The Sunday Currently (vol. 20)

Creating this entry earlier than usual cos I had a long day and finished quite a lot of things too! Yey!

Currently

Reading
Nothing hehe

Watching
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 on ABC Channel. They've been playing the series since yesterday and as usual, I failed to hold my tears when Sirius and Dumbledore died, and also when Hermione removed herself from her parents' memories. T__T Hayy

Listening
to the TV

Thinking
About whether to do a Mr Robot marathon tonight, it's only 7:30pm so I have time! I'm just afraid of getting too hooked

Naaah I got too distracted it's already 11pm HAHA

Smelling
Nothing

Wishing
For a good work week ahead!

Wearing
Shirt and pajamas

Loving
That I saved a lot from yesterday's purchases at Twin Cities Premium Outlet. I got 3 pairs of shoes, a peacoat, and a couple of shirts. I was soooo blown by my savings, pretty much because the stores are still on holiday sale mode! The first pair of shoes I bought was marked down by $10 but when I took it to the cashier, it was slashed off by 50% pa! I was so shocked I only had to pay $15 dollars for a pair of running shoes. Ang saya saya huhu. Now I understand why people would always want shoes as pasalubong from the US haha

Gap, here, I've observed is quite an ordinary brand. But they offer the best discounts I've seen so far! And the quality is superb

Wanting
Free Amazon Prime so bad I did something illegal. I signed up at Amazon Student to avail of their free 6 months Prime trial. I have to have a .edu email in order to sign up, so I commissioned someone on Fiverr to give me one. For $5 I was able to get an email, sign up at Amazon Student, and enroll in their prime trial. That's a hefty amount of savings for what's gonna cost me a hundred dollars instead.

So I got an account, redid my wishlist and finally used my remaining gift card balance from my regular Amazon account just to zero it out (sucks that you can't transfer gift card balance from one account to another). I was ready to start anew on my student account but something's holding me back.

I was so guilty about it I decided not to use my new account anymore. Sucks that I had to reach this point and spend $5, when I could've just avoided the thought entirely. :( God, I feel so bad. :(((

Needing
To sleep early cos we have to be ready by 8am for tomorrow's carpool arrangement. Haaaay eto na, the hassle of not having a resident driver huhu.

Feeling
Accomplished. Naks. I woke up pretty early this day even though I slept in around 4am last night. Turns out I forgot to turn off my alarm so I was forcefully awaken at 10:30am.

I did my laundry, took a bath, cooked ham glaze, shoveled the driveway and sprinkled salt all over it, then cleared our freaking cupboard of expired stuff. I'm so tired but I'm also so proud. HAHA Our cupboard is mostly free of potentially dangerous stuff now but I can't be too sure cos there are a couple of items without any expiration date on them, and I put those back so I wouldn't know. haha

Yey

 I just hope I don't confuse my housemates when they start looking for things. XD

My arm is aching from shoveling the driveway. I really wasn't supposed to do that on my own but when I looked out the window this morning and saw our neighbors' super clean and salted driveways, I got envious and thought I wouldn't mind the workout so I put on my jacket, slipped on my boots, and shoveled away. There was only some 3 inches of light snow piled up so it wasn't too hard to put them on the side. I wanted it to be perfect but it's such a chore digging through snow which has been flattened by car tires because they get packed, hard, and slippery and overall a literal pain in the back. Anyway, I was able to clear it decently enough. Sprinkling salt was my favorite though! haha

I also checked out the bike that has been sitting on the garage, I thought we can use it for nearby errands when the temperature permits haha. So far I've adjusted the seat to the lowest setting, my next problem would be the flat tires. Will get help. Haha XD

Okaaaay. Gotta sleep I guess. But I'm hungry lol Well, I just ate.

Holding back

7 things about me I thought you should know before you get annoyed at me:

1. I literally swoon over food

Especially good food. I'm that person who would say 'Mmmmmmmmmmmm' over something delicious and have a face that's about to cry. Believe me, I can't help it.

2. I jump over the littlest things

I'm too jumpy for my own good. I get surprised easily. It doesn't help if you warn me about scaring me either, the anticipation will kill me. You can shock me even if we're just standing in front of each other. And when I get too scared, I just cry.

3. I'm extremely ticklish

I will fight the urge to cry, but probably do so anyway.

4. I'm a crybaby

I get emotional a lot, over food, over being shocked, over being tickled. I just cry. Oh well.

5. I get awestruck easily

You'll often hear me go WOOOOOW ANG GANDA because that's really how I see it. Can I just say there's so much beauty in the world to go gaga for?

6. I get kilig easily

Most specially over my friends' lovelives. So I would always want to make intriga cos I'm so frakking curious about other people's lovelives ewan ko ba. HAHA I'm a hopeless romantic I guess, but not the one who'd do fanciful things for her beloved. I'm the type who's in love with the idea of love, an idealist who would swoon over fairy tales. Ganon haha.

