:(

so I've fallen terribly behind in my artwork posting across my sites...I am so sorry! I'm thinking something happened a couple weeks ago to make me initially fall behind by a week, I'm guessing it was probably a busy week at work, or something. or something. Then as I was trying to get ahead and preparing for an upload for the next week, I was browsing my photoshop files through Bridge, when I noticed something funny on some of my files. I couldn't open them. I've almost never had any trouble with files corrupting on any personal computer of mine. So in a panic to cross-check my files to see if the problem was somehow limited/linked to my desktop, I ran upstairs to my laptop to see if I could open them up there.

this is where it begins.

I open up my laptop, and there is an internet window open with 2 tabs, on a website that I'm not familiar with, and to make it better, I know I had not gone to myself, because I had not been on my laptop in at least a week. Upon my confusion of seeing this strange site, I also notice that there is a Notepad text document open next to the internet window. I quickly read over it, just enough to read something along the lines of your files have been encrypted and please follow the directions to reclaim your files.

I kindof mildly freak out. I rush out of my room to get my dad and see what he says. He's just as clueless as to what's going on, but he agrees that something is up and I've possibly been hacked. He advises me to just shut everything off, and he'll do research about it later.

The next day he works on my laptop and does some research online, and finds that I had been blessed with a lovely thing called decrypt install, and what it is is basically someone remotely hacked into my computer, accessed some of my files, encrypted them, and basically left a note for me saying if I wanted those files back, to follow the listed instructions and pay a ransom within a time limit to retrieve those files.

w-t-f mate.

Doing research, this is a fairly new thing that was released in early 2014, with essentially no antivirus/decrypter available to the victims. On every forum that me and my dad were reading, everyone was basically saying that the only way to effectively get rid of it was to wipe the machine, and reading online, it was reported that basically any file could be attacked. People were stressing how keeping a recent backup of a system and all of it's files should be pretty essential to any person with important files. okay, I can sort of deal with that, all that was on my laptop could be deemed as an 'acceptable' loss. However, as I thought about it, this problem was potentially discovered on my desktop, where I had tried to open a file through Bridge which just flat out wouldn't open. Could it possibly have been encrypted? Could the possibly-encrypted-file-that-I-opened-on-my-desktop-spread-to-the-rest-of-my-files?

Now let me back up and clarify for a second: the file that I had tried to open on my desktop was on a NAS Server that my desktop and laptop have access to. So I'm thinking that if the hacker got into my laptop, could he have gotten on my server? The very same server that all of our computers are connected to. Are those files in danger of being attacked? If I lose my files on my desktop...that will just crush me, and I'm pretty sure I'll give up on life and lose all faith in humanity.

So my dad is running virus scans and reading up on it, I had pretty much ceased any activity on my desktop, terrified that if I access it, I'll spread this wildfire. My dad was so awesome during all this. During the process of wiping the laptop he's scanning and cross-scanning the desktop and server, and to much of my relief, nothing bad is found on any of the other systems in the house. Everything outside of my laptop, even the stuff on the server was safe.

however.

My dad had made a backup on a portable drive before we really knew what it was that we were dealing with. So we scan the portable, and the virus scanner is flagging all these files with this decrypt instruction extension, and upon inspection, it came to my attention that most of the files that were attacked, were actually all the install and setup files of my CS2 program files. None of my precious files were compromised. Everything that I was willing to lose on my laptop was spared from this purge, and all of my personal files were ok.

Upon this revelation, and further reading on the forums about this thing, it sounds like that this...problem is not really a 'virus'. It was someone personally going into each individual file and encrypting it. It has no capability to spread, at least on it's own volition. It has to be initialized by a user.

since then.

It's been about a week-and-a-half since I've had this problem resolved. I actually went out and bought an antivirus, not that I didn't have anything already installed before, but my dad had a lesser-alternative to a more complicated antivirus like Norton installed. But from asking around where I work, turns out I get a pretty swanky discount on awesome antivirus. But I have made backups, and images of my systems. So now I'm going to try my hardest about being as vigilant as I can about keeping recent backups.

so now.

