The Sunday Currently (vol. 2)

Before I dive into a crazy pool of work, here's the second of the series! :)

Currently

Reading
Jaqen H'ghar x Arya Stark fanfics from ff.net and archiveofourown.org. i'm kindof heavily shipping the pair right now. i don't care about their freaking age gap haha. i used to ship gay pairings long ago so this is sort of an improvement on my moral standard of things.

Writing
a couple of drafts about financial management and skincare. lol. when will i ever get to complete my writing assignments. urgh.

Listening
to the loud humming of the fan.

Thinking
how much of a dope i am for getting scammed on this download site. you see, i was able to successfully score a copy of this german film starring Tom Wlaschiha (read: Jaqen H'ghar). obvious problem was, i couldn't understand a thing. since it's romcom, i figured it wouldn't be too hard to do some guesswork to get what the movie's about. but still, i wanted to understand what Tom was saying. hearing him speak german got me super kilig though. i so love his voice. <3

anyway, i was out and about the interwebs looking for subs and i was getting really desperate cos there's simply none. until i viewed this download site with a seems-legit list of files i needed, but when i clicked the download link, a popup window reminded me that it's only for registered users. so sure, i registered. it's free anyway. but on my second download attempt i got a new reminder saying the file is available only for premium users. okay, premium. got it. what's a euro and a continuous weekly billing (unless cancelled) anyway. i'll pay, get my file, cancel the subscription, and continue swooning over Tom. :3

after paying for subscription i got back to the site and found that they have no available files for download. seven hells! i also realized i paid premium for a different site (www.streamdo.sk), not the one hosting downloads. i'm freaking offering this site to the red god!!! and to make matters worse, i couldn't find where i could cancel my subscription, feeling they made it so such that they could leech more money from dopes like me.

anyway, as if i'd leave it that way. i was able to cancel my subscription via www.2co.com (the scammer's payment processor). so beware of this site even if it seems like your only hope: www.downburg.com. i can't believe how they can stomach a scammy business model.

oh, i haven't mentioned the movie, it's called "Mann Kann Frau Erst Recht" and it google-translates to "Man Woman Can Certainly". yes. certainly. haha

Smelling
the new curtains' ugly textile scent. urgh.

Wishing
i had more free time to waste

Wearing
shorts and a milo marathon singlet

Loving
my boyfriend more than ever. he's leaving for India early May for some work assignment and will be gone for 6 weeks. sepanx much. i'm really excited for him cos he's having it nice and steady with his career. i'm feeling sad though cos we won't be able to see each other for a while but oh well. there's skype naman. hehe my saturdays will be considerably free-er without him though just in time cos classes are starting soon! haha why do i sound like an undergrad.

there's also something i want to do while he's gone... ano, mag workout! HAHAHA i'm imagining some 6-week transformation program so that when he's back i'm fitter na! woooh! lololol

also, i'm really getting crazy over Tom Wlaschiha, i asked jeckie for permission to date the guy in the rare case i win a date with him under the utterly remote chance that there's even a contest with that kind of prize! he said no and i tried to bargain saying if he won a date with Emma Watson, i would allow him! still no though. he only agreed if he could join too, and that Tom will be the third wheel like whaaaat. T____T

aaaargh, seriously, it's not like it's going to brew into something serious you know! all these celebrities granting dinner dates with their fans are just out there for publicity. like reaaally. is Tom even dating? i'd like to know plz.

oh boy. i love my boyfriend but aaargh Jaqen.

Wanting
that Merida Big Seven 20 still, or any small framed mountain bike with hydraulic brakes that can be adorned in red or white or both.

