Slytherclaw Party! #14

I believe I was just settling down, coming home from the fireworks party out of town, when I got a notification from the DA app. "Seniority Announcement..."- what? Oh my, totally didn't expect I'd be on that list and get that curious, EXCLUSIVE badge!!

  

Thank you, thank you!  Feels like winning a contest I NEVER joined, ahaha..!!  

A mark? Maybe a little, since I was Jackie of all Contests lol, though nowadays I have virtually no time for them to focus on both client and personal MULTIPLE projects. Notable traits? I guess, though aside from the sunshine there are also underwater volcanoes.

I do have been and am passionate about fun events, especially the HUNTS. But when you mention me bringing a positive attitude, awww.. Ima sooo flattered..! 

To whoever suggested my name + decided that I'm worthy, I'm grateful that they're focusing on my bright side vs the fiery, angry, judgmental one, thank you! Because seriously, I won't compromise myself for any trophy, so let's hope you wont regret yuor decision, heheh..

By the way, I checked the profile of the other current awardees for curiosity's sake, and found that all of them have been in DA for more than a decade even almost two, wow! While it's only been 5,5 years since I joined, so I'm the 'youngest' one, at least in this round. Feeling oh-so-special lmao, I mean look at this list below!

Apofiss - 17 years (respect!)

Kandy-Cube - 12 years

SlytherclawPadawan [c'est moi] - 6 years (about 5 years and a few months)

Isi-Daddy - 15 years

RHADS - 15 years

QuixoticApricot - 14 years

What a lovely surprise to start a year, it's awesome to be among those who are very likely waaay more deserving to be awarded, thank you! But it turned out to be a REALLY nice surprise when a DA admin / real senior officially noted me about the detailed advantages of getting in the club. Apparently, the badge isn't just a nice accessory to your avatar, but is also including all the CORE. PLUS. features (not just basic Core) all PERMANENTLY a.k.a. FOREVER for FRRREEEEE oh lawd dis pirate loves les TRESSSORRRSSS..!! 

That explains why I can keep the background in my profile skin and the whole customization options. And later when I checked, my sta.sh storage has been increased to 50 GB! That means I've cheated the system coz for some undisclosed reason I haven't been able to buy Core for a long time mwaaaaahahahahahahaa..... AAAOOHH MAAII GADDD this is like being gifted a cheat code to the GAME of LIFE itseeellfff..!!

SYSTEM IS HACKED (though by the generosity of the Universe, not 'really' me) OOPEN SESSSAMEEE GOD I LIVE FOR THIS MERETRICIOUS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TRULY WWAAAAHHOOOOOOO..!!

Now, feels like winning a LOTTERY, aaahahahahaaaa.. I winnn!

   

On storage, up to this point I've only used up very little of it, 49.8 GB is still available! How I'd looove to use it to write my expressive journals like the old days (storing all the pics and emotes) but that's the problem - with Eclipse in place now, it just can't be as expressive anymore, and the organizational functions are just terrible. Maybe that's because they intend to focus more on the visual art vs the other features. In that case, I guess I don't think the huge sta.sh capacity is going to be very useful soon unless I can find other ways to take advantage of it. 

Let's see what other golds are available in Core+.

Looks like another thing I can definitely use is the sub-gallery feature for my MANY, SCATTERED art, haha.. Though there are many more important backlogs than this account's gallery organization I need to prioritize.

And definitely would love to go crazy again with profile skin when I have the time!

Now, to conclude, thanks so much for your appreciation, dear Deviant Art! 'Dis smol time pirate cat artist iconoclast philosopher feels honored to be noticed by the dignitaries of what could be the oldest (a.k.a. most SENIOR) online art community in the world!! Thanks for not letting my occasional hot temper and my relatively short time here get in the way of awarding the club!

And of course, thanks so much to the fellow DA members who have been supporting each other beyond borders. Thanks so much specifically to the ones personally supporting me with their non-judgmental kindness - I know I don't have such a big heart like you all!

May the force be with ye all, and happy New Year once again!

 

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Slytherclaw Party! #13

Fantastic, meretricious, and happy New Year 2023!

Apparently, my country's government has finally decided to remove the social distancing policy (dang, absolutely LOVED that one!), even the mask rule as they're holding the New Year's Eve celebration parties at several spots at the heart of the capital. Sooo.. off I went to a big city where the most of the party was! (Don't want to give out my exact location coz don't really want yuo to stalk me, heheh..)

