an unnatural amount of anxiety about the interview this afternoon?

And, honestly, I don't think I'm anxious about screwing up the interview or that I'm nervous about being turned down for the position after the interview. I feel like I'm more anxious about being offered a position than having the interviewer dislike me. =( This is so weird.

Halp!

A One-Eighty?

What happened since the last post:

• Yesterday: A call from someone from a recruitment company asking me whether I was interested in a training position; promised to email me a detailed job description;
• Yesterday: A call from a local library body asking me to attend an interview next week;
• Yesterday: Came across a comms position that actually excited me (plus it's located in the east!) and I can't wait to apply;
• Today: Before I could even start doing up my cover letter for that comms job, a call from a local university library asking me about my availability for an interview in a fortnight and a promise to send an email to me once the details have been confirmed;
• Today: I actually got a reply from a local welfare group who had previously told me I wasn't going to be considered as a candidate because my expected salary was too high but to which I asked to be considered based on my experience and skills—it is really short notice, but they've asked me to go in for an interview tomorrow!

Now, of course, in an ideal world, I'd be getting job offers from all these interviews, but I know that's hardly going to be the case. I'm just now a little torn about what I would like to do IF I did manage to get different job offers.

I'd sent off applications for many library positions because I think I want to start on my MSc next year (if I found work in a library within this year, then hopefully my manager/employer could write me a recommendation letter to strengthen my application for the MSc). The interview with the local library body is for a short-term contract (ending at the end of March 2016) at a public library while the position with the university library is a permanent role.

PROS:

• They're library jobs and I actually like working in a library (although I'm not too sure about public library work—I've only ever worked in academic libraries)
• The more library work on my résumé, the stronger my MSc application.
• University (or research/academic) libraries are where I want to work.
• The university library that called me this morning is the only university in this country offer the MSc; I could kill two birds with one stone (if I got the job and got accepted into the MSc program).

CONS:

• Location—oh holy fuck they're on the west side of the island, with the university campus practically located in the neighboring country (yes, that's how FAR away it is), and the commute might just kills me.
  
  I know this is the only con that I can see (for now) but it's a very frightening, pragmatic, and realistic one. I'd gone for an interview at that same university a couple of weeks ago (for a position I didn't even apply wtf) and my dad drove me. It was THE. LONGEST. CAR. RIDE. OF. MY. LIFE. The train ride home was similarly THE. LONGEST. TRAIN. RIDE. OF. MY. LIFE. (Well, they're not—I've taken road trips and train rides between Auckland and Wellington—but that car ride and that train ride were so boring they felt like the longest journeys ever.)
  
  Some years ago, my friend Jen received a work-study scholarship for her MSc at this very university. She eventually dropped out of the program because of the commute and the people in the office. =(

Okay, that's just one dilemma. The other one I have is about the types of job I've been applying to. For the interview I'm going to tomorrow ...

PROS:

• It's at a great (central) location (and near both an aerial/pole arts studio, art schools where I can perhaps pursue a certificate or part-time diploma in Visual Communication/Communication Design or any other design/artsy-crafty course, and the national library)!
• If I got the job, I might just get to work with the wonderful and smart and tireless women who are involved in producing CEDAW shadow reports (which I only got to know about thanks to the QUILTBAG group).
• There's a direct train from this job's location to another local university where I can pursue an MA by coursework (in Linguistics/English Language or English Literature). I figured if my goal is to become a subject librarian, I should have both a Masters in a subject and in library studies, no?

PROS:

• I don't know what kind of a (professional) future I'd have in that organization—I don't think I'll be able to become a professional (i.e. as compared to being a librarian).
• Going away from library work then applying for the MSc is likely to weaken my application ...

