Another love letter from the universe...

Friday, January 30, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments

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Oren Lavie: Her Morning Elegance

Friday, January 30, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments

As shared by imacoffeejunkie, layout goddess. :)




for the lyrics, head here.

Her Morning Elegance, By Oren Lavie


Sun been down for days
A pretty flower in a vase
A slipper by the fireplace
A cello lying in its case

Soon she's down the stairs
Her morning elegance she wears
The sound of water makes her dream
Awoken by a cloud of steam
She pours a daydream in a cup
A spoon of sugar sweetens up

And She fights for her life
As she puts on her coat
And she fights for her life on the train
She looks at the rain
As it pours
And she fights for her life
As she goes in a store
With a thought she has caught
By a thread
She pays for the bread
And She goes...
Nobody knows

Sun been down for days
A winter melody she plays
The thunder makes her contemplate
She hears a noise behind the gate
Perhaps a letter with a dove
Perhaps a stranger she could love

And She fights for her life
As she puts on her coat
And she fights for her life on the train
She looks at the rain
As it pours
And she fights for her life
As she goes in a store
With a thought she has caught
By a thread
She pays for the bread
And She goes...
Nobody knows

And She fights for her life
As she puts on her coat
And she fights for her life on the train
She looks at the rain
As it pours
And she fights for her life
Where people are pleasantly strange
And counting the change
And She goes...
Nobody knows


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Ack! Comments Settings, I abjure thee!

Thursday, January 29, 2009 Jonette 3 Comments

Egad! No wonder it's been such a trouble commenting!

I've finally fixed the mishap of my comment settings. I apologize for the inconvenience it may have caused, and do invite you to celebrate with me. Friendly noogies are most welcome. :D

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Back to the Corset: 3

Thursday, January 29, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments

Missed the last part of the story? Read it here.

I finally figured out how to attach my boning foot onto the sewing machine! To add to that, I have now sewn on my first bone onto the corset! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! :D

Spatial intelligence (and little there is of it) and Akita machine oil to the rescue. :P

I admit I'm beginning to find working with the inner workings of a machine to be quite fascinating. It's discovering what part makes what part go, what ratchet goes on what gear and which gear goes where, what happens when you push this lever, and so on.

Thr trickiest part is working with springs. The last time I attempted to repair my Vivitar UW&S Camera (Remember that one?) was a fright of springs and very tiny parts. alas, by the time I was on my way to putting the final pieces together, the Gods of engineering deemed it was not meant to be, and promptly made me lose the tiniest spring meant to work the camera lens cover.

Valuable lesson learnt that day, as well as a free anatomy lesson of a point-and-click camera.

Springs are very, very tricky. Hence, when I face one in a machine, I feel like I'm disengaging a time bomb, deciding which color wire to snip.

I'm beginning to be fond of the scent of machine oil on my fingertips.

Time to pack up, though. A bath and a trip to the office are in order.


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Sssh.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments



To feel good, click here.


More visual love this way...




Spoons, From Light Mountain Photography.










101 Uses for Gaffer's Tape, by JasonL.







“When it comes to love, you need not fall but rather surrender, surrender to the idea that you must love yourself before you can love another. You must absolutely trust yourself before you can absolutely trust another and most importantly you must accept your flaws before you can accept the flaws of another.“

~ Philosophy: Falling in Love







Nintendo Early Fans, by Samuel Cain




I Miss You, by Colleen Baran



Love is a Wormhole, by Christy.


The Hypteronomachia Poliphili, a medieval philosophical love story. Also, Abelard and Heloise.

I Love You More Than _____.

Love yourself and love your mind with i-Dose Binaural Beats.

Three Little Words: I Love You.

The Urban Monk offers Freedom from Judgement: the Beginning of Compassion.


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Ureshii: 8

Monday, January 26, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments


photograph courtesy of ~diP.


嬉しい (ureshii):

To be glad, happy, delighted, joyful, overjoyed, cheerful, pleased, contented, grateful, elated, jubilant, exultant, ecstatic, euphoric, enraptured thrilled (to bits), over the moon... you get the picture. ;)


Gongxi Facai! Happy Chinese New Year, everyone. (and that's pronounced Kong-shi Fa-tsai!) A prosperous and wish-fulfilling Year of the Ox to you, no matter what animal your stars have borne you under. )




A few things in my personal sphere right now.




1) A Theater-date with my grandmother at the end of the week. Miss Frances Makil-Ignacio, Grand Dame of the Philippine stage, invited us to watch her performance in Atang this Sunday. Such a honor it is! I've had the opportunity to work with her a couple of times. Through the many slip-ups and mistakes, I've learned so much from her. Watching her perform on stage is proof for me that there is a God.

