Digital Photography Manipulation. What’s your Opinion?

***GIVE ME YOUR OPINION ON THIS DIGITAL MANIPULATION***

Yesterday evening I was applying some new techniques that I have been working on. One of which I refer to as "Highlight and Fill Bleeding". You can see the significant difference in this processed image when compared to the original file (the second image). While purely experimenting with this technique I was amazed at how all of a sudden this rather bland and underexposed image begin to take form. Unintentionally I was presented with an image with a significant feeling as opposed to the original.

Having seen the two images what is your opinion on significant manipulation of this level?