Work Hard, Play Harder, Love the Hardest

Growing up as the eldest of three siblings, and with responsibilities beyond my age, I learned how to be efficient so I can still devote some time with activities that make me happy. I remember, when I  was just a kid, making stationery and origami during the rainy season made me feel so happy. When the sun  was out, I played tex, or football, or tumbang preso, or taguan, or shato with my friends. I was such a boyish little girl. I had more guy friends than girl friends. Go figure. Anyway, I digress. I just thought of these memories coz I'm still trying to make sense of the way I am currently living my life.

The second week of February was quite challenging for me. Like I told you before, I accepted another full time job. Now, why the heck did I do that when I was already living a beautiful life?  I work hard, I play harder and I love the hardest. I guess it has something to do with my being efficient and more productive. You see, if I'm not busy with my job or tinkering with my personal projects, I spend hours just checking my social networks, emails, blogging and watching DVDs. Sure they bring me joy but then again, I'd rather exploit all my resources making a living out of something I love rather than doing what I love but wasting my energy, time and not earning money from it. Besides, I want to fund my new water sports activity, which is windsurfing,  without using our savings. Plus, I still have plans of conquering my trauma in surfing and my fear of scuba diving so I might as well earn as much as I can so I can use my additional income to fund my new and old hobbies. ^_^ Then all my hard work won't be for nothing. Like what Peter's boss told him once, "I'll rest when I'm dead." Hehehe.

Windsurfing at Lake Caliraya

That being said, I am thankful for my jobs, the sleepless days and nights when I also  try to squeeze in my other projects, and our wonderful weekends full of fun and adventure! (We got a couple of trips planned this summer. See my travel blog) And despite everything, I was still able to accomplish the following last week:

Practice, perseverance, and visualization... these are the keys to perfecting any craft.

• I started with my windsurfing lessons last Saturday, yay!
• I got to play with my guitar and drums (see videos I placed on my sidebar). I'm such an amateur but I don't care. I just studied on my own and look, I can play some tunes!
• I continued reading my books.
• I consulted with my Tarot cards and I was able to make readings for some friends.
• My hubby helped me with the laundry
• I was still able to clean the house.
• I was able to blog.

The things that were taken from my schedule were:

• about 30 minutes of meditation
• about an hour of workout.... no more time to bike and exercise
• no more time to cook
• therefore, no more time for the other things I said I'd do!

Hmmmm...

Let me just get the hang of my new working schedule and I promise myself to make time even when there seems to be none.

This is my plan:

• Meditate while stretching and exercising after I wake up each morning. Kahit 10 minutes lang.
• Consult with my Tarot cards after breakfast.
• Read a few pages of my books for  5 minutes each hour.  
• Prepare easy dishes during my lunch break and while waiting for the food, I can play some tunes. I should start tinkering with our keyboards soon!
• Ask Peter to water the plants before he leaves the house in the morning and to fix our bed every morning too.
• Simple cleaning of the house in the morning and in the afternoon.
• Bike ride for only  a few minutes after 6 pm.
• Watch videos while I do my 2nd and 3rd jobs late at night and at dawn to keep me awake.
• Play  a bit of Wii boxing and/or Soulcalibur and No More Heroes for a few minutes to jolt me from slumber in case I feel very sleepy. 
• And on those weekends when we are not traveling, I will start making spa products and beaded accessories. 

Ok, that's it for now. I think I'm quite happy with what I came up with. Carpe diem, folks!

February is Here! What Have I Accomplished So Far?

The third and fourth week of January have been a blur because of work. I did most of the tasks I put on my agenda although there were some days when I was just so tired after my shift that I ended up glued in front of the TV watching 24 before going to bed when I should've played with my drums and guitars some more or started looking for an affordable driving school instead of just letting time pass by. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Anyway, I forgive myself. I'm only human after all. On the other hand, I did start to accomplish some of the things I said I would:

• I now cook simple recipes more than usual (including Peter's breakfast).
• I was able to memorize one song with my guitar.
• I'm getting better with my basic rock drum beat (if I have the time, I'll try to produce a video of myself playing with my instruments just to give me that extra push).
• I read a few pages of my books when I wake up and before I sleep (Oprah's Live Your Best Life, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff in Love, Archie Comics, Paolo Coelho's Brida, Jack Canfield's Success Principles, Reader's Digest).

