Love 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.


Let's go Jelly! Let's follow the balloon!

She

She loved life and it loved her right back.
She listened to her heart above all the other voices.
She pursued big dreams instead of small realities.
She saw every ending as a new beginning.
She discovered her real measurements had nothing to do with numbers and
statistics.
She was kind, loving and patient...with herself.
She woke up one day and threw away all her excuses.
She realized that she was missing a great deal by being sensible.
She turned her can'ts into cans, and dreams into plans.
She ignored people who said it couldn't be done.
She had a way of turning obstacles into opportunities.
She went out on a limb, had it break off behind her, and discovered she
could fly.
She discovered that she was the one she'd been waiting for.
She added so much beauty to being human.
She walked in when everyone else walked out.
She just had this way of brightening the day.
She made the whole world feel like home.
She decided to enjoy more and endure less.
She decided to start living the life she'd imagined.
She colored her thoughts with only the brightest hues.
She was an artist and her life was her canvas.
She ran ahead where there were no paths.
She held her head high and looked the world straight in the eye.
She not only saw a light at the end of the tunnel, she became that light
for others.
She designed a life she loved.
She took the leap and built her wings on the way down.
She said bye-bye to unhealthy relationships.
She remained true to herself.
She made the world a better place.

I hope that this is you every day.


And no Valentine is complete without...

A handmade card and (drum roll please).... 
(Thank you Lucy!)

 

 a heart pizza! It was delicious!

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.

To breathe and know you are alive is wonderful. Because you are alive, everything is possible.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Cheers to the new year!

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.

The past few months have been exciting and unforgettable. I finally finished illustrating Squiggle Squirm. Kiwanis made it possible to have the books printed – the news 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 Hooray for Books, 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!

Thereafter, I received an e-mail from the author, Katie Bryden to join her for a television interview with Emerald Planet. 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.

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. 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. 

This book not only teaches children to cultivate strong relationship with friends and family but also teaches them about charity.

Squiggle Squirm is currently available in Whole Foods Market Old Town for $15

Get you copy today and make a difference.

Dandy Lion

Dandelion: Hello, what's your name?
Dandy Lion: I'm Dandy Lion.
Dandelion: Me too!
Both: Nice to meet you Dandelion! (chuckles)
Dandy Lion: How come I've never seen you before?
Dandelion: Oh, we just moved here a few days ago.
Dandy Lion: I'm sorry but have to go soon. Will you be here tomorrow?
Dandelion: Yeah, I'll be exactly where you found me.
Dandy Lion: Great, then I'll see you tomorrow!
Dandelion: Alright, bye Dandy Lion.
Dandy Lion: Bye!

And both waved goodbye. And that's how Dandy Lion and Dandelion became best of friends.

Fin.

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.

If you're interested in trying some dandelions this spring, check out this website. 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!

“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.”

~Anais Nin

(Re)Solutions

"Hello, did you say you wanted to play later?"

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.

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!

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's learning to dance in the rain."

Elephantastic Cards

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.

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.
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!


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.

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!
~Hamilton Wright Mabie

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Happy Halloween

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!

Where there is no imagination there is no horror.
~Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.

Out 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 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.


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:

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Show and Tell

Happy 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.

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.



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.


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.

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?"
~Howard Ikemoto

Mushroom Madness

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.

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 virtual wild mushroom field guide 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 resource.

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 National Geographic website.

“If only one could tell true love from false love as one can tell mushrooms from toadstools” 

~ Katherine Mansfield

Shumai Love

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).


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.


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!

That's the shumai cooking. I was going to edit the video but decided not to – it's the mishaps that make things interesting (~_^).

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

(Scott Adams (1957 - ), 'The Dilbert Principle'

The Vine that Ate the South

When you remove the risk, you remove the challenge. When you remove the challenge, you wither on the vine.
~Alex Lowe

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.

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:

KUDZU RECIPES

Kudzu Quiche
Makes 4-6 servings.

