Category: events,gatherings,occasions

Urban Sketchers International Symposium 2026: A Volunteer’s Experience

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Recently held in Toulouse, the Urban Sketchers International Symposium came to into conclusion a few weeks ago. These have been the four (five, if I count the day I volunteered to pack the goodie bag items) busiest days of this year for me. I have never been so physically tired in a long time but I have never been so happy either. Being a volunteer at the symposium is easily one of the best experiences I could possibly have as an artist!

It all started when I wanted to join last year’s symposium in Poznan, Poland, but realized it was already too late for me to register, and that I had other holiday plans as well during that time. You can just imagine how ecstatic I was to find out this year’s symposium was going to be held right where I live!!! And that they would need volunteers. Volunteering for something that I’m passionate about has always been in my blood even when I was still living in the Philippines. I’ve volunteered for ecotourism, education for children, and even for kiddie cancer patients (which was heart-breaking). And now, I’m volunteering for art in one of the most artistic and beautiful places in the planet.

I applied to be a volunteer for the symposium during the last quarter of 2025, if I remember correctly, and then I heard from them in January saying that I was short-listed, and finally accepted to be one of the sixty lucky volunteers! I was so, so, so happy. We had a couple of meetings after that, and I was also accepted to volunteer for the goodie bags packing, which was so much fun.

We packed the goodie bags on Bastille Day, which is a national holiday here in France. All twenty of us were so excited to unpack the boxes, arrange them properly on the table, form an assembly line, and fill in the yellow bags with all the goodies, all 900++ of them!

We were supposed to finish late in the afternoon, but we finished hours in advance because we were so fast and efficient. Thanks to the help of volunteer coordinator, Amelie Demange and all the admin and staff working with us during that day.

As a volunteer, you get to see the behind-the-scenes of (almost) everything, and also get to know the wonderful people behind the organization, and of course, the faculty. We also get to have our free lunch, and our own lounge / resting area. And of course, all the goodies in the goodie bag from all the sponsors, and more:

As a volunteer, I got to assist in one of the demos and one of the workshops. I also got to attend on one of the workshops. They were all very interesting but I was really too distracted and too tired to follow the workshops and the demos, and I even forgot to bring the proper art materials with me because I always had to rush in the morning, not used to waking up very early and I would be so exhausted coming back home from volunteer work that I would just eat and sleep when I got back home. But still, I was able to sneak in this quick sketch and a watercolor doodle of Saint-Sernin Basilica while assisting a demo from one of the faculties from all over the world, even without my usual plein air painting kit. I made do with the sketchpad that was included in the goodie bag from leuchtturm1917, which they actually engraved with my website URL for free!

I also had a chance to watch Stephanie Bower on her talk about perspective. She also did some book signing one day, and so I brought all my books for her to sign.

There were a lot of other well-known artists there doing the workshops and demos, etc., but I mostly enjoyed assisting Barbara Luel in her demo at Place Wilson. She was the nicest, warmest, most charming faculty member. And I am just so glad to have been assigned to assist her.

I actually did not know that there would be a lot of walking involved, even though I avoided volunteering for the sketchwalks. It was Urban Sketching after all, so I should have expected to walk outside with the faculty and do the sketching / painting plein air!

One of the highlights for me was when we all went up onstage to accept a warm round of applause from everyone during the closing ceremony.

I have never done anything quite like this before. I don’t think I would have the stamina to become a volunteer again, but I think I just might go to the next symposium in Toronto, summer next year. And if I ever do, hope to see you there! 🙂

Thanks for dropping by! Cheers, and have a good week ahead!

DIY Skincare products

Botanical Skincare Retreat in Portugal: My Experience

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Earlier this month, I have had the utmost pleasure of joining a Botanical Skincare Retreat in the mountains of Portugal, a few kilometers off of Porto. This was organized by experts in the field, Vivienne Campbell and Lise Andersen, with the bonus of attending the retreat with DIY Skincare guru, Marie Rayma. I am a huge fan of her Youtube Channel, and was so thrilled to have had the chance to have a chat with her on how I could improve my DIY body lotion that I have brought with me at the retreat. She was so nice!!!

It was an absolute delight geeking out over skin and hair care topics with a close-knit group of fellow skincare enthusiasts. Vivienne and Lise shared an incredible wealth of knowledge on creating herbal extracts, covering a wide range of extraction media and methods. We made different kinds of extracts, self-preserving all-natural gel base for hand sanitizer, hydrosols, natural mosquito repellent, shampoo bars, enfleurage (by Marju Kivi), etc. I most especially enjoyed creating my own Purple Sweet Potato shampoo, which was one of the ingredient options to choose from many. We got to formulate and craft our own unique products! This takes me back to all those times at Chemistry lab in my college days, which I absolutely loved! And now, I know why I weirdly had so many units in Chemistry back then while I was actually taking up a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science! 😀

All these while being surrounded by the mountains, the huge garden with beautiful and fragrant flowers, herbs (for tea time as well!), fruit-bearing trees, and veggies, which were picked right on the day when they cooked and served our delicious meals.

