When boredom strikes

Old notes on facebook that I'd like to share here =)

1. What is your name : Gay

2. A four Letter Word : Game

3. A boy's Name : Gile

4. A girl's Name : Gwen

5. An occupation : Geologist

6. A color : Green

7. Something you'll wear: Gown

9. A food : Granola

10. Something found in the bathroom: Grime (ew!)

11. A place: Garden

12. A reason for being late: Got up late! =p

13. Something you'd shout: Gaaah!!!

14. Movie title: Garden State

15. Something you drink : Green tea

16. A musical group: Gorillaz 

17. An animal : Goat

18. A street name: Gomez Street

19. A type of car: Grand Cherokee

20. The title of a song: Gotta have you (The Weepies)

Rebuild

Let things go,
See with your 'new' eyes,
Stand in the other person's shoes.
Most importantly, stand in your own shoes
And examine where you had lost yourselves along the way


(Modified from Chelangat)

P.S. Thank you for the eye-opener blogpost. =)

Best ideas

To all my friends who persist on asking, what takes me so long in the shower: Here you go. haha

Thank you phd comics for making me (and others out there), SANE.

Link to the source of laughs and relate-able graduate school comics here.

16 small steps to happiness

1. push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise.

2. push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.

3. erase processed food from your diet. start with no lollies, chips, biscuits, then erase pasta, rice, cereal, then bread. use the rule that if a child couldn’t identify what was in it, you don’t eat it.

4. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else.

5. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.

6. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.

7. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.

8. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full.

9. organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.

10. have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.

11. push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog.

12. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through.

14. think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything.

15. become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.

16. lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you.

Source 

 

Prime numbers

Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.

Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

A -- Appreciation and Affection

“Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.”

—

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

August rush

Oh, whatever happened to July? Its now mid-August and the last time I checked, July was still naghihingalo. So many things to do, so little time. And so many things seem to just flash in an instant I could not barely recall if they happened just days ago, or about weeks na.

Right about now, I am still trying hard to delineate my personal work (which involves my thesis and class reports, exams, etc.) from my real work. I already made a weekly schedule on the things "to do". Its a weekly basis so at the end of the week, I'd then be able to evaluate myself if I accomplish something or none at all. I hope it'll work for me this time. So help me God! =)

Wow, days just went by too fast, isnt it? *shrug* I got scared at how days, weeks, months just passed by crazily fast. And life goes on so fast. =))

Anyway, I am happy to be back here after a short silence. I'd like to share a few photos or updates on my life's recent happenings. So kailangan talaga may update sa life? But of course! hahaha

One word: Grateful <3

My close friends in graduate school, "the homies",  reunited. This is a post birthday celebration for our dear friend, David.

Few of my favorite people. My close friends aka housemates/frathousemates. Enjoying our sushi, ramen and sake. Celebrating my love, Lei's birthday. <3

Dinner date with mon amour Paul and his Tatay, in a Korean restaurant in QC.

Another discovery in Katipunan. This instantly became one of our favorites. We love that its healthy, its near our place and its affordable. Go Salads! :)

Can't wait for the long weekend!=)

xoxo

Oblivion

There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe that time is coming soon and maybe it is millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever. There was time before organisms experienced consciousness, and there will be time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that’s what everyone else does.

-John Green "The Fault in our Stars"

Hope. Believe.

After almost an hour reading the President's State of the Nation Address (SONA), because apparently I missed to watch it on the tube, my lips surprisingly curved into a smile. If you were to ask me, I've never been into politics and I never wanted to meddle with it. I am not apathetic, I am aware of our nation's situation. I just didn't want to be so involve with its drama. I am neither pro nor anti P-Noy, however last night, I felt gratified with our President's speech. In all fairness, he covered a lot of issues. It was comprehensive. I can see naman that he is doing his best in an effort to mend and improve our country. Change wont happen overnight. And seriously, after reading his speech, I thought, parang hindi ko kakayanin ang trabaho niya. You need to deal with so many problems and issues including people (esp the crab mentality and antagonists). They're part of the package. Imagine the whole country is looking up to you and it is not as easy as you might think it is. So to my fellow Filipinos, rather than complaining and ranting for a lot of reasons, may we participate in looking for solutions to our nation's difficulties. Simple grade schooler example: Throwing your trash everywhere. You may think your cigar butt or small piece of candy wrapper may be too small, its no big deal, but how many people actually throw them out in the streets everyday? Is everyone aware of the word accumulation? How about flood? I have a strong feeling those two words connect. Duh. Hello discipline. We may not realize that we become part of the problem so might as well be part of the solution.

