Wishing for the Moon this June

Wow, I've already reached half of this year and yet, I still haven't done a lot of the things that I have placed on my resolution list when 2010 started. Let's see what I wrote on my list last January:

• 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)
• 15. Tarot Card Reading
• 16. Cooking My Own Dishes
• 17. Reading My Books
  

It's all been about work, work and more work since last month but I'm not complaining much. I am happy that somehow, I am compensated for a job that I enjoy doing... that somehow, despite the many financial obligations Peter and I have been facing as of late, we're still able to manage them all.

Like Peter said, it just so happened that these obligations came in one big wave (house and car mortgages, MRI & Fire insurance, registration of 2 cars, sky high electricity bills, unexpected Nikon D40 repair, life/health/personal accident insurances plus the usual credit card and utility bills). That's more than Php100k down the drain in one go. I guess this is what being a mature adult is all about --- the fact that we can make some simple sacrifices in the hopes of big returns in the future (Yup, 2.5 more years for the car and 7 more years for the house! And come August, I shall be getting one of my insurance claims. Yes!)

And even if we haven't been traveling much these days, even if we haven't been spending on simple luxuries, even if we're just always at home watching DVDs, cooking our own food, spending quality time together... we're still happy, healthy and content most of the time. I think these are the things that matter the most.

On another note, I have been more active on blogging these days. To wit:

• I overhauled my fashion site and included Hollywood celebrity news and gossips in it.
• I am a very much active baby wiccan as of late. I always do tarot card readings, spells, and further enhance my psychic development which I share to my readers.
• I manage to update my travel blog almost everyday.
• I manage to also update my food blog more regularly than before (at least once a week).

And because I am back to my meditation practices, and regularly read my self-help books, I also plan to squeeze into my busy schedule a little time to update my self-help and bookwoorm blogs as well.

What else did I miss?


The only time we got out of the house last month was when we went to Enchanted Kingdom Biki Water World to cover the Crocs event. I had fun watching the fashion show and I was so awed by the magic tricks performed by a magician afterward.


What else...

Oh, Peter and I will be celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary on June 8! We didn't plan anything special. Both of us will be working on that day. And I'm still not sure if we will go ahead with our Dumaguete trip scheduled for June 10-15 coz Peter may not have enough vacation leaves to cover the trip plus we're a bit reluctant to spend money. The plane tickets have already been paid for last March. It's the hotel and other travel expenses that I'm really worried about. Hopefully, after I do some financial check-up, some funds will be left for that trip. If not, well, it's not the end of the world. And hopefully, the weather will cooperate too. It's been raining hard these days. Though I very much welcome the cold and rainy weather, it is not conducive for traveling.

I guess that's pretty much it for now. I'll try to do some beaded jewelry today plus play with my drums and guitar. And maybe try to do a jar of body scrub too! ^_^

Ciao for now! Update you again next month. Or perhaps sooner. ^_^

The Heat is On!

The heat is definitely on! And the only thing that I look forward to every week are our adventure weekend out of town trips when we finally hang out at the beach, discover new places, do some windsurfing, frolic in the waters, and hopefully begin surfing again and take scuba diving lessons.

I was not joking when I said in my last post that I work so hard. My gosh, I am literally living every weekday, from our bed to my work station. I seldom get out of my office, and when I do, it's because I feel so stressed and tired, and that's the only time I go down to clean the house a bit (coz it  relaxes my mind), do a batch of laundry (it's all automatic anyway), prepare a super quick meal,  or spend around 5-10 minutes playing with  drums and my guitar (yes, I'm still playing Alone and This is Me, the only two songs I have memorized), or tinker with our keyboards which I am still getting used to. And thank God for lunch and dinner breaks, I can watch my favorite TV series one episode at a time. (Right now, I just started with Desperate Housewives Season 6)... All to relieve pressure and anxiety that I sometimes experience when I feel so overwhelmed with my virtual tasks. Could I really do this? Could I really hack 3 virtual jobs for a long time? I am grateful though for being a virtual assistant. I still think it's the best job in the world coz you can have the best of both worlds. And it does make you earn lots of money if you know where to look and how to use your time.

