Sheena Loves Sunsets

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the...

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:25:22 +0800

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Sometimes, it’s hard to keep hoping when we cannot see the big picture. But this is where faith comes in. Never forget that you have a big God who has great plans for you (see Jeremiah 29:11).

Life isn’t always fun and games, but know that there is always hope when you put your trust in God.

Congratulations Paula (http://tinevillano05.tumblr.com/) for...

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:18:30 +0800

Congratulations Paula (http://tinevillano05.tumblr.com/) for winning the contest! Please email me at hello@sheenalovessunsets.com with your complete name, address and contact number.

Thanks to everyone who joined!!

Happy Mother’s Day! Hug your mom today! :) Moms are truly...

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:00:23 +0800

Happy Mother’s Day! Hug your mom today! :)

Moms are truly one of God’s most wonderful gift to us. She’s our best critic and our number one fan. Sometimes our enemy but always our best friend. She’ll give you curfews and rules to follow but will kiss you and hug you still even after you’ve broken them for the zillionth time. :)

This drawing is for my lovely mom, my best girl friend, who I will always miss for the rest of my life.

A collaboration between Sheena Loves Sunsets (drawing) and Ink Scribbler (gorgeous calligraphy!)

Life Update: On being MIA & working on my...

Tue, 07 May 2013 20:00:06 +0800

Life Update: On being MIA & working on my “book”

Hi everyone! Again, I haven’t been updating as much and I apologize for that but I feel that I owe you all an explanation as to why, so here it is!

If you’ve followed me for a while now, you might remember that I occasionally talk about this “book project” (click here to see my latest post about that) See, I’ve always wanted to write and illustrate my own book but over the years, I never got to finishing any of them since I either 1. begin to hate what I’ve already done so far and/or 2. decide that I need a totally new concept. I have four (yes, 4!) unfinished books. So sad, yes. :|

One day, I just got fed up with myself and realized that if I really wanted to make this happen, I had to devote time and effort into it. So I decided to once again work on this project, which hopefully will finally, be worked on to completion! Yes, it’s a new concept again (arrgh haha) but I’m feeling really good about this so hopefully, this will be it, finally!

Another reason why I’m feeling very good about this is because my husband has been encouraging me a lot on it. He’s now acting as my manager; giving me deadlines and tasks (such as to finish 3 pages a week! AAAKK!) and it’s helping me a lot. Discipline is good if you want to achieve things, I realized. :)

So there, that’s what I’ve been doing recently. Mostly drawing when I’m done with my other commitments and wifey duties. Hehe. I know a lot of you are probably not interested about this, but for those that are, I just wanted to give you guys an update.

Now you might be wondering about the photos I posted! Haha! Well, those are some of the Instagram photos I took related to this project. Aside from working on a lot of sketches (hey, donkey!), I’ve been using a lot of my art, comic & graphic novel books as references. My weaknesses are drawing backgrounds and animals so I’m currently practicing a lot. I want to stretch myself for this project! :)

So thanks for reading, thanks for keeping up with me, thanks for the support. Sorry for this long post! I’ll try to blog still, of course, but not as often. And lastly, I really hope that by God’s grace, I’ll be able to finish this book soon so that I can share it with all of you. :)

THE BLACK BEAUTY x SHEENA LOVES SUNSETS CONTEST IS EXTENDED FOR...

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:00:19 +0800

THE BLACK BEAUTY x SHEENA LOVES SUNSETS CONTEST IS EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER 7 DAYS! Join now by clicking here!

Save the date card for Aldwin and Che with a drawing based on...

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:00:16 +0800

Save the date card for Aldwin and Che with a drawing based on their actual proposal! How cute, right? Complete with little candles and the floating lantern! :)

Sorry for not updating so much lately. Been busy making drawings for clients (not complaining! hehe!) Also, I’ve finally gotten around to working on my long time dream of making my own book so please pray for me! Really hope this works out! :)

For inquiries, email hello@sheenalovessunsets.com :)

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll remember that I...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:15:17 +0800

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll remember that I recently got this glam pack from Black Beauty! Here’s your chance to get one too! ;)

MECHANICS:

Follow sheenalovessunsets on Tumblr
Reblog this entry together with your answer to the question: “Why do you deserve to win this glam pack?”

