Genoptix, Inc.

So for this past summer I worked for a biotech company called Genoptix, Inc., the company of a good family friend. I took on clerical work for the majority of my time there, which was alright most of the time...however, I also worked on some designs for them! I actually got to sit in my cubicle and work in illustrator and photoshop for a couple of days doing different event posters and designs :) which often proved difficult. Though I love art and design, I have wrangled with the idea of me not being the best at it because I lack a strong ability to draw. But recently, with some advice from good friends and artists, I have more confidence to pursue design and see where it takes me! Here are some of the things I created for Genoptix:

I still need ALOT of work with typography and other areas, but I hope I can learn to be a better designer through my classes at UC Davis and of course, more experience!

And speaking of, I am quite excited for my big move (taking place early tomorrow morning) to northern california! Spending some time in San Francisco, the loveliest city on earth, and various places throughout CA will help kick off a new adventure for me outside of San Diego.

So I'm off to Norcal!

-Pretty Pidjun

For Guys, Gals, and Everyone Inbetween

So looks like we'll be hearing some wedding bells ringing soon! Congrats everyone!

"I have a dream...we're gonna work it out..."

-PrettyPidjun

Tiel Time

So here are my designs for my final project for illustrator:

The idea was to create a design for a product, so I chose the random product of fictitious bird shampoo, conditioner, and bath bubbles. I had to put them on actual bottles and boxes, which did not turn out as wonderful as I had hoped, but I like the designs anyway!

-PrettyPidjun

No Time

So besides school, work, and more school, I have been doing...absolutely nothing. I lie, I have been trying to hang out with Kyle (who is finally back from Russia!!) as much as I can, which is proving difficult, as I have been swamped with homework and projects. I suppose I bit off more than I could chew this summer while attempting to be productive and get ahead in school. But in actuality, work sas taken my attention away from studying and I have fallen short of my usual "good" study habits. Which is why I will probably not get an A in econ or illustrator. Which sucks and it is my fault for being retarded. But at least I learned to use illustrator (though I could use more practice with it...and photoshop for that matter.) and designed some stuff for my portfolio. And at least I got through microeconomics and was introduced to the boring subject matter that will occupy my brain (that is, if I choose to minor in business econ after all...) for the next two years. So these two classes weren't for nothing...

In other news, I am quite happy that Kyle is finally back at long last from his research trip in Russia! He arrived sunday and I have seen him almost everyday since. He brought me lunch today for the first time ever (in college anyway :P) at school after my final critique for illustrator and I ate on the grass with him for the first time at Miracosta! My first and (hopefully) last time eating on Miracosta grass was with Kyle...something I had wanted for a long time. I can't believe my time there has come to an end...

But anyways...after, I attempted to complete my final econ test (which I should be working on right now), but failed and went to visit Kyle at work :P...I went to dinner tonight also (hadn't done that in a while) with my mom, Soheila, and Shoka which was pretty chill. Hopefully I can hang out with everyone before they leave for college! I don't leave for Davis until around the 15th of September, so I'll be in here in SD for a while all by my lonesome.

Hopefully things will settle down in my life, just for a while.

-PrettyPidjun

Dare To Be Different

So this is my first illustrator project that I turned in and got critiqued today! Don't pay attention to the drop shadows. I had to keep them there because I couldn't get rid of them. Other than that, I'm not much for the font I chose for "to be". And other than that, I love my birds! and my utensils.

Get the message?

-PrettyPidjun

Decor in Time

Somewhere in the depths of my laptop lay a folder filled with different items I would like to buy or find something similar to in order to decorate my room for this coming quarter. I have been looking forward to decorating an entirely new space for some time now, as I have lost all hope with my current room, where I have resided for many years. In fact, every week for the past two years I have searched and compared different decorations including bedspreads, lamps, sheets, rugs, pillows, dressers, and the like. And through doing this I have found a subconscious love of interior design within me. Or rather, it is a personal fetish. So I would like to take up some space here and show you all what I have come up with so far. I finally found a wonderful tufted pillow at urban outfitter's which is currently sitting on my bed, and on a whim I found a beautiful floral print Ralph Lauren bedspread!! What luck :D I have also found some items at the Goodwill (I loooovvee thrifting for home goods) that I have yet to take pictures of but will post in time! Some of the items below are those on my wish list. Though they are also tentative:

 -PrettyPidjun

Random Times, Random Pics

North Park Art Festival! Good food, ok art..and some ghetto streets...