Needing
some time alone with the Lord (of light. chos). i feel like my spiritual journey is at a stall. and all the inspiration i get from the church, the ministry, and VGmates are short lived. :(

Feeling
pressured over the tons of pages i still have to work on. lol. XD

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hm, that's it! how was your week so far? :D

Si Aiyah at ang Magic ng mga Bituin

the mommy-author launching her book <3

I've been meaning to blog about my latest completed children's book project, after making sure it's really finished haha, So here it is! The book is meant to be given away as souvenirs for my client's daughter's christening, and also for distribution for an outreach program they're conducting this June. :)

Being part of this project is a humbling experience. I wanted it to turn out as beautiful as i can because it's very special to the client. 

one of my favorites <3

I struggled a lot with that drawing you know! But it also turned out to be one of my favorite illustrations for this project. I almost wanted to replace it with a simpler version, but decided against it because this is the best one I drafted for this particular page. also because I suck at human posture that i wanted to challenge myself. lol Thank you google for helping me out!

happy family <3

The entire project took a month to finish, with me having to work on pencil drafts over the weekdays, and digitizing them during weekends. I made a total of 11 illustrations for this. :)

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If you're interested in my illustrations, I'm open for commissioned work! Feel free to inquire using the Contact form or drop me a line at hello@theblahger.com. I do illustrations and layout design, and could work on children's books, yearbooks, posters, flyers, invitations, etc. :) I have a portfolio over at behance too! :D

[Mad Crush] Jaqen H'ghar of Game of Thrones (complete scenes)

A very mysterious and recurring (thankfully!) character from Game of Thrones, Jaqen H'ghar (played by Tom Wlaschiha) was introduced into the story during the second episode of season 2 (The Night Lands). He was a prisoner from the dungeons of King's Landing recruited by Yoren to join The Night's Watch. En route to The Wall, he became friends with Arya Stark when she helped him (and 2 others) escape as they came against the Lannister forces.

Here are his noted appearances from Season 2, and finally Season 5. Yes, the man is back. I also included the minutes and duration of his scenes, just to be more specific. oh, and you know you have a copy! ;)

Season 2

Episode 2 - The Night Lands (02:19 - 03:32)
Episode 3 - What is Dead may never Die (48:35 - 49:07)
Episode 5 - The Ghost of Harrenhal (22:39 - 25:16 ; 52:11 - 52:50)
Episode 6 - The Old Gods and the New (38:13 - 38:48)
Episode 8 - The Prince of Winterfell (24:40 - 26:58)
Episode 10 - Valar Morghulis (36:40 - 39:37)

Season 5

Episode 2 - The House of Black and White (45:13 - 46:10)
Episode 3 - The High Sparrow (02:30 - 4:38 ; 29:02 - 29:46 ; 32:10 - 33:00)

... will update this as the series goes on

Mad Crush

A man is too hot

was supposed to rave more about him (or Tom Wlaschiha) but naaaah, will just keep the hormones to myself (and google images). when was the last time i had a maddening crush on someone?! and so a girl shall welcome the feeling with glee. <3

Who's your biggest GoT crush?

The Sunday Currently (vol. 1)

i decided to start this series of Sunday Currently posts as an alternative to life-lately-s and my-week-in-photos because the former doesn't really have a proper format, and the latter i can't sustain cos i suck at taking pictures. i see a lot of bloggers doing this too and it's fun reading about their lives without having to go through a brand placement! hehe

btw, do i have to be tagged to do this? cos i'm tagging myself now hahaha

ETA (May 1, 2015): uhhh, do i have to credit who invented this thing? cos i'm tamad to research. tag me maybe :) 

Currently

Reading

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, which was shortly interrupted by 4 leaked episodes of Game of Thrones, which i regret watching because it's such a huge cliffy, and now i have to wait a month for the 5th episode. why didn't i think of this earlier? argh.

Writing

this update, and my Jaqen H'gar post! HAHA as for pending stuff, tons as usual. a blogger never really runs out of backlogs, no?

Listening

to some retro lovin' from the radio

Thinking

about how to go about the many pages i have to design for this current gig i'm working on. i'm so happy and blessed i got recommended for another project right after i finished the last one. hopefully i never run out of opportunities. i need to save up for my tuition fee! <3

Smelling

nothing. uhm, it's really humid though but it doesn't smell like anything in particular in this part of our house (dining).

