Sheena's HAPPY Blog

SHEENA LOVES SUNSETS OFFICIAL SITE

2011-01-31T15:23:00.004+08:00

VISIT THE OFFICIAL SHEENA LOVES SUNSETS WEBSITE & ONLINE STORE!

See all of my latest drawings and purchase products from my online store. I no longer use blogspot; instead I've moved to Tumblr now, so you can go check that one out too! Enjoy!

SHEENALOVESSUNSETS

2010-01-08T17:50:00.005+08:00

This account has long been dead.
Please visit my TUMBLR instead!
Yes, I update there.
A lot.

Thank you!

Amazing Obentos

2008-10-26T21:47:00.003+08:00

Thanks to my good friend Barby, I was able to come across Luckysundae's photostream on Flickr. SHE MAKES THE BEST OBENTO DESIGNS! If I end up as a housewife (though I seriously doubt that) and had all the time in the world, I would create all sorts of obentos like these for my husband and kids. Haha! Since I can't really cook, I'd make up for that with amazing presentation. Woopie!! But seriously, if I had the time, I'd really make obentos like these. I feel so inspired! I WILL BE THE BEST WIFE IN THE WORLD!

These three little piggies are just so adorable! ^_____^

TINKERBELL!! CHEESE!! AAAH!

PANDA SHAKE!! AAAH!!!

AHIHIHI! Makes me happy looking at them. Heehehee!!

Jimmy Liao

2008-10-23T08:54:00.005+08:00

Jimmy Liao now occupies one of the top spots in my favorite artists of all time. Discovered about his works through my good friend Christiane and been a fan ever since. More than the drawings, what I like most about him is the way he conveys emotions and stories in his artworks. If you've known me long or been following my works, you'd notice that my favorite subject to draw is that of couples in love. Jimmy Liao has a set of drawings with that theme and I absolutely adore them.

If you get the chance of seeing his books on stores, make sure to grab a copy of A Chance of Sunshine and Sound of Colors. I don't have my own copy yet, but I plan on going on a scavenger hunt when I visit China or Taiwan or HK maybe. I read that the English translations don't do justice so I want to get the Mandarin versions and though I suck at Mandarin, it will be my life goal to understand what's written on that book. Hehe.

Another thing that really inspired me about Jimmy Liao is this picture of a gallery he had at Hong Kong. I was so awed because the way the gallery was designed is just completely breathtaking. If someday I were to have my own gallery (as if...), I pray that it be as amazing as this one. I love the way it's shaped, how the artworks are placed, everything! I never felt so inspired to have my own gallery. But then again, Jimmy Liao is like an art god (in my world at least) and it's not surprising that he holds a gallery as impressive as this one.

Cake Parade

2008-10-22T08:04:00.015+08:00

Hello, world! Meet Cake Parade!

Red Western Digital 160 GB External Hard Drive worth 3200 pesos in Greenhills. I am proud to say that I used my hard earned money for this new toy! Special thank you to all those who bought the necklaces (those with my drawings) that I was selling! Amazing how I was able to raise enough funds is just a week! Praise God! Named her Cake Parade because I like it!

At first it was supposed to be Whale on the Clouds and some other variations like Pancake Whales or Cloudy Whale but it all wouldn't fit. So after so many random words, I ended up with this. Great!

Anyway, yes, obviously I designed it myself again, heehee. I did it for an entire morning --- painstakingly sticking each rhinestone. Oh, the things I do for love. I got the cloud sticker from my friend who gave me an adorable set for my birthday.

I originally planned on getting a pink one, but none of the stores sold 160 GB pink hard drives so I gave up and got this instead, which may I say was actually a BLESSING in disguise because now I LOVE THIS RED one to bits and the pink and white rhinestones look so great on it. Hehee.

I've been arranging the folders and changing all the icons since I got her last September 9, 2008. I renamed all my files as well and went all CRAZY OC over everything. Hahaha. As in it's so much more organized than Luke (my Macbook) now. Luke is envious. Following are screenshots of it.

This is what you see first when you open Cake Parade

Drawings > General part. Heehee, just showing off my cute icons.

Pictures > Barkada Pics part. More of my lovely Loco Roco icons!

My personal favorite collection of the drawings I do. Just note how I name the files. Hehe. Makes me so happy to see them all nicely arranged like that!

Cake Parade includes the files of my life. Haha. It's crazy. I placed all my pictures, drawings and videos here and I have all my other files as well, like songs, documents, programs and so much more. And I love it. I needed this ever since Luke started to go crazy. Hehe.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

2008-10-17T19:57:00.005+08:00

It's been a LONG time since I last posted and that's cuz I've been busy with everything else, and not that it matters, no one cares about this blog anyway except for a few of my loyal fans HAHA just kidding. Anyway.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR AS OF THIS TIME AND MOMENT!!! Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors are so amaaaaazing but this one takes the CAKE (Ahihi yes I feel so smart for using a stupid pun)!

I love the cookie dough tasting graham thingie inside. I don't really know how to blog about food. Well I guess the best description I can say is that, it's so good and so worth the expensive price. Yes, it's expensive (more costy than normal ice creams at least), and I shouldn't get too addicted.

I am in heaven. I am in love. I am now fat.

Door Designs

2008-08-21T19:05:00.002+08:00

I always wanted to write about my room. Here's the first entry I dedicate to that.

I've been wanting to add more stuff on my walls (and that includes my door), and I finally did! The tarp was from my birthday party! The boards on the door are made of styro. I covered it with a really nice and soft red paper and stuck random bits and pieces of my life.

I made the one the top (left on this picture) first before the other. It's a bit cleaner and empty at the bottom part. I'd probably add some little stuff there soon. If you want to really look into the details, click on the picture to enlarge! Some are pretty obvious already, but look for the following:

1. Two postcards I got at Paris
2. Four paper cranes
3. A paper frog from a friend
4. My ID tag campaign material for the Celadon elections
5. My grade school cafeteria pass

Oh, and you may be wondering about those two huge typewritten sheets. I found them as I was looking through my mom's old things. They are quotes either from the bible or about God. She typed this when she was still single, working at the bank and a Christian, all of which she isn't now (but one of which I hope she will be again). It 's something that I really treasure.

Passion Manila

2008-08-06T18:02:00.004+08:00

One of the most amazing nights of my life was last August 1, 2008! Attended Passion Manila with Christiane, Michelle, Tiff, Cams, Jed, Abs, Di and Barby! A night well spent because it was a night spent praising God! And what a wonderful, holy God we are praising!

It was a gathering of university aged students (16-22), so you can just imagine the hype of the people there! Falling in line outside under the rain was well worth it! If you were there, you would know of the greatness of the entire production; from the video slideshow to the lighting to the music to the message to the people! EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING! I've always liked Chris Tomlin's songs but it was so different singing it out loud with so many people who are just overflowing with energy!! People were jumping and clapping and dancing and it was contagious! :3

Passion Manila was such a blessing to me and I know it was to many many other people there who attended. I can't give a write-up that would do justice to the awesome-ness of this great great conference. If you were given the chance to attend a Passion conference, do so and I KNOW you'll love it!

THERE IS NO ONE LIKE OUR GOD! ... for greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city!!!

Colorful Shoes!

2008-06-28T21:18:00.003+08:00

First of all, allow me to exclaim that I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS! Hahaha.

The original color of the shoelaces weren't pink, but of course, I had to change them. The light blue one was too pale. BRIGHT PINK IS LOVE! I bought this last weekend after a long day of shoe hunting. I was looking for shoes that would keep my feet dry despite the rain (because it's been raining like crazy last week). I was thinking of leather chucks but God gave me something better. Hahaha! I saw this (at probably the nth Adidas store that I went to) and it was love at first sight! Colorful butterflies all around!! The texture is like nylon (not sure if it's really nylon).

I LOVE IIIIIT!

Christiane's Chucks

2008-06-15T09:08:00.006+08:00

My friend Christiane asked me to doodle on her shoes.
This is how it looks like now.

Nothing much to say in this post, except that I had a lot of fun drawing. This was my first time to doodle on shoes and I really didn't have like a theme or a concept in mind. I simply doodled away, just as I would doodle on paper! It all started when I mentioned that I had a pair of fake Chucks (eep sorry *guilty look*) at home, which I plan on designing.

I used my trusty ol' Calligraphy pen to draw on this pair aaaaand... let's hope it doesn't smudge when it gets wet. Give me more time to practice and think up of themes/concepts for the designs, and soon you, and the rest of the world, shall face the wrath of my doodling powers. Mwahahha.

Little Twin Stars Watch

2008-05-30T11:44:00.003+08:00

It all began with my friend Mitz who, during one of our usual gimiks, arrived with his new and oober cool Ultraman kiddie watch which, when you press a certain button, POPS out the time for you! We were all so amused, especially me, and I wanted one as well (but I wasn't an Ultraman fan, so nevermind that haha). He said he bought his at the local department store.

When I was out shopping with my other friends at SM Megamall, I decided to check out the kiddie watches section just in case they had other designs other than Ultraman. MUCH TO MY UTMOOOOST JOOOOOOY, they had a LOT but this LITTLE TWIN STARS ONE TAKES THE CAKE!!!

It was the first thing my eyes landed on and I squealed so loud and long that my friends were all embarrassed to be with me (not to mention that the saleslady assisting us was laughing as well). It took me time to choose whether I wanted the white strap or the pink, or the other design with Lala kissing Kiki on the cheek (ITS SO CUTE but it was colored blue and I'm not too fond of blue). And for a while I also got distracted and thought twice if I wanted the My Melody one too (because it was SO CUTE as well and I also love My Melody!). But I ended up buying this and i ABSOLUTELY LOVE IIIIIITTTTT!!! When you press the button, the time also pops and I LOVE PRESSING IT!

As a lot of people know... it doesn't take a lot to make me happy :D Hahaha. Just bring me to the kids section of the department store and I could stay there forever.

And did I mention this costs only 250php ($6-ish)? Nyehehe!

The Perfect Bible

2008-05-27T21:47:00.005+08:00

One of the best presents that I've ever received! Last May 24, my good friend Bens gave me (using his own words) the PERFECT bible for me (and so it was)! I love it very very much, to an extent I couldn't even put into words. Thank you super super, as I've been repeatedly telling you ever since. Haha.

Of all the years I have studied at a Catholic school, I have always rejected Catholicism and its teachings. For years, I was a Buddhist and I proudly declared this to people I met. I emphasized that it was more than just a family tradition that I follow and that it was a true personal choice that I've made. I will not tell the story of my personal spiritual journey (one that I am still going through right now, of course) but to cut the long story short, recently, I believe that God has started to reveal Himself to me and is continuing to do so. Thanks to my wonderful Christian friends (hello, 'churchboys' *and girls* haha), I am more and more learning about God and his wonderful message for me (and us all!)

This SUPER PERFECT Bible is SUPER PERFECT in every way; the translation is very easy to understand and it makes things easier to read, the color PINK is my favorite and this pink is just a very HAPPY pink haha, the silver sides on the pages are just adorable, the font is so easy on the eyes (unlike my old Bible hehe), it contains only the canon books and it's so handy that I can bring it anywhere (and I plan on bringing it everyday with me to school).

I read the Bible everyday now and it never fails to make my heart glad. The perfect breakfast book to read to start the day and the perfect bedtime book to read before ending the night.

Taschen Books

2008-05-22T10:09:00.000+08:00

Taschen publishes amazing art books. If I had the money, I would buy the entire collection. Each book is full of full-page, high-quality pictures and is a VERY good resource for art students and enthusiasts alike. I get a lot of possible ideas from these books and I just love them so much. What I love most are their books which tackle on the subject of Pop Culture especially the sets with vintage graphics. The wealth of images that they provide is amazing and it's as though you are being transported to a different era as you flip through the pages.

The picture above are covers of some Taschen Books that I REALLY want to get. Also includes some books which have yet to be released as of this moment. Also, I posted sample covers so that you guys have an idea how the covers look like (in case you haven't heard of them before). Very pretty, aren't they?

I currently own 2 Taschen books: Japanese Prints and The Golden Age of Advertising - the 60's. Both are part of the 25th anniversary set, which means that they were priced cheaper than the usual Taschen books. Hooray! I will increase my collection once I start earning more! Haha!

To Write Love On Her Arms

2008-05-16T09:20:00.005+08:00

Love is the movement.

I was introduced to this campaign by my good friends, Jed and Abs because they wear TWLOHA apparel and I got curious. What really caught my attention was their slogan "Love is the movement" and it got me into reading more about it.

I won't go around explaining the details of this, because you have their website for that. I am simply writing this entry to help spread the word, in a way, and to express how wonderful I think this campaign is. Some of the artists and bands that I listen to are a part of this campaign, including one of my favorites, Mayday Parade. Also, I am totally in love with their apparel line. I want that long sleeves hoodie! (I love their logo design)

Click the link now!

I Built a Sandcastle

2008-05-14T18:48:00.003+08:00

I have completed another goal in my 70 Things to Do Before I Die list! #9: Build a sandcastle!

It wasn't anything grand but it was already an accomplishment for someone who hasn't gone to the beach for years already. HAHA. My family doesn't go to the beach that often because my parents prefer cool, relaxing getaways so this was a very rare opportunity.

We were at Subic last May 10 to 12 and I had such a wonderful time! Thanks to our family friends, Auntie Ellie and Uncle Henry, we were able to ride their private speedboat and have this place (beach) all to ourselves. Subic is such a great place. It's really a pity because I think that if they develop the other attractions more (like Zoobic and the beaches), it would really be a great tourist destination.

Anyway, me and my brother were each building our own castles and took pictures after. The waves were a bit strong so I had to rebuild this so many times. We had to build not too far from the water because we didn't bring any pail or shovel. Haha. We needed easy access to water o__o My design was simple, but I really like it! It sortta looks like a mosque of some sort though... or like a flying saucer, or you know that thingie on top of juicers? Lol! I am but an amateur, don't laugh at my castle. Hahaha.

Yes, I built this with nothing else but my bare hands and my heart <3

Get INSPI(RED)

2008-05-07T09:08:00.006+08:00

For those living under a rock for the past year, allow me to introduce to you the RED campaign (started by Bono and Bobby Shriver), beginning with the RED Manifesto. Read on.

The Join Red campaign, I must say, is such a genius project in so many ways. It is a great marketing plan (a fact they self-proclaim) and at the same time they DO help. The manifesto says it all and bravo to them for making the manifesto honest and straight to the point.

It also helps that the simple designs are charming. I'm pretty sure GAP sales rose tremendously with their RED apparel line as almost everyone in the US has a shirt or two (exaggerating much, obviously). And I've been hoping that Apple would release a RED iPod Classic because although I adore the RED Nano (the old one, not the new square ones), the capacity just won't do it for me. Hopefully more companies would join the campaign as I'd like to feel less guilty every time I buy something nice.

Anyway, GAP is opening soon at the Shangri-La mall here in the Philippines and I sure hope they carry the RED apparel line (it would be pretty silly if they didn't). I want an INSPI(RED) tshirt... and that RED hoodie is just to die for.

If you are still confused or would like more information, visit their website Join Red. I'm not sure if it's just me, but the site usually takes a lot of time to load. Fret not for the site is worth it.

Automatic Loveletter

2008-05-06T10:20:00.015+08:00

New music discovery and this one is love. Automatic Loveletter.

When I listen to songs, what strikes me more are the lyrics first before the sounds and I guess that is why Automatic Loveletter was love at first listen. Juliet Simms' poetry is amazing and I love all the imagery she brings. Music wise, her voice is full of passion and their energy is magnetic. Why, oh why, do they only have a few songs. Huu.

My first encounter with Juliet Simms was from Remembering Sunday (a personal favorite of my friends and I), a song with All Time Low (I love this band). "The Answer" was the first song that I listened to and it remains to be one of my favorites from them. But the song that I really love the most is "Unhearted" because of the lyrics. It's not the best most poetic thing you've probably ever heard but it meant something to me personally :).

