I Dream of a Blue Summer

Quickie Post

2008-05-27T10:23:16Z

Just wanted to share this youtube video, which I unearthed while randomly finding interesting things. This is a video of a male figure skater from Japan named Takahashi Daisuke, and I will admit his SP here is nothing short of gorgeous. He's chosen music piece is from HIPHOP's (?) version of Swan Lake. Awesome music...

Moving..but not leaving..

2008-03-19T09:08:07Z

Heya peeps, just a heads up. I'm moving my personal blog to wordpress. Now I won't be abandoning livejournal since I do have friends here. It's just..well livejournal has never been "easy" to deal with.

Plus I wanted to revive my teen memories and finish what I've always began...creating a workable website that hosts my fanfictions and other crap. Plus it has more versatility. Sure their "privacy" and lack of a social network kinda sucks, but I can live with that. :))

But no worries, I'm trying to find some apps that would let me post to multiple blogs. :D And I think I found one. :3

In the mean time do take a visit my blog, I've posted a new post on my latest bento box collection. It's still pretty bare right now, so please bear with me ;)

February to March, the Month(s) of Expenses Part 2

2008-03-05T11:29:27Z

For the sake of both vanity and sheer necessity, I've finally given in and took a visit to a dermatologist to address the following woes that's been afflicting my skin for the past few years...

(1) Rashes or pimples that are prevalent in my upper arms. It makes wearing sleeveless difficult and embarrassing, and frankly acne, a lot of acne mind you, anywhere in the body can be a concern. I've had them as long as I can remember but I've been noting that the skin was getting inflamed and the pimples were frankly spreading as far as my elbow. This includes rashes that appeared on my feet that causes my skin to start peeling, some sort of skin asthma apparently. Both are genetic apparently and was told that no amount of alcohol or cleaning would have prevented it from happening. Treatment including medication are roughly around Php 4k.

(2) A mole on my right leg that has been growing. I've taken cared of two previous "moles" or some kind of cysts under the skin in 2005 back in Singapore. I would have taken this one out but it wasn't that big back then. But I had been warned by my cosmetic surgeon there to have it taken out once it starts growing. Given my family history of cancer, and the fact that the last cyst samples were showing signs of things horrible for me in the future, it was better to be safe than sorry. Sure I'll be getting a nasty scar but if torn between the choice of (a) having a permanent scar or (b) possibly developing skin cancer, I prefer to pick "a" thank you very much.

Thankfully, this kind of treatment isn't very expensive. My medicard covered for the incision and histography of the sample. The rest I had to pay, roughly around Php 2k which included professional fees and anesthesia.

(3) Excessive sweaty underarms. God, help me. I sweat like a pig even under the aircon, and I got tired of buying pads to line the underarms of my tshirts, not to mention the smell. Jesus. No amount of showering and Rexona was going to help. So hello Botox.The first time I've heard of Botox was for excessive sweating, not for wrinkles and stuff like that. Honestly, a Botoxed face is scary. It looks so unnatural, like they just stepped out of a wax museum.

50 points (or injections) was done on each underarm, bringing it to total of 100 points. My dermatologist explained that this was a conservative number she has seen that works with most asian women. American doctors apparently use 100 points per underarm and given how much Botox costs, the less points used the better. It's been two weeks and it's been great so far.

Overall, the treatment roughly cost Php 25-27k. Ouch. I'm taking this off the profits of what was left of the money used to buy my car. The entire treatment was relatively painless as the dermatologist was very particular in the comfort of her own patients. The less pain the better. There's also the peace of mind that since her clinic was inside the hospital, I was reassured that she was a real doctor and not some wannabe dermatologist with questionable backgrounds.

My trip to the dermatologist overall was a pleasant experience. Staff is courteous, the doctor was professional and she didn't start selling me everything under the sun. She explained to me what I have, and the realities to expect regarding my treatment. She has the no non-sense attitude and frankness, that I like to hear from most doctors. She won't waste my time with small talk or brag about the clients that visit her clinic. Instead she'll tell me what's wrong with my skin, tell me what are the options of treatment, how to take care of my skin and is very upfront of the costing.

If anybody is interested in visiting a real dermatologist at work, I'd suggest you visit her:

Elsie P. Floreza, MD, MSc
Makati Medical Center
Rm 362-A circular
Tel: 888-8999 loc. 7324
Tues-Fri,: 3:30pm - 6:00pm

Next time, I will be talking about my trip to find the best way to rebond my anime hair. Hopefully I'll have pics uploaded. :D

February the Month of Expenses Part 1

2008-02-18T02:55:26Z

February again and my birthday has just passed me by. I've just turned 27, a good number as any, last February 12 and decided to actually go shopping for myself with my beloved's help.

My first purchase was practical enough. I was looking for a new pore minimizer. My previous pore minimizer did an average job and I was willing to invest on something good. So I dropped by Rustans to have a look-see and found Estèe Lauder. Now I wanted to try Clarins but their staff wasn't exactly helpful. They were not rude, just passive and given my lack of knowledge in all things cosmetic (learned late in life) I went to the Estèe Lauder kiosk and was assisted by very helpful ladies who had no qualms actually putting stuff on my skin to let me see for myself the results, while explaining what it does, how to use it, when to use it.

Impressed at actually seeing visible results, I rang up Estèe Lauder's Idealist which cost me around Php 2,000 (double Clarin's price).

And while I was at the counter I noticed that they were also selling the introductory pack for Estèe Lauder's Nutritious set. Curious I decided to give it a go. I was running out of my usual face toiletries and since I don't invest on make-up anyway since I work at home, I decided to put my money on skin products instead.

The pack consists of a tiny travel size version of the cleanser, toner, moisturizer and a full size Vita-Mineral Essence (which I understood does is to prep the skin to better absorb the moisturizer and other creams). The entire kit cost me around Php 2,800.

When I rang up the purchase, they also gave me some make-up freebies and a cute make-up bag to go along with it. This would explain why my mother had a ton of tiny random Estèe Lauder stuff to bring with her in her travel kit.

Now I've been using it for a week and even my boyfriend could see the difference. Apparently I do have fine lines under my eyes *gasps of horror and a voice shrieking inside me in panic* have magically disappeared. Of course I had to see these 'fine lines' for myself and later that evening after washing, I did notice some fine lines. How I didn't notice this before goes to show how I can be oblivious. Gah.

But over all, I'm pleased as a peach regarding their product. The fine lines have visibly reduced after more using and hopefully would go away. I'm most likely going to enroll on Rustans' point card and will eventually visit Estèe Lauder's kiosk again soon.

My second purchase I bought last Friday, was a new PSP Lite in lavender while my boyfriend was treating me out to gastronomical delights in Virramall/Shopesville (Le Ching I lurve you and damn you Virramall for taking away Maxims and replacing it with crap so horrible, I may never forgive you for it). I consider it my second baby (my first baby is my laptop), going out of my way to buy a nice lavender cloth to wipe it, and will look for some chic dangly charms on it next weekend.

