tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32196029331929650512024-03-13T15:08:48.807-04:00SMALL DOSES OF WONDERCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-62018312019936162732013-02-13T19:51:00.001-05:002013-02-13T19:53:13.578-05:00Love Life!I want to share this beautiful poem that someone has sent me yesterday. I've always enjoyed poetry since childhood. I was never good at it but I loved reading them – it was the only part of my school textbooks that I enjoyed. My bestfriend from high school used to print me poems. Every week she'd give me several pages of poetry and I would compile them in a binder. At the end of the school year I had a binder of love poems which I still have until today. But this particular poem really touched me and I hope it inspires someone to love life. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMvxRcimdJmuH2FGeZB-rheMxvePvOJtkm6YAoHQWUEerfk_hQfk5gwnPYQDyuEVvfj292PWX9x01cOuzbV7d0YnYSUtouyHQoLWj_4KnUSCaLeX-aadng-0bnYZtBlzs1B7QACyAZ1Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-13+at+7.00.42+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMvxRcimdJmuH2FGeZB-rheMxvePvOJtkm6YAoHQWUEerfk_hQfk5gwnPYQDyuEVvfj292PWX9x01cOuzbV7d0YnYSUtouyHQoLWj_4KnUSCaLeX-aadng-0bnYZtBlzs1B7QACyAZ1Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-13+at+7.00.42+PM.png" /></a><br />
<i>Let's go Jelly! Let's follow the balloon!</i><br />
<br />
<i>She</i><br />
<br />
She loved life and it loved her right back.<br />
She listened to her heart above all the other voices.<br />
She pursued big dreams instead of small realities.<br />
She saw every ending as a new beginning.<br />
She discovered her real measurements had nothing to do with numbers and<br />
statistics.<br />
She was kind, loving and patient...with herself.<br />
She woke up one day and threw away all her excuses.<br />
She realized that she was missing a great deal by being sensible.<br />
She turned her can'ts into cans, and dreams into plans.<br />
She ignored people who said it couldn't be done.<br />
She had a way of turning obstacles into opportunities.<br />
She went out on a limb, had it break off behind her, and discovered she<br />
could fly.<br />
She discovered that she was the one she'd been waiting for.<br />
She added so much beauty to being human.<br />
She walked in when everyone else walked out.<br />
She just had this way of brightening the day.<br />
She made the whole world feel like home.<br />
She decided to enjoy more and endure less.<br />
She decided to start living the life she'd imagined.<br />
She colored her thoughts with only the brightest hues.<br />
She was an artist and her life was her canvas.<br />
She ran ahead where there were no paths.<br />
She held her head high and looked the world straight in the eye.<br />
She not only saw a light at the end of the tunnel, she became that light<br />
for others.<br />
She designed a life she loved.<br />
She took the leap and built her wings on the way down.<br />
She said bye-bye to unhealthy relationships.<br />
She remained true to herself.<br />
She made the world a better place.<br />
<br />
<i>I hope that this is you every day.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
And no Valentine is complete without...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBwgaSK7qq2nvu1d5Y0XNXfX5AvDSsYGpb2P6Hyzt_oOpozppPGww_pLkiPzDeHfHKl5NZ5K4wsL3z0gPwvrBfOYBGeV4Xbq3qj-xKtaJkPHDuDJpWsxtqKlD5nW4y2i07wSZ3_sa8rg/s1600/IMG_2995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBwgaSK7qq2nvu1d5Y0XNXfX5AvDSsYGpb2P6Hyzt_oOpozppPGww_pLkiPzDeHfHKl5NZ5K4wsL3z0gPwvrBfOYBGeV4Xbq3qj-xKtaJkPHDuDJpWsxtqKlD5nW4y2i07wSZ3_sa8rg/s320/IMG_2995.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
A handmade card and (drum roll please)....<i> </i><br />
<i>(Thank you Lucy!</i>)<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ip4GrACV03PJwKWAqt_k7gQrHYU8vX-J4Af20Fov52FPAhiA77S86yFEvwH79aO7zJ6f0LCxv4ouwU_twkFgM3G-K9tFJ9ODNXTAMvzFasp_y1YfbTuUrhjZ6oMDaTowMwP_9WftVFk/s1600/IMG_2994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ip4GrACV03PJwKWAqt_k7gQrHYU8vX-J4Af20Fov52FPAhiA77S86yFEvwH79aO7zJ6f0LCxv4ouwU_twkFgM3G-K9tFJ9ODNXTAMvzFasp_y1YfbTuUrhjZ6oMDaTowMwP_9WftVFk/s320/IMG_2994.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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a heart pizza! <i>It was delicious! </i></div>
<br />
<br />
Happy Valentine's Day to the heartbroken, single and smitten. I hope
you all have a wonderful day. Enjoy life and be hopeful for tomorrow
starting today.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>To breathe and know you are alive is wonderful. Because you are alive, everything is possible. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
~ Thich Nhat Hanh </blockquote>
</div>
Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-86725101226292952152013-02-03T18:34:00.001-05:002013-02-03T18:34:58.786-05:00Cheers to the new year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnrfvcV2ZfzgzXdzpZK_uL69QRQC-hQdLN73eUVE3ztH3CZqhknhnNVBbZdMm6m9LaVtbQlstOkJR6E0HCC-umF3iz5bUVwGMQ9vMxI-CeUvByAA7_amw6bUVe5xhghxNiBmc1dyBM7c/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-03+at+6.19.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnrfvcV2ZfzgzXdzpZK_uL69QRQC-hQdLN73eUVE3ztH3CZqhknhnNVBbZdMm6m9LaVtbQlstOkJR6E0HCC-umF3iz5bUVwGMQ9vMxI-CeUvByAA7_amw6bUVe5xhghxNiBmc1dyBM7c/s320/Screen+shot+2013-02-03+at+6.19.51+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Speak from your heart even if your voice shakes. Be bold in what you
stand for yet careful for what you fall. Always remember before there
can be courage there has to be fear. Stand straight, walk proud, have a
little faith, hold out. We shall be free.
</span></h2>
<br />
The past few months have been exciting and unforgettable. I finally finished illustrating <a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/2528037-squiggle-squirm"><i>Squiggle Squirm</i></a>. Kiwanis made it possible to have the books printed – the news <span class="st">left me in a complete catatonic state for several days. And the events that followed were more surreal. First, we had a book signing in <a href="http://www.hooray4books.com/">Hooray for Books</a>, an independently owned children's bookstore in Alexandria along King Street. Five kids showed up to the event but my family and friends all came to show their support and we sold 11 books that day – I felt like luckiest anthropoid on the planet!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">Thereafter, I received an e-mail from the author, Katie Bryden to join her for a television interview with <a href="http://www.emerald-planet.org/">Emerald Planet</a>. I have never been on tv or dreamed of being televised. I was a nervous wreck in front of the camera despite of the amiable atmosphere and engaging host. It's safe to say that I was a complete mess but entertaining nevertheless. I've only shared this video to a handful of people but I thought I should share this with everyone to introduce the significance of this campaign.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/eUuKEvgE9lw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<br />
<span class="st">We've all done something we regretted but our mistakes do not define who we are, we just need to learn from them. I had a month to prepare but did not take advantage of the time allotted to do research. If I had to do it all over, I probably would have given them similar answers except for one – the lesson I learned from the book. </span><span class="st">After numerous bathroom visits and sleepless nights, I have found the answer. I realized that it had nothing to do with being obedient, the lesson was about finding courage and not losing hope despite of life's encumbrance. </span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">This book not only teaches children to cultivate strong relationship with friends and family but also teaches them about charity. </span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5meoJnrDa7-atcXmXJoj_fOX5uNPO2GUHZPZ2IaCL8f9KN8QIIdEp2OWxYLQV6MLeyYgyTIPV4aGj8J6hLvR9ouUD7I66xb6lyhksmTFkAnaZOpBlqJE9WRHY7OPow2qUXMlVv7ztQs/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-03+at+6.20.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5meoJnrDa7-atcXmXJoj_fOX5uNPO2GUHZPZ2IaCL8f9KN8QIIdEp2OWxYLQV6MLeyYgyTIPV4aGj8J6hLvR9ouUD7I66xb6lyhksmTFkAnaZOpBlqJE9WRHY7OPow2qUXMlVv7ztQs/s320/Screen+shot+2013-02-03+at+6.20.54+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Squiggle Squirm </i>is currently available in Whole Foods Market Old Town for $15</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Get you copy today and make a difference.</i></div>
Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-61558215421951699562012-02-07T16:53:00.046-05:002012-02-07T18:51:25.165-05:00Dandy Lion<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_IEshgSA2yRuAw0PIL0yekWpUd-mMr9FlStUOoyR-_ye3m0YLKmALATKb2Ia4E7QYXkjmQgJGtxTMajS8g8c91KfpZsAsRlPbF42w5-pkuafPjnW7Y3KS3ERHjskues4vp4xBdysRbE/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-02-07+at+5.46.04+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 389px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_IEshgSA2yRuAw0PIL0yekWpUd-mMr9FlStUOoyR-_ye3m0YLKmALATKb2Ia4E7QYXkjmQgJGtxTMajS8g8c91KfpZsAsRlPbF42w5-pkuafPjnW7Y3KS3ERHjskues4vp4xBdysRbE/s400/Screen+shot+2012-02-07+at+5.46.04+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706538012479372754" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Dandelion: <span style="font-style: italic;">Hello, what's your name?</span><br />Dandy Lion: <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm Dandy Lion.</span><br />Dandelion: <span style="font-style: italic;">Me too!</span><br />Both: <span style="font-style: italic;">Nice to meet you Dandelion! (chuckles)</span><br />Dandy Lion: <span style="font-style: italic;">How come I've never seen you before?</span><br />Dandelion: <span style="font-style: italic;">Oh, we just moved here a few days ago. </span><br />Dandy Lion: <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm sorry but have to go soon. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Will you be here tomorrow? </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Dandelion: <span style="font-style: italic;">Yeah, I'll be exactly where you found me.</span><br />Dandy Lion: <span style="font-style: italic;">Great, then I'll see you tomorrow!<br />Dandelion: Alright, bye Dandy Lion.<br /></span>Dandy Lion:<span style="font-style: italic;"> Bye!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>And both waved goodbye. And that's how Dandy Lion and Dandelion became best of friends.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fin</span>.<br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><br />This is probably the most unoriginal idea but I thought it would be fun to draw a lion with a dandelion mane. I'm not exactly sure what's gotten into my head yesterday, I must've been uninspired and hungry to be thinking about dandelions during work. Perhaps gardening season is fast approaching and soon dandelions will be in everyone's garden including mine. These charmers may cause disdain and distress to some but they're quite nutritious. They are rich in iron, potassium and zinc and a good source of vitamins A, B complex and D. Dandelions are great in sandwiches, salads and teas. Their roots are used to make wines and make a cheap coffee substitute – yum! Good thing lions don't find vegetation appetizing, they would've never made best of friends.<br /><br />If you're interested in trying some dandelions this spring, check out this <a href="http://frugalliving.about.com/od/eatforfree/tp/Dandelion_Recipes.htm">website</a>. It's a great resource for all things dandelion. I hope to try one of these recipes soon and I hope you enjoyed my story. Have a happy winter!