1 cup heavy cream
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped, young, tender Kudzu leaves and stems
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground pepper to taste
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 nine-inch unbaked pie shell

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.

Rolled Kudzu Leaves

Kudzu Leaves 1 can diced tomatoes 2 teaspoons salt 3 cloves garlic, cut in half Juice of 3 lemons
Bacon Grease (optional)

Stuffing ingredients: 1 cup rice, rinsed in water 1 pound ground lamb or lean beef 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon of allspice Salt and Pepper to taste

Gather about 30 medium-sized young kudzu leaves. Make sure area has not been sprayed with chemicals to kill the Kudzu.

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.

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.

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.

Deep Fried Kudzu Leaves

Pick light green leaves, 2-inch size.

Thin batter made with iced water and flour
Oil

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.

You can find all these recipes at Southernangel.com. And for those who enjoy being inebriated once in a while, kudzu flower is great for hangover and alcoholism. If you want learn more about kudzu, check out the video below. Happy eating and hopefully you learned something today about the mighty kudzu.

Raining Elephants

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 LMFAO Party Rock Anthem 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.

TOP 10 WAYS TO MAKE IT RAIN

1. Wash your car.
2. Go on a picnic.
3. Do the Rain Turtle ritual.
   
4. Camp outside without a shelter.
5. Don't bring your umbrella.
6. Straighten your hair.
7. Hang clothes on line.
8. Bath a horse (it seems to work all the time).
9. Go fishing.
10. Apply geo-engineering.

There you go, I hope you enjoyed my succinct and riveting list.

How can I accept a limited definable self when I feel, in me, all possibilities.

— Anaïs Nin

Dreaming of Sleep

“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.”

~Oscar Wilde

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 "Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall and Totoro soundtrack 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 –

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

1. 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.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt 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.
4. 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.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

Source: http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health

Alright, it's time for me to go to bed – time for my hormone of darkness to do its job.

Flashy

I finally got the courage to play with Adobe Flash CS4. 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.

I had no idea this was extremely short; I'm going to do the next one a second longer (^_^)!

Everyone wants to understand painting. Why is there no attempt to understand the song of the birds?
~Pablo Picasso

Happy 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.

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.

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 Spongebob Squarepants on Nickelodeon. SpongeBob was created by Stephen Hillenburg, a marine biologist and an animator. Hillenburg got his inspiration from his own comic strip Intertidal Zone, 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 Rocko's Modern Life. Following Rocko's Modern Life, 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. The end. Here's a little song for you. Enjoy!

Forks Over Knives Premiere

I went to the premiere of Forks Over Knives last week which was held at AFI. 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 Rip Esselstyn, the author of Engine 2 Diet. 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 link.

Spring Garden

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.


And here are some photos of the back. For some reason the backyard garden looks enormous here, our yard isn't that big.

And here's Tekko giving me the raspberry.

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.

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.
William Alexander

Book Project

This little guy is the main character of the story.

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.

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.

I'm not sure what quote I should write today but here's a good one.

Be the change you want to see in the world
- Gandhi

Postcards 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 Red Cross 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.


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 store; I am donating everything to the foundation. So, please support this cause. Thanks everyone!

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.
~Nelson Henderson

Happy Earth Day!

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.

“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.”
~Native American Proverb

I also did a demo yesterday for the Earth Day Kid's Night at WFM Alexandria and here are some photos from the event. That's my table and the card I designed for the kids.

There are a few things you can do to be green. Here's a simple list you can follow from EarthDayNature.org.

1. Eat Smart – Learn what’s in your food, where it came from and who it impacts.
2. Eat Local – Where possible, buy food that is in season from local food producers.
3. Eat Sustainably – Eat sustainable seafood — one of the only things that we eat that we still get from the wild.
4. Eat Green – Eat more fruits and vegetables — it's good for your health and the planet's.
5. Eat Out – Spend more time outdoors and have a nice picnic with family and friends.

Happy Green Eating!