Where Did January Go? The 2015 Monthly Round Up

The month of new beginnings, fresh starts and resolutions is about to end in a few days and this got me thinking on what I’ve accomplished so far in terms of my goals. I’ve been listening to this audio book called “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown and it’s been a great help as I try to identify the different aspects in my life that I need to focus on this year. Events in January are indeed aligned with my goals, so here’s a round up of what took place this month.

1.   Day Hike at Mount Talamitam

During the Holiday break, I did not get the chance to go on a major out of town or out of the country trip like most people. In hopes of satisfying my wanderlust, Jim and I initiated a hike at Mount Talamitam together with a few friends. We just planned for a day hike on a Saturday because a.) according to PinoyMountaineer.com, Mount Talamitam is a minor climb and b.) we wanted to rest on Sunday before the dreaded first day funk at the office. A few google searches and a handful of Facebook messages later, final head count was confirmed and all 6 of us—Neps, Prijm, Leslie, Ronnie, Jim and I went off to have an adventure.

The hike was so short but it was surprisingly eventful! For 144 pesos, we hopped on a bus from Pasay bus terminal to Nasugbu, Batangas. We hired a tour guide and although it was optional, I’m glad we made that decision because the guide gave us a lot of options to explore the mountain. He took us to the normal route going up then asked us if we wanted to pass by the river. The initial plan was really just to have a change of scenery, but while crossing the river, some of us got wet so we decided to make the most of it and jumped right in.

It was a tiring yet fulfilling hike. Soil under my feet, trees all around me and a blue blue sky up in the heavens like a cool canopy embracing mother earth. Hopefully we make the monthly easy to medium hiking schedule!

2.  New Project at Work

After almost 9 years of working as a Systems Analyst with Siebel CRM, I took on a different role and pursued learning a different technology for work. It was a bittersweet feeling to be rolled off from my previous project (hallo DB peeps!) because the folks there are awesome, but I figured retooling is a good opportunity for me to explore the capabilities of Cloud computing. One would think that I am taking a risk by changing course in my specialization, but It’s a career move that I decided on my own. 3 weeks into the project I’ve been learning a lot! I’m looking forward to more growth in my career as I take on new challenges, so hopefully my hard work pays off soon!

3.  4 Years with Jim

Jim and I celebrated our 4th Year Anniversary as a couple! We both filed for time off at work and spent the day together and celebrated by watching Beauty and The Beast musical at CCP because he knows it’s my favorite Disney animated film (as in memorize ko yung songs, I’m not kidding).

Hate to cheese up and get all doe-eyed about this, but 4 years is a milestone that I’ve never had in any of my past relationships. I’m happy that we have made it this far and that he has really helped me grow as an individual because he supports me in all of my endeavors. We share the same values and I guess that’s also one of the reasons why it’s easy to extend our relationship with our family and friends. It helps too, that we share the same love for music and travel, at the same time, we both understand each other’s exclusive passions--art for me, mountain biking for him. We’re definitely not the perfect couple because we also have our struggles, but we’re in a level of commitment wherein we make sure misunderstandings never lead to big fights. Our relationship has that balance that allows us to have a deep connection with each other and at the same time provide space for solitude, independence and personal growth. And also, I just really really really like the guy.

4.      Real Living feature

Last January 24, I had a pleasant surprise on Instagram when Real Living tagged me in one of its posts. I checked out their website and voila! My bedroom is part of this article:

http://www.realliving.com.ph/tips-and-guides/6-interesting-small-homes-of-rl-readers

As you may find in my Project Condo series, I’ve been taking the DIY route in home decoration. When I upload photos of my apartment on Instagram, I include #instalivingph in my caption. I was definitely not expecting anything when I do this except perhaps get a few likes from friends, but to be published on the website of one of the top home decoration and interior design magazines in the country was definitely a kilig moment! I’ve used the I’m-not-an-expert disclaimer in my Project Condo posts before because I didn’t want to come off as feeling marunong, but I have to admit, the feature also gave me some sort of validation about the choices that I made in my home.

5.  First Frisbee game in 2 years

There was a time in my life when ultimate was my favorite superlative. I played my first ultimate Frisbee game in 2009 Monday Beginner’s night in Meralco and got hooked ever since. It was the only sport that I played competitively. Between 2009 and 2012, I sprinted to my heart’s content on the field, always with the goal to catch and properly throw that ever elusive disc. I played out of the country, at the beach, in the mud, under the scorching heat and in the midst of the monsoon season. I never reached the elite level of playing, but I’d like to think I was decent and had my fair share of contributions as a mid-fielder. My teammates and I were regulars at Meralco, Ultra & UP Sunken Garden for trainings and hat tournaments and Manila Polo Club, Nuvali, Aguirre, Daang Hari or Alabang Country Club during the leagues. On the last few months of 2012, I completely stopped due a dissolved team, relocation at work and shifts in priorities.