"...and I breathe cuz its necessary and I sigh when I see the moon. I dream to make sleep less boring.. I'm a hopeless romantic and kicking the habit but all hearts have darts." - Unhearted

"This drama sat shot gun my eyes rained like autumn only the glove box knows how the story goes" - Make Up Smeared Eyes

"From ocean to sky summer and fall, I have been there though it all. From laughing and crying to pain that comes easy from shades of grey meaning that turn out so sweetly" - The Answer

Chatuchak Weekend Market

2008-04-24T10:46:00.003+08:00

Best place to shop = Chatuchak Weekend Market. That's basically it.

I had to come back twice on the same weekend just because I felt like I didn't buy enough during the first day. Loads of robot/monster shirts and very nice graffiti style graphic designs as well. My brain was so confused. Haha. Shirts cost around 100-200 Baht at max and that's extremely cheap! If only I could go back, I would've bought like 20 more :| Haha! My brothers were grabbing shirts like crazy as well and I LOVE the designs on a lot of the boy shirts so I helped my brothers pick for the really nice ones and I ended up borrowing and wearing them also back home HAHA.

A stall there named Defy were selling unique gold plated pendants, charms, necklaces, rings and many more. It was probably my favorite shop. I wanted to buy so many and had to control myself. I bought this Paper Crane designed necklace which I absolutely adore! I have a thing for paper cranes (since I've been folding them like crazy this summer) and paper cranes remind me of very nice memories so I just couldn't resist getting this. This is now my favorite piece of jewelry.

If you're visiting Thailand and if you're a fan of tiangge style markets, your best bet is this weekend market. Be sure to bring water. Tie your hair. Wear comfy shoes and comfy clothes. If crowded places irritate you, ha, you sure are in the wrong place!

The Hush Sound

2008-04-16T18:54:00.002+08:00

The first song I heard from this band was "Lions Roar" and it was through a REALLY AMAZING typography video that I found on You Tube. I fell for the lyrics and loved the sound, thank goodness this was the first song I heard (Come on, there were words like 'puppets' and 'elephants' and everyone knows how much I love the circus haha). I am proud to say that the Hush Sound was my own discovery (much like my ultimate favorite singer Rachael Yamagata). I was searching for new material when I came across the cover art of their album "Like Vines".

Their indie rock sound is very much reminiscent of another of my favorites, the Decemberists, but the Hush Sound provides a softer and seemingly more innocent feel. Heavy pianos and often times, a mellow tone. Charming is the word to best describe them.

Greta Salpeter and Robert Morris take turns in the vocals and it helps in keeping a good range of variety in their music.

Listening to their sound in the middle of everything was one of the best things that's happened to me this week, and in perfect timing as well. Their sound makes you forget about the world for a bit and takes you to a place where time stands still and people sit and stare as the world flies by.

I haven't listened to all their songs fully yet as of this moment, but here are some of my favorite lines, so far.

"You painted me in pastels, colors that don't tell of any boldness. Cause that's the way you love to see me; so delicate, so weak, so little purpose" -The Artist

"You are the daydream in my eyes, there whenever I wake up. But the colors never crystalize and I never get enough" - Love You Much Better

"And if the timing is right to sneak off into the night, I'll let myself be taken just for the thrill. And if I'm given the chance to be a doll in his hands, I will be sure we shake the mountains while we dance" - The Boys Are Too Refined

Elephant Ride

2008-04-14T15:24:00.001+08:00

As many people know, the thing I'm most excited about during my trip to Singapore & Thailand was finally being able to meet the elephants, or who I fondly call the PHANT PHANTS!! Wooo! I was so excited for this!

So last April 6, the day before we finally came home from our early summer trip, we visited the Rose Garden at Thailand to go and say hello to the phant phants. The weather was terrible actually, as it was raining throughout our 1 hour ride from the hotel to the place. Luckily though (and I think mainly due to my grandma's presence, since she honestly prays like crazy every single moment, and thank goodness for that), when the time came for us to ride the elephants, the rain stopped! Hooraaaay!

You had to pay I think something around 20 baht to have your photo taken on the small phant phant. You get to sit on his leg, yeheeey! Whoever said I can't hug elephants can kiss your unbelieving butt buhbye because ha! I was able to do it!! Heehee.

I self-proclaimed that the elephant's name was to be Michelle. I kept calling it Michelle already until one of my brothers pointed out that I was so stupid because the phant phant had tusks, which obviously meant that it was a boy. What was I thinking?! Haha! So I renamed it to Mark. I don't know why I name him Mark. I just did. Haha! My brothers were laughing at me because I was talking to the elephant.

Anyway, super happy! I finally got a chance to ride the elephant as well! My love for elephants overpowered my fear of heights so hooraaay! The ride was super short, but it doesn't take a lot to make me happy.

Crossing out another item in my things to do before I die list!

Soundtrack of My Summer: Part 2

2008-04-09T13:48:00.003+08:00

View the original Soundtrack of My Summer entry over here

This picture showcases the entire collection so far. I have a feeling I'm going to be drawing more soon but people might get tired of it so... haha I dunno. Here's the second part of the collection I guess (together with the first one). 5 new drawings starting from the brownish one with hanging clouds! Click the link above for the story behind this collection.

It is officially summer and so far, I'm having a great time. I've been going out, bonding with elephants (haha), hanging out with my friends, planning stuff with my co-officers at Celadon (my organization) *which I totally enjoy, just to make that clear* and more drawing. I'm trying to learn new things too such as sewing and more origami stuff haha. Folding more cranes as well. Ah, cranes...

My favorite from the latest batch is the one with the slow dancing theme. I may not look it but I'm a fan of unsaturated color schemes. And I love the white bubble dress on this one... wish I had one. And the boy looks particularly cute here... and they're slow dancing, what other explanation can I give? Anyway, the last one, with the silhouettes, is also something special since it's my first time to draw silhouettes and I think it makes a great 'last picture' because it truly encompasses summer. I have to say though, the boy's arms look funny here haha.

Still playing this playlist over and over. Still drawing drawings of you. Still as inspired as ever. Why...

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Songs from left to right top to bottom: "On Top of the World" by Boys Like Girls, "Coffee" by Copeland, "The Great Escape" by Boys Like Girls, "Simple, Starving to be Safe" by Daphne Loves Derby, "Better That We Break" by Maroon 5, "Three Cheers for Five Years" by Mayday Parade, "Burn This City" by Cartel, "You Be the Anchor That Keeps My Feet on the Ground I'll Be the Wings That Keep Your Heart in the Clouds" by Mayday Parade, "Tonight" by FM Static, "Jamie All Over" by Mayday Parade

3 am

2008-03-28T20:30:00.001+08:00

I didn't notice this until one of my good friends, Christiane, pointed it out to me; 3 am is my inspired hour.

For the past weeks I've been having this very annoying and irregular sleeping pattern. I still sleep at my usual bedtime 10:30 pm (still kiddie! nuu!), which I fondly call my "meme time" but I've been waking up at very odd hours and couldn't sleep again. The usual routine goes like this: sleep form 10:30 pm, then I wake up at 1:30 am, try to get back to sleep and finally gives up after an hour or so. If I'm lucky, I can get back to sleep again at around 4:30 am but if not, hello deeper eye bags.

So you might be wondering, what is an entry regarding my stupid sleeping problem doing in my happy blog?

Again, 3 am = inspired hour. The first time this happened to me over the past weeks, I immediately sat down on my desk and popped my ipod (after trying for hours to get back to sleep). Then I took out my pencil and started doodling away. The result was my Soundtrack of My Summer collection (Part 1!). Then again the other night, I gave up again around that time and started doodling, and I drew another 'inspired' artwork (which I will never post anywhere, I'm quite sure, guess why, haha!). And sometimes, I would just stare blankly while listening to my playlist and I'd get really ... i don't know how to describe it because I don't want to use the word emo HAHA. Uhm, but something like that. In a good way though. Like I'd get really inspired to create things, and it's such a positive and wonderful feeling. :)

My Drawings in Necklaces

2008-03-21T20:56:00.002+08:00

I had these necklaces made from Personage by Stazas Inc. I saw their booth at the Celadon Biz Fair last January and knew that I wanted to have an item or two made.

We had a few problems at first because the first item they sent was damaged but all's well since they offered to replace it for free and have my second item discounted, which explains why I have two items! The drawings I sent were the Sakura and the Pag-Ibig na Dakila drawings because I think they're the most vintage-y looking drawings I have (not really THAT vintage but at least... hehe). I'm sure these will match well with some of my outfits! Yey! Thanks for the great service.

I want to sell products like this one but I have no contacts for the suppliers and all the shiz haha. Maybe someday I'll be able to though, and I'll open up a store having necklaces like these on the shelves. I have to think of more products and designs! Yehey!

Soundtrack of My Summer

2008-03-17T18:35:00.003+08:00

It was 3am in the morning and I couldn't sleep. I took out my battered Ipod and started playing the songs on my recent playlist... and sketches just came out of nowhere. Boys Like Girls. Daphne Loves Derby. Even some Maroon 5. A lot of the songs had very strong imagery and how I wish I could draw them exactly the way they look on my mind, but my noob skills permit me from doing so. Instead, I suffice myself to drawing those scenes as accurately (at which, I think I failed, but all the same...) as I can imagine them in my mind using my usual cartoon style. It, of course, helped that I was inspired during that time.

Back to the drawings. I started to sketch, like I said, some scenes as they were playing in my mind. I sketched so much more than what I ended up finishing and was inspired by more songs than what I ended up using. All the same, it was great practice for me. I will probably continue the rest of my sketches soon (especially since it's summer already) and create a second batch of love-sick, emo drawings using songs from Secondhand Serenade and from my all time favorite pro-depressant musicians Rachael Yamagata and KT Tunstall. But I'm trying to avoid my depressing songs lately. I need to keep being happy, especially since it's summer!

I named this collection the "Soundtrack of My Summer" collection, after the lyrics from one of the songs by Boys Like Girls ("Thunder"). I'd like to thank my good friends Jed and Abz for always singing songs like these during our emo sessions and car trips home. I hate telling people I listen to emo songs, but I just can't deny that I love these. Most especially, thank you Abz for "Coffee". It wasn't summer yet when I drew these and started listening to these songs, but I was thinking of summer so... I hope that counts.

My mom always begged me to draw more 'couple drawings' as she'd call it. She said I drew too much single girls , so thanks mom, I'm following your advice! I do hope that as you wish, I'd be able to find someone just as romantic as the boy in my drawings. Haha. To make things even better, I drew the girl to look like me (hopefully) with the outfits all resembling actual outfits that I wear regularly! My friends and classmates found the clothes all-too familiar, which was of course, the goal of the idea, so on that level, I guess I had succeeded. So yes, that's supposed to be me with my imaginary boyfriend in imaginary settings doing imaginary things. My boy has funky hairstyle.

And lastly, I guess I just want to say that... if you don't go looking for it, sometimes, it finds you.

Also, you don't know it's you, you probably never will, and you will probably never read this anyway, but thank you all the same for the inspiration! *clap clap!*

Read Soundtrack of my Summer: Part 2!

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Songs from left to right top to bottom: "On Top of the World" by Boys Like Girls, "Coffee" by Copeland, "The Great Escape" by Boys Like Girls, "Simple, Starving to be Safe" by Daphne Loves Derby, "Better That We Break" by Maroon 5.

The Face Shop: Nail Stuff

2008-03-16T14:28:00.002+08:00

With school almost over in a few days, expect new entries! Yey! ... not that anyone bothers to check this (except for Milka haha!) but all the same!

I am so addicted to the smell of this particular nail polish remover (wait. before you freak..) because it's strawberry scented eeeeeep! I love strawberry! It smells so good! I went to the Face Shop the other day, not expecting to buy anything really, but then I saw the yellow nail polish and tried it on my un-polished nails. I loved it instantly and grabbed one, then I took the polish remover tester to take the paint off and the smell was so amazing,

I just had to get it. I used it today and just a few drops (would you believe that?) removed the black polish I had on. It works well, smells good, and it's PINK! I also love the nail polish color selection of the Face Shop. I think I'll go get some more colors in the future... plus, they're not as expensive as other good brands are. Good find! My yellow polish is perfect for summer!

I sound like an airhead in this entry... eep, sorry. But shopping recently has been a great stress reliever... hehe. This IS my "happy blog" after all.

Music from the Tea Lands

2008-02-28T19:55:00.001+08:00

I'm downloading new music again, and to add to my "cool" music collection (Milka will comment on this I'm sure hahaha), I downloaded three Putumayo World Music albums and so far, my favorite is this one, Music from the Tea Lands. It's time for a tea party!

I was first drawn to the charm of Putumayo because of the cover art designs. The artworks are created by Nicola Heindl and the style features a fusion of folk lore and contemporary. For those who are strangers to Putumayo music, Putumayo World Music is a record label which specializes in featuring upbeat and melodic music from different parts of the globe. They specialize in African and Cuban music but they are also great in selecting music from all over. According to the Wikipedia article, a large portion of their target market are people with an interest in culture, travel and the arts. People like me! Amazing!

Music from the Tea Lands particularly impressed me because of its melodic Asian sound. It contains music from China, India and Turkey (only to name a few). I really enjoyed the music because I feel transported through time and space. Asian culture has been a growing interest of mine and this music makes a great accompaniment! Makes my room feel like a cozy little tea house. I love it.

I've been thinking up of a concept for my future store (thinking WAY ahead, Sheena, what the hell) with a cultural, artsy kindda theme and for sure, Putumayo Music will be playing in the background.

Barbie Silkstone Collection

2008-02-21T21:19:00.010+08:00

When I was a little girl, I loved Barbie dolls, not because it was a great toy, but because I loved the different outfits. Dolls served more as a display for me rather than a toy (except when cousins or friends would come visit and ask to play with them), and I loved them that way (Here we see the beginnings of my obsession with pretty things haha). Recently, I have been surfing the net for new references for different costumes when I came across a Barbie website arranging dolls according to collection. The Silkstone Collection was the first thing that struck me and I was completely drawn to the unique style of the dolls.

The facial features of the dolls is the most impressive detail in this collection. They all look so sophisticated and elegant. Reminds me so much of Audrey Hepburn! The costumes also feature a wide range of outfits with the theme of high class society women.

The elegant midnight gowns are so entrancing and even the casual outfits were so well designed! There are times when I wish I lived a life as such, and these dolls only heightened this desire! Such lovely lovely costumes! So vintage and so classy!

As some of my close friends may have already guessed, my favorite among the dolls is the Equestrian doll, officially known as the "High Stepping" Barbie, simply because I have always been in love with the culture of old style tea-parties and polo matches on a Sunday afternoon.

I think I'd post more entries about other Barbie doll collections which I find wonderful!

Maggie Parr

2008-02-11T11:54:00.000+08:00

I was first introduced to Magie Parr's artworks during my visit to HK Disneyland, and back then, I wasn't aware that she was the genius behind the paintings. I distinctly remember walking inside Banquet Hall and seeing the Snow White painting, I squealed like a little girl and rushed to it to take pictures. Then I noticed that there were other paintings beside it with the same art style and I felt like I was gonna die of excitement. Haha.

What struck me at first about her paintings was the colors and lighting. It gave out an air similar to that of old renaissance works of art. I love how she made the Beauty and the Beast artwork most especially because it's so early century-ish! Belle looks a bit huffy here though at first glance, hehe.

I was lucky to have come across a website once which accurately provided the artist's name, since I really had no idea who did these paintings. So I researched more about her works and found out that she was in fact commissioned to do a lot of portraits for the different Disneyland Resorts. I was able to gather some samples of her works as well.