That's why I also get easily stumped whenever one of the couples I know break up. I just couldn't believe that some relationships don't work out even after 10 years of being together omg. Sobrang idealistic ko ba HAHA. But you know what, I've learned. Wala talagang forever. So now it's easier for me to accept that no matter how lovey dovey two people may seem, there will come a time when they're gonna fall apart and realize that human love is actually conditional and is more of a personal choice than a compelling force that just beckons you to do things.

7. I LOL

I laugh out loud, literally. When something's too funny I can't hold back on laughing boisterously. When I hear myself laugh on record or video, I get annoyed at myself, so maybe you will too, so please don't.

--

My boyfriend helped me confirm this list cos I'm totally convinced I was being normal this way. So I'm thinking of holding back a little with my emotions cos I didn't want to look OA specially on unfamiliar ground. Just the thought of it makes me cry HAHA. What kind of compromise is this. Ano ba naman to hahaha.

The Sunday Currently (vol. 19)

Writing this 30 mins before Sunday expires and publishing 2 hours after but whatever hehe

Currently

Reading

Nothing. I was lazily getting bits of The Hunger Games, but recently I moved my ebooks from the internal memory to the SD card and in the process lost my bookmarks so I don't know where to continue reading haha

Watching

Nothing on a regular basis.

Earlier watched Insurgent on HBO and I CRIED when Tris died after passing 4 of 5 simulations. Then I recalled it wasn't the last of the series so I was hoping for her to be revived eventually, and she did! Tears wasted but who cares haha.

Also, I wanted to watch Miss Universe 2015 but I couldn't find FOX on the TV so I thought I'd just live stream the thing but I overslept HAHA so in the end I just watched snippets of the coronation on facebook. You already know how crazy it was! Congratulations Ms. Philippines! My heart goes to Ms. Colombia as well. I wouldn't mind her giving an attitude about this, that was a damn hard call on her.

If I were Ms. Colombia, I would feel terribly bad, probably bitch about it in a joking manner since I'm sure everyone's already assuming I should give in to the bitterness LOL. Also, I would forgive Steve Harvey.

Listening

to The Vents lol

Thinking

That everything really just comes to pass. This week I was fidgeting over being emcee of our company Christmas party, but now that it's over I just got to say... yes, things really just go along with time. Look, it's over now.

I was too nervous the entire week cos even though it wasn't a formal event, I still think my co-host and I had to practice. Well, we didn't. Then again I thought it's not really a big deal, they just wanted voices to keep the program flowing so the least we had to do is announce raffles and presentations, and everything will just come into place. It wasn't too formal anyway, so that helped. Didn't need a script for it. Yeah right.

To be honest, I liked the idea of emceeing but not on informal events (cos you had to adlib a lot and joke. And I'm not a funny person). This was my second time emceeing but the first was super formal, we had a script, and my co-host and I had practiced. But this... was more spontaneous. And being super stiff on jokes and a non-spontaneous person in general, it was an embarrassing feat for me. Anyway, they'll forget about it! At least I have an extra-curricular onsite activity to report LOL.

Sir Kim who won the major prize, Ayie my co-host, and I

The theme was ugly sweater, and well I just needed a sweater. :P

Smelling

Nothing

Wishing

I had a driver's license. My housemate's license is expiring on the 25th and we couldn't get it renewed cos LTO's being its usual incompetent self, denying absentee renewal even though it's the first item in their FAQ, saying they're fixing some system issues and stuff and couldn't accommodate renewals without personal appearance.

Ever since I got here, I've been hating our government more and more. Grr

Since he couldn't drive past the 25th, we had to carpool with others.

The bad: It's a hassle for them. We have to wake up early. We have to adjust to each other's schedules. We can't go out on random errands anymore (not that it has ever happened).

The good: The more the merrier. I think it's going to be fun. We're not gonna be left out when they go out after hours HAHA (I hate the feeling of being left out lol).. unless they forget about us. or me. LOL

Wearing

Pjs

Loving

Uhm, Minnesota? Naks. Maybe the steady paced life and the environment here.

Wanting

To get my brows fixed at Eyebrowdery or Pretty Looks. It's a hefty 20k something though. I'm seriously considering this HAHA. Who knows lol.

Needing

To snap out of my being soooo affected about the little things that don't matter to the people I think who should care. Most of the time I'm just overthinking LOL so yey, that's a good thing. At least I only have myself to fix, now isn't that a problem.

Feeling

Confused about myself, no homo. How hard is it to be myself and just be true to my own ways? Wow. I guess I was too sheltered and loved to ever bother thinking about this HAHA.

There are days when I just wake up in a bad mood for no reason then remember that I can't be in a bad mood cos I didn't want to bother any one with my mood swings so I get up, take a shower, prep, and literally force a smile. MOOD SWINGS ARE REAL, but forcing a smile is like forcing the universe to to give me a happy day. IT WORKS.

I seriously have mornings when I just want to keep silent all throughout the day, but I'm not one to deny any one a conversation so sige na nga lol. Was I always like this?

