a dream come true

So many good things have happened to my life since I resigned. Oh, by the way, some of you may not know, but, yeah, last October 9, I just quit my full-time day job and decided to go freelance, particularly on taking commissions as a mixed media comic artist. Yes, it was considerably a bold move and a very risky decision to make — knowing that I’m already a married man, but I took my chances all for the sake of ambition, or shall we say… lifelong DREAM. And you know what? It was worth it.

However, at first, everything wasn’t very easy. Major adjustments had to be hurdled. And I was constantly shrouded with fears and anxieties because techinically, I am unemployed wherever you put it. Honestly, I almost reached the point of being drowned with regrets. But I held on and continued striding. I remained optimistic on all these and coupled that optimism with prayers. Eventually, I passed through all trials with perseverance and God’s grace.

Now, blessings keep on pouring. And I’m so grateful for all these. Yes, the trials are still there, but praise God, I’m doing good so far. Currently, rhardozed grip studios — yeah, my own independent one-man studio — is handling two independent comicbook projects and the other one is still on pending status. Indeed, this is a dream come true. It’s hard to believe that I have finally  reached this phase in my life where I’d be doing my true passion. And ever since I pulled myself away from regular daytime jobs, God, the Provider, has never abandoned me.

And yeah, I know, it’s still early to celebrate, and there’s more bigger waves to come. But give this newbie a chance and just tolerate the super “shallowness” for a while, alright? hehe!

That’s it for now! Havhugudey!

rhardozed hirit:

I’m so excited to share what I’m working right now, but I’m not allowed to disclose the information just yet. So, lips are tightly sealed wihihi!

why praise if you’re not faving it?

Hi, guys. It’s been a month or so since I last updated this blog. Luckily, I was able to find a good topic to post.

Anyways, yesterday, I made a post on twitter with regards to faving an artwork on deviantart. And here’s what I said:

Not to complain, but i just wonder, why do some people at deviantArt give out very positive comments like “excellent job!” but not faving the piece? Just curious.

Yeah, such online activity is still an enigma to me. I mean, basically, if you fave an art piece, it means to say you like or love it. And leaving a comment is even considered a good praise for the artist. But, if it’s the other way around… I don’t know… it’s kind of ironic to think that one expresses his/her “great” appreciation on the artwork in like seemingly “shocking WOW” manner and not hitting the fave button at all. Personally, it’s ok when someone says “Good job!” or “Nice one!” and then leaves the faving part. But phrases like “Excellent!” or “Great piece!”??? I mean, it’s really simple logic: You are liking the piece that’s why you sometimes leave a comment. And you fave it ’cause you “really really” like it. Simple.

Sometimes, I can’t help but question the sincerity of some people who give “uberly” positive comments and not faving the piece. Not that I am complaining. It’s just confusing and odd to me. On the other hand, I’m not generalizing. And somehow, I was enlightened by few fellow artists who responded on the matter. Check their answers below:

Taclobanon: There are ‘collectors’ in DA who comment on art they like but not fave it ’cause it’s not the sort they collect.

AaronTuron: Maybe they liked the work but not enough to please their eyes.

gilbertmonsanto there are two levels of success with an artwork. One is worth commendation, one is worth keeping.

katbanay  maybe excellent but not excellent enough to be faved. OR — they’re just too lazy to click the button.

Among the posts — though all have good points — what really struck me was Sir Gilbert Monsanto’s. He said:  “There are two levels of success with an artwork. One is worth commendation, one is worth keeping.” Great principe by a very respectable artist. It’s like… “That’s it! End of discussion!” I think this is the perfect answer. Somehow, it clears up everything. Though my opinion on the sincerity part is still there. Well, personally, it may boil down to the approach of the commentors. Nevertheless, I’m glad it doesn’t bother me anymore. And it won’t ever stop me from using deviantArt and most especially appreciating art. That’s for sure.

rhardozed hirit:

See, twitter is definitely a good place to discuss some sensible things. And no offense.

A small amount won’t hurt, right?

I’m so FORTUNATE.

I may not have the latest Nokia N-series cellphone, a high-end DSLR camera, a robust laptop, a badass Hummer, the coolest PS3… but I have my family and home. Others? They only have their selves.

See, how lucky and blessed we are?

For me, being BLESSED means you have something to give.

That’s why, I’d like to share some foundations or charitable institutions i know of which you can share your blessings with.

GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
The GMA Kapuso Foundation runs a total number of ten projects under four umbrella programs (i.e. Health, Disaster Relief, Education and Values Formation).

Of these ten, Bisig Bayan, Kalusugan Karavan, Give-a-Gift: Alay sa Batang Pinoy, Give-A-Gift: Cancer Kids, Give-A-Gift: Feeding, Give-A-Gift: Surgical and Unang Hakbang sa Kinabukasan are conducted regularly within the year.

Operation Bayanihan and Kapuso School Rehabilitation take place when there is need for them since both are natural and man-made adversity-based projects.

Finally, the Sagip Dugtong Buhay and Kapuso Para Sa Kalikasan are special events programs designed to heighten public involvement and volunteerism from among the Kapuso.

ANAWIM LAY MISSIONS FOUNDATION
ANAWIM is the home of 55 abandoned elderly plus a few orphans and physically and mentally handicapped persons. Click on the button below and become a ANAWIM Partner and help us help the poorest of the poor.

ABS-CBN FOUNDATION INC. Sagip Kapamilya
ABS-CBN FOUNDATION INC. envisions a better world for the Filipino child. As the socio-civic arm of the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, one of the Asia’s media conglomerate, AFI offers programs for children, their families, and the community.

The outreach programs provide assistance to child abuse survivors and disaster victims, child care, and support for educational and environmental initiatives.

Panaghoy Children’s Foundation
The Panaghoy Children’s Foundation (PCF) is a nonprofit, non-stock and tax exempt non-government organization. Our mission is to bring relief to poverty-stricken children in Bohol by providing ample food, assistance in their education and address other needs which may help improve the children’s lives.

Lingap Pangkabataan Incorporated
LINGAP PANGKABATAAN INCORPORATED Care for Children], Is a non-government, non-stock and not-for-profit, faith-based, social development organization established in 1981 committed for holistic development of children and youth, together with their families and communities.

Of course, there are lots out there. But I chose the ones with a local bank account so I can conveniently and instantly deposit donations online — plus, having a bank acount adds credibility to a foundation… meaning, it’s real and can be trusted.

So, there. I’m making this a regular charitable thing now. Trust me, it feels good to help others… absolutely fulfilling!

SHARE AND BE BLESSED!

rhardozed hirit:
You can also help those “Parking boys” on streets by leaving a small parking or labor fee. Attending or watching over someone else’s motorcycles and cars is considerably a noble job than just plain begging for alms

mickey’s new badge collection… MARVEL!

If there’s any “epic” news for geeks out there, this should be it! Disney just bought Marvel for $4 billion! This was announced last August 28, 2009.

That means, all 5,000 characters of Marvel universe are now under the golden shelf of Walt Disney. So, what does this entail? See for yourself… check image below

Brilliant, isn’t it? hehehe! That’s art by Jose Jalapaneo, BTW. All kidding aside though, I think this big decision will surely bring significant mutual benefits between the two big companies. I call this merger “MarNey” or “DisVel” — the latter sounds more bad-ass to me, so I think I gonna stick with that one. So, it’s offcial — I really hate to say this but yeah — DISNEY OWNS MARVEL.

Now, what was my initial reaction? PURE SHOCKER! I mean, it’s Marvel… D MARVEL that I ultimately idolize in the comics world for more than a decade now… was bought by a considerably on a different league DISNEY! That’s totally bizzare to me! — although I do love most of the Disney animated movies. Look… Mickey and Spider-Man… do you see any connections at all?

Point is… Disney is Disney and Marvel is Marvel. It’s like planting a camote beside a Gumamela flower. They’re different from each other!

BUT. Upon skimming through the net and doing some quick readings of DisVel, I realized I may be wrong. “It’s actually not that bad after all,” I said to myself.

Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, also tweeted some reassuring posts:

“If you’re familiar with the Disney/Pixar relationship, then you’ll understand why this is a new dawn for Marvel and the comics industry.”

“Everybody take a deep breath, all your favorite comics remain unchanged and Tom Brevoort remains grouchy.”

“I haven’t seen this much excitement in the Marvel halls since… well, ever!”

“G’ morning, Marvel U! Welcome to this moment in history. Everyone relax, this is incredible news and all is well in the Marvel U.”

These are definitely forehead-sweat-wiper statements for all Marvel fans out there… hehe!

And here’s more straight from big peepz:

“We believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation,” Iger said.