My 20th B-day party! A small party with some of my closest friends and family! I really could not have asked for more, I had a great time (though the presence of Kyle would have been wonderful!)

It seems the seahorses at the Birch Aquarium don't do well with flash photography. Every time I took a photo, they would become dazed...and confused. So no more flash on seahorses...

I'm not much for Mexican food, which seems to be Socal's staple food...and beloved by most of the Socal kids...but wherever there's great Mexican food, there are great fajitas. About the only Mexican food I sit well with. And plus, Old Town is always fun...lots of culture...and plants to take pictures of to practice with my Nikon!

Some of My Design Stuff!

Alright folks, so here is some of the stuff I've done in my design classes in the past year:

Most of these were done in photoshop...but some in fireworks. Thank goodness I'm at least a novice photoshop user. And on to illustrator in two weeks! Woo!!!

-PrettyPidjun

Bird of the Week

This week's Bird of the Week is.....

the Toucan!

tadaaa.....

-Prettypidjun

Updates!

Alright folks, Pidjun here with some updates on my life! So not too long ago, I was accepted into UC Davis and had to make the painful decision to go there instead of USF! But the more I research, the more excited I get about the prospect of going to a a UC (never thought I'd be in this position), and just being a normal college kid in a true college town. It's not San Francisco, but I'm gonna make the most of it. I'm studying design there, and even though it isn't industrial design, I'm on the right track. Plus, I get to take Liesel with me! She'll feel right at home amongst the other,numerous bicycles that inhabit Davis. I'm already making plans to join a few clubs and maybe an intramural soccer team or something...I definitely want to see if I can get an internship during the school year...preferably in San Francisco :D. But ya....also I'm looking forward to living in a dorm and getting to experience that whole bit...as shitty as the dorm is that I may be staying in. But I get to meet new people, hopefully make new friends, and just get some work done. Maybe get a degree (har har). And of course, San Francisco, my great non-human love, is two hours away, and I'll be driving there as often as time will allow.

In other news...I turned 20 last week!! FINALLY. Now I can refer to my teen angst as depression. It's quite nice to be 20. I had a wonderful little birthday party with close friends, and I had a blast! But I'm still hoping to celebrate my birthday with Kyle who's coming back from Colorado soon! and make him take me to Free Flight :D. But anyways...I got a SUUWEET new camera, a Nikon D5000! It's beautiful, and I named it Carleton (not sure why, it's what came to mind first). But I've since used it at the Birch Aquarium, to take pictures of myself and friends, in downtown, and at the North Park Art Festival. It takes amaaazzinng pictures, and I hope I can get really good at using it. Hopefully I can take digital photography along with illustrator this summer at Miracosta.

Let's see...what else? Well the semester is finally coming to a close and I've been studying for the past two days with Amanda. It's soo much easier to study with someone else...motivates you. Oh ya, and I had a job working at a little French restaurant near my house, but my boss hasn't called in a while, so I'm guessing I don't work there anymore? Need to pick up my pay check...hmm.

After finals week I had planned to go see Kyle in Colorado, but that's not gonna work out now. Which I would normally be more disappointed about, but he is coming home much sooner than I expected and I CANT WAIT! finnnnuuuulllllyyy. Jeezus.

In other news, I made a new stuffed bird, an updated version of Kyle's egret...for the Del Mar Fair! I may enter my "Victorian Bird" as well, but I'm not sure as of yet. I'll post pictures of this new, adorable creation soon! Hopefully it's a blue ribbon winner :D. Or at least an honorable mention...I really need to start marketing my birds..

In other other news, I haven't bought volume 5 of the RuroKen big book, which I must do soon. But for now, with finals starting tuesday, it's nice not to have that distraction.

All is well. Still have a lot on my mind regarding my college choice, but I'm making the very best I can of it. I'm looking forward to my future and finally getting out of here.

"While yonder wild and blue, the wild blue yonder looms..."

-Prettypidjun

A Beet, a Radish, or a Turnip?

Beet

Radish                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Turnip

As you can see, there are some clear differences (0_o).
-PrettyPidjun

Bird of the Week

Inspired by the geese Kyle and I saw at this random park in Irving near the taco shop we went to (which had the best bean and cheese burrito, if I may say so), this week's Bird of the Week is the goose.

