Lots of MUSTs this August

Wow, we're now on the 8th month of 2010. I don't even wanna think about the things I haven't even done yet (like learn how to drive, read all my books, make spa products, learn how to surf and windsurf again, make homemade soap, regularly play with my guitar, drums and keyboards, etc...). Honestly, 24 hours in a given day is just not enough. I tried, Oh God, did I try. But it felt like I was killing myself and my marriage. Who really has the time to do all these things?! I'm no wonder woman. I try to be but... Anyway, I still have four months to attempt doing everything that's on my 2010 list. Maybe, just maybe, I can still hack it.

For this month, I intend to continue with my VA work. On Thursday nights, I have the Brownman Revival gigs to look forward to at 70's Bistro. On weekends, I hope to be more productive by hiring part time help to do house cleaning so I can make some more beaded accessories, concoct my own spa products, make my own soap and read my books ( I just recently bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Eat Pray Love, and 4 new double digest Archie comics. But of course, there are still tons of other books on my bookshelf which I haven't even touched yet. Talk about "takaw mata sa libro"), go surfing at the end of the month and windsurf in between all these activities. I think I need a miracle to be able to do all of these activities. LOL!

On August 10, I'll be claiming one of my policies with Prudential Life and invest it further in a small but manageable business. The amount is not that breathtaking but it will have to suffice. I hope I can make it grow for Popsy's sake. I just dunno how long it will take before I receive the cash. I hope it's not one of those irritating things in insurance companies --- When you need your money, it takes forever to get it, but if they wanna sell you some sort of insurance, mabilis pa sila sa alas kwatro. *Keeping my fingers crossed*

On August 14, Peter and I will be celebrating our 11th anniversary as a romantic couple. We're married 8 years now but those 3 years of just being boyfriend-girlfriend prior to our marriage marked the real foundation of our solid relationship. I have nothing planned and I doubt Peter has either. We'll just see how our days go and just do something at the spur of the moment.

I'm hopeful that August will bring us a lot of blessings and wonderful surprises. It's the month before the BER months begin. I really hope we can make the most of it.

Til my next post. Ciao!

THIS IS IT! Hello 2010!

My second week for 2010 is almost over and what have I done to accomplish my goals? I know I haven't made any strict schedule to do everything I've set out for this year. Being an Aquarian, I know and I accept both my strengths and weaknesses as well as my quirks and limitations. I am much too carefree to be bound by a strict schedule day in and day out. Believe me, I have tried creating an excel file for my schedule but it just didn't work. I always end up doing what I felt like doing.

So for now, let me just put in writing the things I have accomplished so far. Being a visual person, this helps me organize my cluttered yet O.C. mind and I can see everything more clearly. I really am a walking contradiction, noh?

1st week of January:

• I went on an Asian backpacking trip where I got in touch with my spiritual side with the help of one of my best friends, and my guru, Jem. 
• I meditated and prayed a lot.
  
• I was able to practice my photography by taking tons of photos non-stop on those 8 days we were touring Southeast Asia.

2nd week of January:

• I am back at my hectic work schedule.
• I was able to continue doing my meditations and prayers of gratitude.
• I cooked twice and hopefully I can start cooking a recipe next week from one of my cook books like I promised before.
• I will try to do a blog post for each of my other blogs that I haven't updated yet: bookworm and witchcraft.
• I was able to update my other personal blogs: sexynomad, fashionko, Kicking Pinay and diet motivator.
  
• I was able to upload tons of songs on my itunes. Yay!
• I was able to watch a couple of DVDs with my hubby.
• I was able to clean the house and do the laundry.
  

What's next?

Okay, I admit, I do feel overwhelmed. Mondays-Fridays are devoted to my online work, a bit of personal blogging (which includes tinkering with my tarot and other Wiccan stuff, doing fashion posts, reading books, photography and cooking). Weekends are for errands, our Vita Plus biz, acting gigs (if any), trips (if any), social meetings and of course, time with my hubby. I guess I'd have to squeeze in there all those other things I intend to accomplish this year like:

1. Soap Making

2. Level 2 of Drums
3. Baking

4. Guitar playing (must memorize 4 songs)

5. Painting

6. Candle Making

7. Spa Making

8. Scuba Diving

9. Wind Surfing

10. Surfing

11. Making Beaded Accessories

12. Driving

13. Biking

14. Play Keyboards (must memorize 2 songs)

I can do this!!!! Perhaps what I can do is eliminate those things that are not very important and take up so much of my time like:

• Spending a lot of time checking Plurk and Facebook.
• Staring into space (yeah I do that when I'm zombified).
• Try to limit watching my new copies of TV series (24, Dexter, House, Fringe, How I Met Your Mother, Supernatural, etc.)
• Watching my fave DVDS over and over (Harry Potter and Superman series, Sex & the City, Iron Man, etc.)
  