I'm also bothered that my boyfriend thinks I'm childish. All these time I thought I was doing well as an adult, so it gets to me when I'm perceived as childish or immature or too young. Well, I am inexperienced in a lot of ways but I didn't want to be seen as childish, argh. :(

Oh well, whatever. I'm hungryyyy

Stop saying sorry

Lately I've been feeling largely apologetic for a lot things I know I'm not supposed to be sorry for, and it bugs me. When did I start caring so much, why am I too sensitive about things? This is something I hate about myself, that I can't seem to be just chill about small mistakes and feel overly embarrassed whenever I screw up something, even the pettiest things. I know it's not a big deal and I know I'm not supposed to be too dramatic over it, but the feeling is here and I'm sorry that I can't help it.

Anyhow, as long as I keep laughing everything will turn out fine. And for the record, it always does.

It pays to know that no one cares and that eventually people will forget and just laugh about it, and hey this isn't drama but Sandra Oh was right in one of her videos where she gives advice to some patient. No one cares, so do whatever the hell you want. Don't think for a second that someone's looking critically over your shoulder auditing the tiniest errors you commit. Aside from your micromanager of a boss, in real life, your peers aren't that terrible.

I know right.

I didn't want to sound so affected by life but the best I could do is really just laugh it all off and think that it's no big deal, it's no big deal, I'm just overthinking. Hehe

AXN gets into gear with Cash Cab Philippines

MANILA (December9, 2015) – AXN, the number one general entertainment channel in Asia, is delivering an awesome gift to viewers this festive season with the premiere of Cash Cab Philippines, the only gameshow on wheels.

Source: AXN Philippines

The Emmy-award winning format, created especially for Filipino audiences, will premiere in a double episodeon Tuesday, December 22, at 8.50pm with an encore on Thursday, December 24, at 9.15pm.During the show, a specially fitted out Cash Cab will navigate the busy streets of Manila while picking up unsuspecting passengers. The Cash Cab will appear as a regular taxi service however,upon entering the car passengers will find themselves as contestants on a truly mobile game show.

Source: AXN Philippines

Ang Hui Keng, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia said, “Cash Cab Philippines is a localized adaptation of AXN’s very successful Cash Cab Asia so the show will immediately resonate with our Filipino viewers. The show continues our commitment tohigh quality original productions and sustains the momentum gained from The Amazing Race Asia, The Apprentice Asia and the record-breaking Asia’s Got Talent. AXN’s proven track record of hit series demonstrates a strong demand amongst viewers for shows that are smart, intense, unexpected and locally relevant.”

In the 13 episode series, popular actor Ryan Agoncillo will assume the role of cab driver and show host, driving passengers to their destination while quizzing them on general knowledge.  Questions asked during the ride will start easy and become trickierwith contestants winningcash prizes for each correct answer.An incorrect answer means a strike, and contestants have up to three strikes before they are booted out of the cab and onto the street, no matter where they are. Contestants will have two “shout outs” for help if they are stumped on a questionand can either call a friendor ask a random stranger for the answer.

Gidget Lao, Business Unit Head of AXN Networks Philippines, said, “Cash Cab Philippines is the first locally produced show for AXN in this market, and we are very excited for its debut just in time for Christmas. Ryan is an outstanding show host, and our contestants are great fun and really get into the spirit of the show. Our viewers are really going to love watching this show filmed against recognizable landmarks in Manila.”

Source: AXN Philippines

Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia commissioned leading independent production company activeTV to produce Cash Cab Philippines. activeTV also produced AXN’s Cash Cab Asia and The Amazing Race Asia.

Cash Cab Philippines is supported by its exclusive partner, StarcomMediavest Group; show presenters McDonald’s, Sun Cellular and PSBank; sponsor Petron and Toyota Abad Santos, provider of the Cash Cab vehicle.

AXN is seen on SkyCableCh 49, Cable Link C 38, Cignal TV Ch 61, Destiny Cable Ch 61, Dream Ch 20, and GSAT Ch 51

The Sunday Currently (vol. 18)

It's a little over 12mn here in MN but it was Sunday when I created this so I insist haha.

I know I mentioned I'm over doing TSC's so I'm sorry to be back. I'm still bad at scheduled posts, but I'm really just looking for reasons to blog regularly cos I'm too lazy to tell stories recently. Even PR postings are becoming a fuss. I'm just too lazy for anything.

Lumbersexual dude getting my skis 

So here you go, I'm reviving the old tag, trying to get back to writing every now and then about what's up. Mind you, I have a ton of entries sitting in drafts but I never got the time to complete them cos there's just so much happening I want to share, and it gets me lost trying to arrange them in a cohesive manner haha. I guess it pays to be really religious in updating stuff so events don't pile up and I don't confuse my tenses lol.

Currently

Reading
Nothing. I'm struggling to finish my Good Reads goal of at least 1 book a month but I guess I'm not the reader I used to be anymore.