<br /><br /><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 102, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: center; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”</blockquote>~<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana%C3%AFs_Nin">Anais Nin</a></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-51204336233593629772012-01-10T20:27:00.050-05:002012-01-10T22:39:39.708-05:00(Re)Solutions<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6i10XyZYmf_-ii09zzTSlqhtdNmRDVlXUGjdqQMonBEARpVtn0XHJ32ml-2IYx063Lp4hzTNvIutfh2DWoMkPpD8xCD4KqIuam98jmVKfUY4ZpcIhSCfCBFxIpYb5LISe8VFylQ8Bf9M/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-01-09+at+9.31.36+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6i10XyZYmf_-ii09zzTSlqhtdNmRDVlXUGjdqQMonBEARpVtn0XHJ32ml-2IYx063Lp4hzTNvIutfh2DWoMkPpD8xCD4KqIuam98jmVKfUY4ZpcIhSCfCBFxIpYb5LISe8VFylQ8Bf9M/s400/Screen+shot+2012-01-09+at+9.31.36+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696204409392977458" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Hello, did you say you wanted to play later?"</span><br /></div><br />What happened to 2011? No day seems to leave any impression, as if time is constantly fleeting. I don't have any new New Year's resolution(s), I'm still working on the ones from last year (haha) but I do want to write a story. I used to write short stories and poems when I was younger but it never transitioned into a hobby. I wish I were as deeply engrossed in writing as much as I am in drawing; I still however enjoy writing especially when I want to be productive. One thing that I can't stand is not doing anything. I like using my time wisely especially when I spend long hours at work which leaves me mentally stagnant. The only creative thing I did yesterday was design a Chinese New Year header. So, after I got off work, I did a quick sketch of a dragon to supplement my otherwise trivial day.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdbNwiARaFliCRXh9Kh6lirZYhUEQYJ5trWX87pFN2dde6e_PHRYWlnEG9lFvsJMCJgIK0CFpMvDMWcj1amY-JIC7NAR4lN2aA2xGQWWyPQfbz4mpe3zJIQTF03lWNhqB_DlxL7viJbo/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-01-09+at+9.35.16+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 258px; height: 383px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdbNwiARaFliCRXh9Kh6lirZYhUEQYJ5trWX87pFN2dde6e_PHRYWlnEG9lFvsJMCJgIK0CFpMvDMWcj1amY-JIC7NAR4lN2aA2xGQWWyPQfbz4mpe3zJIQTF03lWNhqB_DlxL7viJbo/s400/Screen+shot+2012-01-09+at+9.35.16+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696204160674569506" border="0" /></a>I personally prefer the sketch – I just love the organic lines and all its imperfections, which makes it more charming. I hope you enjoyed my dragon. Happy New Year to you all and enjoy all your misadventures!<br /><br /><div style="font-style: italic;" class="tweet-row"> <div style="text-align: center;" class="tweet-text tweet-text-large">"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's learning to dance in the rain."</div> </div> <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/LifeQuotesToday/status/9612439979" class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink"> </a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/LifeQuotesToday/status/9612439979" class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink"><span class="_timestamp js-tweet-timestamp" title="12:13 AM, Feb 25th" time="1267074817000" form="true"></span></a>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-75726162696768052312011-12-19T19:03:00.053-05:002011-12-19T21:11:52.497-05:00Elephantastic Cards<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aE1Dlx37F9I0WmfZfco8rcCbL6Ayb1r3E31qkwCfDBwIkwfdVPp3E0fvlPvsqFlcKKhGXirnQ4W5GqbUhTHHqATCJVT6gSnh8Ti2eDrX4y1bG1CDtsRVsagJ8yCFm6qV3pIG8wsA8cA/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-12-19+at+8.54.33+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aE1Dlx37F9I0WmfZfco8rcCbL6Ayb1r3E31qkwCfDBwIkwfdVPp3E0fvlPvsqFlcKKhGXirnQ4W5GqbUhTHHqATCJVT6gSnh8Ti2eDrX4y1bG1CDtsRVsagJ8yCFm6qV3pIG8wsA8cA/s400/Screen+shot+2011-12-19+at+8.54.33+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688022620547308546" border="0" /></a><br />I had to post today or it would never happen. I promised myself to do one productive thing a day to avert my mind from wandering – this laborious mind needs a break from mundane thoughts. And I didn't want to miss another month without blogging.<br /><br />December is probably one of the most popular months for greeting cards. Thousands of cards are being sent and received every day. But the hardest part is choosing the perfect card and sometimes can be daunting. It's probably better to make your own if you have copious spare time or take advantage of digital technology; however, if you want to design your own card, you really need just one or two elements – for example: flower and elephant.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZu52beE9u21QjWsyj3EDOsCkZojaTs08jyHNWf44IQKkzh6R7LjZghZA-1ncR_hiFqf3iSI8_kWfRQLLJu6tc0HgVX4tVKk_xTsPs-DEnv0NXxPNp5Wdc6k_kErkR2Zf-AgtH3ITWWU/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-12-19+at+8.01.18+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 358px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZu52beE9u21QjWsyj3EDOsCkZojaTs08jyHNWf44IQKkzh6R7LjZghZA-1ncR_hiFqf3iSI8_kWfRQLLJu6tc0HgVX4tVKk_xTsPs-DEnv0NXxPNp5Wdc6k_kErkR2Zf-AgtH3ITWWU/s400/Screen+shot+2011-12-19+at+8.01.18+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688008833281576930" border="0" /></a>I had to create thank you cards for work and I came up with two random things not knowing what to do with them. Consequently, I started playing with colors and hierarchy. I only needed one design but I decided to make two, then four more!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoV9ybCo_50eoVkYem1ZuyWpu9ywVD-mmOdFXDoNqQDywlmolQmfQAlFXEBWBkCPHk7T5NfWg41P8meGe538-wcWitrMsgS9JHo9LB9lqn3DTePec5zQJ9SulJ7a1uXxx_hs5QaX7VXE/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-12-19+at+5.21.18+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoV9ybCo_50eoVkYem1ZuyWpu9ywVD-mmOdFXDoNqQDywlmolQmfQAlFXEBWBkCPHk7T5NfWg41P8meGe538-wcWitrMsgS9JHo9LB9lqn3DTePec5zQJ9SulJ7a1uXxx_hs5QaX7VXE/s400/Screen+shot+2011-12-19+at+5.21.18+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688010958367889490" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXmx-8hbSh5AWfIZGRt8UY9yMUaP_wP40rZ_0aM1VY9eyE-PZhlhKVYcX8uyrrtNyjWxCmHp2P-Emb0-bbV_jLzaNJ2MoYDuvnTKWW4fYK4as1SR4Xvq8EkOYnai_ZwLdyFxEjrx6-Gw/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-12-19+at+7.03.12+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXmx-8hbSh5AWfIZGRt8UY9yMUaP_wP40rZ_0aM1VY9eyE-PZhlhKVYcX8uyrrtNyjWxCmHp2P-Emb0-bbV_jLzaNJ2MoYDuvnTKWW4fYK4as1SR4Xvq8EkOYnai_ZwLdyFxEjrx6-Gw/s400/Screen+shot+2011-12-19+at+7.03.12+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688011132728732066" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCgbUuwEXW2BaU8sdNN1r26-EY4afmFzHgbobRmpqMNrbPQN0XzOe79aKaRS0EArYEZWsgE0rNERgaznHXdGhr2SjwoSnx6pH7SS4OkyUIxa7qgAwe8XovAX9xaDDCI0ow94eIUboi6U/s1600/Screen-shot-2011-12-19-at-5.59.37-PM.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCgbUuwEXW2BaU8sdNN1r26-EY4afmFzHgbobRmpqMNrbPQN0XzOe79aKaRS0EArYEZWsgE0rNERgaznHXdGhr2SjwoSnx6pH7SS4OkyUIxa7qgAwe8XovAX9xaDDCI0ow94eIUboi6U/s400/Screen-shot-2011-12-19-at-5.59.37-PM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688012178621318306" border="0" /></a>Designing cards was exhilarating! I could have created hundreds more if I wanted to but I'm going to stop at six for now. It's very important to enjoy what you do or your mind will go stagnant. Creativity comes easily when the mind is relaxed, and it's something that I need to practice more often. I hope you guys enjoyed my designs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;" >Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Wright_Mabie">~Hamilton Wright Mabie</a></span><br /><br />MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!<br /></div><span style="font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;"> </span>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-63205755067545298262011-10-30T12:20:00.010-04:002011-10-30T12:46:13.839-04:00Happy Halloween<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURLVwfM5v1HYb1q5yXC2pWsVK-XmqbXgK66ipKD6W2UeOLIn7MY-IyX7QQQT0wKuq4SStKLNojVIGHZCtbVjzCcIy5hXRHwU0_SxhX8rXQyku5F9HbklgYMSkBC8_3MyyHiWoz2sZRMQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-10-30+at+12.19.36+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURLVwfM5v1HYb1q5yXC2pWsVK-XmqbXgK66ipKD6W2UeOLIn7MY-IyX7QQQT0wKuq4SStKLNojVIGHZCtbVjzCcIy5hXRHwU0_SxhX8rXQyku5F9HbklgYMSkBC8_3MyyHiWoz2sZRMQ/s400/Screen+shot+2011-10-30+at+12.19.36+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669321068935756642" border="0" /></a>I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. This was an older illustration that I created for Kids' Night Halloween poster from last year. I forgot this existed until last week when I mistakenly opened an old folder and clicked on the file. I enjoy finding random things, it's like discovering treasures from the past. Below is the poster from our recent Trick-or-Treat night. It's not my favorite but I had to do something fast and easy. Maybe, I should've used the mummy....Happy Halloween everyone!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAtsUzbRY1YT5Zt2lZC0Qb2Ww5rkfmkZ76TR28GfGQl-n7kzjSiGhhT0de9aG5QRq9x3tDAtLBMjF4e2AqeGgieypbnwA-WxZ6f0FrrTdUB_EhzMITlE9PTa3Kuldq3ZQDl9GTUowjDk/s1600/tumblr_ltoqcxgEjt1qk96mso1_500.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAtsUzbRY1YT5Zt2lZC0Qb2Ww5rkfmkZ76TR28GfGQl-n7kzjSiGhhT0de9aG5QRq9x3tDAtLBMjF4e2AqeGgieypbnwA-WxZ6f0FrrTdUB_EhzMITlE9PTa3Kuldq3ZQDl9GTUowjDk/s400/tumblr_ltoqcxgEjt1qk96mso1_500.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669325317535748818" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;">Where there is no imagination there is no horror.<br />~Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;"> </span>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-15939571535075677162011-10-21T18:02:00.034-04:002012-12-19T20:59:09.828-05:00Out with the Old, In with the New!I was perusing old photographs and I found these pictures from my Senior Project. Before we could graduate high school, we had to do a final<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>project in order to pass. There was no limit on the subject, you could do whatever you wanted as long as it was tangible. I chose to do a comic book since I was a comic book fanatic back then. I still enjoy comic books; however, I'm not as invested on them as before. Below is a collage of characters of my final project.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy2H7yjF58QB5lykhDTn4vgtTtGqkHkZ84QjCswtq0oh9LdDVQMev8u15bIUFaUZvf5DQ-lg_WUUHTUfuy6paJ5kRzxs33CZzuY304vu60NpcTBeUbVbqHcYWZhKrpVvwOB5tQKhpgck/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-10-25+at+8.51.55+PM.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667601829639415170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy2H7yjF58QB5lykhDTn4vgtTtGqkHkZ84QjCswtq0oh9LdDVQMev8u15bIUFaUZvf5DQ-lg_WUUHTUfuy6paJ5kRzxs33CZzuY304vu60NpcTBeUbVbqHcYWZhKrpVvwOB5tQKhpgck/s400/Screen+shot+2011-10-25+at+8.51.55+PM.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 271px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnfXAe0Y5iAQBqAhLmntrfAJFSVIUd6fulcvuxIbNTUQwM5uGZoe1FQIcQRjU_wmMzr-kK17wGFiqYJkJWvCt-lU2a8gZ6ZRY-dVg-5fk8OZPWN2JKLU3mHcbpZtrtp5_2VWgb5lOw9U/s1600/comic.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667602462910985634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnfXAe0Y5iAQBqAhLmntrfAJFSVIUd6fulcvuxIbNTUQwM5uGZoe1FQIcQRjU_wmMzr-kK17wGFiqYJkJWvCt-lU2a8gZ6ZRY-dVg-5fk8OZPWN2JKLU3mHcbpZtrtp5_2VWgb5lOw9U/s400/comic.