              

Fast forward to Monday last week, I had a chance to put on my cleats and set foot on the field again. As one might expect, I did not play the same way back when I practiced 2-3 times a week. At yesterday’s training, I was out of breath during plyometrics and was about to faint during the drills. Sprinting again for the first time in a long time felt good, but it also scared me because I know I am in the worst shape of my life. The good thing is that my office is now conveniently a few minutes away from Emperador Stadium, so I can regularly rebuild the skills, endurance and competitive spirit that I once had. Frisbee was not part of the plan for 2015, but exercise definitely is. While right now I’m still not committed to playing at the leagues, I know that last Monday’s game was a good first step to achieving my health goals for the year. I plan on attending trainings and pick ups every Monday and Friday so that I can have that much needed physical activity.

6.      Graphika Manila 2015 – January 31 to February 1

12 artists on a 2 day conference on creativity?! Count me in! I bought my tickets last November and I’ve been stalking the speakers for quite a while now. While I am not professionally in the creative field, I don’t think I’ll ever stop being a creative. This weekend was perfect ending for this month and you can just imagine me fan girling like a fool. My favorite presenters were Pomme Chan, Chris Lee of The Asylum and Joshua Davis! The experience was indeed an awesome one, but I will be creating a different post on Graphika 2015.

Check out the Graphika Manila 2015 website

This month set the bar for what 2015 should be like: an adventure, a leap of faith, an important milestone, a recognition of hard work, a rekindled passion and a learning experience. February, you have big shoes to fill.

Read more

Artsy Fartsy Round Up: May and June

I know I've been posting a lot of travel and apartment-related entries lately, and I've forgotten to blog about my arts and crafts projects. I HAVE been practicing, just not writing a lot about it. Thanks to Instagram, I have proof that I have been working on creative projects.

Here's A quick round up of my artsy fartsy pursuits these past couple of months!
(Top to bottom, Left to right)

1. Stenciled my corkboard using white acrylic paint and oslo paper. It's so much easier to stencil than paint the triangles individually. (I am obsessed with them lately).

2. Lyric calligraphy for my friend who wants to use it for her tattoo. Excited to see the final outcome on actual skin! #pressure

3. Watercolored lettering on the planner's June calendar for Independence Day. Super inspired by Gang Badoy Capati's statement during that day:

"Remember: the Philippines is not its government. The Philippines is a billion other things. The ice cream guy and the cop who dances, the banana shake by the beach, and the portable lechon from an airport, the sunsets from any point, and all the mountains & smiles, and the kite surfing air space, the surf, the skateboard's sound against the midnight park, the Philippines is its music, its poets, its dancers, and more and more and more.#independenceday #philippines"

4. Watercolored portrait. Practicing my washes and painting peonies and trying to be deliberate with my techniques in watercolor.

5. Dove rubberstamp at the Bright Minds Studio! Taught my cousin how to carve stamps. She made a bamboo pattern for herself.

6. Mushroom rubberstamp which is a personal project and a new addition to my collection! Next to watercolor, this is really my favorite artsy fartsy activity.

7. Ink and graphite portrait. Trying to go back to basics with making portraits and going minimalist with black and gold details. I may have been influenced by my neutral and safe choices at the apartment, so I am practicing restraint with my illustrations also.

8. Paper flower bouquet which came in handy as decor when I still didn't have plants at the condo. They're pretty and they never wilt!

9. Monogram rubberstamp for a friend's wedding! My college batchmate Cza is getting married this August and asked me to recreate their monogram on a rubberstamp. They want to use it for giveaways for their wedding. Of course, I was totally up for the challenge! So glad they liked it!

What have you been up to lately? :)

Read more

Bright Minds Ph X Fayeshka

A new creative space for kids and adults just opened this March in Taguig and I'm really excited to share this collaboration with you. See, I've been doing regular art sessions with my niece and cousins, teaching them some calligraphy, rubber stamping and watercolor techniques at cafes around BF, and so when my good friend Felice called me one morning and asked if I was willing to teach kids arts and crafts, I instantly said yes.

Bright Minds is the brainchild of Felice's sister, Chrissie Capicoy who is a dentist by profession. She noticed that a number of her patients have cleft lips and cleft palates, so she came up with the idea to also offer Speech Therapy to children. Aside from helping kids reach their full potential with language and communication, they also offer crafts sessions to open their minds to the creative process and simply have fun with art. With the current trend of children simply relying on gadgets and technology to pass the time, Bright Minds also aims to reintroduce the youth to the handcrafting movement. 

