As promised...
(Notes: Please drag Scribd's right-hand scroller down so you can see the front page, and from then on, use Scribd's right arrow to navigate the pages. To download it, you have to be logged in to Scribd -- or you can use your FB account. Am still looking for ways so you can directly right-click the pdf file to save it).

View sampul - issue01 via Scribd.










Hope you enjoy it as much as I did putting them together.

Body Shots.

That's what the name of a friend's business is. She -- Jeena -- teaches zumba, aerobics, aqua and gym exercises to Kuwaiti ladies and children. She -- married with two kids -- owns a gym in Pasay City (by the same name I think) and since two years have been in Kuwait being a 'wellness instructor'.

I mentioned to her the kinkiness of the word especially among singles during drinking sessions. She's unperturbed.

For days, she implored me to design for her, first, a calling card which gave birth to a logo which gave birth to a website, proforma for invoices, letterhead, contract documents, etc. In other words, she wanted me to create a corporate brand for her business. And what do I know about creating a corporate brand? Nada. But as I usually say to others, there's always a first time for everything.

And because she constantly invites us to a sumptous breakfast every Friday morning when it's a major major effort (for me) to rise up and cook because it's a weekend (and who rises to cook for one's self on a weekend?!), I decided to help her.

(The major reason I helped her is because she seemed genuine in her being a wellness instructor. She's also kind and buys me my week supply of carrot juice. Workwise, she knows what she's doing and she never hanky-pankies with her clients. She's credible because she's been in the business for half of her life and her family in the Philippines is also in similar business. I also like to imbibe her business acumen -- and, most importantly, make my waistline as small as her's: 26!).

These are what I scribbled in my note pad for a week.





And these are what I came up with -- five that Jeena chose from.



If you're Jeena, which would you prefer as your business logo?

It was inviting, bitter and biting. They said the red wine was from Dubai and I only took half a glass for a promise of a deep sleep. I swallowed it in one gulp -- sudden, chokeful and repulsive to my throat. My body felt warm and I suddenly wanted to lie down and sleep and forget about the bad taste it left in my mouth. Brushed my teeth, lotioned my feet and retired. It failed to deliver its promise of a deep sleep. I was tossing and turning the whole night. The next morning, the taste lingered in my mouth -- acerbic and unforgettable. Never again will I be led to believe a promise.

The foreword will read: "I'll pretend that I'm moved by boredom in Kuwait...the truth is: it's an itch that needs to be scratched."



Unhumiliatingly (if there is such a word), I took a jab at creating an e-book which contains ten samples of work from this blog (hence, sampuL), laid out in a magazine style with original photos and patterns. It's the height of Narcissism. And done without a bit of humility. Forgive me.

It's out within July -- unless my attending a religious group in Kuwait will shed off my excessive self-love and self-admiration.