Writing Watching
Yesterday, I watched A Second Chance and graaaabe lang how emotional and relatable it is. At the end of the movie I was bawling like crazy 'cos I was afraid of ending up with their problems a few years into married life. But oh well, I realized Jeckie and I are nowhere near Basha and Popoy so if ever we get into those challenges (cos they're real as hell), we'll work it out differently. What I'm sure of is that there'll be no plates and toasters breaking. Yey.

Listening
To a couple of youtube videos and the vent humming.

Thinking
N/A cos I just inserted it just now haha. Forgot lol. Sarreh. Wasn't thinking, yah.

Smelling 
Nothing (cos I got used to it) but my room smells like this body oil every time I enter, AND I LOVE IT!

Neutrogena Body Oil in Light Sesame Formula. I use it as an after shower moisturizer cos it's faster to apply compared to lotion, isn't sticky, moisturizes really well, and smells like the spa. I haven't checked if it's available in the PH but it's a drugstore staple here. Hope to find this when I'm back home next year! XD

Wishing
For our Christmas bonus to arrive already. Arg.

Wearing
Pajamas

Loving
Amazon so freaking much. I've invested most of my dollars in gift cards and lately it's become a happy place for me. Like a garden I could get lost in and come out broke, haha.

Wanting
A lot of material stuff. I've put tons of items in my Amazon wishlist but we'll see. Right now I think I've hoarded enough art materials to last me a couple of downtimes but so far that hasn't happened yet. Makes me think if I've wasted moolah over these, but heyyy they make me happy just by looking at them! haha #hoarderProblems

Needing
To lose weight! I'm bordering on 150lbs already omgehhh so part of my Amazon wishlist is actually weight loss items like MCT oil, GHEE butter, blender bottle, OH YOU KNOW WHERE I'M GOING. HAHA

I figured that since I've always wanted to try how bulletproof coffee works, might as well try it now where it's super easy to get the real ingredients. In the PH we have Battle Brew, but I never got to buy my own starter kit so yeah, I feel like it's about time! haha

Feeling
Super sore after skiing for the first time last Friday. Here's a photo of me at Buckhill Ski Resort with the skis off cos I never got a decent pic with them on being that I'm always skidding off somewhere trying to get my balance haha. What a struggle!

The boots are freaking heavy and tight and I just can't get how to brake and turn properly. Twice I ended up sliding off the edge and onto the pavement and man was it a chore to get up. I can't. I always need someone to push me to standing position. Grabe. HAHA. I would also always cross my skis in an attempt to brake, ending up in a dangerous position where I had to muster all my remaining balance to keep still while waiting for someone to take me out of my misery. It's that position where one misstep could break me a leg, literally.

Anyway, it was a great experience! I know I won't be back on the slopes anytime soon, except perhaps when they finally open tubing, but it's good to have tried it at least once! It was a great night overall! We also became friends with one of our instructors, Roger, who couldn't believe how nice we are! HAHA I know we're nice and all, but until now it puzzles me how nice he thinks we are. I mean, we just kept on laughing at his grandfather jokes and engaging in conversation about his yesteryears, and we're already the nicest people he knows! What an honor! Also a validation that the Philippines is a really happy nation. HAHA diba diba. :))

To be honest, I didn't expect to have fun specially that there's just the four of us. But oh well, we we're laughing and teasing each other on the way back cos we earned a lot of titles that night. When we got home we spent the rest of the evening guffawing over baked sausages and vodka (w/ ginger beer and lime. it's pretty perfect)!

That's about it! I was warned this week's gonna be crazy at work so wish me luck!

Have a great week ahead! :D

Bavaria Premium Beer

Bavaria has been brewing its own taste of beer for over 300 years. That makes it 7 generations of perfecting quality beer brewed by using the finest mineral water from their own spring. Bavaria is focused on following its family traditions of brewing high quality beers for the present and future generations to come. It prides in brewing its finest pilsner since 1719 and introducing the first truly alcohol-free beer in 1978. With a deep and rich history, the company wants to share their precious creations to the world.

Here in the Philippines, we introduce Bavaria Premium as our flagship product from the Bavaria product line-up. It is a classic pilsner perfect for the classic Filipino. A perfect night cap after a long day. It has a profile of a premium and clear lager where you will experience the taste of a real beer: premium malts, hops, and the freshest spring water from Holland. Refreshing and light, this beer will make you feel like you’re bathing in the fresh water springs of Bavaria. Bavaria Premium is coming your way and is now available in 7-11 outlets near you.

Other Bavaria products coming your way are the 8.6 and Bavaria 0.0% Malt Drink. 8.6 which has an alcohol content of 8.6% (Thus the name) is a strong and edgy blonde ale that will make you feel a special buzz from a special brew. For those who are looking for a more wholesome night, we will be launching the first ever Bavaria 0.0% Malt Drink that comes in 3 flavors: Original, Peach, and Pomegranate. An alcohol-free alternative great for any party.

Each of these variants has its own Bavarian twist, so watch out for these and experience Bavaria soon in establishments near you! Be Bold, Be Bavaria.

