The Independent Woman...

We all know these women. They work hard, they have incredible drive, they are absolutely beautiful, they are intelligent, funny and are social butterflies that can light up a room. Yet, they are alone.

They know what they want out of life and work hard to get to where they need to be. They don't sacrifice time or feelings and do what is needed. Most of the time they're oblivious to the fact that they are alone. It's not present in the mind, occuppying themselves with events, making money, making connections. There is no time to dwell on things.

I've heard it time and time before. "I want a girl that can stand on her own", "I want a girl that can take care of business." Yet when men are presented with these types of women they crumble, the timings wrong, they don't know how to appreciate such a woman.

I read an article a little while back, about the idea that the dating pool for intelligent women is very small. For they all seek intelligent men, they don't want to date someone lower in intelligence. But men on the other hand, can date from both intelligent and non. They have a larger dating pool.

So why are they alone?

1. Timing. I believe that everything in life is based on timing. If I wasn't always late for everything, how different would my life be? The late twenties are the hardest times. They are all working hard, striving for successful careers, striving to understand the person they're meant to become. Most people have a few relationships under their belt. Some good, some bad, some incredibly awful. But the worst thing about is it is that it shapes how we feel about the other sex. Through experience I've always met the greatest guys... but after they've just gotten out of relationships. It's the hardest spot to be in. The mindset isn't there, they're still sorting through their issues. But they never want to let you go. They appreciate how amazing you may be and want to try anyways. It never works. Everyone needs time to clear their head and find themselves again. It's the very same thing vice versa.

If the right man comes along but doesn't have his own place, his own car, a career. We are quick to judge and move on. We are all waiting for that perfect guy. Most independent woman have most of these things, a place, a car, a career. They want someone who's established themselves and have similar goals and values. What ever happened to just being happy with what you have? We're all striving for perfection, but no one's perfect.

2. Schedules. We all know. Independent girls have the most ridiculous schedules you can imagine. They are social butterflies. They have a gazillion friends in a gazillion networks. They are outgoing and love to meet new people. They make promises and keep them. They like to be seen and work whatever position they can get to get a leg up. I've never met an independent woman that's had a lot of free time. Dating becomes extremely difficult. There is already not enough time in the day, now you have to fit someone in at regular intervals? A man therefore has to work around your schedule. I had an ex boyfriend whom I'd sometimes not see for 2 weeks at a time. It really never bothered me to much. I think the main idea is effort. Putting in that effort to see someone. Driving an hour to two, sacrificing a night out with the girls, learning to say no. The problem is sometimes this effort isn't seen. Some men aren't willing to wait around for your time. So even after driving 2 hours to see him, he may waste the entire time you spend together being mad at you.

3. Intimidation. Hate to say this, but independent girls work hard, we're tough broads. They know what they want and need. They work hard for success. They're headstrong, stubborn and put work above all else. The focus is always on making money. They don't need a man to take care of them. They are completely fine on their own. They walk with extreme confidence, even with a little swagger put in there. A man has to be very confident to be able to appreciate such a being or be capable of putting up with her schedule and straight forward attitude. If a man isn't there mentally, he can never understand why they work so hard. He can never appreciate the amazing things that she can do, because he's so preoccuppied comparing his own life to hers.

4. The "spark". I'm not saying there aren't great men out there. Willing and eager to be with these women. But the bottom line is, there needs to be a spark. You can't just be willing to settle for what is out there. An independent woman strives for more. There's no such thing as settling for the easy win. We do appreciate a good man. But we're all waiting for butterflies aren't we? Someone strong minded that will not stand in front of us or behind us, but rather next to us. I believe that people must be complete individually. You can't wait for someone complete you. Be that missing puzzle piece in your life. You have to know who you are and what you're looking for. There is no time for neediness. We're all looking for support, comfort, humour and intelligence. The best man for an independent woman is an independent man.