Probably my favorite series is the one where she imitates the styles of famous pieces like the Mona Lisa (which she wittily named Minnie Lisa) and one of my personal favorites, The Swing. I have already had ideas of creating a similar set (actually I've already started before, with my Last Supper drawing), but I wasn't able to push through with the plan, partly because I felt that my flat colors wouldn't do the paintings justice. But maybe I shall get around to continuing that idea next time.

Funny London Pics

2008-02-10T09:10:00.000+08:00

I was browsing through our pictures a while ago when I came across these! I don't know if you'll find them funny but when I was trying to remember those particular moments, it really made me laugh. Haha!

So first, this set. Me in front of the Royal Albert Hall! Uh, I don't know why we took three pics? Hahaha! But this was just really funny. I don't remember this much, like why I took off my jacket in steps, but I did, so there! I look like an Eskimo in the first one, haha I love it! This is one of my favorite jackets. So comfy!

This second one is another silly picture which I remember very well! I was squealing because of the cute squirrels all over the park and I was bugging my brother to take my picture with a squirrel. But the problem was, the squirrels ran away every time I tried to get near them (I think they were scared cuz I was too hyper, boo).

So my 'brilliant' plan was to move slowly, one step at a time, sideways, so that I can fool the squirrels into thinking that I wasn't going to take a picture with them. -.- Don't know what I was thinking! HAHAHA!

Anyway this pictures shows me, trying to exectue my plan, but as you can see, the squirrel got away. :( Damn. I need a plan B.

Hahaha ok, that's all! I was just so amused at the pictures. I think I'll go find other funny pics from our other trips!

January Celadon Events!

2008-02-05T18:56:00.001+08:00

The Ateneo Celadon is an organization that I actively participate in at school. I really love my org and I'd like to give the entire story why, but that's another story. For this entry, I'd like to share two Celadon events which I participated in this January; the Business Fair and the Spring Film Festival.

The Biz Fair took place last January 19-20. I was there even before the event started and got the opportunity to use Retcher's DSLR and be our official amateur photographer (haha) for the day, beginning from the ribbon cutting! Heheee! I took most of the pics that day with the DSLR (which I wish I had instead!). I also tried helping out as much as I can the entire day from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm! I had tons of siomai which I absolutely adore! I had such a great time helping out for such a great event. The heads have done a very good job with this and I am very proud to have been part of the event, even if I just played a small role.

It was also a very memorable experience because of the funny fact that I was at the advertisements! One of the four 'models' haha! I honestly didn't expect that it was going to be that big of a deal until I saw posters hanging above the escalators. Freaky. Fed my vanity though. Hahaha! But it was really funny because obviously I'm not really a model of any sort and this was my first, er, shoot, I guess. But it was fun! My friends were teasing me about it. For the first time, I wasn't the one designing, I was the model! I think I prefer designing though... haha!

Spring Film Fest was one of the most interesting projects for me which is why I immediately signed up for this. It's our annual film festival wherein we feature 4 Chinese movies subtitled in English. As I am a big fan of foreign films, I already knew from the beginning that I wanted to participate.

I submitted a design for the promotional materials and luckily, the project heads liked what I did and used it as the official design. I'm very honored. This is my most widespread design though and again, I was surprised at how much of a big deal they made this! This is the largest tarp design I've ever done, it was as long as three floors, I think, and at Trinoma too! Huge mall! o.o And the posters and flyers were distributed everywhere inside and outside school! I worked very hard on them, editing the format dozens of times because of the different layouts needed and after all the revisions (Da knows... haha!) , but in the end, after I saw everything at Trinoma during our Gala Night, I realized it was all worth the pain.

Speaking of Gala Night, I was also there and I served as an usherette! It was really fun cuz we got to dress up in semi formal dresses and suits. I was also the one who held one of four scissors for the ribbon cutting. HAHA ok, that wasn't a big deal, but it made me happy. Funny! The movie we watched was really nice, it's called "Getting Home". I already had a bias for this because I'm totally in love with foreign films (as you might know already) and I've recently been having a love affair with Chinese culture (I must write about that soon). But really, it was a funny movie and I loved it. The people I worked with the entire time were great people too so great job everyone! My co ushers (they were all guys) made the night really fun and it was all great!

I love Celadon very much (I just have to stress that fact) and I'm looking forward to more events in the future! Yey!

The Travel Book

2008-01-29T15:45:00.000+08:00

As one of my favorite quotes go: "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page." And whenever I feel the need to travel but find it impossible to do so, I suffice myself by reading a very good book because sometimes, a book can carry the world in its pages.

The Travel Book by Lonely Planet is one of my favorites. It provides a condensed profile of every country in alphabetical order. It is easy to read, fun and very light (not literally, as this book is REALLY big and heavy). It gives you a good glimpse of every place with the witty remarks and advices on what to do and when to go. And of course, the photographs are breathtaking. Definitely not the usual tourist photos, the selection is amazing.

Coincidentally, I first encountered the quote I mentioned above by St. Agustine from this very book, but that was long ago, before I bought my own copy (And the fact that I bought it form my own hard earned money *from doing commissions* makes it even more special to me). I got the paperback edition because I thought that the hardbound would just be too heavy, and I was right. The paperback is already 4.6 lbs. Very heavy. I had to pay extra at the post office because of some stupid reason but it was very worth the trouble.

I haven't read through all of it yet, and I don't plan on doing that in just one sitting anyway. I read as little as one country from time to time, and in a sense, I feel like I am visiting places, one step at a time as well. I like flipping through the pages and just glancing at the different pictures. My greatest dream in life is to travel the world so I guess it's not surprising that whenever I'm not traveling, it's what I'm thinking about most.

One of the things I love most about this book is something that many may not have even noticed, and that's the message from Simon Westcott which can be found in the front flap. The introduction is perfect and you have to read it in its entirety. It is brief but nevertheless inspiring and he ends it with this line: "We offer you this book in hope that you will travel more, travel well and travel safely, thereby coming to read as many pages as possible of the greater, richer book that is the world."

Along the River During the Qingming Festival

2008-01-10T08:47:00.003+08:00

I now officially have a new favorite painting, and this is it : "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". Goodbye, Starry Night. Zhang Zeduan is my new Van Gogh.

Along the River (as I shall now refer it as, since the title is extremely supercalifragilistic) is a panoramic painting sizing at 24.8 x 528.7 cm. It is super long! The picture I placed there is just a TINY part of the entire painting. Look at this picture of the full sized version and see for yourself what I mean when I say LONG.

The original was created during the Song, but there have been remakes of this painting, most notably, the one from the Ming and Qing Dynasty. The one on the left side is a scene taken from the Song original and the one on the right is from the Qing remake. I really like the Qing remake because it has a bit more life into it, like more color and more action. Of course, nothing beats the original, but this Qing version is also a masterpiece on its own. This remake is at Taiwan and the original one is at Beijing.

This painting depicts life at Kaifeng (the capital then) during the Song Dynasty and supposedly during the the Qingming Festival. But scholars have debated on whether the city depicted was in fact non-existent but merely an idealized one and that the season then was Fall. Nevertheless, its intricacy and excellent execution is still very awe-inspiring.

And speaking of inspiration, the reason why I love this painting so much is because the first time I saw it, it suddenly gave me a lot of wonderful ideas. It's never easy to find inspiration (though they say that inspiration can be found anywhere) and this is one of those rare things that really inspired me.

I first saw this painting in my Asian History Class with Ms. Lailani Gotao (I love her class very much, it's so fun! If given a choice, you HAVE to pick her class). Her class is what I look forward to every Tuesday and Thursday (despite the shitty time 12-1:30?! I haven't eaten lunch yet!). As good friends know, I used to love Europe very much and thought that they were just the greatest. I love reading about kings and queens, the French, watching those movies with huge poofy dresses, etc. I got really sad when I couldn't get Western History for this semester. But truthfully, I'm so glad I got into Asian History. I have a deeper appreciation now of my Asian heritage and now I want to go back to China! I can't believe I missed so much when I visited China around.... 3 years ago, I think.

I have changed No. 26 on my list of 70 Things to Do Before I Die, from Visiting Starry Night by Van Gogh to visting the original "Along the River" painting at Beijing! Seeing the Qing in Taiwan will be just as good too!

Amelie Prints

2008-01-04T20:38:00.000+08:00

As I was reading all these really neat design blogs, I came across an entry at Casapinka which featured Amelie prints hanging on their staircase wall. The prints are from this Etsy store called Almost Famous. I haven't written about this movie yet, but as many people who know me well know, Le Fabuleaux Destin de Amelie Poulain is my all-time favorite favorite movie! Yes, I love it more than Lord of the Rings and Science of Sleep and Love Actually. Haha.

Anyway back to the prints. They were so retro and I loved it at once! It truly has its own charm to it... much like the charm of old movie posters. Beautiful. The scenes they chose were also very cute, I love the one with the polka dot umbrella. She looks so mischievous yet innocent. And the The green one is also wonderful because of course, it reminds me of creme brulee! (If you haven't seen the movie you won't get it, and you are missing half of your life)

I can just imagine it at my future home (or actually at my room right now). It will not be hanging so explicitly at my staircase wall, like theirs did, but mine would probably be hanging at some smaller room, on top of a red, intricately designed wallpaper. Yes, I have planned it all. Haha. I haven't blabbed about my thing about wallpapers. I already know the wallpaper designs my future home will have. You know the wallpaper on Amelie's room? Designs similar to that, yes. Much like the wallpapers of the rooms inside the Palace of Versailles (I almost died of joy being inside those rooms). More about this in future entries. So why do I plan my future home? I don't know. Stop me if you can.

Milka is probably going "My god, Sheena, your weird things again. Crappyness..." HAHA.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T20:04:00.000+08:00

A little bit late by a few days, but still... happy new year! :D One of my favorite days for the year is new year's eve. It has been a tradition since I was little to go to hotels after dinner just for some pastries and to chill at a coffee shop. We used to do it with my extended family, including cousins and all, but it sorta stopped. Nevertheless, we still do it, as a family, and I always love it. It's always very fun, relaxing and nice.

I wore a dress this year, just cuz I was so in the mood to. Haha. We first dropped by at Edsa Shang, but for many reasons, one being that they were pretty full, we decided to transfer hotels. So we went to one fo the nearest ones, Crowne Plaza for a peaceful coffee and pastry time with family. We had nummy cakes and drank tea and coffee. I had this exotic (haha) south african orange blend and it was soooo good.

We got funny hats and took pictures the entire time. Dad loved the funny hats most I think. He went to the CR wearing the hat. And he was so game when I was taking pictures of him. Haha!

Then we went home at around 11:30, just in time to catch the countdowns on TV. I wore my new pajamas, because according to Chinese tradition, you have to wear new pajamas every new year (though I really believe we ought to be doing that during Chinese New Year instead...). I got this tank top and shorts ensemble which honestly didn't look like pajamas to sleep in at all. Haha. It had a cute design actually, which is why I got it, and I plan to wear the top on casual days. Hehe. It says "Forget love, I'd rather fall in CHOCOLATE".

Didn't come up with a specific new year's resolution this year, because like most people, I never get to keep them anyway (because I forget them after a few months). I was just very thankful for the past year and looking forward to a new one full of surprises! Here's to us!

Disneyland Gifts

2007-12-31T15:09:00.000+08:00

Milka just wrote something in her blog about how a friend saw something cute and instantly reminded him of her. I then remembered these! Hehe.

These are gifts from three different friends who went to Disneyland and brought me home something because as they said, these reminded them of me. It's really funny cuz all three of them gave these more or less around the same time frame, it feels as though they talked about it, haha but of course they didn't cuz they don't know each other or anything. Anyway... blab over.

The one on the left is a black Minnie Mouse pen from Juy. I love the super cute ribbon on the pen!! I have this thing about not using pretty things. So this pen is just standing there in my pen stand, hehe. It's so cute. The one in the middle is from Abs. It's a really nice keychain. It looks so vintage! I'm using it right now for my house keys. And the last one's from Harold. A very cute and funny Minnie Mouse umbrella. Beats me where I'm going to use it, haha but I still love it anyway.

Thanks super for these, Juy, Abs and Harold. I love them very much. Heehee. Just like what Milka said, I'm very honored that people remember me when they are in nice places, like Disneyland! Yey!

Still Enchanting

2007-12-28T15:03:00.001+08:00

"I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss, and a prince I'm hoping comes with this...."

One of the most delightful films this year, Disney has proved that they still have it, with Enchanted. I'm so glad that Walt Disney Pictures has decided to return to 2D Animation. Although I did find Meet the Robinsons fairly cute, Chicken Little was just really bad, so let's leave the 3D thing to Pixar for now, ok?

When I first heard about the plot, I really thought it was gonna be bad. I expected nothing more than the average cliche twisting of fairytales kindda thing. But when I first saw the trailer, it was so funny and it got me all excited! It was what I've been waiting for for forever. And it did not disappoint me. This film is just so cute, witty, funny and very VERY DISNEY! I hope they continue to produce princess films again. And I LOVE THE SONGS!! My friends were laughing when they asked me if I knew the songs (as I do with the other Disney films) and then I started singing "When you meet that someone, who was meant for you!..." haha.

One of my friends was squealing "Sheena! You should've watched with us! It's such a "you" movie!" after he saw the movie (yes it's a he) with my other friends (I had classes that time). And a few days later, another of my friends texted me and asked if I had already seen the film because according to him (yes it's another he), he could just imagine me singing in our local park, just as Giselle did at Central Park. It's was so funny! Haha. And I'm so proud that my friends thought of me while watching this movie! Hahaha. I'm such a Disney girl.

So, in relation, I've been trying to draw Enchanted fanart since last month, but I've always failed. I've done two drawings with Giselle in a her ball gown but I could never get the background colors right. So I decided to change costumes and did this instead, one of her in her adorable blue dress. Heehee. It's so bright (the color of her costume) and I love it. I wanted her to look extremely delighted, but one of my guy friends pointed out that she looks extremely scared of the squirrel HAHA so I don't know... I guess I still failed.

If you haven't seen the movie yet, go see it now! It's really really adorable. And if you love Disney, you'll surely love this one. I can't wait for the Princess and the Frog and Rapunzel (though Rapunzel is 3d, I'm glad they're back to fairytales). Hope they're even better than Enchanted.

Love Actually

2007-12-26T10:31:00.000+08:00

Watching Love Actually every holiday season is my personal Christmas tradition.

If you're one of those people who know me very well, you'll know that I go to great lengths to emphasize just how much I hate cheesy, romantic, chick flicks. I love fairytales, yes, and unique love stories, but just not the average everyday stupid romantic comedies. Ergh. Anyway, when I first heard about this movie a few years back, I was very hesitant to watch it, and the only reason that I did was because Keira Knightley was part of the cast.

I can honestly say, that watching it, was one of the best choices I've made in my entire life.

People often ask me why the hell I'm so in love with this movie. To others it was just an average film and to some, it was just too damn confusing. But to me, it was perfect... in every way. It's funny, it's cute and the stories are just too heartwarming.

(This paragraph will be full of random thoughts about random parts in the movie) Probably being the biased person that I am, my favorite story is that of Keira's and how her husband's best friend fell for her. The doorstep moment is one of the best parts in the movie. Their story made me very sad and when he said "enough now..." after everything... *sigh* it broke my heart :( . One of the cutest was the little kid who was very in love with the most popular girl in school. Hehe. That was so cute... especially when he was so convinced that his drumming would actually win the girl's heart. Aren't we all that silly sometimes...

I will forever be watching this movie once every year, during the holiday season. I've done it for three straight years already. It's something to look forward to everytime to get me into the holiday spirit!

And each time I watch this movie, I am always reminded why I fell in love with it in the first place. Love Actually showed me the different faces of love. It wakes you up, gives you hope and makes you wonder, if love actually is ... just around the corner.

Krizia and Mari

2007-11-30T20:27:00.000+08:00

I owe a lot to deviantArt. I've been a member for more than three years already and the community has always been one of the reasons why I'm always fueled to create artworks. The people are always so helpful and they help you grow. I love a lot of members at deviantArt but for this entry, I will be talking about two special people who've been extra-supportive, extra-nice and extremely wonderful. I'm talking about, as my title explicitly says, Krizia and Mari!