-PrettyPidjun

On a Clear Day I Can See Forever

Since I've been here at this university, mozying my way throughout its campus and talking to all of Kyle's friends, I feel as though I have found a partial answer to a pressing question. What would make anyone want to come to a place like the University of Dallas? A tiny, conservative Catholic college in a less than ideal neighborhood and a population of students who prefer to stay on campus rather than venture out into the city of Dallas. Getting to know everyone here has taught me just that. They're here for the community. They're here to focus and make something better of themselves, and find others willing to do just the same. I realize now that despite the fact that I would not want to live in the heart of Texas, going to a school like this somewhere else would be quite pleasant. I've talked and hung out with the people here as much as I have with Kyle, and they are all such nice people. All of them, I haven't met one who isn't kind. They laugh and they study and help create a sense of community on campus. And though there are many student who, and as I have been told, need to escape this UD "bubble" every once in a while, it's still a nice place to be.
And thought some of why people come here perplexes me yet, I feel as thought I have a better understanding now. I feel like I've found common ground with some of the people here too, especially Denise who I have had long conversations with and a few good laughs. It's nice to have that every once in a while. And I'm getting to be a part of Kyle's life, thought he says I'm seeing a biased picture of what his life is like here. Even if that is true, which I'm sure a part of it is, I'm glad I know more about this place. I'm glad I can be a part of Kyle's life here.

I suppose in the words of Furuba, "I feel so grateful!"

-PrettyPidjun

Dallas Days

So I'm definitely in Dallas visiting Kyle, and so far it's been a pretty good trip. We've just hung out with his friends and each other and all that good stuff. It's nice to have some alone time with him, since we don't see each other too much, and he was super busy during most of his Spring Break. I find it ironic that I've left class to be on my spring break, yet I went to class with him this morning haha. He told me it was his most exciting class, and that I would probably like it(!), ahaha...oh gosh...I'm still on San Diego time(Dallas is two hours ahead), so I woke up and got ready around 6:30 0_o. 

He met me outside the dorm I'm staying in with his friend (its a nooiicccee dorm too! brand new), and we walked to his class and it ended up being this physics class (I think physics right? had something to do with astronomy?? i do not know, no se.). Alls I know is that the moment his teacher started lecturing and splattering equations all over the board, I stopped paying attention. I now officially know my boyfriend is officially (officially, officially, officially) a science nerd.

I feel like Penny.

So currently, I'm in his school's(University of Dallas) student center-ish type building. I was watching the gay filler episodes that Sony wrote for Rurouni Kenshin while Watsuki was writing the rest of the manga. I know theyre stupid, but I've made it a point to watch the series in its entirety. Oh, and I bought the manga "big book" for it finallyyy!! I was soo excited. Maybe a little too excited..I get that way about manga. I start on one, and it's all I can think about. But ya.

Now, I'm sitting in this student center-ish thing blogging and waiting for my lovely nerd to get out of his class. Recap of events so far? We went to see Josh Turner at a famous Honky Tonk called Billy Bob's in Ft. Worth(for all you hicks out there). It was my second time, and the concert was alright, but Josh Turner's voice is AMAZING. Dayum. That's all I can say. We also went to this place people around here like to go to called Cafe Brazil(it's in the city itself, and it's their little piece of city life...man if they liked that place, they would LOVE San Fran! They ain't seen nothin' yet). And it was really a cool, hip little restaurant/cafe thing with awesome breakfast food and drinks and coffee and such. Kyle, the super dork, was on a roll with his hw and wanted to stay as long as possible, but everyone else was ready to go home, so we did after spending like 2 or 3 hours there(maybe it was less? I feel like I still have terrible conception of time).

But despite how I've been enjoying myelf, hanging out with Kyle and taking time off from school and home, I feel so out of place here. This is Kyle's life, one I am unfamiliar with, and it bothers me that I'm not a part of it. All I see is what things are when he's in San Diego. And my days of wandering are taking their toll. Trying to get used to loneliness is backfiring, but this isn't the first time I've noticed. It's becoming more difficult for me to interact with a group of people, and more difficult for me to interact with people in general. I'm not sure how to correct this. It's a path of loneliness in which I am free to do as I please, or a path of attaching myself to people once again, the heartache of holding on when you may not longer be wanted.

