ks-archives

[ks-archives]

Digital media will never trump the sentimental value that physical objects have

I have been trying to transition away from paper media for the longest time now. I decided it was time to do so in 2023 when I realized that I had notes from previous classes that I needed to reference at the time but had been lost in the pages of my other notes. Not only that, but I needed a better way to store and find information. So, in 2023, I tried and decided to go full on in ObsidianMD. While I have been using the program since 2021, I just realized it was time to devote my time to this software. The transition had gone amazingly, but something I realized it cannot replace the beauty of journaling.

Journaling, for me, is not just about writing out my thoughts and feelings. It is also a way to store the memories I’ve had with people and the things they give me. I am a hoarder, and in my journal exist the small things I wanted to hoard. For a while, I tried doing so through images converted into WEBP files so that it would not take too much storage. However, I realized that they just weren’t enough. I have received countless letters that I do not want gone. I have many small trinkets that I simply don’t want to part with. Yes, some I’ve thrown away and am glad to have a memory of, but completely parting with some of my most treasured souvenirs feels… painful. It made me realize that despite all of my attempts to go paperless, I just can’t fully rid myself of them.

A part of my inspiration for writing this is the blog by Jamie Ruben called “Going Practically Paperless” which made me realize that I can’t fully let go of paper. They’re important to me. The feeling of writing on paper and sticking random memorabilia on them just cannot be trumped by digital files.

[ks-archives]

Life During Interesting Times

[ks-archives]

Do not feel obligated to turn Obsidian into your everything app

After seeing Reddit threads about how people are overwhelmed in starting, how much work they need to put, how many plugins they may need, etc. I feel that people have forgotten how simple this program could be. At the end of the day, this is a note-taking program, albeit with an extensible system of plugins. Think about what is in front of you and look at the simplicity of that program. Heck, I know some people who use no plugins at all, just typing all their thoughts and findings out.

Maybe as a guide to other folks that feel overwhelmed, relax and take a step back from your vault. Try to assess what you want and require first, and find out if Obsidian can serve those wants and needs to you, either through plugins or through your own solution.

Only work on it when you figure out what you want and need.

Again, if you want to customize, then go for it! I customize certain aspects of Obsidian to better fit my workflow. But I’ve started going deep into Obsidian only in the latter half of last year, when I realized what I actually wanted out of this program. I started out simple and built everything from the ground-up. And for the things I realized Obsidian couldn’t do smoothly, I found other programs (e.g., tasks are linked to Todoist). Again, I’m not trying to say you aren’t allowed, if you want to customize it, that’s on you! But remember KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid! Or at the very least start simple.

[ks-archives]

You can't live off of an everything app

I’ve been stuck thinking about which software to learn to draw in. Whether I try to use Blender or Krita when it comes to learning how to sketch. While I have completed my cat study in Blender, I’m stuck thinking that I need to somehow also get used to Krita to get that painterly effect I wanted. I was a little bit… in denial and thought that I could just do it all on Blender. I even looked up videos of “2D painting in Blender.” While I wasn’t able to completely find what I wanted, I found a video by Blender Studio showcasing their new short “House of Chores” where they use the new Grease Pencil 3.0 features. But, as I skipped through the video, I noticed their texture artist using Krita to texture the roofs with better detail. It was then I realized that I was putting myself in too deep of a box—in studying only one program—when I didn’t need to. I didn’t need to limit myself too much to just using one program for the entire workflow when I can use multiple. That’s the beauty that I just completely glossed over. In my attempts to make Blender bend to my creative will, I forgot about the whole suite of tools I could use that would enable me to just unleash my creativity. KRITA’S FREE AND OPEN SOURCE TOO! I forgot about that, and it’s on me to level with the idea that I don’t need to put my eggs in one basket only. I must be better.

I’m reminded of the J.Cole meme at this moment:

Note: I took the “Everything App” from the joke “Why would I watch anything from youtube when I can just do it on x–The everything app” from the Yard Podcast.

[ks-archives]

War Trauma and the Japanese hypocrisy

I feel uneasy about the number of people sympathizing with the Japanese after watching the new Godzilla movie. Current media depiction of the Japanese after the war felt like it was ignoring a large part of my and others' history of Japanese oppression unjustly.

Were the Japanese victims? Not the military and the government at the time. Definitely not. But the civilians? Yes. The USA dropped two bombs on Japan, and countless people had to suffer because of it. And yet, I can't help but feel that it was a last-ditch maneuver to stop the ongoing rampage of the Japanese. Heck, the Japanese were even going to use fleas infested with bubonic plague and send it to NYC.

I wouldn't feel this pain, this unease, if it weren't for the fact that the Japanese government has not atoned for the sins of their predecessors. They have not offered justice to the hundreds of comfort women in the Philippines, they have not accepted their role in oppressing both the Chinese and the Koreans, and they certainly do not educate their people about these atrocities unlike Germany.