Mari

Mari is my partner in crime! I found out about her very wonderful talent when she joined one of the contests I held at deviantArt. She submitted two drawings to me, an Ariel and a Mulan piece (the Mulan is the first one on the picture). I absolutely loved the way she drew and asked her if she wanted to do collaborations.

Thankfully, she agreed, and we ended up making some really neat artworks together (haha, yes, well, they really ARE great). The first one we did was the Sleeping Beauty one. I drew Aurora and she did the background and the wonderful spinning wheel (just look at that!). After that we did a Pocahontas one, which was equally cute. Heehee. We have yet to finish the latest, a Little Mermaid piece (*ahem* Mariiiii what have you done with Ariel?! Haha.) but already I'm sure it will be even more wonderful than the first two. Heehee, I'm too proud of our teamwork.

Mari, I promise, when I would go and visit New York, I'll let you know ;)

Do check out her deviantArt gallery over here!

Krizia

Krizia is another great artist. Same with Mari, I discover her artworks when she entered my contest. Her entry is that super adorable Mulan piece. She used my Mulan drawing as an inspiration, but if I must say so myself, this is a way better drawing than the original. Heehee.

Krizia has been supporting me ever since and I owe a lot to her. Just today, she sent me two drawings (the two drawings after the Mulan picture) and here's what she said about them:

"Oh yeah, I forgot to say. On your previous contest, the one with Cippow, I was supposed to submit this 4-season-ed theme, but I failed to meet the deadline. XD I was only able to create 2 seasons, and if you like, you can have them. LOL! XD I've been wanting to send them to you as giftart, but I guess I was just shy."

And of course, I LOVED THEM! How could I not? They are so adorable! She's such a sweet girl! And I'm looking forward to your entry, ok? ;)

Check out her deviantArt gallery over here! By the way, she's an ICAn too, just like me!

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My gallery can be found over here!

The Four Seasons Project

2007-11-11T20:26:00.000+08:00

The Four Seasons Project is all about me creating a different artwork every year with the theme of the four seasons in mind. I did this initially so that I can track my improvements, as in, see how much I'm improving throughout the years (if I have). I also wanted to give myself a reason to draw the seasons again and again, heehee, because I found the concept very interesting and the ideas for it seemed limitless.

Without further ado, I present to you, my artworks. Thank you for taking the time to view them. I sincerely hope that you enjoy them, as much as I did while creating them ^^.

2005 - The Faeries

For my very first set, I was highly inspired by Neil Gaiman's the Endless brothers. The concept of the seven brothers and sisters and the way that he portrayed them, were some things that I wanted to incorporate to the characters of the seasons. The idea is that the four faeries are not muses of the season, nor are they guardians or anything of that kind. Instead, they ARE the seasons themselves. If you are not familiar with the Endless siblings, I suggest you read up about them. Neil Gaiman is a genius and the concept will be better understood through his explanations.

I was at my last year in high school when I was drawing this. I remember inking it during class hours. The lineart was the main ingredient in the drawing. No fancy backgrounds, just a gradient for each box. I wanted to connect the four as well, so I had the idea of placing them all in the same tree. The end result didn't show this very much, because I don't think I was able to blend it well, but if you look closely, they're supposed to be hanging on the same tree.

The colors I used for the next years were patterned on the color scheme of this one.

2006 - Art Nouveau

The art style of Alfons Mucha was the great inspiration for these pieces. 2006 was the year I visited Europe, and from France, I brought home replicas of Alfons Mucha's paintings form the sidewalk (silly of me, but back then I didn't know it was his works; I just found the artworks very pretty). These paintings are currently still hanging on my wall directly above the framed prints of my own Art Nouveau pieces.

Unlike the first one, the Seasons this time were not depicted as anything fantastical; they were merely subjects of an Art Nouveau painting. I chose to do this style because it was very classical. I have always been a fan of the art style; admiring it for its elegance and elaboration. I love how everything is highly stylized. It was a very challenging style to incorporate to my own personal style and this was also one of the reasons why I decided to go with this for that year.

Summer gave me the most complications in terms of choosing the right colors. I wanted more pink, but couldn't make it work. Spring was a bit of a trouble too (but it was the first one I finished) because I didn't want to make it too bright. Well, achieved that. But it doesn't look too spring-ish either. Haha. More gothic, don't you think? But all the same, I enjoyed doing this series very much. I was able to test my patience and skills.

You may view my Deviant Art gallery for larger photos of the four.

2007 - The Marionettes

Beginning September, I have been worrying about thinking up of an idea for this year's Four Seasons Project. I didn't have any idea at all for this piece and I have been obsessing over the idea of thinking of an idea that I thought I'd go crazy. But I should have known better already. The best ideas come to you unexpected. And sometimes the best drawings are the drawings you only categorized as a doodle from the start.

I was bordering around the idea of using the Japanese fashion "Lolita" and the theme "Masquerades". I couldn't quite bring them together successfully though so I tried a different approach. I started doodling a random Lolita character and added strings on her hand. I liked what I did so I drew curtains, altered the outfit, added furs, boots and drew a little ornament in her head. It was then that Winter was born.

The other seasons were not drawn until about a week after, but all three were drawn on the same day. I drew them only once and that was it. Usually I would erase a whole lot and the end product would be totally different from where I begun, but not this time. What you see here is 95% the same as what I doodled originally. I don't know if it was the nice rainy weather, but something was really inspiring me that day. And whatever it was, I'm glad it did.

I'm really happy with the way this turned out. I honestly didn't think that I could do a better job than what I did last year (not meaning to say that what I did last year was so great, I only meant to say that I couldn't think up of a better idea for this year).

Marionettes are something that have always fascinated me. They remind me of carnivals and traditional carnivals are something I love. I gave each of them huge pink cheeks to make them more doll-like. As some of you probably already know, I really adore dolls. This concept was near to my heart and I think that's one of reasons why I got so into creating this and also the reason why I'm happy with the result. I was very happy while I was drawing this and that's essential for a good picture.

I plan on creating a short story, poem or any sort of literary piece for this drawing. I'll keep you guys posted.

Year of a Million Dreams

2007-11-09T08:47:00.001+08:00

Introduction

(skip this part if you are aware of the campaign)

Disney Parks introduced their campaign "Year of a Million Dreams" last 2006. They extended it to 2007 and just recently, announced that they are extending it once again to 2008. This is a year-long campaign wherein Disneyland cast members pick guests at random each day and give them special rewards, from simple things such as fastpasses, to irreplaceable experiences such as a chance to stay overnight at the Cinderella Castle or have breakfast with all the Disney characters smack down in the middle of Main Street USA!

Take a look at these videos regarding the campaign (links at the bottom of this entry). The first is the official commercial. More visual imagery than info about the project. You can learn more about the project with the second and third video. The third link is just a link to the official website, but usually they have a video at the front page. If you're too lazy to open and watch them all, at least open the first one and tell me if you still don't believe in magic. :)

Cinderella Castle Suite

The prize that almost everybody wants (including me, of course) is the overnight stay at the Cinderella Castle Suite. This room is just amazing. It's very huge, the beds are very beautiful, the draperies are so detailed and elegant, the ceiling on top of your bathtub is full of sparkling stars and everything is just perfect. What could scream 'Princess for a Day!" more than an overnight stay here?!

Dream Makers

In their website, you can view videos of different cast members talking about their most memorable wish-granting experience. Some stories would really touch your heart, like letting a little girl (who has been looking for Snow White the entire day) actually meet and walk down the streets with her favorite princess. Or like giving fast passes to a little boy who had to leave early because he had a plane to catch despite not yet having ridden his favorite ride. I just find it so amazing that these lucky people are paid to make people's dreams come true. They're paid to be fairy godmothers! I wish my future job would be as satisfying. ^^

Annie Leibovitz Photoshoot

To promote this campaign Disney hired famous photographer Annie Leibovitz to portray famous personalities as Disney characters. The original set included pictures of Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella, Beyonce as Alice from Alice in Wonderland and David Beckham as Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty. When the campaign was extended, two new photos were created, this time featuring Julie Andrews as the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio, Roger Federer as King Arthur and Rachel Weisz as Snow White. (Pictures shown above, click for a bigger resolution)

I love EVERYTHING about this photoshoot; the concept, the artists they chose, the photographer, the slogans, EVERYTHING! The one with David Beckham was really amazing, like, this is exactly how you'd imagine your prince to be! And Scarlett Johansson and Rachel Weisz make the best princesses. Unbelievable. They chose just the right people and everything is perfect.

I've always wanted to be a photographer (just for good fun, not really professionally) but because of my many other hobbies and interests, I don't get to pursue all my dreams. If I ever do though, the kind of pictures I'd take would have concepts similar to these. I want to make stories, fairytales and other abstract things into something that people can now see and become more real to them.

Going to Disneyland!

Experiencing the everyday magic at Disneyland in itself is already a dream come true for many -- for me too! Being able to walk inside castles, hearing the magical music, going inside colorful and happy shops... this is what my heaven is made of. When I heard about this campaign, I got so excited and now, I don't think I've ever wanted to visit Disneyland this bad!

The last time I visited the Disney Parks in the US was when I was still 8 years old (1996) and since then a lot of things have already been added. Also, since I was still young then, I couldn't remember everything anymore. The other Disneylands were great (Tokyo, Disney Sea, Hong Kong) but nothing compares to the one at Florida and Anaheim. I want to go there next year! I don't care if all I get are silver mouse caps. Heehee ^^. I want to stay at the park for 5 days straight (since I spent 2 days at HK Disneyland, whose size is a million times smaller than the ones at the US haha).

Just to be able to visit the two Disney Parks again would be a dream come true for me already. I wish we would be able to visit next summer, though those are not yet part of our family plans.

But I guess I just have to never stop dreaming! Like they say, you'll never know when someone decides to make your dreams come true!

Links

Million Dreams Commercial
Million Dreams Promotion
Disney ParksOfficial Website

Watch the videos and fall in love with magic.

Favorite Disney Films

2007-11-05T18:38:00.000+08:00

Everybody has their own favorite Disney feature film. For years I've been trying to find that one single movie which I can call my "favorite Disney film of all-time" but I could never really pick just one. And I don't really have to! Disney has produced a LOT of beautiful animated feature films and it's near impossible to pick an all-time favorite.

So I chose my top 3 favorites and those are Aladdin, Mulan and Peter Pan (in no particular order). The reasons why these three are at the top of my list is because they stood out for me personally. More than the other films, these three are the ones which bring back memories and make me feel different and happy in their own wonderful way.

The story of Peter Pan has appealed to me since the beginning. A story about a boy who didn't want to grow up, now what can be more sensible than that? I love the entire concept of Neverland, and the way it's divided (Mermaid Lagoon, Indian encampment etc.). I love the colors and the blending (which I have to credit partly to Mary Blair again! The genius has struck again!). My favorite scene is the one with the mermaid lagoon. I loved that scene as a kid and I still do up to this day. And of the nicest parts in the film was when George (Wendy's dad), at the last part of the movie, mentioned about the ship being very familiar to him. It's so sweet and nostalgic and that is my favorite emotion!

Aladdin has been my childhood favorite and Jasmine was my idol. I found that a lot of young girls my age back then all has Littler Mermaid as their favorite movie but somehow, Aladdin appealed to me more. I love the story, the concept and the theme. It's a breath of fresh air to see different cultures portrayed in Disney films. I also love how the scenery in Aladdin changes from time to time and never just stuck in one. It also helps that the backgrounds were very stylized. Watching behind the scenes features of this movie helped me understand and appreciate it even more. It's witty, funny, beautiful, but most of all, a classic.

With Mulan, it all began with my affinity to the Chinese culture obviously because I'm Chinese! The traditions, culture, beliefs and people were all elements that I was very familiar with and this was very nice to see in a film. I love Fa Mulan's legend and her character is just inspiring.

Which Disney films are you're favorite? :)

Hello Kitty Hell

2007-11-02T10:59:00.000+08:00

I was shopping yesterday and came across a Sanrio store wherein I saw loads of adorable Hello Kitty items. Haha. Normally, Hello Kitty products don't really catch my eye but they had cute bags in tokidoki fashion, only with Hello Kitty's face on them (I'm not a tokidoki fan either but somehow, putting them together works). Often times, Hello Kitty strikes as corny and too cutesy (and sometimes annoying) but there are a handful of products which are really nice.

I am not a Hello Kitty fanatic in any way.

I then surfed the net hoping to find good pictures of those bags (and probably some other decent Hello Kitty products, if there are more) and came across this VERY FUNNY blog: Hello Kitty Hell. Read about the rantings of a husband whose wife is a hands down obsessed Hello Kitty fanatic. Read the entries wherein he writes about conversations that he and wife have and you'll understand why he really IS living in Hello Kitty Hell. They're so funny. You'll find all sorts of hilarious Hello Kitty products as well, which you never knew existed and wonder why they actually do.

Hello Kitty pantyliners, anyone?

Past Birthday Cakes

2007-11-01T08:36:00.000+08:00

In one of my past entries entitled On Birthday Cakes I mentioned about having cute birthday cakes when I was younger. They are the "icing on the cake" (during birthdays), quite literally. Here are pictures of those cakes. Enjoy!

These first three pictures are cakes way way back. The one on the far left is a Mickey Mouse themed cake with cute little lollipops sticking out. I think during these times, well-decorated cakes weren't really that popular yet (Mickey looks odd in this one). The second picture, the one on the middle, is a Snow White themed one. I really like it because it's in pink! The one on the far right is a Sailor Moon themed. If I remember correctly, the little dolls there were actually part of my playset and we just stuck them to the cake. Haha.

This second batch is purely Disney themed. The first one, the Little Mermaid one, was done by a family friend of ours. She used my doll as a topper (and the Flounder too) but everything else, she did on her own! It was really great! The one on the middle was a cake from Goldilocks and what I love most about this are the colors! The red stairs is love. And last on this set is a simpler cake, but still cute nonetheless. Another Beauty and the Beast design. Dunno why I have 2 Beauty and the Beast cakes. Haha.

This last batch consists of my Bubbles (from Powerpuff Girls) and a flower doll toy thing I used to love very much. Like my old Sailormoon cake, the toppers on both of these cakes came from my own toy collection and we just stuck it to ready made square cakes. I had the Powerpuff cake when I was 10 I think (count the candles) and I remember that my mom at first didn't want me to have a Powerpuff cake because I was already "too old" for stuff like that. But meh. She just had to accept the fact that I grow up much much slower than others. Haha.

These cakes are cakes I had when I was younger. For two of my most recent cakes, you can see my other entry On Birthday Cakes ! :) One of my goals in life is to be able to design a cake entirely on my own (just design, since I really have no baking talent whatsoever). Maybe I'll do it for me next year!

Notebooks

2007-10-30T13:56:00.001+08:00

I just designed the two notebooks which I will be using next semester (only two more weeks)! It's colorful yey! I couldn't find a decent notebook with colorful designs on them so I just bought this plain navy blue one. But I couldn't stand the plain navy blue-ness of it, so I had to change it!

I used two of my drawings; the two which I really like out of all my other artworks ^^. Then I searched my scrapbook boxes for old ribbons and other thingiemagigs. I admit that I'm not really good at mixing things up and I've never been good at scrapbooking, haha. So it may not be much, but I really like what I did! And in the picture, I included some of my favorite supplies (my ever trusty pink mechanical pencil *which I named Princess Mon-Mon after my genius friend*, my yellow and pink scissors and my pink tape dispenser). Colorful!!

Now I'm excited to use the notebooks! The blue one will be my MWF notebook because I like it more than the yellow one and I also like my MWF classes better (no law and accounting heehee), and, if the dresscode is not implemented (or if I can get away with it lol), then I'd feel even happier about MWF (because no management classes then!).