Once I finish and send in the application I'm writing, I'd have applied for two Communications-type jobs. These are actually interesting to me because I think the jobs would require me to both design and write—two things I think I'm actually decent at and which aren't completely snore-inducing for me. However, I have no interest in pursuing a Masters in Mass Communication at this point (even if it is a professional degree) and I think I might have to start at the bottom of the food chain in this field if they don't recognize the communications and promotion/marketing work I did in the library. I really enjoy visual communication-related tasks and want to continue to develop my skills in design as well as the software used.

Bah. This is thinking too far ahead. Damnit, I should've only written post if/when I actually have job offers ...

Anyway. The best news today is actually the fact that when I googled Mephisto's name, his Twitter account is the top result! HE'S ALIVE THANK THE GOOD GODDESS!!!

Funny Side

Look on the funny side of things, maybe?

Surely it is better to laugh in the face of desperation and dread than to implode and crumble?

Of course, perhaps it is one of my life's learning goals to learn HOW to do exactly just that—laughing instead of fearing and collapsing.

A Few Flicks

Hindi movies I watched since my blogging hiatus (in the order I watched it):

• D-Day

  I think I was in the 'serious' and action-type movie phase when I watched this. I liked the film but was really sad at how it ended for Irrfan's character.

  Sigh <3 Irrfan! (<3 <3 <3 Irrfan more when he collaborated with AIB!)

• Ungli

  Eh ... the flick was okay. It had so much potential but ultimately failed to deliver. Poor Arunoday Singh's role was so tiny, never mind Kangana's. WTF, if you're gonna cast her, her character needs to have more to do!

• Talaash: The Answer Lies Within

  Awesome. Film.
  
  Rani was radiant but I wished she had a meatier role. Bebo's character reminded me a little of her Chameli. Sigh, those Chameli days seemed almost innocent. So nostalgic ...

• Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!

  YES I FINALLY WATCHED IT! Even though I was a little underwhelmed by it (thanks to my high high high expectations for it), it was still good — a proper whodunit (though not quite as intense as Rahasya).

• Dum Laga Ke Haisha

  Awww, this was the sweetest film I watched this year. The chemistry between the leads, the story, the feminist-leanings — all quite lovely. Plus, for once, I actually like an Anu Malik soundtrack (mainly because of nostalgia).

• Desi Boyz

  Oh lord, why did I watch this?

  ... Prolly because of Akshay and Chitrangada Singh. GIVE THAT LADY A PROPER MOVIE AND STRONG ROLE ALREADY GODAMNIT!

• Dil Bole Hadippa!

  I want to like this but knew, going into it, I was never going to.

  Didn't buy the Rani-Shahid Kapoor pairing (because I don't like him). Don't ever want to see them as a couple in a movie again. I need to rewatch She's The Man to figure out which was a better take on Twelfth Night than Trevor Nunn's version (which I couldn't sit through).

• Don 2

  Ugh.

  SRK.

  Ugh. I really must try not to watch any of SRK's old films.

• Son of Sardaar

  Oh god, why ...?

  I must've been in the mood for something brainless when I decided to watch this.

• Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

  Ugh, no.

  Just ... NO. (For fuckssakes, NO MORE SRK MOVIES, GIRL!)

• Singh is Kinng

  Okay, I know this is a dumbass comedy but I was already well disposed towards it when I first saw the music video that had Akshay and Snoop Dogg in it. Man, that was funny! I even played it for my kids before my workshops.

• Khiladi 786

  Actually, I didn't mind this so much (even with Asin in it). I do love me some Akshay action-comedy. He's like the Jackie Chan of Hindi cinema — but so much MOAR SEXAY.

  AND I actually liked the title track (not so much 'Hookah Bar' though)!

• Singham

  Watched this for the sexay Ajay Devgn. Was not disappointed.

  If Hindi cinema decides to rip off Hollywood's Taken franchise, there are now at least two contenders for Liam Neeson's character — Akshay and Ajay. (But, all in honesty, if anybody wants the Hindi version to surpass the rather low-bar standard of the English one, then have a good screenwriter or two *coughReemaKagtiFarhanZoyaAkhtarAnuragKashyapVishalBhardwajTigmanshuDhuliaAparnaSenUrmiJuvekarcough* tweak the screenplay and cast Nawaz, Irrfan, and Radhika Apte.)