In Japan, it's hush-hush. The government's been obfuscating these crimes, whether intentional or not, and I don't doubt they will stop doing so. Doing so may be for many reasons, but it's simply easier to keep the status quo. And I love Japanese media—I'm a weeb, for crying out loud. Still, the ignorance that sweeps over the people is infuriating.

The government ignores its people forget, and eventually, they'll move on. But what of the others that can't? The people who carry the weight of trauma over the atrocities they've witnessed or have been victims of. It's just not fair that the Japanese can go off while their victims rot in their despair.

It's not that I wish for their people to suffer. God knows my people have; I would rather not wish that unto others. But all I want is acknowledgment and atonement for what's happened. We can't change the past, but we can do everything in our power to be better for the future. And a large part of that is just acknowledging the harm that has happened to those in the past so that Japan never forgets these things and never allows this to happen again. Because in their ignorance, they spread injustices.

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Vanilla, too good to be made obscure — Reaction to Kepano's “Be Vanilla”

In Kepano's blog article “Be Vanilla,” he mentions how often vanilla has been mislabeled as being ordinary or plain, when the circumstances that allowed its existence is anything but that! It's really nice how he re-frames the idea of Vanilla, rather than being plain, as just too universally loved to be left obscure. It's loved to the point of mass popularity. He truly hits the nail with the line:

“Vanilla’s universal appeal is why it’s the default. Is your default as good as vanilla?”

Highly suggest reading his blog, I might write my own thoughts on them again.

[ks-archives]

Ito Jakuchu and Taking the Long Route

Every so often, I find myself wanting to get back into doing 3D art again. It's not that I've lost interest in the arts or process, but whenever I do find the drive, I find the task to be a little grueling. It's a lot of work. I've missed out on several innovations in Blender, let alone all the new techniques to utilize the new tools we've been given. I got overwhelmed, and frankly, I thought I could never catch up to the art that everyone else was making. Progress was the only thing worth noting, and I wanted it immediately. It was in this weird stasis that I recalled the life of Itō Jakuchū that I learned through the book "The World of Itō Jakuchū".

This is one of those books whose cover just screams at you to pay attention to it, and it captured my attention immediately. Filled with the life stories and paintings of the woodblock painter Itō Jakuchū, I was immediately enamored. Especially by his paintings and how dense with detail his artworks are. I honestly got inspired to take up a brush and make my own art. Then I suddenly got hit with the idea that “oh, this will take me a while. Why can’t I just be like him?” I was completely demotivated because I thought of how long this process of learning would take. I was completely stopped in my tracks until I read the passage:

"The literal meaning of the Japanese title of this series—Doshoku sai-e—is simply “pictures of animals and plants that have been drawn in color.” Started around 1758, the series took Jakucht about ten years to complete and consisted of thirty scrolls.

It was then I realized that OH, I could become like him. When I read these stories, I made the foolish assumption that it only took him around 3 years to complete his works of art, not realizing how long the process of completing all his scrolls actually took. 10 years! That's 3 paintings a year! And he was still learning through all of that time, copying others' paintings in order to hone his craft and allow himself to master them.

I guess the truth of the matter is that there aren't any shortcuts I could take to get good, to get better at my craft. As much as shortcuts are used in art to hasten the completion of a painting—an artist may use blobs to approximate large crowds—it still takes time to completely accomplish these. It's not enough to allow myself the time to create my art, but to also bestow upon myself the kindness and environment that would allow for these types of projects to be accomplished. I will not let the microwave generation in me win. I pressure myself too much to complete things to its fullest, for no other purpose but to just feel accomplished immediately. But that's not how this works, creativity is complex and requires patience. I need to remember that taking the time to hone a craft isn't wasting time but rather a part of the process.

TIME TO GET BACK INTO BLENDER LESGOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

[ks-archives]

I don't want the colors of the future to be painted by brands rather than by nature

I was taking an Angkas home when I looked at Yogurt Go, a pink yogurt place near the UN LRT Station. It was then I noticed how much the color stood out compared to the orange Popeyes beside it. That's when I realized that all the colors that painted the landscape were either branding or by the sparse trees by the roadside. It's then that I realized… I don't want the colors of the future to be painted by brands rather than by nature. When green fields get overtaken by asphalt and cement, the colors are washed from the vibrant greens to the hollow gray. For the eyes, the only sense of beauty lies in the artificial paint we splatter across the monolithic buildings we erect.

When corporations desecrate fields for capital, it's painful to see the marks of things that once were… there. What beauty was removed for the satiation of Greed. No joy in the natural scenery, nor is there the beauty in the simple taking in of the scenery. It's just consumerism. For the future, I'd rather colors be dictated by nature than by branding.