That’s it? Just two steps? You bet! Open to all Tumblr users in the Philippines!

Multiple reblogs are accepted but remember that you can only reblog a maximum of twice per day! This contest will be running from April 29 until May 6 so you have an entire week to reblog! ;)

* IMPT: Do not edit or delete any part of this entry when you reblog.

My Favorite Travel Buddy!

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:00:23 +0800

People sometimes ask me who my favorite travel buddy is and without hesitation, of course I say it’s my husband!

With my immense love for traveling the world, I was already expecting (a.k.a. claiming by faith, haha!) that God would give me a husband who shares my enthusiasm. And ta-da, God really did!

Mor loves traveling as much as I do (or almost!), but as ironic as it sounds, traveling brings out so much of our differences too! See, Mor and I travel differently; we like to see different things and we like to experience different places.

He’s more of a beach person. I’m more of a culture/city girl. My next travel wish is to sleep under the stars in the deserts of Mongolia. Mor’s next travel wish is to go on another cruise. I would love to explore places that are off the beaten path (countries like Kazakhstan and even North Korea are on my list) but Mor would shake his head every time I would mention those places.

Mor loves food and would always be on the lookout for the top-rated places and I’m just glad to eat whatever is served on my plate (I really don’t enjoy ordering food! Confuses me! Haha!) I love going to cold places and Mor, well, did I mention he was a beach person?

But despite our differences, there are things about Mor that I’m so thankful for, like the way he’s always game to make wacky poses in photos and the way he’s always game to participate in things (like if someone asks for a volunteer, I will point at him and he would be forced to go up! Haha!) I also love how Mor always wants to try new things and that’s always a good adventure!

One of my good friends pointed out that in a way, Mor and I balance each other out; he keeps me from doing crazy stupid things I will later regret and I help him experience new things. I guess it’s true, if you put it that way!

I really believe that God gave us each other, even though (or precisely because) we are so different, so that we can live life the fullest. Both of us need to adjust and do things that the other would want and this often results to so many fun (and funny!) memories in the end.

And so, I just wanted to write this cheesy post because I’m currently feeling very grateful. I am truly blessed with a wonderful man and that’s all I can say. I don’t deserve anything and it’s all by God’s grace.

I married a man who would take silly photos with me with a camera on timer mode. What more can I ask for? ;)

Everyday we meet all kinds of people; people we know, people we...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:00:06 +0800

Everyday we meet all kinds of people; people we know, people we don’t. Sometimes we engage in small conversations, sometimes we simply pass by them. We meet people who are overworked, people who are lonely, people who have lost a loved one, people who have traded their dreams for someone else’s.

Everyday we encounter all kinds of challenges. And so do they. We all have our stories, our heartaches, our battles. People smile on the outside and go on with their lives but that doesn’t mean there are no scars.

So, be kind.

It’s easier said than done and even harder to remember sometimes, but when you do, try. Try to be kind. Say a prayer for them. Everyone’s fighting their own battles. It’s not just you. It’s never just you.

Everybody needs a little kindness and you can never have enough of it.

“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:00:33 +0800

“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

This is one of the Bible’s most famous verse and quite understandably so because it is such a powerful reminder of just how much God loves. It is cliche already to hear that “God loves you” but He really does; He loves you so much that He cares about all the little details in your life.

God wants only what is best for you. When He says “don’t do this”, it doesn’t mean that He wants to spoil the fun and keep you on a tight leash. Like a good parent, He just wants to protect you from heartache because He wants you to experience only the best. So reserve yourself only for His best!

So when God says “no” to this wonderful opportunity that you didn’t get, or when God says “not yet” when it comes to giving you a boyfriend, know that God isn’t doing that to make your life miserable. He knows what He’s doing and His plans are perfect! You’ll see! :)

Once in a while, I make a new batch of gift tags for our use....

