long over due

oh dear

well i have finally finished the design of my book a couple days ago and now it is at the book binder. i know it's quite over due, but i've had some valid reasons. (i think, at least. my physical health was not up to par. i have been struggling quite a bit.)

well excuses aside, i am pretty happy with what i ended up with. it is pretty close to what i envisioned my book to be, just maybe a meatier book. it was definitely an exciting and challenging process and i enjoyed every bit of it.

i wont post my "final thoughts" yet, since i haven't seen the finished product, but i will post a few spreads just to let you know what kind of direction i took. i refined my book a lot and took out things that i thought were just weighing the book down. i obviously have many more pages and content than last time you've seen it so i think it will be exciting to see! :)









































you like?

when i get my book back, i will post up photos!

sorry
i just had to do this...


it's a bird...it's a plane...it's SUPER INDEX!



(i am getting right back to work now. don't worry!)

oh deaar...

soooo

yeah. ive had some terrible luck!
i got injured cutting some paper for the book (eeek!) and i spent about 5 hours at the ER yesterday.
im on some pain killers now and just waiting for it to heal.
(i have some gory pictures of it. haha. i thought it would be a moment to remember. not so much cherish, but it's a story! hahahah)

unfortunately, i don't think i can finish the book on time now... finishing it by Monday for my book binder is just impossible. it really sucks this had to happen. :(

i still want to finish it as soon as possible, and i want to go to class on wednesday and see everybody's work.

hope this doesn't happen to anyone else!!!
good luck. :)

by the way, im excellent at typing with one hand, apparently!

ok ok
but other than that
i was on a roll before all this happened because my friend lent me her tablet and it really took me to a new direction. i sorta decided to focus on playfulness and the "artist's hand" kind of thing by including a lot of little illustrations and hand lettering.

i really liked the look of it, and i think its a nice combination with the bold colors and refined shapes (the rounded corners). i dont want it to get too cutesy, but i think it's all right for now.

here are some examples:

after MUCH indecisiveness..

i have settled with printing at home.

it was between
a. laser - crisp and professional looking BUT uncertain color quality, $$$, and tight time.
or
b. home inkjet - not so crisp and thicker paper BUT great color, last minute details, and less $.

plus,
thank goodness the grand and toy near my house is closing.
all their stuff is 30% off! including ink toner and paper.
this is VERY helpful because i had to purchase so many different kinds of paper to get the right one.


i will be going into printing quite soon.
and will deliver my pages to Wyman for some RUSH binding on Monday morning.

PHEW.
the end is near.
it's a-coming!

no. no happiness today.
:(

i have about 35% done.
how will i finish the other 65% by saturday?

OHHHHHH DEAR.


agh.

well...

i think i went in panic mode and started just doing some bad design. haha.
i realized that i started just piling on things and thus making it really crowded.
after a chat with a friend, i decided i want to go with simple. creative yet powerful images.
you see, i tried doing the whole collage thing and really i suck at it. it was never really my thing. and i thought i could do it here, but i think it's best to go with what i'm comfortable with, the kind of style i originally have.

another problem is.
i just keep going back to the spreads i already have because i just can't move on!
i need to just keep going, (i'm not a perfectionist) but they're just not perfect!

oh dear.

but okay.
Good luck to me!!!
all you guys who are done already, good for you!
wish the best for me!!!

hehee.

uh oh

back in panic mode!!


AW MAN.
i feel really uneasy now.

i somehow got all my deadlines mixed up and i'm feeling quite stressed out now.
i thought my history of type essay was due on wednesday, and our book due on friday.
NOPE! the papers due on monday and yes our book is indeed due on wednesday.
aw man. it might not seem like that much of a difference but those few days are so valuable!! plus i'm going to be getting my book bound from Wyman and she says she needs a few days -- not a couple, not just one -- three to four days!!! but she also said that she could arrange something if i needed it sooner than that.

sigh.. how am i going to finish this all?

plus. the spreads are not coming along as smoothly as i wished..
i thought it would be a ZIP but it's taking me so long.
:(

i need a miracle!!

Are You Hungry Yet?

last class was great!
i discovered my book title!
i really like it, it sounds quite appropriate.
i do want to stick with it, but I was thinking about some of my favorite titles for cookbooks, and I want to see if it's what I want.

I like these because they're not just some typical "Everyday Italian" or "Jamie's Dinners". These are very intriguing and engaging, no?

-the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
-Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess
-I am Almost Always Hungry by Lora Zarubin
-I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedari
-Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home by Kim Sunee
-Y'all Come Eat by Jamie Deen
-My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes by Melanie Dunea

:)

im having too much fun making this book.

i just wish i had more time!

things to do

it's a-coming.
slowly but surely!
the book is happening! and i don't feel so scared no more! haha.
i've got some great ideas coming along so this is great.

so here is my list of to-dos:

(updated!)

