firefly wings

semper

2008-10-01T01:26:00.003+08:00

stand still

through all of our searchings
through the edge of the veil
mountain's twin shall never be lost

i stand by you still

durante dolor

2008-09-19T02:31:00.013+08:00

while the pain lasts
you will be with me

the torment of memories
i shall endure

than be empty of you

the dusk arrives

2008-09-03T16:43:00.008+08:00

i have not totally abandoned my blog, but lately the only thing i can seem to do is designing skins for friendster.

dusk skin
preview
get code

Just Another Friendster Skin

2008-04-05T22:19:00.011+08:00

Have been so busy with my writing assignments that I have not been able to post anything lately. I'll make it up as soon as I grab some breathing space. Anyway, I am posting my newest friendster skin which I am currently using on my profile.

Please feel free to use it, or check out my other skins as well. I would appreciate if you can let me know so I can check your profile and invite you as well.

sparrow skin
preview
get code

image by vasilisa

The Legend of the Starry Night

2008-03-23T12:43:00.013+08:00

Vincent was a man who lived in shadows.
But through the pain and darkness that enshrouded him,
his heart only saw the sky.

I have always been drawn to Van Gogh. At first I only knew him from the song, but something about him called to me. At an age when I was too young to fully appreciate his story, I found in Vincent a kindred spirit. His sadness spoke to the restless in mine, and I found solace in his song and works of art.

Only later did I found out the truth about his tragic life. The judgment and rejection he suffered, the sense of failure he struggled with, his journey to the edge of sanity, the endless fall from grace, the death by his own hands.

Starry Night, Van Gogh's masterpiece, was painted from the depths of his suffering. While imprisoned in an asylum, Van Gogh painted the night sky as he saw it through the bars of his prison window: a darkness awash with magnificent colors.

Van Gogh's Starry Night is hope captured. In his darkness, he kept his colors alive. His was the hope that overcomes the shadows. His was a spirit that shatters the dark. By his life we are reminded that through the many chains that bind us in fear and blindness, we can choose to hope for brighter skies.

May our lives be like the Starry Night.
That through the darkness, we can see life with a thousand light.

Of Awards & Rewards

2008-03-18T21:47:00.002+08:00

KCee gave these blog awards to me. Thanks girl, they have certainly made my day.

I am passing these on to Jeng, Rogue, and Mel in the hopes that it brightens up their day as well.

Van Gogh's Portrait

2008-03-11T17:47:00.040+08:00

This is not Pi.

This is a portrait of Van Gogh.

Van Gogh is the shy matriarch and the true workhorse. I actually have two computers at home, and Van Gogh is the desktop pc. Truth be told, I have never used Pi that often, especially for work. The claustrophobic in me feels suffocated when using a laptop.

Van Gogh is almost ten years old. For computers, that is old; ancient even. At her heyday, she was top of the line. Alas, as is the fate of all technological devices, Van Gogh has fallen by the wayside and is now almost obsolete.

But for me, she will always be relevant.

Van Gogh taught me a lot of things. Through her, I was directed by fate to the work@home life. And even now, she continues to open new online opportunities for me.

It was Van Gogh who uncovered my fascination for customization. I have never placed anything on her desktop. I enjoy, no, I'm obsessed with tweaking icons and visual styles. I do not just use any icon sets or themes, instead I use IconPackager to change every single visible icon in the system. It is painstaking work to manually change it this way, but I am just OC like that.

Van Gogh's canvas is a 19" widescreen samsung LCD bought last year. She still has xp, but we use a visual style from deviantart to emulate vista's black taskbars and pearl start buttons. Van Gogh's taskbar icons are the programs I use most often for my home-based gigs. Her current wallpaper is Tequila Sunrise by Richard Mohler. Of course I also use Starry Night. haha!

