Micahrealist

  Hoka. Trilogy Run Asia National Finals at SM Moa Complex A few days ago, I finished my 10km run in the HOKA Trilogy Run Asia National Finals. The event was held in Manila, which served as the epic culmination after finishing the three (3) races conducted this year. It was my first experience to participate in TRA, and I'm glad that I did it despite having second thoughts. Flying to Manila just for a running event seemed to be a luxury for me as a non-athlete, obviously because I just did it for experience and not to become a podium runner. But at that moment, I wanted to see a new perspective outside my comfort zone so then I decided to join and feel the moment. And indeed, it is true that even if we don't need to spend a lot to become healthy, there is always a "race day magic" whenever we join annual events. For those who don't know, HOKA Trilogy Run Asia (formerly known as "Runrio Trilogy"), was a multi-destination running event founded by Rio dela ...

  I’m not so proud of this but… it’s been a while since my last work! I’m suffering with art block again. :( In short, I became unproductive with my page. I literally have nothing to post online.  Well, I did some little practice with acrylics and pet pawtraits but did not feel any progress at all. My realism level was still the same (according to me—my worst critic!) and my patience gradually decreasing. Can somebody relate???! Anyway, my coping mechanism for now is by doing small steps. And take note, I only do this during rest days when there is no internet connection or when I’m bored. Even if there is no feeling of motivation. I’ve been making clip arts , I know it’s not as easy as 1-2-3  but I think that would be useful as digital products in my shop. And besides, clip arts don’t require background, so I only focus on the object drawn! Another thing is digital doodles . I noticed that a lot of clients demand for cartoon-style portraits and chibi’s (…which I personal...

  There was once a client who commissioned me thru Facebook. He requested for desserts and botanical illustrations, to make patterns for phone wallpapers. After accepting the task, I started by drawing them traditionally with my watercolors. It took me long to finish all ten (10) figures for I was working full-time at the pharmacy. Fortunately, he seemed to be satisfied with my illustrations because there was no revision at all. I continued by scanning all of these figures in 300dpi, and utilized the jpeg/jpg files to make patterns on the computer. This part, for me, was the most tricky but enjoyable. I never thought making patterns like these can be fun haha :D (Pattern sample 1) (Pattern sample 2) When I showed to him the final output, he immediately approved without any revisions. (quite surprised but thank you Lord!) So far, it was the smoothest transaction that I have among my art  commissions this year. I hoped he really liked it huhuhu :3 After that experience , I reali...

  Mandatory photo with the iconic Sydney Opera House Hey mate! What's up? Months ago, I had my very first trip to Australia and it seemed to be the most courageous thing that I did this year after processing my visa.  At first, I was having second thoughts because of fear , and I didn't even have relatives from that country, specifically in Sydney, New South Wales. The longest flight that I experienced was only 4hours (SG to KL and KL to Manila flight), and I was so sure that everything in Australia was expensive, but at the back of my mind I wanted to visit another continent and experience autumn season. Having granted with a  multiple-entry tourist visa was already a blessing for me, so I took the courage to pack my things and face my fears even without a travel buddy. After the 9-hour long flight, I felt relieved that we arrived safely and I was amazed with this place. Everything was so clean, organized, and I didn't even feel the traffic outside. To be honest, the v...

 Hi there! I know it's a long overdue post. Actually I took a break online because I needed to focus on my personal life. Honestly, I feel better when I don't use my social media a lot as I felt the need for more grounding. I know that it is a useful tool for business enthusiasts but there are also factors behind that could contribute to mindless scrolling. Good thing that I've found a post from Davao Art Collective page and, immediately, I applied to participate again for the artist alley! The event was called "Lit Days, Lit Nights". It was a 2-day celebration for Literature and book lovers. I think it suited me more than the Pop Culture Mania because I like the simpler, realistic illustrations than anime and manga at this age. Well, I used to be an anime fanatic when I was young, but that was very long time ago. XD So, how did I prepare for it? I didn't have any recent artworks to show, so I just utilized the food and flower illustrations that I already have...

