Lexcode’s Les Miserables Blocked Screening Contest Promo

my sister is a sucker for period films and this is one movie she's been waiting for for months, and what makes it really special is that it's showing right on her 24th birthday! it would be an awesome gift to win a pair of tickets from Lexcode’s Les Miserables Blocked Screening Contest Promo. that way i wouldn't have to spend for 2 movie tickets and snacks (haha)!

wonder how i learned about this promo? I SEARCHED FOR IT. seriously, i'm not exactly a movie buff so i'm not the type to spend money on movies, and when my sister watched the trailer she knew she had to block her schedule on that special day, she was so excited, and i knew this has to be my gift to her. and because i'm quite a budgetarian (haha), i figured there has to be online promos about this movie because it's so going be a hit! a voila, Lexcode's (@lexcodeinc) generosity hit the search pages through this blog entry i found at The Intersections and Beyond (@ronivalle)

So there you go, crossing my fingers on my two tickets! hehe

for when i am weak, then i am strong.

oh now that clears it. today's message (from my daily devo hihi) is just super duper cool, it answered one of  the biggest questions i asked myself, "why am i here?" when i should be out there... learning art and doing art for a living... instead of programming. and of course, i've always answered myself like this.... "you know arianne, the truth is, no matter how much you'd love to shift careers, you are not courageous enough to take the leap. that, and it's never too promising out there. believe me, you'll barely make it. mwahahahaha" err, yeah. so it kindof roots to my lack of self confidence (and also funds).

but just now, i realized that you don't always have to focus on developing your strengths. because no matter how strong and big it gets, it's not gonna remove your weaknesses, someone (or something like a situation, or a prick) will always find out about that blind spot and use it against you.

here's my most important learning of the day, God is not limited to working with our strengths alone. see 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 -- But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

grarrrr i just about cried you know. >:'((( that verse really hit me. so whenever we feel we're at our weakest, do not fret cos that's when we have to trust God to work through us. and He surely will! didn't He just say, "my power is made perfect in weakness"?? >8D

orayt (i'm getting sleepy na haha), in my life here's how it applies. i've always (mentally) complained that i'm not cut out for this job (programming) because i'm not smart enough, not fast enough in absorbing instructions and stuff, not logical enough to create optimized programs, and that this job has barely anything to do with art... which i consider my strength, so that makes me sad haha. in fact, during the 'Dark Ages' (referring to the first few months of work) i felt like i was on the wrong track, doing something i don't like and failing horribly at it.

but going back to the message and that mega powerful verse, i realized that HEY! God put me here to work on my weakness and turn it into a strength! isn't that awesome? >8D it really is! so yeah, my confusion just cleared out! i'm not lost anymore!

so yeah, if you feel like you're stuck doing something you don't usually like, something you think you're bad at, think of it as a 'weakness transformation training'. it has an aweful start, the first stages will kill your resolve. you will have doubts. you will think it's a waste of time. and it will make you want to run back to your comfort zone where your strengths lie. but in your struggles you will realize that your only weapons are your weaknesses, and in your desperation you have nothing left to do but to use them. but after that awkward fight, you'll find yourself a master of your weaknesses! and voila! you've just conquered the world!

haha good night! >XD

How to turn off camera shutter sound of Lenovo P700i

Unfortunately, the stock camera in Lenovo P700i doesn't allow you to turn down the shutter sound using the up and down volume buttons, instead it adjusts the call ringer tone and that's hardly what you want when taking pictures right?

