Life Lessons from a game called Harvest Moon

As a child, I spent almost a hundred hours on this game. It was immersive and highly addicting.

As an adult, I now look back on this game Nastume created, and the extracted learnings worth sharing.

photocredit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvest_Moon:_Back_to_Nature

1. You cannot have it all at once. If you do everything all at once, you will burn out. I guarantee it.
2. Time is your most valuable asset. Plan, prioritize, set a schedule and have a routine.
3. You decide your pace.
4. Cheating removes the feeling of sweet victory.
5. Savor the journey towards the outcome.
6. Keep on improving thyself, and it will also spread to other parts of your life.
7. Socialization matters.
8. Enjoy nature and be a good steward.

sketchpad friday

What will you do?

It's 6:00 pm and you have just arrived from work.

"What will you do?"

This is a question I believe we should ask ourselves from time to time.

               A. Watch TV until bedtime
               B. Read ebooks until bedtime
               C. Surf the net until bedtime
               D. Set aside Options A-C, and finally do that project you've been itching to create.

If you're the kind of person whose comfortable with options A-C , then please feel free and continue to do them.
But if you're the kind of person who has done options A-C for most of your life and you realize nothing has been happening to your life , then I suggest you take another option. Something like option D.

You see, I used to practice option D before graduating HS. I was very much into drawing, making comics and creating digital art. I was active in forums and in DeviantArt. In those days, I believed I was destined for an art career. But reality can sometimes be harsh.

I abandoned my dreams for something potentially "lucrative and practical".

After becoming a registered nurse and landing a good paying job not related to my profession, I still felt empty. I would go home, and lose myself to options A-C.

One day, I looked around. I recalled many of my dream projects. Projects which I started, but never bothered to finish. Projects that would only be confined within the depths of my mind. It was really depressing.

While browsing the net , I encountered a blog (and I can't remember that blog, sorry.)

But the entry went like this:

"What will you do once you're home?" (*yes, that entry is the inspiration for this entry!)

and suddenly, I had another flash of realization.

Nothing was going to happen.

Unless I did something different.
Unless I broke free from my usual routine.
Unless I questioned whether my actions would bring me closer to what I wanted.

Then and there, I made the decision to ask myself this question when I arrived home from work:

"What will I do?"

and I gave my answer: "Well, I want to start that blog. I want to start that webcomic. I want to start exercising."

And it's a question that I have been asking myself everyday. And my life has significantly improved.



* As soon as I can remember, I'll give proper credit.

Meet the Inner Critic

Have you ever experienced working on something you deem marvelous, something that you think will change the world?

If yes, have you also experienced hearing this voice inside your mind?

 "Your work sucks. It won't change the world. It's not even marvelous"

I've experienced this numerous times. The voice makes itself known when I'm about to work on a project or when I'm thinking of a project to start. It's the voice that dissuades me of pursuing something meaningful and worthwhile. It's the pestering voice that disturbs me when I'm trying to focus on my work.

Over the years, I have come to label this terrifying voice as the "Inner Critic". An invisible entity that appears when I don't need to appear.

The Inner Critic is hard to ignore. It's very loud and It demands attention. And I wondered if I would ever get rid of it.

Now, I don't think I ever would.

You see, I have come to realize that  the Inner Critic will always be with me. It's inside. It's a part of me.
It's an embodiment of my perfectionism, screaming nothing but the best. It means well, even though it can be cruel. If the Inner Critic is a part of us, we cannot eliminate it.

It's easy to hate our antagonists, and it's difficult to appreciate them.

For a long time, I have hated my Inner Critic. Hated it with such passion. Now? I don't hate it as much before. I just allow it to rant in my head.

Why? Because the Inner Critic is simply doing it's job.

Would you stop a writer from writing novels? Would you stop a teacher from teaching students?

Of course not. They are simply fulfilling their jobs.

We can allow the Inner Critic to be itself, and at the same time,  learn to listen and tone down it's volume.

The Inner Critic is, afterall, a voice, screaming and raging with baseless claims.

So let it do it's job, and simply do yours.

Sunday Comic Strip: To the Inner Critic

Sunday is that time of the month where i'm excited to read comic strips in the entertainment section of the newspaper.
Since i'm looking for ways to express my creativity, why not post weekly comics?

To the inner critic who pops out whenever I start a creative project

A sketchpad for my thoughts

I made myself a new sketchpad.

I felt it was imperative to make one, since i am re-establishing my lost habit of sketching.

While i was thinking of the possible sketches i could draw on the blank pages, it struck me to make an "Introduction Page".

My reason for creating this page is simple: to remind me why i decided to use this sketchpad in the first place.

It is not a dumpsite for perfection, rather it is a dumpsite for my thoughts, ideas and a place to practice and play.

I am trying to eliminate the instilled concept in my head that sketchpads should only contain the most beaitiful and perfect art.

And this is my solution to my problem.
A sketchpad with an introduction page on how to approach the pages. I hope to fill this one before the year ends!

*** Austin Kleon's books have inspired me to do this. I might write a book review on his books in the future

Starting Point

Because all things have to start at some point.

My name is Nurjean Chaneco.
I'm a nurse by profession, however I chose not to practice it and opted to have an
8-5pm job as an Administrative Assistant.
Before I became a registered nurse and an employee, I was a young girl filled with dreams of pursuing a career in art. I dreamed of earning from drawing. But reality slapped me hard. I abandoned that dream and chose to become a nurse... only to realize that it wasn't what I really wanted.


An Interesting Jade is a mash-up of my writing, my life musings, and my art.
It's a documentary of my journey in life: to feed my soul's longings, to become a better person, to express my creativity and to touch a person's life in a significant way.

and this is an experiment to see whether I can sustain a blog for one year :)