Bright Minds creative space

The Bright Minds Team consists of certified speech language pathologists and artists with backgrounds in fashion, fine arts and language. Bright Minds also offers French and Spanish classes and tied up with The Alliance Française de Manille and Instituto Cervantes respectively.  

Kids hard at work on their rubber stamps

I am very honored to be a part of this team of creative individuals who teach and encourage kids be more creative. For the past several weeks since Bright Minds has opened, I've been teaching rubber stamping techniques and basic drawing to kids every Saturday and it's been a really amazing and rewarding experience. We are also offering other craft projects such as silk screening, paper flowers and garland making, watercolor techniques as well as ceramic painting!

Ashley and her flower and bee stamp

Marjorie, proud of her name stamp (and by gosh, what detail!)

Bright Minds Speech Clinic and Creative Center is located at:

Unit 201 McKinley Park Residences
31st St. corner 3rd Ave.,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
brightmindsph@gmail.com
Tel: +63 2 625-4748
Mobile: +63 916 547 6870

For more information about Bright Minds Speech Clinic and Creative Center, visit their official website

Read more

Watercolor Weekday: Exercising Creativity

I started this blog with the goal of documenting my creative pursuits, artistic activities and design projects outside of my day job as an I.T. Consultant. Since childhood, my love affair with art has never wavered despite the smorgasbord of interests and life events that have come my way during my adult life. There was always this need to create, to play with color, to scribble, doodle and draw, even if they were on scraps of paper, the back of receipts or an artist grade watercolor paper. I've kept notebooks of sketches/doodles and journals for calligraphy, and as a toddler, I also used to draw/paint on walls (to my mother's horror), but that's another story. 

My volunteering week in Bohol in early January

Since I am a huge fan of paper and any surface that you can draw or paint on, my recent victim is a 2014 Starbucks planner that my sister Kat gave me at the start of the year. It was an extra planner that she had no use for and I, being on the receiving end, was happy to have another one of those planners that have a lot of space for doodling and less space for, well, planning. I've kept a bunch of planners before and while they have been useful for jotting down my to do list, most pages were used to document events after the fact, with tons of swirls and shitloads of block lettering.

Baguio doodle

Marker crazy with my Mt. Pulag entry

This year's planner is no different as I've been really enjoying with the daily activity of sprucing up my planner's weekly pages. I've improved with actually using it as a planner as opposed to only using it as a doodle notebook (yay me). Maintaining a planner has helped me in my productivity and in keeping my appointments, making sure that I accomplish what I had set out to do on a particular day. A concrete example is my weekly runs that I carefully indicate on a particular date based on my training plan. I write them in nice big letters, to make sure that I do not back out from my intended target. Mahiya naman ako sa lettering ko, diba? Plus, I get a kick out of ticking off each item on my list when I finish them. 

Since I have a perennial aversion to white space, I make sure to use up some blank pages in my planner to play with watercolor. This painting on the starting page of February was my mindless relaxing doodle when I had a couple of hours to spare on a particular weekend. I went into do not disturb mode and started painting. I love making mandalas even if sometimes I don't really know what my strokes mean. I enjoy the spontaneity of these paintings because I never have a preconceived idea on how it would turn out. 

A mindless watercolor doodle to fill in the white space

Last night, I had an urge to do something different not on the pages of my planner, but on its cover. There was something about having a planner with a generic looking brown faux leather cover that did not sit too well with me. With all due respect to Starbucks and their amazing ability to start a phenomenon on Filipinos' annual obsession with planners, I wanted mine to look a bit different because every second person in Manila probably has a card filled with peppermint mocha and toffee nut latte stickers somewhere. I remember attending a training at the office one time and I think 5 out of the 8 participants brought their Starbucks planners with them. I brought my red Mercury drug (!!!) notebook, coz I use that and not my planner to jot down notes at work. Thank you Mercury Drug, gamot ay siguradong bago.

Anyway, I took out my Reeves Acrylic paint set, and without a plan or a specific design in mind, I started painting little triangle patterns on my planner. I dunno why, but I've been crazy about these geometric patterns lately (see blog header!). Unlike watercolor, acrylics tend to adhere to different supports other than paper, so it really integrated well with the planner's cover. The dark colors were really opaque and brush strokes were hardly visible. The yellow pigment however, was bit transparent, so I had to apply triple coating. I kinda like how it turned out. There is some sort of tribal vibe to it, don't you think? I can't decide if I want to fully cover the whole thing with paint or keep it as is. Either way, I'm happy that my planner doesn't look like anyone else's.

So you see, exercising creativity can be done by anyone every day. Whether it be doing a full painting, doodling on your journal or writing down your plans and things to do for the day, everyone can practice being creative. It does not require any qualifications or a degree in art. Make a mess, play with color, go crazy with all sorts of materials! There is no real formula for it. All you need to do is open yourself to the possibilities. 

Read more