EYO has fantastic services and affordable packages. We looked through the entire Greenhills district trying to get a good PSP package and nothing comes close. If you're looking for a PSP this is the place to go.

In fact I'll be visiting their store this weekend along with my visit to Shuji Kida Salon to book an appointment. My hair is a horrid, tangled mess. I look like a 90's anime reject. I go to a parlor only once or twice a year for my rebond and I'd like to make sure it is worth the trip. I'll probably cover what happens to that on my next beauty blog report.

Old and New Posts, In Before the New Year

2007-12-27T12:06:20Z

Wow, the new year is fast approaching and I'm three months behind posting. Besides the Glorietta blast, hostage taking at Manila Pen, nothing much in terms of interesting has happened.

Lol.

I lied. A ton of stuff happened to me, but I'm too lazy to write anything. It's not like a have a bunch of people who eagerly wait with bated breath what's happening with my life, but I write it anyway...sort of like an online reminder that I do have a life outside work.

(1) Oct. 15, 2007 - My mom's first death anniversary. We spent the morning visiting her grave as we talked about mom and made sure that the caretakers are making sure her gravesite is clean. I can't believe it's already been a year since Mom left us. Although the pain of losing her has lessened, I still miss her terribly. I love you, mom, where ever you are.

(2) November Something or Other - I don't remember the exact dates but I've spent a lot of good dates with my boyfriend this month. Mostly because we don't often go on exclusive dates with each other often. Our Saturdays are usually spent with lunch together, and playing table-top games with the Mafia people (aka our gaming group).

This month was also the month I got into WoW...aka World of Warcraft. Yes I'm back to MMO gaming, bitches, and playing the Horde Blood Elves.

(3) December Days Before Christmas - Baking Horror. Baking chocochip cookies and cinnamon shortbread cookies for gifts. (@_@) But the good things are the dates Jay and I've been too, and the buffet madness.. *sighs dreamily* Circles~! And the restaurant discoveries (Fish & Co.)

Side note: Go eat at Fish & Co. It's a fish and chips type place so make sure to order the recommended stuff. And the calamari. My god, the calamari is heaven sent.

I also got my car. My very own car. :D I enrolled previously in A1 Driving school, and now I do practice driving on weekends and holidays. Awesome transportation for me~! Now I'm no longer Makati bound \(^o^)/

(4) December 25, 2007 - Merry Christmas! We attended the last Midnight Mass in Shangri La hotel (w/ free coffee and biscuits and cookies) and had the Noche Buena buffet.

That's all for now, I'll see if I can try to update again by the New Year. :)

If The Shoe Fits

2007-08-31T16:33:50Z

Now before I begin I will begin listing my litany of excuses for not updating:

(1) My dad was recently diagnosed and treated of Stage 0 cancer they detected on the polyp on his large intestine. He has undergone elective but major surgery and is now doing well. The results of his biopsy are clean: no trace of cancer anywhere. There is no need of chemotherapy and radiation. :)

(2) I was learning how to cook new dishes...chicken in gata, sarciadong isda, sinigang na baboy, oriental chicken and other things.

(3) I discovered Sango (the best burgers evar) and the Japanese co-op beside it that sells Japanese grocery items at Php 68 bucks. Now I don't have to torture my pocket in visiting Sakura. All of which are available at Mile Long Creekside right beside the Pharaoh club.

(4) Watched a hell lot of anime. There's only so much I could do when I was waiting my dad recover in the hospital. (^^);;

(5) My half-sis just arrived from the US on a 'surprise' visit. It was'nt much of a surprise when everyone pretty much told me when she was arriving. My dad and my aunts are lousy in keeping secrets much to my sis' dismay. We had fun, we ate out and we shopped a lot.

Which leads to my latest post.

Since my sister Pam was only here for only a few days, she was forced to a great deal of lunch and shopping invitations. One of those invitations involved me and two aunts who lived in the far south, in a place called Sucat, Parañaque.

Once there we were treated to series of interesting small shops along BF Homes. The first one of which was a shoe store called Step-Rite. From there I was treated to two pairs of sandals that cost me less than Php 500 bucks each pair. In fact one pair cost me Php 190 and the other cost me around Php 490, not even reaching Php 1,000 bucks.

The sandals were of good quality and very sexy--absolutely perfect for the days I feel like being sexy and girly. The store surprisingly enough carried big sizes. Most small shoe stores won't bother with anything bigger than a size 7, catering to the tinier, malnourished forms of most Pinays. See my new shoe darlings here and here.

Step-Rite can be found along Aguirre St., BF Homes, Parañaque City (tel #: 842-9303)

The second store we visited in Sucat, was not a shoe store, but a rather gorgeous and fantastic bead shop where I was treated to a matching set of indian inspired beaded bracelet and necklace worth Php 1,500 total (much thanks to my tita for buying them for me). I'll post pics and details next time. :D

My second shoe discovery was found closer to home, particularly Glorietta's Shoe Salon--the name of the shoe store alone raises much protest on my poor wallet, as compared to previous store, a pair of shoes bought at the Shoe Salon would equivalent to five to seven pairs of shoes at Step-Rite.

However there are some things that my wallet would just have to swallow and take it like a man.

God, that just sounded wrong.

Anyway, I'm here to talk about my latest foot purchase from Sanuk. The story began when I limped around Glorietta in the latest torture equipment developed by the inquisitors of the Spanish Inquisition. My boyfriend taking pity on me and my blistered feet, suggested a visit to the Shoe Salon. I've been combing for hardy shoes with the comfort of flip-flops for several weeks to no avail, especially when the rainy season started and my current tatami tsinelas, were getting too dangerous to wear on the slick sidewalks. I was so desperate I almost succumbed to buying those horrid Brazilian tsinelas that are so the rage right now.

I don't care who made it or what it is, it's still friggin' tsinelas, and i'm not paying Php 1000 bucks for something I can get for a quarter of that amount without much noticeable difference.

Then I discovered Sanuk...actually it was my boyfriend who pointed them out. I tried out a pair, and my god, my feet were praising the heavens above. It was like wearing moccasins, only better. I tend to have sweaty feet particularly when it gets humid, but my feet were kept surprisingly dry and presko (fresh). The sole was comfortable enough and it endured my shopping trips and my walks with much comfort. Not even my branded pink ballet flat style sneakers were as comfortable.

Here's a picture of my latest Sanuk "sandals/shoes" here.

The only downside is that it's rather expensive, hitting me for about Php 2,300 more or less, but I was so happy with it that I dragged my dad the next day to buy him a pair as a belated birthday gift. :) He's very happy with his pair and happily wears it during the weekend. He's got sweaty feet like I do and at his age, he's been looking for something comfortable and yet wearable without feeling too under dressed--and like me he has no intention of wearing tsinelas even if they're made in Brazil or something. Sanuk satisfies both his needs and uses it almost exclusively when he's not in the office.