Here's the easiest fix i got:

Download Camera ICS+ here or go search somewhere else if you want. It will let you use the volume buttons to adjust the Media Sound (which controls the shutter and also game bg sounds). It's a 3rd party camera but the UI is entirely like the stock ICS camera so i had no problems adjusting. :D

Another option is to root your phone and locate the camera shutter sound file, something like camera_shutter.ogg, then delete or rename it so it doesn't get called in every shot. But of course, rooting the P700i is a painstaking method so i don't really suggest it. This was my first option though, before i realized that the shutter sound is a Media Sound and whenever i play games and lower the volume, it also lowers the shutter sound with it haha. >XD

Problem solved (at least for me) ! Hope it works for you. >:D

If you find this solution helpful, please do comment! :D

on the other hand, still crossing my fingers on a non-root solution for the same problem on the Lenovo A60+ though haha >XD

2013 Daily To-do List (instead of the usual NY Resolutions)

I figured, instead of creating a new year's resolution (which usually gets ignored for the rest of the year), i'd turn it into a 2013 Daily To-do List so i get to check myself everyday. Hardly any progress is done on my NY resolutions and it's totally uncool how i keep on repeating the same "promises" every year like nothing happened, like 12 months isn't enough to resolve what needs resolution when in fact that's already one hell of a year. I believe a to-do list is more practical and more challenging if we really want to work on the stuff we promised to work on EVERY YEAR. The items are pretty much the same, just redefined to fit into a do-able daily activity in order to reach a bigger goal which is the usual "resolution".

1. be more hydrated

drink at least 1.5 liters of water everyday, that means i have to be able to refill my water bottle at the office for 3 times. Also, whenever i feel the need to pee, i must drink water first so my bladder is kept hydrated always. haha i know 2 liters is the recommended minimum but i can't commit to that just yet. i'm hardly a water person so imma start with 3 bottles first! haha >XD

2. be fit!

that means 500 counts of alternate knee raises every day in the office. that's the least i can commit to for now haha

i dunno how you call it, it's just doing something like bicycle paddles... irdk. basta yon. i've been in a sedentary lifestyle since i started working and there's barely time for me to exercise so i did a research on stuff i can do to keep my body uhm, stretched? and yeah, i found that haha

counts != to seconds though hahaha, it's just me counting how many raises i've done. of course i'll distribute that 500 into hundreds and do it like every 2 hours... or something? haha >XD

3. quit nail biting

i'll keep a daily tab of this... starting tomorrow LOL cos i just like involuntary bit my nail just now. argh. >:(

4. devo daily and sincerely

i'm heavily guilty of using my daily readings as a sleeping pill. while it's pretty effective for the past months, that's the devil's work and i can't allow such heresy to ruin my spiritual life. so from now on, i'll keep it a point to really take my devotions seriously. tita ruth gave me an awesome book, Experiencing God (Daily Devotionals) by Henry and Richard Blackaby, and so far since January 1 i've been thoroughly blessed by the message i get daily.

5. sleep at 10pm

gone with the 12mn limit, let's lower it down to 2 hours and be at bed at 10PM. of course, this goes to say that the maximum time i can stay in the office to be home before 10 is 7pm. hehe that gives me to time to organize myself (ie. change clothes, eat dinner, and clean my stuff) and do my devotions hehe.

6. at least 1 good deed a day (priority: strangers)

even though i believe i'm a "naturally" good person (HA-HA-HA), i would still want to do so some small volunteer good work around me (not on an organizational level tho), on top of the involuntary good things i do HAHAHA like you know, holding my sarcasm to some irritating good friends, or or... okay, fine. not much goodness in me i guess? which makes this to-do item so so valid. haha it doesn't matter to whom the act is targeted to or how big it is, as long as it's good and i was able to help... i'm cool. i just want to end each day knowing i did something good to others. what really inspired me to do this is this video, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151211016113780 it's not really hard to follow is it? plus it'll make the world a much a better place to live in!

7. at least 1 artwork a month
so i'd have 12 by the end of the year and be able to do a personalized calendar with it! haha >XD that's one of the goals though more importantly, i'd like to keep my creative juices flowing and remind myself that on top of everything else, i'm really an artist at heart.

