Kawaii Darling

Across Five Aprils

2011-03-07T06:04:00.001-08:00

“Don’t expect peace to be a perfect pearl”.

Across Five Aprils is about the coming of age of a young boy named Jethro during the chaotic American Civil War.

Characters. Some favorite characters of mine are Shadrach and of course the lead character Jethro Creighton. I fell in love with Shadrach because he was so poetic, and also because he respects education so much – of course he’s a schoolmaster so what do you expect?

~~If you don’t want spoilers, then I promise I’ll try the best I can to not give you any specific hints regarding the whole storyline.~~ That would be quite difficult anyway, because as the title suggests, the story runs for five years. In all fairness, the story proved very difficult for me to read at first.

The American Civil War. First, I’m a Filipina, so even if I should know just a little about the American Civil War, I’m so sorry I don’t. I admit, I must read and study more about it but I still have a looong way to go with regards to my own country’s history, so it’s really not a priority. That’s why this book is so perfect to me in so many ways, because it not only entertained me, touched my emotions, and let me fell in love with it, but it educated me as well! I didn’t know a thing or two about the American Civil War, but because of this book, I’ve learned a huge chunk of important history – through a young boy’s eyes.

Yes, the book’s a creative part fiction, part non-fiction. It’s a Newbery Honor Book as well. How did I come across this book? It wasn’t required, that’s for sure. I just found it myself. I read somewhere that missing reading the works of Irene Hunt is a big loss so I added her up to my never ending reading list. Not to mention that I’m also thinking of adding all the Newbery Honor Books as well.

We can’t read everything we want right? We can never have enough time, but we could try choosing the ones worth reading.

What's Inside My Bag (2011, Bag A)

2011-02-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

First off, some yummy pictures of my bag:

This is the bag I am currently using. It’s kinda cheap. I bought it at Greenhills for 300php.

It’s transparent, which I like, because I love strutting my stuff. I just fix it in a way where I could carefully hide my wallet – it’s empty anyway. Haha.

Here's a peak of what's inside:

-my notebook (It’s the sky blue one, with pink hearts on it.)
-my trusty planner (I can’t live without it. Colored gray, with brown garter. It also has an etching of a tree with a bird in it, though it’s not seen here. )
-the book that I’m currently reading (Soul Mates, by Thomas Moore. MUST READ. <3)
-reusable shopping bag with cute dots (I carry this around for emergency purposes, like when I have to borrow a lot of books, and it doesn’t fit my bag, or emergency groceries, etc. It’s folded inside a cute little bag, but it’s bigger than my actual bag when spread out.)
-my wallet (It’s midnight blue, with silver details.)
-my pencil case (It’s the black one with the Hello kitty design. ~~It’s not that cute, and I’ve been meaning to replace it for quite some time now,~~ but whenever I think of how spacious it is, how well my long pencils fit in perfectly, and how many pens it can hold…I change my mind)
-a plastic container (I fill it with different snacks. One day it’s filled with peanuts, and then the next day with cookies, and the next day with chocolate. I don’t leave it empty, because I’m always hungry!
-my perfume (It’s Remember from Bench.)
-a Hello Kitty purse (It’s where I keep my MP3 player and earphones)
-my MP3 player and earphones
-a small container of petroleum jelly (for dry lips)
-my keys
-my Hello Kitty coin purse (This is where I keep my coins, loose change, and the money I need for transpo, so ~~I don’t need to take out my wallet every time~~ I have to pay for a jeepney or a tric fare.)
-my pink calculator (I suck at Math, haha
-and lastly, my super filled make-up kit which contains the following:

1. Avon Simply Pretty Fresh Radiance Make Up Base in Pink Glow
2. Avon Smooth Mineral Powder Foundation in Almond
3. Avon Simply Pretty Shine No More Dual Powder Foundation SPF 13 in Light Beige
4. Avon Simply Pretty Lip and Cheek Tint
5. Avon Simply Pretty Cheek Color in Rosy Cheeks
6. Avon Ultra Moisture Rich Mousse Lipstick in Delicate Pink
7. Avon Moisture Therapy Lip Balm
8. Avon Simply Pretty Lipstick and Lip Gloss Duo in Rockin Rouge
9. 2 small trial lipsticks of Avon Ultra moisture Rich Lipstick in Knockout Pink and Charged Berry
10. Ever Bilena Pro Eye Color Liquid Eyeliner and Mascara in Black
11. Fashion 21 Eye Liner in White
12. Evera Eye Pencil in Brown
13. A blade to style eye brows
14. An eye shadow brush
15. A Hello Kitty comb
Hope you enjoyed viewing what’s inside my bag! Cheerio.

P.S. just in case you’re wondering, I’m an Avon lady. Haha.

New Year, New Goals

2011-02-02T22:06:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of i can read.

Gosh I have so much planned up for the New Year, but first things first. Here are my plans and goals for the year:

1. Finish college. This is my first and foremost priority this year. Everything comes second after this. You know how much I love my school, and how much I super love learning new things, but I guess everything must come to an end. After I finish my undergrad, I might study some more, earning a Master’s degree after this, but my ~~undergrad course~~, ultimately must come to an end already, like, right now!

2. Be more creatively crafty! These are the things that I have to get my hands on (again, or for the first time!). After my graduation, that is. Together with job hunting – which I think I don’t intend to do right away, I would have a gazillion hours free to do these things again; as I haven’t done so for a very VERY long time!

· Art Journaling

· Amigurumi

· Felt Cakes

· Artsy Origami

And it’s not just crafts that I’m looking forward to do more. It also includes all the artsy things that I haven’t been able to do, like photography, vectoring, cg, and of course the improvement of my web design and KD.

3. Fix my headquarters. I've been planning to fix my room since forever. Remember this post right here?? Yeah. That long. O_o I'm still staying at my 'rent's room. Would you believe it? Saves us a lot of electricity though. First on the agenda is to get it painted, of course! Cleaning up all the clutter, especially inside my closet – because only then would I be able to think decently of what I would wear every day; kfashion, kawaii, hime gyaru, old school, here I come! I bet I would be the happiest girl alive on the day that I get this done!

4. Fix myself. Boost my intelligence. Boost my self esteem. Boost my finances. 2010 was a lucky year for me with regards to book-hunting. I've tidied up my booklist and was able to read most of them. Also, I've mastered putting on my own make-up in a way that would cover up my acne marks --which I need, until I get my marks fixed professionally by a dermatologist (when I save up enough moolah for that). I also learned how to do this in kawaii fashion - with the hime gyaru look (in my own style!) I have a long term plan: Face first (almost check!); hair (I have a dandruff problem, an allergic reaction I get from cow’s milk); teeth (I’m going to save up for veneers or braces, my mom promised she’d help me so yeah!); body (Finally, after that belly dancing classes that I took, my waistline’s finally shrinking!); and then overall health and well-being (I’m gonna research on a healthy diet after the age of 25, maybe I’d start to be a vegan but I would like to enjoy food more before that, haha!).

~~As I said, the face phase is over, so now I've moved on to the hair part.~~ I've learned how to shape my own eyebrows already, and now I'm mastering how to color my hair the way I like. I'm still exploring on colors and brands so if you have any advice regarding this matter, I will be more than grateful to hear about it. I would like to learn this to do on my own though. I want to be more in control of the way I look.

5. And lastly, I have to decide on the career that I will take after I've finished college. ~~I'm still confused so this would require a longer time of reflection.~~ Gahh. EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE REQUIRES A GREAT DEAL OF REFLECTING! I should learn how to meditate. Seriously. I’m thinking applying for the job that my family wants for me, applying for an artsy job at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, looking for a fine reviewer for the UP Law Aptitude Exam, and inquiring for a scholarship in Italy all at the same time, and then, the one who would reply first would be the one for me. Haha. Yeah, it’s a lousy plan I know, but it’s all I could come up with at the moment.

Anyway, that's all for now! I still have to finish my thesis. Cheerio!

The Oh-Ten Dozen

2011-01-13T06:24:00.000-08:00

One of last year’s top life events was …

1. Getting published on paper for the first time. Wow, I have got to admit, this was HUGE for me. This is definitely last year’s top event for me. I was really hoping to get my name on paper, but I didn’t expect a piece of my article and my own face, especially, to get printed out on a national newspaper, and not just any paper, broadsheet at that! On Philippine Daily Inquirer!

2. Getting to sing solo at CCP. Like getting published, this was also a biggie for me. As a singer, getting to sing at the Cultural Center of the Philippines was a dream for me, and being able to finally do it, experience it, and finally singing there at that exact moment, even if it was just in a small gallery, felt like floating in a dream.

3. Getting to sing at PICC. Another WOW-er. I still sing at the Philippine International Convention Center every other Sunday, and it still amazes me every time I get up the stage as part of a chorus. Gosh I remember the first time, I even cried. O_0

4. Getting to be an art researcher and writing a wall note for an exhibit for the first time. For those who don’t know yet, I’m an Art Studies student from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, and I have been studying my ass off for more than four years now to critique and write about art. As luck would have it, I have been really fortunate to become a part of last year’s Walong Filipina exhibition, a prestigious annual art exhibit. Me and seven other students worked as art researchers for this year’s exhibit to which I owe getting published on paper and getting to sing at CCP for the first time; and of course to top all of that, seeing my article finally being published as a wall note on one of CCP’s galleries is the icing on top all of my hard work studying.

5. Getting my own works of art exhibited for the first time. No, not on CCP, haha. It was exhibited at the lobby of our school’s faculty center, but of course, because it’s a first, it’s still a major biggie for me. I still got a looong way to go if I would want to pursue being an artist as a professional undertaking, but everyone has to start somewhere right? Well, this is mine. Read more about it on a separate post HERE.

6. Getting a regular teaching job at a daycare center in Mandaluyong. My mother has been teaching for more than 40 years already, and maybe I might have inherited some of her talent, but I never dreamt of being a teacher not even in my wildest dreams. I don’t remember how it all started exactly, it just happened. I was just looking for a job, then they were the first who contacted me – I didn’t even apply for it! I was just PRAYING for a job to be exact then this came – through Facebook! Haha. Then all I had to do was say yes, and then I reported the next day…and then..voila! Instant “Teacher Virna”. BUT what I didn’t expect was the positive response from kids and parents, which lead me to thinking, “Hey! Maybe this is a calling? Maybe I should listen to it and consider it as one of the many possibilities that I could go for after I graduate”. To top that, I’m so proud to say that all of my Nursery students can read now!

7. The fulfilling feeling of teaching kids with special needs and seeing their progress no matter how small it is. Whew, I have got to admit, teaching toddlers and Nursery is one thing, but teaching special children is a whole new issue. I have taught two special children last year, the other one’s kinda rich and I got paid pretty WELL, while the other one’s more of a responsibility that I took to contribute to the world – OR to make it simpler, I taught the other one for free. The first few days were the hardest, I couldn’t even get near at one of them so I had to use a paper puppet, but after a few weeks and a whole lot of patience, when I saw concrete improvements, oh man. I can’t help but sing my victory song: yes Lord, yes Lord, yes yes Lord, amen!

8. Being part of two choirs, the FEAST Manila Bay’s Music Ministry and our subdivision Palmera 2’s Dos Koros. The FEAST, to those who are unfamiliar with it, is a Catholic celebration every Sunday headed by Bo Sanchez, the author of many best-selling inspirational books here in the Philippines. The whole event starts with a Eucharistic Celebration, and ends with charismatic fun fun fun worship and a truly inspirational talk by Bo. It’s to them I owe getting to sing at the Philippine International Convention Center every other Sunday. With the other Sundays that I have, I spend it singing for our village’s local choir – Dos Koros; BUT I’m proud to say that our choir is not just any choir, some of my choir mates sing on TV masses alternate Sundays as well, and our guitarist is the lead vocals of the band Manila Bus. The FEAST was also televised before on channel 5 but I think it’s not aired anymore because they’re still negotiating on available time slots and other technical stuff. I’m sure though, that when they get this fixed, we’ll be on TV again in no time. :)

9. Darrel finding his own way back into studying and me being able to help him already with his tuition. This is really fulfilling. Darrel has been planning to continue his studies since almost forever and now he finally got himself enrolled and I’m now able to help him with his tuition from time to time. This was definitely the best part of earning my own money.

10
   10. Going to Palawan for the first time. I’m part of a small family (there’s only three of us because I have no siblings), and both of my parents are senior citizens already, so we don’t travel that much. This is so far, the farthest place I’ve reached alone. It was so much fun, and the trip was the last blog that I posted before I disappeared, haha. You could read the whole experience HERE.

              11. Doing things I wouldn’t usually do like riding a plane, snorkeling, eating a worm, learning how to ride a bike, and zip-lining for the first time. I’m the type of person who doesn’t let chances and new experiences pass. Whenever there’s a chance to experience something new, I definitely never pass out and I don’t allow my limitations and fears to get in the way. Of course I’m not ready to go sky diving just yet, but in the future maybe, who knows? I’m not ruling out the possibility. Haha. These experiences give me so much pride whenever I remember doing them. Riding a plane is not really an experience that you would call extreme, but because it’s my first time, and especially because I’m not with my parents, it was a biggie for me. Snorkeling is also not a big thing for most people, but to me it really was. I’m SCARED of water. I’m not hydrophobic as in I don’t take a bath everyday anymore, but I’m hydrophobic to a certain point, like I can’t jump into pools, I get hysterical if I get thrown into one, I can’t slide, and of course I can’t swim! But as I’ve said earlier, I never let a chance to do something new pass, even if it does require me to conquer my fears, and jumping off a boat in the middle of the sea. My taste palette definitely doesn’t include exotic food but whenever there’s a chance to finally taste one, then I go go go! There’s a wood worm in Palawan called Tamiluk, and…well…it tasted good! Another first was riding a bike. It felt like a dream popping out of a Koreanovela when my boyfriend offered to teach me how to ride a bike. The experience was not only fun, it also gave our relationship deeper meaning, and the romantic boost it needed. Lastly, zip-lining at Bicol’s Lignon Hill was so much fun! I experienced this while sitting down, maybe next time I’ll try zip-lining all stretched-out, Superman style!

12. And lastly, doing my best to finish my thesis to be able to graduate this March on top of EVERYTHING. This is still an on-going experience, haha. This is also the hardest. My parents have been expecting me to finish my studies already for the longest time, and of course I have been working hard for it as well. I really do hope that I’ll be able to finish my thesis in time for my graduation this March. Phew. I can do this. AJA!

Need I explain more why I disappeared for so long?? But anyhow, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for still welcoming me back. Cheerio!

Getting Back From Almost Forever

2011-01-01T06:22:00.001-08:00

Photo courtesy of WeHeartIt.

Hey guys, I know there aren’t much readers of KD anymore as I’ve disappeared without a single notice, just *poof*, ridiculous right? And I’m sorry. Things in my life just started to get overwhelming. You know, when you’re in a stage of transition – you’re just going along with the flow, things just start happening, and before you know it you’re faced with the hardest decisions you’ll ever make in your life, my student life at least.

Well, don’t fret because I’ve got an internet connection again. I would be back to regular blogging in no time, and I hope that some of my old readers would soon discover that I’ve started blogging again. Sigh.

This is just an intro post mind you. I’m just getting the feel of blogging again, after a long time of not doing any writing, ya know. Anyway, I’ll have to list down the things that I would like to share with you in the following days ~~(hopefully before the New Year comes),~~ so that I won’t forget a thing, yeah?

· Walong Filipina Exhibit 2010

· Getting published on paper for the first time!

· Joining The Feast’s Music Ministry

· Singing at the Philippine International Convention Center and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

· My 2 jobs, while taking Physics, Chemistry, a major subject, and thesis-writing. O_0

· And of course, Darrel’s studying again!

Phew. See? Just listing all of the things that I have to update my blog with tires me up already. Aside from keeping up with blog posts, of course I also have to update the pages. I was almost close to deleting my pixel creations just a while ago when, after seeing them again for the first time in months, I still think they look cute so I let them stay and I’ll probably make more of them anyway, so I left them be. My affiliates would also be updated, that might well mean erasing more than half of them, for I know, I wasn’t the only one who disappeared. Only thing is, I’m active again, and they’re still not, so…I want active affies! YAY! Also, a cleaning and clearing up of the tag box is long due, as well as organizing all of my other web accounts, linking them all here, and making this a newer bigger personal web-home! BIG PLANS.

Lastly, and most importantly, God, please give me creativity and inspiration to fix up this disgusting layout. I have a lot of plans, but it would take a little time to accomplish them all, so please just wait, still love me, and stay cool.

POST UPDATE:

Okay, so I just got my MS Word reinstalled after my laptop’s reformatting so I wasn’t able to publish this post on time. Anyway, gah, I still wasn’t able to write the long-due 2010 post, BUT I’m almost finished giving KD a new layout! YEAH! I’ve already transferred most of the pages here, so I won’t need to publish in two different blogs anymore (as my content was formerly published on a different blog just carefully linked with this one, while carefully creating the exact same layout matching this main blog). Phew. I’ve surprised myself thinking that I was able to pull off that way of maintaining KD.

So, I guess I’ll be off to update my affiliates list, and by the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Cheerio!

Palawan

2010-05-01T07:22:00.001-07:00

I guess I'm gonna keep the words and sentences short for this post since I know my pictures would more than make up for the lack of it. Posts ago, before I went into a long break I told you guys about my trip going to Palawan, and like the post when I booked my flight, the tour was also a trip of many firsts. I just love first times! Don't you?

