MONDAYNE MAGAZINE issue 5 is out now. By that I mean my portfolio site is done and uploaded. Again. Hope you enjoy it. There's some stupid articles and some of my work in there too.
I'm Elliott Scott, Editor of Mondayne Magazine, signing off
HERE'S ME SITTING IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE IN WEST HAMPSTEAD. It's very dark and the quality is very bad because I recorded it on my phone, but you'll get the gist of it.
IESSO
HERE'S ME SITTING IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE IN WEST HAMPSTEAD. It's very dark and the quality is very bad because I recorded it on my phone, but you'll get the gist of it.
IESSO
DON'T WORRY, I HAVEN'T BEEN MUGGED OR ANYTHING. I'm sorry about my lack of posts, a few interesting things have happened since last post.
1. Soryi got a job! She's working in a tiny studio doing some semi-interesting work, but the people she works with are very nice.
2. We moved out of the hostel into our very own flat! It's a teeny-tiny bedsit, with a kitchen in the room! and a shared bathroom. It's very nice though, and expensive (£130 per week!) but it's great. We love it! We went to Ikea and got really nice, and cheap! stuff to fill it. Very cool. It's in a good area too, for these reasons:
- The road perpendicular to ours is Abbey Road (of Beatles fame) [okay, technically it's not, but it turns into Abbey Rd]
- It's a nice neighbourhood, so nice that when we tell people the address they say its nice. which is radically different to Stoneybatter!
- We share a postcode with superstars: Matt Lucas [Little Britain] and Emma Thompson [of lots of things]
- It's close to the city without being urban.
- Our house is at least 150 years old, but in good condition, charm and solid foundations (a rare mix!)
3. I'm working on my portfolio website, and it's not working! I'm frustrated.
4. I'm going to be advertising my services on an illustrators site, which means I can call myself an illustrator. But I won't.
Ok, so the house doesn't have anything like TV, phone or internet, so I may be incommunicado for a while. I'll be here, just may not be blogging a super-lot untill I get it set up. I'm in the Apple store on Oxford Street right now mooching off of them.
Untill we meet again,
I'm Elliott Scott, signing off
SO WE'RE IN LONDON NOW. A few things happened that were odd.
1. On landing in Heathrow the plane was about to land on the runway it sped up and ascended. Apparently there was another plane on the runway and that if we landed we would've hit it. It was a bit scary, but the pilot handled it really well and we were totally fine.
2. There are buttloads of Australians and New Zealanders everywhere. In the place we're living there's 3 Aussie girls and 2 NZ girls, as well as me and Soryi. Crazy. Walking around the area or the city centre isn't much better.
3. Everything is strangely cheap, well, sort of. Food seems cheaper anyway. From takeaways I mean. For eg. £1.29 buys you 3 chicken pieces, chips and a can of coke. Admittedly the food looks pretty bad, but that's still a deal. On the otherhand Harrods food is WAY too freakin expensive to bother looking at. Other stuff is cheap and expensive too of course, but after we've got jobs I think it's going to seem cheaper than Dublin anyway.
4. There seems to be way more Irish pubs here, serving food especially, than there was in Dublin. Which is crazy. We had bangers and mash, and irish stew today, it was nice and only £4.95. We had the same in Dublin once for €16.95.
5. Ever heard of Guiness Red? Neither had I, but it was very nice.
6. We saw some famous people. And by famous I mean famous enough to have people taking photos and filming them getting out of their hotel room, but not famous enough to actually recognise them. HA!
7. We saw a FOX! It was cool.
8. We were watching an ad while I was typing this... An ad for a dress. "Hmm, that's a nice dress". And then the logo came on; Tesco*. Crazy.
Uh... I think that's it. We didn't really do much today, just walked a LOT. And I got a new phone.
IESSO
PS. Admittedly these things are really that odd. So far it's been very good.
* Tesco is a supermarket, equivalent to Coles maybe. Not good, or bad. But not good for sure.
