Sunday, January 1, 2012

As 2012 begins, I remember 2011. All the happy and all the crap, too.

The New Year…

From my little spot in the universe, it currently sounds like World War 3 but that’s just the fireworks, the pot-banging, and the home-made canons from the outside. Right now I would say that people all over the country are making merry, stuffing themselves and getting happily drunk. Our household, however, is pretty mellow. No big celebration, really. Just us together as a family, welcoming the New Year with prayer, though I mostly joined in to indulge the parents. What is important is that we are together as 2012 came and that’s all that matters.

As 2012 is a chapter in my life that has yet to be fully written, I’m taking this time to remember 2011. It’s highs and lows. The exemplary and the mundane.

2011 was the year I graduated, and I proudly say that graduated on time. However 2011 was also the year I realized that I may have chosen wrong for my collegiate career. I was an IT student and hating it. But also came the realization that I was not limited by what I chose to pursue in college, that I could make something different of myself, college be damned. And so I did. I stuck through the last months of college life and I came out determined to make the most of what I’ve experienced in the four years I was under my alma mater’s wing.

2011 was the year I let go of someone I should’ve long ago. In the end, you have to love yourself enough to know what’s best for you. I came out a little bit stronger and a little more wary of love. Yeah. 2011 was the year I said fuck off to him.

2011 was the year I took the 2009 Bar Exam. This was our Politics and Governance class. 6 hours of hell. Our professor’s way of fucking with us. My brain was just mush by the end of it all. Fuck that.

2011 was the year l lost a friend. He didn’t die. The friendship was just unmendable. Period.

2011 was the year that almost saw the end of a friendship. Almost. Thank God it didn’t.

2011 was the year I got back to writing. Actually writing creatively. You could say that 2011 was the year the inspiration came back.

2011 was the year I landed my first job. Granted I didn’t give much of an effort in job-hunting. The whole thing was sort of handed to me. One call and I started the very next day. But my job now has opened a door I want to pursue; a career I believe I can make something of myself. I’ll have to work hard but you always do when you want something bad enough.


2011 was the year I became obsessed with tea. And tea related stuff. Like having a teapot. Like having the right teapot for me. I still haven't found that teapot. 

2011 was the year I turned 21. I became a legal bitch. Can you see my shit-eating grin?


2011 was the year I got Farrelly, my camera. My constant companion in time-freezing the events of my life.

2011 was the year I came to understand my sexuality. :]

And finally…

2011 was the year I started The Purple Madhouse. Going strong with blogging. The Purple Madhouse has given me a creative outlet that I value so much. More to come for 2012. :]

Happy 2012

Thursday, December 29, 2011

The New Madhouse from the one with the Mad Skills

For those who some how wound up in this part of the bloggersphere and for some undefinable reason decided to keep tabs on my posts, you may notice the new layout.

All the props go to Ms. Tin, web designer extraordinaire. Hey, it may seem simple to you but it means a lot to me.

So this is a shout out to you Ate Tin. Many, many thanks for making mg blog look good and purple and wonderland-y.

Check out her blogs, too and witness her mad skills.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Music for the Movie of My Life


This is something I thought would be fun to do. For the past year I've been hanging around a social site and I've been inspired by so many things for it. I thought this was quite funny so I decided to do it, too - on the site and here in my blog as well.

So here's what you have to do: put your music player on shuffle and every song that comes up will be the soundtrack to the movie of you life.

OPENING CREDITS

My Boy Builds Coffins 
Florence + The Machine
Lungs

WAKING UP

Misery Business 
(Unplugged Version)
Paramore
MTV Unplugged
FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

Tore My Heart
Oona and David Tweedie
Shhhhout EP
FALLING IN LOVE


Candyman

Christina Aguilera
Back to Basics
FIGHT SONG
Hot Blooded
Foreigner
Hot Blooded and Other Hits
BREAKING UP

Hollaback Girl
Gwen Stefani
Love Angel Music Baby
LIFE'S OKAY

This Love
Maroon 5
Songs About Jane
The songs sort of make sense to me. The way I would write the script of my life movie, purely based on the song choices, would go like this: 

My movie starts out miserable, having broken up with someone recently. We can relate the songs Misery Business (which is basically a song about a boyfriend-stealing skank) and Tore My Heart (I think the title says it all). 

Then as the story progresses I fall in love again but Candyman would not be the first song I'd pick as the song I'd fall in love too. Perhaps my love interest is in fact a candy man who works in a candy store. I don't know, really. I just wouldn't pick that song. It's not even in my top 20.

I'm not even going to explain how Hot Blooded can be a fight song. At the most, all I can think of is angry sex. My mind is kind of in the gutter right now.

Of course, there is the inevitable break up. But I'm cool. I am a strong, independent woman. I am a BAMF. I don't need someone to complete me. Insert Hollaback Girl in scene.

This Love is actually appropriate for Life's Okay scene of my movie. I'm taking a stand in this last part of the movie and choosing not to give in and go back to a relationship gone south, after all this love has taken it's toll on me. 

This whole post has been an exercise of my creative mind, though my life is not like this "movie" in any way. I was merely letting the songs write the script for me, if that makes any sense. If I did write a movie about my life, it wouldn't go like what the songs dictated. 

I encourage everyone to try this little thing, even just the part with the songs. You don't have to write how your life movie will go but if you want to, go right ahead. Write an actually script if you want. Just let the creativity shine through. :]

Friday, December 9, 2011

In which I discover I am pretty handsy

I have discovered that I enjoy being crafty with my hands. Something about working and creating something hand-made makes me feel all accomplished-like and oddly peaceful.

Before, creativity with my hands was limited to pen, paper, and the stories or poems I dream up but now I have branched out to other creative, albeit more tedious, but nonetheless fun work. 

I plan on doing more artsy, crafty projects and I see the need to have an Artsy Kit for my tools and materials. It's important to have tool kit of some sorts for these kinds of things. Keeps everything all organized and you tend to not end up like a chicken with its head cut off while running around looking for stuff you need.

Here are two projects I am currently working on:

One is what's called Yarn Letters which I found on this lovely site, jenloveskev.com.

It may look simple enough but it does involve a lot of work and time depending on the words you want to form. Since I'm doing something Christmas themed, I decided to do "Happy Christmas." 

Yup. 14 letters. I've only just formed the "Happy" section and it took me a day just to form the letters out of cardboard and lots of tape.

If click through the link where I got this litter project, you'll see all the materials needed as well as instructions, so go check it out. Like I said, it's simple but it just takes time, so be patient while working on it and you're sure to love the end result.

I've also started on my Purple Desk Project in which I repaint my desk with my favorite color. I'm doing all the works - sanding, painting on primer, the actual painting. But it seems the weather isn't inclined to let me continue with the project. Cold weather isn't exactly your friend when your doing a paint job. The ideal color I want for the desk is more along the shades of plum and turns out I actually have to have this color mixed because there is no available ready color from any of the paint brands we have here. To give you an idea of what Plum looks like here are some sample images from art-paints.com and your reliable Google search engine:


With work as a web writer, I don't get much time to do my projects until the weekend but hopefully I'll be able to get half-way through the Yarn Letters this weekend and once the weather lets up I'll be able to start putting primer on my desk drawers.

Lastly, I encourage all of you out there (if anybody ever reads this blog) to pursue creative endeavours. It keeps you stress-free which keeps you happy, and when you're happy, I think you live longer.


“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing,
taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, 
and having fun."
- Mary Lou Cook