The replacement is of a similar concept, a flat foldable design but this time in leather! yes it smells good! There’s not much to see, three same size pockets with a red strap making sure nothing is going fall out, a nice compact wallet that can easily be the home to up to 9 cards and with a little push you can fit even more, but I like my pocket to be light and don’t really wanna feel it there, the keys and changes (coins) already making enough fuss there!

The only downside for me and in comparison to slimfold wallet is you have to fold the cash notes too to fit inside the pockets which mean at time you need to take them all out to find the right one! not a deal breaker but design wise a small flaw.

Designed by Bandit Manchot, it’s currently being sold at London Design Museum shop for a very reasonable price!

For some reasons every time I watch something it takes me a little while to be convinced by the characters, especially if it’s a period piece. To believe those people belong to whatever era they supposed to belong to … but being closer was kind of a shocking experience and instantly made me believe whatever they wanted me to, it was as if the was no longer a curtain in between. I’m not sure if the actors can actually see you with all lights pointed at them, but occasionally you find them looking right into your eyes and it does add to the experience, makes it feel very direct and personal.

Seating at the first row in the stalls was a fascinating but a little exhausting experience! And I wouldn’t recommend it for every play, but once in a while, seat close and let the actors take with them on a journey, close and personal!
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Photo: The Low Road at The Royal Court

One however, stood out from the rest. Life of Pi was the most beautiful movie of the year. Sure the work on the tiger was unbelievable, even with the tiger swimming sequence being real, it was still superb. But that’s not why Life of Pi got my attention. Life of Pi was a complete package. How a movie should be. Good directing, story telling, acting, cinematography (in this case married heavily to vfx) and a visual effects that enhanced everything to a level beyond anyone’s believes. A creative collaboration at all levels. Even the 3D Stereo delivery was flawless, did you notice the aspect ratio changing in the flying fishes sequence and the fishes actually coming outside the frame?

What is not even remotely close to a complete package, is the behind the scenes story. The VFX studio responsible for the work, Rhythm & Hues, filing for bankruptcy, The Academy (Oscars) cutting the VFX team speech short just when they were about to address the recent difficulties for the VFX industry and while there was a protest going on outside. It is just such a big shame that Life of Pi will go down as movie that won the VFX Oscar that tasted so bitter!

People working in VFX are there only for one reason, their love and passion for the films and arts. They tolerate all the difficulties, instability and unfair working conditions just out of their love for the craft. However, when on top of everything else they see their work and contributions are not respected, then all the other problems come to surface. I hope whatever happen from now no, and with the awareness raised to the state of VFX industry, and a new movement starting amongst VFX artists calling for unity, film studios will work towards establishing mutual respect and understanding, and for once not driven purely by numbers and maximising their own profit, there’s enough here for everyone!.

The last day of the workshop, everyone was gathering their drawings to take with them, I didn’t see the point. I wasn’t impressed with my body of the work, and those I thought I was able to capture something interesting were recorded on my digital companion, so I threw them all in the rubbish bin. Just before leaving and to my surprise, someone asked if she could have one of my drawings, I had to go back and take everything out of the rubbish bin and find it for her, it felt strange, as if I was going through the days of my life that I had no care for, to find something that someone else thought it meant something, did it?

Unfortunately Hand doesn’t perform as good as it looks and its main feature remains the design. The smaller tip means you need to press it harder on the screen to register, something that becomes rather tiring especially when you are drawing. The body made of anodized aluminium is durable enough but the nib tends to wear out easily feeling a little dry explaining the need for the additional ones! So if you are planning to get one you should get the nip pack too. I wish they had been more careful with the design of the nib as there’s no point making it smaller since it’s not possible to obtain more accuracy. Wacom’s Bamboo Stylus has the best size with 6 mm and the majority has 8mm in dime meter to ensure an easy and effortless interaction with the screen. I’m hoping they’ll improve it in the next generation as Hand has one of the best designs out there. Let’s see it in action!:

He is the reason why I love film’s soundtracks and I used to listen to his music all day on my Sony cassette player. His theme songs are an important part of my childhood memories and I was always fascinated by how powerful his work is. I hope he’ll go on composing forever! I think he will …