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:00:06 +0800

Once in a while, I make a new batch of gift tags for our use. It’s always fun to make different kinds for different occasions! I’m currently making one for one of our friends too. I’ll post that soon. ;)

Do you want one too? Hee. For inquiries, just email hello@sheenalovessunsets.com :)

“God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God and God...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:00:08 +0800

“God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in them.” (1 John 4:16)

Personalized coasters made for Justin & Gilainne’s wedding; a couple who lives in Sydney, Australia! I always have a good time drawing for cute couples! Heehee!

For inquiries, email hello@sheenalovessunsets.com :)

Are you proud to say that the God of Israel is your...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:00:21 +0800

Are you proud to say that the God of Israel is your God?

Sometimes, it’s still hard to grasp that the God who moved mountains and parted seas is the same God who loves and cares about me and my everyday life. It’s overwhelming to think that this same God is the one who is changing me every single day for the better.

I know I am so undeserving of His love and I know that I can never ever do anything that can fully express my gratitude. But I also know that one way I can bring Him joy is by sharing to others boldly about what He has done in my life so that others will know that they can also experience the same with Jesus.

So for me, this blog is my way of sharing about what He has done in my life. It’s my way of reaching out to people with the hopes that they can also find the same peace and happiness that I have found in my God. My life is far from perfect, but I will always cry out and shout about the Lord because He is with me. :)

And that is really all I need, actually.

Kelowna Love! (Kelowna, BC)

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:00:14 +0800

I realized that I wasn’t able yet to share about this place that we visited during our honeymoon last year so here’s an attempt at showing you guys the beauty of Kelowna! If you like quaint towns and are very outdoorsy, you’ll enjoy this place!

The highlight of our daytrip to Kelowna was a visit to Summerhill Winery. Kelowna is famous for having a lot of internationally-acclaimed wineries. Summerhill’s one of them! The scenery is so pretty, right?! *u*

Humongous wine fountain! They prepared a free-tasting session for us, which was cool! Learned quite a few things like how to tell if a particular wine is “good” or not. Not really much of a drinker (!) so I’m not really sure when I’d be able to put that skill to use! But anyway!

Their ice wine was really really good but way expensive, so the free taste was all I needed and I was off… :|

…off to explore the place, that is! The area was beautiful. And the cool but sunny weather made exploring the vicinity such a pleasure.

It was my first time to visit an actual vineyard, if my memory serves me right (because I remember we visited a winery in Germany but I’m not sure if I saw a vineyard there!) My husband absolutely loves going to places like these (wineries, olive farms, etc.) and I have to admit, they’re quite fun and interesting to see!

And to end our post, here’s a photo from a wharf in Kelowna. No connection at all to the winery and everything else we talked about at the start of this post, except for the fact that they’re all in Kelowna, I guess! I just really like this photo!

Oh, and I know I looked super pissed here, but I really wasn’t. I was most probably just shouting “TAKE MY PICTURE HERE!” at my husband. Oops. :| Haha!

Have you guys been to Kelowna? What did you think about it?

I Ate My Way Through Spain

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:00:10 +0800

To be honest, I am the worst food critique. I will only say it’s bad if it tastes really really awful and everything else that’s edible, I eat. :| Whenever it’s time to order, I ask the people to order for me instead (unless there’s pasta, then I order white sauce pasta!)

In Spain though, I kept on taking lots of food photos, which is also unlike me, and I kept on raving about the food! But I guess I really just couldn’t help it because I enjoyed my Spanish food a lot, thank you very much!

Had the most delicious callos and calamares ever at a small restaurant near our hotel. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s to go inside restaurants that are packed with locals. Nevermind if the place looks dirty or old!

Our guide said this was the “best lentil soup ever” but it tasted like any regular lentil soup to me (Haha! Told you I’m a bad foodie!) and as for the paellas, they were good but I kindda like the paellas we make here in the Philippines better!

What is Spain without tapas?! Before this, we had no idea what tapas were so we ordered the sampler! I loved it, but my husband and his family didn’t like it very much (huu) so this was our first and last tapas in Spain. I finished most of it. :|

It came in different kinds and being the cheese lover that I am, I loved the ones with cheese most! Hehe!