“Disney is the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses,” said Ike Perlmutter, Marvel’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney’s tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world.”

How about from a fan’s perspective? My own perspective? Ok, here’s what I believe would most likely happen…

… more Marvel movie line-ups
… more Marvel animated TV series
… more TV series
… more comics production
… and, of course, more CHA-CHING!

So, everybody’s happy, right? But let’s just see. What does DisVel have in store for all of us? What could be their next move… acquire the rights to Superman since he’s technically on a free-agent state? Who knows?

Can’t wait for any new DisVel developments to pop up… please don’t disappoint us… EXCITE US!

new rhardozed logo

If you are one of my watchers/followers on Deviantart and Twitter, then by now, you should notice my new avatar — or mascot? hehe!

Yes, i’ve been meaning to change my look, as far as online activity is concerned, these past few months. And I finally was able to come up with a new one. Really satisfied of this one. See image below.

As you can see, it still has my “g” logo in there. Although this time, it’s been shrinked to a smaller size so it would fit in the headband. I chose gray as the skin tone. Why? Simple! It’s my favorite color… duh! — and it blends well on DA interface. And how about the eyes? Why the black color? No idea, but they’re cool to look at. So, that must be it.

There… my new rhardozed avatar. REALLY LOVIN’ MY NEW LOGO! WOOT!

rhardozed hirit:
actually, the same logo was also used in an old website that i created few years ago — and the logo is still there — only with a different color scheme and headband mark. but no worries, the creator is still me. hehe!

forget about blogging and start tweeting?

Yeah, I have finally jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. Aside from the fact that my boss is in my FB friend’s list — I actually prefer twitter over Facebook  when it comes to updating status and tracking/checking out what peepz have been doing and thinking at a near real-time set-up.

At first, I just found Twitter stupid and illogical. I mean, you update your status, and then what? It’s already public? And there’s also that question, “So, WHO CARES?”

But slowly, I began to appreciate its purpose.

Microblogging is such a good outlet where you can blurt out almost anything… more of letting your mind speak freely. Everything is instant and thoughts can manageably be accommodated to a 140-character post. This is also the very reason why I haven’t been updating this blog for a month already.

Yes, it’s been keeping me away from this site. I even tweeted about this. “i.ph: ur not blogging anymor. rhardo points @ twitter: bird’s fault. it’s makng me post some 140-char topics intended supposedly 4 blogging.” See? LOL.

I don’t know, but shorter posts seemed perfect for people like me who hate composing long entries or simply do not enjoy writing.

But Twitter will always remain what it was really created for. And whether you like it or not, a 140-character post isn’t enough. You’ll always go back to blogging, am I right or am I right? And you can’t post images in your posts, so this simple fact gives you the reason why you shouldn’t stop blogging. But then again, I’m talking about Twitter here… how ironic! Anyways, you get the point, right?

Here are some of my posts on Twitter that I’d like to share with you. As of this writing, I’ve already made 929 tweets in a few-months’ span. NUTZ!

“aside from d whole-day power hiatus yesterday, wasnt able 2 get a gud nyt’s sleep due to “ideas” constantly poking my head. i’m going nutz!”

“not 2 sound judgmental, but 8s too early 4 Noy2x to run for higher office. VP, yes, acceptable, but not 4 Pres. Cory Magic isn’t politics.”

“… my apologies everyone, but that’s what i see here. colleagues taking advantage of the cory magic while people can still feel it.”

“@MaRoxas, my respect for u just went up higher. never have I seen a man of politics so humble & sport… d kind of leader the country needs”

“MarNey… don’t know if I should be happy or not. but. good luck! still a big fan of Marvel.”

“Marney/Disvel’s next move… buy the rights to Superman. just a speculation.”

“@neverdainty dis guy carelessly utters sam words esp bhind ppl’s back. actly, 2tally d opposite of being reluctant wen it comes to dis.”

“@neverdainty yeah. read dat one last nyt. i dont know, i have a bad feeling bout this. Marvel must be really careful not 2 lose their NAME.”

“shameless question from a sillimanian: open pa ghapon ang booth tonight?”

“new restaurants are seemingly sprouting everywhere in dgte in an unusual fast rate. no wonder people are not getting any smaller. kidding.”

“First page of Salakay online komiks will be up soon… but have to come up with a cover first. hmmm…”

“@neverdainty WANTS vs NEEDS… which of the two will win you over for the long weekend?”