Just a warning that men's shoes tend to be a tad more expensive than the womens, my dad's pair hit me for almost Php 2,900 plus.

For more info and see some of their new stuff, visit Sanuk's website here.

Kikay Kits Contest: Nu Skin Triphhastic White Set!

2007-07-31T14:03:08Z

Want a luminous, translucent,and bright complexion ? Want all your problem spots to go away? The Nu Skin Triphasic White System can do all that! It’s not “whitening” per se as people normally perceive “whitening” to be, for this system more of evens out your skin tone, clears away uneven pigments, for a smooth, bright,and ethereal-like skin. You don’t need to worry about having your skin damaged with such treatment for Nu Skin is water-based, and is gentle enough even for the most sensitive skin!

Kikay Kits is giving away this fabulous set but if you want to know more on how join then click here

~ oOo ~

What Makes Me Kikay?

People who have known me, would never consider me 'kikay'. I hang out mostly with the men (including my boyfriend) in my gaming group, my work which is at home (and in the past in a gaming company with very lax office attire), give me little to no opportunity to get 'girly.' However, my opinions of being 'kikay' to the rest of the population is vastly different.

Kikay is a term mostly to describe the "girly" personal grooming habits of a female, at its worst, it's also used to describe a shallow female obsessed with physical beauty or appearance or someone so very vain.

But for me, being kikay is more than just buying every single facial scrub and moisturizer in the market, beyond than the latest lipstick and eyeshadow combination. It is more than just being L'Oreal/insert-your-favorite-cosmetic-brand-here fan girl. Being 'Kikay' is a lifestyle.

Kikay-ness isn't just about applying the right moisturizer or sunblock or even how many minutes or hours is spent fussing infront of the mirror. It's also about eating right, exercising and over-all good health. No amount of cosmetic, both topical and surgical would do anything if the body is weak, sick and unhealthy. What you put on your skin, even something a simple as that luscious butter lotion from The Body Shop, can only enhance what is there. No amount of expensive paint job is going to hide a busted car.

Part of a Kikay girl's lifestyle includes not just good health but also a good dose of self-esteem. You are beautiful and unique, and never forget that. Too often, society has forced on us on what beautiful should be: fair skin, a size 8 figure, long flawless super straight hair and double D breasts, most of which isn't possible without the use of expensive and dangerous surgery or good Photoshop skills. It doesn't matter if you're less than five feet high, morena, your nose is pango and you wear a size 18 dress (no matter how much you exercise or diet); love yourself, and confidence--not to mention sexiness--will surely follow.

Love yourself. There is no better beauty regimen than accepting and loving who you are, inside and outside, all your faults and your attributes. It opens your heart and mind to the beauty of those around you.

Courage is another important aspect of a being Kikay. Don't be afraid to dare, to try new things. Don't be afraid of what others will think of you. If you believe that your 'style' doesn't conform with the masses--don't be afraid to showcase it, just flip them the bird and be on your way. Express yourself, be creative. Being Kikay means not being afraid to experiment, to learn that trying something is much better than not doing anything at all.

This is what it means for me to be Kikay: a healthy body, heart and soul.

Mini Kangaroo Pet Pics

2007-06-28T11:04:21Z

I have pets now, as you can tell from my previous posts. I'm delayed in proudly showing the pictures of my beloved tiny princesses. Not that it matters to all you intellectual snobs out there. Here's a tip for the folks trolling for something "deep" and "metaphysical" in the blogosphere... Go. Kill. Yourself. Now. Seriously.

Now that I got that out of the way I will now proceed to gush and fawn over my pets like any self respecting cat lady would do. Only perhaps I'm not a cat lady and I got mini kangaroo rats instead of cats. Not that I have anything against cats, they're wonderful creatures and I adore them, they're just harder to smuggle into the building.

I should begin before I start rambling again...

I bought my first mini kangaroo rat around February this year. She's a cute little thing, white with brown markings. She looked like those textbook pictures of mice in children's books. Personality wise, she's adventurous and smartest of the three little princesses. The only problem since she was petshop bought (on discount), I had doubts she was hand reared carefully. She was already three-four months old when I got her so she never really gotten used to being handled.

This is her peeking out of her first orange cage:

This is her peeking from under her "roo blankey":

This was when she still had her Nadia box as a digging box:

Around May, I decided to give Mimiru some friends aka playmates. I bought two more mini kangroo rats from the same petshop, both were less than three months old and were so tiny they both could fit on the palm of my hand. One was an albino with light orange markings, the other was white with black markings. I figured since their markings were similar they were litter mates but then again I'm no animal expert so who knows. They were also inseparable in their cage in the petshop, which really tugged my heartstrings. I don't want these two to be separated at all.

Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the adorable munchkins when I bought them, mostly because I was watching Mimiru and the tiny roos as they both got used to each other's presence. They are animals after all, and you know how territorial animals can get when they encounter other animals.

The white and orange roo is Suki while the white with black markings (or is that other way around?) is Yuki:

Of the two, Yuki is the tiniest and that makes her the runt of the three. But of the three she's the most friendliest and is more or less used to being handled. Suki on the other hand is a snob. She won't come near unless you have something to interest her: like food. She's also the bossy type and the type to do everything first. Yuki follows whatever Suki does after and does it repeatedly. When Suki has done an accomplishment she doesn't bother to repeat it. Unless she wants something.

All three roos:

The funniest thing is that Suki is the loner, while hyper Yuki continually pesters Mimiru when Suki doesn't play. Yuki's also the copycat. Whatever the two other roos do, she copies. Like when Mimiru decides to turn my hair into a digging spot (she just loves playing in my hair), Yuki joins while Suki busies herself with something else. Or when Suki decided to learn to use my legs as a bridge and climp up to my shoulder, Yuki wasn't far behind.

I think Yuki tends to overcompensate considering she's the tiniest. But she's such a spunky, beautiful little girl that I love her so much~!

More pictures :D

Mimiru and Yuki shredding the bamboo mat:

Mimiru with her sidepose:

Well that's all for now. (^_^) Taking pictures of them was no joke. It's hard to make them stand in one place. There are so many things I wished I could have taken a picture off. Like Mimiru when she was bored and on her belly, inching like a worm before running around. She did that once. So many missed photo ops... Well maybe next time I can get lucky. <3

I got..err..'tagged'..?

2007-06-11T11:57:54Z

I got tagged by Moons, now usually I don't for for this sort of thing but you know..why the hell not. It's been a while since my last livejournal entry so I might as well post *something* to at least say I'm still alive.

“Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things about himself orherself. People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their ownas well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to tag 6 peopleas well and list their names. Don’t forget to let them know they’vebeen tagged!”