2)I'm in the papers! This was the result of an afternoon chatting with food writer, journalist, and galpal Joan Teotico. she asked me her thoughts on the population in Manila, and a week later, poof! There it was. How she worked her magic, I have no idea.

3) Personal-sized Tikoy! although I grew up watching my mother dip the slices in beaten egg before frying, I prefer frying it naked. It brings out the gooey, chewy sweetness in the delicacy. Nothing quite like really getting into your food, chewing with all you've got.

4) Lion Dances. I always look forward to running into these monstrous beauties. A giant animal puppet manipulated by two expert martial artists is always a feat worthy of hearty applause. (Um, I also can't help but gush when it cocks its head and bats its elids and lifts its ears and wags its tail and does all sorts of animal-y things. I'm a sucker for that kind of cute. ^_^")

Offerings of the Internet:

Cynthia shares with the Plurk world 40 Tips for a Better Life.

From XKCD: This. And this.

From the Boyfriend: This rocked my day. so did this and this! (Mythbuster guys do it again.) This one too.

Epic Win, Win and Win! I remember growing up on the two movies, singing the songs and knowing the lines by heart. As for the Viewfinder, my dad handed me down his own prized set. His viewfinder was particularly awesome because it had an audio function -- you popped the cartridge in and listened to the narration while peering through it. I recall ooh-ing and aah-ing to The Bible and the Dragon Fist (featuring Bruce Lee!) :D

And now, a reprieve from the lovely Helen Reddy from Pete's Dragon -- Candle on the Water.



We ♥ Aled Lewis' designs, yes we do.

How to extract your own DNA, with everyday items in your home. Never know when it could prove useful. ^_^*

Thi is definitely useful to budding photographers. A beginners guide to capturing motion in your photography -- get your SLRs and Holgas out! ^__^*

The beauty of ice storms. On a nature thought, The Wish-fulfilling Tree.


Itzhak Rabin and his Broken String.


The world needs more kids as bright and inventive as this one and this one!

This is one very good reason why adopting a pet from a shelter is all worth it.

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, 2nd Movement (or is it his 3rd?)... as played by your computer.



The Cabinet of Curiosities is an intriguing romp for the discerning curio collector. Miss Colette Calascione's Gallery is but one of them.



Signore Carlos Alberto from Portugal converts a Vespa into a wooden mobile masterpiece.


Manhattan in Pictures.

Neil Gaiman retells what happened The Day The Saucers Came.

StumbleUpon buddy Mikhal de Dios sent me this video. I asked Irl Pangilinan, a musician and work buddy of mine, for help identifying this piece. He was stumped as to what it was, but we were both sure that it was a Mozart piece. Any idea what it is folks? Extra points if you do.



Boom De Yada! Boom De Yada! This video had me singing all week. Never fails to cheer me up.




From TED.com: Helen Fisher tells us why we love, and why we cheat.






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The Pirate Admiral Costume: The Tricorn Hat

Thursday, January 22, 2009 Jonette 2 Comments

Halloween may have come and gone, but the documentation remains. Forward ho!

To continue from this post(after three months, cough cough cough), no quasi-historical costume set in The Age of Exploration would ever be complete without The Tricorne Hat.


So, where do I start?

I got inspiration from the movie Amadeus in hopes of giving the hat a neater, more European look. The same reason goes for opting to use black felt instead of leather(which is terribly expensive and difficult to come by over here!), as well as with the choice of embellishments. With instructions from the trusty Threadbanger team, I was set. ^_~*



A lesson I learned from watching the tutorial and the actually making the hat: sometimes, you don't really need that much material, but it certainly can help when you're a beginner. Observe.




See that ginormous ring on the black felt? That's exactly a foot in width. I say it's too much because once that brim-to-be is sewn onto the crown of the hat, that turns into this:



This brings to mind the words sunglasses, cruise, bahamas, and poolside. Exaggeration!




Of course, this project is not without its casualties. The first would-be crown of the tricorne is the bouffant-looking one to the left. I can think of many things to call it right now -- it's a mini-toque for a goth chef! It's a pillbox hat caricature! It's a puffy version of a Eastern Orthodox priest's hat! (sigh) Nonetheless, the crown I will be using will be the one on the right.

after cutting the unwieldy brim down to a manageable diameter, I rolled up the hat as instructed.



Hmm. Too shark-y, not enough elegance. I decided I'd done enough work for now, and it was best I get some shut eye if I was to show up for work early that afternoon.