“scavenging the insides of my wallet again… checking and hoping if there’s any bills “deeply” hidden… but to no avail…”

“keep those strides and you’ll go places…”

“bravo zulu means “well done” <– got it. karon lang ko kaencounter ani. another just-now moment.”

“funny how a simple looking logo would turn out to be difficult to recreate.”

“doing the “what-does-this-button-do” on flickr. yeah… still a newbie there. hehe!”

“preoccupied of a pending work i left at home. wel at least, its rathr mor of a feelng of antcpation & xytment than being obliged 2 fnish it.”

“”A simple response won’t harm, right? at least, have some courtesy to reply. It’s a bit disrespectful when you ignore comments.” <– SHALLOW”

“… i will make a final decision this weekend. actually, gonna talk it over with my wife.”

“i mentioned about tonight’s watch list… crap! missed all of it. but i had a blast with friends anyway. hehe!”

“good thing i discovered #deviantART after college, otherwise i prolly would have quit schooling hehe!”

“… and the worst part is, the sliding door going to the CR is jammed (for the nth time). had to squeeze myself through the partial opening.”

“arrrgh… the pain of drinking coffee afterwards. i kept on hitting the CR. do u experience this kind of caffeine after effect?”

“having mentioned the watch list, shall i declare a self-imposed hiatus as fas as work is concerned? hahaha!”

“tonight’s watch list: Survivor Phil (GMA), Asia’s Titanic (Natgeo), and Lost Tapes (Discovery Networks)”

“done updating negchron. imma chill for a while. and prolly watch tonight’s episode of survivor phil. then back to “banatan” afterwards.”

“Mar Roxas and Noynoy Aquino could make a good tandem.”

“didn’t realize up until now… 1 more week and a couple of days and it’s the start of BER months.”

“trying to boost the morale of a fellow artist at DA. he said he long retired from drawing and shifted to writing instead. why not do both?”

“i’m really this close to giving up a thing and pursue what i believe i was born for. but wouldn’t want to dive totally blindfolded.”

rhardozed hirit:
… and here’s my Twitter account: http://twitter.com/rhardo — FOLLOW ME! HEHEHE!

new commish category

This is a sample piece for a new commish category of rhardozed grip gallery. I call this, the “Versus commish“. What you will get from this piece:

- An arcade-like versus match-up piece between 2 characters of your choice (full body)
- Colored with simple and uniform background (same BG color and design)
- You decide who’s in the red corner and blue corner with a close-up view of the face.

So, that’s it. For the rate and mode of payment details, just head over to my DA journal.

My schedules will surely go crazy as I am accepting requests again for standard commissions and other collaborations this month — best of luck, rhardo! You’re in for a wild ride.

Anyways, there you go. If you’re interested, just shoot me note at my DeviantArt account: rhardo.deviantart.com

See you there!

rhardozed hirit:
Hey, it’s August 1… and I got a  new post for the first day of the month… very unusual here in rhardozed blog… hehe!

meet BOOJIE…

So, yeah… he’s my new doggy-doggy. I named him BOOJIE. And don’t ask why the name ‘coz it just came from nowhere while driving back home.

Anyways, I’m not so sure of his breed, but… he does look a bit like a Dachshund based on some of his body features. And his parents, too, partially resemble that of the said breed. Dachshund or not… I love this dog… even so if he’s ASKAL or ERBO alike wihihi! Plus, one standard when I get a pet is its height… he/she should be “dwarfy” for a plain reason that I love cute dogs. I  love watching at dogs seeminly not growing and remain to be puppy-likes… hahaha!

PHYSICAL. The very moment I first fixed my eyes on Boojie, I instantly loved this dog. He’s got big folding ears… short but cute legs… light-brown eyes… very soft golden fur… WOW… just a perfect pet dog for me!

PERSONALITY. Like any other puppies, Boojie loves biting around stuff. He’s also not aloof with people. But if he feels threatened, he barks. Yes, HE BARKS! Would you believe a puppy that tiny barks? He thinks he’s scary. Sooo CUTE! Hahaha!

PLAY TIME. After work, I rush back home to be on time with his play time schedule hehehe! — Nah! just exaggerating a bit there about being on time, but yeah… that’s the schedule. I bring him to our lawn and let him play around and do anything he wants. I play along, too. Good form of excercise, I must say… since unlike Boojie’s kinds, it’s really a physical work for us humans chasing them around, LOL!