L-R: Justin Lim, Noel Sarmiento, Jazel Paraiso, Kevin Fernando, Jaime Paraiso
PT Link launches Bavaria Premium here in the Philippines at UCC Mentore on November 7, 2015

For more updates, like us on Facebook: BavariaPH or use the hashtag #BeBavaria

As usual

Photo from www.16personalities.com

I have always been fascinated about my Myers-Briggs personality type because the profile I'm getting has been mostly accurate and mind blowing (unless I'm subconsciously being swayed to agree with it. wow).

Lately, my depressed and stressed (as usual) state at work has led me to contemplate (YET AGAIN) on my career path. Am I in the right place? Is my personality fit for this kind of job? You know, the usual. hahaha

Ten years ago, I took my first MBPT and got typed as an ISFJ (Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging). To date, I've taken the test thrice cos I kept on forgetting what I got, and so far I've been getting the same results -- after rummaging through my email for my past scores to validate. To me that means I'm pretty consistent with how I view things, so I decided to fully dwell on it to better understand myself and to probably be more considerate of my situation (like I need any of that). In short, let me rely on my MB personality type to solve my internal issues wahahaha.

"Don't be too hard on yourself"

"It's okay. You're still learning"

"Take your time"

...are three of the things I hear a lot from my sups whenever I'm not delivering well (which is always). I hate it cos I don't think I'm being too hard on myself, that I should still be in the learning phase, and that I have enough time to take. I hate it because I suck. Isn't it frustrating when you're failing so bad at something? Haha

"That's just at the beginning"

Right. That's what they all say. How long is the beginning. When will I get used to it? Here's to hoping my learning curve is directly proportional to my patience. Argh.

Anyway, I'm not a fan of challenges cos I'm one to get easily discouraged. As in easily. But Performance Testing is one such skill I sincerely want to master NAAAKS. Being that it feels like I already lost my developer mojo permanently haha and I have no place to stick in the IT industry, huhu I need shelter.

Oh well, I could always wander in the arts department right? In fact I have a potential project coming up soon and it's gonna be from an old client! Isn't it great? Two of my clients have tapped me for new projects! I am so honored. I'm actually building rapport charrrrr. And all of this because I decided to work pro-bono on my first children's book project. Life do open doors for the passionate. joke lang. anuba. birthday ko okay. haha

I'm ending this here cos this has been on drafts for too long, my mind wants to blabber about other things already haha.ha.ha.

Manila, get ready for UberCHOPPER this Saturday!

Source: http://newsroom.uber.com/manila/2015/11/uberchoppermnl/

Just spreading the news I received in the mail today! Uber Manila has teamed up with Airtrav (a local company operating air charter services) to give us a one of a kind experience of taking off with a chopper and going on an aerial tour of the metro!

This Saturday, November 21, 2015 from 8am to 10am-- fire up your Uber app and request for an UberCHOPPER! Simple right? An UberBLACK will then take you and your friends to the helipad.

Other important information (that I'm quoting from the Uber newsroom):

• When you request, make sure you and your friends are at the same pick-up location and ready to go. Your car will only pick up at one location and will wait a maximum of 5 minutes.
• Strictly limited to 3 passengers per flight (you plus 2 of your friends)
• UberCHOPPER will fly a fixed 10-minute route– you will not be able to request your own destination
• Refreshments will be provided and you’ll get a free UberBLACK ride to take you back home once you’re done
• All fliers must be at least 18 years or older and should be a Filipino citizen
• You must bring a Philippine government-issued ID indicating your date of birth (Please have your Philippine ID with you or you will not be allowed to board the flight)
• Uber is not a direct air carrier
• All air services advertised will be provided free of charge by Airtrav. Uber has no responsibility or liability for any transportation services provided to you by third party providers.
• If the weather doesn’t permit, UberCHOPPER will be rescheduled to a later date

Take note, this isn't a transportation service, it's a TOUR. :D

Thinking of Blade? Let's all hope Uber's heading that way! :D

----------

Not on Uber yet? Use this promo code, UBERNATICS to get FREE UBER credits when you register! :) Click on the image below to sign up :)

Everything is awesome

Channeling Mary Kate McDevitt haha

//Work related I still feel like I'm being treated with some level of hazard cos I may screw things up (again). I hate the feeling, like I can't do anything right, but the good news is that they're careful not to put too much load on me cos I might just break... the system. Errr. I'm still having a hard time coming to grips that I have so much to redeem while I'm here. Cos I'm dead sure I wasn't credited with anything good while I was working offshore (well that's a conservative hunch). I've been asking myself if I really have the potential in this practice and even though I'd like to think that yeah, I kinda do otherwise I won't be sticking in the team for long, I'm still feeling so anxious about it. Why can't I learn faster? Why do I get stuck a lot? Is it even normal to be such a failure at this? Where did my heart go? Am I really suited for the IT industry? Anuraw. HAHA

To be honest, I really feel challenged to do good but there's only so much I can do in the 9 hours I'm in the office, and as much as I want to pull out some extra hours to do more, it'll be a damn hassle having to ask people to go home ahead and just come back for me after err, 4 hours? Haha. (read: carpool). So anyway, I'm not feeling too good about how I'm performing at work so there. :( Huhu

//Life in general is okay. Three weeks down and I can say I've warmed up enough to the people around me. I thought it was gonna be hard cos I'm such an awkward penguin but thank God every one here is just plain awesome. Naks. I mean they're so easy to get along with, all I did was tag along and next thing we're enjoying steak or home cooked food and laughing together.