We left Friday evening. It was my first time to ride a plane. I was kinda nervous actually since I could see the wings of the plane slightly shaking; however the clouds just took my breath away. They looked like cotton candy. How I wish I could just go out and ride on one of them instead – a childhood dream of many, I know. We arrived and went straight to the hotel. After unpacking our things, we went out to have dinner.

Now, one of the best things about our field trip is that we were allowed to stroll outside on our own, without the need to ask the professor for permission. Puerto Prinsesa is a really safe place, I discovered. They don't have zombie-like rakistas haunting their streets nor even street beggars, and scary topless men like those you commonly find in Manila. You could walk the streets at night and the wee hours of the morning alone without feeling the slightest worry.

We went to the underground river the next day and Mangrove boating.

While I was there, I got a chance to taste an exotic delicacy known as Tamiluk. A wood worm that could be found inside a Mangrove's root. It's eaten raw dipped in vinegar. It was yummy actually. :)

I went out to hear mass alone at five am the next day before we went island hopping, since it was a Sunday. I consider it bad luck for me not to go to mass and go enjoy myself island hopping the whole day.

Island hopping was fun, especially snorkelling! I didn't know how to swim but the vests were enough to keep me afloat, so my lack of skills wasn't a hindrance to me in any way to having fun. When you travel, never let your "buts" keep you from experiencing awesome things or you'll have the biggest regrets of your life!

Although tired, my classmates and I went on a city tour of Puerto Prinsesa the next day. This wasn't part of our tour anymore, but since our flights were still in the evening, we decided to explore a little more. We went to the famed butterfly garden of Palawan, and Baker's Hill. Fun!

We were back in Manila at around 7:30pm. Darrel fetched me from the airport and we went straight home. I wasn't able to go to class the next day though, I was DEAD tired.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures I shared with you! Till next post. Cheerio. :)

UP Fair 2010

2010-04-20T21:26:00.001-07:00

February 10, 2010. Just a night after Darrel's birthday and the UP Asterisk exhibit I have just posted, Darrel and I went on another date: this time, an overnight one, and attended the UP Fair's Urbandub exclusive night. Yep, it was the only night that Urbandub performed. Good night, I tell you; and a load of cool pictures to top it off. We got a nice space near the stage so we did get a clear view of the performers. I wasn't able to take the pictures of all of the bands though. There were a LOT, and there were also a hell lot of booths to check out so we weren't in the scene all the time.

Anyway, for starters here's Raymund Marasigan: Sandwich doing their signature song Sugod.

Imago came next with the ever beautiful Aya of course.

A newfound love was Duster.

Check out their Gucci Gang where they "dedicate" a song to them motherf*cking Gucci people (and I don't mean the designer or the clothes, Filipinos, you know what I mean) who don't care much about the world except partying all the time. Love.

And of course, how could I possibly forget the delicious Marc Abaya. I don't want to delve more into what I really felt during his performance, for I understand being the Kawaii girlish site owner that I am, my site attracts younger people, so let's just move on.

We were not able to regain our original space during Urbandub's performance so we weren't able to take clearer pictures of them. Check out the crowd behind us. Mind you, if I was only created a guy I might've joined them, who knows? Seeing Urbandub perform live can truly take you on different kind of high, which explains the riot.

Now going back, as I've told you there were a lot of other things to do and look at, at the fair grounds. There was a zip line, a booth for wall climbing, rides (like a ferries wheel, caterpillar, and forgot the other one, haha), and lots of food and shopping booths.

Of course there was also an idle time when everyone was just anxiously waiting for Urbandub to perform. Here's when I started to take light pictures like this one, and of course taking pictures of ourselves.

The UP Fair has always been a tradition for me, and maybe for everyone who is currently attending or has attended the university. I'm also sure that I would still go to the fair even after I graduate (hopefully) this October, as long as my age permits. Haha. Outsiders are also welcome to attend the UP Fair. I'm just sorry that I didn't post this on time then it would be fun if you were able to go and even meet me there. Till the next late post, cheerio!

Seeing Whole in Multiplicity

2010-04-16T06:34:00.001-07:00

Also February 9, 2010. Right after dinner and digesting a little at Marikina River Banks, we caught up with the opening of an exhibit of an organization I belonged to – the UP Asterisk (Asosasyon ng Kabataang Artista, Kritiko, at Iskolar ng Sining at Kultura ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas). We were a little late already, maybe we arrived 7:30 – 8:30, but that's okay. I was still able to offer a song at the program even! What a surprise that was. I didn't even know I was part of the program, but anyway, I'm happy whenever I sing so that's a-okay by me.

I contributed two works for the exhibit. The first one's entitled "Tayo", which may mean two things: tayo as us, and tayo as an order to stand up. I spray painted faces on a 4ft bamboo pole. I made the stencils myself from the close-up shots that I have taken in the past. My second contribution is "Bangka", oil pastel is the medium on watercolour paper. I'm not a good visual artist. I still haven't found my technique, and even if I do, I know I still have a looooong way to go; but I'm trying.

Going back to the work, for a single boat to move, there must be millions of little waves to take it to its destination. Conflicting little waves might mean the end of the boats journey, so every little wave is a part of its course. Every little wave is vital for its journey.

The program went smoothly. There was food which meant more eating for Darrel and me! The night ended with more performances, but Darrel and I's night ended at UP Sunken Garden. It was already the UP Fair season and we were still able to catch Sugarfree performing our first theme song as a couple ever – "Tulog Na". February 9, 2010 was truly a wonderful day for the both of us. In fact, it almost felt like I was the one who's celebrating his birthday! Haha.

Darrel’s Birthday

2010-04-12T22:36:00.001-07:00

So I got a lot of catching up to do, and since there's not much happenings during summer (as I usually stay at home because there's no classes and there's no allowance), I'd post this month all the events that has happened to me these past two months of which I haven't been posting.

February 9, 2009. It's Darrel's 24^th year. Budget's not much, but this year I decided to treat him out to dinner – all on me. I was thinking of a fine dining restaurant at first, so I went to SM Marikina an hour earlier to research on the specialties of the restaurants there. I was thinking that it would be special if we would eat something we both haven't tried yet, so the researching part was a bit exciting. He arrived around 5pm, and apologized that he had nothing semi-formal to wear! I thought "that's ok, if we were to eat at a fine resto, we're customers anyway so no one would mind", but I was a bit sad that my formal dinner will not be executed as formal as planned. I narrowed down the choices to three restaurants so I asked him where he would want to eat. Sheepishly he confessed that he was craving for Tokyo Tokyo's Beef Misono. A bit more saddened, but it was his special day so off Tokyo Tokyo we went!

Eating their famous and scrumptious Beef Misono.

We strolled the banks of Marikina River after dinner. Even if it didn't go as I imagined it to be, everything still went well and romantic. I love you Darrel.

Summer Yay!

2010-04-08T02:16:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of We Heart It.

Hey guys, I know you haven't been visiting as much like before, and that's okay.
I haven't been updating for than a month anyway, and I'm terribly sorry. I will totally make up for it, and will be blogging everything artsy (and hellish as well), that has happened to me these past two months. I finished my finals after Holy Week (could you believe that??). So yeah, no blogging for me, but I really missed you guys, and I really missed KD! Lots and lots of new entries will be coming up, you can count on it! I love you guys, and again, I'm sorry. I will be answering tags and will be checking on my affies (dead or alive) one by one in a minute. It's time for clearing up again! Also, a new layout is due, and could be expected by next week max!

Cheerio. :3

A Day of Firsts

2010-02-20T04:45:00.001-08:00

Photo courtesy of WeHeartIt.

Although this has happened weeks ago, I still want to share this in my blog. I'm sorry for not blogging for a long time, and I admit that I won't be able to blog as recently as before. My academic papers to be done has tripled to a subject having nine papers already on its own – how about my other subjects? Really now, I'm on the state of panic. However, I am happy to announce a day wherein Darrel and I had our many firsts.

First first.

I'll be going to Palawan this Friday and I'm so excited. It will be my first time to ride a plane, as well as it was my first time to book for a flight on my own. It was a weird experience, but of course doing all these things on your own just heightens up the excitement, don't you agree? Well, I do! I even added an additional amount just to make sure that my seat would be window side and where the setting sun would be surely visible.

Second First.

After booking for my flight, Darrel and I watched Avatar in 3D. It was both our first time to watch 3D. I was a little nauseous at first, but when my eyes started to get used to it, everything went from swell to awesome. I would never forget the experience. We were also able to see Alice in Wonderland's full trailer. Johnny Depp is still hot even being the Mad Hatter. I would definitely watch this one in 3D!

Third First.

This has just happened a week ago. Our neighbor's baby had her first birthday, so as a gift, I decided to shoot her. It was my first time to shoot children. I was able to get a nice shot or two, I think. Here are the best two:

Well, that's all for now. I still haven't bloghopped and answered tags. I'm really sorry. I would make up to you soon, my dearest KD.

What's Inside My Bag? (2010, Bag A)

2010-02-11T22:46:00.000-08:00

Here's to all who've been wandering what's inside my bag. (YAY!)

First of all, I would like you to meet my bag. It's from Sanrio, a Hello Kitty (sort-of) messenger bag. The little doll key chain is a gift from my friend Tina from China.

Note: The following photo is a thumbmark. You could click on it to make it larger. :)

My (school) bag consists of the following:

- my journal (the pink notebook)
- my notebook (the green notebook)
- my keys (in a Hello Kitty chain and another one from Singapore, I think? A gift from my mother)
- a pen (the tulip)
- a Sharpie marker (I love Sharpie!)
- four highlighters (neon green, green, pink, and purple -- all important to help me get through my booooring readings)
- my wallet
- my favorite pink scarf (which I can't live without especially on really cold-classroomed classes, haha)
- a small bottle of alcohol
- Simply Pretty foundation
- my favorite lipstick from Avon
- my pink necklace, for fashion emergencies
- and finally a pink headband, for hair emergencies.

I would also like to show you Dalisay's (my camera) bag. It's originally a cosmetics bag, but I attached a black strap from another bag to it to make it look more (but still subtle, for safety purposes) like a camera bag.

All I care about is talking..talking 'bout me and you.

2010-02-03T05:00:00.001-08:00

Photo courtesy of ~caspell of DevArt.

Have you remembered from this post how I would want to explore new boundaries when it comes to music? Well just recently I have joined Lastfm and very well indeed discovered a variety of new genres and artists to listen to. I was so excited by the numerous choices that the site has presented for me to explore. I am really loving this site right now, and I am really grateful that I have stumbled upon it. I also explored the music choices of Gossip Girl, for I was always blown away by their choice of music.

So, my latest last-song-syndrome? Peter, Bjorn, and John. I am currently listening to their 2006 album, Writer's Block and excited for the release of their most recent this year. I think Im'ma download their whole discography right now, but I really want to snag their most recent one from the store (if it is released here in the Philippines, that is). I have just recently finished reading Krakauer's Into the Wild and have been in the travel mood for weeks now. The Writer's Block's "Amsterdam" would be a perfect travel song. I'll be going to Palawan later this month, and this song would definitely be on my travel playlist. Another favourite is the song "Young Folks", which was also used in Gossip Girl's first episode ever.

Go listen:

Cheerio!

First try on Fashion Photography.

2010-01-30T23:32:00.001-08:00

Me and my org mates decided to try on doing a fashion photo shoot for the first time. They played the models and stylists, while I played the photographer! I still have no idea on fancy lighting and stuff. What I only know so far is raw outdoor photography. So this was how everything turned out. The concept was 4 seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. We really had fun and maybe this is only the start of more fruitful shoots to come!

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Photography by Virna Pamela Odiver
Make-up and Styling: Josefina Lim
Modeling: Marianne Rios, Jocelyn Tarnate, Angela Alcantara, Josefina Lim.

So, whad'ya think?

That's all for now, cheerio!

How to Install PC Games Downloaded from Torrent

2010-01-26T01:38:00.001-08:00

Downloading games from torrents might take a long time, but most of the time they are well worth the wait (not to mention the money on your pocket). Now, I don't encourage pirating games, etc. It is your choice whether to download it or not anyway. However, if you would prefer to download it, here is a simple guide to doing it. Hope this helps you!

Make sure that you have a torrent downloader. I use uTorrent. It has never let me down so far so I recommend it.
Next, find the torrent to download. GamesTorrents have a huge and up to date directory.
Download the torrent.
After you have finished downloading (which will take just a few seconds to download), open it with uTorrent, or any torrent downloader program that you have installed.
It will then begin its downloading. After it has finished, the game folder that you have just downloaded will appear on one of your folders (this depends on your settings), mine always end up on my Downloads folder.
Open the game folder, and you will soon discover that it has been downloaded into parts. You should extract it. I use WinRAR.
Question: Which one will you extract? Answer: Simple! Any of them. It will automatically extract itself into one .iso, so don't worry about it.
There's this term "burn" for the .iso, and honestly, I don't get it, so don't ask me about it. Haha. However, I have my own useful and effective method. I mount it. I use MagicDisc.
Upon installing MagicDisc, its icon would then appear on your desktop (of course). Click on it. It would then appear on your tool bar, near your clock (usually). Right click on it. A bar will then appear. Click on Virtual CD/DVD—ROM>F:No Media>Mount>and then browse for your .iso file.
If the game is on Auto Play then it would automatically open, but if not, you could open through Computer, just like how you would open an ordinary CD ROM.
Install the game and play all day.

Hope you got it. I really tried to make it as clear as possible!

Cheerio.

Apologetic with a New Layout

2010-01-22T23:15:00.001-08:00

Hey guys, I would just like to apologize for not being too active recently. Actually I wasn't active at all these past few weeks. I have a hell lot of school work to do, and my thesis is still in a rough shape. Sigh. Anyway, I really worked hard on changing my layout, even if it was little by little, and it took ages to finish (given that it's just a simple one), I truly apologize for it. What's good though is, have you noticed? I now have a really site-looking menu, something that I've been wanting for a long time. I have also refurbished some of the pages and have a lot of new ideas for upcoming site content, which are all marked either under construction, or coming soon. Check it out right now!

This is just a short blog post to let you know that I'm still alive, and maybe will bloghop and come back after a couple of days with lots of new content and posts to share!

Cheerio.

What to expect at KD this 2010.

2010-01-09T21:06:00.001-08:00

Image courtesy of Inspiration Runs Cold.

I have a lot of ideas for Kawaii Darling this year, and I really want to push through with it; as well as a few ideas for myself. Last year, (which was posted at iamvirna.tk), I was planning on making more amigurumi plushies, and felt cakes – the latter still remaining untried. It was an epic fail, I know. All the planning was put to waste. I am always a sucker at making my plans happen, haha! Hence, my New Year's resolution will be (*drum roll please*) ...making all of this work. YAY!

So here is my New Year's list:

TO WATCH MORE (ART) FILMS.

I am aiming for a hundred films this year, and for starters I have made a list of what I want to DVD hunt. If I don't have any good recent finds however, I could review the films that I already watched and have not reviewed yet. I would also make a collections page where I would list down my DVD collection as well as my library. The list items would be then linked if they are already reviewed to their corresponding reviews.

TO EAT MORE FOOD.

Yay for food reviews. I usually list down the most delicious food that I have ever tasted on my private diary, but I have just recently noticed that the list is starting to get longer! I call it "ang pinaka list" or "the best/most". For example, the best tasting sisig is at Oh! Sisig, at Robinsons Metro East (oops, I would actually post this one so that's all for now). My mother is a definite food lover. Even if we don't have enough money she still splurges for food – getting a taste of the reviewed Chicken Cordon Bleu which was featured on a lifestyle show, or eat at a newly opened restaurant just a jeep away. It's her weakness which I inherited from her, lols. I, too, love to go to restaurants just to taste their best dessert, for example; even if it is a little too expensive (Where I would swear never to eat there again, at least I tasted it!). This too would go into a separate new page, with links to the individual reviews.

TO LISTEN TO MORE MUSIC.

Once upon a time, I maintained a music blog of my own, but because I wasn't updated with what's happening in the music scene, and I am already getting busier than ever, I stopped. I am not the type of person confined to a certain genre, but I do notice that there are certain songs of similar genre that are more appealing to me, as a singer and musician, compared to music of other genre. Today, good music is getting more and more difficult to find so starting now, I'll make it a point to research on better music; or to discover the not-so-popular-indie-band treasures hidden in the nooks and cranny of the (hopefully local) music industry. I'm trying to find relaxing tunes, as well as rock-on hardcore blasts.

TO BE MORE ROMANTIC.

This has been a tradition before, even way back when I still blogged at Vox. When Darrel and I were still in a long distance relationship, I would think of different ways to make him feel special -- cheap, simple ideas, but thoughtful and romantic. When I transferred blogs I accidentally erased the posts, as well as lost the pictures, so I would repost each of them again, one by one, then add to it if I think of even more ideas! When Ondoy struck us, Darrel lost all of my little gifts to him, which made him really sad, so this year, I would make it a point to replace all of them, and share them with you!

TO TRY NEW THINGS.

