So yesterday’s hot news was the Department of Tourism’s new tourism slogan, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.” Within minutes of its official announcement, it had become the #1 worldwide trending topic on Twitter. In fact, it’s still the #1 trending topic in the Philippines, as of writing. Until now, people are talking about it, and for good reason.
General feedback has been mostly positive. From what I’ve read, people like the conversational treatment of the slogan. Personally, I think it’s a tad too long — the shorter a slogan is, the better, for easier reference and recall. BUT it certainly rings true (will get to this later) and unlike our previous slogans, this one is a complete thought — It’s more fun in the Philippines, period. No, it’s not the most original or inventive slogan in the world (in reference to its ripping off a Swiss ad slogan) but, y’know, it doesn’t need to be. What it needs to be is understandable, relatable, and “owned” not only by the Tourism Department but by the country as a whole. On that front, I think this slogan succeeds.
As for the logo, the first thing that struck me was that it was very ABS-CBN, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The text is set in (presumably) Harabara, which I think is the perfect typeface for the slogan. Neutral fonts are too formal and businesslike so they are out of the question. Handwritten fonts might come off as juvenile, if not hipster-y. Ethnic-style fonts, while pretty, are limiting and might pose readability concerns. So I do like Harabara very much because it has the right balance of readability, ease, and versatility. I also like the addition of the banig graphic although I must admit that it took some time before I caught the Philippine map in the pattern. I’m not a fan of how the Philippine map has been deployed in clothing and other merchandise but there’s no denying that it has become an icon of the times. To feature it in the logo’s banig is brilliant.
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Posted by Aldo on 7 January 2012 @ 7:56pm
Our new dining table is my thesis nook. I’ve taken a monopoly of it since the day it was delivered to our house. I find that I am more productive when I am working downstairs, in this area. And I foresee that this will be the setup until the end of the school year or until I finish my thesis, whichever comes first.
It’s hard to juggle teaching and getting an MS degree. The teaching part, I can handle. It’s the thesis-ing that’s been really agonizing for the past year. I have no idea how I managed to do it with such ease when I was an undergraduate. (Then again, looking back, that wasn’t my best work despite the grade I got.)
I’ve done a few things to motivate myself so I can finally get down to brass tacks and do this… but not to much avail. For instance, I got myself a netbook last April just so I could dedicate one computer to my thesis. But that didn’t work out so well as I found it to be quite a task to type on a small keyboard. The netbook’s proven useful (especially when I travel), just not very much when I’m writing.
But this, I know, is just the right motivation to keep me going… the perfect push so I can finally get my research done on time:
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Posted by Aldo on 2 January 2012 @ 3:10am
My sister wanted to name the fluffy puppy, “Fluffy” but seeing as I have an affinity for distinctly Filipino names (and I’m the older sibling), we went with “Pembo” instead.
Sometimes, Pembo thinks he’s a different animal (e.g., cat, kangaroo) or he’s of a different breed (e.g., chow chow).
He also thinks he knows how to howl (like the other dogs in the neighborhood) every time the midnight train whistle blows.
Posted by Aldo on 1 January 2012 @ 3:09pm
Part 1/2 here
* * *
Where did most of your money go?
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
- All my local and international trips
- My friends’ birthdays
- American Idol Manila Tour
What songs will always remind you of 2011?
- Born This Way- Lady Gaga
- Edge of Glory- Lady Gaga
- Bennie and the Jets- Haley Reinhart
- Rolling in the Deep- Adele
- Someone Like You- Adele
- One and Only- Adele
- Super Bass- Nicki Minaj
- On the Floor- Jennifer Lopez
- Breakfast in Bed- Train
- Marathon- Tennis
- Bubble Toes- Jack Johnson
- Teach Me How to Dougie- California Swag District
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Posted by Aldo on 31 December 2011 @ 11:59pm
Thanks to Last.Fm I get to find out my most listened tracks over the past 12 months! Of course this is not 100% accurate but it is a reliable, quantitative way of determining the top tracks that kept me company all year. I’m a bit surprised by some of the songs in the list, and some of the songs not in the list. But at least my song of 2011, Taking Chances by Abra Moore, managed to squeak in at #15.
Posted by Aldo on 31 December 2011 @ 11:32pm
