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My Life in Lenses (Cynthia's Lensography)

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Hello there, it's nice to meet you.

I've been putting off making an about me lensography for a while now because I wanted to build more lenses that, well, didn't talk so much about me. But after much tinkering here on Squidoo, I figured that I finally have enough lenses to fill this page and so without further ado, here it is. I do hope you'll enjoy reading this lens as much as I had fun putting it together.

The image I'm using for this lens, by the way, is a favorite portrait of myself, drawn by my wonderful husband. He surprised me with it one Christmas. (I was so touched I cried my eyes out!) He based it on a painting I once made, years before we got together, for a picture book.


I am honored to say that this Squidoo lens was awarded a Purple Star on March 26, 2010. Learn more about the Purple Star Program by clicking on the link.

My story (so far) in 10 comic book frames

A comic strip my husband made as a gift for me.

And now...

more things you probably ought to know about me.

Arnold Arre

I'm married to a wonderful man, my soulmate Arnold.  

I used to work in advertising and,

subsequently the wedding publications industry.

cyn-portfolio.jpgI was in the advertising industry for most of my career life until I realized that the freelance lifestyle suited me more.

Until early 2009, I was the Design Director for a local wedding magazine. I resigned a few months ago so that I could fulfill more of my dreams while I'm still in my 30s. I still maintain that magazine's wedding blog with my editor and have made a few lenses related to weddings as well. You can see them below.

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I like organizing events and gatherings,

themed parties especially.

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Incidentally, I maintain a blog for funky wedding ideas called Poptastic Bride

It's my outlet for creative wedding theme party planning

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Modern brides looking for unconventional wedding ideas can check out a sampling of my entries below.
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I paint and create artworks to relieve stress.

Here are some of my recent drawings.

"Let Me Call You Tweet-heart"

"Let Me Call You Tweet-heart"

"Let Me Call You Tweet-heart"
"Poppy Love"
"Making Poe-tree"
"Cerulean Blue"
"Family Portrait"

Like most artists out there, I sell my art

on t-shirts, note cards, and other nifty items.

These are some of the lenses that showcase products printed with artworks made both by my husband and myself. All artworks are original and non-mass-produced because we use print-on-demand services. Please check them out when you can. (:

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Music fuels my creativity

I can't work without something playing in the background.

I've always had a habit of playing music full-blast on my radio's speakers while doing my homework as a teen and this habit is still with me until now (I don't play it as loud anymore though). iTunes is the first thing I click on after turning on my computer. What's playing as I type this? "Earthquake Weather" by Beck.

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I also love making mixtapes and playlists

so here are a few that I've made for everyone's enjoyment.

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If you've been wondering how I make those cute little playlist widgets,

the secret can be found here.

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I live in the Philippines, a tropical country in South East Asia

just above the equator.


There it is! Do you see it? Learn more about my country via the links below.
Philippines - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Philippines on Wikipedia
Photos of the Philippines
On AsiaPhilippines.net

I grew up in the 80s and I think

it was the best decade to grow up in, ever!

Don't you agree? The 80s was a very colorful, flamboyant and all in all fun decade to grow up in. Just look around and see how much fashion these days is influenced by 80s style.

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Oh all right, I liked the 90s too

It wasn't so bad, was it?

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I love my kitty cat to bits (and I think he loves me back). 

I made a lens for the furry little fellow,

he is definitely part of our capsule family of three.

And here's a how-to lens on a fun, creative way of paying tribute to a favorite furry friend.

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Japan feels like a second home because

my family has been going there ever since I was a child.

My dad, a professor, would often receive invitations to teach from Japanese universities which enabled my family and me to travel to Japan very frequently from when I was a little girl until recent years. My brother went to junior high there and now works as a Japanese translator. This explains the fascination I have for Japanese pop culture.

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Lately I've gotten hooked on Asian Dramas

Korean dramas, Japanese drama series, oh you know the drill.

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I collect picture books, pop-up books, graphic novels

and basically anything that has wonderful art on them.

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A book I highly recommend because

it allows me an entry pass inside Albert Einstein's fascinating mind.

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Chocolate makes me happy,

it makes anything and everything taste and smell heavenly.

I love it on its own, combined with other ingredients, or even as a scent.

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Other random facts

you may want to know about.