I feel there is hope for us if we only work hand in hand. You may say that  I am too kumpyansa or positive for the Philippines, well why not?

I have hope for the Philippines. I believe in change and the possibilities we could do as Filipino citizens. =)

Ad majorem dei gloriam.

Very well said, Von Goethe.

P.S. To those involve in Pork Barrel scam: Karma is a bitch. Ang gaba dili magsaba.

“What are you going to do with your life?"

"In one way or another it seemed that people had been asking her this forever; teachers, her parents, friends at three in the morning, but the question had never seemed this pressing and still she was no nearer an answer... "Live each day as if it's your last'', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance.”

David Nicholls
One Day

Do it now

"No one's gonna wait for you. So do it now and do it right!"

Thesis much? Thank you Ingrid Michaelson for your awesome, relatable song!haha

Affogato

Warning: Throwback post. Found this entry while sweeping through my tumblr.

 One of the best treats I had in Bacolod 3 years ago.

Extreme sweetness meets extreme bitterness. Oh lala

Come salivate with me

Gelato soaked in espresso

Voila! bottoms up in less than 5 minutes ;)

Alien

Batangas, 2013. Photo by Diuvs De Jesus

Live

Who moved my Cheese?

Simple yet deep. Two words I can describe about Spencer Johnson's 'Who Moved my Cheese?'

Last Friday, Arah, one of my good friends recommended me this book. She said its just an hour worth of reading. In spite of being deep rooted and affected to the happenings in Wheel of Time, I inserted this reading and gave it a try.

'Who moved my cheese?' has a very simple story. Yet the lessons the book wants to convey people are profound. Something to ponder on. There are four main interesting characters in the story.

'The Cheese' being the metaphor of the important things we want to achieve in life, whether in career, academics or relationships. Change is inevitable and people have different strokes to how we respond to it. And this is practically what the book is about. See how these 4 friends overcome and cope with the changes around them.

I don't want to burst your bubble by telling you the whole story, I just want to share a few things I've learned in this story and words that struck me.

On planning ahead:

• My parents and some of my profs never fail to remind us to plan our work ahead. And I think this applies to anything and anyone in this world.
• Don't be complacent, always have back-up. Plan ahead. Always be alert.
• "Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to bigger changes that are to come."
• Take control rather than simply letting things happen to you.

On overcoming your own fears:

• Don't be a captive on your own fears.
• Do not get drowned from your fears. Don't be afraid to get out of your COMFORT ZONE.
• Some fears can be good. When you're afraid, things that are going to get worse if you don't do something, can prompt you into action. But its not good when you're so afraid, that it keeps you from doing anything.
• Use your fears into something relevant that can bring something positive into your life.
• We are able-bodied and we have brains. Use it to systematically plan how are we to conform to the change.

On being open-minded:

• When you see changes, stop the blaming and self pity, don't dwell too much on it. Move on, look immediately for another "Cheese". Get up and move with the cheese sooner.
• Expect change, learn something new and adapt on time.
• Things change and that's life. Life moves on and so are we.
• Life is simple. Do not over-analyze things.
• Accept the changes that happens along the way. Remember that the only constant in life is change.

On accepting change and moving on:

• Change your beliefs, change your perspective on things!
• The quicker you let go of the old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.
• Move in new direction and go with the flow.
• You can believe that change will harm you or can help you upon finding that new cheese. Embrace the change.
• And when you finally accepted change, go straight forward and let go of the past.
• All things depend on what you choose to believe in.

We can become a better person if we want to and if we choose to be one. Its just about perspective and how you manage your inner self. And believe me when I say PERSPECTIVE.

So, am I a better person now? Definitely. :)

What is talent?

Day 4/30 Your views on religion

Sensitive topic today.

Religion for me is a personal thing. Nobody can/should force someone to follow a specific belief. Its your personal faith no one should be complaining about, so long as your happy of what you are believing in. Be open-minded and RESPECT each other's principles.

P.S. I was born and raised as a Catholic. Yes, I do believe in God. Walang basagan ng trip. =)

Whale you wear me today?

These beauties arrived in the mail today. Yahoo! Happiness. Thank you Monica for your initiative and Cat & Kai for your glorious ingenuity. This really made me and Monica happy today. They are lovely! Plus we love what they wrote on its package. =)

They have other beautiful designs on their facebook page. So if you guys want to order your own handcrafted jewelry, visit them at www.facebook.com/CatKaiHandmadeJewelry .

