Saturdays will always be Saturdays. But no matter what, my husband always has ways of getting me out of it. After all those rants and ramblings, he took me out.

We had buffet at Kuya Ed’s for lunch, and a 30-inch pizza at Calda for dinner. Talk about food, he really knows how to get into my heart. <3

I am a rusty machine that never sleeps. I wake up at 6am [sometimes even earlier], turn on my laptop, write a few articles, [take a break and] do something interesting in photoshop, eat, write more articles, eat, play with photoshop, eat, play Grand Fantasia, and continue with photoshop until the break of dawn. Of course in between, I tend to my son, I take a bath, run my errands, and do other things normal people do. Wash, rinse… repeat. 

That has been my life ever since I graduated from college.  Yes, I usually spend most of my time in front of the computer writing articles and mostly photoshopping. [Photoshop is in my dictionary, and it is a noun and already a verb.]

To others, my life seems so boring. Some would even say that I must get a life. But hey, I am doing something worthwhile, something that makes me happy, and something that I love. And from that moment, I know they are wrong.

I have a life. And this is how I chose to live my life. I am happy with it.

Anyway, last week, I was able to make my first digital painting. And I like how it turned out. I still need a lot of practice though.

And just now, I was able to finish painting David Beckham using Adobe Photoshop CS4 and a Wacom Pen Tablet. It’s actually my first time to paint a portrait.

I started this project last July 25 and finished this on the 28th. Overall, it took me around 18 hours to get this done. Caused me a few numb and tingling fingers, strained eyes, and an aching back.. so I think I’m going to have to reward myself.

One of the reasons why you have to think a thousand times before you say "I DO."

Drawn in Adobe Photoshop CS4

Patient Cabuang, Nani, 28 years old. Ward A Bed 3. In due to vomiting, cough, and fever with IVF of D5LR 1L @30 gtts/hr, diet as tolerated…

…and the words began to fade while I was scurrying to write down everything on my little jot down notes.

Hmmm.. let me check…

What?!

Eight years ago, when I was at the verge of choosing my career path, anything that has something to do with computers never crossed my mind. I dislike our computer subject in high school… you just don’t know how much I hated Visual Basic and Pascal Programming Language. I never liked staying in front of the computer. I barely last 15 minutes using it.

So I decided to take up Nursing because I do not know what I really want. And because it doesn’t have a lot of Math subjects. And it was so "uso" at that time. And I know a lot of friends who are going to take the course too. So I thought it should be fun.

 Well, it was fun. I really had fun. But while I was journeying on this path, I went astray a few times. And I found a road that led me to where I discovered my other potential.. something I most likely never thought about. Computers.

I never thought that I would ever love computers. I used to detest computers because my ex-boyfriend (which happened to be my husband now) used to spend more time with computers than me. He had a good excuse though - he’s a Computer Science student. I used to watch him play [Ragnarok] which I didn’t find interesting… or so I thought.

But when my fingers started fucking with the keyboard and the mouse, I became unstoppable. Blame friendsterdotcom - it is the sole reason why I suddenly became addicted to computers. I can’t last a day without logging in. Yes, it WAS that addicting.

I became a mouse-potato. I’ve learned more about the internet, and things are starting to become interesting. Then I got hooked to online and LAN games. I spent more than 3 hours per day in front of the computer. And it gradually increased to an alarming state - more than 15 hours in just one sitting. Will only get up to grab a food or a drink, or when nature calls.

From online games, I learned about website building. I even created my own website (thanks to geocities and tripod) and my 4th year high-school class’ site. HTML was my first love. Then I learned a bit about java and CSS, and now I’m starting to learn PHP.

Then came the time when I have to learn how to make my own pictures for my website. I was introduced to Adobe Photoshop 7.0. And I fell in love with it at first use. Then I started studying by myself. Spent hours for online tutorials, spent more hours exploring, experimenting, and learning every tool. Not only that I enjoy photo manips and graphic designs, but I started earning from that hobby too. I used my photoshop skills to earn in-game currencies on the games that I played online. I do commissions. I get paid. And I’m loving it. 

And now, I have a job. And my job requires me to spend hours in front of my laptop. Well, I don’t really call it a job. Let’s just say, I’m getting paid for doing what I like.

I’m making a living and at the same time living a life for doing what I want. I am happy and I want to let it stay that way. 

The nurse in me is still in a deep slumber… and it will just awaken when the right time comes.