//Health wise... I don't even wanna go here but I need to discuss this (with myself). I've gained an ugly 2 kilos and have more to gain if I don't control my food intake in this paradise hahaha. I just freakin love to eat and I didn't want to deprive myself! What I need to do is probably take some pills HAHA or drink some slimming tea HAHA or subscribe to some fitness videos at youtube HAHA or do the Drop 10 daily HAHA or better yet just forget about it cos I'm having fun gaining weight anyway. Argh. Nope. The pants I brought here are all so ill-fitted now. They used to hang loose when they're on me for quite some hours but now they're dead tight the entire day. The button down blouse I brought is now literally all buttoned down for good cos life is harder trying to keep them on. HAHA haaay.

Sorry for adding random pictures in between. They're from the short walks with my lunchmates after lunch. :)

I thank God that the down times I'm feeling at work are mostly short-lived largely because everywhere I look there's something to take inspiration from, to pause looking at, and to get some energy and motivation to do better and work harder. The scenery is perfect, the food is awesome, the people are nice. There's that, and God is so good for allowing me to take this opportunity. Luv yahh <3

Have a happy week ahead! <3

Daylight Savings Time

Can't really think of any title right now so yeah, DST. It's just something random that came to mind in hopes of avoiding another 'what's up' or 'heya' entry (I've tons already, my creativity is dying). Okaaaaay, so that it won't be too random, I'll just have to say something about it right?!

So DST happened yesterday at this part of the globe, and who knows where else (I don't really care), meaning the time was pulled back by an hour. I don't really know why, too lazy to research but hooray for extra sleep yeah? Or extra cleaning time! Yesterday was a major major cleaning day. Much more major than the cleaning I did the first week I arrived here (mostly flatting out boxes haha). We freakin shampooed the carpets at the living room and the hallway. While it wasn't spotless clean, it was definitely brighter than when I arrived here haha! Also, yeyy for learning to use another home appliance! Ze carpet shampooer, whatever you call that.

I'm just starting my third week here in the US and so far I am very very impressed at how they manage homes here. There's just too much appliance! Back at home we only have a refrigerator, a stove, and an oven. Super basic tropical third world necessities HAHA. But here they usually have a two door fridge, a dishwasher, a microwave, an electric stove burner, a washing machine, a dryer, a vacuum cleaner, a sink with garbage disposal, and an automatic garage door. Everything is pretty much plugged and are setup for convenience. And those are just the basics.

And since helpers aren't uso here, I have to do everything on my own. Wash my own laundry, clean my own platessss (antakaw eh), fix my bed, iron my clothes, and generally help maintain the entire house. Mind you, it is fun! I particularly like cleaning the kitchen and arranging stuff. I'm partly OC so I try to arrange everything and keep the symmetry and color balance in check. Nakakainis ang arte diba, and since I don't have money for furniture, I'll just keep putting things in order haha. I want to replace the curtain valance here in my room though argh.

Anywaaaay, I'm really here to brag about my latest snap and my favorite fall photo so far. I was surprised how this photo came out since it was a quick shot while we're driving away from the house. I love how the focus of the picture is on the tree and how everything around it seems to be moving towards it; the clouds, the angle of the roofs, the street on the left, and even the shadows. Like the tree is something magical that sucks the energy around it to keep it from falling (pun intended).The lamp post may be vertical but it breaks the angle just fine, it even stands in the center of the pine tree behind it. Wala lang jinajustify ko lang HAHA.

These are times I want to challenge myself if I really take good photos or everything around me is just picture perfect. HAHA Pero malamang let's stick to the latter cos that's what it most definitely is. haha

This is, by the way, the house in front of us. Look, it's for sale! XD

Also, I kindof gained two kilos already ARGH. I need to exercise. #asa

Minnesota Zoo

Yeyy! My first official gala with my colleagues hihi. It's fall season but it's freakin cold here. I'm gonna warn you there are no animal shots in this particular pic spam cos the weather was too cold when we went there on Saturday, most of the animals in the park were either sleeping, bored, or facing us with their backs. Also, they were too far for my camera's liking haha.

So these are mostly stills, fall colors are definitely upon us. I've taken such a huuuge liking to this palette of fading green, yellow, orange, red, and brown. What a beautiful transition. Hope you enjoy this post! :)

Most of the cafes inside the park were closed. I can't believe it :( On a Saturday of all days.

Aaaaah this one was super scenic in real life. I love how the lake is revealed like a hidden oasis tucked in he woods.