Now here's where the interactive fun begins. To complement the mood, I invite you to STOP READING FIRST! Hit Play on this one-song playlist, one you get some electric guitar, continue reading.



Ready? Go!



The next day, I woke up refreshed and set on cutting away the brim to the desired width -- and as an end result, height. a few more large felt rings after, this happened.


Huzzah!


Securing the points of the tricorne was not easy. In times like these, the faint memories you had of your geometry lessons on triangles are of help... and then you realize that a bit of algebra will come into play here if you take that thought any further. (Remember your parabolas and hyperbolas? I shall stop here. ^_^") the most important thought here is to ensure the points of the hat are equidistant to each other in terms of both length and height. When I was entirely sure the hat was the shape I wanted, I secured the points like so:



  • Very carefully pin and secure the desired point.
  • With a needle and thread of the same color as your hat, hand-stitch a very small X on the point. Don't pull too tight! You don't want your hat to pucker up. The more inconspcuous it is, the better. Repeat a few times to make it stronger. Satin stitch works too.
  • Close the stitch on the inside of the hat with a knot, and cut. Repeat for the remaining two sides.
  • finito!

Next came the question of decoration. Since I wanted to get the Amadeus look, I opted for something simple: a black ribbon sewn around the brim of the hat, plus a strip hot-glued across one side with a brass belt buckle to disguise the seam of the ring/brim.

I'm done! ^__^*





A view of the brass buckle.



Me in the entire ensemble at the Scary Debut.



My cousin-uncle Tad in the Tricorne hat.(The guy in the background... you know he wants the hat. XD)


I'm really, really happy about how this costume turned out. Simple as the ensemble is, I think it's great.

Later on, an aunt of mine made a comment on the hat, saying "you should put lots stars on the side! And ostritch feathers and gold ribbon!" The gaudy picture it painted in my head was quite painful to look at, but it certainly got me thinking. Thinking about costumes, I think it really depends on your approach or concept of the character of the costume, as well as how you will carry it. Are you going to be a fun-fun character? Does your personality scream "look at me, look at me everyone!" when you walk into a room? Do you prefer to slip in unnoticed at first, then listen to the jaws (and glasses) drop throughout the event? Do you want people to come closer to get a good look at you? Would you rather represent or speak to a certain group of interest? (Much like these three guys represented, yo. Extra points for those who can call 'em out. ) Do you want to be a walking trope? You can take it as far as historical reenactment, or just go "I'm just playing around, baby." I think the basic idea behind a costume is that you dress as a character for the event, and it's up to you how you want to play it.

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Anime: Re:Cutie Honey

Thursday, January 22, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments

Yep, there's really supposed to be the Re: up there. Not quite sure why, though. ^_^"

Craft buddy and fellow Plurker Clair reminded me of another of my giggly fandoms, and now I share it with you. Cutie Honey is one of the earliest anime in the Mahou Shojo (or Magical Girl) genres. It's wild sexy, campy-colorful fun! (It's also slightly on the naughty side, so if you have a open sense of humor, hop in! ^_^*)

It's spun so many versions of itself. Let me show you my current fave.




If you dug the opening theme, here's the full music video for it:



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and now, a word from the Universe...

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments

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Video time!

Friday, January 16, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments

Sometimes going through your old Plurks can fetch interesting finds, stuff you forgot you had put in there at one time or another. I'm sure most my Plurk buddies will recognize one or two among these, but do feel free to enjoy them.

To start us off, we shall make a tribute to the children of the 80's.

Chodenshi... Bioman!





Zelda: The Wind Waker Unplugged. whether you've played the game or you haven't this dude still pulls off a one man orchestra perfectly. Great piece to wake up to on a cold morning.




If the novel Alice in Wonderland wasn't trippy enough for you, a 19-year-old from Australia makes it even better.




Where The Hell Is Matt? Matt Harding tours the world and dances at every location he visits. Truly inspiring. (How could I ever forget this?)




Little Capucine has been stealing hearts over the internet with her spur-of-the-minute story of adventure, battle, death, and housing --- starring Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and a host of jungle animals.


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.


Eepybird's Sticky Note Experiment. a good idea to try out next time you're bored in the office. ;)


EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.

To the office-workers and students readers, if you need something to tune out to, these ambient sounds may be the thing for you. ^_^



Last, but certainly not the least, The Sultan's Elephant, a production made by the Royal De Luxe Theater Company. Dark Roasted Blend is responsible for leading me here and giving me the goosebumps, in a good way. Royal De Luxe came to London town in 2006, and it has never been quite the same again. Read more of the events and details here.