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 307px;" /></a>My Art teacher, Ms. Singer entered my project in the Visual Communication category and won third place. And she also nominated me to be in "Who's Who Among American Students" which was a great honor even though I didn't win anything but a free book. I was not big on competition and never considered my work exceptional but for some reason my teachers thought I was good enough to represent them and the school. I owe them a big thank you for encouraging and believing in me. Without them I would've never realized my potential. So, those are my old work and here are some new ones:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbitr-iod8BWuphXatCL2dbjMdpvhBGWyP9RMG7VeZ0FzrWqRx8yiU612UvZfTBH9riqNbqImTsaMMYOA7sH00DmGweLphmdIpbZ9rZ2ZWMhPQdUTlhQpIAo98ropzmWF7b-tBM_4Voc/s1600/-1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667612636322119026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbitr-iod8BWuphXatCL2dbjMdpvhBGWyP9RMG7VeZ0FzrWqRx8yiU612UvZfTBH9riqNbqImTsaMMYOA7sH00DmGweLphmdIpbZ9rZ2ZWMhPQdUTlhQpIAo98ropzmWF7b-tBM_4Voc/s400/-1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsUN9FkACuEML3Oi9Og_dvMAEdpSLysSZgH9_9nfyU9ovAX9u-vW2polgg8iWwShkNIeiH8S_eW9oVPKKH8lYtlEhmD33oudpxwPcISvUT_MCkk1j3dfecBNPYv0b-N2hRryfSwMWQK4/s1600/-2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667612819341759938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsUN9FkACuEML3Oi9Og_dvMAEdpSLysSZgH9_9nfyU9ovAX9u-vW2polgg8iWwShkNIeiH8S_eW9oVPKKH8lYtlEhmD33oudpxwPcISvUT_MCkk1j3dfecBNPYv0b-N2hRryfSwMWQK4/s400/-2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Z0IS3dByOrbAZWFDjQMsD4cUHI3_ZzM4rOfUVuSDn-4yD9He-pFsxwl1gZbYxCfOL1Mz1ZtMKr_5AZYVZ29ptHce3L-InOykAFePQHX0RbcuClNFfbnfXk7szwgtiIIwT-Lc67oNCCw/s1600/-3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667613390261741106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Z0IS3dByOrbAZWFDjQMsD4cUHI3_ZzM4rOfUVuSDn-4yD9He-pFsxwl1gZbYxCfOL1Mz1ZtMKr_5AZYVZ29ptHce3L-InOykAFePQHX0RbcuClNFfbnfXk7szwgtiIIwT-Lc67oNCCw/s400/-3.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZAh4JY8PtfGdfAwFkcmYsCSUl_KU2SN96J_2OqpxGbdf6K0Ds_x2PbGqvZS67MeeHtmjGChlFj2spQAJFQL2vNuHWplzKQKHY97g7DwKU7s0ScGJmNDDnK7isn-inmm9UW8Lj6seQvs/s1600/-4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667613602952664898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZAh4JY8PtfGdfAwFkcmYsCSUl_KU2SN96J_2OqpxGbdf6K0Ds_x2PbGqvZS67MeeHtmjGChlFj2spQAJFQL2vNuHWplzKQKHY97g7DwKU7s0ScGJmNDDnK7isn-inmm9UW8Lj6seQvs/s400/-4.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote>
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”<br />
<i>– Ralph Waldo Emerson</i></blockquote>
</div>
Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-15788458451334632532011-10-18T20:33:00.040-04:002011-10-18T22:15:23.524-04:00Show and TellHappy Fall everyone! My schedule has been a little hectic lately and I haven't had time to write. I wish I could go on a mini vacation before the holidays...Anyway, I just want to write a follow up post about the mushroom which I forgot to mention in the previous article. I hope no one went mushroom hunting recently. So here's the deal. Before you cook your mushrooms, have warm salt water ready and soak the mushrooms for 30 minutes to get rid of unwelcome hitchhikers, then you can prepare it however you want. There you go, I hope I didn't forget anything else.<br /><br />Whew! Now that's done, I can move on to a more exciting story. Well, I met a little girl named Lucy, she's four and loves to draw. I have been very lucky to receive some of her artwork including school projects and I want to share them with you.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAtv0nPip1fHiiJc3g45U71pesZgB7VtioUrTB7ItZLqydkoVvU78aC1MXyfzArP7rpjzsQ1krB7ozklwLKxiJr-A2MOoC5Shmt4_R6oyXkl3m5WftfBDblLo0bL3n2kK9lDUZL8z-Uo/s1600/letters.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAtv0nPip1fHiiJc3g45U71pesZgB7VtioUrTB7ItZLqydkoVvU78aC1MXyfzArP7rpjzsQ1krB7ozklwLKxiJr-A2MOoC5Shmt4_R6oyXkl3m5WftfBDblLo0bL3n2kK9lDUZL8z-Uo/s400/letters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665007178444780370" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7RAbBptAwx7aQdKdoNIpbcQbVQuc2Mcyk9KzQnEoJWW16gPmErTkLm0qiUuGM5FKXLY144zT6ZQ2_2NaBtUD8FsfzDV0Xrh8_mkyGOSOtSB8hUbvNpW4kW3NtLCnA8ipEwjaQtEJoec/s1600/rainbow.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7RAbBptAwx7aQdKdoNIpbcQbVQuc2Mcyk9KzQnEoJWW16gPmErTkLm0qiUuGM5FKXLY144zT6ZQ2_2NaBtUD8FsfzDV0Xrh8_mkyGOSOtSB8hUbvNpW4kW3NtLCnA8ipEwjaQtEJoec/s400/rainbow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665007173218375986" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHw5pppLqfb4Qtu-nFtg3gpf_kazbLMIEs1KpW06idT8mx68P98KrSWmmrCv6LmDyBGtyrqdN2lI5WCtSaSbVZQ9K3l4rw3yfTbpfEpb9WoCyD5_evY9yYICIg2R5BuM5DExWj79yhXA/s1600/purple.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHw5pppLqfb4Qtu-nFtg3gpf_kazbLMIEs1KpW06idT8mx68P98KrSWmmrCv6LmDyBGtyrqdN2lI5WCtSaSbVZQ9K3l4rw3yfTbpfEpb9WoCyD5_evY9yYICIg2R5BuM5DExWj79yhXA/s400/purple.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665007152322777314" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_eFfxtq2UdkHG_leUN6JBzqG5mCtB5U2TUrKuDdfOgvXqAzhOJu6CxKJZ6-WAtPeCXXW67kWcG0LVOBEoSfeQpv_paxPuYgRnCHVTX9cU9hgvKIxvrOp6DDd3buI1t6e6sITDpY5C6M/s1600/quilt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_eFfxtq2UdkHG_leUN6JBzqG5mCtB5U2TUrKuDdfOgvXqAzhOJu6CxKJZ6-WAtPeCXXW67kWcG0LVOBEoSfeQpv_paxPuYgRnCHVTX9cU9hgvKIxvrOp6DDd3buI1t6e6sITDpY5C6M/s400/quilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665009321767146258" border="0" /></a><br />How cute are they? I just love kids art! They are so free and expressive. They don't care about negative and positive space or if the colors are in harmony, all they care is having a crayon or pencil in hand and a piece of paper to record their thoughts.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiev01PAwFJhzeezepeaadX8ZnrujH3ofOCQ0PGaW0IQQdUDMtgrpWSiqLQW2h4syZARpPbz-ZFtxghaVMwmiFwFYXIxozhrgTe8FwlFL0FC0s6Vg4xNHZdjUX9sY_ic7vqSp686yGtAwY/s1600/unknown.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiev01PAwFJhzeezepeaadX8ZnrujH3ofOCQ0PGaW0IQQdUDMtgrpWSiqLQW2h4syZARpPbz-ZFtxghaVMwmiFwFYXIxozhrgTe8FwlFL0FC0s6Vg4xNHZdjUX9sY_ic7vqSp686yGtAwY/s400/unknown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665012788761239346" border="0" /></a><br />I found this one in the folder where I put all the kids' artwork. I'm not sure who owns this masterpiece but if I had to take a guess, it's probably Ayame's, my goddaughter. I hope these inspire some of you to draw even when you don't think you're good enough to sketch a circle. Drawing should be unconstrained and enjoyable – something that we all need to relearn.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;" >When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college - that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared at me, incredulous, and said, "You mean they forget?" </span><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Howard-Ikemoto/100001275319546"><span style="font-family:georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;">~Howard Ikemoto</span></a><br /></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-37308090968170378822011-09-21T20:47:00.001-04:002011-09-21T20:47:11.270-04:00Mushroom Madness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ftnOWdUokg8GXMkjwk6bHINdlT5GbaGi1tMfn3fHXvj6jhTgL2sdU1QTWqc9dLG10vWAfbj10xVwAjqUA1qogeenVd4nbq1KfBVDYlSNj-XntwDt2H224443SS7X8Q1fgxyx9jqpu9E/s1600/mushroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ftnOWdUokg8GXMkjwk6bHINdlT5GbaGi1tMfn3fHXvj6jhTgL2sdU1QTWqc9dLG10vWAfbj10xVwAjqUA1qogeenVd4nbq1KfBVDYlSNj-XntwDt2H224443SS7X8Q1fgxyx9jqpu9E/s320/mushroom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Have you ever spent countless hours on writing a blog just to be deleted in a second? It happened to me last week, everything that I wrote completely vanished just before I was about to publish it. I thought I was writing on the actual template and didn't realize it was temporary. I wrote a conclusive paragraph about mushrooms and how I obtained them; unfortunately, I couldn't retain what I had written, so I have to write the laconic version of the previous document.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago, we had a week of pouring rain, it literally rained every single day. Most people did not like it but I enjoyed the rain immensely, so did the plants in our yard and the surrounding trees. The best part about the rain was the emergence of mushrooms throughout the neighborhood. My sister and I picked some oyster mushrooms in our lawn and I found white mushrooms near my neighbor's sidewalk. We cooked the oyster mushrooms with bacon and once the bacon crisped, the mushrooms were nearly invisible. I tasted the remnants of the fungi only to find out it was infused with bacon flavor – I could not distinguish between the two – they were both crunchy and porky. The remaining mushrooms were simply steamed and they tasted like portobello. For those of you who want to embark on wild mushroom picking, make sure to identify the fungi species before ingesting them. I found this great <a href="http://ediblewildmushrooms.com/">virtual wild mushroom field guide</a> to help you on your adventure but I recommend something tangible to take with you. And if you want to expand your knowledge on mushrooms, this one is a good <a href="http://www.forestmushrooms.com/facts.html">resource.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafTPbQFKZvEHHLLIb7jAvVy6XgmfDrZRCD_M2xzULLc7opgcPusK75N2FUMPbi20qBj7ZgHnT4T67fWVCE9_PPEooI9pfN6w7GsuI5jhtadtlrJdJ7oAwzWxy4V1zCYcyusbAXH0xDpM/s1600/-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafTPbQFKZvEHHLLIb7jAvVy6XgmfDrZRCD_M2xzULLc7opgcPusK75N2FUMPbi20qBj7ZgHnT4T67fWVCE9_PPEooI9pfN6w7GsuI5jhtadtlrJdJ7oAwzWxy4V1zCYcyusbAXH0xDpM/s320/-2.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjncnS0AOCbrWKvHqYS-jvLnBEbrUSrqf9m_54EFAFvVc2vFpFUwxaS5W1iNDt_qmCnnBGsu2u1DijjEmWcvcKN4t-3PW5SzEj72_ffpZRII__5KccDdes-DTOu6Pz2M34Cy_c76XQ55c/s1600/-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjncnS0AOCbrWKvHqYS-jvLnBEbrUSrqf9m_54EFAFvVc2vFpFUwxaS5W1iNDt_qmCnnBGsu2u1DijjEmWcvcKN4t-3PW5SzEj72_ffpZRII__5KccDdes-DTOu6Pz2M34Cy_c76XQ55c/s320/-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I hope you enjoyed my mushroom post. Did you know that mushrooms multiply during a thunderstorm according to Koichi Takaki, an associate professor in engineering at Iwate University? You can find this article on <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/100409-lightning-mushrooms-japan-harvest/">National Geographic website</a>.</div>
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<i>“If only one could tell true love from false love as one can tell mushrooms from toadstools” </i></div>
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~ Katherine Mansfield</div>
Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-48718643765189745072011-08-21T15:58:00.032-04:002011-08-21T17:40:29.065-04:00Shumai Love<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTa4qU8z8zjSGQCfWPYz_AXAshXYIbg4cwj59-pfAHAfv4ycab0ZiuYEY6S9Aox_Zek7GmOEAFK2_KAOyuxolIkiIScZaJlkz_iJa8YhIOq8H7N0vkGixNH5zq3Gl2vM7za8P1nOVNP5A/s1600/shumai.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTa4qU8z8zjSGQCfWPYz_AXAshXYIbg4cwj59-pfAHAfv4ycab0ZiuYEY6S9Aox_Zek7GmOEAFK2_KAOyuxolIkiIScZaJlkz_iJa8YhIOq8H7N0vkGixNH5zq3Gl2vM7za8P1nOVNP5A/s400/shumai.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643421517732344994" border="0" /></a>
<br />I was watching a Filipino tv show online and there was a segment about making shumai. Shumai is a traditional chinese dumpling served in dim sum. I grew up eating shrimp shumai but stopped when I developed an allergic reaction to shellfish; fortunately other types of shumai are readily available in asian supermarkets but you have to get them from the frozen aisle. After the show ended I went to bed obsessing over shumai. The next day, after class I drove to Whole Foods and bought the main ingredients: pork, fish, jicama and carrots (see complete ingredients below).
