So, there's this guy named John Chow whom I recently met through Twitter. And then in person. Some of my other friends, Ed Lau, Michael Kwan, and Carl Nelson already know this guy. Turns out, he hosts this thing called Dot Com Pho every Saturday at about 12:30pm (even though they're always late).
Today was no different. We met up at Tandoori Kona in Richmond. Almost everyone at the table had the butter chicken lunch special ($11.95!), while I had the vegetarian option... Which I can't remember the name of. Anyhow, since John videoblogs nearly everything, and since there's usually a Dot Com Pho video made at these things, here's this week's Tandoori Kona video, brought to you by Mr. John Chow.
Dot Com Tandoori Kona from John Chow on Vimeo.
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The best thing...
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The best thing you can tell a person with a vision is that you believe in them.
That thought came to me last night when I was thinking about my forseeable future, and how I never truly got the support, or the vote of confidence from my mother in a lot of things I did in the past. It's a sobering thought, and one that should not get in my way.
The sad thing is, a lot of people hold themselves back because of a lack of belief in their vision. They never got mom and dad's approval. They never received support from their parents. They probably got lots of support elsewhere, but for some reason, our parents support is what matters the most. And it really shouldn't be.
Take me, for example. I'm planning on going back to school in September. I'm actively working on my application for the Public Relations diploma program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. It's something I feel like I would be good at, but when I told my mother the news... Instead of being happy for me, instead of being glad that I was going back to school, she reacted with anger. She was angry that I would give up a stable job, a stable paycheck, for education she didn't believe I could complete.
Or maybe that wasn't it. Maybe she felt that I would be wasting my time (and money!) dabbling in "yet another hairbrained idea" that wouldn't go anywhere. She was quick to remind me that I didn't do so well in school the first time around, so why on Earth would I ever want to try again?
After speaking to my brother and a couple other family members (cousins mostly) about this situation, they told me to forget about my mother's disapproval. That if I truly wanted to go back to school, and get into a ton of debt, that was my prerogative, my decision, and ultimately completely up to me. That I was the only person standing in my way of own success.
Thing is... It's not easy to believe in yourself when no one else does. It's even harder to believe in yourself when you've got low self esteem or lack self confidence. So please. Next time you see someone with a vision, someone who has a great idea and truly believes in it, tell them you believe in them. Tell them to be extraordinary. Tell them, because they need to hear it (and it's also nice to hear!).
Read more...
That thought came to me last night when I was thinking about my forseeable future, and how I never truly got the support, or the vote of confidence from my mother in a lot of things I did in the past. It's a sobering thought, and one that should not get in my way.
The sad thing is, a lot of people hold themselves back because of a lack of belief in their vision. They never got mom and dad's approval. They never received support from their parents. They probably got lots of support elsewhere, but for some reason, our parents support is what matters the most. And it really shouldn't be.
Take me, for example. I'm planning on going back to school in September. I'm actively working on my application for the Public Relations diploma program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. It's something I feel like I would be good at, but when I told my mother the news... Instead of being happy for me, instead of being glad that I was going back to school, she reacted with anger. She was angry that I would give up a stable job, a stable paycheck, for education she didn't believe I could complete.
Or maybe that wasn't it. Maybe she felt that I would be wasting my time (and money!) dabbling in "yet another hairbrained idea" that wouldn't go anywhere. She was quick to remind me that I didn't do so well in school the first time around, so why on Earth would I ever want to try again?
After speaking to my brother and a couple other family members (cousins mostly) about this situation, they told me to forget about my mother's disapproval. That if I truly wanted to go back to school, and get into a ton of debt, that was my prerogative, my decision, and ultimately completely up to me. That I was the only person standing in my way of own success.
Thing is... It's not easy to believe in yourself when no one else does. It's even harder to believe in yourself when you've got low self esteem or lack self confidence. So please. Next time you see someone with a vision, someone who has a great idea and truly believes in it, tell them you believe in them. Tell them to be extraordinary. Tell them, because they need to hear it (and it's also nice to hear!).
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Now On Deviantart...
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Labels:
art,
design,
deviantart
Well, after being on Deviantart for more than a year and not doing anything about it, I finally did something about it.
Most of the work I've done was freelance, and while there isn't a lot there right now, there will be a lot more. Keep your eyes peeled for more of my old work, my upcoming work, and if you ever have any questions about my designs or how I came to the decisions I made, feel free to leave me a comment or email me!