On a more personal note, this year would also be a year to try the things that I haven't tried before, those that I've been yearning to learn but haven't got the chance to do it. Just yesterday, Darrel taught me how to ride a bike. I still can't ride it on my own, without his assistance but I can already balance myself which is good and a humungous improvement from before, when I don't have a single idea how to ride that..that...that thing! Lols. Other things to try include doing a headstand, climbing a tree, and flying a kite. Last year, we have already tried being in a playground late at night, having a picnic, laying down on the grass while looking at the stars, and finally going to his home town, Nueva Ecija to meet his parents.

Now, onto other matters: I have already finished your homemade cards and they are now ready for sending. I am just currently saving for some funs to send them all to you. You guys know who you are. Sorry, but don't worry, it's not a Christmas card anymore, but something more inclined to KD's first year! Yes, you've heard right. KD is now a year old, and has been my longest maintained blog, hooray! That's all for now, cheerio!

Holiday Dump.

2009-12-31T02:53:00.001-08:00

Hey guys, sorry for not posting/updating these past few days. Warn you, this is going to be quite a long post (also to make up for my absence). Anyway, my holiday has been hectic; and I didn't even had the time for academic things – like writing my thesis, which is a bad thing and makes me shudder just by the thought of it. Now let's not delve on that as it is still the holidays, and we should be happy. Let me not ruin your parade.

Fireworks Frenzy.

Fireworks at SM Taytay.

UP Diliman's Lantern Parade

My mother and I have sort of completed the holiday fireworks display every Saturday night on SM Taytay, a shopping mall just ten minutes from where we live. My father is not a fan of fireworks and the like, so it was just my mother and I, creating a warm bonding experience for both of us. There were even nights when Darrel joined us, which was twice the fun. Another firework event was the annual University of the Philippine's Lantern Parade. The fireworks at SM doesn't amount to even half of the display at UP. I watched it with Darrel and some of my college friends, whom I don't see very often. I didn't take Dalisay with me, hence the lack of pictures. I just grabbed this one from my friend's Facebook account. Is it just me or am I really gaining weight? That's a good thing anyway, for I have been struggling to gain weight these past three months.

New Phone.

I have kind of asked you guys for some advice on which type of phone to buy, but I didn't expect that my father would give me such a low budget so I was down to taking the China one. All I can say is, so far so good. Overall, I like it. Yes, it doesn't allow themes to be installed on but it has built-in themes already, and I'm okay with it. It allows me however to put wallpapers on it so I could settle for changing wallpapers for now. It's white, a favourite color, with traces of pink which I love. It allows me to insert smileys and emotes on my messages and Darrel, having bought the same kind of phone receives it wonderfully. I'm still thinking of deco-ing it, and I think I just might go to Quiapo next week to check out on cheap rhinestones and half-oval pearls. Aside from that, I bought it a Hello Kitty case, now a favourite. I take it with me everywhere, even during my shopping escapades when I leave my phone at home.

New Books.

I didn't have the time to read during school days so I doubled up on my reading during the holidays. I still have a lot of unfinished books like Kurt Cobain's Journals, but whenever I get to save some money I (almost automatically) go to Booksale and scan books. These trips, of course, always leads to me buying another book or two. My mother has also bought books which I would like to read, tossing another book or two to my unread pile. These are the books that I have collected during the holidays due for reading next year. I have already finished reading Rudolf Anaya's "Bless Me, Ultima" which is a terrific read and should be allotted a whole new post in itself.

New Hair.

I still love my new 'do, it wasn't until Darrel dropped hints that he doesn't dig it already. He started asking me when I'm going to get a new haircut, or maybe I should try thinking of a new look for the New Year (He wasn't pretty subtle on making it more clear, I know). I ended up spending a whole day in front of the internet searching for a new cut, or some ideas, maybe. Here's what I got: I still love my hair so I probably won't change it. I might be getting some bangs instead like this girl right here, and give it a new color. I'm thinking of auburn or dark mahogany? I will try to color my hair myself. This will be my first time to get my hair colored and my first time to color my own hair. I color my mother's but of course it's a whole different story when it comes to your own shining glory, right?

Photo courtesy of Krieken Bebe of Flickr.

Giving and Shopping. (Or wait, does it have to be the other way around?)

Our family bought packs of candy, biscuits, and jelly. We made it into goodie bags and gave it to the carollers. My mother decided (and she is right) that this would be better than giving them a few coins or so. However she gave me and Darrel moolah (fun, fun fun!) so we could shop for a shirt or two (I bought two dresses, and a pair of new leggings). I haven't taken pictures of it yet so maybe on my upcoming posts, yes? Darrel and I went to Ynares in Antipolo, a huge cheap shopping site; while my mother and I went to Greenhills for our annual tradition (for 20 years and counting) of watching the moving mannequins presentation, and of course shopping!

My Christmas.

Photo courtesy of We Heart It.

Darrel will be spending the New Year with his family, but he spent the Christmas with me. As both of us lost our phones and were broke for the holidays, we decided that we would not exchange gifts with each other anymore, instead we would sppend it warmly together. We drank a few beers and both slept at the couch downstairs. Even the couch was cozy enough to give me the best sleep of my entire year maybe, because I was with the man I love.

By the way, I would be cleaning up my affiliates tonight. Those that haven't linked me up yet and/or have been active will be removed. You could be relinked right away if you'll just tag, but keep in mind that I may have tagged and reminded you more than once or twice. If there are any mistakes, again, just tag.

The Search for a Perfect Phone

2009-12-16T16:04:00.001-08:00

So guys, here's the deal: my phone got snatched. On our way home, my boyfriend and I thought that it would be SAFER to put both of our phones inside his bag, rather than hold it, so we did – without knowing that the person beside him, along with two other men were planning to rob him. The person beside him cut the side of his bag, taking both of our phones. We only noticed this when we arrived home and I started to look for mine.

I wasn't able to sleep for a few days now. It happened last Sunday, and it is only today that I find something good out of it. First, I would be able to change networks. Second, the money might be used to provide a decent Christmas Eve dinner for a family, which I am so hoping for. Lastly, I have just recently discovered that searching for a cute phone is really fun, the only down part is that it was unexpected, hence we don't have the budget to buy a new one. Sigh. I still miss my phone though. It was Darrel's gift to me when he returned from working abroad. It had a really big sentimental value, but alas, one cannot rewind time no matter how much we wanted it. What's gone is gone forever.

So going back, I have discovered that there are two ways to having a cute new phone. It is also good to take note that both of my options are cheaper compared to a normal-phone-buying-budget, haha.

FIRST OPTION: A CHINA PHONE.

Photo Courtesy of Hello Kitty 2009 at Multiply.

China phones are all over the place. I found stores the other day that offer Hello Kitty units. Just looking at them is so much fun already. A saleslady told me that these phones looked like toys and she discouraged me to buy it, that I should opt for a more expensive and more decent looking one. After assuring her that this "look" was what I really want three times (kinda annoying), and after discovering that I wasn't going to buy a unit yet, she finally stopped bothering me and started giving me disgusted and annoyed glances (LOLs). Yep, needless to say that she was pretty rude so I transferred to the next one, where the saleslady was even more than graceful to show me a pink version of the blue HK phone one that was on display.

They all look really cute, but an online friend Athena has discouraged me from buying China phones. She bought one herself, and eventually sold it for it had some difficulties on message sending, and China phones could not be customized with themes and ringtones. What's a girl gonna do?

SECOND OPTION: DECO A PHONE HIME STYLE.

Photo courtesy of Decoden at Tumblr.

The second option is buying a normal Nokia phone, one that is just enough for me to install themes on. I'm used to using this brand of cellular phones, so regarding the messaging and other issues, I have already tested it reliable and handy. I didn't have problems with it in the past, as well as I haven't used another brand aside from it. To make it cute, I could buy it a clear case and put decora on it. I found yummy tutorial videos on youtube, like the one below (though it's for an ipod -- I can't find a decent video for a phone, it's the same process so no worries), on how to put deco on things, as well as cute inspirational pictures.

I have decided that even though I don't choose this option, I would still try my hands on putting deco on my other items. Hime, by the way means "princess" and this branch of Lolita fashion means dressing up and living like a princess – making everything cute but still elegant and royal.

Please help me decide. I really can't decide on my own. Teehee.

Linkies!

Hello Kitty Multiply Shop (Philippine-based) - Everything HK, not just gadgets. Cute site! she also has an actual retail shop at Dasmarinas.
Deco-Den - I love this Tumblr of everything deco! Yummy.

Cheerio!

How to Install Tekken 6 on PSP

2009-12-14T04:48:00.001-08:00

Photo courtesy of Victor Santos Jr. of Flickr.

Hey guys, happy holidays! As most of you (if not all) may not know, I am actually a PSP addict/avid gamer. Being the pinky-pink girl that I am, I am still the "one of the boys" type of girl that I was way back during my elementary and high school days, when my love for kawaii and all things cute was a sort of innate thing for me, for fear of being regarded as "guuurly" or synonymous to "disgusting" or "weak" to my all-boy friends. Sorry for the intro but I feel compelled to do so. Anyway, let's go on to business.

1. First off, I am the downloader/installer for my boyfriend and me, since Darrel lives with his prehistoric aunt who doesn't have a computer and internet at home – given that she has ample resources to buy herself a super expensive laptop. Haha. I download games from Games Torrents – a site that lets you download torrent game files for free. Click HERE. This site is really neat and definitely worthy of checking out. It also offers other games like pc games, xbox, wii, nds, among others.

- To download a torrent, you have to get a downloader. I use uTorrent. You can download it for free by clicking HERE.

- It takes a while to get the whole game downloaded. It depends on the speed of your internet.

2. After downloading, right click the file and select "Open containing folder". It would open to a folder with different files.

3. You need WinRar to extract the files. WinRar could be downloaded from HERE.

4. Extract 0-tk.rar, or any of the rar files available. After extracting, it would be an .ISO file already. You could already try copying and pasting it onto your PSP Memory or Removable Disk>ISO.

If it doesn't work (or it shows this error message: the game could not be started, 80020148) then you should proceed to do the following: (By the way, our PSP's Slim 5.00 M33)

-Check first if your .ISO file is a UMD or a PSN. If you downloaded it from where I downloaded my torrent, then it would be a UMD, but just to make sure, and for those who haven't downloaded it from Games Torrents, you should extract the .ISO file and check out PSP_GAME>SYSDIR>UPDATE>DATA.BIN. Right click, then click Properties. Check the size, if the DATA.BIN's file size is: 99614720 then you have the PSN version of the game; if the DATA.BIN file size is: 23223168 then you have the UMD version of the game.

5. If you have the UMD version, then it should be converted into a PSN version. The converter could be downloaded HERE. Then you should also extract it via WinRar.

6. Make a copy of your original .ISO file, just to make sure. Run the converter.
On the ISO, browse for your .ISO file. For the patch, select this file: Tekken6-UMDtoPSN-Patch.ppf. Then click "Apply".

7. It has already been converted. Rename it so you wouldn't forget which is which.

8. We're already half way there! We just have to patch the PSN version of the game. The patch could be downloaded HERE.

9. Again, before patching, make a copy of the PSN version. After downloading, extract the file using WinRar, into the folder where your PSN version is located.

10. Rename your PSN version into Tekken6. Double click on Patch.exe. It would open, and press any key. A lot of dots should appear. Press any key again after it has finished to close it, If there are any problems, right click on the PSN version and see if it's Read-only, if it is, disable it, then click apply and ok. That should make it work.

11. Now, the .ISO file should already be a PSN version, and patched. Try saving it into your PSP Memory. Again, it should be saved into the ISO folder.

12. If it works, then congratulations! If it still doesn't work, and there's only a black screen showing, then you have to check your settings at the VSH menu.

13. The VSH menu is accessible by pressing Select. This should be the following settings: CPU Clock Game: Default, and the UMD ISO Mode: M33 Drive. That should make it work! It worked fine for me. :) If there are other errors, or if the game still doesn't work after everything, then I've read others advice that you should upgrade 5.00 to 5.50, but I haven't tried it yet, so I'm not sure.

Another thing, I don't claim anything for this tutorial. I got it from HERE and HERE. I am just merely and humbly reposting it. All the credit goes to them and ~~not to Kawaii Darling~~. That's all.

Good luck!

Art Galleries/Museums 101

2009-12-05T23:19:00.001-08:00

Photo courtesy of Mareen Fischinger

Hey'all. Just yesterday, Darrel and I have gone to two galleries, one that I have visited for the first time, and another that I have visited after a long looooong time. First was the Liongoren Gallery, a hidden art place in New York, Cubao (Haha, it's really funny how the Philippines, have its own New York!), and second, Manila Contemporary at White Space, Pasong Tamo Extension. I am really a sucker for finding places, so if you must, I would want to list down and share to all of you the artsy places that I have already visited in the past, and list down the ways of how to get there (Note: Only the ways that I have used to get there, would be listed down).

Liongoren Gallery:

(from Philcoa) Ride a jeepney to Cubao Kalayaan Ali Mall then ask the driver to drop you at the corner of New York and Ermin Garcia. The gallery is near the corner (111 New York is the exact location), so you shouldn't have the difficulty of finding it.

Manila Contemporary:

(from Cubao or from anywhere along EDSA) Take the Metro Rail Transit or MRT to Magallanes. Depending on which way you're coming from, either from Taft or North Avenue I think, you just have to find the Walter Mart connected to the station itself, because that is the side of the road to Pasong Tamo Extension. Whilst inside the said mall, there is an exit near Jollibee, take that exit. Now, it's either you ride a tricycle (which is just the same amount of riding a jeepney), or ride a jeepney. Get off at White Space (just tell the driver), and go far left. Note that Manila Contemporary is not an obvious gallery, it is at the left side of a huge white warehouse-looking venue. Haha.

National Museum:

(from anywhere, haha) If you're coming from a place near any LRT station then it would be easy-schmeezy. If not, then find one, haha. So, from LRT2 (purple line), ride to Recto Station; this station is connected to LRT1's Doroteo Jose Station. If you're nearer to the LRT1 line, then that's fine, just take the train from any station and get off at U.N. Avenue Station. U.N. Avenue Station is the station nearest to Rizal or more widely known as Luneta Park. National Museum, or also the Museum of the Filipino People, is within Luneta, finding it there wouldn't be that hard a task anymore, especially because of the fact that it has a giant Lapu-Lapu monument guarding it.

Metropolitan Museum and the Cultural Center of the Philippines:

(from anywhere as well) Like the directions of going to National Musuem, the fastest and most convenient way to get there is through the LRT 1 train, getting off at Vito Cruz (the station close to De Lasalle University). If you're coming from Doroteo Jose, and not from Baclaran, just go down to the side of the street that you're on, there's no need to cross. There would be a McDonald's there I think. With your back at Mc Donald's, walk straight, turn right at the first corner. There would be a station of orange jeepneys. Those are the ones to ride to Metropolitan Museum and CCP. Just, again, tell the driver.

Cubao Expo:
Like the Manila Contemporary, Cubao Expo is another hidden paradise, which Darrel and I accidentally found while loitering in Cubao, haha. The best way to go there is the same way to take if you're going to the provincial bus station near Ali Mall (forgot the exact name, sorry). Anyway, depending on where you're coming from, you could ride a jeep to Cubao Ali Mall. Another way is to take the MRT or LRT2 which both have stations at Cubao. If you're nearer to LRT1, remember that you could just transfer trains at Recto-Doroteo Jose. In Cubao, if you've ridden the trains to get there, just ask a couple of people to find your way to Cubao Expo (it's a known place I assure you) but if you're having difficulty just ask for Ali Mall, or again, the provincial bus station. Cubao Expo is beside the bus station.

Ayala Museum:

I haven't been to Ayala Museum more often compared to others, as it is expensive (especially if you're not a student, or just an absent-minded student like me, who always forgets to bring her school ID, haha); but the easiest way to get there is through MRT, descending at Ayala Station of course. From the station, Ayala Museum is not too long a walk. You could just ask the friendly security guard (there are lots of them there!) and you'll be there in no time. Ayala Museum is also connected to a mall, but since Ayala has a lot of interconnected malls (like a giant compound, or a sun, rather, stretching it's rays) I forgot which one.

Vargas Museum:
This museum is within UP Diliman, located beside our college, the College of Arts and Letters (yay!). If you're closest to PhilCoa, there are a lot of jeeps there to UP Diliman. If you're from a faraway foreign land however, the LRT2 is always helpful. Just get off at Katipunan Station. If you're from the PSBA side, cross the street, if not, there's no need – just turn left, and left again at the first corner. There's a jeepney station under the fly over, across Mini Stop. Take the UP Campus (NOT THE UP BALARA). Simply tell the driver that you're going to Vargas Museum. If he's spacing out, try FC (ef-si), or CAL (kal), haha. The Vargas Museum, again, is beside the College of Arts and Letters, and also the Faculty Centre.

Art trips are always good for the soul.
Exploring artful places are always rewarding and worthy of visiting again. Also, don't forget that museums and galleries are not the only art"full" places there are. Art is not primarily to be displayed, or put on a pedestal, instead it is everywhere, in the most simple walks of life.
Galleries and museums are just there, for me personally, to inspire, to give you a silent place to reflect on art and life, and to protect and preserve the great works ever made (as well as the more disturbing purpose of displaying art to sell it). Other places notable for providing the ultimate art appreciation experiences are churches, not only Roman Catholic ones, but temples as well (I have already explored a Buddhist temple – the giant golden Buddhas are breathtaking, a Sikh temple – the music is exotic, as therapeutic and meditative, and a Muslim Mosque – the wall mosaics are always intricate). And finally, it's not only man-made art but God-made as well, that includes parks, and any place which you consider beautiful, not necessarily tourist spots (for some of the well-known tourist spots, especially here in the Philippines, are already ravaged and super commercialized, as well as noisy – or in Filipino terms "laspag", leaving you no place for reflection and creativity).