I'm busy this weekend, but I'm hoping that starting next week I'll be back up to a regular upload schedule again, and so forth and so on. I've also discovered within the past couple weeks that my beloved scanner suddenly died. Good Night Sweet Prince, I had you for 11 years, you got me through a lot, but now it's time to say goodbye. So now I'm in the market for a new scanner! Life keeps on being interesting!

very blessed

Every once-in-a-while, I have this strong urge to hop on my facebook and, just like every other human out there, bitch about my problems or hint at my frustrations towards things or people without being too completely obvious. Sitting back and looking at everyone else who does just that, it becomes clear that there are two options when it comes to posting things: doing something or not doing something. A lot of what I see, and this is so common that I'm sure everyone can relate (I assure I'm no wiser than anyone else out there) is getting online and bitching. It is without a doubt a hell of a whole lot easier than taking that negativity and frustration and turning it into something positive. I get annoyed from logging onto fb and seeing all negativity, and surely, I don't need to be adding to the pool on this one.

I'm not trying to get on my soap box over here by trying to say how perfect I am by not bitching. I honestly feel I've been doing much more bitching lately than creating. But I will get on here and say that I am blessed.

I am truly blessed.

I am very blessed, to have every single little thing that I have. Even my problems. My blessing make my problems seems so small and irrelevant, especially when I sit back and really see what I've got going on.

These past couple nights, all my blessing have been so clear to me. Last week was a long and crazy one at work, and it killed me having to stay 8 1/2+ hrs every night (with the exception of Friday, woo!) when the days were so gorgeous and lovely. I had only one opportunity last week to ride my horsey. That lone opportunity, was like, such an eye-opener for me. I had gotten home late, and just as dusk was starting to set in, decided to hop on my girl for an evening ride. I can't begin to even explain how my horse has been this amazing source of therapy for me. When I'm on her I have to drop everything: all of my doubts, worries, exhaustion -- anything, you name it. When I'm on her it's just us and the open air. My mind is clear, and whatever annoyances and frustrations I had during the day, completely gone and obliterated. I don't know where I would be without her. By the time I come in for the evening, everything is so far behind me it's not even worth giving it a second more of my time. I think I would be a very paranoid and bitter person for sure.

Now lets not forget there are other awesome factors in my life besides my horsey. My friends and family...such a great support circle.

But I'm just saying, that I am truly blessed. If you were to take one piece of advice from me from this post, it would be this: get on a horse and ride.

Heya

Hey all,
long time no see. I'm back for another revival attempt, and a pretty ambitious attempt at that. This time I mean business though.

A little over a year ago, I had released a project, "Walking Steady on My Own Two Feet" where I had attempted to be very open with my sketchbook. Normally I am a very shy person when it comes to my sketchbooks, so this was a "coming out" sort of thing. I had intended to discard my shyness and be completely open with everything that I drew. Well, looking back on what I had "unveiled" with my project, I realize now I had so many shortcomings with the project, and only uploaded a few dozen images out of the literal 100 pages I had to share with everyone. I was concerned of showing off the best of me, and not all of me.

I can't help but be honest though, because of a rough couple of years with my art, I was honestly very afraid to show off the subject matter that often lands in my sketchbook. I haven't quite discarded a few nasty memories during such an impressionable time of my life. I was afraid of what you guys, my few friends/followers may think of me, and what you may label me after seeing what I draw behind the scenes. Going along with that train of thought, I don't want to put anything on any form of social media that someone may use to damage my reputation.

But here I am! And here's the interesting part of my revived presence online! I have crafted a gameplan! I will, once a week, post 4 pieces of artwork! I have art up and ready to go from up to 3 years ago! Well over 700 images, ranging from little doodles on scraps of paper, to sketchbook poops, tablet/digital doodles & paintings, to fully traditional artworks. All that will eventually see the light of social media! To make things even more interesting, all the sites that I maintain, this Blog, to my DeviantArt account, my Tumblr, and my Facebook, will have a different piece of art posted on them each week! I don't know if they will all get updated the same day, or if each day of the week will be committed to a different site, but we shall see how it goes! But that is the gyst of it!

Please feel free to find me on any of these sites! And please feel even more free to follow me!
Tumblr: ayafeesh.tumblr.com
DeviantArt: ayafeesh.deviantart.com
Facebook: Amanda Scharf

Walking Steady on my Own Two Feet

Hey guys!

I am excited, pleased, and proud to finally be able to present you with this, my collection of sketches, Walking Steady on my Own Two Feet.