I am lucky enough to have had a perfect relationship. I know exactly what it takes to make a relationship work with an independent girl like me. I am very grateful for that. It's a basis of what all independent women seek. A strong man who can support his girl. In good times and bad. To let her shine, always knowing that when the roles are reversed she will be there to do the same. I don't believe in the idea that behind every successful man is a woman. I believe that each person is as strong and they walk hand in hand together...

Life is about risk and reward. You win some, you lose some, if you ever even get in the game. Sometimes it's easier to not try at all but whoever thought a life half lived is worth living anyways. Things don't go as planned, in life you improvise and do the best you can. Every person needs to be treated with a new slate. The past will always hinder the happiness that could be. There's no place for pride, no place for regrets. You don't want to look back on your life knowing that you've missed out on happiness with someone great because you were unable to let go of what others have done to you. The most valuable part of you is your heart. You put it out there with the greatest risk, hoping that you'll find someone who will keep it safe and warm. At times it may get crushed, beaten, so severely wonded that you'll never know if you could feel again.

I've spoken to a few of my independent girlfriends and we've all concluded to the idea that we sometimes think that we'll inevitably end up alone. If we were just a bit more simple, less complex, more submissive. We'd be happily married with children with a mundane career. But life just didnt' work out that way. We can't help the fact that we are driven, that we love to work, that we love to be social. But it does worry me. To look at others who aren't so flamborant, aren't so extreme with their personalities. If I wasn't so straight forward, more submissive. If I wasn't clear on my thoughts and feelings. Would life really be so amazing if I wasn't so... me?

The independent woman knows that the only person she could ever really rely on is... Herself. Being strong sometimes makes us feel so cold. Sometimes I feel as if I have no feelings at all. You learn to block out the sad things in life to such an extent that you forget how it is like to feel. But we also know that we are very loyal, very honest, very protective of the people we love. Sometimes we may not love ourselves, but our strong support systems cannot hide the fact that we love deeply and purely.

To all my independent women out there. Keep working hard, keep doing your thing. I always believe that good things happen to good people.

We only live once, there's no time to hold back, there's no time to regret. You just keep plugging away. You can't focus on the broken heart, no matter how many times it's been beaten down. Love fully and deeply. Life's too preceious to be wasted on things you cannot control. You just have to believe and hope that the right person for you will eventually come along and sweep you off your stubborn feet.

...Nga

Bday Goals and Wants...

Hi-dee-hoo!!!

Yay Yay Yay!!! It's almost my birthday!!!

I usually set this up during the new year... I just didn't want to do one this year... But it's good to have something written down when you want to look back to see if you've accomplished your goals or gotten something you really really wanted...




Wants...

1. Full house season 8... Seriously, I've wanted this for like 3 years now... Even hinted at my secret Santas... Then I finally bought it for myself... & I think I either lost it at work or it's lost in the labyrinth that is my room...

2. Buffy Season 8 Comic Book Series...

3. Send donations/sponsorships for my upcoming cn tower climb for wwf!!! I need to meet my goal!!! WWF Cn tower climb 2011 - My Personal Page

4. New motorcycle... With my own artwork on it... White bike with blue ribbons flying from the front...

5. Cute White Motorcycle Helmet...


Goals...

1. Wear every single Dress/Fancy top I have this summer... Some dresses have never seen the light of day!!!

2. Learn to properly volley a volleyball... Not just on the beach, but indoors too... Curse my little fingers!!!

3. Finish my website, facebook artist page (it's hilarious that i liked myself... tyler next and now glenda has found me!!!) and mastering the art of tweeting - everything working towards branding my art...

4. Tread Water...

5. Do the splits...

6. Focus more on my personal art work...

7. Learn French... (I have an online course that I bought... Just have to apply myself...)

8. Don't be so proud... It's ok to be embarrassed... It's the path to learning...

9. Paint on a canvas larger than 24x36 inches...



Wow!!! It's almost April!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...Nga

Artist Project... Art Gallery... & The Old UncleGrampy Show...

Hey Gang...

Hope everyone is doing well this Mid March... Can you believe it's Spring!!! More sunshine and more showers means May flowers...