In such a short time, I gained an incredible amount of knowledge. I will definitely cherish every moment of this experience. The engaging classes, serene surroundings, nourishing vegetarian meals, and delightful company made it truly unforgettable. 🙂

Botanical Skincare and Art Retreat

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I was recently at a Botanical Skincare and Art Retreat in Andalucia, Spain. I spent a full week with wonderful individuals. We were all together in a house on a hill at a place called, La Encina in El Collado, a village close to Alajar, a few hours from Sevilla.

We made organic and botanical skincare products from plants that we harvested ourselves. We also painted and printed plants on cloth and paper. We enjoyed a private Flamenco concert in a cozy pizza place. We visited a farm with sustainable, ecological products to make soap. We enjoyed good food every lunchtime and dinner time cooked by a private chef, who is always laughing, singing and dancing all the time.

It was one of the loveliest memories I will always cherish. It was so much fun, and such a beautiful experience in such a wonderful place. 🙂

Thanks for watching my video. Love and light – Rio

Bamboo and Textile Up-cycling Workshops in Le Triadou, Montpellier

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The Philippine Association in Montpellier, Tanglaw Afsf, together with La Clastre, the cultural association of Le Triadou are organising a series of workshops on textile art and model making of bamboo land art installations. These workshops are free of charge. The participants will only need to bring textiles and bamboo sticks that can be up-cycled for the artworks.


The dates of the workshops are as follow:
Jan 16 – 19
Feb 07 – 09
Feb 20 – 23
Mar 06 – 09
Apr 10 -13
May 09 – 11
May 23 -25.
9h30 – 17h30


The workshops and exhibit will take place in LA CLASTRE, a 15th (?) century prieurie of the village. The bamboo land art installations will be shown outside the prieurie. The exhibition will be on May 23 to 25 or further. The workshops aim to create community-based activities, up-cycling used clothing into fashion accessories and mural textile art, and getting acquainted with bamboo, a sustainable building material.

Model-making is essential for creating beautiful yet sturdy bamboo structures. These scaled-down versions of buildings help refine both the aesthetic and structural aspects of the
project.

Every bamboo structure starts with a model. In later phases of the process, the model is supplemented with architectural drawings, like floor plans, cross-sections, and renderings.


Because of their accuracy, physical models play a crucial role in the design process that IBUKU, Bamboo Pure, and Bamboo U all use when it comes to building with bamboo – regardless of the
size or typology of the structure being built.


For more info, please contact Tanglaw Association.

Watercolor Art Retreat, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

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As a loving treat to my wonderful self this year, I booked this relaxing Yoga and Watercolor Art Retreat in Lanzarote, Canary Islands in Spain. It was organized by Lucia of The Sun Collective. We had four days of very informative art classes by watercolor artist and Sennelier Ambassador, Catalina Rodriguez Villazon. I did not care so much about the yoga, though. It was too early for me to join, and I was always sleeping so late, or in the wee hours of the morning, for some reason. Probably because I was not used to the complete quiet, except for the howl of sea breeze at night.

The place was gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! And I had the most beautiful room of all, with the beautiful view of the sea, and the surrounding volcanoes. It was a few steps to the dining / recreation area, with the huge orchard down below.

The food was wonderful, the service was exceptional, the place was magical! I had the most wonderful time with wonderful people, and it was one of the best experiences I will cherish most. 💖✨

Eat Paint Travel – Lago di Como and Piemonte, Italia

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I can’t believe I have totally forgotten to post about my Italian road trip with the family in the summer of 2023.

We started off in the French Riviera — Nice and stayed overnight in Menton. The next day, we headed off to Genova, and stayed at a tiny fishing village called Boccadasse, because we were avoiding the crowds in Cinque Terre. After a couple of days there, we headed towards Lake Como (Lago di Como) and visiting the famous villages around it — Bellano, Bellagio, etc. And finally we ended up in the beauteous and picturesque wine region of Piemonte (Piedmont), famous for its Nebbiolo vineyards for making Barolo wine.

It was a lot of driving, eating good Mediterranean food, vineyard visits, wine tasting, and my very first time to swim in a lake, coz I usually find them creepy. I still do, but Lake Como was gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous in every corner. We also visited Villa del Balbianelo, the famous site of Star Wars Episode 2 wedding scene of Padme and Anakin Skywalker. Oh, and did I mention, I did a lot of watercolor painting too?! 🙂

So here is a quick youtube video to show you how gloriously beautiful Italy is, which is why we keep coming back there with my family.

Thanks for dropping by, and have a good weekend!

Botanical Watercolor Art Retreat in Teyssode, France

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So, I just got back from a wondrous, week-long watercolor art retreat with Harriet de Winton here in the South of France.

I spent a full week interacting with a small group of lovely people from different parts of the world — mostly from North America, and the UK. And I got to meet and chat and learn first-hand, up-close and personal some watercolor tricks from Harriet herself, who stayed with us in the same location.