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZWgHHhYiFqqBFkizAPIxTk-s1zilk9MHTwssdtopMOi_UiEjrApD1VBaYUOxJPNAvXbANDd_MYVx2tUro6YNPOiZj_hYZJlWYkSWBna39isQJ9tkC5UppllsH_OIVHylqalTsBgvXiI/s1600/photo3.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZWgHHhYiFqqBFkizAPIxTk-s1zilk9MHTwssdtopMOi_UiEjrApD1VBaYUOxJPNAvXbANDd_MYVx2tUro6YNPOiZj_hYZJlWYkSWBna39isQJ9tkC5UppllsH_OIVHylqalTsBgvXiI/s400/photo3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643407267465815186" border="0" /></a>
<br />Unfortunately I don't have the exact recipe, I made up the measurements as I was mixing. First, mix ground fish and pork, followed buy chopped carrots and jicama. Add sugar, black pepper (can be substituted for white pepper), fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch. I'm not sure how much meat I had but one stick of carrot and half of medium-sized jicama will suffice for this recipe. I couldn't find wonton wrappers in Whole Foods; so, I ended up using egg roll wrappers – cut them in 4 pieces and voila! Here are the before and after shots.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksyunYhlZYsXx1D1gcUOvGgbua2B6uv4ioyNiW4xBnMNSY3LlUxhw6_ujSB7Vlx6VbkVh0llDX4NUTPTo1gn4oMnpt2po7RsZs48Q1i9dW6Lnk1T4yZunGFLDvvkhFT0f0YMGdzDs3I0/s1600/shumai.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksyunYhlZYsXx1D1gcUOvGgbua2B6uv4ioyNiW4xBnMNSY3LlUxhw6_ujSB7Vlx6VbkVh0llDX4NUTPTo1gn4oMnpt2po7RsZs48Q1i9dW6Lnk1T4yZunGFLDvvkhFT0f0YMGdzDs3I0/s400/shumai.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643410829046654386" border="0" /></a>
<br />I asked my mom and grandma to try it and both said it was tasty and better than the ones in the restaurants (^;^). My mom's birthday is coming up and she wants me to make shumai for her. Since I don't have the recipe, making shumai for a big event is a bit daunting but I am ready for the challenge!
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<br />That's the shumai cooking. I was going to edit the video but decided not to – it's the mishaps that make things interesting (~_^).
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<br /></span><blockquote><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: right;" class="icons">Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.</div></blockquote><dl style="text-align: center;"><dd class="author"><div style="font-style: italic;" class="icons"></div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Adams"><b>(Scott Adams (1957 - )</b></a>, <i>'The Dilbert Principle'</i></dd></dl>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-18354577023887162222011-08-15T06:35:00.005-04:002011-08-15T18:41:09.236-04:00The Vine that Ate the South<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0eWFxEGlzImcUXZX7Odq4Ri9RNuD0UcL_zjDd-KP3d29DnVpshjQ2aj4xHp2_PQlM36MrJGyXxOIeNFgYk8Kntm__ISUSyyE1D9hwlz_iiccNoopAS1OUDbcfck5LYFwUGKVkIYeL8ao/s1600/kudzu.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0eWFxEGlzImcUXZX7Odq4Ri9RNuD0UcL_zjDd-KP3d29DnVpshjQ2aj4xHp2_PQlM36MrJGyXxOIeNFgYk8Kntm__ISUSyyE1D9hwlz_iiccNoopAS1OUDbcfck5LYFwUGKVkIYeL8ao/s400/kudzu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641214717553482930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;" class="body">When you remove the risk, you remove the challenge. When you remove the challenge, you wither on the vine.</span>
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;" class="bodybold"> <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alexlowe193719.html">~Alex Lowe</a> </span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">After I got off work last Saturday, I went to check the backyard garden for plants in dire condition but I saw something a lot worse than wilted plants, the kudzu behind our fence was starting to devour the trees planted alongside it. I immediately ran to the carport, grabbed the pruners and gloves, changed shoes and started cutting the vines. After a couple hours of battle, I finally freed the trees from being ingurgitated by this voracious plant. The vines were vicious; I inherited scratches that felt like hundreds of tiny cats had clawed me but it's worth the plight.</span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">While I was cutting the vines, I thought of ways of how to get rid of them or at least prevent them from climbing over our fence and all I could think was, could I eat them? lol. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate everything about kudzu – when they flower, my backyard smells heavenly – I am lulled by its intoxicating fragrance. It's actually the only time when I look forward to seeing it thrive – to watch kudzu flower. So for curiosity's sake, I looked up recipes for kudzu and to my disbelief, kudzu is safe for consumption and I am so excited to share these recipes I found online:</span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">KUDZU RECIPES</span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Kudzu Quiche</span>
<br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Makes 4-6 servings.</span><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1 cup heavy cream
<br />3 eggs, beaten
<br />1 cup chopped, young, tender Kudzu leaves and stems
<br />1/2 teaspoon salt
<br />Ground pepper to taste
<br />1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
<br />1 nine-inch unbaked pie shell
<br /></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cream, eggs, kudzu, salt, pepper, and cheese. Place in pie shell. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until center is set.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rolled Kudzu Leaves</span>
<br /></p><span style=";font-family:tahoma;color:darkblue;" ><span style="font-family:tahoma;"><a name="rolled"><span style="font-size:100%;"><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Kudzu Leaves</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1 can diced tomatoes</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">2 teaspoons salt</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">3 cloves garlic, cut in half</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Juice of 3 lemons</span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Bacon Grease (optional) </span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Stuffing ingredients: 1 cup rice, rinsed in water</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1 pound ground lamb or lean beef</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1 cup canned diced tomatoes</span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1/2 teaspoon of allspice</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Salt and Pepper to taste </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Gather about 30 medium-sized young kudzu leaves. Make sure area has not been sprayed with chemicals to kill the Kudzu. </p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Wash leaves. Drop into salted boiling water. Boil a 2-3 minutes, separating leaves. Remove to a plate to cool. Remove heavy center stems from the leaves by using a knife and cutting down each side of the stem to about the middle of the leaf. Combine all stuffing ingredients and mix well. </p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Push cut sides together and fill with 1 teaspoon stuffing and roll in the shape of a cigar. Place something in bottom of a large pan so that rolled leaves will not sit directly on the bottom of the pan. Bacon grease is great for seasoning. </p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Arrange Kudzu rolls alternately in opposite directions. When all are in the pot, pour in a can diced tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 3 cloves of garlic, cut in half. Press down with an inverted dish and add water to reach dish. Cover pot and cook on medium for 30 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook 10 minutes more.</p> </span> </a></span></span><span style=";font-family:tahoma;color:black;" ><span style="font-family:tahoma;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Deep Fried Kudzu Leaves</span>
<br /></span></span> <span style=";font-family:tahoma;color:darkblue;" ><span style="font-family:tahoma;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><a name="fried"> </a></span> <a name="fried"> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></a><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a name="fried"><span style="font-size:100%;">Pick light green leaves, 2-inch size.</span></a></p> <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" name="fried"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></a><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a name="fried"><span style="font-size:100%;">Thin batter made with iced water and flour
<br />Oil</span></a></p> <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" name="fried"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></a><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a name="fried"><span style="font-size:100%;">Heat oil. Rinse and dry kudzu leaves, then dip in batter (chilled). Fry oil quickly on both sides until brown. Drain on paper toweling. Eat while warm.</span></a></span></p></span></span><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:tahoma;"><span style="font-family:tahoma;"><p><a name="fried"><span style="font-size:100%;">Y<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">ou can find all these recipes at</span></span></a><a href="http://www.southernangel.com/food/kudzurcp.html"><span style="font-size:100%;"> Southernangel.com</span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">. And for those who </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">enjoy being inebriated once in a while</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">, <a href="http://oneearthherbs.squarespace.com/important-herbs/kudzu-rootflower-pueraria-lobata.html">kudzu flower</a> is great for hangover and alcoholism.</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">If you want learn more about kudzu, check out the video below. Happy eating and hopefully you learned something today about the mighty kudzu.
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<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tiYrqucl2vg" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe></div><center></center>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-58574462472656678982011-08-06T21:19:00.022-04:002011-08-08T20:02:51.641-04:00Raining Elephants<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_xyY0JAKLNJjXwzrBhFEgYmG6bkj-4rBrrLco6HoI-ikSqmHHi2u5awLlon5eA7R8jA4nNZvmA3g0cWgEmB1lQg9bDmqda03SssrzDOvXltyb4qTzF5DZyXTgD9Bl2QqON8nndjw-sU/s1600/hermes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_xyY0JAKLNJjXwzrBhFEgYmG6bkj-4rBrrLco6HoI-ikSqmHHi2u5awLlon5eA7R8jA4nNZvmA3g0cWgEmB1lQg9bDmqda03SssrzDOvXltyb4qTzF5DZyXTgD9Bl2QqON8nndjw-sU/s400/hermes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638638362355037378" border="0" /></a>
<br />It's sunny today, no droplets of rain in sight. I'm constantly hoping for a good rain everyday, not just a shower but heavy, pouring rain that will last for a couple of days. We've had some sporadic rain drops followed by a beautiful vivid sky but nothing too exciting like a torrential downpour. I don't want it to rain cats and dogs, I want hippos and elephants for once! I try to water my plants regularly but the arid summer days leave the ground bone-dry. How do I make it rain longer than 5 minutes? Perhaps I should stop dancing<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ6zr6kCPj8&ob=av2e"> LMFAO Party Rock Anthem</a> and learn rain dance instead. To answer this relevant question, I've conducted research on ways to make it rain and I found several enthralling answers.
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<br />TOP 10 WAYS TO MAKE IT RAIN
<br /><ol><li>Wash your car.</li><li>Go on a picnic.</li><li>Do the <a href="http://www.ehow.com/info_10038379_native-american-rain-turtle-ritual.html">Rain Turtle</a> ritual.
<br /></li><li>Camp outside without a shelter.</li><li>Don't bring your umbrella.</li><li>Straighten your hair.</li><li>Hang clothes on line.</li><li>Bath a horse (it seems to work all the time).</li><li>Go fishing.</li><li>Apply <a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/republican/geo-engineering-climate-47083201">geo-engineering.</a></li></ol>There you go, I hope you enjoyed my succinct and riveting list.
