color loss when exporting from photoshop

recently, i noticed that whenever i save a photoshop file into jpg, my images always suffer some color loss.. it looked a bit subdued compared to the original file that i worked on. i tried several combination of color profiles and proof views but nothing worked.

fortunately, after a few more tries i managed to come up with the solution. *beams* it seems that my export setting is not the same as the profile that i was using. to change your export setting,

1) click Save as For Web
2) there is an unlabeled arrow located at the upper left of your Save button.
3) click on it, and select Use Document Color Profile.
4) click Save, check your saved jpg, and voila! No color loss :)

domesticated and bored.

i’ve never thought domestic chores would be therapeutic. i’ve been trying to work for the past few days but i can’t seem to be productive. the house looked almost the same as it did five years ago, but even though it has less clutter now and my work area is almost immaculate, i can’t get the idea of home improvement out of my head. it kept on popping in my head like some subliminal tv clip inserts.after i finished meeting with two of my clients today, i headed straight to the mall to purchase the items on my improvement list. there weren’t a lot of variety in the department store, but at least they have the right hues i wanted for the coming months. demi, the househelp, insists that we get reds and pinks since valentine’s day is near, but i don’t feel like having reds and pinks for now, so i purchased a couple of native orange throw pillows, some wood accessories and an orange-yellow mix of short-stemmed faux blooms.

i can’t stop thinking of things to throw out and replace with something useful and pleasing. maybe i’ve vegetated long enough.

happy holidays!

why’s that most grown-ups have the same crappy holiday sentiment?

when we were kids, we jump out of bed the moment the clock tells us it’s christmas and we’d tear out the wrapped presents under the tree as barbaric as we could hehe. sometimes my mom would drag all of us, if not by the hair, to our godparents’ houses and expect our annual pamasko. personally, i was never comfortable with the idea of “raiding” our godparents’ house for christmas presents or money. i usually felt all squirmy and awkward whenever they handed me an ang-pao which i suspect was hastily stuffed inside the envelope the moment we disturbed their sleep. imagine the annual awkward moments when you’re reaching for the red envelope they hand you. i dunno, i guess i just wanted it to be sincere and not something you get out of obligation.

*shudder*

anyway, now that i’m one of the miserable grown-ups, i’m now being hunted down by expectant children and their equally expectant mothers who are not even my godchildren. i hardly even know them, for goodness sake. and i’m starting to hate that stupid hypocritical smile they put on when they came by yesterday.

don’t get me wrong, tho. i love giving presents to people i am close to, especially when i know it’s going to make them happy. people who don’t even know that i live alone and suddenly asks me for pamasko won’t be getting any. not even a candy bar.

photo retouches

i was looking for a picture that will serve as my retouching guinea pig lol, here it is! tell me what you think :)

manny pacquiao and network ratings

how come manny pacquiao gets more news coverage than the angat dam water crisis? are we that shallow to let media indulge us in temporary euphoria and neglect necessity? why do we put pacquiao on a pedestal for this victory– are we that short in real achievers? isn’t it ironic that the ones who complain that pinoys are dumbing down are the very same media people who loves to put intrigue and stereotyping first? they’re out there to glamorize crap, vie for the highest rating and earn lots of money from people they’ve turned into mindless crap. i’d rather watch silly cartoons if all i get from the evening news are crap.

i so don’t get it.

all dogs go to heaven

one of my dogs died the other day, it wasn’t exactly the friendliest pet around, but i’m starting to miss the poor thing. i saw how it collapsed and jerked before it finally lay motionless on the floor, i actually thought he looked dazed with its eyes half closed.

the help, demi, started to cry, and soon enough i started to feel the gravity of the loss. i can’t exactly point what that feeling was, but it felt heavy. grief must be awfully contagious.

bah, ewan.

i grow money trees!

common sense is not so common nowadays, especially during days when you need it the most. i left 600 pesos on the table with specific instructions on how it should be spent: 400 for the items on the grocery list and 200 for the gardener who tends the cemetery lot.

when i woke up, the money was gone except for a few coins on the table. the househelp listed the expenses and i realized she used up all 600 for the grocery and a few extra stuff i didn’t put on the list. i expressed how furious i was because i’ve been trying real hard to stick with the budget, i don’t want to overspend on unhealthy stuff like fucking calamari and white bread.

sometimes i wonder if i’d be better off without a househelp. heck, what am i thinking? of course, i WILL be better off. but since i never liked taking care of the dogs, i guess i’m left with this option.

i know i shouldn’t be complaining a lot, but i really can’t stand impractical people.

empathy and the universe

the intensity of our experience eludes us once we encounter something deeper than the last, and i think nobody can even claim to have been through every possible thing this existence can create. we will always be looking for somebody who can understand how we think and feel, because these things do evolve in time.

if there’s such a thing as genuine empathy, is it possible for a person of lesser experience to understand and save you?

over tea & electricity

manila was never prepared for what the typhoon milenyo did, it toppled down trees, meralco posts and even billboards, leaving manila with no electricity for days. i wasn’t able to sleep well during the blackout, the evenings were humid, and my neighbor always end up drunk and noisy.i went to a nearby coffee shop yesterday because 1) i was getting restless, 2) i have to recharge my mobile phones, camera and laptop. lol. to justify my leeching escapade, i bought a large cup of coffee and read a book. hours have gone by and my coffee cup’s dry, i began to notice people looking at me, my huge bag and the charger cable sticking out of it. they all looked anxious and i heard one of them say, “what’s she charging in there, a generator??”

the moment i pulled out the plug, they all swarmed in on the lone outlet and stared at the person who got there first. lol.

the house next door had electricity back the other day, while we had ours a few hours ago. you should’ve seen how frustrated and envious i was when i saw my neighbor’s house looking “normal” with all the lights back on. anyway, now that it’s back, i have to start working on pending projects before meralco decides to tease us again. 0_o

what’s on my desk

this is the messy desk where i spend most of my boring day. there’s the router, the chika phone, some design reference books, my monitor critters, lip balms, nagging post-its, pen holders, the red egg clock and the web cam. there used to be a jelly bear up there, but i don’t know where i misplaced it.

small collection of design reference

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i bought a canon eos 350d last week before i went to cebu, but since i don’t have enough cash with me at the time, i wasn’t able to buy a bag for my deprived cam. so i wrapped it with a wide cotton headband and kept it inside a white grocery bag, defiled and all. after days of being homeless, i’ve finally found a new home for it :)