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 1: I do not enjoy the company of women very much. I tend to be selective of my female friends than I do with my male friends. There's something about hanging about women that grates on my nerves. Women of today tend to be plastic, manipulative, backstabbing little insects. Absolutely lacking in grace, dignity and honesty. Men despite their sometimes more primitive behavior are more forthright and honest. I have no need to impress on the latest fashions and showbiz talk, they don't care if the shirt I've been wearing was "totally last season." I can be me without fear.

I can only be with women who are like minded and are down to earth.

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 2: When I order Big Breakfast w/ rice from McDonalds, I have to perfectly cut both the patty and scrambled eggs in five to six pieces so I can pair both patty and egg when I eat.

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 3: I have not watched TV in ages..and have no desire to. All I ever need to watch are usually downloadable or available in DVD. The last full commercial I've watched was around two years ago.

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 4: I 'mew' in response to a lot of things. I have the 'frustrated mew', an 'angry mew', 'pleading mew', 'asking mew' and a 'telling mew'.

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 5: I sympathize with animals more than people. I can watch a person get injured and feel less bad about it than seeing say, a limping cat. The sight alone is enough to break my heart and make me feel bad for the rest of the day out of guilt.

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 6: I devolop a second personality when given a hand puppet. Seriously. I just bought one last Saturday a pink and white bunny hand puppet. I've been making the hand puppet hump other people's shoulders, face and head. I ordered my usual in Starbucks with a hand puppet. I introduce my bunny in the same cutesy voice then tell them they're losers...with a hand puppet.

---
That's all for my weirdness. Seriously though, I'll just tag my pointyman2000 considering that most of my friends detest blogs. I'm not much of a blogger myself. (^^);;

Looking Up!

2007-03-15T01:54:32Z

I think someone from above loves me. As in really, REALLY love me.

Finances wise things are looking better. Our estimate of paying Php 800,000 in Estate Tax has been dwindled to a mere Php 64,000 much to our bank account's relief. I give thanks to my accountant aunt who spent hours with us pouring over documents to try and find ways to reduce the Real Estate tax significantly. Love you auntie, you rawk~!

Because of this, paying for the debt is now easier. Initial estimate of expenses to pay for both the debt and the tax was roughly almost Php 1.8M (this is an initial estimate my mom gave me when she was alive...my dad refuses to share money burdens with me so I'm not exactly sure how big our debt is...but I'm fairly certain that it's not bigger than this--we sold enough properties to pay for a huge bulk of the expenses...I hope it was enough), and with the reduction of the tax we can now pay for at least half the debt we owe now.

Big whew on our part. *Jumps for joy*

The way things stand we can clean up ourselves after the year is over..or at least reduce it again in half before the year ends.

Go Me~! \^o^/

oOo

I finally got to play Granado Espada.

Dear mother of god! The graphics is eyebleedingly BEAUTIFUL!!

It's the usual grindfest, but just this once I can forgive them for it and grind. Seeing the costumes, the graphics, everything was so gorgeous. I'm usually admiring the sceneary whilst pounding magic and blade into my enemie's guts. It's also fun to have in control a group instead of one character. Much much fun. :D

Contrary to popular belief, not all my characters are female. The men are so bishi that I only have one female character right now. And all she does is look pretty :D pretty pretty fairy princess~!

Yes I know. I've found inspiration for future Victorian costumes to make, but for now I still need to go design stuff and grind some more. :D

300 and Dramah

2007-03-09T09:17:42Z

Oh my god.

My eyes are bleeding.

300.

Go watch.

You must! O_O

When I first heard of the movie, I wasn't impressed. I'm not a movie person. So I didn't have high expectations when I saw 300. Until I watched. Nothing in that movie was wasted. There's no stupid dialogue, the characters were awesome, I have seen the strongest female leads I've ever watched and the lines and dialogue was awesome.

oOo

In other news, more dramah in SL. Go to my SL BLog to read more about it. I'll probably post a part two if there's any continuation.

Money Issues

2007-02-27T10:04:29Z

My PC died two weeks ago due to a fizzled out video card. It sent me into spasms of panic since I can not access my current employment (SL) and inquire about the update of the cheque I requested weeks ago, which turns out that my previous cheque that I requested to be terminated since I haven't received it for more than a month was stolen, deposited and encashed in a Wachovia Bank somewhere not in the Philippines. (note: Wachovia Bank isn't even a full bank here. It's just a bloody office and probably a call center).

Bastard, once I find who you are I will find you and feed your corpse to Mimiru.

I found out when I convinced my dad to let me borrow his laptop and access my email, and lo and behold, the dilemma.

It doesn't help that I had an upcoming event (which I did today) so I spent the week languishing and gritting my teeth knowing that I could not (a) work on new clothes (b) work on the event (c) handle the problem with my cheque.

But thankfully thanks to the Bear, I now have a new PC, brand spanking new but of course leaving me a good month's wages less. ;_;

Which is bad considering that I'm saving up to help pay for the Estate tax on the properties left by my mother and then there's that teensy weensy debt to pay for the six month stay in Singapore for my mom's treatments.

Thing is..the debt can be paid gradually..years if we have to, the Estate tax is a little more urgent. Like this year, around May I think. :/

Gah. Money, money..so many problems about it. More of it's lack than it's excess.

Anyway I'll be pushing myself a little harder to help me through this year. Wish me luck~!

Good News to Big Boned Shoppers~!

2007-02-13T01:47:02Z

Never in all my twenty six years did I ever consider myself slim, or svelte, or even petite. No, I can be described as either stout, big boned, and the most flattering would be curvy. The biggest advantage I have at stick people is that I've got hips and breasts that have never touched an A cup. Yes, I'm proud of my bazooms, thank you very much.

Now the biggest problem for any curvy girl living in this country is that looking and buying for clothes can be a challenging.

Challenging to downright impossible unless you're the daughter of the Sultan of Brunei and can afford to shop in Marks and Spencer for all your size needs. You can't find huge size brands at any store that doesn't price them at 3k or higher, and if you did find something the pants length are too long and had to be altered, subjecting your expensive pants at the mercy of the seamstress who might just flush your 3k down the toilet.

The only seemingly alternative was to shop on those plus size stores/brands with horrendous fashion sense and designed for a body that resembles a whale than a human female, ugly and unflattering.

So I've done my fair share of shopping and I've found a neat store that's very friendly to the more generous female form. Dorothy Perkins is a must place to shop for a good pair of jeans and glam rock shirts. I bought a pair of jeans and saw that they had sizes that are even too big for me! They come in three lengths: short, regular and long so I didn't have to worry about alterations anymore. The jeans price range from 1K~2.5K Php which isn't so bad considering the quality of the material involved.

Their glam rock shirts are also generously sized and are usually less than 1k. It's also a good place for the 'little people' (child people/stick people) to go to since they also have a selection for the petite.

