Reflection: Death is Like Thief in the Night

I'm back in my home, lying on my bed, trying to comprehend what just happened.

I still remember about two weeks ago, at about 4 am, when the phone rang and I felt a queasy jolt in my stomach. My husband answered the phone and I could hear my mom sobbing and telling us that our dear dad had just passed away. "Oh God," I said to myself. It's the call I've never wanted to receive. I remember letting out a cry of denial and pain. I didn't know what to do or where to go. I wanted to just hug my papa's remains and whisper in his ear how much I loved him but I can't because I'm thousand of miles away.

We immediately proceeded to pack and get a flight to Manila. In the plane, tears continued to roll gently on my face. I remembered the airplane flights we took as a family to trips abroad and how he would assure us that we have nothing to fear when there was turbulence because he would protect us. I looked out the window and it was all darkness and stillness. I wondered whether my papa was out there in the cold dark abyss with no one to care for him? I drowned my sadness by sleeping.

I was awakened by the serving of brunch. But I didn't have any appetite. After our meal, I looked out the window again. It was dusk - the sky was softly lit with muted tints of early sunrise reminding me of rebirth. Then the sun slowly inched its way in the sky, rendering the soft, billowy clouds with a majestic glow of warm hues, this time reminding me of new hope.

Somehow my papa was consoling me to not despair because he is in paradise - the ethereal backdrop of the resplendent skies was nothing compared to where he is right now. A faint smile grazed my face at that sweet notion.

I saw my dad's casket for the first time and there laid his lifeless body with eyes serenely shut. I used to be afraid of dead bodies, but I didn't have any fear when I gazed upon my papa's resting countenance. He had a peaceful look in his face with an enigmatic Monalisa-like smile which seemed to remind us that he has been freed of his worldly cares and has gone to a better place. Papa looked majestic in his intricately sewn native barong shirt. He was holding rosaries and prayer cards on both hands.

I couldn't help but continue to sob and cry at the same time. I wanted papa to hear my regret that I was not able to say good-bye to him. Most of all, I wanted him to know how much I loved, cared, and respected him. I slowly lifted a portion of the transparent sheath covering our dear papa. I was not afraid - I lovingly put my palm on his chest, to physically bid him good-bye for the last time, even if it was a little too late. I wanted him to breathe and show life even for a moment, to acknowledge my presence. It was wishful thinking that perhaps he was only sleeping and resting because his medications made him weak. But this time there was no sign of life ever coming back, even of life faintly fighting back, just as dad did for so long.

Paper Crafts' Gallery Idol Contest Musings by a Newbie

paper craft's gallery idol contest was fashioned after the current american idol contest. so i was thinking, in accordance with the spirit of AI, maybe only newbies or amateurs should have participated. would have been nice to have this contest as a venue to discover budding artists, just as AI, its "progenitor" designed its show to be.

don't get me wrong and hope the pro finalists don't get offended. there were many talented artists and i've tremendously benefited from seeing various styles. but being a "cyberpaperchic," i'm very techie and subscribe to many blogs and online shops (altho i'm a newbie myself) and found out that many of them are designer team members, published, hall-of-famers, and even do this for a living! now that doesn't seem like a leveled playing field.

okay my motto is, don't just be a part of the problem, but the solution as well. so here are my 2-cents worth of suggestions, if you would indulge me:

1. have a gallery idol contest for amateurs and have expert practitioners in the contest's moderating panel who are charged with giving feedback to finalists on what the former liked about the finalists' creations and what can be improved upon;
2. have another contest for pros only which will have a more challenging format; maybe readers/amateurs could have a side contest to suggest challenges - e.g. design a card with a $2 budget or something;
3. make it mandatory for contestants, esp. the pros, to post all materials and basic steps - we're here to learn from their expertise;
4. what about contests that pair a newbie with a pro? i mean a newbie puts the project together, but the pro/mentor provides ideas/constructive criticisms.
   
   i think if the industry leaders or entrepreneurs want to halt the decline and stagnation of this industry (have you heard of ch 11 bankruptcy filings of major companies who did not anticipate the market's analogous dot.com boom bust?), opportunities for collaboration, sharing of passion, technique/style improvement should be afforded by them. personally, i don't want to see this industry go bust - why? just like the stock market analogy i've alluded to, yours truly has made significant investments in scrapbooking stocks (aka stashes) and i'd like to get some ROI (return on investment) by making sure products i like don't get discontinued, my fellow "paper passionistas" don't dwindle so i can find more scrap buddies who will nurture my passion, and maybe get something published at least within 10 years (lol! we all can dream)...of course, my most significant ROI is the keepsake i have created for my posterity which will long endure after i'm gone.
   
   what do you guys think? would like to hear from both newbies and pros! ok, nuff of my didactic rumbles. can u tell i was a teacher/principal before?

CKC April 07 Mesa Round-Up

Convention Stash and Goodies!

some of my loot during this trip. love those kits; love those flowers! my poor baby dog, tiffany, does not know where to go with such an obstacle course! what a mess!

