It's already April and i have been very busy with lots of editing. I started this daily drawing challenge and got stuck in day 3, i got 7 days to cover! Anyways, last week was the Holy Week and i had my "first station of the cross" or journey to the cross. I was with the Seed Interactive crew that day and had a photowalk at Abong-Abong. It was tiring yet fun coz i got friends with me along the way. Im not a Catholic but i like this activity coz it doesn't only burn calories, i got to meet different kinds of people, see the beautiful city lights at night, and have my own little reflections about life along the way. The week reminded us of God's sacrifice for us, and His eternal love despite of our sinful nature.

I haven't posted my photos yet coz i didn't have the time to pick and edit. I saw many photos of the Holy Week activities of my friend at facebook and their blogs. There was also this photo of a girl posing at the cross and people were just in rage. Religious fanatics were the frontliners of this protest, posting harsh words as if they have the authority to judge these people. Here are some of those photos.



I'm reposting this from a facebook user who expressed his thoughts about this issue. I definitely agree with what he has to say.

~

"Aint here to bash these people.

The only thing im gon point out is. Every single one of us do this every single day.
Y'all talking about them being disrespectful. That they'll burn in hell. They dont deserve to live. And too much cussing, swearing, cursing. D na daw sila nahiya.

And so.. My question is
Nahihiya ba tayo
When we have sex outside marriage?
When we lie?
When we cheat?
When we disobey?
When we have pride in our hearts?
When we steal?
When we are greedy?
When we envy?

and the list goes on

Aint sayin that what they did was fine. But the actions said above are and what they did are all equal. All sins are equal. No matter how big. or how small. And it doesnt even matter when it is done.

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

It says ALL.

You judge a person based on what they have done?
Actions CANT/ WONT/ WILL NEVER save you.
Try reading Ephesians 2:8-9

Nuff said. This is the real thing.

Acting holy on a holy week? Get real homeys.

We should live a Holy life no matter what day it is.

peace out"

~

Indeed, we are entitled to our own opinion. It's sad to see them disrespecting one's religious belief/icon. But who are we to judge and say words without even looking at ourselves. This is just a physical cross but the real Cross is Jesus and in one way or the other, we have sinned against Him. So let's not pray that these people have sinned. Let us pray for ourselves for we are sinners, too. May we have a peaceful life ahead. :D

Life is such a rollercoaster ride. Sometimes you are up, sometimes you're down. We should learn how to balance the way we live. Check out this mathematical way of figuring out what life is made of.




end.

During our trip in Manila, i met my dad's cousin, uncle Ojing. He's really an inspiring man. He's so smart and has so many stories to tell and words of wisdom to share. He has written a grammar book together with his wife, tita Twinny. For 4 days, they accomodated us warmly and we're so happy and thankful for their generosity.

They have two boys, Rovik and Orvik who are just as impressive as their parents. They study at home with their parents as their teachers for English, Math and Science, and also go to school (Victory Int'l School in BGC) for some subjects like PE and Values Education. These kids are very smart and they speak fluently in English and Tagalog. You may think home-schooled kids are loners or geeks but these two boys are intelligent yet very energetic, active, friendly and outgoing kids. Aside from doing good in their studies, they are also athletes playing football and swimming. The photo above shows Me, Papa and Ate with Orvik and Rovik after their football training.

Uncle showed us one of Rovik's projects, a school paper, all written, designed and printed by him. My mind was just blown away with the structure, organization of thought and advanced level of writing of this kid. Orvik shared an article about his experience in one of their football tournaments and it was a lot of fun to read. Rovik posted the write-ups in his own blog, too. I got to talk with Rovick about flash animation and techie stuff. He said he wants to study Computer Science in college. They boy knows what he wants in his young age.

