Passing by...

just to let you in for a peek into Neldz' little tribute for my birthday and while you're there, watch it.... Gift <----- CLICK!!!

Some Updates from Me

ME

I have nothing in mind to write for a long time now. All the while I'm not updating this blog I'm doing digi scrapping. I enjoy doing layouts. Hope I could be more creative and imaginative so I could come up with a beautiful one. I would also like to learn more about Photoshop and wish I have the latest version. Do you think there will be a big difference if I use Photoshop CS version? I'm not sure, maybe not.

PRINCESS

Feb. 11 - 16, 2008 is College Week at Siena College. Princess is having a good time at school. No classes for 1 week. Have rides and booths. And foods. They have their Field Demo last Monday. She danced an Ifugao ritual. I came to dress her, arrange her hair and put a little blush on her face that day. Watching her do her steps and see how she enjoyed it together with her friends gives me a big smile in the face. I'm just sad I wasn't able to get a good picture of her. They're too many and too crowded in the field. No way to get a good shot. I'm thankful enough that in my place, I get a good view of her.

GIAN

Last night, I did not sleep much, I took care of Gian. He's sick with fever, clogged nose and an eye infection. The eye infections been running for a week now. We're applying anti-bacterial drops since Friday last week and I notice no improvement with his eye condition. The fever and clogged nose just happened suddenly last night. We don't have a clue he'll get one. He's very uneasy and couldn't sleep soundly. He awaken many times in the night because he finds hard to breathe. I wish I could be in his place so he can sleep peacefully. This is the first time I saw him that way. He even made a sound, a groan, while sleeping. He really feels bad. All I can do is look after him and pray to God through the night. He's still sick today, but good thing he feels better this morning. I came in kind of late at work, past 10:30. I thought of taking a day off earlier but since Gian's more of okay now, Mom can handle it without my help. I really hope Gian will get better fast.

Digital Scrapping

Lately, all I've been doing is digital scrapping. I recently joined a forum of scrappers and I have been playing along with the challenges they have posted in the community. Random Challenges. Template Challenges. Brag Book Challenges. Color Challenges. Artist Challenges. There's just a lot to do! And it is overwhelming to receive nice comments from the members of the group. Be it true or out of camaraderie. Still, I am thankful that they bother to give me one. And I feel that they mean it as I myself feels good about the layouts I made. It also encourages me to create layouts more than so before. And being in the community of mostly experts and designers, I am putting myself at will to learn Photoshop. I don't think I could last in such place with copy and paste, resize and arrange items.

The community I'm in right now is Color Line Design or CLD for short. I got this blinkie icon from there...

and I'll be putting that on my Mom and Kids blog's sidebar. (Actually, it is already there... hehe :P)

Aside from showcasing my layouts to the group and to you my friend, I get to receive some freebies for completing a challenge or more. Like for this month of February, if you complete 3 of the challenges, you get the Collaboration Kit. This is a kit put together by the designers at CLD. Look at the preview...

...that is what I'm vying for at the end of this month. This challenge is called Collaboration Challenge and it is new. Started just this month! So there's more gorgeous kits to come.

Just last week, or a week before that, when I joined CLD, a Random Challenge called Valentine's Challenge had been opened by Angel Jet (Henriëtte). There's no strict rule here just create a layout that is in traditional valentine color. The winning layout will be chosen by her two daughters at the end of the month (January) and will receive a $10 coupon to be spend at CLD store. I hurriedly created a layout for the challenge. I'm just excited to play along. In this layout "Valentines for our Princess", I created a poem for Princess which spells the word Valentine - for each letter in it the line starts with. This is my first layout posted at the CLD gallery and the first of many challenges I will play in the future.

Here's the poem:

Valentines are for our Princess,

Always bring us true happiness.

Love that is oh so true,

Ever growing and that is due.

No matter what you do and say,

This love in our hearts will always stay.

In this moment of eternal bliss,

Now and forever we'll give you a kiss,

Even if you say "Stop it please!"

And here's the LO: (click here to view larger image)

And today, I am happy and proud to say that this layout is a winning piece. I am so delighted, I can't contained my joy while reading the PM I received from Angel Jet. And seeing the "congratulations!" I get at the thread. Wow! Isn't it? My first LO. Winner! Is this for real? I'm just a newbie with no special skills and no secret tricks in the pocket. What? OA?! Am I putting so much drama here? Like I won an award at some prestigious award giving bodies. LOL. I am exaggerating, okay. But nevertheless, I am truly happy for winning. It feels good. Beginner's luck.

There is also this monthly template challenge there. But the January Template Challenge have to wait and come after I learned how it should be played. I have to make it right away because it's nearly the end of January then. This template challenge coincide with the Color Challenge where a color swatch is given for each month and you have to use one or more of these colors in your LO. So for January challenge + color challenge = "Gian".