My only regret about this collection, is that I meant to have this up about 2 weeks ago, but I got sick, and that put me behind schedule for a week, and then...oh who knows.

I've provided only a few entries from my 100pg sketchbook on here, and bigger, and different selection on my website here. It was all so massive, I had to select a few to highlight here. Believe me, it was hard widdling down to these few for this blog. But you guys, you're also getting my statement about my sketchbook.

Walking Steady on my Own Two Feet

This is a collection of a series of sketches & drawings from roughly May 2010 until around September 2012. It's pages contain scribbles that range from original concept ideas, to fanarts of characters that I adore, to characters that belong to those close to me, and my own works.

This is a visual documentation during a big transition of my life. This sketchbook catalogs the events in my life, starting from the end of my senior year at CCAD, to being a full-time working girl, and all of the struggles inbetween. There are heartaches. There are headaches. But there are also triumphs.

These pages are filled with memories, good and bad. It holds my personal words, musings, and my meditations.

Someday I'll look back on this sketchbook, this post, and all of my journal entries within my sketchbook, and I'm sure I'll laugh at myself. I'm sure I'll laugh, and say something along the lines of "Oh how silly, small, and irrelevant this all is. If this was all I had to worry about, then shit, I had life pretty good huh?"

And now. I am proud to present you, with all of my love, my cherished artwork.



 

 

 

Something Feeshy This Way Comes

 

So you guys. I've been working real hard for the past couple of weeks on something really really cool. It's been something that has taken a lot of time, a lot of dedication, patience, and has required a huge learning curve. But, I think I've hit it, to produce something awesome and something I've been wanting to share forever. I'm working on putting the finishing touches on it now. It will take a little bit more time, but it will be worth it. So stay tuned! I hope to have this all done by the end of the month!

Trying new things

So this post comes courtesy to you from the Blogger app that's available on the Apple App Store. I'm not so sure how I feel about creating posts through my iPod, but I'll admit, the camera on this little thing is quite convenient from time-to-time to snap a cute, quick photo of something that I think is funny or memorable, and being able to share them instantly in my blog is kind of nice. We'll just see how long this lasts. I'm not one of those bloggers who snaps photos of every single little thing, but if I were to snap a photo with the intention of taking it home and uploading it to my desktop and posting a group of "now irrelevant photos", I guarantee you that wouldn't happen. I promise I'd forget about whatever silly post I planned on making, and would unintentionally leave my blog to sit and rust for the next 6 months (like what I have basically done for the whole life of this blog).
My goodness, look at me punching my fingers away, in this long-winded of an explanation about this post that was brought courtesy to you of my iPod and the several different features affiliated with it. I guess this was a good test drive of this app, and to see if it will be worth my while in the future to at least (more readily) share all the funny still-life moments in my day-to-day adventures.
So, without further ado, enjoy some fun things that sit on my desk at work :D

Pikachu looks gwumpy sitting next to all those girly, sparkly ponies. He's a man's mouse for crying out loud! I figure 11+ years of riding around in Ash's balls would be enough to prove that. Okay, okay, that joke was a little below the belt.

President Yoshi? Practicing his parade-wave in a yellow Corvette? Or maybe Mariokart
finally got some new rides, instead of those silly little bumper cars and motorbikes.

Green Penguins? A cute little pad of tear-off notes I found this past weekend.

OH MY GOSH UPDATE

so,
I'm really trying to continue this trend and just share some random things. I'm contemplating a fairly personal post that I'll make fairly open-ended...soon! It will be accompanied by a little piece of artwork that I started a couple weeks ago for some fun, and it brought back a lot of unpleasant memories as I drew it.
But, this is now! And, I don't really have that much interesting things to show. Work has been killer the last week or so, but tomorrow is Friday...yay! I've just been soooooo tired this whole week, and there were a lot of unexpected things that emerged from this week. uuuuuuggghhh! but this pretty much sums up how I feel about this week:

yea, I have a natural-born talent for vomiting out psychadelic clouds surfed by a unicorn. Go me!

But in the non-stopness of this week, last week I finally managed to get a cork-board mounted that I had purchased a year ago! I wanted to pin sketches/ideas that have strong potential of being finished up near my workspace. Or else they get folded or stashed in a pile and forgotten about. I always have to go through my piles of looseleaf papers and rediscover my ideas...and sometimes it's just frustrating to constantly forget what I should be working on! So check it out!