30 Days of Dogs - Planning and Day 1/30

I started this 30-day challenge after watching Mr. Tom Froese's "Drawing is Important" class on Skillshare. 

These are my tools that I'll be usinv:

And here's my first drawing:

I will be focusing more on drawing in black and white for 30 days. After that, I'll start planning my next 30-day exercises of studying colors using Procreate.

Check out my Dog drawings for the next 29 days! See ya!

A Collection of Haikus

I have written five Haikus in just one day. It was the most productive thing I've done in months. And I'm super proud of myself.

I've experimented by asking five strangers to swap postcards with me. I've written each card a haiku. I gave myself a deadline and here are the results.

Haiku #1

Pleasant break of dawn

The sunlight touches my face

Greets me good morning

Haiku #2

I hate the spotlight

But I want you to see me

It's complicated

Haiku #3

Tulips are in bloom

A bouquet will make her smile

I'm glad we've met

Haiku #4

It would be a dream

To be accidentally

Locked in a bookstore

Haiku #5

Do you like lemons?

I made a sweet juice out of them

Life gave them to me

How to Write a Haiku

Haiku involves writing three lines with certain number of syllables each line. Usually, writers follow the 5-7-5 syllable pattern. As for the topic, you can't just throw in random words. It doesn't have to rhyme either. The most common topics are about nature, seasons, holidays and feelings. You can venture out of topics if you want. 

I have written an example below. 

5 - Hello Summertime

7 - Love the sweet mangoes you give

5 - Let's make a smoothie

The story behind this haiku? Currently, it's summertime here in the Philippines. During this time every year, my family travels north to Bacnotan, La Union. It's my dad's hometown during his youth. What I love about this place is the beach and my grandparents' farm. There's a lot of mango trees there. We get to harvest mangoes and bring two to three sacks of it to our home in the city. Unfortunately, we weren't able to visit since the start of the pandemic.

Anyway, here's a simple step-by-step process in writing a haiku:

1. Pick a topic. I chose a season.

2. Think of words that are related to each other. For me, it's "summer", "mangoes", and "smoothies"

3. Tell a story about it. Make sure to follow the 5-7-5 syllable pattern!

And there you have it!

Advice for the Young People

I originally found this at Reddit. It's very nice :)


People who are 40+ and happy with their life, what is your advice to people in their 20s?

1. Everyone is focused on themselves to care too much about their opinion of you. So fuck what they think.
2. Social media si only an illusion.
3. Zero debt is an amazing feeling. Think twice before dropping that down payment on that fully loaded 2020 dream mobile that offers nothing but looks and depreciates value quickly.
4. Falling out of love is perhaps more powerful than falling in love.
5. Use up ALL of your vacation time / sick at work.
6. Don't lose sight of the hobbies you enjoyed as a child. They will help you live as you grow older.
7. Family is not necessarily blood, but instead who you would bleed for.
8. There are just as much benefits to being a night owl as there are being an early bird.
9. Forgive yourself first before forgiving others.
10. Do not be a doormat in submission, but hold the door open in kindness.

PhilPost Rates and Postage Stamps for Penpalling

Here are the official rates by PHLPost. 

Postcards (written and stamped) can be sent:

• anywhere in the Philippines for a flat rate of 12 Pesos
• anywhere in the world for a flat rate of 15 Pesos

PhilPost says that once they stamped Ordinary Mail, they just shoot them all in the mail bin and it's ready for shipment in the next day. Your recipient will receive them in a few days.

Registered Mail comes with a tracking number that you can track online. It may take a few weeks or a month for it to be delivered because they it takes time to enter it in their system. Some people complain that it's no longer trackable once it leaves the country. The solution to that is.go to the postal website of the receiving country and track it there! 

If you have any other questions, I can try answering them in the comments below. 

Postage Stamps

Automatically, PhilPost will stamp your letters/postcards with metered stamps. See picture below.



If you want traditional postage stamps, say it ahead when you hand over your mail for weighing. The most common designs are the flowers. There are wider selections in select Post Offices. One is the Central Post Office in Manila.