And my favorite food in Spain, CHURROS! I was browsing through our photos from the trip and realized that I took so many photos of churros stands/churros/churros signs that it’s quite obvious someone is obsessed. :|

Story time! One day, the tour group was set to visit Gibraltar, a British Oversees Territory, which means it’s part of the UK, which means as a Filipino Citizen, I need to get a separate UK visa (which costs around 6000+ php) just to visit the place for roughly two hours. I chose to be practical so I stayed at the border instead (with my husband!) and we set out to explore.

But lo and behold, our exploration led us to this quaint little restaurant called La Serranda, where they had funny menu items such as “Octopus to the Lemon” (left) and “Foie of the Duck to the plate” (right) so we decided to try and are we glad we did! The foie gras was huge (see three huge chunks) and they were only 9 euros. Crazy! You can’t get foie for 9 euros! Insane! So we gobbled and patted ourselves on the back for not going to Gibraltar…

And lastly, let’s not forget the famous Jamon of the Iberian Peninsula. That’s Mor pretending to be a Jamon butcher (haha) and me gobbling up Jamon flavored Ruffles. Candid photo courtesy of my oh, so nice husband! :p

In conclusion, traveling to Spain will make you fat.

Finding it hard to read your Bible?

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:00:27 +0800

Reading some of the Old Testament books isn’t exactly a walk in the park. If you’ve tried reading Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (and if you’re a regular human being like me,) you know what I mean!

Here are some tips that I’ve gathered and learned along the way and I hope it can help you one way or another. Good luck to you and your goal of finishing the Bible this year! ;)

Choose a translation that’s easy to understand

Sometimes, all the “thou art’s” can get pretty confusing! ;) So I personally use NIV, NLT or NASB because they are simple, straightforward and easier to read! Plain modern day English!

It’s also helpful to check out two or more translations so that you can get a better understanding of the verse. Check out this Online Parallel Bible which I always use when I want to see how the verses is worded in the different versions.

Get a Life Application Study Bible

I always recommend the Life Application Bible to anyone who asks because the commentaries are full of either interesting facts or insightful thoughts to ponder on. There are also charts and simple tables to help you understand further.

The commentaries help you relate different verses, events and issues with your own life. Try to ponder on God’s perfect holiness and also God’s perfect love for all of humanity throughout history. It’s amazing to see God working then as He’s doing so now in your life, isn’t it? :)

Highlight verses that speak to you

I know not all people are like me, but highlighting while reading makes me understand and remember better. It’s also helpful when you decide to reread certain parts. I highlight verses that speak to me, sometimes verses that remind me of God’s faithfulness and also sometimes, facts that I feel are good to remember.

Learn more about the Old Testament times: culture & history

Learning more about the way of life of people who lived during the Old Testament times help you understand more about why they do certain things. Check out this article from Bible Gateway wherein they give a background on the Old Testament.

Do you have other tips you can add? :)

And because I’m still overly excited about finally having...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:00:18 +0800

And because I’m still overly excited about finally having an Instagram account, here’s a post of some of the cute things I Instagramed while I was in Hong Kong just a few days ago!

I got myself a Chinese fashion illustration book because the artworks were gorgeous! It’s such a wonderful reference for poses, angles and of course, clothes. I realized that I need to diversify the clothing of the people in my drawings. They’re always wearing shirts and dresses! Haha.

The upper right and lower left photos come from the same store, Homeless. It’s one of our new finds in Causeway Bay and we took I think an hour just to go through every single one of their items. Mor and I wanted to buy the whole store!!

The last photo is from a Jimmy Liao store also in Causeway Bay. I freaked out so much when I saw it because Jimmy Liao is my favorite writer/illustrator! I would study Chinese again just so I can read his books! Hehe. Definitely going back here next time!

World, meet my new, absolutely adorable, super...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:57:09 +0800

World, meet my new, absolutely adorable, super cutie-patootie-like-a-big-fat-strawberry, pink iPod touch 5th gen! YAAAY!