But determined to never lose my guard, I still wore it, only removed it occasionally when I was doing selfies. No, really, I'm taking Covid seriously because actually, the aftermath symptoms sound much more terrible: the Long Covid where you'd get brain fog, chronic fatigue, etc! 

Nuh-uh, even though I'm just visiting and still mentally-emotionally-blocked as I am for now, I still want to play this game, explore this planet as much as I can, fulfill my potentials as maxed out as I can, experience more of OPEN-SESAMES as much as my seeker soul can achieve!

Using Booking.com app, unexpectedly I easily found budget hotels near the firework attraction place, and I decided to pick what I thought offering the best value of money. Later, I found indeed it was! 

The room was tiny, but very much enough for me. The vibe was awesome, it has really gooood subtle luxurious aroma in the air (except for the bathroom, it could be close to waste pipes or something, but as long as the door is closed it's fine). Interior design was modern and cozy, loved the recessed lighting. They seem to have thought the whole design for the exterior, interior, hall, etc, so it's a great cozy vibe all the way, they even have a rooftop restaurant!! And probably the most significant feature: the hotel located pretty close to the attraction, only less than 1 km, truly a great value for money for LESS than USD $30 (really? less than $30 for such great experience? at this day and age just wha-..!)!!

By the way this was the first time I stayed in hotel SINCE FOREVER ah mai gaddd Ima feeling sooo rrrrriccchh thanks so much, thanks so much o' Universe...!!

Writing a few gratitude logs before going out.

I went out at about 10 o'clock p.m. Wow the crowd was real! I mean, considering the Covid situation, this was so back to 'normal'. Let's hope that nobody contracts the flu after this! But actually I totally forgot about it when I was there.. somehow my mind simply registered that "it has always been normal, nothing to be afraid of", and just fully focused on enjoying the fireworks despite the super dense crowd, waahooo..!!

Surprised myself that I managed to stand and walk that long (2-3 hours.. or 3-4?) - thanks so much for my PHYSICAL, and not to mention MENTAL HEALTH to enjoy all this I can't even..!!! (Maybe thanks to my twice-a-week walk of grocery shoppings, hehe..)

The fireworks were pretty standard, nothing really out of this world, I mean no complex designs / elaborate shows or such. In fact I think many fireworks were brought by the crowd themselves, likely only the later ones nearing the countdown (and sometime after) were 'official' from the government, but to me it's AMAZING nevertheless!

Time to go back.

Ugh.. this is what you got when you're taking the road less traveled - tried to get closer to the fireworks amidst the crowd.. didn't see that that was the non-asphalt part of the road. My newly bought jelly boots found their use right away!

Curiously I managed to get a good, albeit short, sleep. I guess no wonder coz the room's vibe was cozier than my home.

As morning came, I took the HOT shower, my another first time of such luxury since ages!! Ahhh.. mon dieu thanks so much, I'll always remember that beautiful, beautiful moment of 20-minute H.O.T. shower..!

Shoot.. time flies so fast, suddenly now it's afternoon and I had to leave the heavenly room. Just a few hours ago I was having a fireworks grand time surrounded by super cool skyscrapers, the charm of a modern metropolis at night at its highest! It got me thinking.. may write more about this someday. Welp, time to go back to my own messy castle out of this city that never sleeps (not that mine ever lol).

Bye bye, room!

Always remember to feed da kittehz along the way, coz yuo must love cats!

But looked like this smol bundle of furball couldn't eat solid food yet.. thank goodness I found a calico who could be its mom, hope my dry food will help her breastfeed the kitten. And happy to find her looks pretty fat and healthy, considering she + the kitten live in a train station!

All in all, it's an AAAHMAZING New Year weekend! Can't say how happy I am to stand here, in this personal milestone where I can stay in a hotel, watching the firework show alone (that's 1,000% how I LOVE it!), all safe and fun!! Enjoyed this OPEN SESAME moment IMMENSELY, thanks so much, thanks so much, thanks so much o' generous Universe always..!!

Thankfully this is not the end, as I'm now full-force INSPIRED to finally jump into much further travels after this, with travel restrictions getting lifted more and more + me now having enough doubloons and counting moar and moar (pirate is super grateful!!) + all the amazing modern convenience + discovering budget / reasonable open trips (didn't know such things exist until I bumped on a few Instagram ads lately) + etc etc!

