It’s amazing how our lives are forever changed by online applications. Case in fact, a lot of people are into farming now but in the sense of Farmville, Farm Town and Country Story. Restaurants have become interactive in the sense of owning one in Restaurant City and Cafe World. I am sure there are other games related to these that I just haven’t explored. I’m loyal to Playfish games since they center mostly on design.

Without further ado, here are my Restaurant City artworks.

I made a Chinese restaurant, while playing with the Filipino word “inihaw” meaning grilled.

Designing a room layout will forever excite, challenge and intrigue me.

Of course, we must always remember to add a touch of bunny.

Aside from design, there is a 10-second daily food quiz, too, which is nothing short of brilliant. It’s a nice way to learn and test one’s food knowledge. You have to manage your crew’s stamina or else they will lay down on the floor and scream in red bubbles. Low stamina will cause them to pout and move slow which will annoy customers. And annoyed customers will give you an unsightly thumbs down bubble causing your popularity rating to go down. If you visit your friends’ restaurants be prepared to help them from leaks, fire, a giant sleeping bear, hungry penguins and nasty skunks. Also, a big part of the game is to be quite sociable and trade with your friends for ingredients. This game is a charmer in its overall cuteness and wit.

Apparently, the grandiose gold statues I have in the middle attract posh people.

I got a lot of inquiries asking how I got clear and big pictures and the answer is I used my Print Screen button to capture every space and put them together in Photoshop. Yes, hard work. But hard work is satisfying and in this case- truly enjoyable.

I promise to go to a real restaurant soon, my friends.

While most people attended various Halloween parties in full costume, I celebrated my longest Halloween in the comfort of my computer chair. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the beautiful and crazy world of Pet Society.

What I love most about the game is how you can be as creative as you can. I treat it like a modern-day collage kit. There’s also a lot to look forward to since Playfish, the uber-genius-bordering-evil makers, update often with new things that are impeccably designed. They also improve the whole experience as well by adding new activities every once in a while. So let me share my “artworks” from the game.

You can change your pet’s outfits and can even be tricked. See the egg on my face?

Some of the items in the game are animated and that feature adds up to the overall appeal.

Playfish is also clever in tapping into the magic of your wallet by making you pay for extra cute stuff.

And if you have a light switch, you can turn off the lights and see the luminous objects glow. It’s a kind of magic!

And as if Pet Society wasn’t enough, I’m also hooked in playing another Playfish game called Country Story. It also lets the player get creative in designing his/her farm.

It took a lot of screen caps and Photoshop skills to produce a bird’s eye view. We’re hoping for a camera function soon, Playfish.

So there you go- as nerdy and as silly as ever with my little games. Aside from being a creative exercise, these games also give me opportunity to spend quality time with family members that are equally hooked to the game. Although I admit I got a stiff neck already from playing too much. Haha. I hope you guys had an awesome Halloween whether in the real world or not.

*You can play Pet Society on Facebook. or by going to petsociety.com.

Drawing is a valuable exercise for graphic designers. It is a sacred time to unwind and step out of the face-frying rays of the computer monitor. There is something about holding a pencil and experiencing the effect of each stroke on the paper. We are also advised to treat paper with reckless abandon, to not be afraid of making lousy drawings, to capture something as it is, to watch the world and draw it blissfully and imperfectly. This way we not only learn to draw, we also learn to see.

Booni is an excellent subject even if he’s all white and fluffy like a cloud.

I turned twenty seven a couple of days ago and I spent half a week quite lost about the things I want. I buried my face in books trying to look for answers, I tried to write my dreams down and ended up falling asleep. Then, it suddenly occurred to me to try drawing for a change. I spent one whole rainy afternoon drawing my biggest desires and the activity left me feeling good and hopeful. I found myself on a very exciting journey.

That’s me in all my girly glory.

One of my greatest desires is to go to Egypt and be in the presence of the pyramids and all the fantastic Egyptian art and architecture. I want to see a falling star, to go to the United States and attend the HOW Design Conference 2010, to see New York and Texas, for Passionistta to take me places, to grow my garden of love, friendship, knowledge, gratitude and um.. savings! I carry a big bag filled with love, with beloved Booni the rabbit always with me on my life journey. But for now, I just want to start and embrace with my art since it’s what I truly love. And to be a proud and responsible Filipino or Noypi, of course.

Drawing what I want keeps my visions clear with strong determination to get them. And in the words of Deepak Chopra: Release the list of desires to creation, remain willing to accept something better. In putting my desires on paper, it’s like I am drawing the fulfillment of each closer to me. It is like setting the wheels in motion. In every line, in every exerted effort, I am starting to receive the things I seek. And most importantly, I start by genuinely doing and giving.

Little wants are fun to draw too.

So what’s not to love about drawing, right? To top it off, I get to improve my drawing skills (even just a little). Do you have a visual journal? Share some drawings if you do, or if not, it’s time to make one, my friend!

My visual journal is a Moleskine Volant Extra Small Notebook. Read about my other adventures with pretty Moleskine notebooks here.

Our Sundays are usually spent lamenting the heat of the afternoon. Sometimes, when we’re lucky, we have ice cream. And sometimes, when we’re really lucky, it rains.

Oh the joy of playing in the rain! I did get jealous of my niece and nephew and spent time under the weeping sky. Just that I didn’t look as cute as them. Lol. Anyway, the key is to have fun. And we surely did.

I hope you guys enjoyed the pictures and it’s never too late to get a good soak in the rain if you haven’t tried it yet.

Yan Yan has always been a favorite snack since I was a little girl. I always put some in our shopping cart when my mom would take me grocery shopping with her. It’s the first thing I enthusiastically reach for as soon as we get home. I think I will never outgrow my love for this snack.

I’m happy that Meiji improved their product by putting pictures and quotes on the sticks. Imagine yourself in the midst of your busy work day and you have a Yan Yan to give you a pleasant sugar break. I love reaching for each stick and reading what it says before I chomp on it. I believe it is important to take some time off every day to appreciate the silly and cute.

It is satisfying as it leaves you with a feeling of lightness- a snack for the soul. How amazing it is to pause and breathe and smile while filling your tummy with something delicious.