What...? Little things make me happy.

Artists: Part 1

2007-10-26T09:47:00.000+08:00

Looking at other artists' works always inspires, which is why I constantly keep my eyes open for new artworks and unique art styles. Just recently, as I was searching the internet, I've found three great artists with painting styles seemingly similar, yet entirely different, form each other. I'm talking about the works of Mark Ryden, Yosuke Ueno and David Ho.

Mark Ryden

What's unique about Mark Ryden is that he paints popular cultural icons (Barbie dolls, for example), religious emblems, and for some odd reason, meat (yes, meat), in a very sophisticated manner. He is a surrealist first and for most but his style has a clear fuse with classical painting styles.

Yosuke Ueno

Yosuke Ueno has this unique color scheme which I just love. He uses recurring subjects in his paintings such as space men and elephants (which are my favorites of his). But what is most interesting are the little consistent drawings he always fits in his different paintings. If you go to his website, click the "Keys" button. There you'll find a list of all those drawings that he paints constantly in all his paintings. Then view his gallery and see if you can look for the drawings inside his works!

David Ho

David Ho creates entire series of different themes. My favorite theme of his is his Interpretation Series (wherein he remakes famous paintings) because I have also thought about doing an entire series with that same idea (I've already started it actually, with Last Supper and the Venus de Milo, heehe). His style is a bit goth-like. Her Candice the Ghost series is also very interesting.

I haven't painted in the longest time and besides, I don't think I paint well enough. But these paintings have inspired me and maybe, just maybe, I shall try to learn again soon! ^^

MidAutumn Tarp

2007-10-24T09:54:00.001+08:00

This is the very first tarp design that I did for this year (second one, in my entire life, haha, but the first one was just placed on one spot) and I'm proud of it! ^^ I've always wanted to design one but it was only this year when I was able to do it. At first I thought it was only going to be placed at, at most, 3 spots. But to my surprise, it was all over school! o.o Around 6 of them, I think! Heehee. Zen Garden, SOM Parking, CTC to SOM Mall (2 of them), Way to SOM and Doghouse... not sure if I forgot something.

This one on the picture is my favorite spot; at the CTC Building. I don't know why, I really just love the atmosphere at CTC (Convergent Technologies Center) and SOM (School of Management) buildings.

A certain person came up to me and asked "Why are you the only one designing the posters for Celadon?" and I was all, "Uh.. what posters? We only have one so far this year." lol. She must've thought that I was hogging everything, when in fact I was only able to design one. Haha. I just got lucky that it was displayed at different places.

The event took place last September. It was for the annual Chinese tradition of the Mooncake Festival. Celadon holds this party yearly as a joint celebration of that festival and teachers appreciation day. It's one of our biggest projects for the school year, and I'm really really honored to be part of it. Hooray!

Mary Blair

2007-10-17T09:34:00.000+08:00

Disney Press has just released "Walt Disney's Cinderella", the latest Cinderella picture book to date. So what makes this book so special? They used Mary Blair's art, of course.

Mary Blair is a Disney legend, for having drawn such magnificent concept arts for the old classics such as Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella. She's also done a lot of work for the original Disneyland. If I'm not mistaken, she contributed much to the "It's A Small World" attraction. If you haven't seen any of her drawings, you're sure missing a lot. They are so rich in color, very whimsical and just prefect. I love her art style and I just wished she lived to this day so that we can see more amazing artwork from her.

The movies that Mary Blair worked on are some of the most stylized Disney films. I don't know if it's just me, but though Cinderella isn't my favorite movie, I never seem to get tired of watching it over and over again. Now I know that it's probably because of the artwork. The movie is an eye-candy!

It is rumored that Disney Press will be releasing more picture books such as this one if this Cinderella one sells really well. Let's all hope that it does. I have yet to see this in local bookstores over here.

Ever since I learned about Mary Blair, I've been looking all over for ALL her concept arts, but I haven't found that much. I want to get this book, so that at least I can finally view all her Cinderella artworks. I bet her Peter Pan works are even more amazing. Can't wait for them to release that one!

Disney would probably still be in their golden era, if she were alive today. Imagine how recent movies would have looked like in her style. Treasure Planet would have been a hit.

Disney DVD Collection Update #1

2007-10-13T22:22:00.000+08:00

Here's my first update to my Disney DVD Collection Entry (link at the bottom of this entry).

So around last month, I bought 3 more DVD's and just today, 3 more! I'm so happy! My mom was mocking me. Poop. She said I was like a kid because I was so excited when I saw that the DVD's were all on sale! Oh my god, who wouldn't be -.- ?! Ok.. rhetorical question.

So now I have 5 new titles! EEK! The three of those I got for 299php again; Mulan, Cars and Monsters Inc. All 2 out of the three are 2 disc editions. The exception is Cars, but that's ok. I loved that movie so much. Then the ones I got today, mehn, you won't believe, it's just 150php. HALF THE PRICE! I visited this unknown video store inside a super big mall, and I think they were already down on sales that they had to cut down prices big time. Haha. So I got Bambi, The Incredibles (both 2 discs) and the 25th anniversary edition of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh! Heehee. I feel giddy seeing them up on my shelf hahaha. Ok, sorry I'm weird.

I was so happy about the Winnie the Pooh thing!! I'm not sure yet (I'll only know for sure once I watch it on DVD already), but I think the stories in here are those stories that I always played when I was a kid on laser disc! OMG! If those are it, I will die of extreme nostalgia.

So now I have a total of 15 original dvd's. I WANT MORE!

Link to the original entry: My Disney DVD Collection

The Science of Sleep

2007-10-11T18:40:00.000+08:00

Cardboard cities, cotton ball clouds, paper boats and a one second time machine. This is what I fell in love with.

If you haven't heard of it yet, I introduce to you, La Science de Reves, literally the Science of Dreams, if you translate it, which actually fits the movie better than its English title, but that works too (that sentence was such a run-on). A film by Michael Gondry (the director of Eternal Sunshine...). It's partly French, partly English, so if you don't mind reading subtitles, then you'll love this. It's one of my favorite movies of all time (falling only one or two steps down Le Fabuleaux Destin de Amelie Poulain, which is my undisputed no.1 movie).

Stephane couldn't differentiate his dreams with reality. We can't either. The movie is an entire series of mixed up, random, eccentric events and you (as audience) can't tell either which ones are real and which ones are all from Stephane's head. And this is what I love about it.

I honestly don't know how to introduce this movie... He hosts a TV show called "Stephane TV" inside his head. He meets a girl named Stephanie who he falls in love with. He is a bit off compared to other people around him... and he enjoys collecting beautiful objects.

I like a lot of things about this film, but one of the things I loved best are the lines of Stephane. He tells things as it is. No elaborations, no sugar-coating. I wish life were like that... sometimes.

"... Because everyone else is boring"
- After Stephanie asked him "Why Me?". That's one of my favorite quotes from the movie (people in my YM list would've noticed haha). It's so straight-forward. And I wish I could just say that... I like you because everyone else is boring. Why do people need to ask why you like them in the first place? I asked, but I don't know why I did.

"For the occasion of... you're pretty"
- What he said after giving Stephanie the One-Second Time Machine. It says it all.

It's one of those few good movies wherein I feel like I can throw myself into certain scenes. Like the movie just showed you a visual representation of all the thoughts going on in your head, combined with your emotions, dreams, imaginations and a little bit of madness. It's like everything I've always wanted to say but couldn't. It's like those dreams I never could explain verbally. Ahh! I could go on and on...

I'm never good at writing reviews of any kind, so I'm sorry if you weren't be able to get any idea what this movie is about from my entry (there's always Wikipedia and IMDB!). You have to watch the film. If you enjoy art films, you'll like this. It's pretty. Literally pretty.

And if you plan on watching this, don't search for deep insightful review thingies. They're really good and the movie will make better sense once you've read those, but watch the movie once first. You have to see it first before you try to understand it. Trust me, it's better that way.

And I want to ride Golden the Pony Boy.

The site is a masterpiece in itself: The Science of Sleep

Meiji Galore

2007-10-06T17:57:00.000+08:00

Helloooooo Panda! (uhm, forgive the freaky pictures...)

I am currently getting fat because I am overeating sweets and junk food. Poopie. But that's ok! At least I'm eating nummy food. Let's worry about everything else later.

My sudden obsession for Meiji food started around two weeks ago when we had a stupid 4 hour class for my Leadership & Strategy (that's what LS stands for right?) class. I knew I was gonna get hungry so I bought a vanilla flavored Hello Panda box with me. I must've been REALLY hungry though, because the first biscuit tasted like heaven. I felt like the 5 year old me again.

And for more Meiji delights, I have Yan Yan! I actually thought Yan Yan was a local product (like Champolla, which I also love, haha!). Anyway, I love Yan Yan! And now they have that odd fortune like sayings in every stick, which just really makes me laugh all the time. Wikipedia has the complete list that you have to go see, it's so funny (click here). I have funny memories with friends and those sticks.

Last but definitely the best of all, is the i-have-no-idea-what-the-name-translates-to chocolate! It's my ultimately favorite chocolate when I was a kid. I would bite the tips slowly just because it's so cute. Haha. And I'd have fun melting the chocolate in my tongue. Mmm... I love the colors. I wonder what the name of this chocolate means. It doesn't have an English pronunciation counterpart.

As you can probably tell by the pictures, yes, my favorite flavor is strawberry.

This entry made silly sense! Whoopie! Fill me up with Hello Pandas!

Fantabulous Designs Part I

2007-10-04T20:30:00.000+08:00

The first thing people always say when I tell them I'm taking up Business Management is "Why?! Shouldn't you be in Fine Arts or something?". Advertising. Industrial Design. Information Design. Design Design. That's what they all expected. Honestly, that's why I expected of me as well... around 4 years ago. But now I'm happy with what I'm taking. It was a personal choice and I'm loving it.

Not today though. Stupid hell week.

So to cheer me up, I decided to surf the net for cool new designs. (Ok, so, just figure out the connection of my intro to the body of this post). My reviews sound crappy, but you'll have fun looking at the stuff anyway. If you don't find these interesting, you are one heck of a weirdo. Enjoy.

So this first blog on Fantabulous designs would be dedicated to amazingly amazing furnitures. I would like to share some amazingly amazing furniture. An amazing chair. An amazing shelf. An amazing light thingie. An amazing bed. If you've noticed, I have this thing for amazingly amazing furnitures. Bow.

To start of the batch is this Petit Jardin Armchair by Tord Boontje Studio. It looks so artsy and it's perfect for me (not for my room though, don't think it would match). It looks like a paper cut-out. So pretty. It's simple and elegant too.

Next is this very cute shelf. I like how it's spelled out. This is just a simple one, but I really like it. Very unique. I like furniture and things hung on the wall. Space is maximized that way. I have to be careful about placing so many things on my wall though. Wouldn't want it to look all cluttered. Hmm.. that's all I can say about this. By a designer named Da Eun Song. Bask in its simplicity.

The next one is so freakishly cool. It's freaky, seriously. I wouldn't want to have this one in my room... maybe in some other room, but not in mine. It's scary. But it's beautiful. Actually, I don't know how to describe it well. It's just very.... interesting. Uhm, see for yourself.

FREAKY HUH?

It's called Damned by Luc Merx. Imagine standing under this. That would be so scary... actually, it would be very disturbing. But I'd imagine it'd be fun. Like the people are all begging to get out. Scary. Love this. Very eccentric. Ingenious though.

And lastly, the best one of the best ones, Lagostudio's Fluttua just takes the cake. Ever wanted to feel how it was like to sleep on a cloud? Well, now you can! A FLOATING BED HOW COOL IS THAT? I envy the fat man.

More wonderful creations like this can be found here if I'm not mistaken. One heck of a genius.

And just look at the happy man looking all Buddha-ish. Very Zen.

Rachael Yamagata

2007-09-30T10:26:00.000+08:00

I am drowning in Rachael Yamagata's sappiness.

And I love it. Rachael's songs are always full of drama-- everything from the lyrics to the tune to her raspy voice, and that's what I love about them. Rachael Yamagata is one my best discoveries to date.

I love ALL her songs because they are just too poetic and I'm a sucker for poetic sappiness, though it's rare that I admit it (I just want to emphasize that her songs aren't stupid love songs. Haha. I hate stupid love songs). You know how there's this one artist whose songs you can just swear said everything you've always wanted? Rachael Yamagata is that artist to me.

Hmm... so anyway, enough of my blabbing. Here are some of my favorite lyrics from her songs. Grab a copy of her CD, Happenstance, if you can. If not, well, find a way to listen to her songs! Tell me what you think once you've listened to her songs!

---

Oh, the bridge is narrow
And you've got so far to fall
And you know down in dirty water's
No place for a paper doll"
- Paper Doll

You sat down next to me, like poetry to wine
Out window looked upon a yellow neon sign
I took your hand while you decided what to do
The only kiss, I ever miss, I shared with you
- I Want You

So, I will head out alone and hope for the best
We can pat ourselves on the back
As say that we tried
And if one of us makes it big
We can spill our regrets
And talk about how the love never dies
But you and I know the reason why
I'm gone, and you're still there
- Reason Why

'Cause I'm afraid, and I can't breathe,
And I'm in love with you
But you are not with me
Cause I have put so much into a life
I made too much about you now to lie
- Letter Read

--

She's releasing a new album this year by the way, and I'M SO EXCITED!

Wooden Dolls Collection Update #1

2007-09-23T10:00:00.001+08:00

I have now decided to post regular updates (as new entries) whenever I acquire new additions to any of my collections. Links to the original entries will be found at the bottom of each update entry.

The first new addition to my collection is the one on the far right. It's actually made of paper, not wood, but paper came from wood, so meh. Don't argue with me, it's be part of my collection. Haha. So anyway, this adorable thing was a gift from my friend, Reno! His mom makes all these cute paper doll sculptures which I've always said were so amazing. I didn't know he was eventually going to give me one! And since I know that his mom doesn't just give this away that easily, I'm really really honored and thankful to have her (her meaning this dollie). I love it so much. I'm naming her Mei-Xing, which means beautiful star. Such a work of art.

Next is the one on the far left. A friend of my youngest brother went to Thailand and bought loads of little dolls to give away (beats me why he'd give away dolls to his guy friends). My brother, knowing I collected these, got me one wearing my favorite color; pink! He said the red one looked better but someone already got it, but I don't mind! This is really cute! So for a Thai name.. hmm, Isra. It actually means "nocturnal journey" according to the internet, but whatever, I don't care. Isra sounds cute. I love countries with loads of handicraft stuff.

Lastly, one of my greatest finds ever is this mother doll in the middle. I found it at a local store here in the Philippines, but it was actually made from Tibet (yes, I trust the seller that it's from there, hopefully she's not lying haha). It's one of a kind and I got it at a really low price! 150php, imagine that (around $3.5 usd). And to think that I got Chimmi (the small doll from Hong Kong, which is super cute, but not cheap) for double the price. I love bargaining. So, I'm naming the mother Tara which is the name of a female mother goddess in Tibetan Buddhism. As for the baby, well, I'm not sure if it's a girl or a boy, so I'm naming him Dawa, a name associated for both male and female, and it means "moon's child".

Link to the original entry: My Wooden Dolls Collection

Before and After Drawings

2007-09-04T18:51:00.001+08:00

So here's another edition of my Before & After thingies! Yey! I rummaged through one of my folders labelled "Very Old Drawings" and found some ancient works (hmm.. haha)! The ones on the left are drawings from 2005 and the ones on the right were made mid 2006. Funny how, in just a year, I was able to change a lot of things ^^.

A Whole New World

This is probably my favorite of the three transition drawings (or maybe I'm just biased since Aladdin is my second all time favorite). So things that changed, well, I stopped using the stained glass effect on photoshop. I also made the carpet straighter. I know the carpet looks more stiff on the second one, but it's harder to make it all soft and moving. Haha. Hmm, what else, imrpoved on the colors as well and the palace was also more stylized now. I love Jasmine's transformation here; now she really looks cute with her poofy pants!! Heehee. I love Jasmine and all her poofiness (as you might have read in my other posts).