You can also buy stamps from online shops like:
- Stampville (Facebook)
- Sellyo (Instagram and Facebook).

My Commitment to #The100DayProject [Day 1]

I want to become a better person.

Today, it's my first year to participate in #The100DayProject. I've done different 30-day challenges before. Most failed, some were successful. So, starting a 100-day project would very big for me.


I picked 4 projects to do for 100 days. 

#The100DayEarlyRiser

Usually, I wake up between 10:30 a.m. - 12 pm. For the first 30 days, I'm going to wake up at 9 a.m. The next 30 would be 8 a.m. And the remaining days would be 7 a.m. I'm not going to post my progress everyday but rather the result at the end of the challenge.

I've been unproductive, unhappy and cranky person. Anxiety hits me constantly. They say that waking up in the morning and do something relaxing can turn you the other around.

I woke up 9am this morning, made myself a hot cocoa and read a novel for half an hour. I think I'm starting to believe it. I felt.... great. 99 days more to wake up earlier.... Let's get it on!

#The100DayExercise

Just this morning, I went to to the store awhile where I usually do my groceries. The cashier told me that I gained a lot of weight. I was completely caught off guard by her remark. I replied with a chuckle, "Oh, is that so?" Now, I'm starting to be self-conscious... haha!

For the past couple of months, I've done nothing but work, eat, sleep, household chores and do a few hobbies.

I'll give myself an hour everyday doing stretching, cardio and planks each day. I'll be cutting down my coffee intake. I will be posting my progress about my body exercise or my early riser challenge online from time to time... not everyday. I'll just write about the end result. I'll include a before and after picture :).just

#The100DayWriting

I know I haven't been posting in my blog that often because of work and other life responsibilities. But I'm going to change my writing routine. I'm going to write just about anything for 100 days in any form until I find my niche. Tutorials, articles, reviews, journal, pen pal letters, love letters, poetry, short stories, etc. You can read the reason why I started to write in my "About Me" page.

Since today is the start of the 100-day project, this blog post is my first entry. Yay!!

My 100 day writing project is the only thing I can share with you guys online everyday.

#The100DaysOfCode

I'm out of touch in my programming skills. I get distracted easily from scrolling down my social media accounts and other entertainment platforms. I'll commit to 3 hours a day of straight coding.

Oh yeah!!

Hey, wish me luck! If you're joining the #The100DayProject. Come, jump right in! We can do this!

Staying committed 'til the end can be overwhelming. I hope we can get through this!

*Please excuse my writing is a bit suck-ish. I time myself with all my projects. And.... This is my first time in a long time to write again.

Let's Get Creative,

DAISY

DIY Leather Pen Case

This project was inspired by Brandhyze Stanley's tutorial. While I was making this, I just realized pencils won't fit - just my pens. I will make a longer case next time. But if you are really looking for a tutorial for a case for pencils, check out Bedroom Workshop's youtube video.

Supplies
◘ YKK Zipper
◘ Pattern (based on Brandbyze Stanley's pattern)
◘ Leather - I encourage to buy veg tan leather for a sturdy case. But here, I used a soft cowhide leather with PU leather as lining. It's the only one available for me at the moment.
◘ Cement Glue
◘ Blade (Rotary Cutter, X-acto Knife)
◘ Small Binders
◘ Diamond Chisel Hole Punch
◘ Hammer
◘ 2 sewing needles for leather
◘ Wax Thread

Instructions
1. Cut out your pattern.
2. Turn the leather backwards. Place the zipper in the middle and stick both sides of the leather onto the zipper with cement glue. Use binder clips to hold the dipper in place. Wait for it to dry for an hour or less.

3. Rip apart the zipper. Hammer holes with the diamond chisel and sew. Check this tutorial out on how to sew leather.

4. Attach the zipper handle. Sew and the sides of the pen case as shown below.

My stitches in this project were messy since it's my first time making one. I've been making coin purses for the past few months and they were easier for me to do.

How do you like (or dislike.. haha) my tutorial? I would appreciate to have your feedback. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask me in the comments section.


Let's Get Creative!
DAISY ♥