• Cleaning every time I see something that is not clean or not in order.

I'll update you again after this weekend. Hopefully by then, I can clear my mind as to what I want to focus on first. Gotta go to work. Ciao for now!

Prepping For My 2010 Projects

I want to let you all know that I am serious about this project of mine. Like I told my new author friend --- Dennis Hambright --- I know I'm not getting any younger and I'd like to make a new set of goals come 2011 (like going to Brazil or even Paris!) but I won't be able to do that if I can't finish these little projects of mine. They always pop up in my new year's resolution list every year but I never seem to follow through. So... like what my  late idol, Michael Jackson, said: "THIS IS IT!" It's now or never.

So in preparation for these projects of mine, I made sure that I have all the materials/knowledge that I will need. This will reinforce the fact that I have no more excuses for not finishing them all next year.

 Let's go back to my list earlier and see what I have so far:

Soap Making

I bought this book in 2003 right after I took a soapmaking seminar in U.P. Soaps were supposed to be one of those things that I will make and sell together with my other spa products I called N.I.B.s / Nature in Bottles (which were even published in the lifestyle section of Philippine Daily Inquirer that same year). Well, guess what? I got very busy supplying tons of people with my spa products that I never got to commercialize my learning in the soapmaking seminar. I hope to study it again next year... not really to sell but for my own personal satisfaction. The selling part will just have to follow much, much later... depending on circumstances. ;-)

Level 2 of Drums

I got the drums, I got the books... what else could I ask for, right? The purple book on the left taught me the basic rock beat. I studied that early this year and it was cathartic. Never mind that my neighbors probably detested me for harrassing their peaceful sleep at night. Lol! Anyways, the book came with a DVD so it was very easy to learn. The white book on the other hand, the one on the right, is for my level 2. It will teach me more difficult drum beats. Gosh! I'm so anxious just thinking about it. The book comes with an audio CD so it will be harder. I'm more of a visual person, you know. But I gotta do it. So good luck to me!

Baking and Cooking

When I was in high school, during our Home Economics class, I was usually the dish washer rather than the cook. I preferred the lull of the flowing water in the sink than the heat of the oven or the stove. I even tried baking a cake for my boyfriend back then. I just didn't know if he ate it. It was so hard! Literally, the cake was like a rock.  So I fully understand if he never ate it. But now, cooking and baking are starting to grow on me. We don't have a real oven (YET) but maybe I can start with an oven toaster instead and try to make cakes that don't really require an oven. Hmmm. I got all the recipe books I will ever need, one of which (The Joy of Cooking, the one on the right) was even used in the movie Julie and Julia which inspired me to do all this in the first place.

Guitar Playing (must memorize 4 songs)

I started learning the guitar in grade school. My mom hired a teacher who  taught me how to play Hotel California. But for some reason (maybe financial reason, I don't really remember), the lessons suddenly stopped. I self-studied back in high school and even saved up my allowance so I can buy my very first Lumanog guitar. It was huge! As in literally huge. In 2006, I fell in love with this cool pink Krizzia guitar in Mega Mall so I bought it. It is smaller than what I was used to, so,  playing it became a lot easier.But the thing is, I only played when I felt like it. I lacked (and I still do) the discipline to at least memorize one song and be good at it. Next year, I'll have my chance.

