Taking a breather

These past few months, I've been feeling overwhelmed by things I want and need to do that I end up just staring into nothingness and thinking what needed to be done first. My life has been incredibly fantastic these days. It's just a pity I can't document everything and just trust memory to not fail me. I'm living my life now, guys. Offline. It's actually awesome.

In the mean time, you can find me on Instagram. It's more or less updated with photos of my cat's latest shenanigans.

We'll see each other again, comrades.

Kat

playing with color

Watercolor has always been one of my favorite mediums. I love how delicate the colors are and how they bleed into each other and into the paper. It's just  beautiful.

I had a chance to take a beginner's class with Valerie Chua, one of my favorite local artists. I remember feeling I'm the odd girl in our table  because everybody was an artist of some sort and I'm just a hobbyist. I told them I'm a nurse. Somebody actually asked me, "sooooo... what are you doing here...?" I mentally rolled my eyes at him.

Anyway, I learned a lot from that class. Valerie was really patient. I just realized that this medium requires patience because you don't exactly see the end result right away. You usually have to wait for the paint to dry. You can't be too OC with it.

I didn't pick up the brush again for a long time after that. I don't even remember why but it's probably because I picked up another craft or something. But recently, I remembered and so I picked up a pad of watercolor paper from National Bookstore and started practicing again.

Basically, this is what you'll be needing:

1. Watercolor pad
          - for practice, you can use the cheaper 200 gsm pads. This is around 150 php. I really love this pad because it's thick enough so as not to wrinkle when you paint and it has 2 kinds of textures: rough and smooth.

2. Watercolor

          - I'm currently using Prang. If you go to National Bookstore, you'll see 2 kinds of watercolors: the ones like Prang and then the tube types. I haven't tried the tubes, though. I like the practicing with the Prang pans. It's just like the ones we used to paint with when we were kids. 

3. Paintbrush

        - I apologize I can't be technical and tell you the name of the brush or the number based on the size. I kind of just felt the brushes and just selected small, medium, and large. These are Berkeleys and they're cheap (around 33 php to 150php, depending on the size).

4. Water and small mixing plate

          - I use this ceramic cup I have because I want to keep the brushes there when I'm not using them. For the mixing plate, you can use Prang's cover or a small plastic plate. As you can see, the Prang that I have only has 8  basic colors. You need the mixing plate so you can create or discover more colors from these 8. It was my favorite part of my practice. Don'f forget to write down the combinations that you discovered!

If you're interested in taking up watercolor, you can check out Alessa Lanot's workshops. I think she has several craft workshops scheduled this summer. Most of the materials found in this post were from  National Bookstore. 

Have fun creating! :)

alone but never lonely

It was my Me Time again yesterday. The boyfriend let me wander off on my own so I hauled my sleepy ass down to Alabang Town Center.

I just saw how different the place is now. It is slowly turning into a mini Bonifacio High Street of the south. They've added restaurants and shops there, making the place less outdated. About time, right? The town center had been there for ages.

It's pretty festive there yesterday, being Easter Sunday.

I started writing this blog post yesterday in a coffee shop, while watching people. I had to tune out the white noise though so I blasted my eardrums with Amanda Palmer music. Anyway, the splurge of the day award goes to this gem right here:

A hardbound collection of T.S. Eliot's poems and plays! Originally priced at 1,215 php, I pointed out that it has cosmetic damage so they gave me a 20% discount on it. New price: 972 php.

(Are you writing this down? Because you should. That's a life lesson right there. Boom. You're welcome.)

I'm really not OC when it comes to books. Mine all have been dogeared because I don't trust bookmarks. But you always have to look for newer copies and if they don't have one, then that treasure is yours for less! I've been looking for an Eliot book for ages so this is just an awesome find.

Also... You all know how much of a notebook hoarder I am, right? Wellllll... Ok just look at this for a second before you tut-tut:

I mean, how can you not get one. They're all so very pretty. No, no, of course I don't need it. I just wanted one. Because it's purrrrrty. I know, it's all id in this body. No superego. At. All. Oh look, mini me's!!!!!