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<br /><div class="body"> </div><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(204, 102, 204);"><blockquote><div style="font-style: italic;" class="body">How can I accept a limited definable self when I feel, in me, all possibilities. </div> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana%C3%AFs_Nin">— Anaïs Nin</a></blockquote></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-23061222245072815352011-08-01T19:49:00.023-04:002011-08-01T21:45:08.064-04:00Dreaming of Sleep<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivU2f2H7eexD2eklzooqW55yQLB2O1-UJIS6OUnUwAUFwy3oCrzSrenEjHNYhqKfzD7NTWj7pj12a4KQpo2aDKChyphenhyphenRYgOoRgvoCEQl8SXXbUMCqYvd1DHoL5ALGN01uK3nKAQNjB70L50/s1600/sleep.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 346px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivU2f2H7eexD2eklzooqW55yQLB2O1-UJIS6OUnUwAUFwy3oCrzSrenEjHNYhqKfzD7NTWj7pj12a4KQpo2aDKChyphenhyphenRYgOoRgvoCEQl8SXXbUMCqYvd1DHoL5ALGN01uK3nKAQNjB70L50/s400/sleep.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636064066364179714" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="sqq"></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="sqq"><span style="font-style: italic;">“</span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="sqq">A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.</span><span style="font-style: italic;">”</span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">~<span class="sqa">Oscar Wilde </span><br /></div></blockquote><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><embed src="http://www.wingsee.com/ghibli/totoro/music/totoromidi08.mid" autoplay="false" loop="true" height="14" width="367"></embed><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I thought I was going to be more productive this year but all I can think of is how to sleep and how not to fall asleep at work. I don't normally listen to music when working but I've been playing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AEoUa0Hlso&ob=av3e">"Suddenly I See"</a> by KT Tunstall and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud3TC4TKDXQ&playnext=1&list=PLBE580BD211B7E32D">Totoro soundtrack</a> to help me focus (these are the only available tracks in my computer). Majority of people probably start their morning with a hot cup of coffee to keep them energized throughout the day; unfortunately, unlike most people, a hot cup of coffee would put me to sleep instantly. So, rather than consuming coffee or hot tea, I've been drinking coconut water. I don't think coconut water has any active biological component for mental alertness but it sure beats plain water when it comes to taste. Sure, coconut water is refreshing but it's not as refreshing as having eight hours of sleep! For those of you who aren't getting enough of sleep, you should read this –<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:</strong> </div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.</li><li>Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health#" style="color: green; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 3px double;" id="_GPLITA_4">weight gain</a> by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.</li><li>Safety: Sleep <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health#" style="color: green; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 3px double;" id="_GPLITA_0">debt</a> contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.</li><li>Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.</li><li>Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.</li><li>Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.</li></ol><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health">Source: http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health</a></span><br /></div><br />Alright, it's time for me to go to bed – time for my <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115164438.htm">hormone of darkness</a> to do its job.<br /></div></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-8353953608192044022011-07-14T16:56:00.006-04:002011-07-14T17:41:07.381-04:00FlashyI finally got the courage to play with <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/flash.html">Adobe Flash CS4</a>. Yesterday, I bravely opened the program which looked so foreign and the same time familiar while sitting on my chair glaring at it, clicking on every single button thinking I could figure it out on my own which resulted in total disappointment. I wouldn't say it was a total failure but definitely detrimental to my pride. After a few minutes of trying things on my own, I hesitantly opted to ask for help from the mighty Google and there it was (actually a few of them) - the tutorial. Subsequently, I watched a video and read maybe two or three "how to's." The video wasn't that helpful but having diagrams of the panels helped me remember how to do the most basic animation. I haven't touched Flash in a decade, so it looks a bit rough. I hope you enjoy my animation.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/g2fAOhZDjM8?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" width="425"></iframe><br /></div><br />I had no idea this was extremely short; I'm going to do the next one a second longer (^_^)!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><blockquote>Everyone wants to understand painting. Why is there no attempt to understand the song of the birds?<span class="sqq"><span class="sqq"><br />~Pablo Picasso</span></span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span class="sqq"><span class="sqq"><br /></span></span></blockquote></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-32922383798399010932011-07-05T18:13:00.018-04:002011-07-05T19:18:02.434-04:00Happy Summer!Hello everyone! It's exactly been a month since I've blogged. I've finally finished the book but we still can't find a publisher. If you know anyone, please send them my way.<br /><br />I wish I could tell you that I've been productive but I've just been exhausted. I would sleep for one week if I could. I think I need a very long vacation, perhaps with these guys.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ08rmLmETmuGfg2sNr8weCi4-72E_ekS9qOVJArjXQAPxVClutYJTf_KLgD2cCAjy6H_f-WN0w6DoWYK3tK7APXlNeUMZO3JLONpaZ4wIo7LBgJvt_sY8-6NeSjOUL5qQqtafLF9_hoc/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ08rmLmETmuGfg2sNr8weCi4-72E_ekS9qOVJArjXQAPxVClutYJTf_KLgD2cCAjy6H_f-WN0w6DoWYK3tK7APXlNeUMZO3JLONpaZ4wIo7LBgJvt_sY8-6NeSjOUL5qQqtafLF9_hoc/s400/photo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625999353672104626" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKH90T3v0njlzaJB7D_wsb1OnhsIire7VHsDZb8vKyexpta3yoWMaH1k9RAtYxrQ_2a9EWLcNkk8nffLuoTL2CyZeSSAwdeTfEceyeVe790pI3Phey9UBxouLWgo0IDlOwzsZQWP4gM1E/s1600/photo2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKH90T3v0njlzaJB7D_wsb1OnhsIire7VHsDZb8vKyexpta3yoWMaH1k9RAtYxrQ_2a9EWLcNkk8nffLuoTL2CyZeSSAwdeTfEceyeVe790pI3Phey9UBxouLWgo0IDlOwzsZQWP4gM1E/s400/photo2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625999478225797378" border="0" /></a>I just love these drawings so I want to share them with you. Thank you to my sister for letting me post these adorable artwork from her students. If you're not familiar with these characters, check out <a href="http://spongebob.nick.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Spongebob Squarepants</span></a> on Nickelodeon. SpongeBob was created by Stephen Hillenburg, a marine biologist and an animator. Hillenburg got his inspiration from his own comic strip<span style="font-style: italic;"> Intertidal Zone,</span> which involved numerous anthromorphic forms of sea life while studying at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California in 1984. Three years later, Stephen decided to leave the institute to study animation and then enrolled at the California Institute of Arts in 1992. While in school, his thesis film Wormholes impressed Joe Murray and hired him as an executive producer for <span style="font-style: italic;">Rocko's Modern Life</span>. Following <span style="font-style: italic;">Rocko's Modern Life</span>, Hillenburg started to develop the series in 1996 and pitched the series to Nickelodeon in 1998, which aired on May 1, 1999 in the United States. So there you go – that's how SpongeBob SquarePants was born. <span style="font-style: italic;">The end.</span> Here's a little song for you. Enjoy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/He-LBIyBUz8" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe><br /></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-9471150327162237512011-05-18T18:26:00.009-04:002011-07-05T18:12:56.225-04:00Forks Over Knives Premiere<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBks4_8AFDTROym9bSoLigdcRCmBxIcEvydGYI08wlO9NyfCgCxoDBSjVsFtODbdfMrkca20Yo4WaxSRse6N0GmpYox1DzDedu3LavrYydfifUOO28laINsODsp8grQvP5RwWTlSq2P74/s1600/227178_10150310483384896_126433669895_9921460_3237326_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBks4_8AFDTROym9bSoLigdcRCmBxIcEvydGYI08wlO9NyfCgCxoDBSjVsFtODbdfMrkca20Yo4WaxSRse6N0GmpYox1DzDedu3LavrYydfifUOO28laINsODsp8grQvP5RwWTlSq2P74/s400/227178_10150310483384896_126433669895_9921460_3237326_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625994292577650978" border="0" /></a><br />I went to the premiere of <a href="http://www.forksoverknives.com/">Forks Over Knives</a> last week which was held at <a href="http://www.afi.com/">AFI</a>. I was appointed to be the photographer that day and I enjoyed it immensely. The event went well, the crowd was amazing, the food was great and I met <a href="http://supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=1581">Rip Esselstyn</a>, the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Engine-Diet-Firefighters-Save-Your-Life-Cholesterol/dp/0446506699">Engine 2 Diet</a>. I took tons of photos but I forgot to take a photo with him. I was too busy taking pictures of everyone and everything in sight. It was my very first time to attend a premiere and not to mention, I was documenting the event. I thought I was going to miss the movie but I was able to snag a seat next to the camera girl. Okay, I didn't exactly get a seat because the theater was packed but the steps were quite comfortable. I did love the movie, it was very informative but might be a bit extreme to a lot of people. If you haven't seen this documentary, I highly recommend you watch it; even if you're a skeptic, I assure you, you will learn something from it. It really made me think about what I eat and how it affects my health. To check out more photos, please click on this <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150310481304896.416985.126433669895">link.</a>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-85189733020961000362011-05-05T09:32:00.029-04:002011-05-05T11:03:49.324-04:00Spring Garden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefH92jOQTYyKQOXSDf-xOQIJcMiczm5YXxzcGDQLmfNWPbyEDPKTqwBGm57OBhRjSWgYE_HqmI0PL1cz0fdm9DrkMHT6YFiAKS6aJfmXS0GLLIJYYelWERbbt44PL1wEzgPXEfV8E04M/s1600/-1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefH92jOQTYyKQOXSDf-xOQIJcMiczm5YXxzcGDQLmfNWPbyEDPKTqwBGm57OBhRjSWgYE_HqmI0PL1cz0fdm9DrkMHT6YFiAKS6aJfmXS0GLLIJYYelWERbbt44PL1wEzgPXEfV8E04M/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603240119745313186" border="0" /></a><br />I woke up to a chilly beautiful morning. I made smoothie for breakfast from cantaloupe, cucumber, spinach and hazelnut milk with chia seeds – it was delicious! I went outside to look at the plants, which I do every morning before I go to work but today was my day off and was able to appreciate the beautiful outdoors with no interruptions. The garden looked enchanted, I had to take photos. It was spellbinding the way the light hit every strand of grass and leaves covered in diffused light and flowers illuminated by the unobscured sky. The mother robin who was nesting in the dogwood, found worms to nourish its fledglings. I went outside, took a few shots of the front and back and then started sneezing. I thought I was going to die but I didn't think anyone has died from perpetual sneezing; so, I endured the pollen attack. Tekko, our dog ran outside once I opened the door, was also mesmerized by the garden. He sat on the grass quietly, perhaps listening to the serenading birds while the wind was blowing his thick mane. Here are some photos I took of the front garden.