Celebrating MAY-on

Earlier today, I just had an idea to create an abstract painting of Mt. Mayon using ChatGPT because I wanted to test the limitations of AI in art creation. Once again, I was completely stunned by the results.

But how we write our prompts really matters. And I’m going to show why. My first prompt went like this: “Create an abstract painting of Mt. Mayon with swirls.I included swirls because I want it to be a Van Gogh-inspired painting using details from his famous artwork, “The Starry Night.” This was the image generated.


Mt. Mayon And The Dreamy Sky

It’s beautiful, right? But when I ran the image on Google Reverse Image Search, there was a painting very similar to this. I had to mention it here so I wouldn’t encounter any copyright infringement issues.



If you want the generated image to be unique, the prompt has to include very specific details. What I did, I created a new prompt by tapping the visual artist in me for the nitty-gritty details. It came just in time, too, because it’s been a while since I had any artwork done.



And this was the result:

“When Daragang Magayon Visits Mt. Mayon

I was totally blown away by the result. I ran it on Google Reverse Image Search, and indeed, it’s a unique image with copyright belonging to yours truly, of course. Just ask for my permission if you want to use it, though. 😀

There are no other images online similar to it. I am not sure, though, if there are real paintings that closely resemble this one. Please do inform me if you know of any. I would truly appreciate it. You can contact me on my social media profiles in the About Me section of this website. 👍



At the start of the month, I also wrote an article entitled “Daragang Magayon Version 2.0: A Love Story Forged in Fire,where I also used ChatGPT to create my images of Daragang Magayon.


So, I wondered, why is it that I feel like I am “Mayon-ified” this May? 😀 There must be a connection between May and the Mayon volcano. I typed into Google Search and voila, “Magayon Festival” is actually celebrated during this month. It started out as a month-long celebration in 1999, founded by former Albay governor Sir Al Francis Bichara.

Then I realized, my Daragang Magayon article is actually incomplete because it doesn’t even have a photo of Panganoron or him and Daragang Magayon when it’s supposed to be a love story. lol

Say “Hi” to Panganoron version 2.0.


This is not the first image generated because the first one looked more buffed with long hair. I requested ChatGPT to recreate a leaner version of the image with shorter hair because I think this character fits the new narrative better. 😀

But for the photo of the lovers, I thought the first ChatGPT version of Panganoron best fits the image composition because it resembles the original version of the local legend. I also made different variations since the first photo looked too simple, though it’s also appealing. So, I requested ChatGPT to add brighter colors and to increase the brightness and contrast of the first image.


First Attempt

I love this photo more, which is a painting version of the image above. This got me feeling so amused because my real hair is actually wavy, very much like the hair of Daragang Magayon here. ChatGPT, you tryin’ to mess with me?!?! lol I’m just kidding. Well, I don’t have a cleft chin. And of course, they have to have ‘matchy-matchy’ outfits. 😀

I also ran this image on Google, and it’s all original. Yaaay! 😀


Since I got inspired by Mt. Mayon’s AI abstract paintings above, I also requested ChatGPT to come up with an abstract version of the lovers’ painting. And the result is an entirely different but equally captivating work of art.


Which painting do you like best? 🙂

The “Magayon Festival” this year was cancelled, though, due to the energy crisis and the heightened activity of Mt. Mayon. Hopefully, it will resume next year. And maybe the PTCAO of Albay will include Digital Art as a sub category under Contemporary Art in a Mt. Mayon art contest if they ever have one.

I think it is a good way to entice the younger generations to have a deeper appreciation of local culture and explore digital art more, especially since they are more digitally adept. I believe all of us have an artist in us. We just have to find the right medium where we can express our art better. 🙂

And, of course, the greatest artist is none other than Him:

“How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.” – Psalm 104:24

P.S.

The Flower Festival or “Flores de Mayo” is also celebrated during May. The photos below show the flowers in bloom now in the garden. Mom had more vibrant flowers because she devoted so much of her time tending and taking care of our garden when she was still alive.

We celebrated Mother’s Day this year by placing some of her orchids that are prolific bloomers and some Birds of Paradise flowers. I bet Mom’s enjoying even more beautiful flowers in the heavenly paradise with our Creator. 🥰


Happy Mother’s Day in heaven, Mommy! We miss you.

Fragrant Rosal flowers for you from ze garden.


I planted these Bougies in 2022, and they’ve been transplanted several times already. lol They’re going to be transplanted again once the construction of the Chicken House starts. It is actually one of my dreams to revive a dying forest and turn it into a Garden of Eden, God willing. 🙏

P.P.S.

If you’re wondering why I am into creating these images, I have been working in the digital marketing industry since 2013 as a brand journalist and a copywriter. In my line of work, I pitch ideas to the graphic design team during brainstorming sessions for every ad copy that I write. Some of my former clients also requested images included in the write-up upon submission. I am currently on a career break, as circumstances are not in favor of balancing online work and obligations at home. But I can’t wait to be back in the workforce, once everything’s sorted out, if God wills it.

