Labor Day Everyday This May

Isn't it obvious? It's the middle... no scrap that... I mean it's already past the middle of the month before I finally managed to have the time to write here.

It's all been work. The last time I vacationed was on April 17-21 when we explored the very scenic spots of Legaspi, Donsol and Caramoan. I will blog about that before the year ends for sure. Teehee. I do miss traveling though. Let me share with you some photos I was tagged at during our trip:

At Lignon Hill for our Ziplining Adventure. At the back is the perfect view of Mayon Volcano.

Swimming with the Butanding whale shark in Donsol...so amazing!!!

At Pitogo Bay with the Survivor's Viewing Deck


Was this the Tinago Cove? I don't remember anymore. ^_^

We even caught a video of us swimming with the Butanding in Donsol!

But I am happy where I am right now - at home and in front of my computer pretty much ALL THE TIME.

So anyway, I got a couple of online gigs going and as usual I seldom sleep. If I do, I just take short naps or 2-3 hour sleep breaks.

I still cook and clean the house, and do the laundry and other chores. That's basically my only chances to do any physical exercises this month. On weekends, I spend time on our hammocks and read some of my books. We rarely go out, eat out, or do anything outside of the house. I'm not complaining though. One of my jobs is pretty stimulating that I can't seem to keep myself away from my computer. And the good thing about it is that I am able to apply some of the things I learn on my blogs.

And speaking of my blogs, I am updating them now more than usual. It's just the travelogues that are taking so much time because of all the info and photo arrangement I have to do. And since my other PC crashed, I don't have the paint program that lets me view the photos in 20% size so it's pretty hard to organize the photos on the blog, but I am coping.

I haven't forgotten all the lists I made at the start of this year though. Hopefully, next month, I get to tackle some of those.

So ciao for now! Update you again next month!

A Fool For April

Yeah... April is turning out to be one fun summer month and the heat is making me soooo lazy to do any work. I stopped doing two of my jobs and I'm thinking of whether to give up this third one. I just feel like bumming at the beach, or lounging at home so I can catch up on blogging about my travels, reading my books, doing my spells and  what-not. I guess March burnt me out so much  that half of what I planned to do like windsurf, visit Bolinao again,  and discover all the other lakes in San Pablo did not materialize. The only trip we did last month was our weekend of sunbathing  and shopping in Subic and our Anilao snorkeling day trip which I haven't even blogged about yet. Well, at least, I had my bathroom tiles changed and we now have a brand new front yard. Yipee! At least the money we worked so hard for went to something lasting, practical, and  productive for a change. ^_^

Sunset at Dampalitan Beach where we camped last weekend.

So, what's in store for me this month? Honestly, as long as summer is here, I want to concentrate on summer stuff like camping (we've only used our brand new Coleman tent once when we were in Dampalitan beach last weekend in Padre Burgos... we have to use it more often), more beach hopping, windsurfing & snorkeling, and finally  exploring all those other lakes in San Pablo, Laguna. In between trips, I want to finish reading all those new books I bought from Readers' Digest, and finish all those DVD series we bought early this year (Supernatural Season 5,  Dexter Season 5, Medium Season 5, Fringe Seasons 1&2, House Seasons 5&6, Grey's Anatomy Seasons 5&6, Vampire Diaries Season 1) and several other movie DVDs. In short, I just want to chill and relax this summer. I guess this is one of the perks of working from home. You can quit any time you want and find another job when you feel like it. ^_^ Of course, my drums, guitar and Peter's keyboards are always at hand to keep me company. I started playing other songs aside from This Is Me and Alone but I haven't got the time to memorize them yet. I'll let you know.

Our Coleman tent is the best!

Lastly, I hope to start making beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings again. They're the perfect accessories for my beach trips this month. We've already been to the white beaches of Padre Burgos in Quezon last Holy Week, and we plan to camp at Potipot Island in Zambales this coming weekend, then head to Sorsogon to swim with the Butandings and explore the Caramon Peninsula on April 17-21. On the final weekend of April, we hope to windsurf again and finally check out Sampaloc Lake in San Pablo. I guess it's a good plan.

I'll check in on you again next month. Enjoy your summer!

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!

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!

An Experimental Schedule

My second week ended rather nicely. I went to a casting call, spent time with my girlfriends, did a bit of shopping (bought a KECCi backpack for traveling and a Jeep DSLR holster), watched several episodes of 24 and of course, spent some more time bonding with my hubby.

And now, my third week has started so awesomely.

I first woke up at 1:30, Monday afternoon, Philippine time. I drank my Vita Plus veggie juice, I did my meditation, pondered about one of the Para-Grams, ACCOMPLISHMENT, then read 13 chapters of my book, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff In Love by Richard Carlson, Ph.D. At around 2:30 pm, I went back to sleep.

Over the years, I learned to follow the needs of my body. I figured that I've been so used to working in U.S. time (Central Standard Time) therefore it's just right that I go back to sleep so I can function better all throughout the day.

Finally, I woke up at around 6:00 pm (which is only 4:00 AM CST), more alert and energetic than ever. In six hours, I was able to accomplish the following:

• Did some rounds of kickboxing.
• Did 20 minutes of yoga afterwards.
• Cleaned around the house a bit.
• Had some fruits.
• Did a bit more research on trips I want to do this year.
• Took a shower.
• Prepared a healthy breakfast --- Tuna and Vegetable Sandwich & a Hot Pot of Green Tea.
• Played with my drums. For the first time, I used my new pair of Vic Firth drum sticks which were Bim's Christmas gift to me two Christmases ago. Hihihi. They're quite heavy for me. My old Zildjian sticks are a lot lighter and for now, I play better with them. ^_^
  
• Memorized a song with my guitar. Yipee! My thumbs are aching though. I need to practice regularly.
  
• Read a few pages of Paolo Coelho's book, Brida.
  
• Then I logged in for work, blogged a bit at Kicking Pinay and checked my social networks.
• While working, I was able to use my Foot and Back Massager w/ Infrared Heat; I was able to finish uploading all the songs I love on my iTunes and right now I am using my Slender Shaper. You see I got so many stuff  I purchased impulsively in the past and which I never really use. So all that will change by not purchasing something I don't really need and using those that I already have. Good plan, right?
  

Anyway, I consider all these things very productive. On any ordinary day, I would've just spent those hours surfing the net about trivial stuff and watching 24 or one of my TV series/DVD movies..  totally unproductive as compared to what I have accomplished today so far.

It's now 5:30 AM (Philippine time) / 3:35 PM (Central Standard Time). I'm halfway through my job and currently taking a break by blogging about what I have accomplished so far.

When I log out later, I plan to water the plants, do some tarot card reading, read more of Brida  and say a prayer of gratitude before I go to sleep. ^_^

I feel so good about today that I may be using this kind of schedule from now on, or at least this week... until I get bored with it. The important thing is for me to be able to do a bit of everything that I set out to accomplish for this year and stop doing other mindless and unproductive stuff. Amen.

Chat soon!