FIRST PHOTOSHOOT. I just have to introduce Boojie to the world — proud me, wihihi! So, please scroll down and give him some love hehehe! And, please bear with the quality of photos. I didn’t have a digicam that time, only my 1.5 megapixeled cellphone — plus… I am the worst photographer in this planet. Enjoy!

wheels of finances

Finally, this coming August, she will finally graduate. 3 years of budgetting and now, I will no longer have obligations to her, financially. Who is she, by the way, you ask? Well, I’m talking about my Honda Wave100 motorcycle. Wanna see how she looks like? Here:

Despite a seemingly rugged look, she definitely is still in good condition. This I can assure you — wait… I’m starting to sound like I’m selling her out on ebay. NO WAY!

So yeah, within August, I will be completing its 3-year ammortization. The diploma? A Certificate of Ownership. Now, she is officially a member of the rhardozed collateral club… wihihi!!! Kidding aside, this will surely push a major change on my monthly budget, this time, on a positive trend. Praise God.

I can now breathe a bit now. Bills sure are burden to me. But this one, I’m proud I was able to make it through. And this ain’t just any feat of accomplishment. It’s a big INVESTMENT. That’s why I’m really feeling good about the recent financial free-ups in my life right now.

Am now giving a tap to myself — good job, rhardo.

So, what’s next? Hmmm…

rhardozed hirit:

I might get a new item… let’s see… wihihi!!!

FB posts since day 1

Yeah… I know… I know. This would be a pretty much effortless writing. It’s what I’m good at… copying and pasting stuff… LOL! Yeah, as the title suggests, this entry will be about my random thoughts I shared in facebook. Huh, so lame, right? Hehehe!!! But hey, you’ll be surprised how a collated micro posts would make a one good, sensible blog entry — excuses… just admit it, rhardo… you’re too damn lazy to compose! Anyways, lazy or not… you’ll have to read on wihihi!!! Enjoy!

… is enjoying the absence of arrogance in the air.

… so what’s the next step?

… is lovin’ the simplicity of life with his wife. I praise God for this blessing… a grace that is everything to me…

… oh, gaaaahh!!! How do I deal with omniscient, one-sided ticks?!!!

…  R.I.P. Michael Jackson…

… is looking for ways to ease the burning sensation of his eyes… lami katulog!!!

… A White Lady gets a big break!!! wihihihi! Check out my latest art rhardo.deviantart.com. Caution: Adult content. Minors not allowed wihihihi!!!

… “What is something you can give away but still keep?” Huh! A riddle that has been prolly cracked by most of you already, but I encountered this one just yesterday pa. Strangely, I’ve been learning new insights from reading comics these days. Got this line from Marvel Adventures: Avengers, BTW. i guess reading comicbooks brings beneficial results after all… wihihi!!! So… what’s the answer? no cheating please…

… is kulang og tulog… i’m like a walking zombie right now… ever got that feeling to be awake when it seems you’re not at all… zzzzzzzzzzzz…

… bought the latest issue of Psicom Publishing’s Marvel Heroes… woot!!! being frugal isn’t a bad thing, you know… wihihi!!

… is wondering why he keeps staring at the monitor… am I working or AM I WORKING?!!! work… work… WORK!!! *SIGH!!!

… “Hardship builds character.” … very true, don’t you think? — funny… i got this phrase from an X-Men issue: endangered specie. Yeah, that’s what I get from reading comics hehehe! And no, comicbooks are not just for kids. wihihi!!!

… is contemplating for his next move… got to choose the right path! money+satisfaction or contentment+happiness? wihihi!!!

… Praise God… i passed the exam!!! wohoo!

… is so grateful…

… my health isn’t getting better each day… i need to rest! note: la koy a(h1n1) wihihi!!!

… whew… negchron done… on to next agendum…

… is currently updating www.negroschronicle.com… bz… bz… bz…

… whew!!! the pain of setting up a new account… wihihi!!!

… asks if it’s healthy to have multiple “mini” jobs… *watorn…

… schedules are goin’ crazy!!!

…  i’m gonna give myself a 5-minute social NOTworking for a while… wihihihi!!!!

… so this is facebook… hmmm… hope deviantART won’t get mad at me wihihi!

rhardozed hirit:
don’t forget to add me… wakikik!!! (rhardo[AT]gmail[DOT]com)