My work requires me to be online all the time, browsing and doing research. Opera is my browser of choice. I discovered it with Van Gogh almost a decade ago, and have been loyal to it ever since. Opera's magic wand is unparalleled, saving all my login information so I don't have to type it every time. Opera first introduced tabbed browsing which has brought multi-tasking to a whole new level. You can open multiple websites and keep your taskbar clean for other programs. While we take that for granted nowadays, some years ago it was a miracle.

Van Gogh has helped me found things that I have lost or forgotten. I have found new ways of channeling my old, creative energies. I have found dear friends from tender youth. I have found some sense of control over a life that can sometimes careen off tracks.

Oh the many places I have been...Van Gogh has taken me to journeys beyond imagining.

Van Gogh is showing her age, and I know that the time will come that I will have to replace her... But she will never be truly gone from me.

Indeed magic is to be found in the most unexpected of places; in the most mundane of things that we oft take for granted.

That's why it's magic in the first place.

And Van Gogh is one such magical thing.

Tag: Get to Know Me

2008-03-04T15:30:00.019+08:00

During the height of my work@home frenzy, there were a couple of tags that I missed out on because I was just too ~~lazy~~ busy. Needless to say, I lost many blog friends because of my lack of blog social skills. Well I have been recently inspired again to at least make semi-regular posts because a dear old friend has just recently made her entry to the blogging world. I am posting this because of her.

Thanks Jeng for the tag. I don't feel so alone anymore... I hope I can hook up with some of your blogger friends as well.

Today I feel very — Lazy, but duty calls. As always.
I enjoy - Spending carefree time with my loved ones. I also relish my time alone which is very rare. Travel, both actual and mental.
I am unhappy when — I feel helpless against the cruel realties of life.
I feel good when — I do good. Doing good feels good. And such is true with any undertaking.
I wish my boss — What boss?! I am my own boss. Proud work@homie in the house.
My officemates think — I'm aloof and quiet, which is true. Anyways I never really worked in an office long enough for co-workers to know me.
My work area is — Cluttered, just like my mind. I have given up on organizing with two toddlers all over me. Although I am bent on creating a work space that is more relaxing and one that will allow me to be more productive under less time.
I enjoy reading about — I am a book perve. Anything for a good read! Although lately, it's the discovery of a good book that thrills me more.
I like myself best when — I make a breakthrough, for myself and for others.
If I had a choice I would — Just like Jeng, I would like to be a plain housewife. I wish i can afford to stop working, but I cannot. My sense of responsibility is just too strong. Besides, it feels better to spend money you have worked for. I am not one to just wait to be given spending money; no way. But if i had a chance, I would like to be a professional cook and web developer, and earn just by blogging about food, culture, and travel.
I wish — I can give joy back to my aging parents and that they will live long enough to see better days for all of us. I wish I would stop worrying about the future because as I can vouch from experience, it does have a way of working itself out. I wish I will never get sick again. I wish to make endless memories with robert and our daughters. I wish that dreams would find a way out of dreamland.
Tomorrow I would like to — Wake up to find a better day, better than all the ones that went before. And rise to the sun with faith and resolve to see through the day.

I am not tagging anyone. Just feel free to tag yourself and let me know so I can read yours.

fill in the blanks

2008-02-27T22:00:00.002+08:00

I breathe
In the infinite spaces of darkness
Unechoed songs of a silent heart
I am of unrevealed shadows and secrets
Of quiet snow
And silent stars
I seek
The quiet moments of remembrance
The secret sorrow of regret
I hear
The secret lives of rain
Here
In my silent
Tearless pain

my happy ever after

2008-02-14T15:30:00.025+08:00

When we were younger ~~and thinner~~, we all dreamed of someday meeting our Prince Charming. We had in our all-too-naive heads idealized versions of a man who would sweep us off our feet, ride us off into the horizon, and take us to the land of happy-ever-after. End of story.

At least that was the version I had in all my fairy tale books.

Prince Charming must be really tired by now. Imagine being responsible for taking us all to our happy-ever-afters. We were made to believe that there was just no other way to get there, not if we walked all our days to the ends of the earth.

