Also, I know tofu. Or something else that sounds like a martial art.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Anyway, ‘ere, ducky, click on this. It’s what you call a link, dear. Just take that pointy arrow thing over yonder, bring it here, then, using your mouse — no, not that mouse, please put the poor thing down — click here.

<Dora>VEEERRRY GOOOD!</Dora>

Just so you know what you’ve gotten yourself into. It’s over a year old and I should probably update it, but the proportion of Llamas and Penguins and Bugs to Sense has more or less remained the same, so why bother?

Just make sure you read the disclaimer. I can’t afford a lawyer.

observe:
**********
wait.
that sounds more like Password.
stupid foreign languages.

As much as I’d like to prattle on about those whose proficiency in prodigious spending I find a disgrace to our sex, I find myself on the verge of releasing a minor brain fart.

I, Patty Ramos, like shiny things.

This pile of screws was simply calling for my best pirate impression.

In spite of a long love affair with rust and grit and emulsion streaks and soot and scratches and dents and fogged-up glass and scuffs and corrugations and several other things which wouldn’t be quite kosher in the Church of All Things Shiny, there have been times of late when I found myself rooting for the other team.

There remains much to be said about morning dew and headlights and Christmas balls and lens flares and Erlenmeyer flasks and keys and copper pans and police badges and five-centavo coins and freshly-brushed teeth and bokeh and polished fruit and new toasters.  But I’ll leave those with eyes and a passable grasp of words to discover just how far that muchness extends.

At this point, I’m compelled to admit that I’ve completely forgotten why I started writing tonight in the first place.  As far as I can figure, it had something to do with a store that sold old computer parts and the boyfriend having to coax me gently away from a small box of mismatched screws I found on the countertop.

I suppose I ought to be slightly mortified, as I was just about to rant about how easily one’s train of thoughts could be interrupted even by the mere thought of — ooh, shiny.

Stupid magpie.

I think it was around late January when I went to National Bookstore in Alabang Town Center to buy a Pilot G2 pen. After paying for my pen, the cashier t0ld me, “Ma’am, ibulsa niyo na lang po yung bolpen.” It made me laugh a little because that would make me look like a pen-thief or something (Yeah, that was my immediate concern). Apparently, Muntinlupa City has finally implemented the City-wide Plastic Ban. That means all establishments, whether small-scale or big-time stores, are no longer allowed to use plastic bags. So when you purchase an item at any store in Muntinlupa, employees of these stores will either put your item in a brown paper bag or a personalized paper bag, ask you to carry the item or put it in your bag (in my case, pocket), or ask you to bring your own eco-friendly bags. During that time, National Bookstore only had giant paper bags which could fit two books and maybe a short folder; so yeah, even if I was weirded out by the thought of putting a newly-bought pen in my pocket, carrying a big brown paper bag which contains only a pen is even weirder (not to mention impractical).

Bring Your Own Bayong. —Every establishment has this poster.

On that same day, I bought pizza, buffalo wings, and a bottle of coke at Brooklyn Pizza. I had to hug the bottle while walking inside the mall. It was such a hassle. But hey, Imma stop complaining. These efforts are for the environment, these are for our own freakin’ sake (yehes nomon!).

Brown Paper Bag is the new “in” thing

So there. Now, I can’t stop gushing whenever I see people carry brown paper bags in ATC or Festival Mall. Every store was taking this law seriously. Fastfood chains, bakeries, hardwares, drugstores, restaurants, department stores, etc. Too bad though, I noticed one store was still using plastic bags — BreadTalk.

Just this evening, I passed by BreadTalk in ATC, and I was shocked to see this :

BreadTalk (forgive my camphone for the awful photo quality)

There was this sign on the store saying it was closed down for violating the plastic ban (which, of course, they tried to hide behind that huge plant as seen on the left side of the photo). One third of my mind was proud of the city government’s efforts to strictly implement the law. One third was feeling sorry for the employees of Breadtalk. Meanwhile, the other third was just screaming, “Noooooo! I want some chic floss and cheezy man!”

Really. I have to give it to our mayor, Aldrin San Pedro. I didn’t vote for him in the last elections coz I thought he performed poorly on his previous term. But right now, I’m a convert. He showed his strong side as a strict implementor, and for that I say… Four for you, Aldrin San Pedro! You go, Aldrin San Pedro!

I’m kinda wishing other LGUs would do the same. Just imagine how wonderful Metro Manila would be if it’s plastic-free. We have experienced the wrath of Ondoy. The streets were flooded and we all know it’s not just because of the drainage system, it’s also because of poor sanitation aka trash clogging up the canals. I really hope other cities would follow ours. Go go go, get rid of the plastics! Those cold, shiny, hard plastics!