Day 3/30 Your top 5 pet peeves

Is this some kind of a BV entry? Well, you be the judge. =P  Good thing I only have to name a few. I admit, I easily get irritated. Dont get me wrong but nature didn't bless me with limitless patience. Although, I have had been trying to control my burst, and its effectively working so far. I believe in change, and being 'good' not just for and towards others but for myself most importantly.

However, some things we just can't control. Things I find annoying in some people and are major major turn-off. Now Im going to give you my list before this entry turns into something else. LOL

1. The know-it-all/feeling/boastful/mahangin - This is for me, a major turn-off. You need not to lift a single finger to prove them what you've got, just so a person believes in whatever you say or do. And I do believe  that the key to being successful starts with being humble.
2. The insensitive - I think this is something difficult to realize by the person guilty of this. It is important to think twice or even thrice before you act or spit those words out of your system. Think think think before you act. We all are different, from our beliefs, our ideas, down to our thumbprints (whut?), so people may have different takes on things we say or do. Be sensitive enough not to hurt others.
3. The plastic - If you dont like me or my idea, tell me straight in the face. It will hurt a little 'cos yes, the truth hurts. But dont you worry, i'll get over it sooner than you've expected. Besides, It'd be right to hear it from you than from others. Remember that plastic equates to garbage. =)
4. The over-reacting - I dont think I should elaborate on this matter. You know, just be yourself, girl. Dont overkill it. =)
5. The judgemental - You easily judge on people. But why? You dont know their stories, their past and what that person is going through. Alamin  muna ang totoo.  Makiramdam.

The rationale is simple here: Do not do unto others as you dont want others to do unto you. And I don't know if you believe in Karma, but I do.

Peace. Im out. =)

Day 2/30 Where you'd like to be in 10 years

I would be 38 by that time so most probably traveling around the world? hahaha I wish! But seriously, guess I'd still be working my ass off, for my own family, having a job that would definitely doesn't feel like a job at all because it'll be my passion. And running a business maybe while doing a side line of traveling. One happy working mom and wife :) Here's to hoping and believing in dreams coming true!

Cheers to the future!

Day 1/30 Discuss your current relationship

Please excuse me as I haven't finished this post last night, oops my bad. But wow, seriously? I really haven't expected day 1 is already quite a tough one.haha

Well they didn't specify what kind of relationship, so I just considered the 3 major relationships im currently in now. Oh, just read what relationship interests you most. :)

With my significant other -- Very happy and contented. I dont know how to expound on that more but I'd like to say that giving "us" a second chance is all worth it.

With my family -- I dont have a perfect family but I can say that we are happy and we support and love each other. We may not be together as a whole because of work but we are close at heart and in spirit. We always send messages to each other or talk on the phone. They are my happy pill. They are my inspiration. Although at times, we argue especially when were all together, but that's us! That makes us a family. Ma famille est ma vie.

With my friends -- I have lots of friends. And I treasure each of them. ONE of the important things I realize through all these years is to invest in good friends. Yes, invest in them. My friends help me grow emotionally, spiritually and yes believe it or not, financially. No, they dont give me money but they help and inspire me manage my finances. I am proud of our own little differences 'cos it makes our bond stronger. I love my friends and they're my everyday sunshine. =)

30 Day Challenge

Thanks Google, for the photo.

This is one of those things that got me excited in blogging. I've read this a few times in other blogs I follow but I feel lazy to do it myself. However, after reading tons of this stuff, I kinda want to keep up with the challenges in blogging. I want my blog aka 'diary' to be updated too. The 30 day challenge is actually fun in one way or another (based on my readings).  So today, I am joining in with the fun of the 30 day challenge. =)

Bring. It. On.

Father's day in heaven

Fiona Apple's 'Never is a Promise' is currently playing but this is not just about the song's sad lines. Its tune and rhythm pinched me, scraping my other side.  Warning: this post post is a little sentimental. Well anyway, Paul's father was in town last Wednesday and arranged a dinner for the 3 of us. It's also a sort of advanced celebration for father's day. It was a fine, lovely dinner at one of our favorite restaurants nearby, which is another story to blog. We went home with laughter  and tummies full, but the thoughts we discussed over dinner simply seeped in. The feeling of having a father. The chance of conversing with someone, a father figure, discussing real stuff. That's where it all started.