But on a lighter note, Kyle is getting out of class soon! And we're gonna eat lunch together! And oh yes, btw, yesterday before church, we went to get bean and cheese burritos(at a mexican place with no Jamaica!! Psh, figures.), and on the way back to school, I spotted geese at a park nearby, and he swung into the parking lot so we could get out and eat in front of the pond. It was soo much fun! I love seeing birds with Kyle, I suppose because it's something I am very fond of doing with him!

-PrettyPidjun

Bird of the Week

The Roseate Spoonbill! So pink, so spoon-like:

-PrettyPidjun

Bird of the Week

The American Avocet! (image from allaboutbirds.org)

-PrettyPidjun

What Inspires Me

What I love about art is its power to passionately intrigue a viewer. That doesn't mean every work has the same effect on every individual, but one be closer to the artwork than another. Every so often I have these manias where I develop a fetish or liking for something, and I see myself as a passionate person in this respect. What inspires me is a number of different things, usually whimsical and out of the ordinary, and occasionally things that make society shudder. Two people who inspire me are Todd Oldham, a designer, and Charley Harper, a modernist artist. 

It's no coincidence that I fell in love with the interior design of Todd Oldham and eventually the art of Charley Harper, after discovering an article I was cutting out of a magazine in my art class last year, that showed the design of Todd Oldham's home and Harper's art within. It was full of framed images of these seemingly simple bird paintings, the birds formed out of simple shapes. Oldham's house is so colorful and full of bird decorations! It's also complete with Gama-Go pillows that look like a campfire and a club, and retro looking couches with similar birds. There are also colorful velvet pillows in the living room and bedroom, with a bedspread covered in horses. It is absolutely my inspiration for what I want my room and house to look like someday!

And while wondering how I could transform my room into such a neat living space, I also wondered where I could buy such lovely bird paintings. I didn't realize it at the time, but those painting were by Charley Harper, an artist who created many works based on nature (and birds!). He was a modernist artist who apparently derived some of his techniques from cubism. He used very simple shapes arranged in a complicated manner to create his animal artworks. I had unknowingly discovered Harper's work in the images of Todd Oldham's house, and rediscovered him this past weekend when I bought a blank card at Blick's with an image of birds on it for Kyle (and one for myself) and saw the stationary sets of his artwork. It brought back the feeling I had while looking at Oldham's house, and I until now discovered that Oldham was a huge fan of his and wrote a book about him! Which will soon be on the bookshelf in my room.

And speaking of artworks, it is definitely worth mentioning my newfound love of an anime I have rediscovered. Rurouni Kenshin, an anime series I had watched when it came to the United States around the time I was 13, has inspired an anime "renaissance" within me. The series is so sweet and such a delight to watch. It is a historical fiction about a wandering swordsman during the Meiji era of Japan who has vowed to help protect people with his sword as atonement for killing people during the war. It truly is a romance, in the sense of action and adventure, with an almost love story within.

-PrettyPidjun

Filler Entry

La La La La

-PrettyPidjun

Bird of the Week

Alright folks! So I've decided that every week I'm going to post a "bird of the week". For each week, there will be an image posted and some info on a bird that suits my fancy. and hopefully yours as well. So this week's Bird of the Week is: The Black-Necked Stilt

This bird lives and hunts for insects and such in shallow waters, such as lagoons and marshes. I was so taken by this cute little bird that I HAD to create Bird of the Week, and this had to be the first. I saw them this morning while I was observing birds at the San Elijo Lagoon for a marine bio project. I'm in love!

-PrettyPidjun

Anime Relapse

So I am definitely riding this Japanese Animation train again, wandering through the world of anime. I thought that since I would rather not work on my art history homework, that I would list the different series I have watched, whether the whole series or part of it.