First of all, the venue, Domaine d’En Naudet was lovely. The hosts, Nicolas and Sophie, are a lovely couple who own the estate. My spacious room was kept clean every day (very unusual in these parts, except in hotels), has huge windows and is conveniently located directly in front of the hall where we hold our daily (almost) watercolor sessions with Harriet.

Each meal (lunch and dinner) was specially prepared by a British chef (forgot to get his name) but he said he works only with uptrek (the event organizer), and that he has a food truck somewhere in Teyssode or Albi. I should look him up. He was really good. As for the wine, and the wine trip and dégustation, I was not so crazy about it, and really quite disappointed. Although, I appreciate that they are trying to promote local wines.

All in all, I had the most enriching experience and wonderful time painting and relaxing and walking around the neighboring village of Albi, which I had not seen in ten years! It was worth revisiting.

Thanks for dropping by and have a lovely weekend!

My Birthday in Paris and Yoyo Ma Concert, etc.

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Last month, I celebrated my birthday in Paris with the hubs and some friends. We stayed at one of our friends’s very lovely apartment, which overlooks the Eiffel Tower. It was wonderful!!! I didn’t wanna leave the room with the view. 😀

We also saw Yoyo Ma at the Philharmonie de Paris. We booked the ticket early this year, and it was almost fully booked! We were still lucky to get seats third row from the stage, facing the front. Here is a video of some of snaps and video shorts I took during the mini-breaks in the concert.

The Philharmonie de Paris was majestic outside, but a bit disappointing inside. But I still had fun watching the concert. It was a birthday gift from my wonderful husband. We had a great time despite the noisy people in the audience violently coughing and sneezing all the time. It was so nerve-wrackingly distracting. I do not know how Yo-Yo Ma managed to keep his calm and cool throughout all the noise. And having said that, I think it will be the last time I will be watching him live. It was too distracting. But it was a real pleasure seeing him live in the flesh. Best birthday gift ever!

Lastly, a bit of update on the job hunt: before going on this trip, exactly a day before, actually, I received a very good news from one of the companies I have applied to. I started working two weeks after this trip. I was ecstatic!!! I have been on the job for two weeks now, and so far, I’m still not disappointed. It’s a great company, one of the biggest French IT Consulting companies, and my client is the biggest aviation company in Europe. Also, I’m working on their big data platform, doing Data Engineering until the end of this year. After that, I might go into another project, of which, I do not know yet. 🙂 I am quite happy. C’est fini, la tristesse.

Cheers, and have a good week ahead!

Fiesta Filipiniana in Le Triadou, France

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My friends and I, together with the Philippine Honorary Consul to Occitanie, Jeffrey Cabuay, went on a trip to Le Triadou, in the South of France to attend a Filipiniana Festival and Art Exhibit. This is a Philippine Festival featuring a programme with Philippine folk dances, and folk songs. There was also an art exhibit, where my artist friends and I contributed some artworks.

The event was organized by the Filipino association, “Tanglaw” (Guiding Light), with members mostly living in Montpellier, France, and around the area.

It was very refreshing to see young people (Filipino students) being very active in the event. There were also some participants and guests from surrounding European countries. It was all very entertaining, relaxing and enjoyable. Even the variety of Filipino food being sold at lunch time were delicious! I had such a great time in this event.

Here are the watercolor artworks I have submitted for the exhibit:

You can get more information about them here:

https://springfugue.com/pahiyas

https://springfugue.com/gumamela

https://springfugue.com/paintings

Also mentioned in my vlog:

https://phinaymarket.com for shopping online Filipino items https://www.zazzle.com/store/springfugue for shopping my online Filipino themed artworks

Thanks for dropping by and have a good day! 🙂

Face Detection App Deployment on Heroku

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Yesterday, we had our group’s meeting with our Python Machine Learning Labs teacher to update him with the progress of our project. We are building a Face Detection Application that we could either deploy on the web or as a mobile application. For my part, I used my Data Science (DS) classmate’s model that was pre-trained on SSD MobileNet V2 FPNLite 640×640 with 50000 steps (~0.7s per step)​ for my web app deployment.

Here is a snippet of the meeting’s recording, showing the part where I presented my work on react.js web app that I have deployed in Heroku using Github workflow actions, something we recently learned this week on our DevOps class.

The teacher was not happy with react.js app due to the overhead of the browser. Heroku was also not the best place to deploy the web app. He was also a bit confused about my colorful bounding boxes coz I was randomizing a list of color codes to display it. He thought it was some error with the detection. LOL! He suggested instead that we go with AWS technologies, Lambda functions in particular, and use Python instead. I think that this was a good exercise for me, and the group. Even though, we are not going to use this deployment in our project, it was interesting to use what I have learned this week in our DevOps class on the subject of CI/CD, and using Github workflow actions. 🙂

Here is the link to the Heroku deployment, if you want to check it out: https://diversity-face-detection.herokuapp.com/

Note that the app takes some time to load, and you will have to allow access to your camera. Also, sometimes, you might need to reload the page to see the bounding boxes.