I got myself a pen tablet from last month’s salary. And it was just now that I was able to use it. Hence,

that’s me and my son

 and a self-portrait.

These are the custom sig userbars I made when I was still writing for Essays.ph

Enjoy! ^_^

Yay! It’s been a long time since I have updated my blog. I am now seeing cobwebs on my page. I was quite busy these past days… Oh, the perils of a graduating student… there’s just too much to do for my little body can take. Anyway, the loads of requirements have been lightened and there’s only a few to think and blubber about. School will soon be over…

I’m might come back to the world of blogging, but I wouldn’t be updating as much as I have been updating the past months. There’s a lot of things I’ve learned, a lot of things I’d like to share, and a lot of things I’d like to talk about. 

But anyway, I just got my life back. I spend less hours on the computer and more hours with the real and living world. I’ve realized that there are so many things I’ve missed when spending hours and hours in front of the computer. That’s just for today, ta-ta for now.

                The year is about to end. A fresh new year is about to begin. A new chapter of my life is about to unfold. What lies ahead of me? Will there be a change? Will I accept the change? Or will I just stand up in the same place I’m standing on right now?

                I could still remember those tormenting months I had when my mom and I used to have a feud. Our fight really made a drastic change in my life - it was actually a catastrophe. I have neglected my studies and my responsibilities; I’ve lost myself and almost lost my faith. It didn’t only affect my life, but the lives of those who cared for me as well. It really made a deep cut into my heart that I thought it would be impossible to heal. But those events made my life more meaningful, it made me see the real beauty of a simple yet complicated life. It made me stronger than I was before. And lastly, it made me learn how to forgive.

            Where I am and what I’ve become right now is all because of the things that happened in my past and with the help of our good Lord. Perhaps, I’ve lost a lot, I’ve lost too much. Yet, I have gained something that will always be with me and will never be taken away from me… That is having the courage and will to forgive the ones who once hurt me inside.

            It wasn’t easy, but I did. Forgiveness made my heart feel light as a feather floating in the open air. It was indeed an enlivening and wonderful feeling.

            Past is past as the cliché goes, but the past shouldn’t be forgotten because it molded me in to what I am today. The scars are still visible, nonetheless, my heart is happy and wound-free. Those traces of a bitter yesterday will always be there to remind me of the things that happened along my journey. Those scars are there to show me how strong I’ve become, how I’ve handled the trials that were given to me, and how I’ve managed not to give up and keep going even when everything is getting tougher each day. 

            My past gave me a positive outlook of life. These painful events made me a better and stronger person. These bitter-sweet memories that I have will always remain in me as I cherish the time I call today.

            The year is about to end. A few hours from now will be the start of 2008. Will I have a fresh start? Of course…yes. My heart is free from resentment, and I’ve yielded all the burdens inside me. Nothing beats the feeling of having a happy heart to start a new year.

            Have a happy new year everyone! I hope each and every one of us will have a fruitful and blessed year ahead of us. ^_^

    Wow, it’s been quite long since I have updated my blog. I’ve really been bombarded with so many activities, and there are yet to come. My Christmas vacation wasn’t actually a vacation. I had a very busy holiday break. Nonetheless, despite my flooding activities and my pretty stressful days, I am happy.

    Months ago I was already anticipating for the opening of the widespread news of a park which is made through the initiative of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. The park was said to cost 72 million pesos. The big amount that buzzed into my ear made me become so eager to visit the park once it is finished. 72 million pesos is indeed a lot for me, thus, I am really expecting a lot from the park.

    The park had its soft opening last December 15, 2007. But it was just a few days ago when I had the chance to visit the park because I’m really busy.

    But anyway, I’m really impressed with how the park looked like. The landscapes, Kublai Millan’s sculptures, the pathways, the trees, the fountain, the ambiance which is very suitable for family picnics, jogging, tripping with your cliques, or just sitting by the bench reading a book or the latest news… everything is so beautiful. It really went beyond my expectations.

    The park is teeming with people from all walks of life coming from different places, coming from all ages. The park is always jam-packed, hordes and hordes of people come even until midnight, but now matter how crowded it is, I’m amazed how well they kept the cleanliness and orderliness inside. Well of course, the park is equipped with surveillance cameras not to invade one’s privacy but to prevent illicit and unlawful activities done inside.

    I just hope we’ll be able to maintain and preserve the park, or else we’ll be seeing another Magsaysay park on the rise.