Bottled Sky

Have you ever seen a doghouse on stilts? Our dogs, TJ and Oreo, have one. My mom designed it to look like a bahay kubo, a traditional Filipino bamboo hut that’s usually elevated a couple of feet off the ground. Why? Well, our dogs seem to prefer it over normal, flush-to-the-ground doghouses.

It all started when TJ was a puppy. He was the most rambunctious little fur ball. As adorable as he was, sometimes he just got in the way. He’d scamper around our feet when we carried stuff, the heavier the load, the more persistent the scampering. He’d steal ingredients from the kitchen while my mom cooked. Once he stole a raw potato, hunkered down with the spud in between his front paws and proceeded to peel it with his little teeth—I guess he was trying to help For the family’s health and sanity we started enforcing timeouts. Whenever we needed some peace we would place him on top of a particularly high coffee table in the living room.

He became so accustomed to being on higher ground that when we built him a normal doghouse, he rarely used it. Just last month, we finally had that old doghouse renovated and put on stilts to suit TJ’s affinity for elevated spaces.

Now even Oreo loves hanging out in their little house on stilts. They’ve actually dug a Labrador-shaped crater under it, so when one of them is occupying the “second-floor,” the other can take advantage of the shade underneath. It’s the cutest thing, I swear! I tried to get a picture of them in the doghouse, but they jump down to greet me every time they see me approach. So until I acquire some paparazzi-style zoom lenses, I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it

Hey, all! I’ve opened my own Cafepress store, and this is my official pimp-my-shop post. Seriously, though, please check it out. I’ve used a few of my illustrations to design T-shirts, kids wear, hoodies, coffee mugs, greeting cards… even underwear hehe! If you’re a regular visitor here, you’ll probably recognize some of the designs, like Stargazer, Dreamer, and Sleepyhead, from my previous layouts and my portfolio. My personal favorites are the Naughty Girl tee, the Little Ninja hoodie, the Stargazer wall clock, the Dreamer mug, and the Naughty Girl thong. Check them out (and, if you have purchasing power, hopefully buy something)

Continue reading Let’s Talk Shop »

All throughout my teenage years, I was the one with the “cool” parents. I never had to ask permission to go anywhere. My friends had to beg just to be allowed to go to the mall; I could simply inform my parents that I was going on a week-long vacation to some province a few hours before I’m scheduled to leave. While most of my classmates at CSA had to be driven everywhere, I was free to go as I pleased via public transportation. I’ve also had a credit card since I was thirteen.

Yet there was more to my folks’ parenting style than being able to do whatever I wanted. Somehow they still managed to instill a sense of accountability in me. Even without being told, I knew well enough not to abuse my plastic and to never leave without telling them where I was going. Their parenting style may have been unorthodox, but except for the chronic laziness, I’d say I turned out okay.

I was actually teasing them the other day that they should publish a book on parenting just for the amusement of seeing how people would react to their more interesting techniques:

• They encouraged my inner artist to draw on our walls–with washable markers.
• Mom taught me how to climb up my bookcase a la Spider-Man when I was a toddler, so I wouldn’t have to ask for help to get things from high shelves.
• They also taught me to drink at the age of five. They’d take me to office cocktail parties after school, where I’d drink Boone’s Farm in my CSA uniform. By age twelve I had moved on to vodka tonics. I’d drink about four glasses every time my family would bar-hop to hear local rock bands perform. I got my first hangover when I was eight, and since I know how to handle my alcohol, I haven’t had any hangovers since.
• Mom was afraid I wouldn’t obey her orders to stay away from the stove while she was cooking, so to teach me the concept of “hot” she dipped my finger in a mug of hot water. I’d say the lesson worked marvelously–up to now, I still can’t cook to save my life.
• In another “successful lesson,” they helped me understand electricity better by threatening to stick my finger in an electrical socket. I guess I was doomed to suck at electronics and communications engineering right from the start.

And here’s a more recent example of their unique brand of parenting. A couple of years ago I had an evening class, and one afternoon I was heading out to UP to attend said class wearing a very low-cut top and low-hanging jeans. Cue concerned mother.

Mom: You shouldn’t wear sexy clothing on Fridays, because you get home so late. Maybe you should change.

Me: But there’s a cute guy in my Friday class.

Mom: Oh, why didn’t you say so earlier?! In that case, just walk really fast when you’re out on the streets. Have fun!

Yes, I can see it now. “Just Walk Really Fast: Parenting that Works in the Real World.” It’ll be right up there in all the bestseller lists along with “I’ll Think of a Title Later: The Procrastinator’s Guide to Never Getting Anything Done.”

On a totally unrelated topic, check out these photos of my ridiculously handsome dogs, Oreo and TJ. You can click for a larger view.

My muse is a bitch with a wicked sense of humor. Why else would she have visited me just as I was about to go to bed at midnight after a hectic week? She was probably laughing her ass off as I — desperately fighting sleep — drew, scanned, edited, and coded like a maniac until the sun rose. She does that all the time, making me itch to do something totally unrelated to schoolwork at the worst possible moments (like whenever I’m rushing to meet a deadline).

But I still like her. I just wish she’d develop better timing. Haha. So anyway, check out the result of inspiration’s latest horrendously-timed visit, Skylight version 15 entitled “Hitchhiker.”

…and presenting the cutest puppies in the galaxy. On the count of three say, “Awwwww!” then click on their furry little faces for more photos.

This week has been quite interesting so far, at least for me. I got to try a lot of new things, including riding a bike (I never learned as a kid) and getting a big ol’ shot in my thigh. Here’s a rundown of my week:

Continue reading Of Bikes and Bites »