Artist Project

I've been out and about as usually... I went to the Artist Project with my girlfriend Fiona... She took some pictures but I can't steal them from her facebook page right now... lol...

We saw many amazing artists in the show and some random people whom I have no idea how they even got there... But props to them for working their mojo on the acceptance committee...

I really liked Alison Hodson - Mixed media Artist ... I had a little talk with her about her art and female artists in general... She was very down to earth...

There was also an emerging artist section to the show... I'm hoping that once I finish a few more commissions that I will be able to start on my personal projects and hopefully apply next year...




Art Gallery of Ontario

I had passes from Groupon for a day at the gallery so Tyler and I spent an afternoon with the arts... The 2nd floor dedication was all for the group on 7 and other Canadian and landscape artists... The contemporary selection was very disappointing... The current showcased artists did not catch our attention nor interest... But I love the new layout and sites that used wood... Especially the staircase... Would be a wicked slide... Lol...

Tyler took this wicked shot... Which I have to admit... Is pretty damn amazing... Altho we got told all day... "no pictures, wrong elevator, don't touch..." I guess that didn't stop him...

Old UncleGrampy


Last Friday March 11th, Sleeping Giant Gallery had a voting show in place... 13 artists exhibited pieces and visitors were asked to vote for their top 2...

I wanted to paint my Ong Ngoai (Grampa on my mother's side)... He had this pimping hats that he always wore and I wanted to incorporate black and white against colours... But my family is very superstitious and painting someone deceased is a big No-No... I don't personally don't have any overly friendly feelings towards any of my uncles... So I obviously chose my Ong Noi (Grampa on my father's side)... I love him... He's in his 80's and still rides around the village on his bike... He loves my grams (whom I supposedly take after), who is crazy independent... He has such a big heart and is so loving... I adore him... I've been lucky enough to posses the opportunity to see him in Vietnam...

My Unexpected Visitors...

Nick's friend, Nick & John...

Rebecca & Sara...

Terry...

#12...

Thanks to all my friends who came by and voted... You guys are hilarious... & was it just a coincidence that my piece was above Tyler's table?.. Snacks are always good... The black and white from both the table and the piece compliment eachother... I'll post a better picture once I get the piece back from the gallery...

That's all for now... I'm busy finishing up some overdue commissions... I've got some wicked commission compositions that I can't wait to finish... 

Til then... Cheers everyone!!!

...Nga

1st portrait contest... & UPCOMING ART SHOW - FRIDAY MARCH 11TH!!!

Waddup peeps...

So I had this contest open for a month and it was a really good opportunity for those whom always wanted a portrait done by moi...

The winners are: Anthony Kim and Victoria Nguyen...

Thanks guys for keeping up with my artwork... It means a lot...


Legit answers below...


1. What is my full name - Nguyet Nga Dinh - I have two first names... (hint: this is a trick question)

2. What is my online Nickname? Redmouse15 - Mighty mouse was taken, so I chose my fav colour at the time... (bonus point: why is this my nickname)

3. Which Artist has influenced my work? Marc Franz... (hint: since highschool)

4. What 3 things are my greatest fears? Dead things, the Dark, Clusters... (point for each)

5. Name 5 things that I collect. Stickets, Coins, Boxes, Shot glasses and Carebears... (points for each)

6.  How many tattoos do I have? 10, 1 is a cover up... (trick question: in total)

7. What are my 2 favourite colours? Purple and White... (technically a shade...)

8. I've almost died twice, how? Choking on a strawberry... Drowning at a local pool, Christina Louie saved me... (bonus point: who saved me the first time)

9. Would I rather be a vampire or a werewolf? I'd be both for different reason... I'd be a badass vampire warrior like Kate Beckinsale in Underworld... I'd want to be a werewolf because I don't want to live forever... In Twilight, they arise through anger and are always warm... Which I can relate to and like... (bonus point: why)

10. What nickname have I given my wifey's son Dominic? Watermelon...




Now you all know a little more about me...