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuxLfyTbUn-7qOopwmvAZfWz2wqpCweZgLm80mFlr8vhsKOdBmPjFsPVZX6mkX84rIMMf29PLiDk5mXRmn69pZaNvJbCkfHAW-BdOQ3bxJHa2tTln0hyQRlWYT2PKwILUiYszNuH-9ZA/s1600/-11.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuxLfyTbUn-7qOopwmvAZfWz2wqpCweZgLm80mFlr8vhsKOdBmPjFsPVZX6mkX84rIMMf29PLiDk5mXRmn69pZaNvJbCkfHAW-BdOQ3bxJHa2tTln0hyQRlWYT2PKwILUiYszNuH-9ZA/s400/-11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603238436344416850" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aq5XNzN3VuYUzfIVUxNV8bRzjpsRqmQwHJ_2xQQoDQ6XFIzCZ8FM1gO16-9FOOVu-3B4q3uTWqQYZxB3MvQZQowEsczzGFu_ECsizQXOMyaqS0_9LHlJ4vJEeEkycTcsSjOXETGU6fE/s1600/-8.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aq5XNzN3VuYUzfIVUxNV8bRzjpsRqmQwHJ_2xQQoDQ6XFIzCZ8FM1gO16-9FOOVu-3B4q3uTWqQYZxB3MvQZQowEsczzGFu_ECsizQXOMyaqS0_9LHlJ4vJEeEkycTcsSjOXETGU6fE/s400/-8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603238567552130194" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlBVGrl35fOyf7EGIst5DOA9odPyWeo706okMIAoGa9MI585Z8iLfayPv-T9CA2B-L2kcWtQwwXAcR2pvGOfq1G1oILVbZDKbdc6rNjydJjg0bezcxa9Ugs7mxFpZfdo8bFQKhEZHDQM/s1600/-14.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlBVGrl35fOyf7EGIst5DOA9odPyWeo706okMIAoGa9MI585Z8iLfayPv-T9CA2B-L2kcWtQwwXAcR2pvGOfq1G1oILVbZDKbdc6rNjydJjg0bezcxa9Ugs7mxFpZfdo8bFQKhEZHDQM/s400/-14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603238711894958946" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivj1NklcbYGmtHtJpHIRcSqTxuG-SJkiJf8CIu0fn_RYQAMxDT6xgYVvQOG4_AXxX6jiFeZYebZOhFYSDy-rOdDvqP81Igil6uItzCYoxbph4ASQg9tL6FEFK3cd9vXiavslLr1p7Uv40/s1600/-17.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivj1NklcbYGmtHtJpHIRcSqTxuG-SJkiJf8CIu0fn_RYQAMxDT6xgYVvQOG4_AXxX6jiFeZYebZOhFYSDy-rOdDvqP81Igil6uItzCYoxbph4ASQg9tL6FEFK3cd9vXiavslLr1p7Uv40/s400/-17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603238821665098578" border="0" /></a><br />And here are some photos of the back. For some reason the backyard garden looks enormous here, our yard isn't that big.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiih-yb7FkpKXx8CN3b0jxuL9ZJzHz6Ug0LBZMpiaYL17-w-liBz9vFSOCtElMuPw3mTsmJG8aRypn5zaZIFIGhVZcLnI4mY8OqnEXyfkTqNk-y1hua0HLxjnms7Djg8-jk3dRaoV94M/s1600/-2.jpg"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FI6ZiVuV3QtLYvKX3kFQ3dvhuxtHZ2GJdQpWr-vnZm2Xi-_Fa15nWR9uHRKq0vrecm-x7lxPVy0MLduMYgLISOWpUMNnPAxdmqOMMMhNMRzNVpkPHL-KWwOsMW43sM3onf3j9bANYak/s1600/-2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FI6ZiVuV3QtLYvKX3kFQ3dvhuxtHZ2GJdQpWr-vnZm2Xi-_Fa15nWR9uHRKq0vrecm-x7lxPVy0MLduMYgLISOWpUMNnPAxdmqOMMMhNMRzNVpkPHL-KWwOsMW43sM3onf3j9bANYak/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603239597734685746" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOISoMzcXmpHwJ23ff4_5Ksei00rZIohG0kBjIk97fdZrqYS1NxFqIb4g7k_uJL3ym_LYV6qAhOAU9XZuFCaW0NHQovlPuDXE8o4bE8IejP-wNkivOAGjzlJafZhkGvNH3785bNraUMFQ/s1600/-24.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOISoMzcXmpHwJ23ff4_5Ksei00rZIohG0kBjIk97fdZrqYS1NxFqIb4g7k_uJL3ym_LYV6qAhOAU9XZuFCaW0NHQovlPuDXE8o4bE8IejP-wNkivOAGjzlJafZhkGvNH3785bNraUMFQ/s400/-24.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603239816877279010" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-qko2JwhXLc1_PZLpYK9FAk8ORGHe-M0NHrMIACd7czrMACzMrUKj9ufz6WzHoBxQa7QpQ_H5HQZFbDzLPbuZBOP9qSt8RMDzrDN6GrREwQI7FSzGy5uHbfxZ1b2H1vHKDMjqmH6jJk/s1600/-22.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-qko2JwhXLc1_PZLpYK9FAk8ORGHe-M0NHrMIACd7czrMACzMrUKj9ufz6WzHoBxQa7QpQ_H5HQZFbDzLPbuZBOP9qSt8RMDzrDN6GrREwQI7FSzGy5uHbfxZ1b2H1vHKDMjqmH6jJk/s400/-22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603239952490841474" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">And here's Tekko giving me the raspberry.<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkk9CqKJL69CgyQ-Iv3vkQYGXTQ-EEOVwCP3-lIyawhRy0n-D9i9nQWxmaJAzzkrf7UaF_zuTnP_i7TtHGmZ_eKqG3Fn1BdQ05ifI7vU_BcxUYbW8tLwfTqj0oRU1tBnhbKK-J2OgmK9M/s1600/-6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkk9CqKJL69CgyQ-Iv3vkQYGXTQ-EEOVwCP3-lIyawhRy0n-D9i9nQWxmaJAzzkrf7UaF_zuTnP_i7TtHGmZ_eKqG3Fn1BdQ05ifI7vU_BcxUYbW8tLwfTqj0oRU1tBnhbKK-J2OgmK9M/s400/-6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603240295837490722" border="0" /></a>If you're wondering what plants are in bloom right now, here's the list: Amsonia, Mint, Iris, Chinese Dogwood, Columbine, Honeysuckle, Heuchera, Allium, Phlox, Zizia, Variegated Nettle, Azalea, Baptisia, Blue-eyed Grass, Roses, Chinese Witch Hazel, Native Snowbell, Ninebark and Rhododendron. I'm sorry if I left anything out, that's all I can remember right now. I hope you enjoyed my photos. I'll take some more in the summer.<br /><br /><span class="body"></span><div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;" class="body">Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life. Earth teach me resignation as the leaves which die in the fall. Earth teach me courage as the tree which stands all alone. Earth teach me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring.</span></span><br /><a href="http://williamalexander.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span class="bodybold"> William Alexander</span></span></a><br /></blockquote></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-12817760242056232772011-05-04T19:47:00.013-04:002011-05-04T22:40:23.730-04:00Book Project<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBjAHZn2e9PyB2XTYCIQ5WZvSYEU7-7MSkFqC_s-iYha74XY7p_yyRfBRXvjtLGY-s03IsGZ2iA8kS-2waSpCH9PE8yjbLKlqVBn7aYo8Qv_86YJH7sjtho_y53dmT1WQ2tCTeo6I4KY/s1600/hermes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBjAHZn2e9PyB2XTYCIQ5WZvSYEU7-7MSkFqC_s-iYha74XY7p_yyRfBRXvjtLGY-s03IsGZ2iA8kS-2waSpCH9PE8yjbLKlqVBn7aYo8Qv_86YJH7sjtho_y53dmT1WQ2tCTeo6I4KY/s400/hermes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603019851502405746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This little guy is the main character of the story.</span> </div><br />I just finished the last page of the book I was working on for the past few days. I am super excited about this project! I've never illustrated a book from a story before. The first book I published was based on my illustrations so this is a bit different – it's challenging and fun at the same time.<br /><br />A friend of mine approached me regarding doing illustrations for a book written by her sister. I read the story and fell in love with the characters – I hope I do the story justice. This book is so special and I am so delighted to be part of this cause. I can't show you the pages right now but I promise to post them once the project is in completion.<br /><br />I'm not sure what quote I should write today but here's a good one.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Arial;" >Be the change you want to see in the world</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"> <a href="http://www.mkgandhi.org/"> <span style="font-size:85%;">- Gandhi</span></a></span><br /></blockquote></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-70248351021621505852011-04-29T19:55:00.009-04:002011-04-29T23:09:35.707-04:00Postcards for Red Cross Approved!I can't believe it's finally here! I am in cloud nine right now and perhaps in the next few weeks. I've contacted <a href="ttp://www.redcross.org/">Red Cross</a> several times through phone and e-mail and I finally got a call from them on Monday! I spoke with someone locally and she was very helpful and sent me the necessary paperwork. So everything is setup and the postcards are ready to be purchased.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLO-NcW3VWmKp3_D7z0ymhX_1VRqvdaxmhGUFSnH1T2r809xJuLHomBjiDifD7r9neLwZI0JvYEaBHogdeuJj2K7-Xrjl4Bs9ClOf7voSoRl5YaDCvQOnc6Cp7d2M8VKJGaUwev4GnjQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-04-29+at+10.52.44+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLO-NcW3VWmKp3_D7z0ymhX_1VRqvdaxmhGUFSnH1T2r809xJuLHomBjiDifD7r9neLwZI0JvYEaBHogdeuJj2K7-Xrjl4Bs9ClOf7voSoRl5YaDCvQOnc6Cp7d2M8VKJGaUwev4GnjQ/s400/Screen+shot+2011-04-29+at+10.52.44+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601202851279244210" border="0" /></a><br />I designed this postcard to be distributed at the Sakura Matsuri in DC on April 9th; unfortunately, I didn't get the package two days later. So I e-mailed Red Cross to inquire about donating postcards but I didn't get any reply back until I decided to call the local chapter. I didn't hear back from them right away but this week I received a phone call from an unknown number and I normally don't answer random phone numbers but for some peculiar reason, I did. The person I spoke with was incredibly pleasant and helpful. She sent me an e-mail right after our brief conversation. It really was the best thing that happened to me this week. I still can't believe Red Cross answered me back! If you're interested in purchasing this postcard, here's the link to my<a href="http://artbyren.bigcartel.com/product/hope-for-japan-postcards"> store;</a> I am donating everything to the foundation. So, please support this cause. Thanks everyone!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;">The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.<br />~Nelson Henderson</span><br /></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-77163382347135525882011-04-22T23:34:00.020-04:002011-04-23T00:20:00.318-04:00Happy Earth Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjM8ArE8bEWDRdTrz_woyD4slLcLEbN9tBnVu6MFVoC3HKH6NcPiso74yQAjMhZMOjyyT_OUuV1tZO2Br_6gRr73ApPdHYr7vrblm59tCCuEZXyeVO5VYU3gwDIMh3n008vcbQYftENo/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjM8ArE8bEWDRdTrz_woyD4slLcLEbN9tBnVu6MFVoC3HKH6NcPiso74yQAjMhZMOjyyT_OUuV1tZO2Br_6gRr73ApPdHYr7vrblm59tCCuEZXyeVO5VYU3gwDIMh3n008vcbQYftENo/s400/photo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598618378015484018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHam9eRi9K0W3EQ9W9MW4PocIU1b5hm5Yu9xcicgh0VAiwz4FEkgxkDqv5ZeUPtoD71vdoxnMaRByAdtti-UWm2MFQkeIxjNOzIhvSFL9zS_87JlNwIuJAQsDjS-X_yu40sctTuYFNNJc/s1600/221795_10150281201859896_126433669895_9624841_3925561_n.jpg"><br /></a>Happy Earth Day everyone! I hope you are all is enjoying your time off. This is one of my old paintings. I thought it's perfect for this quote.<br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;" ></span><div style="text-align: center;"><h3><i><i><blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">“Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.”</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">~Native American Proverb</span></span><br /></blockquote></i></i></h3><div style="text-align: left;">I also did a demo yesterday for the Earth Day Kid's Night at<a href="http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/alexandria/"> WFM Alexandria</a> and here are some photos from the event. That's my table and the card I designed for the kids.