Therapy Monday

mondays are usually slow here at the office, and today is especially so. with a couple of bosses (including ze big boss) out of the office, people are taking the day's work (if any) at a slow, easy pace. the sounds are laid back, activity is at a low hum, and the vibe is therapeutic.

a resident audiophile is pumping ladytron (i don't know who they are, but they sound good) from his mac, a few teammates are debating the merits of triathlon training as stress relief (yes, there's a lot of stress to be relieved over here), and snatches of other interesting conversations (such as a lengthy discussion of pektus) drift in and out of my violet-walled cubie...

where i am making christmas cards. upon coming back from the tour, i suddenly found manila in full-blown christmas mode, and for some reason it was my hands that were itching to catch up. i used to make my own christmas cards almost every year until i hit college. the last time i sent out handmade cards was in freshman year -- i had just discovered choral singing, and photocopies of popular filipino carols were the theme of my cards that year.

with two major accounts (including my old fave) following a predictable, and actually early, daily timetable, i've miraculously found time to indulge. i'm inspired by a handful of juicy little morsels -- cutout snowflakes (a prototype in blue iridiscent paper is now stuck to my monitor), photos of tiled patterns i took in the alhambra, four-pointed stars, an inexpensive bottle of silver acrylic paint i picked up in national bookstore. i also love scrolling through d*s and dafont for ideas.

ganado ako gumawa. three cards will get made and mailed out to their intended recipients in india, belgium and finland (tipid ako on mailing this year), but it looks like a couple of extra ones will have to find somewhere to go. the ideas just keep on coming! and not only for cards -- i'm getting hit by lightning bolts for christmas presents, wedding whatnot and new scripts alike. (hmmm. i think i'm starting to reap the benefits of my one-month work-free time out in europe.)


i finished one card last night and one this morning. while i'm pleased with the results, i'm even more pleased by the process, and by the fact that i actually can do this! at the office! and it will actually, indirectly, help me think and work better!

some of the art directors i work with have stopped by my desk with smiles and exclamations -- one of them (cecil) even managed to open a bottle of gold craft paint that i've been unable to unscrew for the past two years! she even suggested i sell whatever extra cards i don't send out. and i finally got to break in a set of waterbrushes (squeezable paintbrushes with hollow barrels for water) i bought on sale about six months ago. happiness!

now if you'll excuse me, i have blank sheets of smooth white card, a silver-smeared corner of desk, and a pretense of regular monday workload to get back to.