UPDATE: BreadTalk has reopened. They have joined the paperbag bandwagon. :)

(a digi-collage that i made a while ago for a challenge in a flickr group i’m in)

sorry for the huge delay but it’s been a ROUGH week  both at school and at home. 

(this snap was taken in spring 2008)

my hub & i have made the very painful decision to put down our beloved TJ.  he is our “patriarch” of our kitty tribe.  He is 18 years old and for feline years, that is pretty old.   and for the past year or two,  we have seen TJ deteriorate.   it’s been tortuous to see our TJ, who was once a big, strong, bear of a cat, become so weak, frail and senile.  we have put down two beloved cats before and both the hub & i have decided “no heoric measures”…TJ has lost his appetite, lost so much weight, barely gets out of his cat bed and sleeps all the time, and he even has stopped purring.  the last week has been brutal trying to put off the inevitable… the vet will be paying us a housecall (as we want to spare TJ any further trauma with taking him in the pet carrier & go for a bumpy car ride to the vet’s)  this weekend and we’re both a wreck over this whole business.  but we have to keep telling ourselves that  we are doing the right thing for TJ, and that he has had a beautiful, full life with us and the other cats and that he won’t be suffering any longer.   TJ has to know that he has received unconditional love from us and that he gave us his, plus so much joy & more as well.   

while i still have the composure, i thought i’d better announce the winners of the OWOH giveaway NOW… because LORD knows, i will not be any shape soon…

sorry that i had to combine a happy event like OWOH with the extreme sadness that is happening with us right now, but i am forcing myself to do this because i don’t want to disappoint anybody or keep anyone waiting…

so without further ado, here are the randomly picked winners:

#1.  micki butler, #33, wins the secret garden itty bitty book.

#2.  carmen, #110, wins the atc block.

#3. gale varland, #58, wins the 4×4 mixed media canvas.

#4. pat, #6, wins recipe book w/ polka dots.

#5.  sylvia smiser, #48, wins the recipe book w/ wavy stripes.

#6.  holly j., #88, wins the set of magnets.

#7. michelle remy, #78, wins the set of pin-back buttons.

#8.  gracie, #54, wins the crotcheted cuff.

#9.  wendy w., #90, wins the owl brooch.

and last but not least,

#10.  carolyn knight, #66, wins the handbound mini-zine book.

CONGRANTULATIONS you lucky winners!!  i sincerely hope you will enjoy your goodies

and many thanks to lisa swifka for organizing and hosting OWOH as well as EVERYONE who has kindly dropped by and visited my humble blog!!! xoxo

to the 10 lucky winners:  i will be in touch shortly via your blog or private email to notify you that you have won!  i will need to get your particulars, so if you would kindly drop me an email of your full name & address to follow_your_bliss07@hotmail.com that would be greatly appreciated!   i will plan to mail out your goodies tuesday 2/22 (as 2/21/11 is a holiday and so no mail service)… 

to everyone else, have a good day and please send us some wishes of  peace, healing and strength.

thank you for your patience and kind understanding,  mary ann xoxo

I’m neither ordained nor nearly educated enough to teach The Word, nor will this post subject you to singing “He Has The Whole World In His Hands;” however, its intentions are to enlighten. In today’s presentation of music, specifically that of music blogs, you’re introduced to new tracks from the same group of artists with the periodical new name, 24 hours goes by and what was once new is now on page 34 of your favorite blog and you’ve since obtained 53 new tracks. People blindly get caught in the hype of getting a single the instant it’s released in fear of being “late” that they don’t take the time to truly digest and appreciate. Sunday School aims to build your musical library and hopefully expose you to some new music (new to the world or new to you) that you might’ve never heard of or forgotten about. The selection is mostly chosen at random -new and old, multiple genres. I ask that you simply trust my taste in music and just download. So as you prepare for the week ahead, why not start with newish music? Might not be your favorite genre  or artist but the intent is to expose yourself to something that could potentially open a new world of music for you. If there are songs within the bundle that don’t tickle your fancy, the ‘delete’ and ‘move to trash’ option should rectify all your woes.