You might wonder why this post is titled as it is. I'll proceed to that now :). As we were finding our way to the hotel in Pampanga, uncle Ojing, who was driving the van, and Papa were talking about the death of uncle's dad. He shared how his dad was so smart and can do many things in life but chose to be with his chickens (for sabong, perhaps). Rovik even called him Lolo Chicken because of his fondness for sabong (cock-fighting). Uncle, then, shared this story about the eagle and the chickens.~

A long time ago in a remote valley, there lived a farmer. One day he got tired of the daily routine of running the farm and decided to climb the cliffs that brooded above the valley to see what lay beyond.


He climbed all day until he reached a ledge just below the top of the cliff; there, to his amazement was a nest, full of eggs.

Immediately he knew they were eagle's eggs and, even though he knew it was profoundly un-ecological and almost certainly illegal, he carefully took one and stowed it in his pack; then seeing the sun was low in the sky, he realized it was too late in the day to make the top and slowly began to make his way down the cliff to his farm.

When he got home he put the egg in with the few chickens he kept in the yard. The mother hen was the proudest chicken you ever saw, sitting atop this magnificent egg; and the cockerel couldn't have been prouder.

Sure enough, some weeks later, from the egg emerged a fine, healthy eaglet. And as is in the gentle nature of chickens, they didn't balk at the stranger in their midst and raised the majestic bird as one of their own.

So it was that the eagle grew up with its brother and sister chicks. It learned to do all the things chickens do: it clucked and cackled, scratching in the dirt for gritsand worms, flapping its wings furiously, flying just a few feet in the air before crashing down to earth in a pile of dust and feathers.

It believed resolutely and absolutely it was a chicken.

One day, late in its life, the eagle-who-thought-he-was-a-chicken happened to look up at the sky. High overhead, soaring majestically and effortlessly on the thermals with scarcely a single beat of its powerful golden wings, was an eagle!

"What's that?!", cried the old eagle in awe. "It's magnificent! So much power and grace! It's beautiful!"

"That's an eagle", replied a nearby chicken, "That's the King of the Birds. It's a bird of the air... not for the likes of us. We're only chickens, we're birds of the earth".

With that, they all cast their eyes downwards once more and continued digging in the dirt.

And so it was that the eagle lived and died a chicken... because that's all it believed itself to be.

~So there you have it. Uncle shared this story which he compares to his father who had the talent but settled with mediocrity due to the influence of the people who surrounded him. It's a simple story but this is the reality. We are all meant to be great but if we let people dictate who we are and what we will be, we won't go far in life.

We must believe in our capabilities and always do our best in everything we do to be successful in life. Let no one hinder us from making it big and achieving our dreams and aspiration. God already gave us the things we need and it's up for us on how to use them.~

This story was originally written by Dr. Eldon Taylor in NY Times Best-selling book, "Choices and Illusions." I copied the text here. Photo credits: Egg by inuks; Eaglet; Chicken by ugil. You may also watch the story here.

Freedom by Berk Ozturk
"You have to release your edges, after that you can feel free in deep..."

Just wanna share this story from Miss Universe 2011 3rd Runner Up, Miss Shamcey Supsup.

My mother grew up in Basilan; she was among the poorest of the poor. They were 11 in the family and she told me na pangarap niya noon ay makakain ng buong itlog because before they would divide one egg among the family. So she strived to get an education. She was a scholar and to earn extra money, she would volunteer to do homework of her classmates in exchange for a share of their baon. I saw my mom’s perseverance. Now that she’s successful, she wants to send my cousins and other relatives to school. Education can really change your life.

How was your year? Well, here is a video which shows how the world went according to Google. It is called "Zeitgeist 2011: Year in Review," a video which compiles data from global queries from the world's biggest search engine. Zeitgeist, also known as "spirit of times", is the general cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual or political climate within a nation or even specific groups, along with the general ambiance, morals, sociocultural direction, and mood associated with an era (src: wiki). 2011 is a year of adversity, crossroads, remembrance, possibility, and inspiration. Check out the highlights of 2011 and ponder how your year went...