I am left-handed, a sweet-tooth, a skin care junkie, and boy oh boy do I have this aversion to lizards (and other reptiles for that matter). I also have a cluttered workspace and a fantastic digital camera.

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I love music by the Beatles

and some of their offspring too.

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Other pop culture phenomena I'm a fan of

Things that occupy some of my waking time.

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I'm also getting the hang of making quizzes.

I like taking them too.

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I love to eat good home-cooked meals,

and I love to cook and prepare them myself (if and when I have time)

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“I love my family. Everything I am, I owe to them.”

Though we're no longer complete...

I miss my brother.

cyn-toting2.jpg
I had another younger brother but he succumbed to Leukemia when he was six. I was only nine at the time of his passing. I still miss him, especially when the Christmas season comes around because I have a lot of memories of the two of us decorating our Christmas tree when we were little. I feel very thankful that my family was blessed with his presence, even though it was just for six years of our lives.

Part of the revenue this page makes is automatically donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You can help fund their organization too by clicking on the donate button below.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education, and patient services. LLS's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the

Sometimes I wish we all had the power to make the world a better place

and then I realized that, with everyone's cooperation and the internet's help, yes we can!

If we all set our minds and take steps towards that common goal, we would be a few steps closer to achieving world peace and harmony.

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I love it here on Squidoo

and I couldn't have made all these lenses without the help of the fabulous Squidoo community.

join-squidoo.jpgI joined Squidoo back in 2006 out of curiosity, not really knowing what magic lay in its depths. I initially made lenses for my online business, about 4 or 5, and then I got busy with work and so I forgot about them.

Flash forward to 2009. I chanced upon my username and password for this account in an old notebook and realized that I have not logged on in years. Since I had just resigned from my job and had a lot of free time on my hands, I got hooked reading fabulous and inspiring lenses and decided that I wanted to make more of these pages. Not just to benefit me but others as well.

As soon as I got into the groove of making new and improved lenses, I received a notice that I had been nominated for the Giant Squid Challenge. I never thought I'd be able to take it on but guess what, a few months later I was able to make the 50 lens eligibility mark and now, I happen to be one.

All the passion and drive I owe to the following lovely lensmasters who have mentored, encouraged, taught, cheered me on, gave me angel blessings and kept me company on this challenge. My hats off and deepest appreciation goes out to all of you (and everyone who's joined my "fan club" *blush* on my lensmaster page).


 

More mentors, angels, and Squidoo journey-mates

In January 2010, aside from becoming a Giant Squid,

I also became a SquidAngel.

And I am having the time of my life fluttering about, finding excellent Squidoo lenses to bless and new lensmasters to encourage.

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Other imprints I've left on the world wide web

Where else to find me.


My Design Portfolio
A showcase of my works in advertising, graphic design, publication and album packaging design.
My blog
A blog I've kept since 2001.
My Multiply Persona
Another blog, on Multiply.
My Flickr Portfolio
Some of my more recent art.
Arnold Arre - my husband's portfolio
Gallery of artworks by my husband, a fantasy artist and graphic novelist.
Poptastic: Graphic Tees With A Retro Kick
Our t-shirt store. Shop for retro graphic tees & gifts. We have funny t-shirts with vintage designs and 80s sayings, TV and Movie quotes, pop culture parodies, and sci-fi art on shirts, hoodies and other apparel.
Poptastic Tees Twitter account
Get updates from Poptastic Tees, among other random updates I feel like making.
My personal Twitter account
Caution: I use this to keep in touch with my real-life friends so you probably won't be able to follow the things we talk about here.

Do you think you're ready to take a quiz about me?

You'll ace it for sure since you've just been here. (:

I made this "about me" quiz for the 2009 Thanksgiving Quizathon. Try it out and see how well you know me!

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I'm done introducing myself (whew),

and I would love to know more about you. (:

Your thoughts on this lensography are most welcome too!

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This page is called a Squidoo lens.
If you're passionate about something -- anything! --,
you can make a lens about it and even earn money on the side.
Isn't that awesome?
Click on the button below to get started!

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Squiddabbling: Getting my tentacles wet in the Sea of Squidoo

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by

arncyn

I design retro graphic tees & funky wedding invitations and blog about asian pop culture in my free time. I'm also the designated Squid Angel for Weddings:... more »

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"A Whack On the Side of the Head" or How You Can Be More Creative, by creative thinking guru Roger van Oech

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