Jun 28, 2026 • Love TKO
Current Listening: Big L - Now or Never
I went on my first ever visit to the United States! It was a couple of days in Philadelphia for the World Cup to
watch Croatia play. I managed to get a ticket through the lottery system thankfully, so the prices
weren't as bad as they have been for others (grr...greedy FIFA...). Thankfully, we won, and it was a great
match to watch live! I wasn't involved with the itinerary of the trip and it was a really quick visit, so
here's just a few impressions instead of a detailed entry:
- Food portions are as massive as people say they are. I know this is somewhat of an old meme at this
point, but it really was a moment of culture shock for me when I experienced it firsthand. Those
drink sizes are not normal lol
- Lots of personal injury lawyer ads everywhere, both on billboards and on the radio. What's
going on there? This one was the best.
- People lean towards being very friendly and outgoing in the places I visited and not scared to talk to total strangers. It
was pleasant to experience but it also took a lot of energy out of me. Made me realize how reserved
the various countries I've lived in are by comparison lol.
- NFL football stadiums are nuts. The game took place at Lincoln Financial Field which felt like a
giant compound. It was so big that there was a long escalator to get to the top section! We
definitely don't have anything like that in my city. Despite being seated at the top though, the
view was great. Got to see Perišić get into it with a ref in even higher definition than he does on TV lmao
- LOVE Park was fully transformed into some official FIFA fan zone or something. It's not the skateboarding hotspot
it once was, but there were a few people skating outside the fan zone still at it which was nice to see...
In terms of visiting the States, despite my apprehension, I had fun and would like to visit it again. It sucks that it's such a car
reliant country though as someone who can't drive.
Jun 22, 2026 • chit chat
Current Listening: DJ Krush - Meiso (The 4 Natural Ingredients Mix)
Long time no see! Wish I could say that I was absent because I was living my
best life but unfortunately that isn't the case. Long story short, I got a second degree sunburn and
have just been camping out in my room as I recover (ノ_<。) However, I actually have been working on a new
and interesting hobby that I'll hopefully be able to talk about at a later date!
Other than that, my art challenge progress has been pretty much nil, albeit not without trying.
I've been slowly working away at some WIPs, but it feels like nothing is coming out right. I
realized I have way more mental blockages affecting my art rn, so I'm trying to make drawing
even more low stakes by just doodling a bit every day in my sketchbook. Most of what I draw is
unuseable, but it helps me get out some ideas in my head, and more importantly, it's enjoyable.
Because of this, I'll sadly be putting the challenge on hiatus until further notice ;-;
It now feels weird not having an entry with a picture, so here's some pixel art I worked
on. I was inspired by the WonderWitch software to make a
witch flying in the night sky...I'm not sold on how I did her proportions and face, but I like
how I animated her dress and hair:
Jun 07, 2026 • challenge diary 2
Current Listening: Toni Halliday - Time Turns Around
Create pixel art graphics for this site- Start an OC sheet
- Do a study of an artist/piece I like
- Paint something traditionally
- Draw a gift for someone
Draw a sketch in my sketchbook- Do a timed digital portrait
Started the reference for my black mage bb Lionem, but the outfit didn't turn out like I thought
it would ;-; I'll experiment with more 18th - 19th century fashion influences to get the feel I
have in mind. This can be a modern AU look I guess, like his Tomodachi Life incarnation:
(His answer was something like "That is correct 😌." In character behaviour lol)
Happy I got his face and hair styles down at least ( •⌄• )✧✄ Feels good
to get back to using my iPad regularly again too!!!
Jun 05, 2026 • challenge diary 1
Current Listening: paint in watercolour - HEAL ALL
Made some progress on my art challenge. The pieces can now be viewed on the homepage!
- Create pixel art graphics for this site
- Start an OC sheet
- Do a study of an artist/piece I like
- Paint something traditionally
- Draw a gift for someone
- Draw a sketch in my sketchbook
- Do a timed digital portrait
The sketchbook piece is my bunny girl in the intro, and the pixel graphics are the orange and Made by a Girl icon. I'm happy to have more colour on my
home page now :) The bunny girl is actually a character I made a while back for a Doom WAD concept I had
in my brain. Her name is Naran Cha. Doubt I'll
ever work on that WAD idea, so she'll be my site mascot along with Guu, the orange rabbit on my favicon.
Here's the
fuller size of the image, which was first done in pencil and then traced over in Procreate:
It was really fun to play with pixel art, although this made me realize my setup isn't quite perfect.
I did my work on Piskel with my trackpad...I
need to either use my tablet or get a mouse if I want to do more, or else my tendonitis will probably
act out. Still, I was really happy to see my small graphics come to life. I'm especially proud of how
I animated the wings ˚₊‧꒰ა ₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
