Seven Days of Gratitude: Day 2

Meme instructions here.

In my defense, I was completely knocked out yesterday… and I will be again in a few minutes after that very long day of much needed happiness.

But I digress, let’s head on to the list, shall we?

1. Kristine. I have always been cautious with people, and I’ve never really opened up to anyone as much as I have her. She’s one of the rare people in my life that pushes me to excel without expecting something in return. She’s inspiring, and wonderful, and one of the few people I can call “my bestest friend in the whole wide world”!
2. Enjelia. I am very grateful to this person. She’s younger than me, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I look up to her. She’s given me a lot of opportunities over the years, and I’m deeply humbled and amazed.
3. Jayron, Ray, and Jeff. The original kikay barkada- I mean, manga buddies! We’ve had our ups, we had our downs. We argued, we fought, we made up, we smiled, we laughed, we cried. Some moved on, others continued, but even still, each of you played important roles in my life, and I will be forever grateful for all of it.
4. Melvin and Elmer. Some of the most inspiring, humble artists I have ever met! They helped me with my thesis in college, and continue to inspire me in my chosen career as a manga artist! I really wish Culture Crash would make a come back, and I hope that I will be able to stand as their equals some day.
5. Tracy. We’re not very close, but she’s the first cosplayer to portray one of my characters. I’m embarrassed to admit that after she had left the stage and posed for the cameras, I broke into tears (which were very manly tears, I tell you!). She really brought Angel Rei to life, and it felt like, I had unlocked an achievement somehow!
6. Eleniel and Novo. They too, brought my characters to life, and they both taught me a lot when it comes to role-playing a character! I’m not that close to them either, but after that day we did our photo shoot in Fisher Mall, I also cried many (manly) tears going through the photos.
7. Lei. She is my very first fan who cheered for me when I was nothing more than a beginner. I owe her so many things, and I have no idea how to repay her for any of it.

Seven is too short a list to thank people (I cheated a little and listed more than one person in some points), but hey, thank you, thank you, and thank you! I hope you know how important you are, and how much I appreciate you all.

…this is getting sappy. I’m going to bed.

Seven Days of Gratitude: Day 1

I got tagged by Honey Den on Facebook, so I thought I might as well post this here since it’s a good way to remind myself that there’s always something to be thankful for.

If you have the free time, please do this. It can be a pretty therapeutic activity. Reminds you how lucky you are and how beautiful life is.

The challenge is to post 7 things you are thankful for in 7 days. Tagging 7 people each day, a total of 49 people in the process. Hope you have a great time remembering things you are grateful of.

1. Very Little Floods. Although there was a lot of heavy rain and flooding today, our house managed to stay fairly dry. There was a bit of flood water in the kitchen and some parts of the house, but we weren’t flooded in for very long.
2. Electricity and Water. We lost power for a few hours earlier today, but it’s great that everything seems to be back to normal now. Before, we didn’t have power for nearly 2 days, and that meant no showers or flush water!
3. Galette’s Strawberry and Pistachio Cream Cake(?) (in photo). This delicious piece of dessert has become somewhat of a tradition for us. During Holy Week, we usually head to Sofitel for some afternoon snacks. This is my mo’s and sister’s favorite dessert.
4. Drawing. No matter how much I struggle with deadlines, drawing relaxes me and makes me very happy (even though it makes me really sleepy too!).
5. The Morning After (radio show). I work late. A lot. This radio program keeps me company during those times. I like getting greeted by Alven on air, even if there’s hardly anyone else awake to hear it.
6. The Morning Rush (radio show). This comes right after TMA, but I’m usually too tired to listen to it, so I usually grab the podcast. But this one morning in September, I got greeted, and Chico even said that being a Pinoy Manga Artist was cool.
7. Cold Weather. Air-conditioning and me don’t mix very well, so I sleep with a fan under any weather. So, right after a storm, when there’s no more rain, the cold air gives me a restful sleep and many sweet dreams.

I’ll tag a few people, but probably not all 49… Please try this exercise! It feels amazing~ and I want to go on and on and on~~

A Visit from a Great Blue

Work has been insane as of late, and I barely get to go outside… The only time I step out of the house is when I need to give dinner to the doggies and some crackers for our parrots.

One evening in late July, I got shocked when a insect flew over the light above our doorway. Since I only saw the shadow, I panicked because I thought it was a flying cockroach and hurried to head inside.

A few shaky moments later, I took a peek through our screen door and saw this little guy:

It’s rare to see a dragonfly flying outside when it’s already evening. Then again, it’s rare to see a dragonfly outside our house at all! It was a nice shade of blue, with blue tipped wings, so I thought I’d take a quick photo before it left.

One site says that the Chinese associate dragonflies with prosperity, harmony, and good luck. Another site says that it’s a symbol of instability and feebleness.

Maybe different parts of China have different takes to it. To me, this dragonfly reminded me of my elementary school days when my friends caught dragonflies and asked me to make paper boxes for them… It gave me a much needed smile on my face when I needed it most.