If you’re into fashion designing and styling, you might want to check out this article: “F” for Food & Fashion Fusion.

Read more: “Art Exhibit: Donation for a Good Cause.”

Here’s another article on creating art for a good cause: “Tabang Tambayan: Pin-Tayo’s Color Bursting at Sip and Gogh.”

Mt. Mayon ATV “Green Forest Trail” ADVENTURE & More of ALBAY

Are you in for some thrill and adventure? If yes, then this post might give you enough reasons to plan a trip and head to the Philippines to visit the Bicol region where I was born and where the famous Mt. Mayon is located.

I may be an introvert, but I do enjoy active sports every now and then. Besides, introverts have to find a good way to burn all that accumulated fat from those months of hibernating, right? lol

If you’ll search Google, you’ll find a long list on how to shed those fats, but I’ll help you trim your search down and give you one of my best recommendations – riding an ATV. The Mayon ATV tour package is also popular for ATV rides that can get you closer to Mt. Mayon.

Getting Closer To Mt. Mayon

This is not my first time to ride an ATV, by the way. But trying one of the Mayon ATV tours is one of the items in my bucket list, which I mentioned in my previous article (“Those Cracks And Crevices Made You Beautiful Just Like Mt. Mayon”) because I want to experience how it feels to set foot on the volcano itself.

I would’ve opted for a hiking activity, but I am not sure if the local government allows it since Mt. Mayon’s status is on Alert Level 1. So I thought trying the Mayon ATV will be just fine. And it turned out to be the best choice.

The Green Forest Trail

Since I am low on media storage already here on WordPress, I thought I’d share our experience through a vlog I made on the “Green Forest Trail” offered by the Mayon ATV SkyDrive and also show the other places that we visited while we were in Albay.

The “Green Forest Trail” is a new 3-hour trail that they haven’t included yet (officially) on their list of Mayon ATV tour packages. I only found out about this trail because I asked the staff what is their longest ATV trail that will get me closer to Mt. Mayon.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Mt. Mayon up close because there were clouds at the peak, and it rained for a couple of minutes with sudden downpours every now and then. But for me, this kind of weather is perfect if you will be availing the longer Mayon ATV trails because you don’t have to deal with the sun’s scorching heat especially during this summer season.

The trail was a bit slippery though not too muddy. There were also some bumpy parts and sharp turns (I almost crashed to a tree), but no very steep slopes. I suggest taking another route going back to the base, especially if it is your first time riding an ATV, because you need to use both the left and the right hand brakes for the most part of your descent.

Discover Albay

By the way, here’s the complete list of the featured locations in this video and how much we paid for the products and services we availed:

YOUR BROTHER’S HOUSE TRIBAL VILLAGE (availed the Superior King Room @ Php 2,785.01 per night via Agoda)

IL MORSO RESTAURANT (availed the Dinner Buffet @Php850 per head)

CHILO BAR (cocktail drinks are worth Php100 – Php500)

MAYON ATV SKYDRIVE (availed the 2018 Mayon Lava, SkyWheel, and Zipline Bundle worth Php3,300 per pax and added a couple of bucks for the Green Forest ATV Trail upgrade)

It feels good to be a hamster even for just one day. 😅

Mayon ATV River Crossing Adventure

The video below was also taken while crossing one of the rivers that is part of the “Green Forest Trail” during our Mayon ATV adventure.

This part of the trail was very bumpy because of the bigger rocks on the river. But it’s very manageable for as long as you maintain your tight grip on the ATV handlebars.

I am not sure if this is just me, but I can hear the voice of a guy shouting “Welcome Home” in this video. It wasn’t our tour guide nor the other tourists behind us. I also asked my husband if it was him, and he said that he wasn’t shouting when we were crossing the river.

To be honest, I really felt Mt. Mayon when we got to the final stop of the “Green Forest Trail.” I touched the soil and when we started to descend, heavy rains started pouring as if Mt. Mayon was preventing me to leave. 😅

All in all, this was definitely one of my most “magayon” (beautiful) adventures here in Bicol by far. So yes, I’m definitely going back to Albay and try the other Mayon ATV trails, too.

P.S. I’ve heard a clip of Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ song entitled “Die with A Smile” while scrolling on Facebook, and it just played on loop in my head for how many days now. So I thought maybe it deserves to be included in this article. Here’s a nice cover of this song because I can’t sing it well enough. lol

P.P.S. We are a coastal town and summer here means getting the freshest seafood, that is, if it’s not too pricey. And in my 39 years of existence, I discovered this interesting fact about the squid just now. Do watch the video below to know what it is. 👍


“Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.” – Psalm 144:15