An awesome starter for the day. When we feel lost, always turn to God and let Him be your guide. His Words are always righteous and He has already given us our destination. We should only give our trust in Him and go on with our lives though His guidance. Thank God for making me a Christian! He is a loveable God and He will never leave me alone. No matter what life throws against us, we shall push forward and God is always there to back us up. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!

This is one of the most liked and top post of the day, a drawing of an artist with a signboard expressing his/her sentiments as a struggling artist. It is really a sad fact that we people in the creative business find hard to make profit out of our talents. Young artists always find themselves hungry at the end of the day cause their works are always "underpaid". People think that it's an easy job for us and they even give a low the value for our work. However, we don't have anyone to blame but ourselves.

Artists are not business people and they can't even give a justifiable price for their works especially when they are just new in the business. They get excited when they get a job. They always think of the final output and forget about the whole amount of effort, time and skill required in the production. Once the final output is delivered, that's the time they give the price. Sometimes, they even make the client decide on how much they will pay. Soon, it becomes a routine and when they become tired and uninspired, they realize that they have done so much and still they don't have that much money.

I, myself, is a struggling artist. I value art so much that i can't give a price to my work. What I value is the client's satisfaction, amazement, happiness, trust and respect. Merging business in the creative industry let me realize how to balance money and work. This is the part where I consider myself as a DESIGNER. For me making art is a personal thing and no one can influence me on what issue to tackle, what colors to choose or how my artwork will look. A true work of art is one that I created by expressing myself as an artist. But unlike artists, designers always consider a lot of factors in creating a work: the budget, time frame, the ideas of the client, your own ideas, the target audience, resources, and a lot more. A designer has a good balance of artistry and business, may it be a graphic designer, fashion designer, interior designer, etc. It's not always easy to learn the business side but when you are committed, you learn how to live without the regrets of wasting your effort and time.

Some say designers are not artists and i think it's their opinion. For me, as a designer I am also an artist because I have the talent and skill in creating a beautiful image. It doesn't matter what technique or medium you use or how expensive your materials are. What matters most is that you are capable of delivering your client's vision without being hungry at the end of the day : ) Just sayin'


Credits: I Dont do ART for Free by 'PearlEden

I learned in college that 99% of what we worry do not happen. Do you believe that? Well, here's a fortune cookie for you. A simple flow chart on what to do in your daily life :D

Life is a roller coaster. You can either scream every time you hit a bump, or you can throw your hands up and enjoy the ride.

Nothing dirty. Nothing Naughty. Just sleeping. It’s just sleeping with that someone and knowing that they’re in your arms and you’re in theirs. They want to feel close to you. They want to know they are the closest to your heart. They want to hear you breathe when you fall asleep as they sleep next to you. As you fall asleep, you want to cuddle with that someone and just the hold them close. It’s that moment where you don’t want to let go and that moment where you don’t want them to forget that this is a special moment.

Fortune cookie is another of posts gathered from social networks. Unlike Touching Tales which are short stories, fortune cookies are words of wisdom giving us another perspective in life. Be inspired and motivated with a daily dose of these sweet delights.

Be Happy....

If You Have Food In Your Fridge, Clothes On Your Back, A Roof Over Your Head And A Place To Sleep, You Are Richer Than 75% Of The Entire World.

If You Have Money In Your Wallet, A Little Change & Can Go Anywhere You Want, You Are Among The Top 80% Of The Worlds Wealthy.

If You Woke Up This Morning With More Health Than Illness, You Are More Blessed Than The Million People Who Won't Survive This Week & Die.

If You Can Actually Read This Message & Understand It, You Are More Fortunate Than The 3 Billion People In The World Who Cannot See, Don't Know English, or Suffer Being Mentally Retarded.

Life Is Not About Problems, Targets, Goals, Achievements, High Salary Or Whatever Else, Doesn't Matter...!

Its About A Thousand Other Reasons To Be HAPPY..