I hope this would prove to be helpful to your art escapades in the near future. I hope that you would not get lost, but also remember that getting lost is part of the excitement and experience, of course haha. Take it from a professional getting-loster like me.

Fashion Finds

2009-11-29T20:22:00.001-08:00

Me and my boyfriend along with my cousin went to an anime festival just the other week. Do I need to say that it was so much fun? HAHA. Everyone was wearing costumes, and not only did they worked hard on manually sewing these costumes on their own (as you can't buy these costumes in the department stores, so you really have to sew your own), it was full of detail! If I could just take some photos of the "details" that I'm talking about...I could only hope for your wild imagination. Anyway, here are some of the photos that I was able to take.

Me and the Super Mario Bros.

My cousin with a character I don't recognize.

Before going home, I know I have to buy something. I found this really cute hat (which is one of my favourites now). It's handmade but not too expensive, actually it's very cheap. It comes with a removable pin – the blue heart? –which you could also use separately as a really neat brooch.

Aside from cosplays, I also love looking at the Jap's Lolita and Harajuku Fashion. Theirs are the most kawaii fashion in the world. Don't you agree? Like this picture I found on WeHeartIt:

If you're also a fan of Lolita like, you might also want to check out this Tumblr called Sweet Lolita Fashion. This is also where I got the picture, as I traced it on WeHeartIt.

When I'm in the shopping mood, I'm not the type to go to those expensive boutiques and department stores. I love YRYS and Genevieve Gozum and they're the only boutiques I check out. What I love however are the flea markets, or in Filipino terms, "ukay-ukay". There's a really huge one just near at our house, fully-air conditioned, and doesn't stink. I've been hanging out there for a few weeks now and so far I found these:

Here's a detail shot:

It's a hand-painted jacket, with lace and soft silk as linings. It only cost me P130.

Another find is this mini printed dress, with a black lace-like (I love lace!) hem. It has really cute prints, reminiscent of Lolita fashion, which makes me love it even more. Here is a detail shot of the pattern:

It just cost P85. Yep, I know it's unbelievable.

And because I feel that I'm turning into a pro on this, I'm going to list down some tips.

Take your meds. If you're allergic to dust and funny smells – like me, it is very important to take an anti-allergy med before going "ukay" hunting. If you're going to sneeze every five seconds, how are you going to find the perfect dress, the perfect blouse, the perfect skirt? Shopping must be an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Wear comfy clothing. If the whole experience is going to require you to walk all day, don't wear heels. Also, if you think that you'll definitely fit different kinds of clothing, wear something that you could easily button off, take off, or even something that you could always put anything on it, that doesn't require you to take it off anymore. Don't wear something bulky, and of course, something that will make you feel hot or really cold, depending on the place that you're going fashion hunting on.
Check your cash. Make a budget and stick to it. If you're wallet's already worn out after one buy, then don't feel bad. You could always go back, and always find something better. I've had lots of experiences, I even cried, of which I found something "perfect", but my money's not enough so I leave it, but promise myself that when the time comes that I already have the money, I'd go back for it. Time comes, I return, it's gone. Well don't feel bad, instead find another one. You already got some money right?
Plan the trip. You should know where you're going to. You should also want to check out how safe the place is, so that you'll know how to take care of your belongings. For example, the place is famous for snatchers then you wouldn't want to be caught there donning a really expensive-looking handbag and jewellery. Now I'm not saying that there are times when you don't have to mind your belongings all the time, because you do, but there are places like high-end malls that are of tighter security, know what I mean? You should also know if it's accessible. Like, if you finished shopping really late, how are you going to get home? Are there taxis available if you have lots of bags to carry? Do you still have to walk? Stuff like that.
Have a model. One last important to do before fashion hunting, is to know what you're going to buy. To avoid buying lots of mismatched things, or wasting precious time looking for "something", why don't you check out the net for pictures of what you really REALLY like to have, and search for it? Maybe it's not going to be exactly like it, but something close to it. Have a vision of the look that you want to achieve. Have the idea of the piece that you would really like to find.

It's just some helpful tips that I have learned from experience that I would like to share with you. Hope it's helpful, and good luck shopping!

By the way, I added a new page to my site. It's "Inside my Bag".
It's still under construction but it would already be done tonight so make sure to come back and check it out.Edit: It's finished! YAY, check it out.

Cheerio!

Photography Endeavours

2009-11-20T20:54:00.001-08:00

Hello, I've joined Nuffnang Ads earlier. I haven't tried to earn money from blogging, so I don't expect anything to out from it yet, but I'm determined to improve my blogging (not for earning), but for my readers most especially. KD has always been a personal blog, and a pixel site, where I display and offer my pixel creations. You could also look at it as a portfolio of sorts, but today, I have decided to take it to another level, since I really love art and of course, who wouldn't agree that art is connected to my personal life anyway; I would make KD an art blog. Think of it, as a personal blog that features my art works, random inspiring links and pictures that I've discovered from the web (which I already did in the past anyway), and also offer site materials and pixel creations! There would be a sort of cleaning up though, to make space for the more juicy posts to come!

*Note: This post has been edited. Tag replies are already included at the end of the post, thank you!

Well, enough said, let's move on to my real post. I have been honing my photography skills these past few days, and I would just like to share the whole experience with you.

First off, Darrel and I entered an online photography contest. The prize was tickets to New Moon's premiere last November 19 at Shangri-La Plaza Cinemas. I'm not a major Twilight fan (in fact I haven't read the book), so as to clear things out that I'm not posing; BUT it's my first chance to enter a serious photography contest outside the gates of our university so I was really looking forward to it. Darrel and I went to Luneta Park after my Monday class. The theme was "freedom in the urban wilderness", though the contest also had another theme of "showing your wild side"; so my idea was a jump shot with building(s) as background. The jump shot would require me a decent area to lie down to, as the shot would be focused upwards. Get what I mean? We found a grassy area of the park where I could lie down and where there was really interesting architecture at the back. Darrel was also wearing his yellow shirt for the photo to be colourful. Here's the picture and the caption:

*You could click on it for a higher resolution image, it's just a thumbnail.

"Freedom is celebrating the color of life, even when stuck in an urban wilderness"

To get the long story short, we lost; but we really had fun. Both of us were extremely exhausted when the day was over. I think he jumped around 20 times before we got the perfect shot, and though we didn't win the experience was well worth it.

Also on photography, one of my high school best friends just got married! I got to practice everything I've read from random wedding photography magazines and bookstores. My service was free since she hired (of course) a professional photographer to really cover the whole event. I don't mean to brag but I know I did great. I loved the experience! I hate the fact that wedding photography is such a commercialized branch of photography, but I love the feeling of actually capturing the special moments in people's lives, their emotions at its most raw for; their happiness at its peak. Most especially, I'm really happy that I got to experience and share my best friend's most special day in a special and creative way.

Here are some of the pictures that I took, while the whole album could be found here.

This shot felt like a screen shot of a movie to me. Haha, I don't know why.

Her head dress was truly inspirational and exquisite. It was the main focus of her whole wedding attire.

Diane is truly one of the most beautiful brides I ever saw.

I'm really ecstatic right now, like a sort of creative adrenaline rush has overcome me. Alas, everything is beautiful. Everything is fine.

Cheerio!

Feeling Crafty.

2009-11-06T06:22:00.001-08:00

I've been touching up my new layout for the past few hours, and my neck's already starting to hurt, not to mention my back; but I still got tons to do. I still haven't reinstalled my pixel creator-editor-program, so I still can't make my own favicon (as you may have noticed it's still a mermaid, haha). I also still haven't reinstalled my Photoshop, so my photo manipulation and digital art would have to be put aside FOR NOW. That's also the reason why I'm using glitter texts right now – something that I still don't like, and almost hate, but have no choice but making use of it.

Photo courtesy of ~nerdynotdirty of Deviant Art.

I took a trip to the local bookstore the other day and found a lot of inspiration for new crafts and stuff. Renovating my room is still a dream until now, as you may have remembered from this post (such a faraway post already, so long ago, but still no progress). Unfortunately I forgot to write down the title of the interior design book that I saw, tsk tsk. It was such a fantastic book of course, with lots of pictures. It was so artsy and all of the rooms were colourful – I think they were pictures of artists' homes. Among the ideas that I was able to take note of however were:

putting an open treasure box (just a small one), and filling it with vintage/antique photographs, and some vintage jewelry;
small antique ceramic plates, could substitute the treasure box;
painting a favourite quote on the wall;
embroider the said quote on a pillowcase;
look for a big jar, and treat it as a wishing well by writing your wishes on paper, rolling it, and throwing it inside the jar;
one could also put woven trays (in Filipino known as bilao), on your walls treating them as hanged wall art;
long wooden sticks could be used as curtain rods and/or hangers for hanging some vintage clothing (probably a dress and a hat) – also as wall art;
copy/print black and white pictures of your role models, icons, and heroes, putting them into small black frames;
plates especially those antique ones, could also be hanged on walls;
and of course, some polaroids;
fake butterflies, sticking them on windows using clear sticky tape (or those double adhesive ones), look so dreamy;
and an old birdcage, spray-painted with gold, and putting some books inside it, is a statement and an artwork by itself.

I would also like to buy this book, The Big Ass Book Of Crafts by Mark Montano. It's filled with lots of nifty and interesting ideas. I could spend a whole day just looking at all its pictures and tutorials, yummy!

As I have been so inspired by those books, I went home immediately with a smile, determined to find more inspiration on the interwebs. Alas, Teesha Moore, an art journaling icon had exactly what I was looking for. She created these wonderful instructional videos on art journaling. Check it out for yourself via YouTube or through her blog, Teesha's Circus. Aside from the videos, you might also like checking out the rest of her blog for even more inspiration! Speaking of journaling, D'Blogala started what is called a NaNoJouMo – a journaling counterpart to NaNoWriMo, where you're supposed to write a novel by the end of November, only this time you're supposed to make a journal page (or do something with your journal) everyday inspired by the guide words or themes posted everyday at D'Blogala.

My new printer is indeed a joy to have. I could print, scan, and copy anything at the convenience of my own home. I discovered two wonderful resources sites (my two new favourites), MeggieCat and The Graphics Fairy. Meggie is an all-around site, where it offers not only graphics, but also other links, sources, and inspiration. The Graphics Fairy meanwhile, offers a new vintage image every day, for free, and in high resolution (too good to be true, right?) – a definite find for any journalist and crafter.

Now, to show my creations; here are the two pages that I have accomplished yesterday and today:

You could check out more at my new art journal page!

I'm still in the process of discovering my technique, and unique style. What's good is, I can feel that I'm slowly but surely getting there, though of course, I'm still in the process of experimenting. I have also created a character of my own from my doodling, and I think I'm going to develop it. I'm going to develop my own style, no matter how long it takes. I'm actually thinking of taking another art course after graduating from Art Studies because it's all theory. I'm thinking of taking up a production-oriented course, Visual Communication maybe? I have found a school offering some scholarships on Design Management and other art-oriented courses, but it's in Singapore. Well, whatever comes along, whatever God gives me, I'll accept.

Whoa, this is too much blogging already. I got to stop myself right now. Cheerio!

P.S. Here is a quick recap of all the sites that I have mentioned on my post (links included):

Teesha Moore – Don't forget to check out her awesome journaling videos. It's almost as if you attended a one-on-one workshop on art journaling with her!

iHanna – Again, my favourite blog to read. I discovered Teesha Moore here, D'Blogala, and MeggieCat.

D'Blogala - This is site that made NaNoJouMo possible. You could still join!

MeggieCat – This is a really really fun resource site. It offers images, links to other resource sites, even different patterns – all for free.

Graphics Fairy – Also a great resource site for vintage images; it offers free images, everyday.

Dreaming of Neverland

2009-10-26T00:36:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of ~amehcaek of DevArt.

Hey guys, I know I've been gone for a long time. My thesis proposal was a tough one, but now that my semester's over I now have more time to be online and update (YAY!). If you may have heard from the news, the Philippines, or Luzon, to be more specific, have just suffered from great floods, and landslides caused by the thunderstorms that just passed by our country. Fortunately, even though we're from Rizal, one of the most affected by the flood, our home is located at a higher sliding slope, though our subdivision also suffered from minor soil erosion as I have mentioned from my last post. Others, however, like my boyfriend, experienced worse fate. At the present, our province is still suffering from a plague of Leptospirosis, a disease caused by wounds getting infected by rat urine in the flood, as well as different kinds of pollution. On a brighter side of life, I have prepared a list to get this blog up to date with all the happier happenings in my life.

New Layout. Obviously, it's not finished yet. All the other pages are still down. My laptop Datzkie has gotten sick and was needed to get reformatted. It's sad how all those little videos and pictures which you have collected for so long could get inevitably deleted within half an hour. I know it's all excuses, but I promise to work double-time just as soon as I finish installing and downloading all my lost programs. I hope you don't mind waiting just a little bit more. I have also prepared a new page of web materials inspired by my last layout, and I'm sure, I'm just as excited to post them like you do.

I really had a hard time making this layout though it might seem too simple compared to my last one. I have upgraded to Blogger's new layout template which already has codes in it. As I am not familiar to it yet, I found it very hard to tweak and control to my liking, compared to the old Blogger template where all the codes are 100% user-made. Now you might ask, why did I choose to switch templates if it's so difficult to understand? Well, it's because it offers a lot of convenient widgets which I love, like the recent comments, the label bubble; I could even install Haloscan if I like. I'm still learning how to attach the "read more", and the "related posts" tweak though.

I'm also enjoying myself with my Tumblr account, Artsy-Fart, where I put all my display-worthy shots. Photography is one of my passions in life, and I'm striving really hard to improve with every shot. You're free to visit it anytime, and consider it as a portfolio of sorts.
Hanna's back! If you have followed me for quite some time already or have stumbled upon my about page, you might have read once or twice about Hanna's blog. She was the one who had inspired me to start my own art journal as well as pursuing blogging, even though I feel that I'm not as good as her in writing or in any other craft. She had been on hiatus since May, if I'm not mistaken but now she's back! If you have not heard of her yet, please do visit her blog it's really inspiring and read-worthy.

Aside from art journaling, I'm also into amigurumi and sewing, both of which I have not gotten my hands on for a very long time since school started last June, but now that school's out, I have more time to get crafty again. As Hanna said, I'll make it an everyday habit.

My mother also bought me a new printer. It's all-in-one so it also has a scanner, a photo printer, and a copier. I haven't tried it for crafty purposes yet but I already bought some delicious and fresh glossy and sticker papers! I have a lot of ideas already (all noted in my handy idea journal), just waiting to spring into life. I'm so excited for this crafty semestral break. I promise to share all my creations here once they're done.

Lauren also has a new post from BlytheCon. It has lots of pictures and really kawaii. You may also like to visit her. She takes lovely pictures and blogs graphically, like you were actually with her on her adventure the whole time.
Trip to Neverland. Finally, after a very long time, Darrel had finally decided to take me to his home town. I'm finally going to be able to see the place where he grew up, where all his cherished childhood memories took place, all those special places that I haven't seen before. We're going this Wednesday and I'm so excited. I'm sure to take lots of pictures.

We already have a lot of things-to-do on our list (including teaching me how to ride a bike, and taking me to a historical Hispanic church), and I really hope we could do them all, given that it's just one day. The trip is only three hours long given that there's no traffic, but my parents didn't allow us to stay overnight, in fact it's the first time for them to let me go on an out-of-town trip alone with Darrel, so it's already a big leap for both of us. My parents are not really that strict but I'm an only child, so I guess that adds up to the "scared-to-let-her-go" factor. I love them, and they just love me.

Speaking of parents, I have already met Darrel's parents in the past but being in their hometown, more specifically, inside their house is something special for me, and at times also scary. I'm scared to make the wrong impressions on them and on their neighbours and other relatives as well. Introducing someone to your family and other relatives is something BIG in Philippine culture. It's not something you do with all of your boyfriends and girlfriends. It's kind of like an engagement of sorts. When your lover brings you to his hometown and introduce you to EVERYBODY (relatives, childhood friends, neighbours, even pets), then you must be really significant; someone who might be sharing his whole life with. The prospect of it is really sweet, and I'm excited as I am scared, but that's it! I'm also scared out of my wits. What if I flop? What if I trip and spill juice all over an auntie or uncle's white suit? What if all hell breaks loose?

I bought a dress to wear earlier. Darrel said he wants me to be really sexy, but I want to be appropriate; so I bought a plaid short dress, sleeveless but not low-neck, to pair with my black leggings and coat. I'm planning on wearing my black and brown suede heels that goes perfect with the coat but how would I able to ride a bike or climb trees with that on? If I can't decide maybe I'll just bring a pair of flip flops instead? Along with the new printer that I bought I also received a 1000php worth gift certificate from bench/. They have a promo ongoing in partner with Canon, so with my parents (where my father also bought himself a nice new shirt and shorts), I asked my mom if I could give Darrel my share of the certificate, so he was also able to get himself a new shirt. We call our buys (along with my plaid dress), NE-wear. If I haven't told you yet, my boyfriend's from the province of Nueva Ecija (which I like to call Neverland from time to time); in other words, we'll both be wearing our new apparel to NE this Wednesday.