The downsize is it's a UK store so there are some fashion styles that aren't well...let's just say there was this stoplight orange blouse with a black jumper style mini skirt that made me stare in horror, but over all, Dorothy Perkins is the place to go if you're looking for bigger sizes without the necessarily matching price tag.

I just wished they sold more stuff that I've seen featured in their website. Well you can't have everything. :D

Procrastinating

2007-02-06T11:34:49Z

It's been a while since my last post. I've been a busy little cat last month, so it only makes sense why I'm not here as often as I'd like. Honestly I'm not much of a diary or blog person. There's only so many things you can write about: at the computer, working on SL, yadda, yadda, yadda. I figured the first few half a dozen entries on the same boring subject was enough even for me.

Still as empty as this blog is, the blog was really intended for friends to share and there are a few things I'd like to keep separate. Mainly my SL life and my personal life. Not because I'm being hounded or stalked mind you. Not at all, it's just that, I want a blog dedicated to my SL stuff to make updating things a lot easier. Plus LJ can be so slow at times.

So enter The Velvet Room. The Velvet Room is my latest SL blog from Wordpress. Updates, whining and bitching about SL can be found there. Speaking of bitching, I'm way due for a post on that one.

SL Customer Service

Nothing irritates me than a customer to demand that I correct a mistake she obviously made. I had a customer several weeks ago who went complaining to me about a gown she didn't get. She wanted to buy a black gown but got a white one instead. I was wondering what happened to that since the gown in question has been in the shelves for the past four months with no problems. I checked my vendors and sales records to find out said customer paid the white gown vendor, that's why she got the white gown and not a black gown.

I explained this to her and told her politely since it's a copy/no transfer item it is not subject to refunds or exchanges. In fact, the store signs regarding that policy was posted on the same wall as the gown she bought. Either she was color blind, illiterate or retarded.

She was retarded.

Said customer began to bitch and moan about her problem and then sent her posse (a grand total of two people) to harass me. They threatened that if I don't refund or exchange her item they will tell all their friends to not buy from my shop. Boohoo. Like I need more retarded people who can't spell in my store.

I've had a lot of claims before, double purchases, my JEVN vendor borked out, pieces that got screwed up, missing pieces and I've given my share of refunds, exchanges and replacements provided said claim was VALID.

Unfortunately hers was not. In the end I had to send a lengthy abuse report to Linden Lab about the harassment. With subsequent screen shots of the entire conversation, then muted and banned them from my store.

Molar Extraction

Been warned by my dentist since last year to have them removed so I had them scheduled to be removed last week. It was NOT a pleasant experience. And it was made even more unpleasant by the fact I can not eat anything solid. I had to subside to soups and congee for the next few days, and ice packs to my face, and fevers and mouth sores.

But it's been a week, the stitches are gone and I can eat, semi-normally. Which is good since I'll be celebrating my birthday next week and I want to be well enough to be able to eat.

I also have the two pieces of teeth that was extracted on my shelf at home as part of a souvenir. Maybe in the summer I'll turn them into some kind of gruesome necklace.

Hehehe.

Mimiru

I just bought a pet. She's a mini Kangaroo Rat that I bought on sale from Bioresearch. She's tiny and adorable and her name is Mimiru.

I bought her last Saturday and I've been meaning to get myself a pet since my mom died. I even have the shelf cleaned and put up some plastic matting on it but never got around to buying it until now. I initially wanted a Roborovski hamster but the mini Kangaroo rat won me over. Mostly due to the fact it does not stink or bite as often as hamsters do.

I initially called her Mini-Roo, short for Mini Kangaroo. Then it evolved to Miniroo, Mimi Roo and finally Mimiru.

I'll eventually post some pics of Mimiru once I find my digital camera.

Anger Management

2007-01-03T13:58:01Z

I remember reading this article in some girly magazine a few months back in a salon. It took me by surprise since it wasn't (a) air-headed (b) stupid (c) shallow, although the pretense of every other article in most girly magazine is such this one was an exception.

It was one of those articles about "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" when I saw this snippet. It was about how women and men deal with anger/problems.

Women, when observed, when dealing with anger/stress/problems/etc tend to rant, or talk with their girlfriend about the problem analyzing each angle every which way without really doing anything to solve it.

Women talk and rant because they have the need to validate their anger, and at the same time seek emotional rapport. Talking out anger and problems, helps calms us down. Hearing our girlfriends say and agree that yes he is a lying asshole or that your ISP provider should be shot in the head and their building razed then offers to get you ice cream to feel better does in fact make us feel better. We feel better because we don't feel alone in our rage and our problems.

Yes, we women are emotional, deal with it. If you guys can't, then I suggest having to forgo women the rest of your life. Going yaoi might be a good alternative.

Men on the other hand when dealt with a problem, take steps to find solution, do it. Snap. Crackle. Pop. Now what happens when guy (read note: boyfriend, husband, father, brother, best friend) has to pacify the angry female (read note: girlfriend, wife, mother, sister, best friend)?

Just a friendly advice: women, do not like having "solutions" thrown at their faces when in the midst of a bitch rage. Which is unfortunate because this a very classic scenario that baffles even the most well meaning Guy.

Girl throws a fit, complains badly of a bad day, her terror boss, how her favorite Gucci bag's leather strap broke and the snooty Starbucks barrista gave the wrong type of milk for her latte and gave her LBM. Well-meaning Guy will then comfort Girl, telling her it's alright and offers her a book on "How to Manage the Boss," offer to take Gucci bag to Mr. Quickie, and advices to call up the manager of Starbucks and complain the next time it happens again. Girl gets even angry, over analyzes the solution, shoots it down while Guy offers alternative solution, wash, rinse, repeat and until Girl snaps and hurls Guy off the window, or if Guy is unfortunately living under the same roof as Girl, is going to end up in the couch for a week if she's in a good mood.

Guys, sound familiar?

As well-meaning as you think the Guy is doing, it doesn't appear well-meaning to the Girl who has to receive advice. What she hears is going to be most likely the Guy sounding patronizing and making her feel horrible that she has to be angry at something so easily fixed or remedied.

What a Guy says: "Hon, that's not a big deal, I'll take your Gucci bag to Mr. Quickie and get it fixed. And next time the barrista isn't getting your order right, call the manager to complain."

What the Girl hears: "You're such an overreacting ninny. All you had to do was just get your bag fixed and bitch at the manager when the barrista gets your order wrong. So stop being angry! Sheesh. Talk about emotional."

The following are possible scenarios might happen after depending on the severity:

1) Guy gets screamed and gets hit by something breakable.

2) Guy sleeps in couch or in his old bedroom back at his folk's place.