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgls-q3rMig3wtZF1OYuw51tI_HbSZHmiPVkzoH3wfdx3IC7Zo36yZC13cc172C3QlXz6Y6ScwpqVauT7-p8JRCVqWcVgg137RE6RrATiGGTgMHs50JzxgKfnIQweeaucIvyShs0uQ0hvI/s1600/207415_10150281201659896_126433669895_9624839_239318_n.jpg"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtkB54UrULha8LxQpptRE3I8xY0nrSRzKd9u5NmDGcZKjSmUUFEwlEbviGTfOzyrurInKjMnL_Rj3KOphmltgO4xqjyLHFDsCq5YM93CEKZnrb_8TJ4Zk_rZd_ndaWINO5d4ojSu2kCU/s1600/223167_10150281201764896_126433669895_9624840_17635_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtkB54UrULha8LxQpptRE3I8xY0nrSRzKd9u5NmDGcZKjSmUUFEwlEbviGTfOzyrurInKjMnL_Rj3KOphmltgO4xqjyLHFDsCq5YM93CEKZnrb_8TJ4Zk_rZd_ndaWINO5d4ojSu2kCU/s400/223167_10150281201764896_126433669895_9624840_17635_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598625549028400290" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHam9eRi9K0W3EQ9W9MW4PocIU1b5hm5Yu9xcicgh0VAiwz4FEkgxkDqv5ZeUPtoD71vdoxnMaRByAdtti-UWm2MFQkeIxjNOzIhvSFL9zS_87JlNwIuJAQsDjS-X_yu40sctTuYFNNJc/s1600/221795_10150281201859896_126433669895_9624841_3925561_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHam9eRi9K0W3EQ9W9MW4PocIU1b5hm5Yu9xcicgh0VAiwz4FEkgxkDqv5ZeUPtoD71vdoxnMaRByAdtti-UWm2MFQkeIxjNOzIhvSFL9zS_87JlNwIuJAQsDjS-X_yu40sctTuYFNNJc/s400/221795_10150281201859896_126433669895_9624841_3925561_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598625466337030546" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">There are a few things you can do to be green. Here's a simple list you can follow from <a href="http://earthday.nature.org/">EarthDayNature.org</a>.<br /></div></div><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat Smart</span> – Learn what’s in your food, where it came from and who it impacts.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat Local</span> – Where possible, buy food that is in season from local food producers.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat Sustainably</span> – Eat sustainable seafood — one of the only things that we eat that we still get from the wild.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat Green</span> – Eat more fruits and vegetables — it's good for your health and the planet's.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat Out</span> – Spend more time outdoors and have a nice picnic with family and friends.</li></ol><div style="text-align: center;">Happy Green Eating!<br /></div></div></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-50789739241193375622011-04-14T18:42:00.036-04:002011-04-15T21:11:09.150-04:00Little Healthy EatersWhole Foods Market Old Town partnered with <a href="http://www.acps.k12.va.us/mtvernon/">Mount Vernon Community School</a> to teach kids how to eat better by showing them healthier food options. We did a three day class for two weeks with forty kids – each class was comprised of 20 students. Every day is a different theme, and each theme was accompanied by a different book, for example last week, we brought breads from all over the world and Kim, our Marketing Specialist read them the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Red_Hen">Little Red Hen</a>, which I read when I was in first grade! And they were so apprehensive to try the Portuguese roll because it was made of white flour – unbelievable. When I was seven, I didn't care about whether the food was healthy or not, I ate it because it was delicious; however, I rarely indulged in junk food. So, today was the last day of Healthy Eating intersession class – the kids made fruit kabobs and vegetable taco wrapped in lettuce and I gave each one a button as a surprise. None of them were surprised but we received lots of hugs and thank yous. It was a lot of fun and the kids were amazing; I'll surely miss them. Below is the button I designed. Sorry It's a bit blurry, I didn't have enough light in my room. I wish I had used our Healthy Eating logo but this will suffice. The colors look a lot like Easter though.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wqOqzGbffNEsEQLn8MDbRz9eWHLRlK35MJYtPIV2gF1AlN-uY_aCVenetYpnQaRW-xGItrIbVZhEM4F6zf1IT2ZJkgN-Wepf8QYs8ikRSEGDFolxpD9Pgk249HqjHNmZ6mH8hXzQjNE/s1600/button.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wqOqzGbffNEsEQLn8MDbRz9eWHLRlK35MJYtPIV2gF1AlN-uY_aCVenetYpnQaRW-xGItrIbVZhEM4F6zf1IT2ZJkgN-Wepf8QYs8ikRSEGDFolxpD9Pgk249HqjHNmZ6mH8hXzQjNE/s400/button.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595605804411796098" border="0" /></a>I've also taken photos of their classroom and the school hallways. Look how adorable these are!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrD_Kltd75WSzJws3qSFmfWua0vTziQyJ70IDSq2ANFIKTLAXsnwZlV8YqgoU0m8m-Mj-FxooP6lH1YXjBXVXSQUNG_jnVtK3JOnQLrkiho4yZ65s9TYkf-TtUwCyn18USPB6SUB4es8/s1600/h2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrD_Kltd75WSzJws3qSFmfWua0vTziQyJ70IDSq2ANFIKTLAXsnwZlV8YqgoU0m8m-Mj-FxooP6lH1YXjBXVXSQUNG_jnVtK3JOnQLrkiho4yZ65s9TYkf-TtUwCyn18USPB6SUB4es8/s400/h2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595607447151565458" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHTZImtW4U_HZwCHvQoCJuuk-uyk-qzy7wr3laXNe5zcRWa_3U76IYR0jR7oze6PsNUHJhFr7Kp8aCJc6x8Wdadi1PnnO5VdNq7pE7qaJb9tVzo39gw8Bf0X7a4vytSC1FSM8McRFMEs/s1600/h1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHTZImtW4U_HZwCHvQoCJuuk-uyk-qzy7wr3laXNe5zcRWa_3U76IYR0jR7oze6PsNUHJhFr7Kp8aCJc6x8Wdadi1PnnO5VdNq7pE7qaJb9tVzo39gw8Bf0X7a4vytSC1FSM8McRFMEs/s400/h1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595607443729913442" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0No5LVTiv4e-H1FG3FzEWPwEfygIae2-EUqZU2-tJEGFUDLYoLvGHrwx7nrdkMIdk-5Dj35nBaDfW4IzVmR_APmULCE1iMCDElKvwe62o7wnSsB80HV_HeW_h223z-EbkfeGdsXpa3g/s1600/h.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0No5LVTiv4e-H1FG3FzEWPwEfygIae2-EUqZU2-tJEGFUDLYoLvGHrwx7nrdkMIdk-5Dj35nBaDfW4IzVmR_APmULCE1iMCDElKvwe62o7wnSsB80HV_HeW_h223z-EbkfeGdsXpa3g/s400/h.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595607442844860466" border="0" /></a>And a couple photos from inside the classroom.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1OHraGb0xSDH6SvMgd_5Co_Eds97W1OzZuNa3Jbi2xTSP_Kr8It5e_SpIKIEiAiTb2r9Lzm8KUpgO0MDZU9Ke_4UcFIH6sX2WviLGwG3stV-yHe8YNWFxu5DZESITtqXS9bL4TMoFf8/s1600/c.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1OHraGb0xSDH6SvMgd_5Co_Eds97W1OzZuNa3Jbi2xTSP_Kr8It5e_SpIKIEiAiTb2r9Lzm8KUpgO0MDZU9Ke_4UcFIH6sX2WviLGwG3stV-yHe8YNWFxu5DZESITtqXS9bL4TMoFf8/s400/c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595608186366778338" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-BNWd5-_6v281apnMR12waEcUcQgn9yFuhkIER6OgaTPog2IBmIAtEqswpT24Fpo7Y9ZIAPfT3BNCfwl0nLujvE6akb2rPUu9MXa1q4uYAL_qOsyYeAPDI9b_GnY3Omavkbl3K1grlo/s1600/c1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-BNWd5-_6v281apnMR12waEcUcQgn9yFuhkIER6OgaTPog2IBmIAtEqswpT24Fpo7Y9ZIAPfT3BNCfwl0nLujvE6akb2rPUu9MXa1q4uYAL_qOsyYeAPDI9b_GnY3Omavkbl3K1grlo/s400/c1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595608186183859058" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Some photos after the class. This is my office, it's actually a 2'x2' cubicle with a door. I don't think three people should be inside – it impedes movement. That's me, Kim and Saba fooling around. Don't worry our boss took the photos.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VTLYa9Yz4ljNUdZRLDKhcuURIpIgW4oU8sxrgfrDrJ4wguNdDQugGoK_baMd8LgSnMrP4G_3_yc7Tnq6GUfEX1WpTA2TG6CYJh4x9d50D7zOcUS-079GXQneW8td9Z7D2D-BAmGMT_4/s1600/photo14.JPG"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6NJTKkjO2jQwSkIL73h0DUVSWlvtoHI5Kgk358iQzN58oaBgz8tXSAV3JxGugZ9afXHO7ctpz_iRVxKwvab-X_tnShnpGOvefiPGLUJjY-QvVEQIR7n6Zh93lwN5cIHxMxXt5zboX94/s1600/photo13.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6NJTKkjO2jQwSkIL73h0DUVSWlvtoHI5Kgk358iQzN58oaBgz8tXSAV3JxGugZ9afXHO7ctpz_iRVxKwvab-X_tnShnpGOvefiPGLUJjY-QvVEQIR7n6Zh93lwN5cIHxMxXt5zboX94/s400/photo13.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595609996772283746" border="0" /></a><br />And my favorite part of the day – presents! These were drawn by the kids in class.<br />What a perfect way to end the day!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgKnK45ZQDwWzz0V5z1bnGitl5IuUd5Nb1y8T43aBVofG71NWG_lIDfozsqHxJBbphMEV4UQIiTpP7RdZUfTBrex4C6zPkzTwsb5uvOgcTplHJWBmc9Zrtnp_WKJWolnqRf9CXMoU8QM/s1600/g1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgKnK45ZQDwWzz0V5z1bnGitl5IuUd5Nb1y8T43aBVofG71NWG_lIDfozsqHxJBbphMEV4UQIiTpP7RdZUfTBrex4C6zPkzTwsb5uvOgcTplHJWBmc9Zrtnp_WKJWolnqRf9CXMoU8QM/s400/g1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595610773071312530" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiguv6GObNDnvO1zmD-gZZvH6gWAvsoMF0OK-ryzgw5TRc8i714vvugX6kOUunDm1m4MqwEZ9vB-j-j79cUKDnXmg8Waerx9oV84WtokV8PxoCO6PF21X1NZXmMp2y4AbIGo5Rqq00V4g/s1600/g.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiguv6GObNDnvO1zmD-gZZvH6gWAvsoMF0OK-ryzgw5TRc8i714vvugX6kOUunDm1m4MqwEZ9vB-j-j79cUKDnXmg8Waerx9oV84WtokV8PxoCO6PF21X1NZXmMp2y4AbIGo5Rqq00V4g/s400/g.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595610769798268674" border="0" /></a>I hope you guys enjoyed my photos!<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. </span><br />~Mark Twain<br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;"><br /></span><br /></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-28082178271647117762011-04-12T18:14:00.037-04:002011-04-12T20:11:58.581-04:00Groundhog Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtBhM8ZzYFZlO8fcSHhE3vgRFMlu-8ghoRZw9W6OHgrFdGNCPBc0Iw3vs2DUb7Xu_QVb85EjS1zdtYBwEHXXET0XqX4-lvGypyG_ubm9kfOY4_fgaPllntnoVtrr5w-QYYZK97dtRSZI/s1600/groundhog.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtBhM8ZzYFZlO8fcSHhE3vgRFMlu-8ghoRZw9W6OHgrFdGNCPBc0Iw3vs2DUb7Xu_QVb85EjS1zdtYBwEHXXET0XqX4-lvGypyG_ubm9kfOY4_fgaPllntnoVtrr5w-QYYZK97dtRSZI/s400/groundhog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594850419578246098" border="0" /></a><br />I took some time off today to visit my dentist. Before I left I pulled some weeds out and transplanted a few plants in the back. My neighbor saw me; we started talking and learned that there's a groundhog residing under the shed – that explains commotion the other day when I let Tekko out. He was chasing something under the shed and all I could see was its tail – I thought it was a raccoon. This groundhog is supposedly massive, perhaps bigger than our dog. It was probably feasting on our backyard weeds; I hope it will bring friends over to share the plethora of weeds we harbor annually.<br /><br />I was hoping for it to come out from its hideout before my departure but instead I found a box turtle sitting on top of oak leaves piled underneath the azalea. So no groundhog but it was still a great day.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyr6aGxOosC0joDIdBDkDWdvrkw-4vkf6lCUjQb3jVCtE8qTsz5JfdUGganrqKzhaYsb9FCqiJgeuRieUL4oprwTSCvrDjmayTK55mJThiscrzxZYzqcRHLOTJIVdJ8l1hOdf_BgkDzrs/s1600/-1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyr6aGxOosC0joDIdBDkDWdvrkw-4vkf6lCUjQb3jVCtE8qTsz5JfdUGganrqKzhaYsb9FCqiJgeuRieUL4oprwTSCvrDjmayTK55mJThiscrzxZYzqcRHLOTJIVdJ8l1hOdf_BgkDzrs/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594835712346510162" border="0" /></a><br />Groundhogs (Marmota monax) aka woodchucks are diurnal and will feed on most vegetation especially alfalfa, clover and dandelion. They also enjoy leaves, bark and will occasionally indulge on insects and birds eggs.<br /><br />These North American marmot species are the most widespread and typically found in fields, small woodlots, pastures, hedgerows and low elevation forests. They prefer to construct dens in well drained soils under a protective cover, which explains its fondness of our backyard. Here are some fun facts about groundhogs from <a href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-groundhogs.html">Buzzle</a>:<br /><br /><b>Facts about Groundhogs </b> <ul><li>Groundhogs are also called whistle pigs. </li><li>They have four toes on the front foot and five on the back foot. They can grow to a maximum of two feet when measured from head to toe and weigh somewhere around five to fourteen pounds.</li><li>Groundhogs have grayish brown fur and tails that are bushy. They generally have two layers of fur so that the outside layer can serve as waterproofing layer and the inside layer can maintain the body heat.