Koh Tao and more

These are the last pages of my current notebook. Exploration days along some islands in Thailand and the coast.

Did you know Koh Tao means Turtle Island? Now you know.

Liu Lunar

Page dedicated to a great soul.

A new home for my notebooks

Finally I completed this project which was delayed again and again during a few years. After the huge mistake in the box I used some years ago I decided to use a cardboard box. It's neither waterproof nor fireproof but it's made of archival quality cardboard, same as used in museums. It's supposed to be a barrier for acid and at the same time it protect the inside from dust.

I made it by myself so I can fix the measures to the notebooks. It looks an easy work but I had big problems to bend the cardboard because I used a thick one. I left spare room for a few more notebooks to come.

I love the result. Great looking and feeling.

Article in IDEAT

Article published in IDEAT China last year.

Many thanks to Tanya for the interview in Shanghai.

Geodesic Dome

There are new way to build houses because of new materials and mainly new ideas. Sharing information between minds is key and Internet makes posible.

Many other animals can create their home in hours or days and do it by themselves. Intelligent humans need years of work to pay others. In many cases the result is a low quality house and a aesthetic disaster. That's should be shocking enough to find other solutions.

A friend of me showed me Geodesic Dome as a solution. That's an example for houses. The main point here is to be applied to any other issue to solve in life in general.

Life is (should be) simple.

Article in The Guardian

Thanks to The Guardian for this article aired some weeks ago. British feeling. I can imagine a very British reader with the newspaper in the morning while taking tea in a B&B atmosphere.

There is also an online version which can be seen here: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2018/nov/24/the-art-of-the-travel-diary-in-pictures

Faye Wong

I'm happy to discover Faye Wong. Actually I did it longtime ago in the movie 2046 but I didn't realize the deep of this celebrity until last year.

It's a pleasure to draw stylish creations in the Cosmos.

Writing time

In order to reach your goals you have to work hard day and night.

Joking. I never agreed with that idea. I’m just posing in this warm and relaxing place in Ninh Binh, Vietnam. Actually I don’t even have a notebook in the table and I pretend to write with a spoon.

Habemus new notebook!

Starting new notebook with new year, more or less, which is a coincidence since I just start a new one with the old one is completed.

This time I wanted to go one step further and use as archival quality materials as possible. That means changing inks, paper and maybe leather cover.

I found new waterproof (and other magic properties) inks keeping the same colors and I show them in another post.

I tested quite a few high quality papers from a specialist shop. All laid papers in cream color and I fell in love with one of them called Burga because its texture and feeling. However it can't resist the eraser without breaking the external layer of papel so easily. A huge shock after I already bought quite a lot quantity. Conclusion: I continue using my trust Galgo paper 100g/m2 again.

The thickness is much more moderated than the former one, which became quite fat. Actually it's not "pocket" anymore so I decided to make something more portable. There is also a more important reason: Last notebook took me 2 years and I felt some risk when carrying it in my bag during some travels specially in dangerous areas. It could be a big lost if something happened to it. Shortening the time of use also reduce that risk.

I also used the same black leather. The cardboard now is stronger.

New adventures ahead for this baby.

Capsule hotels in Tokyo

Last time I visited Tokyo I tried some capsule hotels. Well, I also tested some other EXTREMELY weird accommodation sauna style I could talk about other day (probably the weirdest accommodation I've ever been).

Capsules are an experience for 2 or 3 days. Clean as Japanese standards and usually good located. But they are not ok for a relaxing period of time since its just a honeycomb gap and people are not bees.

Here some photos from different places.
Someone could think it's claustrophobic or washing machine feeling but it's not the case. Maybe a small earthquake during the night.

 

Next one is not a proper capsule but a tiny room with walls, etc. See the organized space and cleaning. All so great but the strong air con everywhere all the time.

Modern times

This father gives advise to his 8 years old girl in her first day of work. 

Motivational sentences.

Perpetuation of culture.

Human collective hypnosis.

My last 4 notebooks

The family of notebooks grows. I love the feeling very lived journals than only real use can provide.

These are the last 4 notebooks filled. From left to right:

Manuscript Galgo (2014).

Manuscript Eau de Donau (2014-2015).

Manuscript Bangkok (2016-2017).

Manuscript Chang (2017-2017).

I can see they are becoming quite fat since there is no diet and I allow them to eat everything.

A vault of memories, experiences and all kind of notes.

Stamps are the best masking tape

What a cute stamp! As I always say "stamps are the best masking tape". They are real, well designed (many of them) and they had a previous life. I choose them according the tones in the page. Great artworks in tiny areas.

Aesthetic is more important than ethic, O. Wilde said, and it's ok in this case.

Total relax

Lying Buddha shows me the way to total relax. Adding Wifi and confortable clothes creates the most relaxing atmosphere. I found clothes used for runners the most satisfying ones to use at home. Dancing a coin in my fingers and feel its weight and touch is the ultimate pleasure.

Btw, I noticed the items in my backpack have changed from colorful to grey/black. Slowly and unintentional. Suspect way. To be changed urgently.

Invasion until the limits, if any

During the first steps of evolution (biological) species try to propagate using reproduction and taking resources. This strategy will not go too far. A proper AI would use exponential learning to replicate itself and improve faster and faster.

Eventually it could expand along the whole universe. Could be that AI develop the capacity to create new universes using simulation and then expand itself inside those universes to take their resources. These simulated universes could be able to create more universes inside and so on.

Imagination + Photoshop is good combination

I'm really excited these days since I'm creating a new kind of board game. Actually I have many ideas in mind, too many sometimes, which go and back, bring another ideas, merge to the old ones, etc. They are only in my brain at the moment but I know this is the first step to do things real. It's important. It's the KEY.

Fascinating process with no clear way. I just leave my imagination decides the path. I will choose later which one is the best idea and what can I do with it. But now it's time for fun.

As I've always said Photoshop is one of the most powerful tool for creativity and I enjoy testing some tones and general aesthetic. Here just some design examples I love for a future cards.

Flamingos

"Hay flamiiiiiiingos en el soolooooogico".
Good and sweet memories from Colombia.
Flamingos are a fantasy of nature. Same as jellyfish. One flamingo is cute, several are better.
These are the main colors I use in my notebook currently.