Whew, for a three-itemed list, that was a lot. Before I forget, I would also like to thank Lien of Hush and Alissa for their wonderful gifts while I was away. Thank you guys for your gifts and still visiting my site regularly. I really appreciate it. I am also looking for new affiliates just tag me if you're interested. Cheerio!

Flooded.

2009-10-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, just wanted you all to know that we were not flooded, though we're from Rizal. My boyfriend however, experienced worse fate. He and his grandmother were on top of their home's roof for two days (Sunday and Saturday). Classes were obviously suspended for a week, which thankfully gave me ample time to work on most of my academic stuff, and not to mention new site content (YAY!). The new layout however is still on the way, but is looking good. I will feature a sneek peak on the next post so you better watch our for that. :D Anyway, I'll be working on putting the updates now. Cheerio!

Graduation Glamour

2009-09-13T06:10:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, I'm on the last year of my college life (hopefully). I'm doing a case study and a proposal on my thesis which is going to be all about the mermaid folk lore of a town near us, and how it affected the lives of the people of the town. As I have initially researched on, the mermaids had an effect on the town's political structure, religion, art (visual and spatial, like sculptures and monuments), economy, aesthetics and views on feminine beauty, etc. It's a lot, I know, and I still don't know how to merge all of them, because all of the issues mentioned above, are, as you know it, all interconnected to each other. Whew. On the lighter note, here is my grad pic! The sash is called "sablay". We don't wear toga, but we still have a toga shot. Like the photographer said "the toga shot is for your house guests who are not familiar with the sablay". Haha!

By the way, I also have a new haircut. Do you like it? I had it made at Tony and Jackey, a Korean hair salon at SM North, the Annex, 3^rd floor. It was done by no other than Jackey himself! Yes, the owner. I'm really happy about my new 'do, though it's awesomeness is not much obvious in the picture. What's important is, it has boosted my confidence big time, and I think it's my best cut yet. I'm having real fun with it.

Also, apologies, to all my affiliates, visitors, and friends. I have not finished my new layout yet, but there's improvement. It might be up before the end of the month, I hope. Thank you for still visiting.

I love photography because it is the only way I can shoot people.

2009-08-22T05:25:00.001-07:00

This might be my longest title yet but it's true. I just reopened and refurbished my Tumblr account and now it's almost done. I'll be putting my best shots there (well mostly, as it will also contain my whatever-shots as well), contrary to putting it here which was my original plan. I am also cooking up a new page, my portfolio, which will contain shots of my art journal, amigurumi creations, and other craft and art-oriented hobbies. I named my Tumblr, Artsy Fart – my dream domain name. It was formerly iamvirna, an extension of an extinct site of mine, and it contained an unfinished project 365. I deleted everything from my 365 and put fresh pictures on it. Please do take the time to check it out RIGHT HERE. I will also be refurbishing my Multiply, Tweeter, and Friendster accounts so stay tuned. I'm used to matching and organized layouts but now I'm going to do unique layouts for each one. I am planning to incorporate the awesome graphic art of my affiliates on my layouts since it might take me gazillions of years having to do all of them by myself. I'll credit you guys, don't worry, as well as keep you informed. After this interweb general cleaning, I will already start working on my new layout. It will all be ready by September, I hope.

Anyways, I believe I haven't showed you Darrel's gifts to me for my birthday? So here they are:

It's a Japanese lantern. Ok, so some spoilers on my next layout: it's very much inspired by this lantern. Also a new set of paint brushes, and yummy Japanese papers for my art journal, Haiku. Haiku loves Darrel. Ha-ha. Speaking of Darrel, we've already watched Time Traveller's Wife! Well, it's not like how I expected it to be. They removed some elements that I've been waiting for the longest time. It's almost all of my fave parts in the book. Darrel said that they made it that way to "clean" and idealize the love story itself; but I oppose to this idea because it removed a lot of Henry's character. You can't just idealize a person/character, because his flaws and other exciting experiences in life makes him real, and not just a prince out of a fairy tale. Sigh. But I still loved it though. It's still the film out of my favourite book of all time, so see, I'm biased. Ha-ha.

Also, I'm going to have my grad pic taken next week so I'm really excited. I want, and I'm planning to be a mermaid for my creative shot, but if I don't find a decent costume I'm thinking of having a simple and elegant glamour shot instead. Darrel and I are also going to have a couple pic so I'm twice as ecstatic! Though I admit, I'm also really stressed out since I'm part of the Graduation Committee. Wish us luck!

Site-wise: Have you noticed my updates (on the right panel)? I've created a new page which showcases my past layouts (only here on KD), and I've also revised my mermaid pixels. Enjoy!

My Hatching Day

2009-08-12T20:49:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, now that I just turned twenteen last August 6,
it's about time I tell you all about it. My birthday was really stressful since I had two reports and a paper due on that day. Sigh. At first I thought it was the worst birthday ever. I had nothing. My parents had no money, since we just bought my camera the other week. I'm so happy with my new D40, but I still thought it would be fun if I was able to treat some of my friends. Not only that, our Tagaytay trip was also put off till God-knows-when because even Darrel is having financial difficulties these past few days. I don't know how it happened but my birthday this year turned out to be the best one yet!

Dalisay. My new Nikon has finally arrived! And as accustomed I named her starting with the letter D, just like Darling (my Diana+ Lomo camera), Datzkie (my Acer Aspire 5335 laptop), and Dee (my big teddy bear – Darrel's birthday gift to me last year). I named her Dalisay, which means "pure" in Filipino. My mission is to only shoot the truth, but for now, mastering the math would be my first priority. I didn't know how difficult it is to shoot; to compose and to know the proper exposure. I will never falter. I will never quit. Photography is truly one of my passions in life (since two years ago, so it's practically the one of the newest).

Bang bang! It's really fun seeing Darrel through the lens. It's a whole different feeling for me. I like to take lots of pictures of him. That's how I wanted to spend my birthday at the very least, but it still didn't happen. He took me straight home from school, after attending mass, for the family dinner. It's a tradition for us to eat together during special occasions but nothing's special about it really, birthdays or not, we still eat together. Every. Single. Night. I went to bed kinda sad. The day's over, my special day's over.

Even though I don't have classes the next day, I was still obligated to go to school. I had a special one-on-one tutorial on Photography with our professor. It was fun learning the different exposures etc., without any distractions. I learn faster that way. After that we had a program to attend to on the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). It was so sudden and it wasn't really part of the plan, but as you all know guys, we're having problems with our National Artist selections this year, and as an Art Studies student, and a Department Representative it's my duty to join these kinds of things. I'm so happy that Darrel is so game with all my activities. He respects my ideologies and supports me with all my decisions and opinions. That being said, yes, he came with me to CCP. Unfortunately though, we didn't arrive on time. Sigh.

Since we're already there we decided to hang around first before going home. We shot pictures of the sunset, and I shot wonderful pictures of him. It was so much fun. We also decided to check out Star City (a theme park which we still haven't gone to together) since we're already there. It was only a short walk away and the entrance fee only cost us P60. It was all unexpected. Again, law of attraction worked for me. Wasn't it only the night before that I was terribly wishing for our couple trip to carry on even without money? Well, here it is! We didn't ride the rides first of course. That's a delight to look forward to our next visit; but we took lots of pictures and enjoyed ourselves with the token games. He won me a really cute teddy bear, by the way. Darrel suggested that then was the time to take lots of pictures since we won't be bringing Dalisay anymore on our next (ride-all-you-can) visit. I'm so excited!!!

Also, another thing to look forward to is the showing of my long-awaited movie, the Time Traveler's Wife. I already posted a review of the book here. It's my favourite book of all time. It's close to perfection, that's why I was really ecstatic when they announced that they were going to make a movie out of it. I also texted my online friend, Tinee. We have been friends for two years now, but we still haven't met personally – same with Erin. I told them that we could all watch the movie together, bring our cameras and maybe shoot after! Woohoo, such plans. I really hope everything will push through.

Enough of the birthday, let's move on to my next agenda, pixels! My mermaid pixels are finally finished! I'm planning of making them into buttons and give them as gifts to my affies and visitors. (Make sure you leave a comment though). The pixels are now available in the Pixel Love page. I've improved them, but still tell me what you think of them. Thank you! Also, how could I forget my dear friend Alissa who has given me such lovely gifts! Aren't they cute? Thank you thank you thank you!

And of course, thanks to you for patiently reading everything and commenting. It's the best gift that you could ever give me. Cheerio!

Celebration Hell Week.

2009-07-28T19:56:00.001-07:00

[Note: This post was written July 26, 2009]

My birthday's just around the corner and I don't know what to expect. My camera's still not arriving, and I can't contain the excitement already. On another note, it's me and my lover's 3^rd year and 4^th monthsary today. We finished our celebrations last night so we didn't meet today. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures, as my digital camera's also broken, so my apologies.

Birthday Week.
I'm almost on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. I have two reports next week, on language and gender, and the genetic bases of speech. I want everything to be a-ok by Wednesday but I haven't started anything yet. Aside from that, being on prepaid internet is so slow, it's driving me nuts! It's paid by the minute so page loading feels like forever. Good thing MS Word allows me to blog even when I'm offline. Hallelujah!

Earlier, I've been hunting the web for the perfect powerpoint template, since I'm down on inspiration these past few days. I have found a really nice site called Templates Wise and I got two really neat templates for free. Thank you! I also downloaded my long-postponed Carnevalee Freakshow font download from Dafont, so I can use it on my presentations. I am so stressed right now but mind you, the hunt for the template was very relaxing. Haha.

On another note, my lover has been so kind to me these past few days of my psycho-struggle. He has been very sweet and understanding. Thanks so much. I really appreciate it, and thanks for waiting for me every night given that you're also tired and stressed-out from work. I hope our long-planned birthday trip to Tagaytay will push through, even though I have reports and midterm exams on my birthday week. I know you've been looking forward to this trip for a long time and so do I. Sigh. Anyway, as I've told you earlier, my lover and I celebrated our monthsary last night. It was really fun. We ate in a place called Dampa on Riverbanks Marikina. They cook the freshest seafood, and the place is very refreshing
– compared to the fine dining restos in the city or the fastfood diners at the mall. We ordered grilled squid stuffed with tomatoes, and other veggies topped with grated cheese. We finished four cups of rice, haha; and also two sticks of barbecue. It was perfect. The food was served in heavy china (something unexpected for a place beside a river), and silverware. The setting of the place was outside of course. We had a wonderful seat facing the river, while the water perfectly reflects the lights from the other side. It was very windy but it doesn't smell like fish as you might expect; a breath of fresh air from my hectic school days. And to top everything off, it was cheap. It didn't even reach 200php, given that the squid that we ordered was humungous and the amount of rice and drinks that we've globbed down. Haha. After dinner, we sat by the river and just talked about almost anything. Not something about romance or love-stricken phrases...just things. Everyday things. It felt so light. I was really happy about last night. I just wish that I had a camera to document everything though. Argh!

Anyhow, some crazy couple webcam pictures for now.

By the way, it's been a really long time since I've made pixels but I finally came about to making some. It's still a work in progress and I'm still undecided if I'm going to put them up for special adoptions. I think a preview is called for? Tell me what you think guys *crosses fingers*.

And lastly, I have a new layout idea!!! But I'm still in love with this one, so I don't think I'm going to make it anytime soon. Besides, I'm still on prepaid net, and it takes me a great deal of time finishing a layout. I guess I got to save for it first, yes? Till next time, cheerio!

My Random Love, Life, and Way of Living (Part 3 of 3)

2009-07-17T23:15:00.001-07:00

Tags!!! First and foremost I'll answer the much awaited tags from my online buddies, Emma and Ferny!

From Emma,

I TAG: Ferny, Lien, Nashira, Nik, and Jean.
The Tag:
1. Write your name, website name, and twitter username.
2. Under that write your website url.
3. Now write if you're right or left handed.
4. Write your birthday, putting in the year is optional.
5. Write your favourite colour.
6. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
7. Now tag 5 people in the form: Name - Site

and Ferny,

I TAG: Kym, Emma, and Leesh!
The Tag:
1. Write your name in a creative manner.
2. Draw a strawberry using your own style.
3. Draw a teddy bear.
4. Draw a thing that you like to draw best.
5. Now get markers and color everything!

Thank you for tagging me, and sorry, sorry, so sorry for the super late answer.

My Random Way of Living

Oh it's been so long since I've posted and it's high time to finish my blog project. I've posted my random life here, and my random love here if you'd like to read it again. Go go go! Well anyway, a lot has happened to me these past few weeks. First, I had a LOT of school work; papers, reports, you name it! Phew. I'm actually so blessed to be typing right now. I've been so tired with everything. It was just so overwhelming. Which is why I would like to rearrange my life, thus the main theme of my post: how to do it? I've divided this to three main aspects: time, health, and spirit.

Time.
I've just subscribed to reading Magpie Girl's blog which introduced me to the Do Less Revolution. Its goal is to lessen your everyday burden and do less, as the project's called. I sort of started living by it already but I think I haven't quite got it yet. I'm still doing a lot of stuff which I think is not yet urgent. I am trying to make a schedule of everything that I have to do in school and manage it in such a way that I still have enough and ample time to rest and sleep (something that I haven't done for a couple of days). I know that I'm already in my senior year, so my academic burdens have doubled compared to my past years in college. I was able to juggle everything then; but I guess the time management techniques that I've used then is no longer appropriate. I had time for everything, which is the reason why I accepted a lot of responsibilities for this year. I over-calculated. Yeah, it's stupid really, but there's no turning back now, right? So I'm trying anything and every time management technique that I lay my eyes on.

Health.
I'm losing my strength. As I've told you earlier, I'm engaged to a lot of activities in school right now; the student council, thesis proposal, org applications, etc. I'm losing weight fast. I've worked really hard to gain weight before Darrel came back, but ever since senior year came, I've been losing it pound by pound. Not good. I'm trying to find a type of diet that will help me gain weight but also help me to it healthier. Maybe a lot of carbs would do me good, I don't know. I've just bought a book on South Beach Diet. It's really good. It helps the reader to lose weight by eating healthier and not by cutting down on eating. It's the losing weight part that I don't like. Sigh. If you guys know anything about diets and food that could help me, I'd be really grateful.

Spirit.
I'm back to being a negative thinker. I'm stressed about everything. I panic on the smallest things. My self esteem is on the lowest right now. I'm even stressed out about being stressed! Haha. I like freaking out, but this is too much! Sigh. I need a break. My birthday's coming soon, and Darrel's planning to take me to Tagaytay for the weekend. I'm looking forward to it. There's a 50 ft high Mother Mary there, where I prayed to let me get accepted to my dream university, or grant me Darrel's love. Both of my wishes came true, and for the past four years I still haven't got the chance to return and thank Her. Darrel promised me we'll go. Aside from that, we're going on a picnic, see a spectacular view of the Taal lake and volcano (something that I haven't seen for years now!), going horseback riding, and maybe if we're lucky, we're going to see the crater of the volcano itself! I'm so excited. AND it's not only that that I'm excited of! At long last, my parents will get me a Nikon D40, and it's arriving next week! I'll take a lot of pictures on my birthday trip and post 'em right here! Woohoo! Darrel has helped me a lot these past few weeks. He's been picking me up from school lately and taking me home. He's been showering me of nothing but love, love, love.

Also, I've started rereading an old book of mine, the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. It didn't work for me back then, but maybe I was too young to understand it when I first read it. I'm looking forward to positive results in the following weeks with EVERYTHING that I'm planning to do. Stay tuned. Think of me as a guinea pig. I know that a lot of you can relate to what I am going through so I'll be trying all of them first and report to you the results. Let's see.

'Till next post! Cheerio.

Short. Quick. Makes me sick.

2009-07-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Heya people. I was sick these past few days, so the 3rd installment of my three part blogging would have to be postponed for now, since I really really need to update you guys already.

Here is a super quick note to all of my online friends:
By the way, click the buttons, not the names. Their links are also located at my sidebar.

To Emma, I am sorry that I have not replied to your tag yet, but I will. Maybe in my next post.

To Rose, I have already voted and will take the opportunity to plug your contest here.

Please, please. Vote for my dear friend Rose, on Hannah's contest. The poll is located at Hannah's site Daig Ko Pa Si Cinderella, on the right sidebar. Thank you!

All About My Life +

To Lien and Nashira, welcome back from your fun trips. I have enjoyed viewing all of your pictures.

Also, Geli has a very new and cute layout, be sure to check her out!

The Unbosomings of an Ugly Duckling

I will also shamelessly plug how my dear friend Ferny got to be number 1 at DailyCute's Topsite. Congratulations Fern! :D

And lastly, to Nik, Kymie, and Jean, welcome to my circle of affiliates! :D I am very glad to have three new friends. Thank you for accepting my invitations. Visit their sites. And I mean, right now. GO!

P.S. I know that some of you haven't linked me yet, and that's practically ok by me. :D Just make sure that you link me in the very very very near future and notify me if you already did.

Thats all. Cheerio!

My Random Love, Life, and Way of Living. (Part 2 of 3).

2009-06-23T06:44:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes I think people don't understand how lonely it is to be a kid, like you don't matter."
- Clementine, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

MY RANDOM LOVE

Sometimes I want to color my hair blue, or green, or turquoise.