+

=

(Click here to view larger image)

And here is what I got for playing the January template challenge and color challenge together:

By the way, when I joined CLD, I was reminded to say an Introduction at the Welcome thread. Doing so I got a welcome bonus. I thought it will be a freebie kit. But then I am surprised to see a $5 coupon. I can purchase a kit from CLD Store. Which I have already did. Here is my coupon for saying a few lines at the welcome thread:

And this is what I purchased at the CLD store - "Reflection Mega Kit by Kellie Puddy":

Credits:

Valentines for our Princess LO:

Papers and Button - Shabby Princess' Seasonal Sampler - Amore Kit
Twisted Ribbon - Mandy Mystique's Grungy Valentine Kit
Glittered Swirls - Raspberry Road's Away In a Manger Kit
Red Frame - Netmaus' Jeans Kit
Heart Stitched - Doreen Stolz's Stitching Embelishment
Lace - CanDesign's Mermaids Heart Kit
Journaling Paper - Doreen Stolz's Visatility Kit
Alpha - from unknown designer
Font - A Little Pot

Gian LO:

Template - Kellie Puddy
Papers - DigiTreat's ABC Run A Papers
Buttons and Ribbons - DigiTreat's ABC Run Elements
Swirl and Cross Stitches - Petit Moineaux's Ilétaitunefoi Kit
Tag - Doreen Stolz's Boys Will Be Boys Kit
Alpha - Lisa Minor's ABC Run Alpha
Fonts - Impervious & Lithos Pro

Emotions

EMOTIONS

This week's full of intrigue,
Different emotions flooding the street;
With people looking all sides,
Searching for faults and holes they can find.

I am sometimes amazed how one can be
So hypocrite and shameless,
And still full of pride
Looking on thy self big and proud.

Yet no one can blame
This feelings that came;
One might think it's so lame,
But hey, it could lead to fame.

Nothing can beat the heat,
That almost all have to feat;
Not even the cold breeze,
That could make you freeze.

If you only think I am mean,
To say the things I just did;
I don't intend to make you feel,
Like I am talking here of you.

How do you find the others who's in big surprise,
Who never expected too much and just hope for enough;
Yet rewarded quite a lot and happy for what they've got,
Those I know are both worthy and not.

What ever reasons one might have,
To bring these feelings so alive;
I only know one and this is what I learn:
That in this time of year all is in yearn.

Different people evolved today,
Some I thought I knew but I was wrong;
Maybe what they say is true,
Sometimes a person is his money's due.

~~~ *** 000 *** ~~~

Special thanks to Imee for her wonderful contribution in making this poem possible.
The last stanza is her composition.
And not to forget Mye too.
For she gives a lot of support while I write this poem.

~~~ *** 000 *** ~~~

Tayo'y Maglaro

"Tayo'y maglaro ng tagu-taguan
Magsitago na kayo maliwanag ang buwan
Wala sa likod, wala sa harap
Pagbilang ko ng tatlo nakatago na kayo
Isa... dalawa... game?"

"Langit-Lupa impyerno,
Im-im-impyerno
Saksak puso, tulo ang dugo
Patay-buhay, umalis ka na riyan"

"Nanay, tatay, gusto kong tinapay
Ate, kuya, gusto kong kape
Lahat ng gusto ko ay susundin nyo
Syang magkamali ay pipingutin ko."

"Chippy-chippy gum
Is a bubble gum
Masarap ito at malinamnam
Bumili kayo sa tindahan"

"I love you
Teddy bear
Teddy bear
Hawakan ang lupa
Hawakan ang paa
Umikot ka at"

"Pen pen de sara pen
De kutsilyo de armasen
Haw haw de karabaw
De batuten
Sipit namimilipit
Gintong pilak namumulak
Sa tabi ng dagat
Saya mong puti
Tatlong salapi
Saya mong pula
Tatlong pera
Nog nog manggang hinog"

"Sawsaw suka mahuli taya"

Gotcha!!! I made you sing...
You can't help it but sing it
Try again, read it, you can't!

It's been a long time since you last played it
But it's there in you, never fades, never lost
Truly, a child inside!

Simple games that brought so much fun
Enough to enjoy playtime
Over and over again!

Faces of playmates tag along
... of friends long gone
... of friends that stay!

Hearing my daughter sings those games
Bring a smile in my face
Amazed at how the games lived through!

Time has changed greatly from the past
Many of today's children locked in their room
Playing computer games, playstation, gameboy!

My daughter is no different... alone she play
From computer games, internet, gameboy
To Barbie dolls, play houses, and coloring books!

For her father forbids her to play outside
Afraid of malicious people's advances
Yes, the world is not as safe as before!

Will she ever play the games I played?
Patintero, piko, football, tumbang-preso
Chinese garter, luksong tinik, jolens at iba pa!

She won't probably experienced the streets, never
Those days are so over now!

Starting Point

Have you wondered what was like it when you were younger?
The years when your age is 1, 2, 3...
What were the things you're doing?
How does your days passes by?

I don't know but all I could recall was only a few significant things at 6.
Why is that so? What made us remember things at some point?
And what made us not?

My sister, younger than I am, could remember as early as 5 even some at 4.
Some of it has me in the story, and yet I have no idea it ever happened.
I would look at her with my eyes asking "really?".

When do we really start living?
When did we begun to live?
At birth?

Lucky are those who have memorabilia of their childhood.
There are pictures to look at...
Videos to watch...
And some have elders to tell their stories.

But for me, I am not lucky enough...
I don't have a picture to look at nor a video to watch.
I have once a few not-more-than-five picture of me age 4 or 5, gone missing.
And I only have my mom now with no stories to tell.

However I tried, I couldn't unlock that part of mind that held my childhood memories.
All I could do is settle for what little I can remember.
And start from there...