It's one of those days when I badly miss my father. But no wishing or dreaming could bring him back to life now. And I know he's happier where he is now. He is now in a real peaceful world watching over me and my family. Although I always miss him everyday in every corner of my life. He used to tell us lovely stories, jokes, lessons and anything under the sun. He was my confidante, my music teacher, my rock, my best friend, my inspiration, my loving father. I miss him now. I'll still miss him tomorrow. Everyday.

It was and still not easy. Seven years without him is painful yet to completely move on. I have fond memories of my father that until now, I cry buckets whenever I remember them. He was a cool and very generous and kind man, my family couldn't ask for more. He may not be perfect but he was a genuine man to everybody. He showed the world to us (his children), taught us to never give up on our dreams and to be humble in whatever circumstance. I am who I am now because of him. He taught me life's big lessons. The words "dont look at today as today lang, decide and plan ahead for your future," will forever be stuck in my head. He let me discover things on my own, to be responsible of my own actions. And most of all he taught me to love unconditionally.

One time, he told told us that when something good or bad happens, it happens for a reason. And yes, Now I have slowly realized the reasons why you needed to go so soon. Thank you for everything, Pa. I hope you know how grateful I am to be your daughter. I love you very very much and I hope you could read this.

Happy father's day! Sending you lotsa love kisses and hugs! Rock on!

My late father in his teens. He's rockin' the heavens now for sure. =)

Murphy's law

That moment when you do so much effort not to feel/look stupid in class, apparently, Murphy's law always seem to lurk out.

Happy Independence Day!

I love that Google pays tribute to the 115th Independence Day celebration of the Philippines.

June 12, Araw ng Kalayaan. Thank you to our ancestors, our heroes and heroines who fought hard and even died for our Independence, for the freedom that we are presently enjoying. May people make use of this liberty in best ways that we can, for the betterment of our country and countrymen.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Mabuhay tayong mga Pilipino!=)

The thing that must not be named

Photo: Google

So long summer. Seasons of rain and school are here once again. My 3rd year since I've enrolled in graduate school. Wow, 3 years have already passed and yet here I still am, doing simultaneously my course work and thesis study back to back with my job as a RA (Research Associate). Not that I'm complaining. I am actually overwhelmed.

The idea of getting serious with my thesis has finally sunk in. My data has been there for months, no.. years now and it'll get stale if I dont work it out asap! And besides, I really really want to finish my Masters sooner than Ive dreamed of. I already started talking to my thesis advisers about my study and after all the meetings and consultations, I realized that I still have so much work on. *shrugged* I'm both excited and anxious of what's going to happen to me, academically speaking, in the next few months especially that I have finally decided and even told my advisers that I want to present my proposed study this semester. *sigh* And for that, I am going to work triple time on writing my proposal. So as a working student, me and my friends organized a strategy called, "writing Wednesdays". Its a day spent for thesis/manuscript writing in the library. And I guess its a pretty good start since we really aim to accomplish something by the end of this semester. I am really hoping we could sustain it.

Now let me go back to my articles.

Ad majorem dei Gloriam.

I bumped into these awesome artists while music trippin' on a chill, steady Saturday. Their use of xylophone, violin and other instruments all together just make me squirm inside. It adds more texture to the songs' rhythm. Oh how I adore them! I am currently obsessed with their songs and how well-rounded they are in those rockin' instruments.

Have a great weekend!:)

Happy World Ocean Day!

Everyday should be World Ocean Day. I wish for the day when more people know the real value of our ocean and how very important it is to our daily lives. 

Below are some facts about our ocean.

It's easy to forget the critical role the ocean plays in human life. The salty water of the ocean covers more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface. Ocean plants produce some 50% of the planet's oxygen. Seawater absorbs a quarter of the carbon dioxide we pump into the atmosphere. And seaweed extract helps keeps your peanut butter and ice cream at the right consistency! 

For more of the interesting facts and information about our ocean, please click the link below. 

Celebrating World Ocean Day | Smithsonian Ocean Portal

Happy Weekend everyone!

Instabug

Two years ago, I joined Instagram out of nothingness. And getting myself stung by the Instabug, Im not pretty surprised to find out that more than a thousand photos from trips, experiences, hobbies, daily encounters of awesomeness or just plain vanity have already been shared as of this writing. Haha! =P Its kinda like my mini-blog.

Excuse me, its addictive I couldn't help it. =))

P.S. Come follow me: @yaggo . What a shameless plug. haha