...which ironically barely happened on my campus, or at least in my class, since everyone became stressed out due to the hard critic almost all of us got in type class.

Dots, lines, and tricks

I still don't have a chance to continue my North Sumatra story. Things have been quite hectic, particularly for one class. Yep, Design 2 has been energy and idea drenching for the past four weeks, where we all had to come up with 30 4"x4" abstract compositions. The requirements for each compositions vary, and so are the concepts.

Compositions: Symmetry, Asymmetry, Figure on Ground, Figure and Ground, Depth Gestallt, Pattern based on a decade (I chose 1920s), Unity by Diversity 

Color/Temperatures: Emphasis by Hue, Emphasis by Tint/Shades/Tones,
Emphasis by Saturation 

Concepts: Anomaly, Technology, Dynamic, Luxury (I screwed this one)

The Perks of Being in a Photography Class

So after collecting enough money (well, some of them are part of my parents' contribution), I finally got my first legit DSLR camera. I actually am a little hesitated to get it because my dad already got one but he kept it with him in Indonesia to fulfill his fondness in photography.

Since this term I'm taking photography class (and as mentioned by another photography professor that a graphic designer should be equipped with at least a good quality DSLR camera for photo references), I got one as well.

Horas North Sumatra (pt 2)

The next day after our arrival in North Sumatra would be energy spending, as we were all going on a full-day trip around Brastagi. I actually underestimated this town in the first place, but the visit proved me wrong. There was a lot to take a look in Brastagi. Anyway, our journey started with an early breakfast at the hotel, as usual. I had a plate of omelet and fried rice to kick off my day. My dad apparently already took off earlier in the morning for a stroll. The clear, unpolluted sky in the morning allowed him to take a snapshot of a nearby mountain which the hotel overlooked.

Once the breakfast was done, we set off on our first destination of the day. I was made curious with brief mentions from others that we were going to see some sort of a “golden temple”. A place like that in this pretty isolated hillside place almost sounds impossible. However, when the van started to enter a smaller road with rough surface, a glimpse of blinding gold color reflected by a tall object in the far distance caught my eye.

Horas North Sumatra! (pt 1)

Finally, North Sumatra trip post is up! At least only the first part of it. Last winter break, as you might have known, I went back to Indonesia to take care of some things. One of the events that took place during my almost-a-month holiday includes a trip to North Sumatra. I have to say I really anticipated for it, considering that I've never stepped a foot onto one of the most renowned major islands in Indonesia, Sumatra. Such a shame I've never been there.

On December 27, 2012, two days after Christmas (6 days after "the apocalypse"), I woke up early in the morning, around 6 am. I couldn't believe our flight was actually at 9 am and at that moment, I doubted if we'd make it on time for the flight. However, since it was going to be a domestic flight, so I assumed the check-in process and everything would take shorter time than the international one.

My family and I hitched on a cab to the airport, where we soon met with The Gunawan family and The Tanu family. So there were around 9 people in our trip:

The Ugliest Moment: A Flu+Homesick+Jetlag Story

I'm glad I'm halfway through completing my first Design 2 assignment. I know halfway is actually still a long way to go, but I just feel like writing something.

The semester started off quite roughly for me, and even you can say it's one of the worst times I've had in my almost three years of living in US. Over last week, I got back from Indonesia. Up to the part when I reached my apartment, greeted my roommate who was already back here from SF, and unpacked, was still okay. I had anticipated the jetlag and all, but the worse part came the next day.

After trying to sleep at 3 am after unpacking stuff from my gigantic green suitcase. By the way, I did wake up at 5 am in a still okay condition, but that was merely because of jetlag and it's a common issue. Like I said, I've anticipated that. I heard stories of my friends that were still wide awake at dawn after going back from Indonesia to the states, but in my case, I already slept beforehand and woke up at 5 am. Adjusting your body's circadian rhythm to the local time does take time. Right at that time when I initially woke up, I had the weirdest feeling one could ever feel at 5 am. I was hungry, and I could tell that by the funny, grumbling noises from my stomach.

MLK day

Long weekend is always everyone's favorite. It's simply the perfect time to loosen up a bit from your work aka procrastinating. I just finished Type 2 homework, but I think I need to put some more effort to  it since I did it a little too fast. Homework starts coming and I'm currently and slowly gathering my determination to work on them.

Anyway, tomorrow, we have a day off. It's Martin Luther King Day. I'm glad we finally have a day off despite the fact that it's going to be the only holiday of the semester, and that we just kicked off the semester last week... at least for my school. Probably other universities and schools will have more holidays later in the semester. I was surprised that the semester kicked off really well. Well, I was sick - completely bedridden for three days - last week when I just got here from Indonesia, but the week after was surprisingly amazing. I hung out two days consecutively.

Transit is boring

Yeah, especially when you're not feeling hungry and you just don't feel like doing anything. Taipei's airport wifi is super crappy! Anyway, I feel so lame for not posting a lot in Indonesia. I got super occupied in Indonesia (not really), but yeah I got plans and outings, and basically on my second week of break, I took off to Medan for about a week for New Year. If the time allows, I'd really love to write the story. I need a non-art life to keep the balance of my art life. Art is good, which is why I love doing it so much and choose it as a field of study! But too much art can be a bit boring. I felt super unproductive in everything else except the field that I'm currently pursuing, graphic design, on my previous semester (no music, no writing, no dancing... I dedicated most of my time for art, and other than that, my spent body just decided to chill by watching movies). So hopefully, my next semester's workload allows me to spend some time in writing, and hopefully, freelance writing. Yeah, I was actually recruited to become weekly blogger for a notable online graphic design website, but due to previous semester's workload, it didn't last long.

Souvenirs from Sumatra

Hey guess what!! First post from my trip back home to Indonesia!

Photography has always been my second passion in art after graphic design (Illustration too). I was suppose to develop my graphic design skills during this break, which I did, by designing an invitation for my cousin's wedding. However, whenever I'm exposed to my dad's DSLR camera, this little guy always keeps me busy with it.

I was lucky enough to go to North Sumatra for New Year's trip, and challenged my skill in photography. (These pictures are divided into series)

Eyebags Eyebags

Hey guys!!

I finally got to post again! Glad finals are over, phiew. I'm going back to Indonesia today but I haven't done so much on packing. The thing is, I just finished my finals yesterday, on Saturday, whereas everyone has wrapped up on Friday. Sad ey?

Actually, I wrapped all my studio finals on Thursday, which is actually earlier than everyone else. My other friends still had a project critique up until Friday evening. However, sadly for us, graphic majors especially first termers, we all had to take a test for our online class. The test were open from Thursday to Saturday noon. As predicted, most of us weren't ready to take it early, so even some, including me, had to wait all the way to Saturday morning to take it.