3) Girl gets a new Guy (but not after she goes to a raging bitch fest with her girlfriends who will then agree that Girl did the right thing and give her ice cream or go shopping. After a week or so, one of them will introduce Guy #2)

4) All of the Above

So please, Guys, before you open your mouth to gleefully dispense that advice... THINK. In reality no one really likes getting advice, especially when one is experiencing "strong" emotions. You're best bet is to coddle, try not to say anything or make empty promises (like wishing to be there when you obviously aren't, or doing something you obviously aren't going to be doing). Advices given during the bitch rage is like begging to be shot at. If this advice was taken, during that time and it FAILS, which is most likely, Guy will never hear the end of it. And if he's unlucky it'll be the last thing he'll hear from her.

Ever.

Maybe add some posturing, swearing to beat the guy who has annoyed the Girl and suddenly surprise them with ice cream and maybe a good chick flik. You can guarantee that you'd get a Girl who will adore you and if your lucky, you can get chika-bow-wow adventure of your own.

One advice? Coddle the Girl, get her calmed down and when she is calm, then give the advice. By then rationality is back, and in calmer and more receiving mode and Guy is seen as sweet and sensitive.

Isn't that better?

It's Christmas!!

2006-12-25T03:59:49Z

Just wishing everyone that I haven't greeted a wonderful and happy Merry Christmas! :)

I hope you guys are having fun this Christmas with your family. Take this opportunity to show your love to your loved ones. The gifts, the tree and the food can wait. :) Take the time to count your blessings this year and know that you are truly blessed and fortunate.

Loves and kisses to all!

More Updates

2006-12-22T23:25:41Z

Fashion side, there's a new gown up and named after one of my more loyal customers. This possibly might be one of the last few gowns for the next few months or so, at least until February. I'll be experimenting on a few oriental pieces and other what-nots. I won't be abandoning Victorian so there's no worry there.

Phara in London

I should really, really work on my photography. But somehow the idea of redoing 90 or so images does not appeal to me, but I know it's something I might have to do soon...

Anyway...the outfit consists of the following: blouse, skirt, glitch-pants and prim skirt.

It also comes in three colors: Bourbon, Ice and Rose.

Mod/Transfer versions are only available in Caledon, Diloba, SLExchange and SLBotique.

Hair: Fancy by Rita Groshomme
Skin: Pure - Light Tan by Kru Flan
Shoes: Eva Pumps by Jackal Ennui
Jewelry: Black Pearl Cameo by Alienbear Gupte

---
Now Rant Time...

I've been sick for the last friggin' two weeks that it's not even funny anymore. I'll probably visiting the ER in a few hours since they're the only doctors available for the next few days until New Year. Gwah! Totally ruined my plans for a slumber party with Shai. But she did drop by and we hanged around for a bit. It was nice to have friends at home who don't carry a lot of testosterone for a change. There are some things I miss with hanging out with a girl.

I've also asked Shai to help me out on the branding so hopefully I'll get to see a new branding for Silver Rose Designs. This also means a change in layout of the vendors. *groans at the thought of fixing 90++ images*

Speaking of SL, things are fairly stable. I've moved my residence again this time to Caledon Mayfair. I've bought a few cherry blossom trees from Heart Garden, beautiful but very primmy which is unfortunate since I can't litter my park and garden with trees. But hopefully even with the given limitation, I can achieve that casual sakura garden that I've always wanted.

I'm also fixing up the old Caledon lot, creating the furniture for the cafe and everything. :D I might sell some food and drinks as practice in manipulating prims. The Clinic in the Caledon square is up so consumable medicine is already for sale there. Once I get the boyfriend doing poses and animation for the clinic and other things...but he's perpetually busy so it take him a WHILE to try and get some work done.

Anyway this is all for now, I hope to get some more updates in the next few days or hours XD

*hoping to enjoy this Saturday at least*

Ravissant

2006-12-01T14:57:59Z

Just a quickie update before I go to bed...

I've just finished Ravissant...my second 'Christmassy' Victorian gown. The outfit comes with: blouse, skirt, glitch pants, prim skirt and prim sleeves.

Ravissant

Ravissant comes in three colors: Scarlet, Sapphire & Beryl.

*mod/copy versions are available in all my in-world stores
*mod/trans versions are only available in Caledon VictoriaCity, Diloba, SLBotique & SL Exchange.

Skin: Light Tan - Pure by Kru Flan
Eyes: Babydoll Eyes Grrrey by Eeron Kilian
Hair: Fancy Hair by Rita Grossham
Shoes: Eva Pumps by Jackal Ennui
Jewelry: Cameo by AlienBear Gupte

On a side note, my main store in Caledon VictoriaCity (143, 81, 23) is officially open. I'll be slowly tearing down the old store in Caledon. So don't expect any updates in that particular store anymore. :3

Gwah, sleep time.

Rant Moment

2006-11-26T03:33:40Z

I swear, some people can't seem to take 'no' for an answer.

I was contacted initially regarding the prim skirts for my lolita outfit. They were made to look frilly but the alpha glitch ruins the effect. I've tried making them non-alpha previously but they never seemed to work or give me the effect I wanted. So I stuck with the alpha until I could find a design that did not need an alpha.

This was explained previously, which was yesterday. And I thought it was the end of it, until I got mail alerts of SL messages from the same person, which were emotes and nothing more. So they were more or less ignored and I had to get back to work to fix up the new shop.

Then I got another IM this morning from same person, again.
----

A. Customer: hey
Yuriko Muromachi: yes?
A. Customer: so is there any way at all to convince you to upload a texture that dosen't have alpha? =p
Yuriko Muromachi: my textures depend on the design whether or not it will have an alpha
A. Customer: the lollita ones are just a small alpha at the bottom for a frilly look, not really necessary
Yuriko Muromachi: as for the existing designs, no I won't be altering them in anyway. I might in the future make non-alpha based prim skirts, but like I mentioned previously, that will depend highly on the design
A. Customer: why not, it's not like it's dificult =/
Yuriko Muromachi: pardon me, but why are you so insistent? :/ I've already mentioned my reasons why
A. Customer: wow, you're kinda harsh, it was just a simple request that'd of cost you like 10L, 0.0
A. Customer: I still don't see what the problem is, but okie
Yuriko Muromachi: First: you were asking regarding my alpha textures, not on any request regarding an outfit. And I have given you my reasons, repeatedly. :(
Yuriko Muromachi: you made no mention of any request, if you did I would have mentioned that I'm currently not taking any requests right now
A. Customer: doesn't sound very valid though =P
A. Customer: and I've mentioned the lollita dresses like 5 times =p
A. Customer: it's not really a 'request' persay, it's like a alteration that would take 30 seconds
A. Customer: you just flatten the image and reupload it x.x
Yuriko Muromachi: how about "no, I'm not taking any alteration requests right now"
A. Customer: well, sooooorry
A. Customer: sorry miss, stuck up, gosh
Yuriko Muromachi: look, you have been a constant, aggravation, I kept telling you I won't be doing alteration and I gave you my reasons. >:(
A. Customer: which are? cause you don't want to?
A. Customer: you're not making changes to existing things?
A. Customer: or you just think you're better than me and don't like wasting time =/
Yuriko Muromachi: Because it's supposed to BE on alpha, the glitch is not something I can fix
A. Customer: it's not 'suppose' to
A. Customer: you just want it to be
A. Customer: you can have a solid at the bottom, it would hardly look that diferent
A. Customer: and it wouldn't glitch, so it'd look better
A. Customer: I'm not some random noob, I've made skirts before
Yuriko Muromachi: don't you think I haven't tried that out already? :/ I don't like how it came out so I stuck to alpha
A. Customer: it's like a milimeter of alpha, lol
A. Customer: but, in any case, I apologize and won't bother you anymore
Yuriko Muromachi: thank you