OPEN SESSSAMEEE, ALOHOMORA world heeer I cooomee..!!

The world awaits!

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Slytherclaw’s Treasure Feature #13

I've been enamored with dark academia atmosphere lately (more than usual, coz thankfully now I've got the full space to put in all the decors!), and to get into it deeper I finally decided to do my most expensive book-shopping for the year: an original copy of The Secret History by Donna Tartt, with its classic edition cover seen everywhere on Pinterest for USD $13.5 lol!

At first, I tried looking for the e-version in Play Store, but then I realized that for this one I just have to have the hard copy coz now it's not just about acquiring knowledge, getting enlighted or just having fun mentally. This time I'm after the whole tactile pleasure of experiencing a book!

The major inspirations were the videos by R.C. Waldun, even though I wasn't actually intrigued by their content. I think it's his overall enthusiasm for learning - I can sense how I too can tap into that GENUINE PLEASURE in reading.

To read for reading's own sake. Like, to live for life's own sake.

The pure joy of EXPERIENCE!

Can't remember when was my last time savoring reading a book just for the fun of it vs just getting a specific knowledge or skimming the simplified essence via those "book summary" apps! Can't believe I just discovered there's such thing as pure love for reading: to savor the flow of words, to get lost in imagination, to ride along the story's ups and downs! I'm now even enjoying learning new words as well, as I have my dictionary app nearby. I mean, despite my natural inclination to learning and moderate self-discipline, I still get bored sometimes but somehow not anymore at this moment!

It's as if my judgmental ego has taken a back seat for a while.. maybe this is what they call the flow state? Maybe this is how we're meant to LIVE, not just when reading, working, etc..? I thought I've grasped & practiced (kinda 70-95% of the time) the "Carpe Diem" philosophy, apparently there are still branches / depths I haven't explored!

Thanks so much o' Universe for this amazing moment of the real delight of reading!

Thanks so much that I can afford the books!

Thanks so much that I can afford particularly this "The Secret History" book!

Thanks so much that I can afford EVERYTHING ELSE supporting this experience, MATERIAL & IMMATERIAL god Ima feeling so already like a billionaire I can't even..!!

***

PS:

"Reading for reading's sake."

Wonder if I can apply this practice to EVERYTHING I'm doing (including writing this post coz I still felt it as a chore / to-do list to cross off, haha..)!!

..until it finally becomes living for life's sake..!!

And I think I could write a whole book on this!

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Slytherclaw Party! #12

This October I was already planning another daily art project (coz Halloween time is my favorite time!) but alas circumstances didn't allow me as I had to be busy moving out. After 4 days of packing-loading-moving-unloading, FINALLY I finished moving out of dorm and moving into my new rental home..!! FINALLY Ima have MY OWN wiiiiide space yeeehawww..!!!

Actually it's been three weeks already since I moved but even today I still haven't finished totally settling down coz I simply must clean up my things before I organize and put them on a rack, in the room, and so on to feel complete - one dusty book (about 6-7 standard boxes) at a time, one pair of shoes, one vase, one (book) case, one box of art medium, one electronic equipment etc at a time! And I had to get a few new things too along the way to help organize and doll up the space.

One thing I'd miss from my old place? The dorm kitty, "Queen Sheba", whom I didn't succeed pilling when she got flu lol (later somehow she managed to recover on her own). Thankfully there's another guy who's fond of that kitty too so now he's in charge of her daily meal and EVERYTHING mwahaha..!! Bye bye mah queen, be a good kitty when I'm gone! *cries*

Love you always & forever, my elegant, independent, adventurous queen kitty, kiss-kiss, hug-huggg..!!

And about my new place? Just LOVE the house: the original interior design and amenities, great access to important facilities nearby, quiet & safe neighborhood, kind and reliable landlord, and all with REASONABLE, AFFORDABLE PRICE!! Just thanks so much o' kind & generous Universe..!!

Aaah mon dieu.. thanks so much for the rooms - ALL for me me ME!! Finally I've got more than enough space for storage, clutter no moar! And as I'm happily sleeping in the living room (the sofa-bed is already comfy), I can use the master bedroom for my surreal-ish zen garden project or general 'photo studio', and the second bedroom for my LIBRARY and music studio, yassss..!! (Though still saving for a digital piano and other instruments, full sound system, and soundproofing for the walls.)  Can't wait to finally go FULL THROTTLE with my art projects, writing projects, puzzle hunts, songwriting and performing, and all possible combination projects there are..!!! But I'm gonna need time to adjust coz since I've been here I tend to continue my sleep so soundly until noon lmao - that's how peaceful this place is!