Cinderella & Prince Charming

Removed the ugly fountain, replaced it with an empty bird bath (HAHA). Ok, so maybe I have to improve more but that's the best I was able to do a year ago. Hmm, what else, added some cute little rosebushes, improved on their faces and clothes. Cinderella's hair is one of the hardest to do, but I'm glad of the way it came out in here. Hmm what else..? Changed the tones a bit too. ^^ Gosh that fountain is ugly... haha.

Belle and the Sheep

Honestly, I'm not happy with the second version still because of that STUPID fountain. Grr.. And actually the hoses at the back need a little work as well. This is one of my favorite scenes frfrom the movie and I remember that when I started drawing Disney (2004-2005), this was also one of those first scenes that I practiced on drawing. Sadly, until now, I haven't been able to make a great reproduction. Ah well, at least there's a challenge! Anyway, as you can see, colors changed a bit, made it warmer... I don't know, I think I like the cheescake tones better (the one on the left).

Coke Jeepney

2007-09-02T14:31:00.000+08:00

Every time I drive to school, I see around one or two jeepneys sporting this design, and I have to say, I absolutely love them! I've been trying to get a good picture of it but I always forget to bring my camera with me, and the only time I ever DID bring my camera, I wasn't fast enough to open and shoot. Crap. So I had to settle with my camera phone, which isn't half bad, but unfortunately, the resolution isn't that good. And it doesn't capture moving subjects well. Here's the best shot I got. Crap, I need to work on my photography skills more.

Here are the reasons why I absolutely love these jeepneys. First of all, the people behind this idea are advertising geniuses. I forgot to whom, but I mentioned before that if I could change one thing in the country, that would be to remove ALL billboards (and visible phone wires, but that's a different story), and this is such a great substitute to that. I also saw those LRT trains with Milo designs and all those other companies and I think that it's such a great idea. Manila would really be ten steps towards a pretty city if only we removed those ugly billboards and ugly telephone wires. I'd like to see the sky while I"m driving, for a change. Not some stupid guy posing half naked. Ew.

I wouldn't mind having all the different jeeps in Metro Manila 'commercialized' (in design); especially not if the designs are this good. Which brings me to my next reason, and that is that the design is so pretty!!! People always said that jeepneys are a great addition to our city culture because they are bright and well designed etc. (though I've seen some hellishly ugly ones), but this one really takes the cake. It's cute, colorful, hip, it still looks like a jeep and that huge coke bottle on top! EEK!

I love the way it's so colorful... it makes the dull car-filled roads a teeny bit more interesting.

By the way, just so you know, I hate Coke. As much as possible, I try not to drink soft drinks unless I'm really really dying. But hey, I love the way they present their product anyway. Hooray for great advertising!

Disney Princess Keychains!

2007-08-30T15:19:00.000+08:00

I've never met this girl in real life, but I can honestly say that Joanne is one of the sweetest girls I've known. ^^ Joanne is a self-proclaimed fan of my drawings heehee and she's one of my nicest customers ever too (I do commissioned artworks, in case you were wondering).

Anyway, here's the story! Just today, I received a package from Joanne and inside were these super duper cute Disney Princess keychains! According to her, this was supposed to be a birthday gift, but it came in really late (no worries at all Joanne!). She also said that these looked very much like my drawings and that these fit me. And guess what? I absolutely love it!!!

My favorite here is Jasmine, because of her pants which are all POOFY! Haha! They're all so adorable!! I can't decide where to place them for the world to see, so for the meantime, I'll just display them on my shelf! Ack! They all look so perfect! Thanks for this Joanne, these are really great and I really appreciate them! Hope you'll always keep in touch. Good luck with your work, I know you've been busy!

Walt Disney Classics Collection

2007-08-25T10:08:00.000+08:00

The Walt Disney Classics Collection (WDCC) is a collection of wonderfully done sculptures of different characters and scenes from the various Disney movies.... AND I LOVE THEM! Just looking at pictures of the sculptures makes my heart melt (with crazy happiness because they are so beautiful, and with envy because they're so expensive). I have an entire folder in my desktop dedicated to just pictures of the hundreds of sculptures and I ogle at their beauty. I use them as references for my drawings from time to time as well. They're just so good...! Anyway, Here are some of my favorite pieces. I'd buy them all if only I were rich. Haha.

My absolute favorite is the Indian scene of Peter Pan. It's so cuuute! And Peter Pan's my favorite Disney movie as well (next comes Mulan and Aladdin). Wendy John and Michael's positions look so natural here and it's amazing. Also Tiger Lily, look at her, the way she's positioned, you almost actually believe that she's really dancing. The craftsmanship is amazing. I like the totem pole at the back as well. Heehee and the color scheme also! Heck, I love everything about it. It's so perfect!

Another one is the Pinocchio set, one with Gepetto working on Pinocchio at his toy shop. I haven't seen the movie for the longest time but the detail in this piece is just perfect. I love the wood was done, and the details on the shelves and the other props (like the cute clock) are just so pretty. I love how the color red isn't so saturated here. It makes the colors blend well. The tone is just perfect and nothing seems out of place. The warm colors make it all so inviting, as though you'd like very much to join the scene. At least that's how I feel about it . Heehee.

Next one's the model of Cinderella's first dress. I remember when I was kid, I really hated the part when the evil step sisters ruined Cinderella's pink dress because I honestly loved her look more when she had that dress on rather than the blue silver one that the Fairy Godmother conjured up. I love this pink dress, it reminds me of a very delicious cake! Look at the little birds with the ribbons ^^. Heehee. So cute. The one on the right side, with Cinderella holding her dress, is so pretty! Her expression is so cute, I love it. She really looks so happy. And the way the dress 'swings' is so o__o. How do they do it?!

I love the set versions and another pretty one is this Beauty and the Beast set, just after the curse was broken. I love that scene. The human forms of the characters were done so nicely heehee, they all look so cute still even when they transformed already. Cogsworth and Lumiere are the best turn-outs. I love their human outfit. It's so clock and candle ish still. Haha! Anyway, like before, the movement is depicted so well in this scene too, especially in Belle. I like how they drew the french maid's costume. Sexy but not slutty. lol. Still very Disney!

And the last one that I'm gonna post here is this Mulan one. Again, movement. But what I love most about this is the color scheme that they used... and Mulan's costume. I'm glad they didn't do the army costume, I honestly hate her look there. So manly (yes, I know that was the point of it but I still didn't like it). The colors aren't so bright but they still managed to make it look lively. I really love this piece. Mulan looks great here.

One other favorite set of mine is one with Alice having a tea party. I'm not gonna place a picture here anymore because the entry looks super crowded already haha. But it's one heck of a design really. Go look for it. It's so cute. Reminds me of my Polly Pockets. It's super colorful too!! And you know how much I adore color!!

The sculptors for these collections are really amazing. I admire their skills. Sculpting isn't really one of the art forms that I know how to appreciate but expert or not, anyone can appreciate the sheer beauty of these pieces, and I'm sure to that you'll agree.

I have only seen these in real life once, and that was in Hobbes & Landes at Serendra if I'm not mistaken. And only once because, I rarely go to Serendra(I'm always at Rockwell, haha, you'll see me there every Sunday if you frequent the mall). I want to visit that place again, and I will soon (whenever I'm not at Rockwell, lol). They're such eye candies!!

You can see so much more from this site (Thanks for the link Mari!) http://www.wdccduckman.com/ Check them out, you'll be inspired (that is, if you admire amazing creativity and/or adore Disney haha)!

Be Be Your Love

2007-08-23T19:20:00.001+08:00

Be Be Your Love is a song by Rachael Yamagata from her great album Happenstance. My favorite of hers has always been "Paper Doll" but for the past weeks I've been playing THIS song over and over again. And no, of course not, it has nothing to do about how I'm feeling right now (sarcastic obviously).

About the drawing:

This drawing on the right was a doodle I did during Economics class (at 7:30 am, my brain is still dead), that's why it's sketchy. I was just doodling using my black pen, with the song playing in my head, and had no plans originally to photoshop it whatsoever. I just drew how I felt like at that time. It has no concept --- just two people standing side by side.

I photoshopped it later that day to see if I could pull of a sketchy style. Took a background somewhere (I honestly forgot where, if you are responsible for this please let me know so I can give due credit). Had a hard time deciding over the patter and colors but hmm, I personally like the way it ended up.

The top I was wearing that day is similar to that 'random girl' *ahem* in the drawing, only mine was pink and white. And as for the 'random guy' *ahem*, well, he's just looking cute with his clean cut look of collared shirt and closed shoes.

He always looks cute.

About the song:

These are the lyrics to the song. The chorus just repeats over and over again, so I didn't post the latter part anymore. But gosh, the chorus. THE CHORUS! IT WAS MADE FOR ME!

---

If I could take you away
Pretend I was queen
What would you say
Would you think I'm unreal
'Cause everybody's got their way I should feel

Everybody's talking how I, can't, can't be your love
But I want, want, want to be your love
Want to be your love, for real
Everybody's talking how I, can't, can't be your love
But I want, want, want to be your love
Want to be your love for real
Want to be your everything

Everything...

Everything's falling, and I am included in that
Oh, how I try to be just okay
Yeah, but all I ever really wanted
Was a little piece of you

And everybody's talking how I, can't, can't be your love
But I want, want, want to be your love
Want to be your love, for real
Everybody's talking how I, can't, can't be your love
But I want, want, want to be your love
Want to be your love for real

Everything will be alright
If you just stay the night
Please, sir, don't you walk away, don't you walk away, don't you walk away
Please, sir, don't you walk away, don't you walk away, don't you walk away

---

Yes It's an emo song. Yes this is a happy blog. Yes this is a happy post. No it's not ironic. I am happy about this! Not because I can't can't be his love, but because ... I'm just happy about this feeling that I'm feeling.

How can I go emo over someone who says 'hello' to me in such a cute way?

Posh Tots

2007-08-17T17:43:00.000+08:00

I came across Posh Tots (see their website at http://www.poshtots.com) from a magazine article around a year ago (or more). If this is your first introduction to the site/shop, then I bet you will shriek (just as I did) once you take your first look at the front page. They hold the best and most expensive children's furniture ever. Here are some of the things that I really loved.

The first ever Posh Tots item I came across with was this Cinderella Coach bed (yes, it is a true bed bed, a bed where you can sleep, a true bed bed) and it is still by far, my favorite item from their entire shop. It's so pretty! If you look at it from a practical point of view, it doesn't really work out that well, I admit, because of it's shape; Like... where are you gonna put it? It would look awkward anywhere unless you place it in the center, but if you place it in the center, you can't maximize your space, etc etc). Anyway, I still LOVE THIS! I'd love to have a bed like this. Then I'd really feel like a princess, even before I dream!

These are sample of the different knobs that they have. They have the most colorful and unique knobs ever! Heehee. I WANT KNOBS LIKE THESE (ok, I want all their items, but yeah... i had to emphasize that). I've semi decided that my yet-to-exist daughter's bedroom would be pink white yellow and green. Ok... guys would be afraid to date me now because of my very detailed future life plan. Moving on...

Another cute thing is this Whimsical Shoe Armoire! It is also oddly shaped like the coach bed and like the coach bed, you'll have a hard time positioning it, but who cares?! It's so adorable! Haha!

I think what makes Posh Tots so special to me is the fact that they make a lot of fairytale themed furnitures. Being the big little girl that I am, I can't help but just freak (in a good way) at the sight of them. They have the best fairytale themed stuff ever and not only that, but also other themed things like pirates, butterflies, etc. They're so cute. I'd love to tell you in detail all the items that I love from their site, but that would take too much space. Anyway, I'm sure you'll look at their site anyway, so enjoy. But you know what will really surprise you? The best part of it all? Their playhouses. Ha! I bet, you haven't seen playHOUSES like these before! Look at those Victorian Playhouses! They could practically live there! So much for my Little Tikes!

(edit at 5:54pm: Haha, I just re-read my post and I sound like someone so excited and so much in a hurry.)

Polly Pocket

2007-08-12T08:28:00.001+08:00

When I was younger, I absolutely loved Polly Pockets. I'd work really hard at school so that when I get an honor, I could guiltlessly ask my parents to buy me a new set. I'd have friends over and ask them to bring their own Polly Pocket sets so that we can all combine them and as though create an alternate world. It was also what I would ask for my birthday or as Christmas gifts.

I still remember my first three Polly Pockets ever. The very first one was a pink heart shaped set (which when I researched was a 1989 set) with three doll pieces; polly, a dog and a cat. I lost the original cat now, but I was able to find another cat replacement. The second one was a blue flower shaped set and I couldn't remember if it was one of my aunts who gave it to me, or if I got it from a Christmas party at my pre-school. It was a garden themed set, with a bird on the background even (on the stickers of course). The third one was another pink heart but the shade of pink this time is darker. It was a winter cottage styled set and I think this was my favorite out of the three. It had a reindeer, a snowman and a cute Polly in winter clothes. But the Polly piece was broken in two already, and I couldn't find it anymore.

So over the years I collected more; from people's gifts and from my rightfully earned prizes. Polly Pockets also became more complex in design and back then, I was amazed at this. One of my all time favorite sets is this Winter set that I have, which is shaped like a storybook when closed but when opened, it's so pretty and sparkly that you just couldn't help but stare at it for a long time. I also liked this horse show set (which I have no idea where I got from, I'm just sure I didn't buy it) because the Polly riding a horse in the middle would even spin and you could press a sound button so that there would be horse sounds. Heeehee. It's so cute! I also had this treasure chest design set. It was so nice. Polly and her friends could swim and dive. And you can make Polly stand on this balcony thing, as though watching her friends in the pool. It's so cuteeeee!

Then they started the magnet moving Polly thing sets. The first one was extremely nice. Three sets combined in one huge stage and you can move Polly around. I had that (I asked it for Christmas) and I remember spending so much time playing with it. It was their breakthrough design I think, and sadly, it was also one of their last good sets to ever be made again. And it was also the hardest to clean... mm, moving on.

I don't know, maybe I just really grew older, but after buying that huge magnet Polly set, I only bought one last set (a smaller magnet Polly but with a water park theme). The last set I had was I think one of their last good designs because after that, whenever I stopped by to look at toy stores, the latest Polly Pockets just don't look like Polly Pockets anymore! It was like a miniature sized hard plastic-ed Barbie doll with separate play things and moveable objects. The true essence of the original Polly Pockets was gone and it sucks. No more pocket sized playsets and inch tall dolls. I would honestly say that I loved the toys back in my generation better than the ones now. The Bratz dolls, for example, are really odd... as though there's a huge marketing plot behind it to turn all young girls into sluts at an early age. And the Barbie dolls back then were much more simpler and there weren't so many Barbie characters. Now you can make a whole army of Barbie and her friends. I liked our old toys, the simpler Barbies, Air Dancers, Polly Pockets, and those other dolls which I forgot the names of (there's this one wherein there's a princess inside a flower and the flower opens and closes... haha, I'll find out what that's called). And oh my gosh, I just found out that there's an Air Dancers cartoon?! What the hell man! Haha.

I miss the good ol' Polly Pockets. I guess I'll have to scrounge the net, flee markets and other such places so that I can add more to my collection. They look so pretty, especially in pictures, and it would be a shame not to appreciate them for their true beauty.

Before and After Pictures

2007-08-05T10:10:00.000+08:00

I was looking through my old photo albums because I wanted to scan some childhood pictures which I can post here. At first I was just pulling out pictures of my past Disney cakes (they were plentiful, mind you haha), but then I started to notice something eerily familiar about a lot of pictures. Take a look at these three sets, and I think you'll get what I mean... Just a note, I did NOT do this in purpose (by this, meaning, actually take pictures of my present self copying my kid pictures). I really just saw the similarities the other day. Everything is just coincidental. Really.