SO WE'RE LEAVING TODAY. In a few hours actually. I'm really going to miss it hear. I know I complain sometimes, but this last year was a great experience and I am very glad we did it. Seeing Dermo again was great, and meeting loads of new people, working in a few studios to get a feel for everything was really good, if not always fun. Travelling was totally awesome, not just to 'The Continent' but also around Ireland, it was very nice.
Overall I'd say I am extraordinarily happy we came over here. It was entirely worth it. The wonderful experiences, and what we learnt at work and about life and all that, it was great. I don't know if I'd recommend coming to Ireland from Australia unless you were coming over for either a short time, or a long time. A drunken weekend is fine, but I think it was really good to get a nice feel for Ireland, or Dublin at least, it actually feels like home. Everytime we arrived at the airport (except the first time of course) it felt like home. It's a rough city but it certainly has a lot of charm.
We're gonna miss ol' Ireland.
I'll write a bit more and post up some pictures soon. Maybe. I wouldn't count on it actually. Although I might. But probably not.
IESSO
PS. The UK is only across the way, so we'll probably be back to visit, but maybe not for a little while. But no, it's not like I'll never see it again, and more importantly the people in it.
PPS. That photo of Soryi is in the Hugh Lane Gallery, which we went to last week. Not today. I don't know why I posted it. Kinda blank, like there's nothing left to say.
PPPS. I found 3 grey hairs, and 2 in my beard. Stress?
IT'S A GOOD THING THAT I'M PREOCCUPIED WITH MY FOLIO, otherwise I would be freakin' out! We're leaving in 3 days now. Off to London. The big city. We won't know anyone. Or have jobs lined up. Or anywhere to stay. And a limited amount of cash (but not as limited as our arrival in Ireland).
Anyway the folio is nearly done. And then the website will be updated, and my efforts can be focused on getting a job and place to live. Also, hopefully we'll go with out with the guys one last time and have some fun. They're off with their families though, for the weekend.
Oh yeah, HAPPY EASTER!
IESSO
OKAY, SO ONCE AGAIN I'M REDOING THE PORTFOLIO. This is going to be the best one ever. And by that I mean it will be good. I'm even using a baseline grid! I know, crazy?!?
Anyway, here's two spreads that are done. Obviously my work aren't in these, but they've got a nice look to them, and the article in the blue one is actually quite fun. Not funny. Well, maybe. Anyway I haven't proof read it yet, so if there are spelling mistakes, poor grammar, etc, let me know. Also, to see a larger size, click the image.
IESSO
UPDATE: Here's some more I've finished tongiht. It's now 2.01am, and unless I go to bed now I'm gonna fall into my old habits.
UPDATE 2: Redid the ol' ZOOM and ENHANCE article featured on the blog. More realistic this time...
UPDATE 3: Recoloured those illustrations I did a year ago. They were actually really nice, and it'd be a shame to not use them.
SO I TRIED AGAIN to wikipublish myself and this time the results were mixed!
Stage 1: Post comments. Result: Rejected for not being note-worthy (ouch!)
Stage 2: Produce evidence of awards, references, etc. Result: May be noteworthy.
Stage 3: Provide further evidence. Result: My page hasn't been pulled down.
Stage 4: Add my name to notable graduates of QCA. (heh heh heh)
IESSO
PS. Yes, I am a nerd.
PPS. Today is my last day at work. Which means I can now concentrate on redoing my super-awesome-it's-gonna-blow-your-freakin'-minds portfolio! and webiste too. But that will be less awesome. Much less.
BEEN WORKING ON A BRANDING FOR A PIZZA PLACE. They sell pizza by the slice, New York style. I've come up with the identity, logo and look-and-feel of the place. I'm liking this sort of hand-drawn deco stylings, but I'm fearing the client won't. It's kind of Saul Bass-esque. You can just hear a single trumpet playing some freestyle jazz as each word appears.
ALSO HERE'S A COLLECTION of photographs I've taken over the last year and a bit. They're pretty small, but if you go to the large size (by clicking the image) you can get a good feel for it. It's actually kinda nice that each one is small, it gives more of an overall impression, rather than key events. Or maybe that's just some post-rash bullcrap.
