now » I think…

missing home

defne — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:10:48 +0000

hanging out at home with my sister right before she flies “home”

turkish tea, simit, fresh caught fisht in tub, kokorec, mellon and raki, vapur in bosphorus with Galata tower in the background

smoke

defne — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:08:23 +0000

Sometimes I wish I was a smoker. I too want to stand outside, lean on a random wall and watch people go by without people wondering what the hell I am doing. I too want to take 5 minute breaks during the day and just stand outside and look cool. I think ice-cream might be a good substitute…

Side Note

defne — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:18:06 +0000

I have been noticing that designers, including me, take pride in the messiness of their work area/studio/desk. It gets mentioned at presentations and lectures all the time. “Our studio is a mess all the time!” “piles of stuff everywhere” etc. Is messiness associated with creativity and awesomeness when used in this context?

just saying…

defne — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 07:22:37 +0000

number 2

defne — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:31:12 +0000

Another interesting article I came across reading National Geographic, “Who’s Number Two?”. In most cases we know what is “the most” something in the world like the longest river (the Nile). However we don’t usually know who is number two.

Can you guess the number #1 :

Second tallest animal – African Elephant
Second tallest structure – KVLY TV mast, North Dakota
Second highest point on earth – K2
Second largest metropolitan area – New York City
second closest living human relative – Gorilla

Hellmann’s – It’s Time for Real

defne — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:23:04 +0000

I have been seeing more and more visual (graphic, video, animated) attempts to explain crucial problems and facts in the world. We are or I am more used to seeing these kinds of issues explained in numbers and words. Is this a sign that designers of the world are starting to feel more responsible and taking on the task of bringing awareness? I am hopeful.

Hellmann’s – It’s Time for Real from CRUSH on Vimeo.

100 Years of Design Manifestos

defne — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:23:21 +0000

Wow, I love it when people compile such things. Such a great resource, I can’t wait to read some! Manifestos dating back to 1909.

Does everyone want to have their own manifesto one day or is it just me?

Turkey

defne — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:06:50 +0000

Yesterday Nadeem cousin Nasreen told me that she is planing to go on a vacation in Turkey. I really like planning vacations and helping others plan their vacations. As I was making a list of places to recommend I remembered using Google Maps for another trip and how convenient it was. So I started adding stuff to the a Google map. I ended up spending so much time on the map because it’s also a good way for me to keep this information for future reference. This way I can use it later. Maybe I’ll try to use Google Maps (my maps) for the trips I take from now on so that I can keep all that travel info somewhere and easily share it. I know it’s not that big of a deal but it got me excited! Here is my Turkey map:

View Turkey – for Nasreen and Banny in a larger map

Synesthesia

defne — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:26:18 +0000

Another video that Beyza pointed out to me. Apparently Synesthesia means:

syn·es·the·sia syn·aes·the·sia (sĭn’ĭs-thē’zhə)
n.
A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color.
A sensation felt in one part of the body as a result of stimulus applied to another, as in referred pain.
The description of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another.

which is a really cool concept. I like to learn such words because otherwise concepts like synesthesia hardly become alive. They are usually things we triy to explain in sentences like “have you ever felt like…”, “you know the thing that happens when…”. I feel like when there is a word for such a phenomenon it makes it ten times better. Enjoy the video by Terry Timely:

Synesthesia from Terri Timely on Vimeo.

Fitness

defne — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 22:05:39 +0000

I have been thinking about this for a while now. Now that I graduated, did the after graduation vacation thing and am finally at a point where I have all this time devoted to finding a job I have a lot of time to spend on myself. I suddenly am taking a lot better care of my skin, and am cooking and I even started to go to a gym (as of today). I wonder if most of the job applicants around are very fit and looking their best? I am pretty excited about this fitness thing now. People who know me might be surprised since I don’t really like to move a lot and have never been a big fan of working out. This gym I signed up for seems pretty nice, nice enough to get me excited about working out. Maybe I’ll become a person who enjoys working out too, who knows.