Now, for our first lesson:

Download

The first lesson began completely generic. Whatever my iTunes threw at me in the shuffle. However, being that St. Valentine has a big event planned for Monday, I decided to make this go ’round in honor of the occasion. Some songs are for the lovers, some for the love haters, some for the bromancers, some for the fresh in love, some for the jaded by “love”, some for the socially awkward, some for the Rico Suaves and the maneaters, and the one hitter quitters. Regardless your scope on that four letter word get into this collection and accept or reject something new, or simply revisit. (*not all lessons will be nearly this long!)

For a more organized and well thought out collection, check out DC to BC’s 3rd annual S.A.D. (Single’s Awareness Day) Mixtape HERE. If not for the music, at least for the ill ass artwork!

VGANG. Well, that’s the name of my high school barkada. I can’t exactly remember how we all got together. I have a theory that I only got dragged into this barkada because I was the school ~photographer~ and they needed someone to take their photos. HAHAHAHA. Kidding! One thing I’m sure of is that the group was formed in our senior year in high school. And we’ve been together ever since. *aww*

Once in a while we would gather to watch movies, go on sleepovers, pull off videoke marathons, celebrate multiple birthdays, and of course, go on out of town (read: Batangas, Laguna or Bulacan) trips. We’ve formed a lot of traditions over the years. Back in 2009, we started a Christmas tradition. Charades, cards, trivia games, poker, Pinoy henyo, exchange gift, good food, magic sing, group pictorial, and a whole lot of fun.

VGang Christmas 2009 @ Co Residence (Photo by Edilberto Co Jr)

In 2010, however, our schedules didn’t permit us to celebrate our VGang Christmas in December. But we were determined to keep the tradition going. So we thought…post-Christmas doesn’t sound so bad. So tada! January 8 was the date (wow, that rhymes!). The place? It was supposed to be held at Donya Salud where our good friend Jamie celebrated her debut. But we went for the most practical location. We decided to celebrate our post-Christmas party at a certain resthouse in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The place wasn’t bad at all (well, except for the temp of the poolwater. Hypothermia much?). Haha.

The Resthouse

Okay, so we arrived at the place an hour late because of heavy SLEX traffic and the non-existence of street signs at the area. At least we made it. Thanks a lot to Benj and Ali’s driver for driving us Also to Eldin, Jemski and Davidson for providing a Dirty Bit hell lot of fun on the way to the resthouse.

Upon arrival, everyone did their own thing. The girls went on a nail painting spree by the poolside. All thanks to Nadine’s nail center.

Girl time with the girls

Meanwhile, at the other side of the resthouse, Benjo and Ali had a mini Table Tennis tournament.  I think Benjo took it seriously. Hahaha.

Benjo vs Ali

On the dining area, Kevin and Erwin were teaching Tin how to play Pusoy Dos.

Pusoy Dos 101 with cardmasters Erwin and Kevin.

When night time came, everyone headed for the pool. I think they had games or something.  Pool games? Not quite sure. But it looked like some kind of water wars happened.

I have no idea what the hell was happening.

For dinner, we had pizza, chicken, coleslaw and more. Al fresco style.

VGang Dinner

After dinner, some kind of Gays vs the World thing happened. It was intense.

Gays vs. the World

By the pingpong table,  Andoy and Dynna were all grey-ed up. Dynna was sick that day but she still joined the party.

Sick girl Dynna was all covered up.

Part of the VGang tradition is the annual Charades tournament. Last year, Briane and I were the game officials and the gang was divided into two teams. This year, we split the gang into three - Team Eldin, Team Davidson and Team Jemski. Jel and Janelle were the game officials. The charades were easier this year. Or everyone was just in full career mode. We had to resort to a tiebreaker to decide who wins. Team Eldin won.

CHARADES! Three teams. Jel & Janelle as the officials.

At 9-ish pm, we began the exchange gift and baby revelation. Last year, the parent had to describe his/her baby through charades. This year, we put the pool into good use. The parent had to push his baby into the water before giving him the gift. It was fun. Everyone wanted to be Briane’s baby. Haha. Is it just me, or does that last sentence sound so wrong? HAHAHA.

The revelation. (Photo by Dynna Soriano)

After the long (not to mention freezing) exchange gift ceremonies, we had a raffle courtesy of Briane, Janelle and Angel. A lot of things went  on after that. I don’t have photos. But I tell you, things went a little crazy. It even got some of us feeling like an octopus. Some struggled to find their comfort position.  Some went paos/malat (or was maybe just naturally paos). Someone’s abs became hotter. And a lot of other things happened. One thing was certain though, Kevin stole the scene with his Lito Atienza outfit.

