DREWspective

I recently got into scrapbooking, having had an idea of doing something extremely practical and rewarding. I’ll let you guys in on it in the near future.

One of the challenges I faced was getting picture-perfect text onto the front cover of a sketchbook. A previous attempt to copy the font, using a printed outline and pencil rubbing proved fruitless, as my hand was too wobbly. So I began to think of better ways to do it. I didn’t want to print, cut out and paste a piece of paper; that would have ruined the effect.

My mind cast back to those good old days, when I used to hoard and play around with rub-on letter transfers. (I recently found out they’re referred to mainly as Letraset, after the company that specialises in them.)

After doing some digging around, I came across the Letraset web site, who - as well as selling their standard letter transfers - offer a service where you can create your own. In addition to not being able to find a good font to purchase, I had my own created font that I wanted to use. How cool would it be to have my own transfer sheets with my font on them, I thought?

I was certainly game, until I realised just how expensive it would be to purchase. Unless I was mistaken, we’re talking about £50 per sheet, and you have to order in bulk. I don’t think that goes for the various other, wonderful options such as metallic finishes.

So being the resourceful, experimental person I like to think I am, I wandered around Google looking for DIY solutions. There’s a good tutorial over at Scrapjazz, which shows you how to make them using transparencies and inkjet paper.
I gave it a go, and the result was pretty good. The only problem was that the transparency (I used a thick sheet of plastic) attracted dust like nobody’s business. You also have to be careful how you place the transfer on the surface, or at least give the ink a lot of time to dry.

There was another tutorial that involved using hairspray and spray gel, but that was a complete waste of time. I bought a whole box of OHP transparencies just for that, and the ink would not budge.

Everything seemed hopeless, until I came across a site selling rub-on transfer paper. You can’t find it in shops in the UK, and only one online store operating in Europe sells them. Once again, eBay was my friend.

So on Saturday I finally received the paper all the way from the US, having ordered on Monday. The instructions weren’t very clear, and it took me a while to figure out how to use them, but the end result was very rewarding.

But I was disappointed to find out that, rather than the rub-on transfer paper I was expecting, the product was actually for rub-on decals.

Let me clarify:

- Letraset sheets, where you rub each letter individually onto a surface, are what I call transfers.

- The sheets I bought require you to print a design on them, stick adhesive paper on the printed side, cut out the design and then stick it on a surface; kinda like temporary tattoos. These are decals.

Unfortunately the terms transfers and decals are used interchangeably, which led to the confusion. It’s safe to say that you’ll find decal paper on sale whenever it’s referred to as transfer paper; I’ve not yet seen a consumer product that replicates Letraset sheets.

I suppose having decal paper is good enough, because it will save on printing compared to having custom transfer sheets. There will always be the problem of not having enough “e”s or “s”s to finish a word with transfers, but with decals you can arrange letters (and have different sizes, etc.) with next to no fuss.

Give them a try.

Following from my rather emotional weblog entry last time, I thought about the amount of Facebook contacts I’ve gotten rid of in one fell swoop.

People are (metaphorically) like trees, with their relationships with other people like branches. Having a lot of branches isn’t for everybody, yet that’s what society teaches us to strive for. Some people concentrate on having a stronger foundation, and having only a few, strong branches.

What happened last week was like pruning dead or infected branches from the trunk—people who weren’t real friends to begin with, and were really part of someone else’s already overcrowded and blooming tree.

As with real plants, there are times when you have to remove connections to further yourself, or to free yourself from bad situations. Some of your branches could be doing nothing but producing bad fruit, or producing nothing at all. Some branches just weigh you down, or get in your way.

The person who I decided to cut myself away from was a great friend, let’s not get things out of perspective. She was someone who did things for me that every other girl was far too scared and girl-like to do, and every other peer was far too chickenshit to provide. I will always be grateful for that.
But she was also someone who was part of what I call the “everybody army”: someone who became, spoke for and sided with “everybody” else.

As much as this person was close to my heart, this was someone who would kick me and gloat when I’m down. I know this, because they did.

This is the time of year when such decisions should be made anyway, and the sooner one makes these decisions the better. 2008 is going to be a fresh start.

The ending to Metal Gear Solid 3 really got to me, and I hadn’t been able to forget it since. I will try not to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it.

Sometimes someone comes into your life and makes a giant impact, the likes of which you’ve never felt before. Maybe it’s a best friend, a partner or just a stranger. But then something happens, and ultimately you’re no longer able to maintain the relationship. Somehow, you have to let go of that person.

Ladies and gentlemen, I had to make that decision at around 0120 today.

This person was someone who came out of the blue and shook my regenerating world, in good ways and bad. They did things for me that other people were far too scared to (mostly in fear of becoming a laughing stock). Even though things suddenly changed for their benefit and my loss, they were still there.

And I love them, which is why it’s so painful to let them go.

Have you ever loved somebody so much that you held onto them as tightly as you could, even though it hurt? Have you loved them so much you cry whenever you think about them? Have you lost sleep thinking about the good times you’ve had, knowing those times are insignificant to them now, or—even worse—being had by them and someone else?

I had always lived in fear of being “whipped”, but inevitably it’s happened. And it hurts like hell. It hurts so bad, that after three months I’m still not over it. Ever since, my life has fallen apart.

I think there’s at least one time in everybody’s life where they get “whipped”, whether they get involved with that person or not. I’ll tell you something else too; it’s always easy to think that the other person is far better than you when it happens. Particularly when they have so many people rooting for them (and turning their backs on you).
But no matter what it takes, we have to let go of these people. We can’t waste valuable energy fighting against what is, no matter how differently we’d like things to have played out.

I hope nobody has to go through what I’ve been through several times in my life.

I asked this question on deviantArt a long time ago, after one of many speed dating events gone wrong. I’d been called a “nice guy” or “great guy” after asking for feedback from the girls.

(If you get any kind of feedback from a girl, be very grateful.)

Anyway, I received the usual spiel about nice guys from many other members of deviantArt. But I’ll never forget, as long as I live, one member’s response—it went something like this:

“it means they’re worried you’ll find out how shallow and boring they really are.”

I don’t know about you, but that shit is ballin’! Seriously, it’s one of the deepest statements I’ve ever heard, let alone this year. Big up whoever said it, although there’s no way of finding out.