I have an upcoming art show Next Friday @ THE SLEEPING GIANT GALLERY... 789 Dundas Street West... Show opens at 8pm...

It is a one night only show... It is a portrait challenge... An uncle or a grandfather... Everyone votes for 2 artists... You cannot vote twice for the same artist... More info following the link below...

  Facebook Event

Hope you guys can make it out & support... It'll be good to see everyone...

Hope life is treating you all amazingly...

Cheers!..

...Nga

Februaryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!

Holy Cannoli!!

It's almost the end of February!!! I've been in and out of the country for a little while... Vegas & Boston were an absolute blast!!! Lots of stories and lots of memories...

Now it's time to get back into the art grind and start working on my art again...



A couple of notes...

1. My Juried art show is coming to an end... I will be volunteering 2morrow morning putting down the show..

If you've missed my little interview that was posted on the website you can check it out here...

My Juried show Q & A...


2. My payments for my braces are almost done!!! Just a couple more months and I can say that I've reached my goal in regards to my Paintings for Braces campaign on Facebook... I've practically paid for them through all the pieces that i've done this past year... Whoooooooooooo!!!


3. I have a portrait show coming up, Friday March 9th... I have decided to paint my Grandfather, on my mother's side... Ong Ngoai whom I lost some years ago... He was always pimps out with a hat.. So excited with the piece...




A couple of weeks ago VAM had their annual Valentine's Day show... I went to volunteer on the Wednesday since I was not able to be at the actual show due to my Trip to Vegas...

I had planned specifically the idea that I wanted to work on in January... But since I was working on a commission and took some time off to relax I wasn't able to complete the idea... Even so, I like the semi-finished piece... As the one thing that I love with my entire life... I decided to focus on him... My Fatty Bad Boy...


Heart's Content, February 9th, 2011...

I just want to fix his eyes... they are too close together at the moment... And just colour in the roses in my hair... That'll come when I have some time... As I'm constantly working on commissions...


Things have been great and super busy... Missing the days I used to sleep all day... Lol... But looking forward to some days off so I can paint all day...

Got some wicked ideas in the works for some upcoming shows... Hope to see more familiar faces come out and support... Especially now since ya'll know how many cute girls are at these gallery shows... lol...

Cheers!

... *N

My First Ever Juried show @ the Art Gallery of Mississauga

... It started on the 9th of January... It was the day of the submissions and I had woken up far too early... All submissions were due at noon & I thought I had enough time... By 11am I could not find my hanging wire... I went into complete panic and ransacked my looking for it; it looked like a tornado hit... I raced to the mall which is luckily across from the AGM and got some gardening wire from dollarama... Put it together & Voila... Ready to go...

... Standing in line was torturous as I was the youngest one there... It was like my VAM class all over again... How could my pieces compete with landscapes, abstracts and flowers?.. Luckily I had flowers in my piece... I had knots in my stomach from all the anxiety... I saw a cute guy sitting on the bench waiting for another person submitting pieces... that made me more nervous cuz i was in my comfortable clothes which include my big puffy jacket and rad-ass construction boots i've had since i was 13years old... yes, my feet are still the same size...

The show opened on Thursday January 13th, 2011 and I was super nervous... It was local show and not downtown so I knew there would be no familiar faces for me to meet and greet... The show itself was only 2 hours long... Luckily my younger sister got off work early and came with me... It was really cool... There were lots of people, the artwork on the walls, the labels, the free wine..