Kevin Crisologo stole the spotlight

The party was epic. It kinda makes me wonder how we’ll celebrate Christmas later this year. Not to mention our upcoming Mafia-themed Jan-Feb Celeb on the 19th.  Really. I’m out of words. I’m just so glad I have really great friends. I’m glad life’s never boring when I’m with them. So there. That’s it. The party was indeed a success. Thanks to our primary sponsors, Jamie “Donya Salud” Dela Cruz for paying for the place and Briane Samson for being such a good father (and provider).

Primary sponsors Jamie and Briane

Now, I’ll leave you with our group shots. Have a great day everyone! <3 Tco

You see, pageants have always been staple at my high school, Makati Science. Back in the days (but not that waaaay back), we used to have Mr. and Ms. Science, Mr. and Ms. Intrams, and whatever pageants teachers and orgs could think of so that they could earn funds or culminate *insert subject here* week. I have been involved in those pageants before – once as an organizer and once as a guitarist for a friend during the talent portion. But I have to stress this out…our pageants were very cheapazzz. HAHA. Seriously. Organizers never bothered to rent audio and lighting systems, overdecorate the stage, prepare a decent track for the walks, and even rehearse the whole thing. So December last year, I was shocked to see this:

Extended stage. Catwalk. Runway. O.O

Yes, they extended the school stage and overdecorated it with real flowers. They rented audio & lights. It was pretty legit.

It happened to be English week. My younger brother, an officer of the English club, asked me to cover Mr. and Ms. English as the ~official photographer~. Being the bum that I was, I agreed. Too bad for me though, my camera’s shutter motor died a day before the pageant. Good thing my friend Ali Bueno lives just a block away from MakSci and she owns a Canon 500D. She let me borrow her camera and even went with me to the event. Whattaaap. I struggled a bit with Canon coz I’m more of a Nikon girl myself. I struggled with lighting and all that shiz coz it was my first time to shoot a pageant. So forgive my photos. Also, they’re all grainy coz I shot on ISO1600 (SHAAAAME!). O.O  But still, I’m gonna post the photos here anyway. Starting now.

Opening Number!

Unlike most of the pageants I’ve witnessed during my high school days, Mr. and Ms. English 2010 had an opening number. Wow, I gush over these things. It just proves my point that our pageants were sofia crappola.

(Anyway, it’s already 330am. I’m too sleepy to ~photoblog~ decently, so Imma quit talking ’bout random things and I’ll just leave you with…tada! More photos! But I’ll still gush via captions! Haha!)

They wore nice costumes!

They rehearsed their walks!

They introduced themselves!

They brought props!

Lighting effects! Stage design!

Talent portion

Evening Gown. They changed costumes!

Lighting was awesome, I tell you.

Sithli Mendoza was one of the emcees. He’s now Sir Sithli. He teaches Biology at Maksci. He won Mr. Science when I was a freshie. He also won the Digital LG Quiz grand finals. He’s a genius!

Before the winners were announced, the previous winners had their final walk.

At 8:30PM, the school was still jampacked.

Cute! This kid won Mr. English. I totally called it.

She won Ms. English. She had the best answer during the Q&A. I called it too!

It was great to be back at MakSci. A lot of things have changed. That includes the basketball ring.

That’s me with my friends Ali Bueno and Jel Directo. Thanks for coming, guys!

And here’s my younger brother. He headed the technical team. They did great. Meanwhile, I look like ewan after the pageant. It was tagpangit. D:

(That’s it for now. Maybe I could edit this entry sometime this week coz I have a lot of things to say. But TTFN, ta ta for now!)

(disclaimer:  lengthy post follows, read at your discretion )

2/18/11 UPDATE:  please bear with me… having a rough time offline with some work-related stuff.  haven’t been able to get to picking the 10 lucky winners yet.  have another hectic day at work today, but i plan to let you know who random.org has selected very soon!  have a good day.  i am hoping for that too

2/17/11 UPDATE:  i can hardly believe that the magic OWOH ride has come to an end.  many thanks to YOU all for visiting my humble lil blog & for your lovely comments.  i have a day filled with meetings at school today, but i promise i will announce the winners of my OWOH giveaway once i get home this afternoon (cst).  so please bear with me & if luck will have it, perhaps i will be contacting  YOU later with the good news of WINNING!  have a super day! xo mary ann

it’s that time of year again… & it’s the last year too….OWOH ! (allons-y, btw means “let’s go” & it is from the doctor who series, specifically, the tenth doctor…)as  i mentioned in last post, i decided to participate as it is after all  the last chance to partake in this wonderful blog event, which was/is created & superbly organized by lisa swifka.  she is the amazing mastermind behind this incredible blog event since its inception 5 years ago. 