Darrel and I had a movie marathon just last week. We watched Michael Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation. Yes, they were both timeless films; my personal favorites. Soft. Romantic. Artistic.

I'm glad that Darrel's back. I have someone to watch these films with. We also went to the French Film Festival together, where we watched Maurice Pialat's Van Gogh. I realize that after spending three years with him, it is only now that I really enjoy being with him. I don't know. It's something totally new to me. I guess we, or I, just kinda have gotten used to being in a long distance relationship, that I seem to have forgotten how wonderful it is to have someone by your side. To have someone to share those everyday mundane moments of your life; and I like that. I didn't feel this way with Darrel back then. Even if I did love him so much, i still felt detached with him somehow. But now, everyday feels like drifting off to lalaland.

We went to an old playground last night. We sat on the swings, and just talked. We talked about school, mainly simple things; a light conversation. It's just like how I pictured everything about to be like. All those fairytale dreams that I had, that were crushed into pieces because of our past situation, are now starting to come true. Eating oreos while watching art films, sitting at our good ol' couch. Listening to music, and the soft rain pouring outside, doing nothing, then softly drifting to sleep. Flying kites on a sunny afternoon, while watching people pass by. Laying down on newly-trimmed grass at eight in the evening, looking at the stars. All these things. The love story of a poet it may seem. It's all perfect, it's surreal.

"The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you."
-Bob Harris, Lost in Translation

My Random Love, Life, and Way of Living. (Part 1 of 3).

2009-06-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

After putting up my new layout, I finally have the time to blog again. Thanks to all the positive responses with regards to my new lay. I really worked hard on it, and I'm glad that you guys appreciated it. It was all for you.

As I have not been blogging these past few days, this certainly calls for a long much-needed post. I will just randomly dump the random ideas in my head, and the past random happenings in my life. This post will be in three parts, and will be posted in three consecutive days. Enjoy reading.

MY RANDOM LIFE.

I have just finished a page on my art-journal, Haiku. Here is a picture of the spread and some close-ups for the details:

Sleepy Summer, again, again.

I really loved the turtle. The pink splotches by the way is my pink nail polish. As of the moment, I'm still experimenting with different mediums, and when I say any, I really meant ANY. Haha. I'm really enjoying myself, and very pleased with my work. As for the yarn, the text swirl looks nice by itself, but it looked kinda bare..or for a much better term..common. I don't like common; so I added some yarn. I'm still thinking of adding something to it though. Maybe attaching something between the yarns? Some beads?

On another aspect of my random life, it's yay freedom! Fake freedom, actually. If you're not from the Philippines, then you probably didn't know that we have just celebrated our country's Independence Day last June 12, and to celebrate it, my mother and I watched fireworks at SM Taytay. Watching fireworks is really fun. I really enjoy light shows of every kind -- laser, fountain lights, fireworks, whatever. Light amazes me.

Aside from the grand fireworks finale, Kenyo, a pinoy band was also there. I even get ot have apicture with the band's vocalist McCoy. Pardon me if I misspelled the name. Anyway, yeah, I look hideous in the picture, with my ugly tooth showing up, but who cares? As long as I have the picture I am happy happy happy!

I really REALLY loved their new songs from their new album, but I still haven't got a copy of it yet. I promise to let you guys hear it, once I get my hands on it. Cheerio!

More of my random life? To be continued...

New Layout!

2009-06-12T02:19:00.000-07:00

Yay! Phew..I'm so tired.

At last I've finished putting up my new lay just in time before the school starts, or else I'll never get it done. I'm so sorry that there's no tagboard yet, I'll be transferring to Cbox, though ShoutMix worked pretty fine. I'm also not finished retouching some images here and there. The comment feature's down too, for the moment. I'm still gonna install Haloscan. Please be patient. I'll try to finish everything today, do check back tomorrow! :D

Edit: Unfortunately, I'm using the old Blogger, and I have just discovered that Haloscan couldn't be installed here as I've imagined. :( I'll try to "customize" my ol' Blogger comment form instead. Or put up with it.

As of now, the comment form's up again. I'm still figuring out a way to put a label cloud, or a list, maybe? and of course, the cbox. :D

More edit: None of my online friends have noticed the change yet. A bit sad really..LOLS. A few minor adjustments remaining.

- some smileys and emoticons for the cbox
-a mermaid favicon
-putting the cbox and music at the goodies page...

By the way, I've installed a recent comments widget, have you noticed? I don't like how it looks really...but it serves the purpose perfectly. :D Just what I needed.

Oh well..need to sleep now, goodnight!

Anticipation, French Films, and Highschool Memories.

2009-06-09T05:42:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited for tomorrow. Lover and I are going to the 14th French Film Fest! I'm really eyeing on the Van Gogh movie, hope we snatch some sits tomorrow *crosses fingers*.
----

Reason Why I Hated Highschool #1:
No one ever wanted to watch art films with me.

People were so preoccupied with a hundred thousand things. No one ever really cared to go DVD-hogging at Hidalgo with me. No one liked to take pictures, like me. The "artsy fartsy" people in class were those who drew anime and participated in cosplays. (No offense, I just think it's a very different genre).

----
Darrel said we're going to hunt for slide films tomorrow, which makes me twice as thrilled as I already am. Darling's last shot was the one above. Pretty old. Pretty lame. Though sky shots are still loved.
----

Reason Why I Hated Highschool #2:
My art world was pretty limited to textbook pictures back then.

There wasn't even a decent art class. No one cared to visit galleries, exhibits, museums...such things were..simply..unthinkable. Boring. Nerdy. I am a proud nerd. :D

----
I just finished watching the TV Series, 1 Litre of Tears. It was pretty inspiring. People are constantly talking about how a tearjerker it is, but come to think of it, it's a pretty happy story. It's optimistic. It's strong. It's aim is to inspire people; to enjoy their lives, and not waste a single moment of it. It is very enlightening.
----

Only Reason Why I Loved Highschool:
Friends.

With regards to the series, she had a lot of friends. The only problem is, no one really knew how to understand her; to care for her. In a way, I can relate to her. My highschool friends are the greatest, but they just can't understand me. I admit that most of it is practically my fault. I saw, or PRESUMED that no one would ever understand my way of thinking, so I closed my self from the world. This has lead me to "fall out". I started to hate people. I started to cut classes. My grades went into a ballistic downfall.

...until I found my world.

It is only now that I realized my problem. My highschool just wasn't my world. But being the traveler that I am, I finally found it. Art Studies. My world.
----

College life is the best.

Rain, falling from the stars.

2009-06-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Photo originally uploaded by Lauren Nicole on Flickr.

“A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning.”

- James Dickey

Sorry for not updating these past few days. I've been to school lately -- enrollment period.

FIRST DAY

The Freshmen/Graduating priority day. No, I'm not considered as a graduating student yet, even if I am in my last year. Our evaluation is based per semester, making me a regular student like most of everybody else. I got my registration materials though, and got pre-advised. I only got 4 out of the 7 subjects that I've enlisted on our computer registration system -- really frustrating.

SECOND DAY

I went to school around 9am. It's Darrel's day-off today. I went straight to the College of Human Kinetics to get a PE subject (preferrably aerodance or belly-dancing). Despite the earliness, there were more or less 300 people in line already. Darrel woke up later, and joined me; just in case I have to go to the bathroom, or eat, someone would stand in line. Needless to say, I got enlisted around 2:00pm. So yeah, WTF right? 5 hours in line, just for a subject, and it's not even the subject that I was eyeing on. I got Philippine Games.

THIRD DAY

I went to school really early - even earlier than yesterday - only to find out that the power's out. I guess it was predictable given the heavy rain outside. What we didn't predicted was the small tornado that hit our campus. A lot of houses were destroyed, and a lot of trees were uprooted. Luckily no one was hurt.

FOURTH DAY

I'm still lacking 3 units. I went to the National Institute of Geological Sciences for a geology subject. Unfortunately, almost all of the slots were already taken. The enlistment per subject was by faculty. There was only one faculty left with vacant slots. To make the long story short, he was nowhere to be found. I waited and wasted my whole morning. I decided that probably he won't ever show up, so I went to the Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts to enlist some of their major subjects (for my minor). I got two subjects -- Bases of Speech and Radio Production. What I was really planning of taking were Interpretation of Children's Literature, and Intercultural Communication. I guess I have to say bye-bye to them now. As soon as I thought that my day was turning around (for the better), I discovered that I was lacking prerequisites for the Radio Prod class. Demmit. I cancelled it. Now I'm back to being a 15-unit student. Again.

TO-BE FIFTH DAY

I will get my subjects post-advised, and get my registration materials assessed. I have to reserve 3 hours for the assessment line, I guess. After getting assessed, the student loan office's next. They'll give me a really cool check -- about the size of an index card. Stand in line for the next 5 hours for the payment. Get the receipt. Dance like no one's watching.

Site updates. If you were attentive (really), to my site update box you should've discovered my new pages. EUREKA! I have a new video, some new pixels, exhibited my desktop, and got an about page made. Now, go play! Cheerio.

Richer than Most.

2009-05-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

First things first. I'm making lots of site material for the goodies section, so watch out for all of 'em. Some special adoptions would be nice, but I have no idea yet what it's gonna be. Inspiration, where are you when I need you? *Sigh* Anyway, while you're still waiting for that, why not view my newest video instead? It's on my video page. I made it. It's a short movie about my favorite dog, Mocca. Enjoy!

Well anyway, down to business. Darrel got his first salary, so we kinda celebrated. He surprised me by buying me a Japanese magazine. 50++ pages of fun! Kusudamas and Origami galore! School's about to start so we also bought me a notebook. It's not the notebook that I was planning to buy, but we are cutting down expenses, and it was waaaay cheaper so there. I'm still planning to buy the nice notebook I saw in Swell Shop though, but I'm going to make it a journal of sorts -- to record my (hopefully) last year in college. Aside from that, we also bought a new mouse for my laptop Datzkie. It's nothing short of perfect. :D

I really had fun yesterday, and I hope you'll have fun on my site today! Cheerio!

Edit: I just made some new pixels. Visit the Pixel Love page right now! :D

Tonsillectomy and other Demons.

2009-05-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

I'm terribly sorry for not updating these past few days. I was sick. I have tonsilitis since forever, and it recurred again for the nth time. I was suggested many years ago to have a tonsillectomy but believe me, that is way out of the picture. I'm a singer. I love to sing. It's practically my life. Modesty aside, I have already won some competitions (though only on a national junior level) but still...Undergoing surgery would affect my singing. My voice is one of those things I treasure most.

It's sad that Darrel wasn't able to visit me when I was still bedridden. He's on nightshift now, and still works overtime; but he did make it a point to text and call me every chance he got, and I'm content with that. Tomorrow is he's day off and we're going to hang around at my home to watch movies -- S. Darko, and Wristcutters: A Love Story, maybe.

Site-wise. I admit that I'm kinda frustrated with my site right now. For one, I feel that nobody reads my posts. Another thing is, if someone does read my posts, it still isn't something worth commenting on. Aside from that, I've mentioned earlier that I'm giving away free graphics for commentors, and though that might sound as on the brink of pleading and bribing for some comments, it was still...uneffective. Though no worries, I'm still happy, because my site had a lot of visitors while I was gone. I checked my statistics, and it even went up to 50 visitors last Firday. It may be pretty funny, but it was the top visited day yet. Haha.

Anyway, Darrel has already returned my camera, so expect new pages anytime soon. Cheerio!

My Mission Statement in life

2009-05-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

Photo originally uploaded by AV Photography on Flickr

Ok, so it has been a long time since I posted something long. A few days of short posts doesn't at all fit in to the plans I have with this blog. A while ago, I have been reading iHanna's post on 100 Ideas to Spark Creative Action, and one of her first ideas was to make a mission statement in life. Well, I thought about it, as well as read her own post on it, and the other articles that she had suggested a must-read.

I have listed down five things that I should remember about myself everyday. There will always be room for imperfections, for flaws, and for failure, but reminding yourself on how beautiful you are, and being happy even with all the flaws, failures, and imperfection is the real happiness; and real happiness is what I'm aiming for.

1. I am an artist. I am creative, and I inspire people. Most of the time, this iswhat makes me down. I am never happy nor contented with everything I created. The only thing that keeps me going is my inspiration, and my need to inspire others.

2. I am happy and optimistic. I am always confused with what I really want to do, and this is what makes me frustrated a lot. I want to write. I want to sing. I want to be a visual artist. I want to be a digital artist. I want to sew wonderful clothes. I want to take breathtaking pictures. The only problem is, I seem to know how to do a little bit of all these things, but I can't really focus on just ONE THING. Jack of all trades -- master of NONE.

3. I love with all my heart, and with everything I have. This is the only part in the list that I don't need to remind myself of anymore. This is who I really am. This is how I really love. I love a person with everything I am, with everything I have, and with every breathing moment of my life.

4. I am intelligent. I know my potential. I know my limitations. No one is perfect, and no one will ever be. There will always be someone better than me, so being the best is not an option to be happy. Again, I just have to follow my heart and be contented with what I have, and with who I am.

5. I am contented with what I see in the mirror every single day, and I thank God for it. I am not pretty, and I know that I have self-issues sometimes, well most of the time; and I can't live with that. It's eating up all my energy. I want to wake up every morning and smile at the person in front of me in the mirror and tell her she's the prettiest girl ever. Darrel loves her, her family and friends appreciate her, and she has an innate beauty as rare as a diamond.

The easiest part is over, now for the harder part. I just have to remember everything I've written. Read it to myself everyday, if needed. Preparing a list like this is so uplifting, I feel inspired to become a better me already. I love me.

Music. By the way, my friend AmyLee from Teahouse MB has suggested a band, named The Getaway Plan. If you are totally into rock, and its sub-genres then The Getaway Plan is perfect whenever you're in need for some hardcore music. I suggest Strings (this is the one I'm listening to right now), and Quarantined. I also recommend Logistical Nightmare by Taken by Cars, and You Could be Happy by Snow Patrol -- both old songs, both of a different genre, but both refreshing to listen to.

Site-wise. I will be adding pages for the webstuff part very soon. It will include a directory (everything that I have bookmarked in the past few years on interwebbing), an admired sites and inspirations page, a credits page of course, though I already have a credits section at my side bar, and other pages about the site in general. Also I am thinking of making Halo-halo pixels (a delicious and cool dessert here in the Philippines) since it's summer here, and some more adoptable food pixels. Darrel still hasn't finished taking pictures and videos of his nephew yet so my camera is still with him -- the main reason why all my picture-related pages (like my handwriting page, portfolio page, and inside my bag page, are all still under construction). Sorry for waiting. :D

Before I forget, if you ever thought of making your own mission statement in life, please share the link here. I'd love to read yours. Also, don't forget to reread my edited post below. Cheerio!

My very first vector

2009-05-08T03:09:00.000-07:00

Just a very short post to show you my very first vector. I'm sorry if it's still a bit sloppy. :D Anyway, constructive comments are welcome! And thank you very much for viewing.

By the way, about the name, I used Hanaro's tutorial. Thanks Rebecca!

Edited: If you have been reading all my posts, you might have noticed this post edited. I am not very happy with this post being this short. Haha. Anyway, as I am beginning to enjoy my new-found hobby, which is vectoring images, I might give out free vectors in the future to my avid visitors, so watch out! I am thinking of making a free vector for the first commentors on some of my next posts and some surprise gifts on some of my not-first commentors. Haha. You know how much I love you guys right? So comment away!

How?? Well, you just have to click on "_ spoke their minds" and the comment box would appear. And also don't forget that my vectors aren't made from scratch, so you would have to provide a picture of the object (just objects first, people) that you would want me to vectorize. For the little gift on the other commentors, it would be a pixel of your favorite desert, with your bouncing pixel name on it. Always watch this site, for you will never know....

HOORAY!

2009-05-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. If you have been following my blogs even waaaay before Kawaii Darling came to birth, it has probably already came to your attention that I really admire HushStar. I didn't own a site yet. I didn't even PIXEL yet, I have already followed her site and visit it almost always.

And today, the most wonderful news came. She accepted me as her affie! Yep, you've read right. Lien is now my affie! WOOPEE! I know, most of you guys already know her, but for those who don't visit her NOW. And I mean right now.

Edited: I have another wonderful affie. Her name's Nashira, and her site is really really cute and fresh. :D She's really friendly, and I met her at Teahouse MB. You guys should really join Teahouse. It's perfect for all the pixel lovers out there. Anyway, please please check out Nashira's site right here:

Buttons!

2009-05-06T05:08:00.000-07:00

Weee, I am so happy. If you have noticed, I have finished making buttons already! Woohoo! That's why I have already applied to be affiliates with the sites I was planning of, as well as Lien's button rotation. Of which I have applied to already, and I'm not sure in what way she will try to contact me. I have applied before, when I was still on iamvirna.tk, but maybe because of my lousy pixelling, she didn't approve of it. I really wish that she would approve of me now, for I believe that I have improved a lot since then, but..let's see...*fingers crossed*

In the meantime high time, Ferny has replied and accepted my invitation to be affiliates! Her site's really great, and I admire her skill so well. She is also Lien's SOTM right now -- no doubt in that. :D Please do visit her. And one of my affies just had her birthday! (I made her that pixel, haha). Please visit Xin too.

Aside from that, I have also joined Teahouse MB - a forum for pixel lovers, and the like. I believe some of my affies like Leesh are already members?? Please notify me, I don't have friends there yet. Haha.