Furthermore, I would  like to take this opportunity to thank God and the universe for the additional blessings I  received last month:

• I went on an 8-day Asian backpacking trip with one of my best girlfriends (we explored Singapore, Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur) and cured my fear of flying in the process.
• I attended a free NLP (Nuerolinguistic) program in Cebu, all expenses paid (accommodation at Waterfront Hotel, buffet meals, and the free airline tickets).
• An additional job that provides additional income for us.

And so now, I face February, the second month of the year. I will be changing my routine a bit. Because of my trip to Cebu last weekend, my body clock shifted and I am now working from dawn til  afternoon  and sleeping in the evening instead of working from evening til morning and sleeping in the afternoon. I will maintain my meditation practices, of course, but my workout routine will have to be done after work. The same goes for the other projects that I want to accomplish. This month, I have to start incorporating the following into my weekday schedule and devote less time to DVD watching (good luck to me!):

• Level 2 of Drums
• Guitar playing (memorize a new song)
• Wind Surfing (one weekend)
• Making Beaded Accessories
• Biking / Wii / PSP
• Play Keyboards
• Tarot Card Reading

This does not mean that I will let go of the other stuff I've already started to accomplish. The way I see my plan is like this: By doing these little projects one by one, a time will come  when all of them will be a natural part of my daily routine. So even if I start doing something new, I will still be cooking, playing with my instruments, making beaded accessories, biking in the afternoon, etc. 

With that I welcome February! May it be filled with accomplishments, joy and more blessings. 

Carpe diem!

Chat soon!

Facing My Fears in 2010

Hi! I'm back!

Since I am doing these little personal projects which I have been putting on hold for the longest time (some of which for even a decade now), I figured, why not try to face my fears too and include them on this blog? There are three major things which I have always wanted to do but due to freaky past experiences, traumatized me and stopped me from bringing them to the next level. Here they are:

DRIVING LESSONS - Peter and I took A-1 driving lessons after we got married in 2002. It all went pretty well then... bam! After I cruised the whole of Edsa and some parts of Manila, I ended up crashing one of the curbed pavements of the subdivision where we lived before in Meycauayan. tsk, tsk, tsk.  Our Revo ended up with a broken steering wheel and I was of course traumatized. I tried getting over it. I even bought an A-1 Driver's Manual to help myself get back on track again.

Since the book wasn't enough, I tried harder getting over my trauma. In 2007, I bought a car that I love (Toyata Yaris) thinking that it will give me the motivation to drive. Well, as you can see, my plan backfired. My sister said that the motivation should come first before buying the actual car. In my case, the opposite happened. Whatever the case is, I am looking forward to learning how to drive this coming new year.

~~~oOo~~~

SURFING - It all started out pretty well. I first surfed in 2006 and continued to do so every chance I got.  I even bought a book to further enhance my skills. Then come December 2007, I almost drowned while surfing because of a strong underwater current.

Since then, I was never the same in wavy waters.  I want to get over this fear coz I had so much fun prior to the drowning experience. Plus, we need to use Didi (our yellow surfboard). It's just gathering dust now in the lanai.

~~~oOo~~~

SCUBA DIVING - Peter and I first had our fun dive in 2006. I had a hard time using the mask but eventually I got over it. I also had problems with the pressure... it hurt my ear.

Hopefully, this coming year, I'll be able to enroll in full scuba diving lessons, get over my fear of the water pressure and enjoy the beauty underwater.

Regarding the schedule which I am supposed to follow, I haven't figured that out yet. I'll be travelling to Singapore, Saigon and Kuala Lumpur first week of January (Jan.1-8, 2010). At least, I am facing my fear of flying head on. I'll be in a total of 6 flights. I hope I don't freak out as much since I won't be with my hubby, just my girlfriend.

Ciao for now. See you next year and have a prosperous and merry one!