Anywaaaaayyyyy, a few bucks short but happy, I decided to go home. Here's the downside of commuting to ATC. You have to ride a jeep to Festival mall and walk to the vans that will take you home. It didn't end up too bad because I got this...

The whole process took less than 20 minutes. The stamp itself was done in 5 minutes! I was so happy (and a little broke) that I didn't buy that Daenarys Targaryen vinyl toy I saw. I got this bespectacled cat instead for 320 php. Woot!

Maybe you're thinking, "that poor girl has no friends she had to go on her own...." Don't feel sorry for me guys! :) There's this line in one of Amanda Palmer's new songs which says, "I like being alone with people. Yes, that's how I like it." That's when I realized that there are other people like me. I like being alone with people around me. We're a weird bunch I know, but who isn't.

Till the next adventure comrades!!

weekend date

Does anybody here still celebrate monthsaries? No? Ok, I see a few hesitant hands. Don't be shy! Because we certainly are not. Heh.

This sunday we went to the Powerplant Mall for our monthsary. How many months, you ask. Well, we jusf had our 6th year anniversary so multiply that by 12 then add 2.  I can't even remember hahaha! We've been celebrating for 6 years so it's hard to keep up. Anywaaaaaayyy...

We were famished so we entered the first restaurant we saw, which happened to be Mamou Too! I love the place. It's just really inviting. Plus the manager was cute and she led us to our table. The menu looks exquisite so we had a hard time deciding what to eat. We settled for more familiar food: I got Salmon Benedict and boyfriend got Pappy's Toast.

Pappy's Toast looks like a variation of the eggs benedict. According to cute manger's story, this is what Mamou serves her husband for breakfast. Awesome waking up to salmon for breakfast, right? And they were sooooo good. I really love salmon. The staff was also really helpful. They provided us with everything with need promptly. We are most definitely going back here.

Having not much money (lol), we just wandered aimlessly, staying mostly at Fully Booked, Muji, National Bookstore, and at Press where we stayed for coffee and chitchat. I bought a few stuff from National Bookstore for rubbercut stamping (look out for a blog post on that). And while I was doing that, lucky lucky boyfriend found this bag...

UNKNOWN PLEASURES!!!!!!!!

I don't know whefe he got this but he said he got the last 2 bags. Lol hoarder. 

Can I just humblebrag for a second? I just realized this yesterday. I am really thankful that we're able to do things like these during the weekends. These are the things that I look forward too every after work week. The days are too short, yes. But I think it's really up to you how you spend your short 2 day vacation from work. And with dates like this, I can face the new week with a smile on my face. Yay!

PS: As I write this post, Clementine is beside me sleeping and occasionally asking for tummy rubs. I am really itchy sweetheart, but I love you so much my allergies can go f*** themselves. I missed you baby kitty...

a very pleasant surprise

I seriously didn't expect this to come out on Valentine's day itself...

Boyfriend and I got featured in Craft MNL's Gallery of Craft-Supportive Significant Others! 

 

Clickity-click here to view the entire post. I showed this to the boyfriend and he laughed. Hahahaha! Geez, I'm a cheeseball. 

 

Thank you, Marielle!! xoxo

oh, my darling clementine

The house is noticeably happier when this purring thing came:




A good friend recommended me to one of their clients (they have a cat condo business) who was looking for someone to adopt his cat. Everything was set up within a week (!!) and I got Clementine last week, Friday morning. The good thing was, the previous owner was going back to Australia so I get to keep EVERYTHING. Seriously generous, man.



First day and I think she hates me.

It's probably because of the commute. The bus and tricycle rides were pretty rough on her. It's times like this when I think, yeah I need to learn how to drive. I had to transport her in her carrier + 3/4 of her stuff (which includes a sack of litter and dry food) + the bag that I carry to and from work. Poor cat probably got a bit woozy because I had to carry all of those on my own.



