Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

2011 was a blur. Everything went so quickly. And I am so thankful for a lot of things that happened to me this year. 2011 has been so good to me. I may have lost some but I gained more.  

For this year, I am so thankful …

that I lost my job and got a better one (with a better pay, of course);

for the numerous design contests I’ve won;

that I was able to battle procrastination, hence, I was able to create this blog and my design portfolio;

for my friends who have been there for me through thick and thin, and gave me the best laughs ever;

for the mommies I have found online with the same interest that became my friends and to whom I have found a new family;

for the gift of family;

for my son who never fails to make me smile;

and for everyone that made my ordinary year, extra-ordinarily special.

I won’t be making any more New Year’s Resolution, because I know I will never be able to achieve one. So this year, there will be no plans, resolutions, promises, goals, wishes, or whatnot… everything’s going to be spontaneous. Whatever will be, will be.

Hello 2012, I am so ready now. Bring it on!

P.S. More clients please… :)

Never Been Better

Yesterday, was general cleaning day.  Swept the floors carefully, wiped every dust at every corner, rummaged every closet, and much to my surprise, I found a lot of clothes that we no longer use.  And if you have read my previous post regarding donations to the victims of typhoon Sendong, you will see that we only had a little to give. 

But now, I am so happy because I never thought that I would fill this box with more clothes, shoes, blankets and other goods. I feel good, not only because the house is now clean and our closet has more space than ever but because we would be able to help a lot of devastated families for Christmas. I hope that despite the tragedy that happened, they may still find happiness in their hearts, and that through these little acts we showed, they will feel loved.

Christmas and the forgotten manger

The cold December breeze once again came our way. This change of wind suddenly turned people to be surprisingly generous or I should say big cash burners. We all think of Christmas as the magical time of the year where we rush and hurry shopping for gifts to give for our love ones and for ourselves as well. We eat, drink and party like there’s no tomorrow. It’s actually the most wonderful time of the year because it is the only time when we can have all the fun, eat and gain a few extra pounds, and spend a whole lot of money without the guilt feeling at all.

Christmas is so magical that we tend to forget to check what’s happening in reality. The lighted streets, raucous parties, and shopping sprees have blinded almost every one of us to see the true spirit of Christmas. We fail to remember that our happy Christmases began in a poor and dirty manger.

Christmas is more than just the fancy and well-decorated Christmas trees, more than just the sumptuous meals set before our tables, and more than just the expensive gifts we await to give and receive. Christmas isn’t found in the glittery balls nor in the impressive launch of fireworks at night. Christmas isn’t only the time we celebrate Christ’s birth, but it is the time we EMULATE HIS HUMBLE SERVICE, KINDNESS and LOVE.

Perhaps, one of the best way to celebrate this season is to SHARE OUR BLESSINGS to the needy. Remember, Christ isn’t found in parties or crowded malls. Christ is found among our less fortunate brothers and sisters. And just by giving out a little help to them, we find Christ within us.

We don’t have to be rich or influential to serve and reach out for the needy. Because even in our own little way, we are able to do BIG things, things that enable us to see and feel the true spirit of Christmas.

Don’t get me wrong guys, I’m not trying to be impressive here. Believe me, I’m far from being this goody-two-shoes kind of person. But just recently, a typhoon hit some part of the Philippines, leaving many damaged properties and lost many lives. I was struck when I saw this picture of a father grieving over his daughter’s death. His demise was so heartfelt that it broke my heart into pieces.

The typhoon Sendong wrecked a lot of houses, took a lot of lives, devastated a lot of families, and broke a lot of hearts. It made me realized how blessed I am for not being in their shoes and feel bad at the same time that they have to experience the wrath of nature at a time such as this, that they have to grieve over their loved ones instead of celebrating Christmas together with their families.

I guess it’s about time that I do something right and different this season. This blog is just one of those things, I hope I inspire the readers to do the same. We’re not rich, we don’t have a lot of money to have a grandiose Christmas celebration, we don’t have a lot of clothes, but we chose to donate some these because I know that those people need these more than we do.

I know this is not much. But at least in our own little way, we are able to help a family or two. (P.S. don’t mind the trash bags, they’re clean. I just don’t have a box or a decent plastic bag to put them in.)

Let’s make this magical season real, let’s bring out that little JESUS within us to life. Let’s all share our blessings and give love. Our brothers and sisters out there are in need of our help and prayers. 

For those who would want to help, you can drop of your donations to DSWD offices, Red Cross, ABS-CBN, GMA, or any establishments that accept donations for the victims of Sendong.

Christmas is indeed in the air, may all of us find the true meaning of Christmas deep within our hearts. HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

What I Really Want for Christmas

As you have read (or not) on my previous blogs, I have been writing about the things that I badly WANT. Mga luho, kumbaga.