Oops, I just noticed that some of the images are totally not the right way up. I placed each one individually and was bound to miss one. I suppose missing 15 is not very professional though. But gimme a break alright? There should be 250 in total, maybe + or - 1.
LASTLY and most nerdily I've sent Ryan of Dinosaur Comics fame some photo's of me wearing his Professor Science shirt all over the world. I was kinda hoping he'd reply or post it up but not yet anyway. Again, to veiw the bigger image, click on the picture.
IESSO
SO I'M ACCUTELY AWARE THAT I OVERUSE BROWN (thanks alot Linus! now I'm paranoid!!!), but I've used it again in this one too. It's only initial stages at the moment, only 2 hours of working, but it's a relook at the We Heart Music campaign. Again, I wasn't entirely happy with the outcome, and I'm experimenting with a redesign.
Gimme some feedback in the next stage if you want. At the moment it's a bit too early to tell.
Thanks
IESSO
PS. Just like the past version, I'm gonna use muted tones and different color backgrounds. So they're not all going to be brown!!!
So here's an updated concept. I've got to put in some more information, and the Phantom logo, and then apply this to many things, and it'll be down. I've pretty pleased with the result, some minor tweaks are still needed, but overall happy. The type is a bit crazy too. Which I like. Click on the image and follow the links to a larger size.
IESSO
REWORKING THE OL' FORT POLIO, and I'm starting with the funky but bland Rhythm and Shoes concept. I still like the concept, it was fun, but maybe, just maybe, if I rejig it to be hip and fun I can do that kind of work all the time. But probably not. But maybe yes! So, here we go. This is part of the 12 page CD case that I'll show as I do.
No more stealing my designs either, I'm sick of seeing my styles (which are not exactly original, but still my ideas) all over the place. And where's my royalties!? Yeah, it's annoying. And I know it's YOU doing it too.
IESSO
PS. I'm not a fan of the wanky use of Avant Garde (as per this example) but being the adidas typeface I thought I might as well.
PPS. So there's a big A1 poster, a 6-panel CD case (box not shown) and a vinyl sleeve. I like it. Or at least compared to last time. More 'SUPERSTAR'! this time. But I probably should put a shoe in there somewhere huh? Hmmm.
WE WENT TO A PARADE! It was cool. And very cold and windy. I'll post up some photo's of the parade tomorrow, as well as any taken tonight in our drunken stupor.
Happy St. Pat's Day to everyone!
IESSO
WE GOT APPROVAL! We'll now be going to England, 4 weeks from today! YAY!
Yes, I am aware that I have been crazily stressed by this whole thing, and after all that stress, the approval is a bit anti-climatic, but it's still great news! Actually, it IS great news! YAY!
IESSO
WE APPLIED FOR OUR UK VISA'S TODAY. We'd already applied online, but they required you to additionally hand in your form in person, with your passport, fee and any additional information you might have. We went there yesterday, but we were told to book an interview if we wanted to be processed with priority and be given a chance to explain our case. We went in today for our interview, but due to some mix up we were only able to hand in our forms in person.
Which means I couldn't explain that because the rent, electricity and gas bills were in my name, hence the low amount in my bank account. Nor could I explain that there money being tied up in the house deposit and my next 2 paychecks. I couldn't explain any of the various other things needing an explanation too, including proof of employment in Ireland, intentions of work or university credentials. They're now just going to process my application on face value, with a high chance of being rejected! And they'll keep my €137 fee.
Worse still, Soryi will probably get accepted. If that happens she'll have to decide whether to take the offer and go to England without me or decline it without possibility of ever reapplying, even if I do.
She wants to remain optimistic, but I'm finding that very difficult at the moment.
What's most annoying is; people in Australia had their applications processed in 4 days, without hassle, while in Ireland (which is right-bloody-next-door to England) will take a minimum of 15 days, and up to 8 weeks to process, by which time we'd already be on the plane. Why not apply earlier you ask? Well, we were going to but Soryi's boss told her he wanted to sponsor her to work in Ireland, and my bosses agreed to do the same, so we didn't apply for the UK visa. Of it turned out we can't be sponsored at all, wasting 6 weeks, as well as getting our hopes up, putting us through tremendous stress, crushing our hopes, and subsequently putting us through even more stress.