First thing she did when she got out was to scout the house. As in the entire house. She eagerly went exploring every nook and cranny that she fit into. By the time she got back to the living room, she was pretty much covered in dust. Haha!


I love this cat so much. It had only been 3 days but the whole family seemed to have adjusted to her already. She likes watching people. If she's not doing that, she's asleep by my side while I watch tv.



It's true, what they say. Cats own you. You don't own them.

if I can't get an Audrey Kawasaki tattoo...

I guess, this will have to do.




Audrey Kawasaki gela skin for iPad2
Fully Booked, Powerplant Mall

nocturnal

12am. I find my self fully awake and ready to take on anything. For 6 years since I started working on a job that requires me to be awake at from 10pm to 6am, I had been awake at night even during the weekends.

And you know what, I love it.

Everybody within 100 meters of you is asleep so you have the whole world to yourself. Life around you seemed to cease to exist, if only for a few hours. You get to hear yourself think. I enjoy working on crafts and blogs at this time because of this. It also helps that it is waaaay colder at night. People say it's messed up, the way I "force" myself to wake up at unholy hours of the night. But that's the thing. I don't force myeelf to do it. My body just listens to the clock that I messed up 6 years ago. It's not normal but this is MY normal...

Anyway, I don't think I'll ever be "normal" again. Not that I want to.

the Christmas haul

I was happy to be able to go to the St. James Christmas bazaar last year because that's where I found the most amazing gifts. You know how it is when it's about 1 or 2 weekends away from Christmas and you still haven't decided what to give your favorite people yet. There were a lot of people there too but it was not as crazy as the malls.

I also got to shop on my own because the boyfriend gives me this look like, "I love you and I support you but geez my feet are killing me can we please wrap this up and go home....?" So I leave him to his UFC and out I go shopping. I went to the mall that one time and bought, ermm, stuff that I (would probably) need (someday). And, gifts.

But this post is not about the gifts bought. Mostly because my family reads my blog. This is about the stuff I bought on the side. One does not simply stick to one's Christmas shopping list. It is folly.

So here it is! I bring you...

The Christmas Haul of 2012!!!

Alice in Wonderland sticker notes
- 150 php, St James Bazaar

This set includes 8 pads of sticky notes, each with a different size and design.


Mark Ryden postcards
- 600 php, Fully Booked

I've always been a fan and this had been one of the luckiest find ever.


Tara McPherson stationery
- 250 php, Fully Booked

I remember collecting stationeries like this in high school. I was so stoked to see this. It's in the same area where I found the Mark Ryden prints.


2013 planner in Turquoise
- 245 php, National Bookstore

I love the color! And I also love the layout. You have one whole page for each day of the year. And it's compact! It's just as small as my pseudo Moleskine journal (see next entry).


Venzi blank journal
- 99 php, National Bookstore

The poor man's moleskine. 70 gsm with blank pages. Not bad for a cheap ass notebook. The pop of pink is what caught my attention but it proved to be a pretty cool notebook when I used my colored pens on it.

Pretty pretty stuff. I sure hope these things help me keep organized. 2013, bring it!!

(1/52) then, something happened...

010513

Luis Santos opened his 3rd solo exhibit last week at BLANC Peninsula Manila.

Luis showed us once again his distinct attention to details in this series of paintings entitled Then It Happened. The exhibit features 8 oil paintings (yes, those are paintings!) of people with blurred faces. According to the blurb, this is about how we commit things to memory. 

This is the first time I ever went to his exhibit and I'm thankful that we did. Really talented and yet really down to earth. 

Go get yerself some culture and visit the exhibit. I promise you won't leave the place without feeling amazed and learned at the same time.

52 weeks

Hello, 2013!

I know I haven't been updating this space as often as I should. So this year, I promised myself that this blog should have something new at least every week. I figured, there are 52 weeks in a year. I should be able to find something interesting to write about every week! 

So yeah, 2013. Let's make this year more productive!