I’m nearly done with my Europe backlog (about time!) but I just wanted to share with you some things that I have been working on for the past couple of months.

1. Graphics for The Fat Kid Inside

Sarie, Nicky and Sabs directed videos for Erwan Heussaff’s food blog, The Fat Kid Inside, and she asked me to do some graphics for the opening of the videos. Here’s the first video that’s been released that has my work on it.

It was a fun thing to do, with a clear brief. I believe we whipped this out quite quickly and we’re both really happy with how it turned out! Here’s the blog post, but he talks about the recipe in the video anyway.

What do you think? :)

2. Softly Sometimes

Okay, I think it’s a bit silly, and coming from me—let’s face it—a little funny, but I have found a new source of joy, which is beauty blogging. Overall, the reception from people who do know has been mostly positive. No one’s really been going out of their way to tell me it sucks or anything like that, but still I’m a bit shy about it.

I do reviews of products that I buy and get to try from samples and stuff like that. I also try and make looks and tutorials for noobs like me.

But, what I’ve been most proud of about it is a series called Made-Up History, in which I try to create makeup looks based on works of art. So far, I have done one for a Delacroix painting called Liberty Leading the People and one for Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, both of which had been really fun to do.

I’m thinking of giving vlogging another shot, but I don’t know if my self-esteem can handle it.

If you’re looking for an explanation for why the blog exists (like really, it came from left field, it seems like), I wrote a little thing here that sort of lets people know why I have it up. You can read that here: Makeup Raves from the Unlikeliest: Or, Why this Blog Exists.

I hope you can take the time to take a look at it, because it’s a part of my life that’s made me really happy for whatever reason.

3. The Manila Review

This has been in the works for quite a while, but it’s crunch time now, and it’s a little bit scary but also exciting as well. The Manila Review is a sort of initiative to instigate discussion on some issues that concern the Philippines, sparked by some of the greatest minds and writers of the country.

We have a terrific masthead, if I do say so myself. The issue’s mostly done, we’re just wrapping up a bunch of stuff for it.

4. Work, in general, and why it sucks to have a crappy immune system.

I’m working on a few other things that I can’t really talk about yet, but it’s so hard to move and work properly when I get so sick all the time. For the long weekend (early November), I was pretty much nursing my virus-ridden self, unsure of what’s happening really. It’s so difficult to get your head in the game when it’s woozy and generally not very cooperative.

I thought I had escaped from its clutches, but NO. Two weeks later, here I am with a runny nose and a man voice from my itchy throat and stuffy lungs. It’s horrible. Worse, a lot of my projects need to wrap up soon and I can’t be in that work zone in my head, but I have to be.

I’ve resolved to take better care of my body, but I’m not sure where to start. Right now, I’ve been eating soup (made by my mama!) and drinking lots of water. The next steps might be a bit harder to do, but I don’t want to get any kind of colds or coughing fits any time soon.