A closer view of the Elephant.



With a lineup like this, I fully expect my Friday to be awesome. :D

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Video: Cool facts

Thursday, January 15, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments

I ended up StumblingUpon this video. It's worth a watch.

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Webbie Spotlight: Strange and Beautiful Creatures -- Underwater Edition

Thursday, January 15, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments

This Bennet's Hypselodoris reminds me of the colorful Holga (the one at the bottom left in the link):





And this Orange Sun Coral reminds me of Buddhist Monks.



These critters are just as breath-taking.







see more of their watery cohabitants here.


Oh, and this just in from April: The next time you meet a cuttlefish, in any situation, and it does this:




Don't be shy to say Hi too. It's good manners, after all. ^_~♥
Read more about cuttlefish communication here. I couldn't help but go "aaaaaaw" over this. ♥


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Webbie Spotlight: Geeky Cakes

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 Jonette 2 Comments

This, my friends, is not a cake.



This is one of the most awesome, jaw-dropping sources of geekery sustenance I've seen thus far. Here's the rest of the story.

As for the Terry Prachett fans, our Discworld creator will not be outdone.



This Great A'Tuin cake was made by one mom for her daughter's wedding day. That, my friends, is love for you.

Take a look at the creative process of the A'Tuin cake here.

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Ureshii: 7

Thursday, January 08, 2009 Jonette 0 Comments


photograph courtesy of betie bet.


嬉しい (ureshii):

To be glad, happy, delighted, joyful, overjoyed, cheerful, pleased, contented, grateful, elated, jubilant, exultant, ecstatic, euphoric, enraptured thrilled (to bits), over the moon... you get the picture. ;)


Aaaand, I got caught.

There's nothing quite like being fabulous for five minutes with dazzling Gala Darling, even if it's just on Facebook. Such a dork I are. :B

Reading one fo her posts, I kiiiiinda started writing in her TiLT comments, and later realized I'd just composed a good portion of my Ureshii for the week. Ehe.

So, here we are with the first Ureshii list for the year! Yay!



1) Christening the new PS2. Whee! My first PS2! Well, I know it's waywaywaaaaay behind, but I'm still glad to finally get the chance to purchase one of my own. Nothing like buying something with your Chrsitmas money. It's also a big Christmas present for my housemate. She's been so supportive (and tolerant of messy, scatterbrained me), she's so much like a big sis to me. Right now, I love playing Warriors Orochi 2 and Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80's. Oh and The Dog Island for the cutieful factor.

2) Light, light work days. And pleasant students.

3) Blowing kisses at bathroom mirrors. If you're extra sneaky, whip out your best lip color, apply generously, and go give your reflection that ever-lovin' smooch it so deserves! C'mon. I triple-dog-dare yah. ;)








4) Hope for cameras. Remember that lovely Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim in my keeping? I was going snap-happy at my dad's house when the wind-up wheel suddenly refused to turn, then snapped, and the sinking feeling slowly set in when the wheel continued on and on and on. Horrors! Luckily, I StumbledUpon this handy tutorial on how to repair the wind-up. Rest easy Jonette, it happens to Vivtar UW&S users one time or another. Huzzah!

Now, if you're a klutz like I am, and tend to prematurely wind up film afore it's even used up (Egads!), these film extraction and retrieval tips may prove useful.

For those who want to try their hand at making pinhole cameras, this Dirkon Camera should make papercraft and photography afficionados start cracking their fingers. Want something more functional and hardcore? Then the Matchbox Camera Tutorial is just the thing for you.

and since we're still on the subject... Holga customs! sweet!

5) Work buddy Raymund Suba sent me this awesome collection of Steampunk photos. My favorites would have to be the guy in the first picture, and the Indian lady in a sari. Exquisite, no? For those of a more gothic persuasion, try this Victorian Picnic on for size. It's nice to see goths, steamheads, and the occasional rococo lovers gather 'round for tea and crumpets 'neath a sunny sky.

Oh, and one more for the gothy knitter. Behead her again and again. What a darling! XD

6) Awesome aunts and uncles who keep in touch with you and send you the raddest stuff. Never mind the stuff! It's the love and postcards and huggles that multiply their awesomeness. And I mean that exponentially, y'all.



Photograph courtesy of Kat Sterck.


7) I'd love to spend an afternoon running, sliding, and screaming myself silly in this playground by Tom Otterness. I mean, c'mon! It's a giant robot! How cool is that? :D

Aaaaalrighty then. What's your giant robot this week? ;)

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