It's just that with 3 jobs, sacrifies were indeed made on my part and I am getting used to it. I am getting used to not blogging every now and then; I am getting used to not checking my social networks every 5 minutes, I am getting used to the solitude I have when I'm fully focused on my jobs, and I am getting used to feeling more at peace. I didn't realize that I can consider all those social networking stuff as  clutter in my life. When I really had to make a decision, they were the first things to go. My life has been more calm since. Coz while some have been helpful, many of them have been  very distracting that I didn't realize before how much of my time was used (or maybe wasted) just updating and commenting on facebook, twitter, plurk, myspace, friendster, etc.   Anyway, these are just my thoughts for now since I have never been this busy before to the point that I couldn't even get up to buy myself some drinking water supply from our neighbor. Thank God for my husband who thinks of me when I can't even think of myself.

Anyway, I just needed to share my thoughts. I am looking forward to a  series of happy weekends with my hubby this summer. This weekend, we're hoping to do the two rides we weren't able to do two weeks ago: Superman and Silver Surfer rides at Treetop Adventure, then head to Dungaree beach in Subic. Two weeks ago, it was All Hands Beach we checked out and it was nice too. I'll do a post on that on my travel blog soon. Come Sunday, we plan to do a bit of windsurfing again then look for the other lakes in San Pablo.

Happy weekend, everyone and have a great summer!

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!

The Month of Love

Every time February comes around, people either dread it or love it. As for me, I've learned to be neutral about it. I've found out that for me, it is the best possible way to treat this month of hearts... with no expectations... coz that's when all blessings of love and prosperity come in.


Speaking of blessings, the month of February has started out flawlessly. During my first week, I was able to attend to several of my personal projects despite my hectic schedule and I felt quite satisfied and happy about it. To wit:

• Consistent bike rides in the morning.
• Tarot card reading for me and my friends. I've actually done several readings for myself since my last post but I just haven't published them yet. Plus, I am glad to be of help to friends and strangers who were in need of enlightenment. See my Wiccan Blog for an update.
• I memorized two songs using my guitar. They're two of my all-time favorite songs --- Alone by Heart and This is Me by Demi Lovato. Yipee!
• I read several of my books, a few pages at a time. I even managed to finish one (Earth Then and Now). See my Bookworm Blog for an update.

This week, I plan to accomplish the following:

• Basic Lessons on Windsurfing which I will do this weekend with my hubby as we go to Caliraya, Batangas to celebrate our Valentine's Day together, braving the waves and the wind. If you need suggestions on what to do on Valentine's, see my Travel Blog and you might just be able to pick an activity you want.
• Play the two songs I memorized using the keyboard this time.
• Memorize at least three advanced drum beats in level 2.
• Make at least one beaded accessory.
• Play with Wii boxing which will serve as my workout too.

It all seems so easy when I see my plan written down. But when reality kicks in, it can be a bit challenging, especially now that I have let go of one of my freelance jobs and replaced it with a more stable one... one that needs me to follow a regular log-in and log-out time. I feel blessed though and I believe I can do everything that I set out to do. Like I said before, it's just a matter of proper time management, commitment to work and proper focus. And of course, I will never forget what I learned from Oprah... that when the going gets tough and the tough gets going, I need to stop, refuel and recharge.  It also helps to eat the right kinds of food. Check-out my Self-Help blog for the whole article on this. and my Food Blog for the right kinds of food to eat to enhance your brain power and overall health. What Oprah shared on her book really enlightened me and gave me more will power and energy to go on.

And lastly, I believe all the mantras I've been reciting in my head during my meditations are really paying off.

" I am beautiful gorgeous, flawless, happy, healthy, smart, sexy and wealthy. I have financial and time freedom and I am enjoying wonderful new horizons of opportunities and I love my life!"

" Every day and in every way, I am getting better, better and better. All good things are coming to me. Money is easy and comes frequently and abundantly."

" My body is perfect and it knows what to do. I am my perfect weight and my perfect size."


Chat soon!

Carpe diem!

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!