  Running, it sounds like an easy and inexpensive sport. You only need a good pair of shoes and go out, they say.. I observed that a lot of people join fun run as some organizers conduct such events in the cities. I used to join a 3km fun run before when I was in Uni, but I didn't appreciate it that much. I had this self-limiting belief as a slow runner. I was never good in running, in SPORT rather! But somehow, I think, this era is a good time for me to learn something. All I have to do is find a good pair of runners, and wear comfortable clothes. Then I tried to register in some running events, to see if I would like to take it seriously as a hobby in the future. It wasn't easy to look for a companion though, because some of my friends and co-workers were too tired to run on kilometers unless if they will participate for free.  One big running event that sparked interest in me was the HOKA Trilogy Run Asia. It is a running series that challenges its participants with three(3...

Strawberries! They don't exist in my hometown T_T      I believe that sometimes, people go on vacations  not just to have fun but also for mental therapy. I had a friend who is single and a breadwinner in their household. As the eldest child or first-born daughter in their family, she takes a lot of responsibilities and works hard to help all of her younger siblings which is very common in Filipino families .  So, whenever there is an opportunity, she would always go to beautiful beaches and wear nice outfits as if she’s creating the best version of herself and make good memories of it. She admit that she is doing it to make herself feel better, to enjoy life sometimes, despite all the problems that she is facing financially and emotionally.       I'm not a first-born daughter, but I can totally relate to this coping mechanism because I often feel lonely when away from loved ones. I don't see myself lucky when looking for a partner, because i...

 Hi! How was your Chinese New Year? I saw a lot of food vlogs from Manila Chinatown and it made me curious. You know, I would love to explore new places and try their cuisine. So visiting Manila Chinatown won't be complete without food trip! Yum! It was just a quick little trip before my departure back to Davao. I had few hours left to explore so I researched beforehand the foods that I wanted to try. According to Wikipedia, "Binondo" is a district of Manila referred to as the city's Chinatown. It is an old  district where businesses by Filipino-Chinese families flourished. Also, it is known as the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594.  One of the interesting spots to visit in Binondo is the Ongpin street. There are a lot of restaurants, food stalls, and tea houses that serve authentic Chinese cuisine for an affordable price, making it a gastronomic and cultural hotspot for tourists and content creators of this generation. I personally recommend these sp...

Delegates and Sir Frederick Epistola of Art Show Philippines \ I am delighted to share with you my experience in joining the 2nd National Art Convention by ASP held in Baguio City. It was a pleasure to expand network by meeting many art enthusiasts whom I only saw in social media platforms during the pandemic. Also, Baguio city-the summer capital of our country, was one of the beautiful places that tourists love to visit, so why not? The said convention was aimed to gather artists and cultural stakeholders from all over the Philippines, to showcase their talents, exchange ideas, promote awareness and appreciation of our culture and art. The theme of the second art convention was a celebration of creative diversity, which in my opinion, also helps to promote and preserve the beauty of culture by Filipinos of diverse backgrounds. Coming from our province where I live, it took me so much time and effort to travel to the Cordillera region but it was okay, anyway. I know that every good dea...

Happy New Year!!! What's your resolution for this year? By the way, I've been asking myself as an introvert... "Do I really need to have a lot of friends?" "Do I really need to be kind to everyone?" "Can I be successful with just small circle of friends?" "Is it worth spending my time and energy building connections?" "Am I wasting a lot of opportunities for being a private person?" As an introvert, I've been guilty of these thoughts when surrounded with a lot of people. I admit that my social battery is limited, so most of the time  I only interact with people when needed. But deep inside, somehow, I want my craft to be discovered. It's a bit contradictory when I prefer to keep my privacy but wants to gain validation from audience at the same time. XD I joined an online community and saw someone who had the same struggle as me. And turns out, most people recommend networking to be successful because they believe that ...