MICKEY MAN

A friend of mine once told me that I was "born a Mickey Man". He gave that statement when I told him that I just realized that the first words I ever spelled were MICKEY and MOUSE because of that Mickey Mouse Marching Song. Haha! Oh, sure, I may not know I was spelling then (or maybe I did, you'll never know), but I still SPELLED, technically. M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! Mickey Mouse! ^^

My brothers laughed when they saw this set. Look at my extraordinarily happy expression on both! And the pose! The pose! It's almost the same even! Haha! I don't think I still have that Mickey hat. Boo.

BLUE RIBBON

Everybody who's met me in person know that I always (ALWAYS) wear a ribbon on my hair. I have a bunch of ribbons of all colors and friends who visit my room alway point to my ribbon rack thing and some even take pictures (lol). Yes, it's one of the main attractions in my room. Anyway...

I did NOT know that I used to wear ribbons when I was little too! I remembered wearing headbands, but not really ribbons. I love this kiddie pic because the hair looks exactly like my present hair (only my bangs are a little more styled now). I showed that childhood picture to my friends before and the first thing they'd say was always "Oh my god, you were wearing ribbons already then?!" Hahahaha...!

WACKY BIRTHDAY PICS

One other well-known Sheena fact, I love doing wacky pictures! Especially wacky pics with my fingers in a 'peace sign', Japanese style! And I recently just got my brothers into having wacky pictures with me. My mom hates it. Haha. But I hate not being happy in pictures. Doing wacky poses always make you look so happy! Look at our childhood picture!!

And if you noticed (It's more unnoticeable on the left pic), both pics were taken from my birthdays! Yey! Look at the cakes (I'll post a more detailed picture of the kiddie cake)! And we're on the same places as well. Heehee. Now you can see how the three of us looked back then.

I think I was nearing my awkward stage during that time on my kid pic. That explains my weird hair...

---

NowI have only one thing to say: some things never really change, now do they?

My Disney DVD Collection

2007-08-04T06:29:00.000+08:00

Fake DVD's are so rampant here in the Philippines that it does not even SEEM like a crime anymore to buy them. You can buy SO many movies for only 50php (what's that, less than a dollar now?) and the quality of most of them (that is, if you know how to ask and where to look) is GREAT; the subtitles are correct, the pictures are clear, audio is wonderful, it's PERFECT. Perfectly illegally as well. Sure the government raids fake dvd hotspots once in a while, but they resume their activities almost immediately. You can't blame anyone for wanting to purchase these fake dvds when the copies are as good as the original and when the original costs more than 10 times the price of the fake one! Anyway, I could go on about this, but I am not blogging here to rant about the way some systems work in the Philippines. Moving on!

So as you've probably guessed, yes, I admit to buying unoriginal (note the euphemism) movies for 50php at Metrowalk. I have an odd sort of philosophy when it comes to this. I believe in buying the original only of those movies that you truly truly love; those movies worth spending the extra cash on even for just those short behind the scene clips that they can't include in the fake ones, those movies wherein you know that the people behind it really really gave their hearts out for the film. Not many movies have those qualities, and so, I do not own a lot of original dvds. Enough said.

But I do have an original dvd's collection and this includes the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I have the boxed extended versions), Star Wars 1-6 (but I'm currently lacking the 2nd movie still), the Harry Potter series (though it does not really fall so much on the categories I mentioned above, Harry Potter is something I love so, there), and of course, my Disney collection.

The thing I love most about Disney dvd's is that they release platinum, special, gold and/or two-disc editions of some of the movies. The best ones I've watched were those of Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast because they had entire sections truly devoted to the making of the movies and the commentaries were not at all boring to watch. I would always prefer to get the two disc edition, but on some cases, I've settled for the single disc, like my Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland dvd's.

But you have to understand that original dvd's here aren't really cheap. The usual two discs (or even one discs) cost 750php, roughly $15 up. Luckily (or unluckily) though, because of the rampant selling of fake dvd's the companies here are forced to slash prices off. Disney dvd's are always on the slashed off list. From 750php, they'd be reduced to 299php ($6), yes, even those special editioned copies! This is when I buy them! And since they would usually go back up, you have to keep a look out when they'd start marking them down again.

Collecting Disney dvd's (or any sort of dvd for that matter) isn't really that easy, or at least, I don't want to think that it is. It's always happy to go to a store, find that they've lowered prices, and scrounge for those title that you're looking for. And since, not all Disney titles are sold here in the Philippines (I think I've memorized even what titles are sold on which shop -__-), I still have to buy some online, but I don't do this often. The only ones I bought online are Peter Pan and Little Mermaid, and whenever I buy online, I use the money I earn from doing commissions ^^, and that makes it even more rewarding. And of course, since Disney wants to create even more hype (hype is what I'd like to think they're making, not profit), they've released only limited editions of some titles (like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty) and you'd have to go looking for these copies at various collectors shops. I heard once that they had dvd's which they sell only in Disneyland Parks, but I forgot what titles those were.

So let's list what I have so far:
1. Aladdin
2. Alice in Wonderland
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. Cinderella
5. Hercules
6. Little Mermaid
7. Peter Pan
8. Pocahontas
9. Tarzan

So you're probably asking (if you haven't realized already) how I watch the other films? From unoriginal copies, I'm afraid. While I'm still waiting to acquire the other titles, I've settled myself on watching the films on fake dvd's, but I can assure you that it is only temporary. Once I get my hands on those real ones, bye bye to my old copies!

It may take me a little more time to complete my collection (I have like... 20+ more to go? haha) but that's the fun of it! Disney, release those platinum editions now!

On Birthday Cakes

2007-08-01T17:18:00.000+08:00

This is my 18th birthday cake (last year) ! Pics below are from my 19th, just yesterday July 31

Birthdays come only once a year, and the best part about birthdays? The cake, of course!

Since I was a kid, I always looked forward to birthdays (July 31st!) because of the cake design. I've had all sorts of wonderful characters in my birthday cakes such as Cinderella, Little Mermaid and even the Powerpuff Girls. I'd always be the one to choose the design and it would always make me super happy!

As years pass, the cake designs on my cake have been changing as well. No more silly figurines. No more extra lollipop candies on a stick. Well, at least, that's what they wanted me to have. So for the next few years, I would oblige to having simple (but nummy) strawberry cakes. No more special toys for me. I don't remember much about those birthdays.

Now doesn't that say something?

Then I realized that just because we're growing older, doesn't mean we have to grow up. Who ever said that I had to stop liking cartoons once I reach 18? Whoever said that I couldn't have pink fluffy cakes with Disney Princesses on top anymore?

My childhood is something I wouldn't give up so easily. I might end up not giving it up at all. But that's ok. Because being a kid at heart can bring you a lot of happiness in life. Remember how it was to be carefree and alive; when nobody cared how long you'd spend on your dollhouse? Or when the only decision you had to face was which outfit to have your Barbie wear? It was the most joyous feeling. I can still remember a lot about those times. Sometimes, people ask me how I can remember those little things from way before when I was still a child, and not remember what I just said a few minutes ago. It's quite simple actually. Those memories stuck because they meant something to me. My Aladdin playset was more than just a stupid toy; I've had countless adventures and struggles (the way I had to switch Genie's head all the time. phew!) with it, and by doing so, I not only kept myself busy, but allowed my imagination to flow.

People dread birthdays as they grow older because they know that they are just that: getting older. But do we really age with time? Do the number of candles in our cake tell us how old (or young) we really are? Are years even important in the end? You already know, of course, that the answer to that is that it does not. Age is merely a number. In some other planets, you could be a million years old already (taking into account the number of revolutions it takes to the sun) and still it makes no difference. What matters is how we are inside; how we still see things, how we feel and how we are like. You don't count in days but in dreams. It doesn't matter how many days have passed, what matters is how many dreams you've realized.

And you know what's the best part about birthday cakes? You get to wish every time you blow the candles out.

*Edit August 2: I've been looking at past photos and found loads of pictures of my past cakes. I want to share them here but I'll just post a new blog for that. Keep a look out!*

*Edit November 30: I keep on forgetting to put a link here. Here's an entry about my childhood cakes!*

Minnie Mouse Pin

2007-07-22T08:33:00.000+08:00

Last May, we visited HK Disneyland. Many people find it odd, but I had the time of my life! Me and my brothers were just running like crazy! It was so much fun! (More details on my future posts)

On our second day in the park (we were there for two days and we slept at the Disney Hollywood Hotel), while I was walking around, I noticed that my shoes made a funny clicking sound every time I stepped. *Click click* *Click click* It was as though a rock got stuck. At first I just ignored it, thinking that the rock would probably just fall off as I walked a few more steps, but it didn't stop! Finally, I got really annoyed so I sat down, looked at the bottom of my right shoe and guess what I found?! A Minnie Mouse pin, punched to the bottom of my red rubber shoes!

You must understand the gravity of the matter. First, thank goodness I wasn't injured. HAHA. Ok, so nobody really gets injured by a silly little pin, but hey! It punctured the bottom of my shoe (not severely of course, but still, it did)! Secondly (and the most important point of it all), I now had the perfect souvenir! It wasn't just something I brought out of the store, a real silly experience of my trip was attached to it. Now, every time I look at the pin, I remember that time, and it makes me happy! My brothers were laughing at me because of all the silly things to get stuck in my shoe, it had to be a Disney related something.

Plus, the design is very special! It features Minnie, in her Disney Cuties form (it reminds me of my own drawing style ^^) AND she's holding chopsticks! Heehee. The chopsticks are the best part, since I got it from HK Disneyland.

All hail pins that get stuck on our shoes!

The Circus In Her Head

2007-07-21T14:59:00.001+08:00

Story

"Little Annie couldn't wait for the circus. The red balloons, the clowns, the elephants... they all made little Annie so excited! Unfortunately, the circus only comes once a year and this made little Annie sad. But little Annie was a very smart girl. She thought, if she couldn't make the circus come everyday, then she'll never let them leave!

So the time when the circus came, little Annie watched happily and waited for the show to end. Just as the clowns were packing up, little Annie took out a certain device that she created and shrunk the entire circus!

Now little Annie was very happy because she can take the circus everywhere. But a few days later, she got tired of carrying the circus around. So since little Annie was a terribly good sewer, she sew the circus and the clowns on top of her hat. That way, they'll be with her wherever she goes!"

The drawing

This drawing is one of my personal favorites (from the whole lot of my drawings). While I was drawing this, I did not have a particular concept in mind. I just doodled whatever came to me; I did not plan proportions, colors nor style. I guess sometimes, all you really need to make a masterpiece is not to plan on making one.

Some people have pointed out that the title ought to be "...ON her head" and not "...IN her head", but I assure you, that is no grammatical error. Haha. I really wanted to place IN her head because the circus really IS just inside her head. The drawing is the visual representation of how Little Annie feels. The circus is all in her head. I wanted a sort of double meaning kind of effect.

Daily Deviation

Last April 11, 2007, I got the shock of my life when I was notified that I got a Daily Deviation feature on DeviantArt. Having a daily deviation is an honor and only selected pieces are chosen each day. I never expected my work to be featured and I really couldn't ask for more. I was ecstatic that day; took so many screencaps of the front page. Haha! See the deviation here !

About the Story

I don't think I'm as good in writing as I am in drawing, though I try my best. But sometimes, I'd like to combine them both when I get really inspired. This is one of those times. I know the style is something that of a children's book and that was really what I was going for. One of my many many dreams is to be able to publish / write / draw for a children's book. I'd really like to make more mini stories. Maybe I will, when I get the time.

It's just different for me though; the illustration comes first before the writing.

70 Things To Do Before I Die

2007-07-12T21:30:00.004+08:00

I've been making lists for as long as I can remember. I love lists. One of my favorite things to list about are the things I'd like to accomplish in my life. As you might have guessed, my Things To Do Before I Die List has been constantly rewritten and revised over the years. I once made a 100 Things To Do List only having half of them crossed out after my Europe Trip. Haha.

So this time, I'm making my latest (and hopefully last) list of things to do before I die. I reduced the number from 100 to 70. As of today, I have not accomplished any of the 70 goals presented here.

But of course, things can change overnight ;)

The numbers in red are the goals already achieved!

---

1. Visit all Disneylands
- LA, Florida, Paris, Tokyo (with Disney Sea) and HK
- Only Disneyland Paris left to visit!

2. Visit all the continents
- Asia, Europe, Australia, North America, South America, Antarctica, Africa
- Only South America, Antarctica and Africa left!
- Yes, I am gonna visit Antarctica! Though I have no idea how!

3. Visit the new 7 Wonders
- Only been to two: Great Wall and Colosseum

4. Visit all the sites nominated for the new 7 wonders
- There are 21 in the list
- Only been to three: Great Wall, Colosseum & Eiffel Tower

5. Visit the Banaue Rice Terraces

6. Visit at least 30 countries
- So far I've been to 15, halfway there!
- US, Australia, Japan, Korea, China, HK, Thailand, Singapore
- Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands (aka Holland), Belgium, UK,

7. Visit a remote village in another country

8. Build a snowman

9. Build a sandcastle
- Completed: May 10, 2008 at Subic

10. Learn how to cook
- I can't cook to save my life!

11. Learn archery
- Since I love Medieval stuff so much
- And since Elves (in LOTR) do a lot of bow fighting thing ;)

12. Attend the Ati-Atihan Festival

13. Attend the Carnival of Venice

14. Attend a traditional circus carnival
- With the clowns, cotton candy and popcorn!

15. Attend a Circe du Soleil show

16. Attend a FIFA World Cup game
- Well I hope it's gonna be a game with Les Bleus in it!
- Hooray for the French Team! Allez Les Bleus!

17. Converse well in a foreign language

18. Draw on a wall

19. Experience Winter
- Fuzzy clothes, ear muffs, cool air and snow. Mmm...
- I need this to build my snowman!

20. Experience Autumn

21. Spend a night in an igloo
- There are those igloo hotels during winter somewhere, right? I can stay in those.
- Or I can build my own fortress. That would be wicked cool.

22. Spend a night in a castle

23. Spend your birthday at some other country

24. Spend Christmas in New York
- Where I hear everything is just busy, crowded, confusing and oh-so wonderful

25. See the northern lights

26. See the original "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" at Beijing
- This is my new favorite painting!
- My blog entry about it can be found here!

27. See the pyramids

28. Have a tea party
- Whether with imaginary or real life friends!
- One lump or two? Biscuits, anyone? XD

29. Have a drastic hair style change
- I can have it permed, or cut super short, or dyed with obvious highlights, etc.
- Someday.... not today... haha. I still love my straight hair.

30. Have pictures taken in old traditional photbooths

31. Ride a camel

32. Ride an elephant
- Completed: April 6, 2008 at Thailand

33. Memorize all the capitals of every country
- know-it-all in the making. (haha XD)

34. Memorize all the flags of every country

35. Learn about other religions
- Since I'm a Buddhist and I studied in a Catholic School, both religions are excluded
- I plan on learning more about Islam, actually
- Must master at least three

36. Learn how to juggle

37. Make my own doll
- I'd REALLY like to make a wooden doll to add to my collection
- But if it proves to be really hard, I'd settle for an old cotton styled doll

38. Make 1000 paper cranes
- They say if you fold 1000 cranes, you get a wish ^^

39. Go horseback riding
- Though I've already ridden a horse before, I want to REALLY go horseback riding
- Meaning, really ride it far and not just a few turns round the range with a guy holding the rope -.-

40. Go fishing

41. Watch ALL Disney Animated Films ever made
- There are those really hard ones like The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad
- Have you ever heard of that one even? Haha!

42. Watch the sun rise and set all in the same day

43. Watch a show on Broadway

44. Get featured in a magazine/newspaper
- I don't care if they just place a headshot haha as long as it's printed, it's an achievement!