• Singham Returns

  More sexay Ajay.

  Did not like the Ajay-Bebo pairing. Wow, the age gap between the male and female leads is beginning to bug me more and more.

  Also, I just saw a picture of a prepubescent Bebo and Salman Khan together. The caption said she was being consoled by him. All I could think of was: HOW THE FUCK do you play the romantic lead opposite someone you watched grow up?! That's like a million fucking shades of gross ...

• Happy New Year

  You know, every time I think Farah Khan couldn't get worse, she pulls an even shittier film outta her ass.

  Lady, we get it. You have a huge crush on SRK. GET THE FUCK OVER IT. (On the other hand, kudos to Farah for not making her crush nearly as gross as Stephanie Meyer's on the Edward vampire.)

• John Day

  Sigh, another film with potential that failed to deliver. BUT WHYYYY? The actors were so good, why and how did the film fuck up???

• Cash

  Speaking of fuck-ups ...

  Well, at least I got to ogle at Sharmita Shetty's rather delectable figure.

• Chaalis Chauraasi

  For some reason, my mind is mashing up the narrative of this film with what I think are very similar films, like Barah Aana, Mithya, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, The Film Emotional Atyachar, etc.

  But this film is still better than any SRK film.

• Gabbar Is Back

  I like these 'social justice' type movies! Which other movies are in this vein??

  The schadenfreude in such movies is addictive. Who doesn't love it when the little guy (i.e. your aam aadmi) sticks it to Da Man (corrupt govt/authoritative/wealthy asshats)?

• Break Ke Baad

  I ... must've been in the mood for brainless rom-coms. Imran Khan is good in rom-coms but he'll always be Tashi to me.

  That said, I'm looking forward to Katti Batti. Imran Khan + Kangana = WIN (fingers crossed)!

• Khoobsurat (2014)

  I'm surprised I liked this more than I thought I would — and I actually found it to have rewatch value. Sonam Kapoor does excel in playing ditzy girls although she really isn't much of an MPDG.

  Aw, the good ol' days of no-kiss Bollywood films ...

• Players

  Yeah ... no.

  I was still in Welly when this was shot (C and I actually saw part of the shooting at Jervois Quay/Civic Square area although I don't think I saw any actors, just the Mini Coopers). The film was dumbass-shitty, but the shots of NZ — specifically those of Welly — brought back memories. NZ will always be one of my first-loves (there are many types of first-loves: pole is my first-love aerial-type activity and NZ is my first-love country).

• Fox

  The story sounded promising. The movie was shit.

  Maybe it would've been better had they cast better leads than Sunny Deol and Arjun Rampal ... and can the goddamn song-and-dance routines.

• War Chhod Na Yaar

  HINDI CINEMA NEEDS TO COME UP WITH MORE SATIRES LIKE THIS (although with less slapstick, thank you very much). I love love love the song fights and the affectionate bickering between the Indian and Pakistani camps. We're all just human, after all — why can't we just all get along?

  (Because money. Yeah, I know.)

• Bajatey Raho

  This one's okay, but Khosla Ka Ghosla was so much better. If I'd known, I'd have rewatched Khosla rather than watched this cuz the plot is almost exactly the same.

• Mickey Virus

  I've still yet to watch a decent hacking-type movie. It seems like movies don't do computer/hacking well. Everything looks so dumb.

  Also, Manish Paul looked too old to play the Mickey character. That said, I would like to see him in more comedies in the future.

• Piku

  Have I mentioned how much I adore Irrfan Khan? <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

  And Deepika in a non-romcom role is always a win (see: Finding Fanny). Girl, give up those lousy movies and do more awesome films like these! And, for once, I actually liked AB Sr. in a movie (never was a fan).