Wishing

that my mom would snap out of her paranoia about microwaves. she bought one last friday because she was thrilled about the microwaved mug cake i made recently. but now she kept the appliance hidden in its box cos she got scared of the negative effects it will have on us in the long run. this household needs a lot of counseling from mythbusters. 

Wearing

some tattered shirt and holed shorts. typical home clothes.

Loving

Jaqen H'gar. madly at that. i'm actually drafting an entire post for him. you just wait. haha

Wanting

to save for a bike (a small white-red Merida Big Seven 20 PLEASE!) and my tuition fee still. hehe

Needing

another bath. it's just so freaking hot. XD  also, i need to recommit myself to my daily devotions. :)

Feeling

relieved and cool about life, finally (which is rare cos i never run out of things to whine about esp my work haha). after a long chikahan slash VG-turned-one2one with grace yesterday, i realized that i shouldn't be taking myself too seriously knowing that i tend to be overemotional about things. but that's not really what we talked about HAHA, it just dawned on me while we were talking to each other.

how's your sunday? :)

[Quick Test] Sony DSC-QX10

i came to Sony earlier to try out their DSC-QX10, an attachable lens-style camera that you can pair with your smartphone via wifi or NFC.

i've always wanted to try my hands on photography but didn't want to indulge on another gadget since my Z1 Compact pretty much has the aptitude for quality photographs. however, i wanted something that could come at par with entry-level DSLR's, which is compact and affordable at the very least. so when i learned about this attachable lens thing, i promised to test it out one day (after downloading Sony PlayMemories)... and today is that day!

anyway, here's a list of features (complete specs here), followed by my non-technical quick-test experience... cos i really just want to try it hahaha:

• Sony G Lens with 10x optical zoom
• 18.2MP EXMOR R CMOS image sensor
• BIONZ image processing engine
• Optical steadyshot
• NFC and Wi-Fi
• Bundled smartphone attachment

What i liked:

it's compact and semi-affordable if you didn't want to buy an actual DSLR. it retails at Php 10,999.00 and could be cheaper in online stores hehe. now, i wouldn't really say it's that affordable because i haven't any basis on how much normal DSLRs are haha

it has a rechargeable and removeable battery. you can hook it to a usb plug, or to a powerbank. :) it also has a microSD slot for storage. photos may be saved on the phone or on the lens' memory card, wherever you want. useful if you're just borrowing a phone and didn't want to eat its memory. hehe

the pictures are nice, sharp, and has excellent zoom quality. it also has a better auto-focus. here are samples i took from the miniature village at the showroom:

i'm really no photographer so i appreciate how it came out nicely, and better than what i took from my own smartphone which sports a 20MP camera: 

i find that my phone's captures are more exposed, and badly angled (but that's on me lololol)

What I didn't like

On speed

IT LAGS and that's a major major concern. it can become very frustrating specially when you're up for some candid shots. it lags when you zoom hard, and when you pan it across the room. THAT SUCKS RIGHT? the sales attendant told me it's due to wifi interference from the many PlayMemories-managed devices in the room. but i was skeptic. what if i wanted to buy everything in the room? or i'm in some PlayMemories club and we decided to shoot together? then we'll blow each other's receptions then? it can't. it can't be just that. haha 

On device pairing

pairing to a device over wifi is easy, you just have to supply a password (stickered on the battery flap) when your device detects it, then you're good to go.

pairing over NFC though, is easier! you just have to turn on the NFC on your phone and touch it with the lens, and voila! PlayMemories will launch and you're ready to go! near fields communication babyyyy! <3

but of course, i put this under the "What i didn't like" section, so here's the sad thing. I HAD TO REMOVE MY PHONE CASE for the NFC pairing to work. and that sucks. T___T; apparently, the case hinders my phone's NFC-ness huhu. i failed to validate if that was just a pairing issue though, i mean if i removed the case, pair it, then put it back again. that scenario. hehe

So, will I buy it?

Uhm nope. i was sold with the quality of photos but the lags are a huge letdown. :(