Looking at the walls at the other pieces made me really discouraged... My artwork has always been different from the pieces I see at museums and galleries... It discourages me alot... My art seems like a misfit... Even how it was hung... I let too much wire loose and it's hanging a bit off the wall... O.M.G!!! Another lesson learned... They announced awards, had sponsors on site... It was pretty fabulous... Here are some shots I took... I'm hoping to get a new fancy smacny camera, once my last few months of payments are completed for my braces... =)

Event Flyer

Accompanied by my supportive sister

I really was enjoying this piece with my wine but this specific picture was staged, lol

Flower wall

High Ceilings

Watercolour piece that we loved! The frame matched perfectly

Pieces in the larger room

One of the few abstract pieces

Another corner

We loved this piece!!! It's absolutely breathtaking, but did not win any awards

Another Corner, love the landscape piece on the left

Pretty colours

Another Corner

The whole experience as a whole has been quite fulfilling... One of my life goals was to have my own solo exhibit... I'm still working to get there... Being an artist has many ups and downs... You always worry, "is my art good enough? does it say something new? different? Is anyone going to like it?".. It's often self sabotaging and self inflicting... Yet we continue to create... This has given me a big confidence boost; although even if I wasn't selected, I was going to come back next year with a more solid piece...

The show will be up until Feb 25th... If you are in the area, please come in, check it out & vote for me! for the People's Choice Award... that would be wicked...

Upcoming Contest

Hey Gang,

So in a few days I will be posting a series of 10 questions...

There will be bonus points for the explanation of a couple of the questions... To eliminate the possibility of ties... In the case of a tie, I will have some additional questions...

The contest is a bit biased... as questions will be about me... So... the more you know me or think that you do... The better your chances of winning...





The prize??? A 14x18inch single portrait of the winner's choice...

I just thought it would be something fun to kick off my new blog & the new year...

Good Luck!

... *N

Last few commissions & art shows of 2010...

I've been working like a mad woman... with little sleep & with little eats for the entire month of December...

I was able to finish 3 commissions the last week of dec... & now it's finally time to still paint but with a little relaxation, lots of sleep and lots of food...

Here are some highlights of the past few months...

I participated in my first Toronto group show @ Sleeping Giant Gallery on November 26, 2010... It was called by the pound & all the artwork was sold by the pound... duh... Of course being me; I did not follow the rules of course... like always... I did not paint my pieces on a larger width canvas therefore my pieces were hung on the misfit wall.. =T hahaha...

Eden - 14 x 18inches...

Crash - 14 x 18inches... Sold...

Extacy Flight - 14 x 18inches...

I had lots of visitors and supporters... It was amazing to see how many people were there... Even my sisters came and left because Nina was so claustrophobic... I'll add some pictures of people at another time... I think the most positive event that occurred at the opening was that someone other than my own group of supports was interested in buying my "Crash" piece... They spoke to Josh & then Josh pointed to me... It was hard to haggle since the show itself was based on a specific idea & like I already mentioned... I did not follow the rules... I am a misfit... I didn't sell my piece at the show... But my godbrother saw my piece and wanted to add it to his collection...

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A few weeks later the gallery had another show. "Continue? Y/N on December 17, 2010... The theme was based on the countless hours that Josh spends playing video games in the gallery... Artists were to submit a max of 2 pieces in relation to video games or characters from Nintendo or Super Nintendo consoles...

 I submitted 2 pieces for this show... I began thinking of games I wanted to focus on... At first I wanted to do a couple of pieces from Mario Kart... But then I remembered one of my favs... I used to play this at my gf's house when I was in elementary school... I went online to find references for the outfits and face details... I mostly found very provocative and obscene images... I wanted to portray my characters in a classy way... So I integrated some 1940's pin-up poses... I liked the outcome... Altho in my state of utter exhaustion I forgot something on Cammy's piece... I wonder if you can figure out what that is... 

Chun-Li - Fireball - 22x28 inches...

Cammy White - Union Jack...

Lots to write and lots to say... But at the moment my head is in so many places I'm trying just to focus on one thing at a time... I currently have 3 commissions in the works; ongoing pieces from last year... I am working on creating a website for my art... Creating some pieces for upcoming shows in February & March... super excited to see how they're going to turn out... Stay tuned...

... *N

Hello 2011

It's a new year... the idea of a fresh start...

I've dealt with a lot in the past few months... i don't feel like it makes me stronger.. but i am smarter... & that's what counts...

Much love...

...*N