Point is; I don't sleep very much now.
IESSO
ONCE AGAIN, I'M STRESSING OUT! This time it's because I am less than likely to get a VISA for England. Every step of the way has been a nightmare and this last step (proving I have sufficient funds) is no easier. The banks in Ireland and rude and unhelpful money-hungry jerk bags. HOORAY!
At least if I do have to go home I can see my family and friends again, as well as get a free trip to Korea with plenty of euro-BASED spending money! HOORAY? Plus, I might be able to work at the uni.
IESSO
I'M BACK. AND I'VE GOT A SEVERE CASE OF POST HOLIDAY DEPRESSION. I'll update you guys with everything that went on, as well as new life goals and everything very soon. For now just be well assured that New York was better than everything I could hope for, and it was absolutely perfect.
IESSO
PS. There's some videos below. Make sure you wait for them to load, there's a few so it might take a while, but it'll be worth it.
PPS. There wasn't any photo updates for a while because my internet access fell through. Sorry about that. I've got 1800 photos to sort through, there'll be at least 3 good ones from that. And some videos too.
PPPS. Everyone at work is talking with American accents to cheer me up.
VIDEO: Empire State Building message. Me and Linus talking to a mirror.
VIDEO: NYC in the snow. Shot on a boat on the East River.
VIDEO: American Museum of Natural History. Lobby with Allosaurus and Barosaurus skeletons. The Barosaurus is bloody tall, the video doesn't do it justice.
VIDEO: Times Square at night. More awesome in real life, and this video is incredibly awesome.
VIDEO: Waiting for a train on the subway system. It's a really boring video, but it gives you a sense of the ambience. That's right; ambience. Boo-ya!
VIDEO: A finger guided tour of the east side of Manhattan as well as Queens, as seen from the East river.
VIDEO: Standing in Brooklyn talking to the camera. It's cold.
YESTERDAY WE WENT TO:
1. Katz's Deli for lunch. Holy crap those sandwiches were huge! between us we had 2 bowls of matzo-ball soup, 8 pickles, 2 egg creams (a fizzy eggy, creamy drink), 1 can cherry soda, 1 can celery soda (yes, you heard correct) and one sandwich!
2. MoMA. Very good museum full of wonderful artwork as well as some design. It has a good layout and balances modern and cool, with respect for classics.
3. Chinatown. We had $1 dumplings! They were totally delicious. Actually they were 5 for $1, so we got 30. I could only eat 4, and Linus 5, so we've got some for breakfast.
4. Upright Citizen's Brigade. A small comedy club which lots of SNL people started at. We saw a very funny show called 'Friends Without Benefits' about the trouble two girls have when they fall in like. Very funny. Awkward. Best line: "This is going to be great, you can get me great deals on diamonds." ... "What? NO! I told you, I'm not Hasidic!". Maybe you had to be there.
5. A Supermarket. Although this sounds lame, it was totally cool. I saw all these great products I hadn't seen in years! And it was a total trip down memory lane. Also the security gaurd whose was one of those 'I ain't taking no crap from nobody' big black ladies, and she caught me taking photographs of stuff.
IATNCFNBBL: "Sir, are you shopping or taking photos?"
ME: "Ugh, I ugh,.. I was just, I, I'm shopping."
IATNCFNBBL: "Didn't I just see you zooming in on this cereal box?"
ME: "Yeah, I guess so. Is that a problem?"
IATNCFNBBL: "No, I don't care, I ain't Post (the cereal brand)"
ME: "Oh. Ok. Well I am shopping too."
IATNCFNBBL: "That's fine sir. I'm sorry for bothering you."
She also came back to help us figure what milk we wanted. The normal milk has weird labels, there's no simple milk. ANYWAY it was fun.
Lastly we saw glimpses of the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings. Very cool!
IESSO
PS. Check the photo link on the previous post to see some new photos.
PPS. Here's a video from the top of the Empire State Building.