Here goes:

Yami no Matsuei
Full Metal Alchemist
Cowboy Bebop
Android Kikaider
Blue Gender
Rurouni Kenshin
Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicle
Eureka 7
Gundam Wing
G gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam
Gundam Seed
Gundam See Destiny
Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz
Scryed
Big O
Boogiepop Phantom
Naruto
Bleach
FLCL
Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell S.A.C.
Paranoia Agent
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Inuyasha
Detective Conan
Blue Seed
Lupin the Third
Outlaw Star
Digimon
Pokemon
Monster Rancher
Pilot Candidate
Samurai Champloo
Samurai X
Shin-chan
The Super Milk-chan Show
Trinity Blood
Wolfs Rain
Trigun
Witch Hunter Robin
Yu Yu Hakusho
The Animatrix
My Neighbor Totoro
Howl's Moving Castle
Kiki's Delivery Service
Spirited Away
Ponyo
Read or Die
Read or Die: The T.V.
Ouran High School Host Club
Fruits Basket
Love Hina
Azumanga Daioh
Excel Saga
Full Metal Panic
Akira
X
Tokyo Babylon
Gravitation
Cardcaptor Sakura
Sailor Moon
Dot Hack Sign
.hack//sign
Final Fantasy IIV: Advent Children
Sonic X
Speed Racer
Gungrave
His and Her Circumstances
Last Exile
Silent Mobius
Tenchi Muyo!
Laputa: Castle in the Sky

...and many I am forgetting or forgetting the names of.

-PrettyPidjun

The Lake

I keep my guard up most of my day. Most of my week. I sleep with one eye open. I carry my key like a dagger in my hand, hidden, but exposed, as it should be. I plan ahead. I often think of my journals. Who I would entrust them to, should it be revealed that my time is limited.

I look over my shoulder a lot.

So many times have I wandered alone, through alleys, and parks, and through rows of parked cars. Much of my routine is one large moment of wandering and exploring on my own, a moment, the only moment, where I choose to put one foot forward, or one foot in my grave. And nobody knows it but me.

As with any human being, my instinct tells me to run when danger is close. I have dreams that I cannot run fast enough, or even muster a scream. I stay alert, I do not take the silence around me for granted.

But despite the fears I have of wandering alone through the streets of the county, through the alleyways and parking lots…I seldom set foot in the openness of a forest or field on my own. It is a shame that past perpetrators have destroyed the sanctity of rural areas and nature by staining the grass, and the earth, and the water with blood.

I have often walked and explored with friends and family on the trails and valleys near my house. I have ridden my bike with Kyle and his family along the bike bridge in Rancho Bernardo. I have picnicked with him and enjoyed the sun and good food beside the marshes of Lake Hodges, where hardly another human being can be found. I have sat at the edge of a dock with him and felt so calm and content, and I have looked forward to the prospect of kayaking in the lake. I’ve spent time on the water with my family, in earlier days. The sun shines brightly whenever I am there, and I was joyful the afternoon the lake flooded in the rain and the water rushed over the dam.

This afternoon, it became clear that a young girl, hardly younger than myself, became a part of the Lake’s memory forever. And a part of the memories of countless residents who saw that openness…that sun shining overhead and the peaceful waters of the lake…as a still place. Now there is an aura of struggle and fear about the lake and the surrounding area. Parents and children alike, hold each other tightly tonight, knowing that tomorrow is never promised. The residents of Rancho Bernardo lock their doors and shut their windows, filled with anxiety and hurt over the events of the past 6 days since one of their own disappeared.

It’s sort of strange how one moment, a girl, who also wandered, could suddenly be taken and forced into the darkness. How such a strong, quick human being could succumb to the lurking evils of the park. It is a shame and a tragedy, and a fate that no one deserves, especially the young. She left a footprint on my heart, and I will walk quickly now, wherever I go. I will continue to look over my shoulder. I’m sure her footprint will forever be on her parent’s hearts, and on those of her friends and the rest of the community.

My heart, thoughts, and prayers are with the King family and her friends. And with her. 

-PrettyPidjun

St. Patrick's Day College Hour

My newest College Hour poster for ASG. It's more simple than the others. I'm trying to make them more about type than the graphics. 

-PrettyPidjun

Help Find Chelsea King

Feel free to print out this poster and go post it in different places...i.e. street light posts, businesses, etc...please keep her in your prayers...this one hit way too close to home for many people.

-PrettyPidjun

Tufted!

I have many fetishes (har har, not THAT kind of fetish, you perverts. you know who you are), or manias. I go through a bunch of phases, one after the other, or all at once depending. Currently I have a few, but I would like to share one with you: tufted pillows! and couches! and such!

now do you see what I mean about the tufted??

-PrettyPidjun