Oh Where, Oh Where Should I Put Them? Craft Room

Here's a picture of one of my organizer armoire which is begging me, "No more goodies, please! We're overcrowded here!" As if that's a problem for me???? As you can see from above, it ain't always this clean and organized. It's creative chaos.

Convention Recap: Raves, Rants, Tips

Had a fun time at the CKC Mesa convention last week. It was my first CK convention. Here are some highlights and comments.

1. Vendor Exhibits:

a. Rave: I felt like a kid running amuck in a candy store! Gosh, the stores were filled with new and awesome goodies. Made a serious dent in my retirement funds ... yikes, still don't know how to tell my DH what happened. Maybe something like "A Papercraft witch overtook me and made me do things I didn't like such as buying all the Technique Tuesday chipboard set!" Do you think that will work? Other suggestions?

b. Rant: The lines for paying were way too long and wasted precious convention time for us. People were getting grumpy. Vendors should invest in scanners to make transaction paying faster. Or open more cashier lanes. Or have cashier savvy staff man the payment lines. This was VERY frustrating! ... Bad news for stampers - CKC didn't have much goodies in this department which is disappointing. Even Rusty Pickle hardly had distressing inks available. Why the discrimination for stampers, CKC? I'd like to see varied inks (pigments, chalks, vintage), Tim Holtz distressing inks, daubers, sponges, pearlescent chalks, etc!

c. Tip: After lunch seems to be a lull time in shopping. So sched your shopping within this time.

d. Rave: Good freebies from some stores. CKC offered online coupons.

e. Tip: Look at the online coupons for discounts and freebies. Arrive early for the early bird freebies. Mark the zones where these vendors will be. Attend the Thursday night pre-convention classes such as mini-album class, pre-crop night. The vendors give freebie coupons.

f. Rant: Some stores were grumpy when customers traded their freebie coupons. Tough! They offered this and I was determined to get all my well-deserved freebies!

g. Trends: Kits galore abounded. Shop around and compare. Now you're no longer wedded to a year of monthly kit purchases. Some allow you to only purchase 3 months out of 6 months contract, such as "Heart Strings" Company. Canvas, frames, chipboards, glitter, home decor extensions, clear stamps, flowers in all colors and sizes are the rage.

2. Classes:

a. Rave: Varied classes were offered by companies and usually reflected their styles. I liked Technique Tuesday's stamp classes, Lickety Lick, Lil davis, SEI, Rusty Pickle, Heart Strings, etc ... Papercraft classes were the best. I especially liked Wendy Johnson's swap card class. learned new techniques. I took the Thursday album class. The album inserts were all coordinated to match together. It was good class because we finished an album at the end of the night. It's not high end designer album pages, except for some like Technique Tuesday's, but still okay for fast crop ideas.

b. Tip: Make sure you have the basic supplies listed in the class info - I didn't bring distressing inks because I wanted to buy supplies there, but the stores were not open on Thursday night. Hey, CKC, why not sell stuff on Thursday nights as well? ... Everyone seemed to be carrying the crop open tote bag. That seemed handy for the classes. Check out the skill level and coordinate your style with the style of vendors ...well sometimes, expanding your comfort level helps also.

c. Rant: I participated in the swap card. But I was disappointed when some traded with me haphazardly made cards and I felt it was not fair to trade with them because I put so much effort in mine. But then they zoom to you when they see your well-made cards, it's awkward to say no to them! ... Vendors/Demonstrators - make sure your materials match your instructions! It's confusing when there are last minute changes in materials that demonstrators don't know. Have pictures of end product or 3 main steps so advanced people can work on their own pace. CKC - invest in high end projectors that do not look washed out with lights on. Images were projected onto the screen but it strained our eyes because we couldn't see the images well. Better still, get 3d projectors so your steps can be projected to the class as you go along!

3. Crop Nights:

a. Rave: I met some awesome ladies - we called ourselves the Scrappin Divas - Robyn 1, Robyn 2, Liz, and Val - you guys are the best! Had a blast with our cheerleading competition led by the only guy scrapper in the room - my son, Michael (there, you know how valuable early training can be!) Keep posted for more info and hilarious pics on this Cheer Night! ... Cool prizes and raffles. Thanks, sponsors! ... The "room service" while you crop offered by Marriot in the ballroom was kewl! Nice waiters also. Lastly, the massage service was a hit! We need more of this. Have a massage chair available also throughout the sessions.

b. Rant: The light in the ballroom was not adequate. I'm quite young (yeah, right) and don't really wear glasses and was squinting, so what more for the oldies? Hey, CKC - why not have a crop night contest as an incentive for the croppers to stay behind and get a well-deserved prize, not just via raffle. What about a tool section/table to test new supplies or use supplies we forgot from home. They had this at the Scrapbook Expo and it was very helpful.

c. Tip: Attend the Saturday night crop send-off. Why? Willing vendors give deep discounts on their goodies! Also, stay behind a little later - there was a mass get what you can table give-away. Good thing my son came and hustled his way along to get my good freebies. Thanks, Mike!

That's all for now. Keep posted and your comments are very much appreciated.