*presses Mute and goes back to work rushing on a store and wondering why I have to deal with this shit just as I woke up*
----

Some people REALLY have the nerve. "Stuck up?" Excuse me, I ask her politely why she's being insistent (makulet) even when I told her no through gritted teeth trying to be civil (I will be the first to admit I am an introvert, I can be civil and polite but friendly is limited to people I like...like friends). Hell, I don't even have to explain why, or even justify what I did. A no is a no. Period.

Had she asked me to customize an outfit, which she never mentioned directly and I was not going to assume anything, she would have gotten the standard: "I'm sorry I'm not accepting any custom requests or alterations at this time," but I doubt that would have stopped her from being a pest.

Maybe she's going with: "Maybe if I can pester designer enough times she'll cave and do what I want!"

And before anyone thinks that I'm making this up, I took a screenie of the conversation because I'm anal that way. Blame it on my two year stint as a GM handling in-game enforcement.

Pfft. With an annoying attitude like that it's no wonder her profile says "Lonely."

----------

On the plus side, the store is almost done I'll probably do the bridge sometime later when I make one more gown. I'll be transferring my main store to Caledon Victoria City very soon. I'll maintain my lot #1 in Historical Caledon, for well..historical purposes. It'll be converted into a hospice and a small tailoring shop at the back. :3

I'll be needing volunteers and builders for this one but thanks to Neo the script god, I already have the consumable script sent for hubby's medicines. Medicines will be roughly priced at 10L. I'm hoping to find more volunteers for it though. It's a roleplay hospital--no, there won't be any of sexual roleplay or guro shit, so don't ask don't expect. I'll be honest to say that I don't just accept people who play doctor, call me prude, but somehow a simple background profile check that shows that they do sexual hospital roleplay is a big no-no to me.

This is Caledon and I'd rather have someone not shock my neighbors when they go into naughty nurse mode.

There are tentative plans to make a HUD for health and diseases, but that's under Neo's jurisdiction and not mine so it's all up in the air. Can's script worth squat anyways. :D

That's all for now, hopefully I'll be able to post another update fairly soon. :3

Sweets for My Sweets

2006-11-24T10:15:20Z

New Victorian gown up and I named it "Candy Candy". Yeah for those who remember some of the anime of the eighties, yes, I sort of based the name from a Japanese anime show. Another reason why I also named it was because that when I made the pink and red gown with chocolate ribbons, I was also instantly reminded of one of my favorite Meiji chocolate. I never knew the name but it was those tiny chocolate thingies in boxes. It was strawberry flavored chocolate and it was absolutely yummy~!

Candy Candy

This outfit comes with the following: Blouse, Skirt, Glitch pants, Prim Skirt

Candy Candy comes in three colors: Strawberry Choco, Refreshing Mint and Blueberry Kiss.

Skin: Light Tan - Pur by Kru Flan
Eyes: Babydoll Eyes Grrrey by Eeron Kilian
Hair: Model by ETD
Shoes: Eva Pumps by Jackal Ennui

----

Just a fair warning, I'm mildly cranky tonight. Yeah, it's my first day of that cursed thing we females have to go through every month. And woe on to you who decides to pester said beast.

Caffienated Mind

2006-11-18T17:38:00Z

The past few weeks for SL had been...interesting. Interesting is an understatement.

Price hikes for islands (and island tier) practically doubled which led to the mass panic buying of new islands, thoughtless commentary from a Linden Lab employee (that would turn any marketing or PR go pale and red in sheer apoplectic rage to read) regarding taxing people with huge inventories and uploads.

And then there was c0pyb0t.

I didn't notice it at first, clicking to connect before my screen loaded, spared me from seeing the blog. I never leave my house in Caledon, I was working, my timezone meant that 90% of my friends in my friend's list are off line. I then noticed a link regarding c0pyb0t in the front page of the client during mid-chat in YahooIM. Clicked it and saw the article on how the use of unauthorized copying using c0pyb0t or any third party copy software would be considered a bannable offense.

Okay. Cool.

Then I read the comments and noted the tones of rising mass hysteria. Going online, thankfully, I ran into Shai, who updated me on the situation, informed me about how all shops were closed, and even dragged me to a demonstration and lecture on how c0pyb0t works and what it can and can't do. Information is your greatest tool after all. Helpful friends during the lecture were passing me !quit spammers to put up in stores and homes, which I did (and so did like a lot of my neighbors).

Logging out I decided to amuse myself with making a new gown while browsing through fashion sites, arching an eyebrow at the demonstrations, witch hunts, "sky is falling!" comments and what not. Minutes later I get IMs from groups and random strangers with "encouraging" (please note the quotation marks) messages to close up my shop in support to against c0pyb0t, and the not-so-subtle "if you're not with us, you're against us" undertone was quite palpable.

I have one thing to say to you: Fuck you.

And to the guys who used the c0pyb0t exploit: Fuck you guys too.

I kept my shop open, life went on in SL even when tragedy and misfortune rears its ugly head. The spam was annoying and they were removed when we were informed that they were useless with the new c0pyb0t versions. Now, being open, a lot of huffy whiny people assume that I support c0pyb0t. Hardly. I'm not particularly happy with the c0pyb0t and even less happy on how libsl seemed to lack foresight and the common sense not to see this coming when they released that script for the public. Let's not even go to how they handled the situation after the public got wind of it.

High IQ does not necessarily socially adjustable people make. It's called EQ. Maybe Linden Labs should consider doing a test on Emotional Quotient when they hire people. It'll save you a lot of grief, trust me.

Anyway, I kept the shop open for a lot of reasons. One of which was my way of saying "Fuck you, you're not taking me down THAT easily." I'm Pinoy, damn you, not some spoiled first world guy.