When I was in college, I was deprived of these. Saving up would take ages as I have to make sure that my scanty allowance is enough to sustain me and my photocopied hand-outs (that I never got to read) for the rest of the day. Belonging in a group of “sosyal” friends did not mean that I have to keep up with their pace. I am definitely one of the most kuripot person in that circle.

Now, I’m earning on my own. I have a good job enough to sustain my family’s needs, enough to pay the bills, and just enough to give in to the urge of buying the things that I want.

But honestly, savings after savings, I never got to scratch out a single item on my wishlist and it just keeps on getting long. Here’s the usual situation: whenever I have the money on-hand, there is always this resistance coming out of nowhere. And yes, I always end up not buying what I was saving up for. That’s probably a good thing. Somehow, my fists are still always close.

But I do have a wishlist for Christmas though. Only this time, it’s far from being materialistic. So here, I want to share with you my “Grown-up” Christmas Wishlist:

1. Good health and blessings for my loving family; for my son Rhett who gave me a reason to end each tough day with a smile; for my friends who always give me a good laugh and great company; for my enemies (meron ba?) and those not-so-nice people I meet everyday who taught me how to smile at their shit and made me stronger in a positive way; and for the random people who bumped in to me and have somehow knowingly or unknowingly touched my life;

2. Be free from resentment and heavy emotional baggage. Have the heart to forgive those who hurt me. Included are the people who don’t seem to know the way to the road to healing, may they find forgiveness in their hearts;

3. Prosperity and courage for those who shed sweat and tears, especially those who are working away from their families and who tried to endure each tormenting day without a single glimpse of their loved ones;

4. Kindness and generosity for the well-fortunate, that may they find it in their hearts to reach out for the poor, the oppressed and the needy;

5. And enlightenment to the people who no longer know what Christmas is truly all about.

That’s it. :)

8 days to go and it’s Christmas day!

Vector Art: Cassey

This is my friend Cassey, a rockin mom to a 3 year old handsome son. Raising a kid on your own is not easy, yet she was able to go through all pain and perils of being a single mom without losing her cool. She’s one of the strongest person I know and I truly admire her for that. It’s her birthday yesterday, and this is somethin that I made for her. Happy Birthday Cassey!

Vector Art: Phats

Just because I got bored. Decided to do a vector for my buddy, Phats.

Vector Art: Self

This year, I decided to create a vector of myself. This is my very first vector and probably won’t be the last one for the year. It’s not yet too late to create more. :)

It took me almost a week to finish this. But I am so happy with the results.

I know I am improving. Yay!


Just compare it to vectors I created way back:

(Lin Ketong - my first and last vector in 2010)

(2nd Self portrait - Rendered somewhere in 2008-09)

My first one looks so discouraging. I really wanted to upload it, I just don’t know where else I can retrieve it, because as far as I can remember, I have showcased my first ever vector project in Friendster - a now dead social networking site. But no matter, I can still see perfectly in my mind how it looks. It has a deformed face with jagged lines all over. It looks far from me. Yes, it looks discouraging. Really. But that didn’t stop me from trying to learn more.

I’ve always love to do things that has something to do with graphics, doing vectors wasn’t one of my forte. I only did one or two vectors in a year.

But seeing these vector gurus from VXV and their jaw-dropping awesome works, a passion was ignited. Their works are more like a downer actually. But the more I look at their work, the more that I encourage myself to reach that level. They are inspiration.

I know I have improved a lot. And I promise to improve more. Woot! :)

Coca-Cola Christmas Special: The OFW Project

Two videos from YouTube became viral today. One is just plain showbiz sh*t, and the other is a total heart melter and tear-jerker.

I’m talking about Coca-cola’s newest ad, The OFW Project Video.

This really made me cry. My father is one of the 11 million OFWs who works really hard to provide for the needs of his family. This is going to be the sixth time that he’ll be spending Christmas 8,000 miles away from us. His hard work paid off though. My sister and I were both sent to a prestigious university, we didn’t starve, and our home is almost done.

I really am proud of my parents. They had a rough start. They started from scratch. We didn’t have a home then. We used to move from one house to another. We lived in a land owned by the Montemayors, which twenty years ago the houses were demolished and the land is now barren. Yes, we were squatters. I developed a tough, independent and domineering demeanor and street-wise diskarte because I spent half of my childhood in the slums of Piapi Boulevard.  But look where my parents are standing now. I really am proud of their hard work, how they were able to give us a better future, how they were able to pull us away from the slums and poverty.

This house is just one of the many things they achieved all from toil, sweat and tears. I hope when this home gets done, my dad will be on his way from California to Davao. :)

They are my inspiration.  They have shown me that anything can be achieved if you work really hard.

So, kudos to all OFWs out there!  To everyone who sacrificed their time away from their loved ones to give their family a brighter future, I hope you will all have a MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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