And on to the buttons! Don't forget to click!

Just a quick one.

2009-05-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

"Great is the human who has not lost his childlike heart."
— Mencius (Meng-Tse), 4th century BCE

Hello people, just a quick post before I say goodnight. I have fixed my sidebar. Have you noticed? And about the picture, I just hearted it on we heart it. I tried to track down the owner of this picture but didn't find it so I don't know who to credit. Sorry...

Anyway, I'm off to sleep now guys. Goodnight!

Happiness seemed so faraway, but then again.

2009-05-03T02:48:00.000-07:00

No it wasn't! I've been with Darrel the whole afternoon today, and the whole afternoon the other day. When I'm with him I am just so happy, but when I'm not with him (like right now) I return to my old usual almost-always negative self, but not today. Not right now.

If you're a Filipino, like me, or just a hardcore boxing fan, you might already know that Emmanuel (or Manny) Dapidran Pacquiao have just won against Ricky Hatton, and our whole country is rejoicing right now. I'm not that of a fan, but heck, if my country's proud and happy, I am proud and happy. PLUS, Darrel and I watched together! By the way, if you don't know the whole story yet, you might want to check this site out as well as this one.

Site-wise. I have finished another page again, and as of now, I'm stuck. Darrel borrowed my digital camera, and as I have no other means of taking (decent) pictures of my art journal pages and the crafts I've made for my portfolio page, my bag for my "inside my bag" page, as well as my handwriting, for you-now-know-what page, I am taking a short break from adding new pages to my blog first. I will concentrate on upgrading my Pet Society pet, Cheri, for now. I have already finished making her garden, which gives me an idea. Why don't I make a page dedicated to my beloved online pet? To you, my dear readers, what do you think?

Rebuilding my thoughts.

2009-04-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

I deleted my last post, just because it didn't make sense; but I'll try to rewrite the points of it in this list.

1. My blog as art. I have just finished adding pages here and there, apart from leaving some pages under construction. I have also made new pixels - something that I haven't done in a long time. And just like the many of the "firsts", I felt happy and proud with what I am doing. I felt contented.

2. My blog as portfolio. Though I am still creating a portfolio page for my blog, my whole blog IS my portfolio. I have made everything in this blog from scratch. It exhibits my pixel art, my literary capabilities (if not, talent) , and through my portfolio page, all the creative works I've done these past few months, digital or not.

Now, as I have mentioned before in my deleted post, I haven't made anything creative these past year (aside from academic-related works), that made me truly happy. To those who knew me before Kawaii Darling, you have always read about me getting excited, or inspired, but after that you won't hear me mentioning my actual work. I have always been inspired by iHanna, and though I'm still scared, she got me working again. Just last week I took out my old sewing machine and typewriter, and though I haven't touched them yet, I know they will be well used in the following weeks. I don't know when or if she'll ever stumble upon my blog, but I'm really grateful that I stumbled upon hers.

3. Pixelling. As I have said above, it's not that I haven't pixelled in a long time, but for some reason I always end up not saving my finished work in the end. My past site, iamvirna, has brought me frustrations. I didn't like how it looked; it was rejected; and the pixels that I have worked really hard on was labeled "copied". I know why...because my other pixels didn't look good enough, so the ones that I have "acidentally" made perfect, looked like copies. I was never a liar, and it hurt for an artist (or an art student, at least) to be labelled or accused as such. Though you don't have to worry about me, because I have practised a lot, and now, I am confident enough to exhibit my work AGAIN. I have made the scrollboxes you see on your left. I have made the small ribbon button beside each of my post's title. I have also made the small strawberry cupcake pixel, that was supposed to be a button but ended up being my favicon instead. These are mine, and I know they're not perfect yet, but I'm still proud of them.

4. Darrel and love as my hope. I am really thankful that I was blessed with a boyfriend like Darrel. He has never stopped reminding me of how perfect I am, even with all of my flaws. Though I admit that sometimes I still can't stopped feeling dejected, which scares me that Darrel might grow tired of me if I don't stop, so I try really hard to think positive every single day. I am still in negativity right now, but at least I don't stop trying. Maybe this is just a stage that I have to go through, and I hope that someday I'll become mature enough to appreciate myself so others will appreciate me even more.

5. My mission. I don't want to end my post in sadness, as I have said before. My site's mission is to inspire, make others feel happy, and make them feel loved -- though I still don't know how. I want my art, in general, to be romantic; to reflect what I'm feeling now. In love.

BTW, please don't forget to check out my new pages, my sayclub collection page where I put my collection of sayclub icons to share with you, and my toybox, adoptions, and gifts page, where I put my pixel collection, all my special adoptions, and the gifts that are given to me (and be sure to check out my newest gift - a blinkie that my affiliate Leesh has given me). Also, check out the new pixels that I was boasting of a while ago. Teehee. Well, that's all, cheerio!

Today's D-Day.

2009-04-26T03:47:00.000-07:00

Okay..so today's the day that I have finally had the strength to delete my former blog. It was fun, but I think it would be best to start anew, don't you think? You might be thinking that I'm on a changing state in my life right now, but I'm not. I just want to have some space for new upcoming memories. :)

I want this blog to be different from my former blog. I want to dig deeper into my artistic side, and I would like this blog to be my tool. Aside from that, my former blog contained some painful memories on having a long-distance relationship, and now that Darrel's back, I don't need to preserve them anymore, right? I want the sea to roll them away with its tides and leave Darrel and I, together, in peace. Though don't get me wrong, that was one helluva experience, and I still treasure some parts of it. One day, I'll write about the story of us, and I'll proudly allot a chapter or two on how we survived that part of our relationship, but as for now, I want to enjoy every moment that we have together, forget all about the past, and just have fun!

Moving on, I have also already informed all my past affiliates that I'm starting a new blogsite. I still hope they'd like to be affiliates with me, after my loooooooooooong online vacation. I am deeply sorry, my internet connection got disconnected and for a while I got stuck using prepaid; but everything's ok now, and I've linked all of you. I'm also going to make new buttons. As you have noticed, I have a lot of online work in progess (this site included), so it might take a little while. However, you may use my old buttons in the meantime. Also, I'd deeply appreciate anyone who would like donate a button to me. You can send it through my e-mail, haha!

By the way, I would also be putting my sayclub icon collection on the site on of these days. Well, I guess that covers it. Goodbye for now!

Abode of Inspirations.

2009-04-24T01:34:00.000-07:00

Main Problem: My room is a complete mess, probably because of my cluttered brain; but this summer I am inspired and DETERMINED to fix it once and for all. My boyfriend said he'll help me clean it up, and repaint it, as well as making me new shelves! (Yes, he is the best boyfriend ever.) Right now, I'm on Flickr, looking for some inspiration. I have also already scanned the bookstore for books that might be of help, and I found this one:

Walls that WOW. It's all about wall treatments that didn't need painting anymore, but it was a little expensive so I still have second thoughts on buying it. So, here I am web-hunting. We are thinking of repainting and fixing the walls first. After all, my room has an awfully nice floor that'll go with any room color. My room also has stained glass for lighting -- which also, has to be repaired. Its color should be taken into consideration which will be either pink, yellow, or green. My room is already pink, so I am partly thinking on making my room green. Well, for one, I don't like it to be yellow. But I don't think my pink, black, and choco brown addiction would match green walls, would it? Sigh.

After that, I am also thinking of putting in some wall art. I don't my room to look cluttered, but I dunno...I'm confused. I should also alot some space for my corkie-inspiration-board. Well, going back, these are the pictures I found on Flickr, and other parts of virtual reality, for inspiration, so far:

I found this room on a Livejournal site called Glitter Girls, and the credit goes to Puakalehua. She has a lovely room, and according to the journal entry dated last year, she just had this gray workspace, that I so envy. I still work on my bed every now and then. Well, it beats working on the dining table.

This is another cute room, and i found this one on Flickr. This office room belongs to SimplyBecka. Have you noticed the small open shelf above her door? Its just enough for her plushies to fit in. I'd like those in my room, but maybe not just only for my plushies, but for some of my books, maybe for my Nicholas Sparks collection. :D

Now for the paint dilemma, after seeing these pictures from PBteen, I decided that I'm going to have a white room. I think white walls had a dreamy effect on rooms, have a look:

Looking at these pictures gave me lots of ideas. For instance, I saw some really cheap baskets like those tucked under the bed. I could just paint them white, right? I also loved how the corkboard was divided into three. As for the cute butterfly mirrors, that, I can't imitate. LOL.

The white fur rug really made a big difference, and I think it really suited in front of the wardrobe. I don't wear any slippers inside my room, so the rug would be perfect to keep my floor warmer and softer. I think I could manage to find one of those here. Another thing was I stared and zoomed at the frames above the bed, I think one of them is framed fabric. Really nice.

Again, I saw the framed fabric above the bed. Hmm....Also, the hanging balls look like Kusudamas! I could make some of those, but I have another thing in mind. I saw pink hot air balloons at a store near here, about the size of that kusudama-looking balls, and they would make perfect substitutes! I also wanted to buy those, but never thought of a perfect place to put them. Now I do and I'm so thrilled!

Now, for the last picture. I was an avid comics reader once, and if you're familiar with W.I.T.C.H and have read it from the very start. Will's old room looked like this. From then on, I dreamed of having one, but I always thought that it would take to have it custom-made; I was wrong. Such a bed really did exist, and it's this one. A real space-saver, eh? Sigh. That's why having a carpenter for husband is cool, because he could make you all the custom-made furniture that you want for a cheaper price, haha! I really hope Darrel could improve his carpentry skills, but alas, I think not.

Overall. So after much thought, here are basically the major points about what my "new" room is going to be like:

1. I would like my bed to be a canopy bed, but I don't think my stained glass lighting would allow it. Maybe removing the light temporarily?? But I still want to keep it! ARGH!
2. I don't like it to be THAT girly. Though this blog looks sooooo girly and kawaii, I, in person, actually am not. One of the main reasons I indulge in all things pink because I am the exact opposite, and I would like to be one, if only in virtual reality. It's stupid really, but I want my room to be artsy-fartsy and look crafty.
3. It should have room for my small sewing machine, for my old-school typewriter, for my Lomo, Darling, for all my crochet and knitting stuff, and art-journaling. In short, a decent and proper workspace.
4. My wardrobe should be cleaned and sorted out. I have a LOT of clothes in there that I don't actually use anymore and I have a loooooot of room on top of my closet for them.
5. I should buy a decent curtain, really. One that would actually match my room, and something that's not revealing like this lace one that I already have. I think our neighbor can see me changing naked through this. CREEPY.
6. My walls are so bare, so I have enough room for pictures, or the wall art I'm talking about earlier. But come to think of it, Darrel and I have a lot of pictures that are "hang-worthy" so maybe...I could use some of them. I could even print out vintage children illustrations online, and frame them! The only problem is, wooden frames are so expensive these days, and I don't have that much moola to spend.
7. I am thinking of getting my desktop downstairs since I already have my laptop Datzkie, to keep me company. That should free me some space...
8. Finally, i want it to be organized and clutter-free. (Gulp.)

Short Note:

As I said earlier, the pictures found on this post are not mine. In case you've missed their links at the post above, here is a quick recap:

Walls that Wow - I really recommend this book. In fact, I'm putting it on my wish list right now.
Puakalehua and Glitter Girls - The owner and the online journal where I found the kawaii and pink room above.
Simplybecka - The photostream of the owner of the baby blue office, with the cute plushie "deck". :D
PBTeen - The site where I got most of the pictures. They offer all the furnitures and knick-knacks that you can see on the rooms above. Really inspiring, and tempting.

Time Travaler's Wife.

2009-03-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

Time Traveler's Wife. I was hesitant to pick this book up at first. I have heard a lot about the novel and, being in a long-distance relationship then, I was scared, that this book might reflect my feelings, even those that I've been resisting to feel, or denying myself to feel; and I was not wrong. It did reflect my pain. Waiting is really painful, but isn't it more painful when you're constantly left, and not knowing where your loved one is? Or when he will come back? Or if he is really coming back? This is what the novel is all about. Trust. Patience. Magic.

Henry De Tamble has this genetic illness of time-traveling involuntarily. The whole story revolved on how Henry visited his (future) wife, when she was still a kid, and how his wife (now, at present) painfully and patiently waits for him whenever he dissappears unexpectedly. I'm gonna stop giving spoilers now, haha. What's important is that it has a movie already and...

Yes. It's finally out. The movie's release date is final: August 14, 2009. YAY!! I know there's a lot of people out there like me, anticipating for the release date to be released. Haha. This is by far, the best book that I have ever read, and I'm really expecting that this will be the BEST movie that I will ever see -- so far. Whoa. I'm just so excited.

Site-wise. I'm still fixing things up, as I will be transferring all the contents of my old site (iamvirna.tk) here. I'm also kinda excited, actually, but most of all stressed. I really want to take care of my site this time. You could look forward to frequent updates from now on. And by the way, as stated above, the banner is still under construction. I just couldn't resist putting it up already. :D

Well, that's all for now. I still have to get ready for school. Bye!

Journaling.

2009-01-28T04:59:00.000-08:00

I have been an avid reader of iHanna, for a loooooong time already, and I have always been inspired of her diary-keeping and art journals. I also found a link from her site, to another inspiring journal-keeper, Ann-D on Flickr. She has the coolest spreads I have ever seen.

As a kid, I have kept or started, if you will, a lot of diaries/journals/whatever you may call them, but of all these journals, I have only managed to finish one. And this was just recently, when I was in college already. This journal was not even a notebook. It was just a really thin filler. I have the problem of getting inspired or hyped-up rather quick then losing the inspiration after a short time. I am training myself to change this habit but I still sometimes fail. The worse thing is I can't fight the urge, so as expected I already scanned the bookstores for a potential journal. Unfortunately, the journals I saw were too expensive. I don't have a paypal account nor a credit card so online shopping is not even a choice for me. Sigh. If only I could make one myself. I saw a lot of inspiring hand-made journals on Flickr. I have bound a notebook before but for some reason, the cover fell off and it really frustrated me...

Actually, I also keep a journal, which I write on from time to time, but it's not personal. Before my boyfriend left to work abroad, we both made a vow to keep and write on a journal, and then exchange them when he comes back. Although I have this one already, I still want to start a personal one - a journal that I wouldn't trade for anything! This itch is killing me, but thinking about it wearing off after a month or so pains me also.

Alas, I still have to find an output for my bubbling creative juices. But wait, I have an idea! What if I start with something small instead. Like Hanna's quote book! I could try that. If it doesn't work out, then maybe journaling is not meant for me after all.

I have the right to destroy myself.

2009-01-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

First post. First book.

Plot: A mysterious therapist writes novels about his patients. Now, his name isn't mentioned in the story, nor his exact profession. He is also not your ordinary therapist, for he helps his patients commit suicide. The story begins when he relates the novel he wrote about his past "client". It revolves around two brothers, C and K, and a girl whom the narrator calls Judith (for she resembles Judith in Gustav Klimt's painting). One night, Judith mysteriously disappears, and not very long after that, she commits suicide.

Characters.First of, I love C's character. He is an artist by profession, and he has this different view of reality. K is much different. He is more sentimental, and his ideas are more twisted. For instance, as a child, he burned C's collection of butterflies. He was so amazed by the burning butterflies that he didn't notice he was already burning their house down.

Overall. I really enjoyed the whole story. I love twisted and unique plots. Also, it's my first time to read a book written by a Korean (Young-Ha Kim). I was expecting a tragic love story, in line with the Korean telenovelas that is currently taking our country by storm. Haha! This story was something fresh for me...a must-read.

The time you invest is proportional to your obsession. Nothing is free from this rule, be it love or art.

Philippine Pixels

2008-12-29T07:51:00.000-08:00

I just want to share to you the real reason why I started this site in the first place.
It was because I wanted to make pinoy pixels. I'm a proud Filipina,
and I haven't...NEVER..in my hundreds of
interweb travels, have encountered a pixel that is Philippine-made.
We have lots of cute delicacies to pixelize, and I am proud that my pixels are probably
the first of their kind.

Puto (Philippine Rice Cake) - A small steamed rice cake, which is very popular here in the Philippines, is available in different colors, arranged in big weaved plates called "bilao".
The puto usually eaten during special ocassions,
also has a bigger variant, that is usually served during breakfast,
wrapped in a coconut leaf, and dipped in Dinuguan, or hot chocolate.

Pichi-Pichi - A Filipino dessert made of coconut and cassava,
also a variant of the puto, but usually smaller and rolled in grated coconut.

Pixel Adoptables

2008-12-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

All these pixels are free for you to adopt, but please read the rules first before
adopting anyone of them. I made all of them, and I know it's not quite much yet, but
I'll be making more, I promise. :D

Mermaids
my first ever layout-oriented pixel.

Cellphone Charms
Attach them anywhere!

Desserts
These are all inspired by one
of my most favorite websites, Foodgawker.
Hover over to discover what they are!

Vampire Sprouts
(inspired by the movie Twilight. Haha!) I made these BEFORE Plants Vs. Zombies, honest.

Paint Tubes
(I am an Art Studies student,
so basically I want my love for art
to reflect in almost everything I do.)

My Wonderful Wishlist

2008-12-29T03:35:00.000-08:00

This page will contain two lists; my wishes that were already granted, and the wished that I'm still wishing for. This will only contain material wishes though. The link below redirects you to my treasury where I post my most valuable possessions. Thank you!