Call me dramatic, I mean by thousands of sunken treasures to me this is like a SUPERNOVA. no, more like a birth of a star (maybe out of 'destruction' / leaving the old state), BLOOMING OF A FLOWER, a thundering rain after a 400-year drought, a lone survivor made it to a lush tropical island after 50 days floating on the rough sea..!! With significantly more space, means a great, HUGE deal of blockages are FULLY LIFTED, VIRTUALLY ZERO defense and inhibitions!!! Finally, I can DROP 99% of my SURVIVAL stance and TOTALLY PLAY - I mean I've dropped already a great deal of those already since a few years ago (hope I'll be brave enough to tell the story someday) but this checkpoint is an ENTIRELY NEW BREAKTHROUGH LEVEL IMA SO HAPPY CRYING CRYSTAL TEARS..!!! Aaahahahahahaha.. I made it, I FREAKIN' MADE IITTT..!!!

Present alignment is great enough..!!

Back to Earth, some complaints though:

 
1. The running water is not so ideal, so I have to get extra filters myself, thankfully those are relatively cheap and work wonderfully!
2. The place is generally 98% clean but apparently can't help having the roaches (indoor & outdoor) and 1-2 rats (outdoor), ugggh, especially in this rainy season!! Doesn't matter, Ima ready for WARRR using all the traps, repellents, poisons, BB guns, etc etc WHATEVER IT TAKES until they're GONE 99,99% in 100 m radius..!!

3. Since now I've got all the wide space for myself, the mosquitos are now a problem too. Also the flying termites in this rainy season, huehh..!

4. When it's raining cats and dogs (which always is, in the rainy season), the main road which contains a pretty strategic intersection to other main roads would get flooded, thus there is horrible traffic. But thankfully the home has multiple access, which means there are many ways to get here, although those alternate roads might get jam-packed as well coz everybody else would look for alternate routes too *facepalm*. 

Not fully ideal but this is so much enough for now! Guess I'll be really 100% liberated and happy once I find a totally-me rental home or buy or build my own: one with a super wide lawn where I can build a full-scale Japanese rock garden complete with a fish pond, mini fountain & waterfall, etc etc and a thick-walled, fully padded, and stocked music studio, all of course with superb amenities, great access to important facilities but located somehow in the middle of 'nowhere' lmao - next bucket list in the game!

My version of table zen garden.

Anyway, EVERYTHING is SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER now, thanks so much dear Universe! Au revoir, my old setup, which I had been grateful for as well!

My lovely, contemplative, dark-academia-ish old workspace.

A journaling session.

My guilty-not-guilty pleasure: printing & collecting curious criminal cases, huehehe.. (All sorts of "-cides" coz human behaviors are so intriguing!.)

Gotta show off this cool SP logo design I discovered & bought mwahaha..!

A puzzle hunt session.

Loved my artificial 'indoor garden'! Let's see if I can finally get real plants from now on.

Work Play time!

Carpe diem!!

The black marble texture, the artificial plants, and those raw amethysts were kinda grounding & calming to me.

A very late night e-journaling session via my phone.

Thanks so much o' Universe that I actually got everything I needed in this transition: the fund to survey for houses in locations far apart, the fund to help with the move, the fund for rent and every other bill necessary, even the fund for extra decors, not to mention my physical, mental, emotional, spiritual HEALTH & INDEPENDENCE (which are waaaay worth beyond golds and diamonds)..!!!

'Thanks' even for all the past shortcomings, blockages, problems from the old places coz those have truly made me STRONGER from the ground up, not to mention made me able to GENUINELY. APPRECIATE. all the good things in this new place..!!

And now, NEW BIGGER WORLD, heeeere I coooommeee..!!

Le nouveau setup, still lots to organize and decorate.

New horizon awaits!

*****

PS:

Oh hello there! 

Found a Lord Kitteh!

I noticed now most cats around here have owners, seemingly well-cared and happy coz either they're wearing tags or simply look clean and gorgeous like the one above - good sign! Anyway, I'd still be happy to feed any stray I meet around if any coz you simply must protect all kittehs in the multiverse..!!

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