  I watched this as I was eating lunch — I didn't know better. I do now ...

• Tanu Weds Manu Returns

  Well, I didn't finish watching this. Couldn't bear to. I didn't want to see Tanu mope over losing Manu. Girl should've hooked up with Kusum (or Raja). I really don't get Manu's appeal. He's not a very likable or attractive character. I'd rather Raja have more screen time.

  Can someone cast Jimmy and Kangana as leads (opposite each other) in a decent film, please? Does the Saheb need a third wife, maybe?

Motivation

Well, it's been ... awhile. A long while, to be sure. I left my job, had lovely gifts and a send-off from my colleagues, and have been bumming ever since and it got a little dark ... too dark for me to handle.

But I think the dark clouds have passed — at least for now. I've been riding this wave of can-do spirit this week and I hope it doesn't peter out too soon.

The last time I'd been despondent (though maybe not as desperately as the past few weeks) was when my thyroid condition left me incapable of doing the activities I love and I just gave up.

Then, one night, I happened to catch just this bit of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted on telly/cable:

Katy Perry's empowering lyrics, the visuals — but especially Alex and Gia, and Marty and Stefano, flying through hoops, etc. — suddenly motivated me to stop moping, get off my ass, and start working to get back to where I was. (It was a long process: I started aerial yoga without even being able to do the easiest things; it was just really horrible. I'm stronger now, controlling the thyroid condition with meds, training under a great aerial yoga instructor, and thinking of getting back into aerial arts, starting with the hammock and/or lyra.)

The other things in my life ... well, I hope what I've been doing this week is the first step to getting back on track. I just need to find more aural and/or video motivation.

Addendum: I can't believe I forgot to add that meeting with Ola on Sunday, soaking up her optimism and listening to her fresh (and positive) perspectives, was prolly the gust that blew the dark clouds away.

Multiply (In A Minor Key)

My guess: The almost-full moon, my period, and physically, emotionally, and psychically stressed and exhausted. So it's a 'Multiply' kinda day — that one with a soundtrack composed of 'Addict', 'Hurt', 'Multiply (In A Minor Key)' and X-Japan ballads.

Of course I did what I always do — shut down, went offline, and did a bit of therapeutic cutting.

It's the simple roll box which I got from Paul Jackson's Folding Techniques for Designers: From Sheet to Form to which I added random patterns I cut into the long-side panels. It looks okay, but I think the patterns should be planned next time so the two sides that each has two layers would look nicer.

I think for Hazel's gift I might do a shadow box/frame with different folds on which patterns are cut. White on white on white maybe.

As I was folding and unfolding, cutting, and refolding, I watched (casually, meaning with an ear open but without really watching the screen) Bobby Jasoos. I do like this movie but it's mainly because of Vidya; Ali Faizal did fuck-all and didn't look very compatible to Vidya. The story was interesting enough but the denouement was a bit of a letdown.

I also finished Bol Bachchan — oh lord why had I even started on this in the first place?! It's Rohit Shetty, ffs. Argh, why don't I ever learn???

It's ridiculous to feel so bloody fragile and sensitive that every little thing seems to matter and bruise the soul so much.

So tired, so tired, so tired, so tired ...

May Day

So this holiday, the only Hindi the free-to-air channel showed was Highway. Oh my god, YES. I finally watched it.

It. Was. FANTASTIC. Alia was a revelation and Randeep Hooda did a great job.

I cried when Veera's dream shattered; I cried when she broke down. I've always wondered what other people would do when this happened — when you managed to touch or experience or even just catch a glimpse of something so beautiful it's soul-stirring and changes you and your world, then it's gone ... because it was only a dream from which you have awaken. Something forever beyond you.

I thought Veera would try to kill herself, which I'd thought would be kinda 'happy', but the actual ending was actually better and even optimistic.

Anyway. WILL BUY DVD SOON!