Granted wishes:
1. a cute bag to carry all my things
2. a laptop of my own
3. a Nikon D40
4. an external hard disk to store all my files

Still wishing for...
1. a cute and dainty dress, just like this one:

2. a cute pair of flats, just like this one:

1250php @ The Dainty Shop

3. A cute pair of dainty sandals, just like this one:

975php @ The Dainty Shop

4. the completion of my make-up kit which still lacks the ff. items: (to be updated later)

5. the following books that I'm hunting for at the moment: (to be updated later)
6. a ball-jointed doll, just like this one:

around 500$ (P 20k++)
(yup, really expensive)
@ DollMore

My Desktop

2008-12-29T02:49:00.000-08:00

Desktop January '11
A clean new desktop for a freshly reformatted laptop for a whole new year! There's not an accessory in sight, it's just sleek, and black. It matches my browser's theme as well. My browser's Google Chrome.

Credits

Wallcoo for the wallpaper.

It's that simple.

Desktop May '09
Kawaii madness! This desktop lasted for more than a year. Whoa. o_0 My love for this desktop is astounding. I guess, I just loved it so much that I just can't force myself to change it!

Credits
MilkBun for the wallpaper.
Icon Archive and Free Icons Download for the icons.
ObjectDock for the dock.
Rainlendar for the calendar, events, and to do list.
SensitiveKnife2 for the Rainlendar skin.
1001 Winamp Skin
Melfra for the Negima clock and desktop buddies.

My Art Journal

2008-12-29T01:58:00.003-08:00

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.
Spreads

Per page

My Infinite Playlist

2008-12-29T01:54:00.000-08:00

What I'm listening to, right now:

My Infinite Playlist:

I listen to a bunch of albums every now and then -- most of them are friends' suggestions, or matches done by last.fm from the songs that I've listened to before. I then save the ones I loved best and add them to my beloved never ending playlist. This is the same playlist on my trusty mp3 player (As I have yet to save for an Ipod of my own!). To save the clutter, I'll just list them down here, and you do the searching if you're interested. Please note that this playlist would be updated from time to time, so if you love the same music as I do, or just plain interested, check back often! Cheerio.

Absolute Gravity - Snow Patrol
Amsterdam - Peter Bjorn and John
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Come Back To What You Know - Embrace
Crazy in Love - Snow Patrol
Hooligan - Embrace
Liars Tears - Embrace
New Adam, New Eve - Embrace
Save Me - Embrace
Simple Song, Simple Plan - The Pettit Project
The Love It Takes - Embrace
Yeah You - Embrace
Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John

My Friends

2008-12-29T01:09:00.000-08:00

Highschool Friends
We call ourselves Abnormal Children's Association (A.C.A.) back then. Haha.
Those were the good 'ol days.

Also:
Emylene Dela Torre
Kresta Marie Leonardo
and Ada Criselda Obelidor
(Sorry, I don't have solo pictures of you.)

Best Boy Bud
I met him at the same place where I met my
sweet lover, the National College of Business and Arts.

Nino Rodel Jovellano

My College Friends
fron the University of the Philippines, Diliman

Diane Doris Garcia and Mimi Sapasap

Online Bestfriends
We all met at Vox, the rest was history.

Justine Espinueva

and Barbara "Basterda" Emocling

My Definition Of Perfect

2008-12-29T00:41:00.000-08:00

Name: Darrel John Saldivar Caralde
Birthday: February 9, 1986
Location: Philippines
Occupation: Merchandiser, Robinson's Galleria

HE is my sweet lover; my definition of perfect. He is my art and music, in the flesh. We met more than three years ago, as block mates in my former college, the Nat'l College of Business and Arts in Taytay, Rizal, where we both took HRM. We became friends, and eventually fell in love with each other. We became "us" on March 26, 2006. Life has never felt better ever since.

He is very sweet. He makes songs for me, cooks for me, he's always there whenever and wherever I need him and I love him very much. Like any other couple, we had our own share of highs and lows. We first became together on November 8, 2005, but for some reasons, it didn't work out. It think it was really tough on him, because my mom's his professor. Yep. My mom teaches in the school where we study. We broke up, but after a few months, we decided that we couldn't live without each other.

Fortunately, I was accepted and transferred to my dream university, the University of the Philippines, as an Art Studies student; but another problem again surfaced. Darrel's family went to financial problems and he was forced to stop studying. He worked as a factory worker in Fibisco Comfoods Corp. for six months. This took a toll on his self-esteem. We faced problems almost every week. He argued that he wasn't good enough for me anymore, but we survived.

Six months have passed, and his contract has already ended. His parents decided it would be best if he would go home to their hometown, Nueva Ecija -- miles away from where I was. Being in a long-distance was tough. I worked as library assistant in our school to earn a little money. for us. He didn't have a job and was unemplyed for a loooooong time. Whenever we decide to meet (which is once in two months), he had to pawn his cellphone to have enough money for a bus fare, one-way. I would then be in-charge of our expenses and his fare back.

Months passed, and he told me that he would be coming back, but surprise surprise...he went back here in Manila just to take care of his papers. He would be working as a tea boy abroad. Seeing him go was the hardest thing that I have ever faced. It was a mixture of emotions. I was scared, I was hurt, I didn't know what to do, but I, we, had to face it. Working abroad promised a brighter future for him, and for us. Maybe it was for the best.

He was gone for a year, and we only had the internet to keep us together. It was hard the first few months. I couldn't sleep, and I had some difficulty in eating. I was always in a trance, and my brain was always elsewhere. I tried to keep myself busy. I studied harder, read books more often, and even blogged more often. In Dammam, he worked hard. He earned best employee awards, and worked part-time jobs at night and on days-off. It worked wonders on his self-esteem. At last, the Darrel I loved found his way back. He became his self again, though he also suffered severe home-sickness.

Before we knew it, it was already a year, and now he's back in the Philippines. Don't get me wrong, every second felt like forever while he was gone. When he came back, I thought we could finally have our happy ending. We had lots of plans for the money he saved. He would study Culinary Arts, since cooking was his passion. I would finish school. He would become a chef, while I worked hard, so that we could save up for our wedding. But as happy endings doesn't really happen in real life, he was forced to give all of his savings to his family; again, they had financial problems. He was left broke more than ever. We both worked hard finding a job for him, and God be praised, he finally found one, but that didn't last too long.

At present, I am now also a working student and I help him go through his studies. He is now currently enrolled at Infotech, Mandaluyong City, taking up a degree on Hotel and Restaurant Managament.

In less than a year, I would be finishing college. I would work really hard to help him study his dream course. Our plans would pick up by then. Looking back, it still surprises me how we survived and how we are still surviving, but I wouldn't trade our relationship for anything in the world.

Darrel's my first boyfriend, and he would be my last. I love him. I'll do anything for him, and I'll offer my whole life to him.

Darrel,mahal na mahal kita.

Snippets Of My Dear Life

2008-12-29T00:33:00.000-08:00

These are some of the videos I've made or has featured me so far. By the way, the most recent video is the one above. Enjoy! :D

Mocca the Movie
Mocca is our dog. We have four dogs, and he's the youngest. He's big now, but as I was deleting some pictures from my camera, I discovered these really old videos and pictures of him, so I ended up making a short movie just for him. Enjoy! ♥ ♥ ♥

The Correspondents, March 3, 2009
You might ask why a TV show is being showed here? Well, I'm in it! Haha. I ran (and won) as the Department of Art Studies representative during our last student council elections, and the Correspondents featured it. If you missed me, I'm in 2:04. Haha. I know it's not much, because I only ran in the local elections of our college, but it's a start. :P

By the way this is only a part 1 of 4. You can check out the other parts here: 2, 3, 4.

I'll be your Angel.
Hello oily face! HAHAHA. Well this was the only best thing I could give him for our 2nd anniversary. I made the song, so no nasty comments, or I'll hunt you down, I swear. >:D

Happy Birthday Darrel!
I think one of the loneliest things in life, that a person would ever experience is to celebrate his birthday alone.

Darrel, I Miss You.
Another surprise video for Darrel when he was still abroad. The background always made us cry so it was really perfect for the video. By the way, the words translate to:

"I thought everything was going to be just easy..because waiting isn't really that hard...because I know I can do anything, because of you I have the strength. But I was wrong, it's really hard, it's really hard to lose my music. So I tried going back..to go back to all the memories you've left me...to all the places were we've built our dreams, the dreams that we are striving to build no...to all the places where our hearts were contented..because I am here, and you're there. But it's really hard, it's really hard when you're gone. I miss you so much. I love you."

Ang Magulong Buhay ni Darrel at Virna
This is a video I've made for Darrel when he was still working abroad. He was really lonely during his first week there so I made this to make him feel a little better. Most of the scenes were taken just before he left.

My Library

2008-12-28T23:09:00.000-08:00

My book collection is sorted by their authors. Note that my book reviews are located through another page, right here. As of the moment, I'm trying to complete Irene Hunt's books. Thanks for viewing!

Carroll, Lewis
Alice in Wonderland
Through The Looking Glass And What Alice Found There

Hunt, Irene
Across Five Aprils
Up a Road Slowly
No Promises in the Wind
The Trail of the Apple Blossoms

Gaiman, Neil
Coraline

Kim, Young Ha
I Have The Right to Destroy Myself

McBride, James
The Color of Water

Moore, Thomas
Care of the Soul
Soul Mates

Orwell, George
1984

Tolstoy, Leo
Anna Karenina

Random Facts About Me

2008-12-28T22:55:00.000-08:00

RANDOM RANDOM.

These are just a few random and weird facts about myself.
(Take note that even most of my closest CLOSEST friends
don't even know some of these yet, haha!)

- I have a mole/birth mark on the upper left side of my lips, believed to be a sign of being talkative here in the Philippines.

- I also have a mole on my left arm that my father always mistakes for something that just sticked to me, like dirt or food or something.

- I can make my left arm produce a "clicking" sound.

- I broke my right arm years ago so my arms are not really aligned.

- I'm allergic to cow's milk and I get dandruffs for drinking or eating foods with milk. Now how weird is that? @_@

- I also don't use any kind of powder - unless it's pressed - because I'm also allergic to it, along with dust and some perfumes, powder makes me sneeze for HOURS.

- I have this throat sickness, and everytime I inhale secondhand smoke, my throat hurts pretty bad.

- I have an addiction on coke floats, and some weird concoctions like coke + raw eggs (It tastes yummy! I swear. The egg gets cooked with carbon so it doesn't taste weird anymore, plus they say it cures asthma.) and chico + strawberry fruitshake.

- When I was still young, I was kinda fat, so I bullied others. One time, I had a fight with a girl clasmate, she was bigger than me actually. I pulled her hair to the bathroom then I poured a dipper of water on her. She was so drenched. Haha!

- I have two bestfriends from elementary and I lost contact with them. BUT up to now, I'm still looking for them, and I'm hoping they'll still remember me, Laurice Sarmiento and Veronica Micaller.

- I'm a crybaby. Tearjerker movies (but not all of them) easily make me cry.

- The truth is, I really didn't finish reading the Hunchback of Notredame yet. Haha. Sorry Hugo, it's just so...hard. Sigh.

- I have a cooking-phobia. I hate boiling cooking oil. I hate it's cracking sound. I hate boiling anything, but I'd really want to learn how to bake and mix drinks. I have already baked Darrel some cookies -- which I'm really proud of because they're moist :D -- and I enjoyed waiting for them to bake, but sadly, we don't have an oven, I only used a microwave to bake those.

- I'm scared shitless of roaches and the fact that in other parts of the world some people eat them! (WTF)

- Wait, I'm scared shitless of almost all flying insects! Except for butterflies, fireflies (which I adore), and dragonflies.

- My name Virna, came from the combination of my parents' names, Virgilio and Nadya. My Italian professor once said that it originated in Italy with an actress named Virna Lisi, and that the Filipino term for getting annoyed "imbiyerna" originated from Virna Lisi always getting antagonist roles in television and on film. Just like the term "magarbo" from Greta Garbo meaning fabulous in Filipino.

- My name may also have originated from the word "vera" ahich means truth in Greek. While I researched on my surname Odiver and found out that it might have come from two Spanish words "odio ver" meaning "hate to see". All in all, you might say that my name means, "the truth you hate to see". Pretty cool right?

- My middle name, Jocom, also has a pretty cool history, wherein the greatest grandfather of the clan, or the very first Jocom, was a judge. He was half Jewish and when he went here to live in the Philippines. He needed(?) a new surname, hence the surname Jocom. My grandfather was a judge, and I have lots of uncles, cousins, etc who are lawyers, which leaves me kinda frustrated because my mother is half-expecting me to go to law school.

- I also tried to research on my boyfriend's name, Darrel Caralde. Darrel came from the word "darling", and that's the reason why I keep naming things Darling or Cheri (also means darling, but in French). Caralde however might come from two Spanish (or Basque) words, "cara" and "alde". Cara means "expensive", while alde means "part" and I have also found another meaning of the word alde which is "water". Now, the family of Darrel lives beside a river in San Antonio, Nueva Ecija. Here in the Philippines, most of the richest families of long ago lived beside the rivers (also the same reason why Malacañang is beside Pasig River), so maybe, JUST maybe, their family lived on the expensive/precious part of the land. In short, my darling from the most precious part of the land.

- The Jocom family owned the very first movie houses in Bicol. They were filthy rich back then. I wonder what happened? O well.

- There are a lot of better things to do than reading patches of my weird life.

Famous People Who Share The Same Birthday as Me:

Alfred Lord Tennyson, poet.
Sir Alexander Fleming, the founder of Penicillin.
Andy Warhol, pop artist.
Lucille Ball, famous actress and comedienne.
Michelle Yeoh, actress.
Kevin Mitnick, the most famous computer hacker ever (cool 0_0).
and Gerri Haliwell, Ginger Spice.

Site and WWW

2008-12-28T22:21:00.000-08:00

Kawaii Darling

About Kawaii Darling and Buttons to Link Me!
Kawaii Darling's Past Layouts
Kawaii Darling would like to thank...
Site Directory (under construction)

All For You

2008-12-28T22:10:00.000-08:00

Graphics
Pixel Love
Philippine Pixels - only found here!
Site Materials
Icons - from my own shots.
Sayclub Collection

Coming Soon
Special Adoptions
Vectored Avatars
Fab Favicons
Birthday Badges
Memo Pad Scans

Reads
( MOSTLY STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Reviews Archive
Films
Books

Tips and Ideas
Tips on Shopping and Ukay Hunting
Creative and Romantic Ideas

How To's
How to Install Tekken 6 On Your PSP
How to Install PC Games Downloaded from Torrent
How to Speak Filipino in 5 Minutes

Others
My Mega Link List - Inspirational Links That I've Collected Through My Web Travels

My Profile

2008-12-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

Full Name: Virna Pamela Jocom Odiver
Nicknames: Virna, Virns
Birthday: August 6, 1989
Gender: Female
Status: Engaged
Location: Philippines
Education: 4th yr, Bachelor of Arts in Art Studies
School: National College of Business and Arts, Taytay, Rizal (Highschool), College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
Affiliations: UP Ibalon, Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (Stand-UP), College of Arts and Letters Student Council (2009-2010), UP Asosasyon ng Kabataang Artista, Kritiko, at Iskolar ng Sining at Kultura (UP Asterisk), and AlaySining KAL.

I am a lover of art. I breathe it, eat it, and roll all over it. I'm an artist, and whoever objects will never see the light of day again. EVER. I am a lean mean eating machine. Yup, I don't get fat no matter how much I glob down. I am a broken karaoke, forever sick of the last song syndrome. I am left-handed, and left-footed.I have a happy and cheery disposition most of the time. I love life. I am a pro-life. I am NOT socially apathetic, and do not believe in apathy. I just believe in the thing called self-denial. OPEN your eyes people. The world isn't perfect.

I love only one man, and I will love only one man. I don't believe in love-at-first-sight (that's just crap), but I do believe in forever. I love you Darrel. You are my sweet lover.

Stalk Me?
E-mail/ YM: iamvirna@yahoo.com

Facebook: Virna Pamela Jocom Odiver
DevArt: http://iamvirna.deviantart.com (inactive)

Multiply: http://iamvirna.multiply.com (inactive and has always been, I use this only for online shopping and what-not)

More About Me:
Random Facts About Me
The Definition of Perfect
My Offline Friends
Snippets of My Dear Life (Videos and more!)
What's Inside My Bag?
My Darling Desktop
My Current Playlist

My Book Collection

My Wonderful Wishlists
My Art Journal Pages
My Beloved Treasures
My Awesome Handwriting
My Great Toybox
Ask Me Anything!

How To Install Tekken 6 On PSP (CFW 5.00 M33)

2008-11-30T05:26:00.000-08:00

Finally the most awaited Tekken 6 is here, but not everybody has upgraded their firmwares yet. So, how do you play it? Simple. Just scroll down.

By the way, this post is just a repost. The original post could be found here.

1. First off, I am the downloader/installer for my boyfriend and me, since Darrel lives with his prehistoric aunt who doesn't have a computer and internet at home – given that she has ample resources to buy herself a super expensive laptop. Haha. I download games from Games Torrents – a site that lets you download torrent game files for free. Click HERE. This site is really neat and definitely worthy of checking out. It also offers other games like pc games, xbox, wii, nds, among others.