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Simply Timeless Becomes...
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The Paper Garden!
I got a little (okay, a lot) sick of looking at pompous, gold, ugh, overstuffed, old cursive text and wanted something a lot cleaner and a lot simpler. Something a little more whimsical and more organic, more fun. That's what I came up with.
The Business Card front and back... I think it's a little lacking, to be honest.
A sticker I plan on getting printed. I really like it. I can use it to package my stuff.
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LOOK --->
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I was recently walking around in Downtown Vancouver. I came to an intersection and waited to cross. I just happened to look down, and I spotted this...
I took a while to actually look at it, and then pulled out my camera phone and snapped the picture. I hadn't seen anything like it. As you can imagine, the way the arrow points is in the direction of oncoming traffic, and (as though this sign really needs more explaining) it's to warn pedestrians that hey, a car may run a red light.
Though honestly, I think people actually spend more time looking at this thing on the ground than they do watching out for cars. It's a distraction, after all!
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I took a while to actually look at it, and then pulled out my camera phone and snapped the picture. I hadn't seen anything like it. As you can imagine, the way the arrow points is in the direction of oncoming traffic, and (as though this sign really needs more explaining) it's to warn pedestrians that hey, a car may run a red light.Though honestly, I think people actually spend more time looking at this thing on the ground than they do watching out for cars. It's a distraction, after all!
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Eco friendly, functional AND pretty packaging??
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So, here I am trying to figure out a nice, pretty, waste-less way of packaging my goods, and at the same time trying to preserve the ultra deliciateness of my items. For someone shipping origami, you can imagine how ridiculously hard that is.
First off, the product itself is quite light... However, since I can't just ship a rose or bouquet in a padded envelope (for fear of it being crushed to bits before even making it to its intended recipient), I am forced to buy a cardboard box, bubble wrap, and kraft paper for extra padding. The entire actual box weight comes to less than half a kilogram, yet shipping fees are based on the dimensional weight of the box, not the actual weight.
I wonder if Canada Post would have anything against me if I shrank down the waybill and used a smaller box...
Product packaging is such a huge part of merchandising that retailers either put in way too much time into research, development, and design of the actual package, than they do for the product itself. I can't remember how many times as a kid, I asked my mother to buy me candy that came in a pretty box, and also with a toy. Most of the time, the toy was rather lame, and the candy... Wasn't even worth it. But because the box looked so cute, I just had to have it. Here's an example:
The candy that came with this was probably really small. I've never actually seen this particular brand, but c'mon, isn't it CUTE?!
I guess it's kind of like your kinder surprise eggs, except those things come with less packaging. The packaging on a kinder surprise egg is functional, ecologically friendly (for the most part), somewhat educational (at least they were ages ago, now they just seem to be kind of cheap), and yummy!
Wasteful packaging, overuse of packaging, heck even abuse of packaging is everywhere. The Consumer Report even has awards for the hardest to open products. They actually time how long it takes for the end user to get to the actual product. This isn't to say that hard to open packages are wasteful and not ecologically friendly, but it certaily does raise the question of... Do we REALLY need all that plastic?
Is it truly necessary to have all that excessive plastic, foam protectors, foam peanuts, cellophane, twist ties, tape, cardboard banners, plastic bags, rubber bands, hard plastic bands, molded plastic covers, glue, glue dots, wire, string, etc? What the heck does the clamshell packaging actually do, other than cause massive headaches for consumers trying to get through to their new toy? Do we need to own three different box cutters, two different sized and weighted scissors just to open... well, anything? Should packaging really outweigh the actual product? On a similar vein, should consumers be paying for the packaging?
I don't think so.
But here's where the problem lies. If retailers DIDN'T have pretty packaging, they wouldn't attract as many consumers as they do. We all like gifts. We like things that come packaged in a pretty box, with a nice bow, or just wrapped nicely. This is especially true for crafters like myself, and people who buy things online (like myself). A lot of people opt to wrap their items in plain kraft paper, or tissue paper, and simply tie it up with a pretty ribbon. Some people go further, buying organza gift bags, or making their own boxes out of cardstock. Some go even further and get boxes custom printed, or packaging custom printed. We like to make our mark. I get that. We like pretty packages. I get that.