There is a tragic flaw in this fairy tale. Happy-ever-after is not some destination that we arrive at after some trip. True love stories have no end, only constant beginnings and adventures. Happy-every-after is a never ending journey fraught with tensions and sacrifices, discoveries and rewards.

True vows are not made on altars for show; instead they are made anew every secret moment when we choose to stay. In the silence of tears, true love stories are never ended.

I have staked my claim on my happy-ever-after with a man who is not Prince Charming, but whose love for me is patient and abiding, and an ever wonderful surprise.

I have decided to walk all my days to the ends of the earth with Robert. His hand in mine, mine in his. Come what may.

This is my Happy-Ever-After.

And everyday we make our fairy tales come true.

Linky Love Tags

2008-02-02T15:44:00.001+08:00

Here are two tags that build links...

TAG 1
A tag from KCee. Let us all help each other out by doing each and everyone a little favor... Building our Technorati ranks and probably our Google page rank! How? By doing this tag! I am making this not only to build up my own blog, but of course, to build up yours as well! So tag along...

This is the Links Around The World Tag.

Instruction:

> Place your link after the list. If you have more than 1 blog, feel free to add them all here!

> After placing your blogs, you must tag 5 or more bloggers that is not yet in the list, this is to keep the ball rolling.

> Here is the best part: Make sure to update your list every now and then, by getting the master list here. I'll be updating the master list every day, or as soon as I see a new blog that's been added to the list.

Links around the world tag

Now please link:

Jeng, Morinn, Nora, and Lisa.

Note: Please click on View or Ctrl+U, to view the page source. After which, you can copy the links here for easy posting.

TAG 2
Rules: Cut and paste starting here. I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral Linking: One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!

The Strategist Notebook, Link Addiction, Ardour of the Heart, When Life Becomes a Book, The Malaysian Life, Yogatta.com, What goes under the sun,Roshidan’s Cyber Station, Sasha says, Arts of Physics, And the legend lives, My View, My Life, A Simple Life, Juliana RW, The Callalily Space, Petra Summer in Blue, Confessions of an Army Wife Bless’ Sanctuary Happy Life, Living @ Evergreen State, La Place de Cherie, Chez Francine, Le bric a brac de Cherie, Little Peanut, Pea in a Pod, The Creative In Me, Me and Mine, Pinay Mommy, Expressions from the Heart, TeacherJulie, Sweetbites by Bang, Paul, Toni and Lance - Bridging the Distance, Our Growing Family, The Uncensored life of me, My Untamed World, Something Purple, A Detour, Something Purple, Wifespeaks, Changing Lanes,Bits and Pieces , Life Together Starts , A Housewife's Journal, Joey M.D., The Working Mom, Online Raket, Idle in Makati, JengSpeaks, Firefly Wings, work@homies, theblogbuddha,

I am tagging morinn, but anyone's free to hitch a ride.

For Adsense Compliance

2008-01-05T20:39:00.008+08:00

At fireflywings.net, I hold in utmost respect my visitors' right to privacy of personal information. I do not sell your personal information to third parties, or use your private information for anything other than what is disclosed herewith.

The following is a disclosure on the types of personal information I receive and collect when you use visit my site, fireflywings.net, and how I use and safeguard such information.

Log Files

As with most other websites, I collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you use to visit my site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited my site and which pages you have been to.

Cookies and Web Beacons

My site uses cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit blog. This could include a pop-up that appears once during your visit or the login access to some of my features, such as posting comments and joining forums.

I also use third party advertisements on fireflywings.net to support the site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing Philippine-based to a visitor from the Philippines, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).

You can choose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However this can affect the level of interaction that you can get from my site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as forums or accounts.

You can always visit my site assured that your privacy is in safe hands.

skins: the spring series

2007-12-20T17:44:00.002+08:00

bloom

friendster

preview

multiply 1
multiply 2
preview

instructions for multiply:
> use avlack theme (important!)
> customize css
> copy-paste code

sakura
friendster
preview

multiply
preview

get more by clicking on the skins cloud .

let's multiply!