Painting

I started drawing at a very young age. I had a favorite... For some reason, I loved drawing the beach... with the coconut tree, the white sand, the sea and the mountains from afar. It's always the same thing. Maybe it's my subconscious telling me that someday I'll be the Sexy Nomad that I am today. Hihihi... Anyway, back in grade school, I drew my own stationery and sold them to my classmates so I can have extra allowance. Yeah...I was kind of entrepreneurial even at a young age. I had to be or else I'd have nothing to eat (which happened quite often actually). I also remember being asked by my teachers to draw stuff. I even won in school drawing and painting competitions. They even sent me to an interschool drawing competition over at Midtown Hotel in Manila. See, I still remember! But then again, for some reason, it just all suddenly stopped when I went to high school. I got busy with academics and acting. I just started painting again in college. But I painted dark stuff portraying rage, anger and despair. I didn't throw my paintings but I kept them hidden all these years coz I don't wanna attract those emotions anymore. The Secret said that if I want to attract good things then  I must paint good things. I just miss drawing /painting. It proved to be cathartic and I was sort of good at it too. Sort of... now I actually don't know if I still know how to draw... We'll see... If you must know, I bought these painting materials in 1999-2000. I was still single then! And look, they're still as good as new. I better use them soon.

Candle Making

I did this in 2003 coz I  was curious as to how candles are made. Hopefully, I still remember how. If not, I recently learned how to make one with just oil and a wick. Then I'll just glamour it up with a nice candle holder and other accessories. I shall show you soon...

Spa Making

Like I told you earlier, I already did this in 2003-2006. I wanna make my own again. It's fun, exciting and I might even sell some to those who are interested in using all-natural spa products.

Making Beaded Accessories

I used to make my own before. Then life happened, I just didn't have the time. Most of my beaded accessories are made by moi and I still have a lot of raw materials left. I don't want them to go to waste so... Plus, making my own beaded accessories can be a lot of fun! It's just so kikay and so vain... so me!!! ^_^

Play Keyboards (must memorize 2 songs)

The keyboard you see here is my hubby's. He's had it since he was a child but he never really got to play with it. I had one too when I was still a student but it's not as big and high-tech as this. Lucky me I married him, I don't have to buy one for myself anymore. Those books you see on top, I've had them since college. This means that I've been really meaning to learn how to play. Just like with my guitar skills, they're very basic. I was just never disciplined enough to really memorize a song and be good at it. Hopefully next year I will be.

Palm Reading, Casting Spells and Tarot Reading

I actually have a separate blog for these wicked things. But I notice that it only gets updated when Halloween is near coz that's when I practice with my Wiccan skills more often than usual. Hopefully, I'll be able to spend more focused time with these shenanigans and be able to cast my own spell, do my own enchantments, read palms and do tarot readings without looking at my cheat sheet. I'm crossing my fingers!

So that's it for now. Be back when I have more ideas.

Oh,  hold on a sec... I'm pretty sure a time will come when I'll get bored doing the same project for a period of a month at a time. So just in case I won't be able to overcome my boredom and my being impulsive, I have my other toys to play with to kind of destress and regroup. That's why I am keeping my Wii and PSP handy. ^_^

Chat soon!

Why I Started This Blog

I was watching Julie and Julia earlier. It's a movie about the real stories of two people who both found joy in cooking. Not that I am particularly very passionate about cooking, I like to cook, just not all the time. The thing is, like both of them, I want to find that inner joy in me by doing something worthwhile. The challenge here now is this: I am interested in a lot of things. And most of the time, I just do whatever I want to do. Though it has been a dream come true for me to be having this kind of lifestyle, I sometimes find it unfulfilling. True, I can do whatever I want, when I want and how I want it but there has to be a system here somewhere. Like there should be some schedule that I should follow... like being in school. There has to be a particular goal and a particular deadline, like how Julie did it in the movie (500+ recipes in 365 days). But knowing how impatient and impulsive I always get, maybe I can chunk it down to like having a particular project every month. Like at the end of every month, I have to have something to show for it. It sounds like a plan, doesn't it?

Okay, right now, just off the top of my head, here are the projects that I came up with that I must follow through. I still don't have the perfect schedule though. I'll work it out on my next blog post.

1. Soap Making

2. Level 2 of Drums
3. Baking

4. Guitar playing (must memorize 4 songs)

5. Painting

6. Candle Making

7. Spa Making

8. Making Beaded Accessories

9. Play Keyboards (must memorize 2 songs)

10. Palm reading

11. Tarot Reading

12. Cooking

Wow! That's a lot. Do you think I can master all these things in 12 months? There's only one way to find out.

P.S.
Oh, and I want to vent out some real emotions here too. My other blogs seem to have no space for that anymore.

Chat soon!