Designing from Experience

I was commissioned to design a box for a local chocolate company with specifics including it should appeal to the international and local AB market.

And, of course, there’s the product I should try. Yes, some companies do let you taste their products so you can have the feel, the inspiration to do whatever they wanted you to do for their packaging. For free! While munching on their chocolate, my mind wandered around- time traveling- 34 years way back. 

When I was younger, I used to spend my school breaks in a forested area way out of civilization in Batuan, Bohol. The place was called Tanod, literally, to watch, maybe because you go there to watch over your plants, ala plantation style. This was where my grandparents of my mother’s side lived, their old age no longer allowed them to go back and forth from their original house to watch their kaingin, so they made a house there. The total population? Except for the macaques that were abundant at that time, there were only four adults living in two houses there. Four old adults.

At eight, I never felt out of place in Tanod.

I became one with the cliffs, one of the sources of inspiration. I would go there to look for fossils. I used to hang from one of the sharp promontories that protruded from the steep cliffs. I would imagine Da Vinci or Wilbur Wright and their visions of flying while hanging from the promontory; but felt extremely afraid I would fall off to death. I also imagine dying and death there in Tanod.

The trees were also my friends. In fair weather or on rainy afternoons, I have a special nook in one of the biggest trees where I seek shelter by the lush foliage. No one can find me there. Amazingly, the trees were abundant in the area despite some patches of kaingin. The old folks were slashing and burning for rootcrops and corn, their main staple. Might also be the reason why the macaques, not native to the area, would do occasional raids for food. The old folks would fought back by putting up dangerous traps or shooting them macaques with slingshots. In retaliation, the wise macaques would come up to their houses and made their abode like a tornado just happened inside them. A vicious circle almost always never ending. 

This might be why the macaques would bully small children who came in their way, running after them until they were in some safe place. Can you imagine? I was the only kid in that place.

Why am I telling you these?

Because during those times, having a piece of chocolate bar or a hot cup of chocolate means you have an American friend or one of your relatives is in America. In short- you are rich, because you only have chocolates imported from America.

But not for me. Or us.

My grandparents had a considerable number of cacao and coffee trees around Tanod. During harvests, my taga lungsod eyes (a derogatory term for the much more civilized people from the town center) would pop out due to the war of reds, yellows, oranges and greens everywhere I turned.

Tatay Pastor, my lolo, would then ask me to suck and eat all the meaty parts of the cacao pods and coffee beans. This has a double purpose even if nowadays, sucking cacao seeds is discouraged because it would cause bacteria to thrive in the seeds, hence, affecting the quality and taste of chocolate. But it did not matter back then.

For one- the nutritious seed coating (called testa) is good for children to eat, a better alternative to candies.

Secondly, out of poverty, sucking on the seeds would give temporary relief of hunger pangs and parents would not worry about the need to buy food.

But while the rich had their imported chocolate, ours came fresh and direct from source.

After roasting, the browned cocoa beans would then be crushed using a big shell called melo-melo (Indian Volute). During grinding, my lolo would put muscovado in some portions and feed them to me.

No kid at that time exactly knew how it felt to be intoxicated. But at eight, I already knew. I would glow after several doleouts, my head felt like swimming in an unbeknownst stupor. The sugar-infused fresh chocolate and the hot choco would knock me sweetly down and woke me up famished.

I haven’t been to Tanod anymore. I haven’t been to that place since 1981. All the four people who loved me there gone. The place abandoned. I heard the place is now thick with trees and shrubs and already, the macaques taking hold like heirs of my grandparents. 

I want to go back to see if the cacaos and coffee trees are still there, my hauntings are still there.

So while I am thinking of how should I make this chocolate box appetizing to the international market, my mind wandered off and I became sentimental. Nostalgic. I cried remembering the people and the place.

This is the only product packaging that had me crying. I should bill them more.

My first study for Mint, Coconut, Chili, Dark and Coffee chocolate boxes

My second study for Mint, Coconut, Chili, Dark and Coffee chocolate boxes

Can you guess which of the two studies was approved by my client?

Drink and be merry

My tongue still tastes like lead as I wrote this. After a long alcohol hiatus I got what I deserved last night.

It all started when I convinced Fikri to have a bottle or two after sleeping over a massage at Body and Sole.

We went to this new Maxim Bar and Restaurant at Maxwell Hotel along Escario Street to see what was happening there. The bar is a little bit larger than my room, promising an evening of intimate conversation over alcohol. In fact most of the couple there were already smooching and one french kissing right in public's eyes. Maybe because the place relied its lights from the outside. Since we were adults, we turned a blind eye and concentrate on our orders.