•contact book binder Wyman Chu (wyman.chu@sympatico.ca or 416 219 9338) and ask her if i can go for a visit. see what kind of material and style is available, as well as to get a good idea of when i need to complete my book by.
CHECK -- I have emailed her tonight. Hopefully she will reply soon. :)
-I am seeing her tomorrow! After class.

•find a good printer (who can do neat double sided printing.)
CHECK -- I have found a commercial printer who says they could do my book. They have Perfector Digital Printing, which gives me 2 sides in register. They said they are going to email me back with a quote.. soo.. hopefully it ain't too expensive!


•finalize the order of the book (chapters, if i am indeed going to divide into chapters), indexes, cover pages and so forth
-still working on this. but i like how my book is coming to be. it's quite organic, i'd say. as Reg and I discussed very enthusiastically, i'm looking more for leading the reader through the book, through the experiences and through my narrative. not so much a index-like recipe book.

•write the text (more like captions! yay! and organize recipes)
-this is going well. my sister says my writing is fun and engaging. woohoo!

•design layouts (color scheme, photographs, text, illustrations?)
-i've been taking more photos. my other friend lent me his camera, but not for too long so i'm going nuts with it. all i'm thinking about is "pictures pictures! more pictures!"
-my layouts look like it's going to be very photographic oriented. but i think that is for now because i'm working on more general layouts. once i get into recipes and such, i want to design nice, organized layouts. cuz that's how i like it!

•go back and see what is missing, misfitting, and misplaced.
•determine what kind of paper i want to print on.
•get final manuscript to printers.
•double check for errors or misprints.
•get final print to binder.
•hug the book.
•hand it in.
•SIGH


okay
woah.
that's a lot of work to do.
but i really feel like my gears are a-going and wheels a-turning. so i'm happy!

i'm going have to start giving myself deadlines. real deadlines. as soon as i contact the book binder. yes. i will call her tomorrow!


and... just because i like posting photos (hehe)...

sneak peak

just a few photos.

:)

photos photos

yay!!!!

my friend has lent me her wonderful Digital SLR camera and i am having a blast!!
the photo quality is waaayy better than my camera (i am covering my camera's ears). and so i'm very excited with how everything is going.

i have been taking photos mostly of the easier things to photograph (like food markets and restaurants and such.) i have to be pretty sneaky about it tho! ppl have been giving me suspicious looks! hopefully if they do ask me why i'm taking these photographs, i'll just flash them an innocent smile and say, "Please? It's for my school project!" we'll see how it goes. I tried taking some photos at What-A-Bagel and the guy there gave me a "No-no" kind of smile. So i had to stop. it doesn't help that the camera has some bulk.

OH well.
i'm having a great time!
tomorrow i am cooking lunch for my friends and it's going in my book.
wish me luck!!!


for your viewing pleasure..
these are a few photos i took today.. it's at a huge Korean supermarket. you like? (i think it looks better full size tho. these jpegs don't do justice)

im sick!

but i still have work to show!

these are pdfs of my outline and the (very early) stages of the chapters.
but i still have a basic frame I want to go with so I'm happy.

all i need to do now is just write!

aha!!

in a matter of hours, i am inspired once again!

heheh

the outline is going very well.
woohoo!

confuzzled

aw man..

i don't know what i'm doing.
i'm starting to finalize my outline and everything and planning out the details, but i don't know what i'm doing!!

things seem to be smooth in my head,
but it's not translating onto paper and i just feel like i have nothing!

i'm not really sure what direction i'm headed towards.
after the talk with reg last time, i thought i was pretty clear on what i wanted to do: a cookbook based on the interactions, experience, and processes of different foods i make. it has to do mostly with the people that i offer my food to. i thought this was a brilliant idea but now i'm confused as to how the format is exactly going to be like.

oi veyyy.
i'm going to pick my brain out a bit more and see where i am at then.
i hope i have much to show tomorrow in class.

i'm starting to panic because i realize i don't have a lot of substantial things down, while time is passing very fast!

dah!!!

:(

i judge a book by its cover

it's true.
and i know you all do it too.


i added some links to cool book cover designers.
i really feel inspired.
:)

Dish by Marion Kate

i found this book at my library and it was perfect!
it's a lot like what i want to do with my cookbook. each recipe is presented with really fun and personal stories. the recipes aren't exactly the focus, but the people behind them, the experiences and histories of food. the recipes are really inspiring -- it really made me want to cook them!

so im glad i have some sort of reference. mine is a little different, because it's not so much the background info about certain foods, but the experience of preparing, serving, and consuming the food. :) plus mine will have lots of good photos (this book doesn't have pictures!)

im excited.

eat the word

experimental book exercise
yummmay