So, what I'm looking for really, is the best presented, visually stunning, functional and ecologically concious packaging - either retail (i.e. found at Walmart), or hand made. If anyone has examples, or would like for me to showcase their packaging, please let me know. There may even be a prize in it for you!
Read more...
First off, the product itself is quite light... However, since I can't just ship a rose or bouquet in a padded envelope (for fear of it being crushed to bits before even making it to its intended recipient), I am forced to buy a cardboard box, bubble wrap, and kraft paper for extra padding. The entire actual box weight comes to less than half a kilogram, yet shipping fees are based on the dimensional weight of the box, not the actual weight.
I wonder if Canada Post would have anything against me if I shrank down the waybill and used a smaller box...
Product packaging is such a huge part of merchandising that retailers either put in way too much time into research, development, and design of the actual package, than they do for the product itself. I can't remember how many times as a kid, I asked my mother to buy me candy that came in a pretty box, and also with a toy. Most of the time, the toy was rather lame, and the candy... Wasn't even worth it. But because the box looked so cute, I just had to have it. Here's an example:
The candy that came with this was probably really small. I've never actually seen this particular brand, but c'mon, isn't it CUTE?!
I guess it's kind of like your kinder surprise eggs, except those things come with less packaging. The packaging on a kinder surprise egg is functional, ecologically friendly (for the most part), somewhat educational (at least they were ages ago, now they just seem to be kind of cheap), and yummy!
Wasteful packaging, overuse of packaging, heck even abuse of packaging is everywhere. The Consumer Report even has awards for the hardest to open products. They actually time how long it takes for the end user to get to the actual product. This isn't to say that hard to open packages are wasteful and not ecologically friendly, but it certaily does raise the question of... Do we REALLY need all that plastic?
Is it truly necessary to have all that excessive plastic, foam protectors, foam peanuts, cellophane, twist ties, tape, cardboard banners, plastic bags, rubber bands, hard plastic bands, molded plastic covers, glue, glue dots, wire, string, etc? What the heck does the clamshell packaging actually do, other than cause massive headaches for consumers trying to get through to their new toy? Do we need to own three different box cutters, two different sized and weighted scissors just to open... well, anything? Should packaging really outweigh the actual product? On a similar vein, should consumers be paying for the packaging?
I don't think so.
But here's where the problem lies. If retailers DIDN'T have pretty packaging, they wouldn't attract as many consumers as they do. We all like gifts. We like things that come packaged in a pretty box, with a nice bow, or just wrapped nicely. This is especially true for crafters like myself, and people who buy things online (like myself). A lot of people opt to wrap their items in plain kraft paper, or tissue paper, and simply tie it up with a pretty ribbon. Some people go further, buying organza gift bags, or making their own boxes out of cardstock. Some go even further and get boxes custom printed, or packaging custom printed. We like to make our mark. I get that. We like pretty packages. I get that.
So, what I'm looking for really, is the best presented, visually stunning, functional and ecologically concious packaging - either retail (i.e. found at Walmart), or hand made. If anyone has examples, or would like for me to showcase their packaging, please let me know. There may even be a prize in it for you!
Read more...
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Wow, it sure has been a while...
I was reading Real Simple (one of my favourite magazines), and came across a cost comparison chart for two day shipping between a few major shipping companies in the United States.
Cost Comparison: two-day shipping
In 1861, the Pony Express charged $2 to $10 an ounce to clip-clop a parcel cross-country. TOday, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) charges as little as 16 cents an ounce. See what the major shipping companies charge for two day delivery from Washington D.C., to Dallas. Guess who wins, come rain, snow, or anything else? The USPS.
It's no real surprise that USPS wins here.
Read more...
I was reading Real Simple (one of my favourite magazines), and came across a cost comparison chart for two day shipping between a few major shipping companies in the United States.
Cost Comparison: two-day shipping
In 1861, the Pony Express charged $2 to $10 an ounce to clip-clop a parcel cross-country. TOday, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) charges as little as 16 cents an ounce. See what the major shipping companies charge for two day delivery from Washington D.C., to Dallas. Guess who wins, come rain, snow, or anything else? The USPS.
| Company | Large Envelope | 5 Lb Box | 10 lb Box |
| DHL | $16.21 | $26.45 | $42.90 |
| Fed Ex | $18.72 | $31.28 | $50.07 |
| UPS | $17.60 | $31.28 | $50.07 |
| USPS | $4.60 | $12.90 | $18.25 |
It's no real surprise that USPS wins here.
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