My apologies to everyone because I know they all can't wait to hear all about my winning free tickets to Linkin Park's METEORA Concert Tour, but I've been fighting off real-life Dementors since last week.


"That's it! RUN! Run for your worthless so-called life, ya filthy dementor!"

EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!
by Jacky Cho Chang, Head Seeker of the PHP Ravenclaw Quidditch Team

Dementor 1- After rushing to finish the Ragnarok Loading Wallpaper since Friday(along with other Dementor projects with the same deadlines), I was asked to redraw it. So Dementor 1 had a field day filling my already stressed-out mind with thoughts like "I'm a hack! He's not satisfied with my work!" and "He probably won't pay you anymore!" But my Expecto Patronum (positive thought) for this is that my friend who commissioned this actually requested the redraw real sweet and kindly :) and we agreed that he'll pay when I put in the approved work.

Dementor 2- I ran through the stormy rain without any rain gear rushing to finish the 8 feet x 12 feet Sampaloc Lake Project Tarpaulin in 3 days only to be expected to accept only PhP 200(US $ 4). According to my calculations I could charge as high as PhP 7,000, but since he's a friend I gave him the price of PhP 1,000. He said he'll bring it up to the committee. Then later he said they're not satisfied with my work and will not use the design and therefore missed the deadline(BIG ouch!). My Expecto Patronum for this one is to apologize and revise the tarp to fit what they think is right and charge them P800, making this the most underpriced project I've had in my entire career. I still need lots of chocolates for this one though(mmmmm, Musketeers choco nougat bar!). I already fainted TWICE.

Dementor 3- I also ran through stormy rain for this one for a whole month gathering materials for research (yes, I'm officially sick with cough and colds and I think I'm still running a fever) for the Soundbooth Project. (My thanks to all the cool people who helped me with this project :) I thought I am to be paid at least PhP 5,000 for designing and making the technical drawings as well as the calculations. I took extra pains in the calculations to make the materials as low priced as possible(I could have just cheated and made overpriced estimates, but I really researched for the lowest prices for the most efficiant materials by going to the different shops on foot, under and through the storm). It's why Dementor 3 was practically celebrating when I'm told that the soundbooth won't be built for now and that my fee should be only 10% to 15% of the price of the materials which means they think I only have to be paid no more than PhP 2,700. Yes, Dementor 3 was laughing so hard its sides were hurting. I gave an Expecto Patronum of agreeing to PhP 3,750. But I've yet to receive a reply from the client.

So right now I'm sick in bed and cannot sleep because everytime I do, the Dementors move in again so I'm getting these nightmares. The kind that lets you open your eyes but cannot move, breathe nor call out while you hear strange voices, whispers and screams all around you. Mom tried to sleep beside me but soon had to leave San Pablo for my younger sister in Manila who had another cult attack just before my nightmares. I get these nightmares whenever she gets these attacks, so my family believes we have this psychic link. Skeptic that I am I just believe my stress put my guard down. She was riding a bus home when a strange lady approached and forced her to sign a contract. Like they always tried to when they held her prisoner in their temple in Malaysia and in her nightmares when she got back in the Philippines. And I still have more projects to do like the Comic Strips for this family magazine abroad(I guess it's like Smart Parenting, sigh, too bad Summit still doesn't contact me to make comics for their mags ;) and I need to do 4 animation concepts for this Makati company today. I'm hoping this Friday's meeting in Alabang would be fun though :)

Wow. Writing about all this DID make me feel better. Somewhat. I was reluctant to write about this but I felt like my soul's being eaten from the inside out the longer I carry this by myself. I never wanted to admit the negative side of my life, even to myself. So I thank you guys for listening anyway :)