That's pretty much all i have in mind! >XD quite a challenging list for me but nothing I can't do with proper discipline and faith (in God, in humanity and in myself that i can do this)! >XD

Good vibes, everyone!

buena mano! hihi

yey! my first completed artwork using the bamboo pen and touch! >XD a 2 years overdue supposed to be wedding gift for one of our college's prof. >:P

orayt, gotta exercise! >XD

a year of gratitude!

thank you so much Lord for all the blessings you've given me and my family this entiiiiire year. we couldn't have established this much without you! i've slashed so much off my wishlist! yeheyyy!! >XD

thank you for these new babies!


1. Samsung 32" LED TV for the family

i feel fulfilled that i was able to provide something relatively big for the family. we're not really in dire need of a new TV but all the TVs in the house are CRTs and are consuming so much electricity too. haha I initially wanted to buy LG for the same specs and also because  it's 5k cheaper but when mommy saw this she instantly liked it. add to the fact that the person in charge really knows how to sales talk and even explained the differences between TV types. oh i learned so much that day hahaha LG was a close contender but the girl in charge was like wala sa sarili. sabog pa yata. anyhow. haha

2. Western Digital 1TB External Hard Drive for myself... uhm, again

oh forgive me, this is my 2nd 1TB EHD. so now i'm selling the other one for only 3,500! haha >XD i bought this mainly because... uhm... it has warranty? and even though i'm not really experiencing any problems with my other hard disk...eerrr.. WD is WD and, and... IT'S RED huhu i just can't leave that ultra tempting red hard disk alone.

3. Lenovo A60+ for my sister

i'll probably review this when i get the time but you see, i'm being drawn to lenovo more and more kasi hahaha! >XD this is like something i've wanted to give my sister for so long. a new phone! at laaaast! now she has no excuses to ignore my calls and messages. grr grr goodbye to her good ol' nokia 1280. yeheyy!! >XD

4. and of course, none of these will be possible if you didn't put me in Smart. The company has done a lot of things for me and even though majority of that lot is stress, employee benefits and incentives are way awesome! this year, we were entitled to until 18th month bonus! that's like 5 months more than the government mandated 13th month, but the company guaranteed 15 months so that's 3 months additional bonus HUHU thank you so much. haha 

i just don't understand why there are still a lot of employees complaining about the 18 months kasi dati rati umaabot ng 22 and blah. but seriously, maybe i'm just new but for me it's already a great blessing to be in a company that promises more than what you expect. it's probably just wrong to expect the bonuses, kaya nga sya tinawag na bonus. LOL

// Lord, thank you so much for all these blessings. for giving me the means to buy stuff for my family and still be able to save and tithe regularly. you really love us. >XD

// next project... Dear Lord, this is what i've been saving my money at mutual funds po. HYUNDAI TUCSON!!! >XD in Jesus' name! in Jesus' name! kinikilig ako grrrr >XD .... and also a Lenovo Ultrabook... whichever comes first... ay pero super first pala yung Lenovo P700i na white HAHAHAHA 

// sige lang Yan, dream big. dream big. >XD AMEN!

Drawn to a still world

I've never really thought much about it, but there are times when I want to own a kick ass camera and shoot landscapes, hold shoots and capture every perfect moment in my life! Every time I see some of my friends updating their facebook timelines with photoshoot albums, I always wonder if it's really that hard to take nice pictures. I know a lot of people are underestimating photographers, saying their services are only overpriced because of their overpriced camera, and that photography is as easy as point and shoot, but really... you know a photo is skillfully taken when it captures not just the moment or scene, but also a fragment of your heart, leaping into that frame, wanting to be part of that still world. 

I've come across of a lot of photography and art showcase sites just for appreciation and just recently I found ArtStar, an online gallery full of artworks for sale at very affordable prices; illustrations, photos and everything else. It's nice to look around a lot of photos and see where it takes you. It's also cool to discover other artists too, like this one I saw: Guenter Knop who enjoys experimenting in nude, black and white photography and has a penchant for shooting Parisian scenes. Paris is beautiful and it's amazing how, even in black and white, his photos exude the same vibrance as with colored ones.

It's a really good way to unwind, looking at beautiful photos and letting yourself drown in the scenery. Life is full of wonderful things!