I ordered Black Russian while Fikri only had tea and a salad he said was nice.

The problem with Maxim was its sound system. Although small, its sound system speakers were enormous for the place. And they were turned really high so that we have to shout each other just to be heard, the promise of intimacy gone.

We came there during a performance break of an acoustic singer. And when he returned on stage, the more high pitched the sound came in. It was made worst when a lady from the audience, maybe bored from smooching in their seat, sang a constipated song which made her partner shout in glee.

I went to the CR and returned shocked to see five bottles of Gilbey's Premium in our table. Fikri said he ordered one bottle only but the voluptuous lady waiter gave him a set. I have to consume three.

We went out after our drinks. It would take long before we will decide to come back to this place.

Frustrated, we decided to party at Juliana's in Mango Square.

The place was full to the brim when we came in and had to stay near the CR. I ordered black Russian again and Fikri martini and gave the waitress a generous tip. Suddenly we were ushered to a table and the waitress stayed near us. Inspired, Fikri ordered a bottle of rose tequila. Another generous tip and we have the guards on our side. 

The crowd at Juliana's was mixed. Young, professionals, foreigners, weirdos crowd each other as the party reached its peak. We came home at 5 in the morning.

Literally, as of this writing, I am still drunk.

It's All in the Details

A study on shooting objects with emphasis on details using Canon Rebel XSi. These are all trial and error setup, trying to achieve a macro view of my mask collection.

(Thanks E for the visit)

I am only hungry so don't mind my babbling

Update 8 Nov 2008: Related topic titled HUNGRY PEOPLE can be read at the opinion page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer/Inquirer.net.

The Philippines is a hungry country. Not for power but for food! Of course there are many of us who hunger for power, but hunger for food is experienced by majority of the Filipinos. Gallup told me that. GMA said otherwise. Ramdam ang kaunlaran, my ass.

I, for one, could not afford to eat three full meals a day. Not because I'm on a diet. I survived drinking free coffee from the printing press where I sometimes go. Believe it or not, there are worst cases around the Philippines.

Why are we hungry? Is it a choice? It is due to poverty? But according to a Gallup study, the Philippines is on top of the hungry nations in Asia. Bangladesh, that country which I believe is worstly affected by a critical food shortage is only 24%, lower than Philippines which scored 64%.

No wonder I always see people with nothing in their minds walking aimlessly in the streets. No wonder there are children asking me food even if I was only eating peanuts. No wonder there are strange happenings that could only be attributed to hunger.

Where are the hunger eradication programs of the government and the non-government organizations?

I am only hungry. Are you?

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Chart taken from a Gallup study. Please click on the link below.

An extensive data collected by Gallup can be accessed here.

Back to Reality: Sex Matters

This is not a scientific study. I am not a scientist. This is purely based on observations.

Everything that has SEX on it really matters and even sells.

On August 16, being bored after a whole day seminar, I put a “Busy” on my Yahoo Messenger (YM) Status Message. No one bothered to give me a message. When I put “Having Sex” on my status suddenly the lines were busy! Eleven men dropped me messages saying they were interested to join.

August 19, a Monday, I logged in to YM and put the “Busy” status again. One asked me for a date; two people were asking me business details and two more saying Hi and Hello. Later on that same day I changed it to “Stepped Out. Having Breakfast at Jollibee” and two people drop me a line asking themselves to join with me. Weird.

On August 23, I put my blogspot address on my YM and no one bothered to drop me a line. Tempted to make a mess, I put “Having Sex” again on my YM later during lunchtime. I received 10 messages from different people some of which were not in my Friends List, all asking “Let me join you,” “Can I see you doing that?”, “Whose your partner?”, and the sorts. And all of them were men. Some were from Metro Manila area, some from the Middle East, three in Cebu.

August 26, I put again my Blogspot address alternating with my Multiply account. Only two people drop me a line. Both of which I initiated the discussions. In the afternoon, I changed my status to “Having Sex” again and obviously I was bombarded with messages with the usual lines. All from men.

Today I put the “Stepped Out” status. Finally a woman dropped me a line asking if I am okay. Since the status is kind of obvious that I am out, I did not reply.

I put the “Having Sex” status early evening and so far there are already 5 men saying they are interested. And I am still counting. One I believed is from Bohol since he called me Sano.

FYI, I have 43 entries in my Friends list in this account. Only 5 are women. My other YM account is for my personal-business use.

Since I am not scientifically-inclined I would like to ask you readers to make me a Table to get me a good picture of the ratio of my unscientific study.

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