2007-12-19T10:07:00.003+08:00

my newfound escape. see you there!

www.fireflywings.net

2007-12-09T16:11:00.002+08:00

my own domain, ladies and gentlemen.

i think it's auspicious, the name. wings and nets seem to go together for some reason...

now if i could only bring myself to post regularly. arrghh...

PayPal Goes Pinoy

2007-10-07T21:51:00.001+08:00

Good news for all work-at-homies out there like me. Finally, PayPal has come to their senses and has allowed the sending of money to PayPal Philippine accounts. Indeed this is welcome news, and will open up entire new worlds of online opportunities for Filipinos. I remember having been passed up for several online gigs because my PayPal account cannot accept money. The lost opportunities cannot be salvaged, but I look forward to new ones.

I believe that PayPal's recent move is a direct acknowledgment of the huge potential of Filipinos to become a major player in the online marketplace. I hope that more Pinoys stake their claim and find their place in the wonderful world of the web.

Most businesses prefer PayPal because it is safe and reliable, and it offers a high level of privacy to both sender and receiver. The only information that you need to provide your is your email and you should be good to go.

Get your free paypal account here.

A Piece of Pi

2007-09-26T22:38:00.007+08:00

Presenting Pi, my computer. If not for her, I would not be able to work at home and be a hands-on mama to my two daughters. I spend more time with her than I do with anything else.

The least I could do is give her a moment in the sun.

For as long as I have been using the computer, I have never placed anything on my desktop because I think it's a travesty to the wallpaper. I hide the icons for a seamless vista. I usually change images on a monthly basis, rotating between new and old favorites. For high resolution wallpapers, you cannot go wrong with Interfacelift and DeviantArt.

I do not use any anti-virus, anti-spyware thingies because based on experience, they are always one step ahead anyway. I feel it's a waste of pc resources to defend against them. But when I do get infected, I clean up by using an online virus tool and do manual repair (regedit, sysinternals, hijackthis, etc.) There is great fulfillment in being able to get inside my pc and fix her with my own hands. And the fact that I am not a techie makes it even more satisfying. Fortunately since using Vista, I have not had any problems yet.

The icons on the bottom right are power, wifi, and volume indicators. The ones on the left are CC cleaner, IE7, opera, firefox, word, and the recycle bin. I use opera for most of my surfing, but I use firefox for posting in blogger. Anything I cannot do with either, then I use IE.

I am proud of Pi and I hope she feels the same way.

Go ahead Pi, take a bow.

Thanks to the laidback buddhist for this tag.

2007-09-25T21:42:00.002+08:00

my uncle passed away some days ago... the only uncle i was ever close to. i need time to mourn the loss.

september 19: today in time

2007-09-19T11:34:00.001+08:00

1928
Mickey Mouse's screen debut. The movie was entitled Steamboat Willie and was first shown at Colony Theater in New York City to an enthusiastic audience.

Eighty years hence, Mickey Mouse has undergone many changes. From the naughty, almost violent character of Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse is now known for his gentle and kind ways. This defined the direction for Walt Disney as a company, one which was geared towards wholesome family entertainment.

Find a reason to celebrate today.

september 18

2007-09-17T22:03:00.005+08:00

Today my mother is 59 years old. For more than thirty years, she has tirelessly attended to our needs, to the exclusion of her own. Now that we are all grown-up, Mama is now devoting her energy to my own two daughters. She has no dreams left, apart from the ones she has for us.

What's it like, Mama, to dream dreams that are not yours?

Always, when it comes to you, words never fail to fail me. My heart is choked with gratitude and love, and I am humbled by your devotion and sacrifice. I pray that I will be given the chance to give you the life you never had. I wish for you a day of rest, where you can be free from the duties you have so willingly surrendered your life to.