</li><li>They dig their burrows with the help of their powerful limbs and thick claws. They are quite adept at it. They can remove up to seven hundred pounds of soil to make a twenty to twenty five foot long burrow. </li><li>The burrows that Groundhogs make have many chambers and also have more than one entrance, at times even three entrances. </li><li>They make a loud whistling sound as an alarm bell to make everybody aware that there is danger around. </li><li>These groundhogs are herbivorous and they eat plants like grass, clover and alfalfa. They also eat strawberries, peas, pansies and garden beans.</li><li>Groundhogs have several enemies who are predators like foxes, bobcats and human beings.</li><li>When it is close to autumn the groundhogs start gaining weight and become fatter.</li><li>During hibernation the body temperature of the groundhogs decreases from ninety-nine degree Fahrenheit to forty degree Fahrenheit. Their heartbeat also decreases from eighty beats per minute to five per minute. The breathing is also reduced from twelve to approximately four per minute. They hibernate to save themselves from the cold weather and when they hibernate their whole body metabolism slows down and the body gets cold so that it consumes less energy since it uses the stored body fat. </li><li> Groundhogs have amazing sense of hearing very sharp eyesight.</li><li> The breeding season of the ground hogs last from somewhere around March to mid or late April which is sometime immediately after hibernation finishes. Some people are of the opinion that they end the hibernation period just because the mating season starts. The gestation period is of about 28 to 32 days and the male groundhog leaves the day as the time for birth of young ones approaches.</li><li>The span of life for these rodents is two to three years approximately but they can survive up to six years in the forests and up to ten years in captivity.</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="sqq"><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">“</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);" class="sqq"><span style="font-style: italic;">With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy.’’</span> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><br />~ </span><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);" class="sqa" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lope_de_Vega">Lope de Vega </a><br /></blockquote><span class="sqq"></span></span></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-23135047700100841202011-04-06T19:43:00.021-04:002011-04-06T20:58:32.884-04:00Happy Spring!Hello everyone and Happy Spring! It was such a lovely day today and I felt like drawing something silly. Perhaps it was the weather or the book that I just purchased (shown below) that inspired me.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1TO7SA2-SeJGM5KC2qto242p_RrdvTk8mk_NypC1vyKpOMk6w7N8oczO287AwAhkMcn_1QU7aQQVfGJfflH-CVikKe8udIScfRRfunAEdDiiBoAWfTej-24g2e8gCTFwpBW8MnIbaEc/s1600/n252312.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 376px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1TO7SA2-SeJGM5KC2qto242p_RrdvTk8mk_NypC1vyKpOMk6w7N8oczO287AwAhkMcn_1QU7aQQVfGJfflH-CVikKe8udIScfRRfunAEdDiiBoAWfTej-24g2e8gCTFwpBW8MnIbaEc/s400/n252312.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592623976313818866" border="0" /></a> I haven't finished reading it but I thought it was well written and the pages were filled with delicate and beautiful pencil drawings, illustrated by <a href="http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=1310">Tricia Tusa.</a> Consequently, I thought it would be fun to draw with pencil – it's been awhile since I've held a pencil sharpener. So, I rushed to my room and found an old, untouched sketchbook and began drawing with the pencil I found in my brother's room. It started out okay but it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I was a bit disappointed and I thought I could fix it in <a href="http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1271254272263#t">Corel Paint.</a> I have never used Corel in my life, the only reason I have it because it came with the <a href="http://www.wacom.com/bamboo/bamboo_pen_touch.php?gclid=CMXm7cyTiagCFQVy5Qodm0_lrQ">Bamboo</a> I purchased last month. And I was surprised by how easy it was to navigate the program and it had all kinds of brushes and tools. Although I had no idea how to use half the tools, I had fun experimenting and coloring – I think I'm going to be using Corel a lot. So, here's the finished product.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvJAS9MmF0g85RGIeLYuFZshZy0KqKH6dTXkqAfqJIIPczmbZoIWgal_-GF0P1MuUB2A4tM4aK9-3I000PBiJTLL8aOAm34QVHLmWipnjWyUDyRtT_Cc0iRLCwKWtB24p_UVw-Z9DKBY/s1600/spring"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvJAS9MmF0g85RGIeLYuFZshZy0KqKH6dTXkqAfqJIIPczmbZoIWgal_-GF0P1MuUB2A4tM4aK9-3I000PBiJTLL8aOAm34QVHLmWipnjWyUDyRtT_Cc0iRLCwKWtB24p_UVw-Z9DKBY/s400/spring" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592637598175132066" border="0" /></a>"I found you, you Spring Bandit!"<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. </span><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Stout">~Ruth Stout</a></span><br /></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-19995703832138861512011-03-23T20:02:00.023-04:002011-03-23T20:48:49.325-04:00Zazzle for Japan ReliefI'm very excited to let you know that I have new items in <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/japanrelief">Zazzle</a> to aid those who are affected by the the tsunami. I've been looking for ways to help out and I found out that Zazzle was doing something to support tsunami victims. So for each design with 10% royalties, Zazzle will match the donation in addition to the donated royalties. If you're looking to buying something, check out Zazzle, they have hundreds of designs to choose from and your purchase will go to a good cause. Here's some of the<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/gifts?ch=cmacorol"> items</a> I've created, feel free to browse – there are plenty of options.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2_RZVMmqQymO-XSVAKH3bQxejVu-dqTURsZ8vPvVYpjTe9DX4R6cA8fv5yLW7UPipIhFhgoajTwgmuyjTLcvXE3ZJjpRylHiu53QtFB9EowgMOphnl8pSTgkEXI4VlEdB7DSOSGAh4A/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-23+at+8.03.02+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2_RZVMmqQymO-XSVAKH3bQxejVu-dqTURsZ8vPvVYpjTe9DX4R6cA8fv5yLW7UPipIhFhgoajTwgmuyjTLcvXE3ZJjpRylHiu53QtFB9EowgMOphnl8pSTgkEXI4VlEdB7DSOSGAh4A/s400/Screen+shot+2011-03-23+at+8.03.02+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587435444559990018" border="0" /></a>In addition, my <a href="http://mycatgoma.com/">friend</a> created this sticker to be purchased for only $5 and all proceeds will go to Tsunami Relief fund. You can visit her store at <a href="http://hope4japan.bigcartel.com/">http://hope4japan.bigcartel.com</a>. She has only 300 stickers and already sold 31 of them. If you're interested in acquiring one, simply click on the link above. I'm going to purchase one and I'll show it to you once I receive it. I'm also planning on selling some postcards by the end of next week in Ebay – I'll keep you posted.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8udkpWo6lh3MerKyBnZ9fPVyPL5d8RTITw2Cdr1_brklRfcZA1PDCoPMxGPJ-0bEQvmDB4SA3AqsUMtwPW1GDHVQq4EdbW-J8_ewSdGwN3qKTvsowpPr0U9nhSlgCpd6DbJKPYVRy8xU/s1600/hope-for-Japan.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8udkpWo6lh3MerKyBnZ9fPVyPL5d8RTITw2Cdr1_brklRfcZA1PDCoPMxGPJ-0bEQvmDB4SA3AqsUMtwPW1GDHVQq4EdbW-J8_ewSdGwN3qKTvsowpPr0U9nhSlgCpd6DbJKPYVRy8xU/s400/hope-for-Japan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587438075664994050" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;">Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.</p><p style="text-align: center;">- <a href="http://www.ameliaearhart.com/">Amelia Earhart</a></p><a href="http://www.wisdomquotes.com/authors/amelia-earhart/"></a>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219602933192965051.post-18496151677514038502011-03-22T18:06:00.034-04:002011-03-22T19:52:30.339-04:00Hope for Japan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75y6Zq2DrhtSpRchLNJSMUgUBSzJ2VOSzD553y6_vbwCt73Yjja84FKYP6Uk-xj8swH6-D020AdWevKSbhujAbnS7z-OtgV9LATJ40II_rdM-QIVA_2_MSYDJPHn9YPuczS0kM9Iv_EI/s1600/japan.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75y6Zq2DrhtSpRchLNJSMUgUBSzJ2VOSzD553y6_vbwCt73Yjja84FKYP6Uk-xj8swH6-D020AdWevKSbhujAbnS7z-OtgV9LATJ40II_rdM-QIVA_2_MSYDJPHn9YPuczS0kM9Iv_EI/s400/japan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587054643111952642" border="0" /></a><br />The most powerful earthquake hit Japan on March 11th - the fifth strongest earthquake since 1900, which left 400,000 people homeless and it's expected to climb to tens of thousands. When my family and I watched the news, I was astounded by how powerful tsunami is. I've experienced a lot of earthquakes in the Philippines but never of such high magnitude. I remembered my grandpa always yelling at us to get out of the house but I would just stay in my bed – I've never taken earthquake very seriously up until now.<br /><br />Japan holds a very special place in my heart. I watched <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime">anime</a> growing up, my favorite manga artist and film director is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki">Hayao Miyazaki</a>, I admire <a href="http://shinzikatoh.com/blog/">Shinzi Katoh's</a> work, I love their food, culture and most especially the people – they are one of the warmest and sweetest people I know. One of my very dear friends family lives in Japan and fortunately they were not affected by the earthquake. My heart goes to all Japanese people especially the 100,000 children who were displaced by the tsunami. Japan needs a lot of help, here's a list of <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_newsroom/20110311/wl_yblog_newsroom/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-how-to-help">organizations</a> you can donate to.<br /><ol><li><strong><a href="https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/MakeDonation.aspx?ORGID2=530196605&source=YAHOO&cmpgn=NEWS">AMERICAN RED CROSS</a></strong></li><li><strong></strong><strong><a href="https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/MakeDonation.aspx?ORGID2=060726487&source=YAHOO&cmpgn=NEWS">SAVE THE CHILDREN</a></strong></li><li><strong></strong><strong><a href="https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/MakeDonation.aspx?ORGID2=222406433&source=YAHOO&cmpgn=NEWS">SALVATION ARMY</a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/MakeDonation.aspx?ORGID2=061008595&source=YAHOO&cmpgn=NEWS">AMERICARES</a></strong></li><li><strong></strong><strong><a href="https://www.networkforgood.org/Donation/MakeDonation.aspx?ORGID2=953949646&source=YAHOO&cmpgn=NEWS">INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS</a></strong></li><li><strong></strong><strong><a href="https://www.networkforgood.org/Donation/MakeDonation.aspx?ORGID2=200471604&source=YAHOO&cmpgn=NEWS">SHELTERBOX</a></strong></li></ol>Also if you're planning on attending the <a href="http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/">National Cherry Blossom Festival</a>, Red Cross will be there to accept donations from March 26 to April 10. In addition <a href="http://shop.cafepress.com/japan-relief">Cafe Press</a> designed a limited edition t-shirt in support of American Red Cross – all proceeds will go to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami victims.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;"></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;" ><blockquote>Hope is necessary in every condition. The miseries of poverty, sickness, of captivity, would, without this comfort, be insupportable.</blockquote></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >~Samuel Johnson</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;"><blockquote> </blockquote></span></div>Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12120913566333402308noreply@blogger.com1