And the clouds hovering with just the right amount of gloom.

Hey, I art directed these leaves! HAHA

Totally digging this bed of leaves! Of course not literally lol

I just loooove how pink the leaves are!

I was freezing the whole time we were wandering at the open trails and was so relieved when it's finally time to go back, only to realize there are a couple more trails to explore! Good thing the Tropics Trail was mostly covered and semi heated. Well, dapat lang haha! And the aquariums and shark reef were all indoors so yeyy! The Minnesota Trail was another freezing tunnel for me, but it's great for when you want to familiarize yourself with the kind of wildlife the place holds.

On my first time on the way to the house where I'm staying, I was surprised to see deer on the sidewalk! Apparently here, askals are to deer and mice and roaches are to squirrels and raccoons. What a relief! XD

Alright, thats kindof it! Good night! :)

Live healthy and get rewarded with Philam Vitality

Insurance companies today aren't simply in the business of ensuring you're protected enough with savings products in case something goes wrong *knocks on wood*. To show you how we really care, we're now rewarding you for being healthy! 

Image from www.philamvitality.com

Today’s fast-paced urban lifestyle has exposed many of us—from young adults to professionals alike—to many stressors that have a huge negative impact on our health. Heavy traffic on the daily commute, long work hours, a sedentary lifestyle, the proliferation of processed and fast food choices, stress-induced drinking and smoking—all these contribute to higher health risks that can affect our family’s quality of life.

According to the UK-based Oxford Health Alliance, around 60% of deaths worldwide are caused by four “epidemic chronic diseases: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, and some cancers.” In order to prevent premature death and incapacity due to these diseases, we must be able to address three major risk factors: tobacco consumption, poor diet, and physical inactivity.

With these realities in mind, Philam Life, the Philippines’ premier life insurance company, has introduced Philam Vitality, the first in the market, science-backed wellness programme that rewards its members for getting healthy. As a global brand, Vitality is present in several countries with millions of members and makes use of incentives to encourage members to adopt and sustain healthy behaviors. By bringing Vitality to the Philippines through the Philam Vitality program, Philam Life pioneers giving real focus on healthy living.

Philam Life CEO Axel Bromley and CMO Jimmy Javier welcome media guests to the Philam Life Vitality launch

“People normally associate life insurance with protection and savings products to prepare them for life's uncertainties. At Philam Life, we are committed to take it further by helping people live longer and healthier lives so that they could spend more time with the people who matter to them most,” shares Axel Bromley, CEO of Philam Life.  “Philam Vitality will empower more and more Filipinos with the information and the tools to know and improve their health, and to enjoy longer and fuller lives.”

Philam Vitality comes with three simple components to help people live healthier lives:

1. Know your health. With Philam Vitality Health Review, users will be able to take an online assessment through their desktops, laptops, tablets, or smartphones, and see if their Philam Vitality Age matches their actual age.
   
   Members can also assess their current state of health through partners such as Makati Medical Center (for check-ups and vaccinations), Hi-Precision Diagnostics (for laboratory procedures such as blood tests and X-rays), and GAOC (Gan Advanced Osseointegration Center) for dental care.
   
   “These assessments help you find out which parts of your over-all health are on track and which areas you can improve. It’s very empowering to know your health status so that you can take control of all the facets of your life,” says Jaime Jose D. Javier, Jr., Philam Life Chief Marketing Officer.
   
2. Improve your health. With Philam Vitality, members can achieve better health for less, at partners such as Gold’s Gym for gym memberships; Toby’s Sports, Garmin, and Polar for fitness gear and other devices; and Makati Medical Center for smoking cessation program.
   
   Members start with Vitality status of Bronze and move their way up to Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels as they earn points for every assessment test and activity done within the program.
   
   “The more points you earn, the higher Vitality status you achieve, and the greater your rewards,” explains Mr. Javier. “We’ll take care of tracking your points through our integrated systems so that all you’ll need to think of is to get better and fitter each day.”
3. Enjoy the rewards. While better health is already a reward in itself, Philam Vitality offers members more opportunities to enjoy precious time with their family and loved ones, through discounts on tickets to SM Cinemas and Enchanted Kingdom, and on bookings at Marriott and Seda Hotels.
   
   Vitality members also earn discounts on premiums of selected insurance plans. By purchasing a Philam Vitality Series insurance plan from Philam Life or BPI-Philam, members can get upfront discounts on first year premiums and continue to enjoy discounts in succeeding years by improving their health.

“Philam Vitality is unprecedented in the Philippines. We are grateful to have our esteemed partners on board as we encourage members to take charge of their health. Ultimately, a full life should be healthy, fun, and rewarding, and we want to be part of that process.” says Mr. Bromley.