As tribute to my mother, I am starting "celebrate today" in my blog. Everyday I am posting notable and positive events in history to remind us that every new day is a fresh start at pursuing old dreams and making new ones.

Someone, somewhere is celebrating today.

Today, September 18

1851

The first edition of The New York Daily Times was published. This paper would later become The New York Times, the biggest and most respected newspaper in the world today.

The paper is published in New York City and is distributed internationally. The New York Times is lovingly called the "Gray Lady" for its austere appearance. The paper has established a reputation as one of the most reliable and authoritative source for news. For its journalistic credibility, the newspaper has won 95 Pulitzer Prizes, far more than any other newspaper.

More than 150 years since it was first published, The New York Times continues to shape modern history by deciding the news that matter.

Find a reason to celebrate today.

friendster skins

2007-09-15T23:48:00.003+08:00

well its saturday, but it's my blog... so here are more friendster skins.

strip (interfacelift)
preview
get code

diamond (eosdev)
preview
get code

grass (interfacelift)
preview
get code

for instructions on how to install the skins, please refer to my friendster friday post.

friendster friday

2007-09-14T20:15:00.002+08:00

I have always enjoyed customizing my profiles in networking sites, spending hours to get that wallpaper and color combination just right. Some of my friends have even asked me to design a skin for them. So rather than have the codes sit on my pc to be deleted one day, I have decided to post some of the skins that i have made here.That way, they may be of some use to someone somewhere.

Every now and then i will be posting new designs free for anyone to use. So if you want to have unique a skin, indulge yourself and spread the word.

INSTRUCTIONS:

choose the friendster skin that you like
click on the "get code" link
copy-paste the entire code (overwrite any existing code) on this area of your customize my profile page:

save and enjoy!

NOTE: if you have problems installing the skin, please let me know.

FRIENDSTER SKINS (SET 1):

for this set, i am using images from eosdev and deviant art. images are original unless stated otherwise.

bangle (eosdev)
preview
get code

archangel (deviantart)
preview
get code

musician (deviantart)
preview
get code

celestial (eosdev)
preview
get code

puppet (deviantart)
preview
get code

FRIENDSTER ME !

water colors

2007-09-13T14:20:00.003+08:00

i have always loved the rain.

the heavens come down to kiss the earth.

that is why i never bring an umbrella.
never have. never will.
even in the strongest of storms.

who am i to deny the sky its free fall?

so let it fall. let the heavens cry.

and dance
as you find
in every drop of rain,

a piece of sun.

fences make good blogs

2007-09-12T22:12:00.003+08:00

I finally figured it out.

For the past couple of days I have been suffering from a debilitating blogger's block. And it's not that I have nothing to say, I just did not know what to write about; or if I did, I did not know how to start.

I have always been a procrastinator. While some may see it as a character flaw, it is something that I have been able to use time and again to my advantage. Cramming has always been my thing. Oh I have tried so many times to accomplish my tasks early, but nothing comes out of me until the last minute. My mind when in panic is awash with ideas, churning and fermenting into a creative mass that takes a life of its own. This is the reason why i have always been able to meet my deadlines as a free-lance writer. The sense of of urgency focuses my mind to the task at hand, and I am able to deliver. Well, at least for my clients.

My thoughts when left unfenced are just a tangled mass of unlimited possibilities.

Beautiful and utterly devoid of meaning.

I need some structure to rein in my unbridled thoughts.

I need a sense of limitation.

It is ironic that while i love the editorial freedom of blogs, it is precisely this freedom that makes me lose control over my own creative process. As a result, my ideas go off into all directions all at once and I cannot write a single coherent paragraph.

So I am going off to make some fences; some framework to direct the flow of my writing. A schedule perhaps or a pattern. I am still figuring it out.

This is the vision I have in mind...

Wish me luck.

silent scream

2007-09-12T14:50:00.004+08:00

it's been awfully still around here lately.
i don't know if anyone's even noticed...

not because it's quiet in my soul.
but because i am drowing in too much noise.