Reasons why I got an iPod touch:

My first gen iPod touch barely lasts me an hour
I didn’t want to spend that much money on an iPhone. I was so shocked when I found out how much an iPhone costs! (Plus, I’m perfectly content with my BB Curve, hehe!)
I wanted to use Instragram and my first gen iPod doesn’t have a camera :| Haha! (add me at /sheenalovessunsets!)

Mor was so happy I finally got one because I’ve been thinking about buying this since last year. Ugh. I’m the worst shopper. I’m the kind who takes waaay too long before I make a purchase. This took longer because I found out that it’s a lot cheaper in Hong Kong so I waited til’ we visited. Haha! Eep.

And I couldn’t even make up my mind with the colors up to the last minute! I was debating between red, turquoise and pink. I prayed to God and told God to make me like only one color when I go to the store and ta-da, praise God, that’s exactly what happened! So hello, pink!

You might think I’m joking about the Instagram thing but I’m embarassed to admit it’s true! Haha! I super wanted to use Instagram and couldn’t do that with my old iPod so now I’m so excited to use it! I feel like my Instagram will just be full of random cute things! Hee!

So if you like cute things and/or would like to see the mundane things I see and do everyday, add me up at /sheenalovessunsets! :)

“Her husband is respected at the city gate.”...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 20:00:14 +0800

“Her husband is respected at the city gate.” (Proverbs 31:23)

I wanted to begin with the ever famous verse of submitting to your husband but this one is better! Submitting is the action, your husband being respected by all is the result (one of, at least)

Isn’t it curious that this is under the Bible passage of the Proverbs 31 woman? It says her husband is respected, not saying anything else about the husband, but simply because of his wife. I realized that as wives, our characters and the way we relate and treat our husbands can make a huge impact on how other people see them. I want my husband to be respected by others, but the respect must first and foremost come from me.

As a strong-willed girl, it’s not natural to me to submit myself under the leadership of someone else. But these are our God-given roles. I am to respect him as he is to love me in Christ. Meaning, even though we may not feel like it at a particular time, we can do this through the power of Jesus (see Philippians 4:13)

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This post is part of a series called “Lessons from the Proverbs 31 Woman” Click the link to see the rest of the series.

The Ultimate Travel Bag

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 20:00:26 +0800

It took me a while to find the “perfect” travel bag (slash proof, light and with enough compartments for organization purposes) but I think I’ve finally found it! Presenting my favorite travel bag thus far: the Travelon Messenger Bag!

My first criteria when choosing a travel bag is that it’s anti-theft. Sorry that’s such a corny/practical/paranoid condition but I really want to be as worry-free as possible whenever I travel.

It has to be slash proof and it has to have zipper locks that will make it hard for pickpockets to unzip the bag while at the same time not too hard for me to open and close my bag whenever I need it (demanding!) Thankfully, this one’s like that (phew!)

There’s not much selection for anti-theft bags. In fact, so far, I’ve only encountered two: PacSafe and TravelOn. I ended up choosing TravelOn mainly because I liked the design better and because the compartments inside were amaaaazing. (I think they’re also cheaper than Pac Safe, not sure on this though!)

I love how organized my bag looks thanks to the compartments inside the main zipper of the bag. It makes it so much easier to look for things! AAH! (Unrelated note: I use a pink wallet so that it pops out, which makes it easier to find too!)

It also has pockets in front (where I put my make-up stuff) and one at the back (where I put tissues, band-aids and other miscellaneous things!) I don’t lock those two pockets anymore (because who would steal my band aids) but they still have locks, which is nice, just in case I need to lock them next time!

Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I still believe that small messenger bags are the perfect bags to use in travel; they keep your hands free and it also keeps you from putting too many bulky things inside, which can really strain your shoulders!

So far, I’ve used this bag in India and our recent trip in Milan, Spain, Portugal and Amsterdam, and it has been a great travel buddy! Super happy with it!

Oh, and before I forget, I got this bag at Amazon.com and had it shipped to my nephew in the US. I saw it here in Manila being sold at some travel stores, but it’s going for around 3000+ php (roughly $75) whereas I got it at Amazon for only $39! YAY!