To know more on how you can live a healthier lifestyle, visit philamvitality.com, email ask@philamvitality.com, or call 528-2000... OR you can also talk to me about this! I'm a registered financial advisor with Philam Life and our team of financial wellness experts (well, me and my parents) are always ready to for inquiries. Ping me using the Contact Form, don't forget to leave your number! :)

Today's agenda: fix my body clock

Unless I want to suffer the coming week half-asleep in the office, I have to friggin correct my stupid body clock now. This isn't even jet lag. This is just me sticking to my nocturnal habits. I thought I wouldn't have a problem with the time difference here since I was working the graveyard back in the Phils. and here everybody's working during the day. It can't be too hard right? Not a lot to adjust right?

NO.

Apparently I've been spending the entire day asleep, God knows why. When I wake up in the afternoon, I eat, try to get a shower (btw, the heater was down for 2 days so my aversion to baths is valid ok), then work on some docs. Nobody told me what shift I should be working anyway... uhm. So. Whatever. Still need to work on a couple of docs. I like it. I'm writing. haha

The past few days were pretty lax. I'm on a mission to eliminate all the extra food in this house, foods I think no one has touched for the past weeks, foods I was offered to freely munch on if I feel hungry, and also leftovers from last week's party. There is a lot of food in here. Chips, cookies, chocolates, cakes, cereals. I didn't want to be blamed for when we're suddenly short of food HAHA but so far the owner of the house is already thanking me for freeing up the fridge. Well, my pleasure actually! Hope my housemates don't mind tho.

Only places I've been to are banks, stores and groceries from daily errands like I mentioned in my previous post: Home Depot, Ikea, Wells Fargo, and just the other day: Cub Foods!

Allow me to spazz about this place. It's a 24-hour grocery, a 5 minute drive from the house, and a 30 minute walk according to google maps. It sits beside a Target store (which I'm excited to pay visit to one day haha) and is home to an entire lane of unmanned cashier counters! Talk about hi-tech!

This is one of their self service counters

You scan your stuff on the barcode top, place it in a plastic bag, confirm payment on the screen, and pay by inserting your cash or droping your coins at the designated slots (like a vendo machine). You can even swipe your credit card there. Then it will compute and roll out your change on the "Cash Out" tray.

Super cool. It knows when the item you're buying is on Buy 1 Take 1 promo. And the barcode top also serves as a weighing scale for when you're purchasing items like fruits, vegetables or meat. You just have to select what item you're buying and it will automatically compute for the price based on the weight! Grabe.

I can't believe this kind of technology hasn't reached our shores yet. I doubt it though cos there is very low honesty rate in the Philippines, even with the flawless programming of this one I'm afraid it can't prevent thieves from pushing out their carts without paying. I can only marvel at them while I'm here. :)

It's Friday noon in the Philippines, so... happy weekend goys! :D

Today's snaps: IKEA Home Furnishings

I'm getting better at this!

This day was pretty uneventful as far as work is concerned. I came for the drug test earlier this morning and was a bit sad it only took some 15 minutes HAHA. Eh kasi naman, I was hoping to just make pasundo after a supposedly lengthy drug test so that I could spend a few minutes at Mall of America which is just walking distance from the clinic. Too bad my fetch decided to wait lol. Pero okay lang naman, hassle naman magpasundo if ever haha. Yun lang, no MoA for me... for now haha. Ang kapal ng mukha ko diba dapat nagttrabaho ako haha.

Anyway, I was eating lunch and was about to prep myself to do some general admin tasks for the time being I'm not allowed at the office yet, when a dog suddenly barged in the house and ran to me! Thought it was gonna bite me but the cute little thing just wants to play!

Meet Louie! Apparently, the owner of the staff house (who is also our asset manager) came to check the basement bathroom for repairs and also initiate some mega cleanup aka throwing out stuff that belonged to previous tenants.

Heyaaaaa!

Suddenly, my entire day was focused towards cleaning and running errands with her and the cutiepie that is Louie. SUPER. WORTH. IT. I was waiting for the chance to get shown around the place and it's so cool I got to hop in on a benz too while doing that haha! Yeyy for errands!

We went to Home Depot, IKEA, Wells Fargo, another bank, and our US office... not in that order but the point of this post is (you should know) WE WENT TO IKEA. And ate there. Aaaaargh my Buzzfeed envy finally gets validated!

I couldn't care less that I'm on turista mode, snapping here and there like IKEA was some tourist attraction. What can I do? I love all things IKEA furniture and IKEA just happened to be a haven of such and such good food so well, here we go!

The Caf (I dunno what it's called lol)

I ordered this bowl of greens with balsamic vinaigrette cos I need greens in my life LOL. I love salads okay?

And their famed Swedish Meatballs.

To be honest there wasn't anything too special with their meatballs. It tasted good though, like a comfort food of sorts. :)

Other snaps:

I'll register here when I come back!

They have a planning table where you can access an online catalog and really plan for your purchase. They have rulers and pencils too to help you out :D

Love their meatballs? Buy a pack!

The place is super big.

Christmas decors are out! :D

On the way out, didn't mind the leaves blocking the letters haha. I think it adds a dramatic effect to it JOKE LANG! HAHA Arti arti

View from the sunroof :D

Aaaaand, that's it! Have a great day ahead! :D