45. Get wooden dolls from all countries that I've already visited
- Like I mentioned in my previous entry, I wasn't able to get dolls from every country I've visited
- I still lack dolls from Singapore, US, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France and the Netherlands

46. Apply for Disneyland and/or Walt Disney Pictures
- Just so I can tell myself that at least I tried :)
- It doesn't matter if I get accepted
- Though of course, it would really be a dream come true if I did!

47. Change someone's life
- Like make a really big impact on someone's life, in a good way, of course

48. Travel with no predetermined destination

49. Live in a different country for at least a month
- Hopefully it's some place more interesting than just LA (where some of my relatives live)

50. Immortalize Cippow in a 3D state
- Stuffed toy, sculpture, anything. As long as he's tangible to others now. lol.
- Cippow is my imaginary friend, in case you didn't know!

51. Plant a tree

52. Pick apples

53. Fly a kite

54. Cruise the Nile

55. Milk a cow

56. Stay awake for 24 hours
- For someone who has her bedtime at 10:30, this is a great achievement!
- Completed: December 21-22, 2007 at Tagaytay with friends

57. Sleep under the stars

58. Roast marshmallows in an open fire

59. Send a message in a bottle

60. Open my own store
- I really want to open a store and sell merchandise with my art ^^
- I am already earning with my drawings in the net but I'd like a real place to sell my works
- I'm taking up BS Management by the way, in case you're wondering haha

61. Fly first class

62. Find a four leaf clover

63. Paint easter eggs
- Easter isn't a very popular holiday over here, sadly
- I'd like to paint loads of Easter Eggs!

64. Own an I Heart NY Shirt from New York
- just cuz it's so iconic

65. Write a children's book

66. Participate actively in a non-profit organization
- Such as UNICEF or WWF
- I want to be able to work with them hands-on not just by mere donations

67. Dress up differently for an entire day
- Completed: May 29, 2008, at Edsa Shang-ri La mall with friends
- Curled my hair, wore a long skirt. People kept mistaking us for Koreans.
- Person taking my order at KFC spoke straight english thinking I was a foreigner HAHA.

68. Design completely someone else's room
- Since I've already done mine, and it seems as though people really like the way I did it
- I want to redo someone's room! (Just design though, not fund the project haha)

69. Decorate a cake

70. Wish on a shooting star
- I've never seen a shooting star yet :)

Photos were taken from Istockphoto.com

My Wooden Dolls Collection

2007-07-10T16:50:00.001+08:00

I enjoy collecting things. But one of my favorite is my collection of wooden dolls. And for this particular collection, it is impossible to pinpoint exactly when I started.

Every trip, I'd always make sure that I bought sufficient souvenirs. Souvenirs and taking pictures are two of the things I love best in traveling. I'd buy everything from Venetian Masks to the smallest keychains; anything that would remind me of the happy experience.

Just before my latest trip to Hong Kong earlier this year, I decided that I wanted a particular theme for all my travel souvenirs. I wanted a collection which I can happily display side by side without looking like a mix of hullabaloo from all sorts of places. So I gathered all my past souvenirs (those which I can carry with my two hands at least) and sought for a common theme. Voila, the wooden dollies collection was born.

Since I just decided upon the theme, obviously I wasn't able to purchase enough dollies to accurately represent each place that I've visited (one of my few regrets in life). Here are the dolls that I was able to buy (by the way, I also include in my collection gifts from people of dolls form other countries. I shall note which are gifts)

In the picture, the Russian babooshka (I love this word! Russian for grandmother^^) dolls were from my mom's friend. All the other dolls are from trips I've been to like those two dolls at the back with pipes, I got them from Germany. The green one's name is Ludwig and the blue one's name is Albrecht. The male and female duo are from Korea (still nameless). The red one on the far right is Chimmi from Hong Kong. The two boys in the middle are my London boys named Edmund and Edward respectively. And lastly, the three little dolls left were from China and are still also nameless for the meantime.

As I was recalling the different dolls that I had, I remembered a Japanese little doll-keychain that I bought around 3 years ago. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it anymore. :( I searched all over my room and asked everyone in the house to hold a search party for her but to no avail. Luckily though, I was able to take a picture of her (I don't remember why I did that though). Sadly, that's all that's left of her, for now at least... I hope I find her soon! But if I don't, oh well, I hope she's in a better place.

Oh, and just a short sharing, the other night, I actually dreamt (how obsessed am I) of a doll that looked similar to my Chimmi doll only it was bigger and had a traditional Filipino Ifugao costume on. It was super nice. It got me thinking, do we have cute dolls like that in this country? If we do, I'd really really like to purchase some. ^^ It looked very pretty. If we don't, maybe the dream was telling me to start designing dolls like that! Haha.

Looking forward to bringing more cute dollies home!

My Europe Trip in a Nutshell

2007-07-08T11:30:00.000+08:00

Disclaimer: This is an essay that I wrote early this year for my final paper in English class wherein I got a happy A. This is one of my favorite self-written essays and was originally entitled "Wanderlust" (one of my favorite words). Traveling is one of my great joys in life.

Like most, I had a lot of dreams as a kid. I knew that I wanted to do a lot and be a lot when I grew up. I wanted to be a superhero, a pop star, a princess and a Disneyland mascot. I wanted to save the world, earn millions and live happily ever after at the happiest place on earth. Great dreams, weren't they? But as I grew up, I found out that those were simply what they were, kids' dreams; far-fetched, extraordinary, and of course, impossible. But I realized that within those dreams, lies a different dream, one that bound these all together and that was my longing for excitement. Not just any kind of excitement though, what I wanted was the kind you got from doing something new. It was the feeling you got from witnessing a magic trick for the first time, or the kind you got from tasting a new ice cream flavor. I wanted to meet interesting people, experience unusual things and visit exotic lands. I realized then, that all I really wanted after all, was to travel.

St. Augustine once said that "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page" and this is what I believe in. The world is a huge place and it is there to be discovered. It used to be that every summer vacation, my family would go join tour packages to different countries; China, Japan, Australia, Korea ... well, mostly Asian countries (aside from the US trip) because my mom particularly hated long flights. I didn't. My philosophy was to be as far as I can as possible. The farther I was, the more exciting it got; the people all looked different (now I was exposed to all kinds of races, black, white, hispanic), the weather was different, the food was different, EVERYTHING was different. And well, my philosophy holds true for me even until this day. It was no surprise then, that during my 18th birthday, I asked not for a debut party, but for a trip to Europe.

Europe has always been my dream destination. The postcard-perfect pictures that I've seen almost everywhere have been enough to keep me dreaming about the day I'd be able to set foot on the place for years. I had the most cliche thought about the place too. I dreamt of music playing while I was walking down the streets, of Frenchmen selling baguettes while I was sipping coffee in a cafe, of pigeons flying everywhere surrounding Notre Dame, of the sweet singing of a gondolier and so much more. This was my fairytale. Though I secretly hoped that all these would happen, I knew somewhere in me that it couldn't be as perfect as I imagined it to be. But if there's one thing that my Disney-filled childhood has taught me, it's that fairytales do come true. Europe was all I imagined it to be and more.

The Masquerade

Roman guards, complete with armors and helmets, were roaming around the Trevi Fountain. Gold faced men in extravagant coats were waving to passers-by in Venice. The tin-man was dancing with a little kid on a street in Germany. Van Gogh was sitting on his stool along a sidewalk in Belgium.

All over famous spots and streets in Europe, these street entertainers entertain their way through the hearts of both locals and tourists. How life must be for them (and whether those flamboyant masks and costumes hiding their own faces and bodies was a good thing or not), I did not know. They would pose for a picture, dance, wave, smile--- all for you; as long as you drop enough euros in their can. I still cannot decide whether they were living "the good life", as they say, or whether it was just plain sad.

But it is true that each of us have a different story to tell. One may be in this for the money, the other may be in this for the easy task. Others may find their job amusing, while some did not have any other choice. And for everyone else on the earth, this holds true simply because we all have different reasons and purposes. Everyday we wear a mask, not any different from these people as we play the part that we have to play. Sometimes we need to give a performance, which everybody expects of us. Sometimes we put on a show. There are times when we need to be someone else for others and times when we need to follow our own hearts.

And maybe for them, one thing that they do is to make walking along the streets more interesting than it actually is. Maybe there are times when they need the cheering-up more than the people, but that is life after all. It is one hell of a big masquerade.

Childhood dreams

My father has been a fan of The Beatles for the longest time. He owns all their records, a few souvenir shirts (which he never really stopped wearing until the present on casual outings), and he was one of those few lucky ones who have been able to see them live when the band had their infamous tour in Manila back in 1966. Going to London was his dream, but it was not to step foot in Buckingham Palace, nor was it to look up to the Big Ben from below; it was to be able to walk down the famous Abbey Road where The Beatles had the cover picture of their famous 11th music album shot. No surprises there.

We rode the local taxi early in the morning and my dad couldn't hold his excitement. He was humming Beatles songs and fidgeting all through out the ride. He was like a 5 year old kid eagerly anticipating a trip to the amusement park and I was happy for him. Working hard at 55, he deserved this little nostalgic trip back to his childhood. The weather was extremely cold upon arriving to the place but it was like my dad did not notice. He handed me the camera immediately and asked me to take "a couple of shots" of him walking back and forth the pedestrian lane. He walked down the lane when cars weren't passing and even asked my reluctant brother to join him at one point. There were times when cars were arriving and he would have to run, but he did it over and over again anyway. If my mom hadn't been jumping because she was freezing already, my dad would not have stopped. After 50 (or more) shots, we finally decided to go back to our hotel. During the taxi ride back, my dad was reviewing the pictures I took. The shine in his eyes spoke for the happiness he felt and I couldn't be any happier for him. He was finally able to do something he always dreamt about as a young boy but never thought of being able to do. Nostalgia is one of my favorite emotions and I loved seeing it in people. I was glad to see this in my father but most of all, I was proud to be part of the experience.

Now I finally understood why the past is so enticing to us; why an old man's eye sparkles when he starts to reminisce the "good old days" and why nothing compares to the feeling of rediscovering our old childhood toys. As a person ages, the little magic he once knew about life disappears. He is now sure that happily-ever-afters do not exist and that "following your heart" is one the stupidest things that people made you believe. In looking back to our past, we remember our old innocence. For a few minutes, time stops and you return to your old self. You remember why you never really cared when chocolate dripped down your shirt. You remember why you never really worried about "the important stuff". You remember what it was like to have fun, to trust and to love. You remember what it was like to live. You remember what it was like to be a child once again.

Surprise Surprise!

France surprised me with surprises. As with every other place, I've had initial expectations and I always got more than what I thought, but not as much as I did in this country.

The Eiffel Tower has been the symbol of Paris for the longest time. It never struck me as anything special probably because it is one of the most overused subject in every postcards, photos, calendars and other prints. Nevertheless, I was excited to visit the tower up close since it has always been important to the French and France has always been my favorite country. When the bus stopped at the site, I quickly rushed down, ran to the perfect spot and took pictures (as usual, loads of them). Then we got our ticket, climbed road the tower elevator all the way to the second floor (the tower only had three). I was so excited, running around, taking more pictures, looking at the different people and the different view from above. After spending around 30 minutes or so, our tour guide called us back to the bus. I sat down, smiled, review the pictures as I always did. As the bus started to move, I bent down to pick up my notebook and write down how excited I felt, when I realized that, my bag was no longer there.

At first our tour mates went searching under their seats for my bag too, because they reckon it might have just slipped all the way to the back, but to no avail. A little while later, my mom noticed that one of our other bags (which contained medications, umbrellas and other basic things) was also gone. Soon, the entire group was checking their belongings to see if their bags were missing too and one of the couples were missing their video camera and bags containing more important things such as money, cellphones and the like.

Of all places, I did not expect that something bad like this would happen here. It was an unfortunate event for our tour group but inside, my family was thankful that even though we lost two bags, those two bags didn't contain anything expensive or important. I was sad about losing my notebook and a pair of earrings, which I got from Venice, but I was thankful that it didn't contain other more important things like my camera. It was just the first day of our three day tour in France, and though I felt sad about the losses, I did not let this ruin the rest of my time left there.

On my second night at Paris, we were scheduled to watch a show called Lido. I went for a walk on the Champs Elysees to pass time while waiting. As I loved collecting travel memorabilia, a souvenir shop along the place caught my eye and I ventured inside. I was looking around the different dolls and figurines when a man addressed me as "Mademoiselle?" and suddenly started to talk to me in an Asian language upon seeing me to the face. He was a boy who was probably but a few years older than I am, and I gave a little laugh "I'm sorry, I don't speak Japanese!" I blurted. "Oh, no, that wasn't Japanese, it was Korean" he said in English with his French accent. "This is Japanese" and he started to say things in Japanese. He could have been saying "You look very ugly", but it did not matter. I nodded to him in approval and he knew I was impressed. Who wouldn't be? He was French, he could speak in Korean, Japanese AND English. Not many French can speak in straight English even. We weren't able to talk for long because I had to leave already, but I was able to tell him that I was in fact Chinese, as he impressed me even more with a few Chinese words. I laughed appreciatively, said my thank-you's and I waved goodbye as he bowed his head to me and for the last time addressed me as "Mademoiselle". I was smiling all the way to the show.

We toured around the streets of Paris during the night. The Eiffel Tower was sparkling; its lights were blinking. I never imagined Paris to be this beautiful.

The world could really take you by surprise and this is one of the beauties that I have found in traveling because you never really know what to expect. It is as St. Augustine said, the world IS a book, and a very thick one at that too. You can try reading all the travel guides out there but you still haven't been there unless you've been there, and there is just so much to discover. You can go back to a place that you’ve been to before and find yourself in a totally new adventure.

Maybe one day I really could save the world, earn millions and live happily ever after at the happiest place on earth, just as I had dreamt when I was a kid. But I think I'll put that off for now. I have a number of pages more to visit.

My Pick for the Wonders of the World

2007-07-08T10:30:00.000+08:00

They've finally announced the new Seven Wonders of the World (on 7-7-07), in case you've been living under a rock. The Chichen Itza, Taj Mahal, Petra, Christ Redeemer, Great Wall, Colosseum and Machu Pichu has made the final 7. I've been waiting for this day since I found out about the project but I have to say, I'm not that happy with the results.. well, for two of them at least... Don't get me wrong, the places are ALL beautiful and I will die happily if I have visited all those places in my lifetime, but I just think that there are three who didn't make it that really deserved to be there.

So here's MY pick for the new wonders. I couldn't narrow it down to 7 so I stuck to 8.

I didn't include Petra and the Christ Redeemer, like I said, not because I didn't like them, but because I wanted to include 3 others. So from left to right, top to bottom, here are my eight wonders: Chichen Itza, Taj Mahal, Great Wall, Machu Pichu, Colosseum, Angkor Wat, Stonehenge and the Moai Statues at Eastern Islands. Now isn't that a better list? ^^

Taj Mahal is one of my top picks, because the story of the place is one my favorites. Great Wall, despite being a product of slavery, remains a great marvel because the structure reminds us of the skilled workers responsible. Also, it is the only structure seen from the moon, the last I heard... does that still hold true?

Why did I choose the Angkor Wat, the Moai Statues and the Stonehenge? The Angkor Wat because of it's beauty and sanctity. It is a great place of worship and the intricate style and design done is hard to pass up. The Moai Statues because they were carved from compressed volcanic ash! How creative was that? And of course, Stonehenge. I really can't believe they didn't include this one. It was built during pre-historic times, withstood the test of time, and still remains to be one of the greatest mysteries in the world. How could you NOT include it?!

That said, I'm still pretty happy that they included really nice places in the list. And now, I am making it a life goal to be able to visit all the 7 new wonders and with that, my own list of 8 wonders. Currently, I have only been to two (on both lists); The Great Wall and Colosseum last 2005 and 2006 respectively.

Why was I wearing the same top?!