beginning at the stroke of midnight on january 31st, creative bloggers everywhere  the world over will discover, connect and share their heART with other bloggers.  i, along with others, will welcome fellow bloggers into our creative world, share glimpses of what we do & who we’re all about and offer a little complimentary giftie or two, all in the name of this beautiful blogwide event.     

if you have just stumbled upon my blog or never heard of OWOH, just click on the links highlighted to get the full scoop.  lisa swifka spells it all out for those new to OWOH.   

also, for those who may be a new visitor to my bloggy, i’m mary ann and i have been blogging since 2006…in fact, my blogoversary is february 26.  back then,  i was a rather cranky, overworked speech therapist working in a hectic hospital setting. and i turned to blogging to try to get ART (aka my sanity) back into my life again.  i’ve always been a crafty sort since i was a  lil girl.  but over the years, ART sort of took a backseat and non-ART priorities took precedence during much, if not all, my waking hours.  that all changed, (thank goodness!!)  when i got into blogging.  those early blogging days really were the impetus that made me realize how essential having art be an integral part of my daily life is AND also helped shaped me into the artist who i’ve become today.   it was thru blogging where i happily & gratefully came into contact with the amazing online art community  and connect with countless kindred creative souls, many of whom i call my art circle of friends.   to borrow a quote, art is not a thing.  it is a way. 

i enjoy most forms of art: watercolor, painting, drawing, collaging, mixed media, sculpture/art assemblage, making zines & handmade books & my latest passion, welding

i also love to sew, especially hand-stitching & embroidering, dabbling in crude jewelry-making and crocheting. oh yeh, did i mention, yoga?  that is something i’m into too (though, i must confess that my yoga practice has been sporadic of late with what my current work schedule is… but hopefully, i will get back into a more regular routine again very soon)…    anyone who (really, truly) knows me, knows that i am always making something, be it for a swap, art class or just because.  art, simply said, is without question, as vital as breathing to me.  when i get cut off from ”art-ing”  for some length of time, i start to get the “shakes” & feel stifled as well as uber CRANKY.  my art time is precious to me…sacred and highly prized. 

alright… that’s enough yadda yadda about me. i really appreciate anyone who takes the time to stop by my bloggy.  thank you so much!!  i will make every effort, time/schedule permitting, during OWOH to return the kindness & pay a visit to as many of your bloggies as i can.    

as in previous years, i have been known to offer up a number of goodies.  this year, the final OWOH, will be no different.  so without further ado, here are the fab goodies up for grab:

#1

an extra copy of an itty bitty book collaborative that i had hosted last spring with some art pals in the paper whimsy ning group.  this was submitted to cloth paper scissors for their call for handmade books… sadly, ours did not make the cut… so i decided to let this one go.  the slideshow below will show you the pages inside…

#2

chunky atc block w/ hanger

#3

4×4 mixed media collage on stretched canvas.

#4

handmade recipe book with pockets and blank recipe cards…

plus bonus atc on front cover

#5

another handmade recipe book (like #4 above)… this & the one above were extra favor books i made last christmas time when my sister and i had hosted a cookie swap party.  this was a big hit with our guests.

#6

a set of six 1-inch magnets that i made using my button maker machine.

#7

a set of six 1-inch pin-back buttons (or badges), also made from my button maker machine

#8

a crotched cuff i made last summer, using two different fibers (super soft cotton yarn made in italy, i believe, and rayon crochet thread… i cannot find the labels of either fibre rolls but i believe that that’s what i used… also, my wrist size is on the small size, so  i made this cuff bigger, maybe 7 or 7.5 inches long with a button clasp in the hopes of accomodating most people ) 

#9

an owl brooch/pin made from felt… 

#10

a handbound copy of my mini-zines, approximately 10-12 issues… the cover may be different, as this one was actually given away… but rest assured, i have my originals

a peek inside…

i chose these mainly because i have these on hand and also, they are all on the lighter side…which will be a good thing come time to mailing…

so if there is anything here that i’ve posted of interest to you, please let me know in the comments.  and also, please don’t forget to include your name and contact info, in case you end up being one of the lucky winners!  at the end of OWOH on february 17th, i plan on using the random number generator to select my 10 lucky peeps…

oh yes, almost forgot, this is open to any blogger with a current & active blog… that is OWOH rules

again, many thanks for stopping by! & a thousand thanks to lisa swifka for making this all possible!   happy OWOH!! & bonne chance mary ann xo