I'm halfway through my internship at a local indie game company. 6 weeks left to go, then final year project hits. Might write more about this later maybe.

I... am still as busy as ever, but with some shifts in priorities and new stuff added to my bucketlist (a.k.a. stuff I wanna do before I die) :U

Err so here's what's been happening...

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1) 19th Birthday

Was simple but awesome. My mom asked me what I wanted. I said "I just want peace at home" Really, that's what I need right now. What I didn't expect though, was that each family member got me a gift anyway, mostly food but as Junkrat from Overwatch says, "It's the little things" Famous Amos cookies from dad, fish nuggets from mom (yes I wanted to eat them that day), the BEST homemade watermelon juice from my family's maid, and my brother got me...

...university admission info and prospectus book wrapped in giftwrap! Weird gift for a birthday but this brings me to my next point...

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2) Change of plans for further studies

I still want to study Animation, but not at Lasalle College of the Arts anymore. I am now aiming for DigiPen, which is reputable for being "the Havard of game colleges" with its super rigorous curriculum. I sorta knew it was the better choice for me, but avoided thinking much about it because of my own fear of not being able to meet its high standards to get in AND stay in. Also, I knew more friends in Lasalle and attended its open houses more than I did for DigiPen, so I was more uninformed of the latter. It was only after much discussion with my internship co-workers, who are DigiPen alumni, that am I convinced that DigiPen would be the better choice for me on top of its close ties with the game industry, which is really where I want to be. Lasalle would still be my backup plan though.

With my current portfolio, my friends in Lasalle say that it's good enough to be accepted into Lasalle, so I was quite complacent with how I spent my leisure time these past few months, not pushing myself much drawing-wise. Plus I still felt quite burnt out, I didn't feel the need to beef up my portfolio further so I spent my leisure time resting and gaming instead of drawing much. But now that I'm aiming for DigiPen, which emphasizes on observational/realistic drawings and not cartoony stuff for admission, I HAVE to work on more realistic stuff. I have some realistic drawings but they're crappy as heck. And artists are judged by their worst work.

So........

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3) What I urgently gotta do (MOST IMPORTANT, by Nov 18)

I know my recent journals have me signing off with a before-internship-ends--to-do list, which makes me sound kinda systematic but it's the only way to keep me on track with things. So with my recent change in priorities, I need to do:

 DigiPen portfolio-building
20 drawings: 4 compulsory prompts, 16 of anything but preferably realistic with good tonal values.

1. PAIR of shoes
   
2. Same pair of shoes as above but from a different perspective (e.g. shoes drawn from the back) or a different orientation (e.g. shoes turned upside down)
   
3. Interior space, such as a kitchen or bedroom
   
4. Self-portrait
   
5. Human drawings!! (More action, details)
   
6. Animal drawings!! (Birds of Singapore)
   
7. Texture spheres (FINISHING SOON, I TOOK 6 WEEKS SO FAR IT SHOULDN'T TAKE THAT LONG)
8. Start picking good existing artwork in my portfolio!

INTERNSHIP REPORT
With professional layout, ngaaah!
FINAL YEAR PROJECT - 2 PROPOSALS ("briefs")
Something about game concept artbook, but what topic?

This list already excludes other tasks I need to do on a regular basis like weekly internship reflection, church, boyfriend time...

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4) Bucketlist

None of these are gonna happen anytime soon but I like to have a list of stuff to look forward to, to counter my urgent to-do list I just need the time to be right grrrrr

Booth at an artist alley with best friend
'Nuff said.

Europe holiday trip and overseas friend meetings - Switzerland and Finland
Since young I've always wanted to visit the northern hemisphere for its scenery - forests, rural areas and just to escape from the sweltering Singapore tropical climate. Although I'm fortunate to have gone on overseas holiday or school trips before, they've only been to places which are culturally or climatically similar to Singapore. I'm focusing on Switzerland and Finland mostly for their scenery, but also because I do want to meet two friends - in Switzerland, who has been supporting my art and been a good pen pal kinda friend since the very beginning , and good artist friend in Finland - if not for a drawing he did of my Big Swan characters, I wouldn't have met my boyfriend !

It's been in our plans to meet the them someday, and I'd rather fly to Europe than have visit Singapore really, there's not much to see here (perhaps I'm sick of the city ) and the heat is terrible.

I currently have no plans to visit Italy but getting to meet would be cool too QvQ

More overseas online friends I hope to meet in person someday too

• The comrades, the bros:
  Gaming battles, we've fought them together; the art/life advice, we've given and received; the fan chatter, we've talked it all ~(u_u)~ You guys, I have to say - despite being my closer overseas online friends whom I interact with regularly, I never really expected to get along with you guys that well xD Especially with my parents going "yOu shOulDn'T iNteRaCt with stRanGers OnlIne yOu nEvEr kNow wHaT kiNd of PeRsOn tHeY aRe, PLuS thEy'Re gUys oMg y u so close to them" WELL I am a firm believer of platonic opposite-gender friendships >:U ... especially since I can't seem to get along with most girls in real life lol. I know by now that I make and sustain friendships better through text (which makes me come off as an extrovert when I am actually SUPER quiet and shy in real life), so I'm really glad for our friendship Even if our age gap was a lil big when I first met the older two in 2012 lol.

• We used to do Sonic fan stuff together like long, hilarious art livestreams, but life got busy:
  Hope you guys are coping with life!
  

The friends I've listed above, I've had awesome online experiences with in my early deviantART years with which I will never forget. To some of my newer online friends not listed here like (and more I have possibly missed out) - man, I wish we got to know each other better in my active deviantART days (2012-2013). Pity! But would be cool to meet you guys too, haha.

Some local online acquaintances/friends I should meet in person too
, Faseeh (not on dA) I may not be close friends with some of you and may have fallen out of touch with the closer ones, but still hope to meet in person someday through local art or game events.

Learn to swim.
Yes I'm ashamed I can't swim.

Be a better cook.
I don't like cooking because of my fear of sharp objects (knives) and fire (I'm more confident at cooking in my boyfriends' house because of his electric stove haha)

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5) Life goals

Not to be confused with the bucketlist!

•  Be an artist in the game industry. (wanted to start my own game studio but the business side is scary)
  
•  Realise my Big Swan characters and world into a platformer videogame. If not, a comic. Done in free time.
  
•  Marry EHEEEHEEEHEEE
  

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...okay I have work tomorrow, it's 3am, typed this instead of drawing.
Stay alive and well everyone. I'll be back... no idea when. *pulls a hiatus*

*rocketjumps away*

-Jemi