Grabe Maria

26 y.o. illustrator / singer / writer / lost girl from Manila

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Hello, I'm Afloat

The tides are taking me somewhere I don’t intend. I’ve passed many cities, I’ve sunk in many tales. I almost believed I belonged to them. But here I am, still Afloat.

And loneliness is a body of water atop my chest.

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I'm an INFJ now

And I'm slightly surprised, because the past few years, online tests told me I was an INFP. But I got tested by a psychologist a few months ago and, among other findings, that I'm an INFJ. Theoretically like Tilda Swinton, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Hitler. Also Remus Lupin. I'm not gonna list what an INFJ is like - there's reallh a lot about it online. But I am gonna tell you that I believe the MBTI depicts how our minda work and could change over time.

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Becoming and Unbecoming

“2. Create a series of illustrations that show the passage of time.”

When I illustrated this, I was thinking how we go through a cycle of emotions: being struck with contentment, happiness, and a head-full of ideas; then being hit with grief, sadness, and despondence. How there are people who go through these things on a monthly, weekly, daily basis. For me, that's a passage of time: a cycle of the things that go inside our heads.

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Rose Moon, a.k.a. Full Moon in Sagittarius

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"1. Make a book cover for your favorite classic novel." I hope modern classic counts. I'm doing this thing called "101 Projects for Artists and Illustrators" from Dani Draws. I aim to finish one project a week. If you wanna do this too, check out: http://danidraws.com/blog/2007/02/21/101-projects-for-artists-and-illustrators/ I'm not taking up art/illustration classes, so doing this will be my way to learn. Feel free to comment/suggest! You can also check out my public Trello board here: https://trello.com/b/XafYwGli/illustration-projects---murphy-katigbak

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"Run the other direction"

I think this quote is not just about being different, but also looking around for more facts before proceeding. Or finding details everyone else missed out on.

On a side note, I wish I was an astronomer, an astronaut, or a space physicist, I want to study the multiverse and the heavenly bodies <3 For now, I will content myself with Wikipedia link hopping.

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Because my laptop’s at the office and I have no Adobe Photoshop, I have to manually cut and paste these with images I searched online, then scan them again. 

That’s the mermaid at Copenhagen, Denmark. And those are the planets, in the wrong order. Quote by Charles Bukowski.

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My Current AB Skincare Routine

For me, working on my face is a special ritual. Whether it’s putting on makeup or skincare products, I set my intentions for it. For skincare, it’s reminding my skin that it deserves to heal and rest.

Asian skincare has been my obsession the past year. Thanks to /r/AsianBeauty and fanserviced-b, I hardly waste any money on stuff that won't work for me.

My skin type is combination, and I’d get zits on my T-Zone a lot. My goal is simple: be comfortable enough to go out with minimal makeup.

The Face Shop Rice Bran All in One Cleanser / Garnier* Micellar Cleansing Water + CosRx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser

Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner

Melano CC Intensive Anti-Spot Essence

CosRx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid (chemical exfoliation)

CosRx AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid (chemical exfoliation)

Mizon Skin Power Original First Essence

Scinic All in One Honey Ampoule

Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence

Leaders Coconut Gel Sheet Mask in Broccoli and other sheet masks / DIY Miniso compressed sheet mask

Skinfood Brightening Eye Cream

Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel

*Garnier is a French brand.

Not in illustration: Biore Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen, which I love, love, love! 

I used to invest my time in doing all the steps every night/every other night. Now I just do the full routine once a week.

On a daily basis, I cleanse, tone, put on essences, and then moisturize. In the morning (or at night, when I’m too goddamn sleepy), I just cleanse and moisturize (steps 1, 10, 11).

When I haven’t had much sleep, that’s when I put on a sheet mask.

For cystic zits, I just go get an acne injection. 

My face isn’t flawless, but I’m comfortable enough to go out with just eyebrow makeup, lipstick, and sunscreen. I would probably get one or two zits at the most, and they heal and flatten up within a few days. 

Are you into AB Skincare? Why or why not? Message me or reply to this post, I wanna hear from you :-)

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Disclaimer: Skincare can change. This routine is not the end-all for skincare woes - I’m simply sharing my routine and what works for me.

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Informal 2017 Midyear Report

I said I’d find myself, I said I’d be out and about. I said I’d do this and that.

But the truth is, out and about and this and that meant looking for a quiet place with good coffee (or alcohol). Going to a few beaches. Going to a place I shouldn’t be in. Making lots of friends. Making an enemy or two who shouldn’t have to be. Staying up til 4 AM for some shows and movies. Finding the best bang for buck KBBQ place in the vicinity. Devouring as many books (self-help, fiction, etc.) as I can - I’m a loser in that department but I am freaking trying. Trading off something for another thing. And, oh you know, learning new things. Even if it meant starting from nothing at my age.

I’m happy with what I’ve done so far. They’re a bit far from my goals, and they’re not the same as yours.

And that’s okay. And I have to tell this to myself a lot. And if you, like me, feel that it’s a little scary to gettin’ yo’ ass out there, please bear with me a bit more.

I know it’s cliche, but do it (as long as it’s not asshole-y things that do no good). I’m scared of disappointing other people. I’m scared of not getting there. But I know without doing it, those two will automatically happen. I’d like to think I have no other choice.

Look at me, I’m doing! Somehow. And I’m silly and awkward and I’m not doing some things right. Not famous at all. I’m still far from where I want to be, and I don’t need to be at my peak to tell you this.

I just need to keep on going. I just need to be awake. I’ll be okay.

We’ll be okay.

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I am the proud creator of that atrocious pink photo, and I did that by cutting pasting stuff in MS Paint with search engine photos.

Image Sources for collage: 

https://goo.gl/tv75cs, https://goo.gl/PNXGWK, https://goo.gl/KasVxC

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Grabe Maria is still in progress as I figure out my life, but follow me! I have photos, illusttations, and ramblings lined up and I’ll be posting stuff starting on Monday.

In the meantime, here’s a photo of me on a pedestal somewhere in Central Park, NYC.

Disclaimer: I may not be well-versed in Adobe Photoshop, but I’m well-versed in Catwang. You really must get Catwang!