Living in Asia, being partially Chinese, getting exposed to rudimentary business will teach you how to think on your feet. Especially in surviving in a country filled with pirates (and it's not the Jack Sparrow type), cracks (not the narcotic kind) and a government run by a mafia. I will not claim to be a business guru, or a tycoon but I know that I'm not afraid to use business guerrilla tactics (under certain limitations, like my morality which I assure you will not lead me to criminal behavior) and a type of brutality and moxy reserved for mergers and acquisitions managers (usually happening under the influence of much caffeine and sugar).

Plans were made under coffee and smokes (second hand, I don't smoke), in between kwento over who is the cutest/cattiest avie and promises of diving instructions (omfg), Shai and I talked about future plans for our own stores...promoting more Pinoy work, tips on surviving community pressure and of course the favorite topic: c0pyb0t.

A year more of less of GLintercept, c0pyb0t was hardly a surprise. Technology moves forward, things change, the one thing constant in life. Negative or positive, change is hardly welcomed. People are naturally resistant to it and this situation is no exception.

Analyzing the situation reveals that LL can't get rid of the item in everyone's inventory (and to a certain extent understand why--it's not that simple). LL already said they were doing this and that. And that's it. They had their reasons I'm sure, whether or not I agree with them is another thing.

I'm stuck in a situation, where alone I can't do anything much in terms of legality. IP rights are a "unknown" here. I'm not earning that much money in SL for a lawyer to even help us in this or even apply at all (I asked someone regarding the possibility of applying for a copywrite but was discouraged by a lawyer friend--will get second opinion soon). "DMCA? What's that?" is the common reaction of most government employee when asked.

In the end people like me usually have to depend on the community. An SL website that hosts a healthy traffic can easily disseminate information on the latest scams (a good example is Caveat Emptor) and those other websites with big enough balls, should not be afraid to post names on the "Wall of Shame" of people who infringe on other people's IP (I don't want to visit three forums just to see who's the latest freebie seller or texture stealer) and other examples (that I will not put up because it's 1am and I'm sleepy).

Community Powers is a double edged sword. It's a powerful weapon, wielded wisely can achieve things, abuse it...well shit hits the fan. And unfortunately, this would only work if the collective community would pick up the challenge (maybe, maybe not). Don't wait for SL to do something about if after several long posts of what they are going and not going to do regarding the situation, don't expect anything more. In fact, to be on the safe side, expect less.

I can't wait forever to LL or the SL community to act. I have my own plans, and adjustments to make on my own if I have to survive in this world both real and digital.

Don't worry, I feel no dread, well not anymore. Instead I'm a little giddy.. maybe it's the coffee or lack of sleep, but the game is getting a little more challenging for me. =3 And I aim to win it.

---------

Met the lovely Shai Delacroix last Friday.

The start did not bode well for our first meeting. It was payday Friday, on a midnight sale in preparation for Christmas shopping, and our meeting place was this hip open style fashion and lifestyle mall with enough bars on and around it to rival the alcohol content of a gasoline station a stone's throw away from my condo.

We had dinner at Teriyaki boy (yummy~!) at 9pm-ish, we both almost considered canceling due to the traffic, but found that meeting each other was worth it.

Shai is an awesome gal. Bubbly and energetic, we pretty much hit it off. We talked a lot: SL, FL, and then more SL. We had coffee at Figaro around 10pm-ish, talked about c0pyb0t, discussed options open for the both of us, when we realized how late it was and had to cut short our conversation. She had to go home and I had to sleep.

Like now. It's past 1am and I really need to sleep.

*falls flat on the keyboard and snores*

Brain Freeze

2006-11-09T07:09:20Z

Just another quickie update. I've finally finished my latest SL gown finally...creativity is hard to churn after everything that has happened and to say I'm not really satisfied with what came out...that and I had to have my PC reformated so much additional stress was dumped on moi.

Anyhoo, this is what came out so far. And no, I did not like how I did the shot here. I just updated my studio and I was trying to re-learn how to use it again. I'd take the shots over but I'm too tired to be redoing them so I'll stick with the dreary almost gothic lighting.

Lady Gambler

The outfit comes with the following: Jacket (and yes it is a lame attempt to make the Clubs on the back), Undershirt, Pantaloons, Skirt mesh, and prim skirt.

And comes in three colors: Purple Satin, Rusty Gold and Silver Dollar.

Modifiable/Transferable/No Copy versions are available in Caledon, Diloba, and SLExchange.

Skin: Light Tan - Pure skin by Kru Flan
Eyes: Babydoll Eyes Grrey by Eeron Kilian
Hair: Ginny by ETD
Shoes: Ankle Boots by Tasha Loveless

---

Mooneh, is now in Vietnam with her big break. I'm so happy for that girl and I hope to God that she succeeds there. For more info on what Mooneh is going through click here:

It was so sudden, we never even got to that overnight stay or that swimming I promised her. :( She's my second close friend who has just left the country for greener pastures. Our insane Reek the Geek has gone to Canada quite suddenly last week and now Mooneh has just left...yesterday. Well you guys better take care and do keep in touch goddamn it. :D

Just a quick update

2006-11-03T07:13:08Z

Just to inform people I'm still alive.

I just had to deal a lot of things right now, the funeral, the mountain of paperwork, legal matters, the works. Plus I just recently transplanted my hard drive for a second hand new PC. I lost all my bookmarks, programs and whatnot. :(

On a side note, I just checked my transanction page in SL and found out something that made me smile.

{Click Here}

I know it sounds shallow, but to have someone like her grace my humble shop is an honor. I just hope she liked her purchase. :)

Anyway, I'll be back later tonight for a longer update. Hopefully if I get back early from my dad's company party. :)

...

2006-10-16T00:08:43Z

My mother has passed away as of 3:00pm, Sunday October 15, 2006.

She will be laid to rest on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 3:00pm at the Manila Memorial, Sucat. In the time being the wake will bet in Funeraria Paz, Sucat.

It hurts to think that I've lost a mother, but at least I know her suffering has at the least ended. She is now in peace with the Lord.

A Message to My SL Friends and Customers

2006-10-10T13:00:14Z

A message for those who have no access to my locked entries:

My mother is suffering from cancer. She has been diagnosed four years ago of Breast Cancer which has mestatetized to her lungs. She is now stage four lung cancer.

She was rushed to the hospital as of October 6, 2006 after a series of seizure attacks. She is currently confined in the hospital and heavily sedated. The doctor's verdict was very clear.

I will be spending a great majority of time with her until the inevitable. My mother was a great part of my life...both in RL and SL and I want to spend as much time as I can with her.

This means that I will be in a hiatus of sorts from SL. There won't be any new product releases at least not as frequently, neither am I in sound mind to deal with customer inquiries or 'mistaken' purchases until further notice. The times I am online will be mostly spent with close friends to de-stress and have some quiet time and even to pay rent.

I will return to SL again, that much is certain. Things are going to be painful, stressful for the next few days for all of us here so please understand if I don't reply or behave differently.

I hope you all understand.

Thank you.