finding your FLOW

i found something really interesting and refreshing in my mail today. it's from Bo Sanchez' newsletter and it's a short article about finding your FLOW. In my understanding, to be in the flow is to be caught up doing something you enjoy so much that you lose track of time. in short it's about being focused about something you enjoy doing. To help, he used an illustration by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (challenging name, i know) which perfectly describes where we could find our flow. I also found it helpful and reassuring with regards to where i stand in my job right now. haha  

applying it to the workplace, i could say that i'm standing (more like weeping) on the ANXIETY quadrant. work challenges are high and i could pretty much say that my skills are on the low level yet. and it's true! i've always ranted about how my job here is eating me alive. haha then again, if i may suggest adding a new factor to the illustration, given TIME, i believe that ANXIETY can be transformed to FLOW. and that's what i'm very very hopeful of. 

here i realized that, just because i'm facing a hard time at work because of my technical incompetencies means i should look for another job or pursue art and design and blah where i'm sure i will get my flow. God blessed me with a degree in computer science and i believe he wants me to learn further. if i'm leaving this job, i want to leave it fulfilled, knowing that i left as an asset and not someone lost who just wandered around and now wants to move elsewhere because she couldn't find her mojo. 

thank you for this wonderful message, Lord! 

i think this day is going to be cool. haha >XD

come on, money!

there's something bothering me about my life right now. yun o. naks. haha. a lot of my time is lost commuting to work and back home! if i were to sum them up, that's approximately 4-5 hours spent collectively outside. mind you, that's a lot of time! i could've used that to exercise or sleep early but obviously that's just an excuse cos even if i worked nearby i'll hardly get myself to do those still. hahaha

anyway, my sister told me that it usually takes 2-3 years for someone to master a certain skill. applying that to the work place, that means i still have hope. yehey! that's a really really big breather for me. remember how i was always complaining about feeling useless and dumb most of the time at work? LOL. maybe i just need time! yes! hay buhay. ang tagal ng 2 years! 9 months to go before i ask myself (again!) if still want to stay. ang laking factor talaga nung malapit ka lang sa bahay. huhu all this pollution is killing me. lol

anyway, since malapit na ang sweldo (containing part 2 of our 13th month pay + some OT pay hihi), it's high time for another wishlist! di ko naman bibilhin lahat to on swelday but hmmm we'll get to that someday!

1. Lenovo S720 (~Php 10000)

lol what i liked about this phone upon first glance is the presence of MOST of the physical features i needed in a phone, mainly: LED flash and dedicated camera key. talo nga lang ako sa size cos it's too big for my hands haha pero keri lang. i do hope it gets a jellybean update though! >XD i also love how it looks almost like the the HTC One haha.

http://pinterest.com/pin/459859811921768855/

2. office desk (~Php 2000-5000)

i want a really simple desk for my room. preferrably glass topped and rectangular. without any drawers. pretty much like this!

http://pinterest.com/pin/16888567325798266/

3. mobile pedestal (~Php 3500)

i like the one i have in the office HAHA parang ganto

http://pinterest.com/pin/538109855446990438/

4. office chair (~Php 1400-6000)

i would love something like this. yung pwede mag indian sit haha. 

http://pinterest.com/pin/132785888986661050/

as you can see, i want a new office system in my room. hahaha i badly want to clean up na rin cos i have lot of stuff that's only accumulating dust, and you know i'm allergic to dust. hayy thinking of selling most of my books na rin, they're not a lot, but they're really good titles. HAHA i was thinking of moving entirely to the digital format, as in pdf na lang lahat para handy! when i get that 4.5 inch phone naman i think i can bear with the size. LOOOOOL RepliGo PDF Reader is the way to go.

5. new NIV Bible (~Php 1000)

yung expensive at red leather/leatherette yung cover. ANG ARTE! pero seryoso, kelangan raw mahal para basahin mo talaga araw araw eh. sabi nga ng isang post, "the bible is bread, to be taken daily. not cake, to be taken occasionally." word.

Man of Steel from Schick and Wacoal

super duper late post! anyway, i just want to thank, yet again Nuffnang Philippines for my nth free movie! they held 2 contests for man of steel, one from Wacoal and the other one from Schick! i'm blessed to have won in both screenings, resulting to me watching it twice in a week, both with jeckie!

the movie was really action packed specially towards the end where there's so much of the earth breaking haha. there were times i didn't understand the pacing and cinematography but i believe it's typical zack snyder style, so yeah. what i appreciated most with this movie aside from the action is that it reveals how clark kent struggled growing up as a human. he always knew he was different and stronger than most, so it's highly admirable that he grew up as a good person, forever patient with the humans' insensitivity/idiocy/whatever. thanks a whole bunch to the couple who fostered him. i also liked how, at the end (you don't mind spoilers now do you?), he chose to save the earth over reviving his planet. that is just so Christlike, or so they say. >XD

Wacoal Screening!

anyway, the wacoal screening was set at Newport Mall, Resorts World on its premiere night. that's july 12, independence day! i spotted a lot of celebrities like liz uy, rica peralejo, patty laurel, etc. i think i also saw sir abe olandres somewhere. lol i'm not sure!

anyway, on top of the wacoal freebies they gave all of us (900 worth of online vouchers!), i also won additional 1,000 worth of wacoal merchandise from their twitter raffle! yeheyy!

it's a cool thing that wacoal hq is (almost) just across our office at makati so right at the deadline, i used my vouchers and purchased two sports bras! yeyyy! that's actually that cheapest bra they have there haha but still perfectttt hihi >XD

Schick Screening!

this one was set the coming friday at shangri-la mall. the really cool thing about this night was the freebies.

the perfect father's day gift! a paperbag full of schick goodies! you bet, pang-ahettt! >XD sandamakmak mga 10++? i lost count hahaha may shaving cream pa haha

there you go! nights full of fun and freebies! >XD thank you Lord!

Manila Bulletin Sketchfest 2013

happened July 15, 2013 @ Ayala Triangle, Makati

i was so excited when i first heard of it! but when i came there with chii and jeckie, nalula ako. cartolina pala ang canvas. that's just so big. and there weren't enough seats/tables for everyone so most of the contestants just sat on the ground and drew there. very very uncomfortable. argh. i thought the event was BIG but honestly, i didn't quite feel the hugeness of it considering that Manila Bulletin is hosting it along with a mean bunch of media partners. hay.

jeckie and chii

the freebies also didn't feel like freebies at all. maped pencil/eraser, heaps of magazines (back issues), and a copy of manila bulletin for that day. aside from the maped pencil/eraser which i found really cool, i felt the rest was just given for disposal. no offense meant. i just think everything in the contest required so much from the artists that i believe everyone should at least be amply rewarded. it was a bit disappointing on that note. >:)

i have no qualms about the prizes though, they were awesome. yeah.

anyway, since i gave up on the size (stupid me for not realizing that beforehand), i just took most of the time looking around and taking pictures of others doing their works. there may be only a few who joined the contest but most of them are really really frkn good! hehe if you feel like you belong in this so-called album of few, please comment below so i could give due credit.

also, i picked just the ones i thought looked awesome . >;)

winners from the previous years:

3rd Place - Mark Joseph Mabuna
Sketchfest 2012
Senior Category

2nd Place - Erwin Mallari
Sketchfest 2012
Senior Category

1st Place - Emmanuel Robles
Sketchfest 2012
Senior Category

3rd Place - Justen Paul Tolentino
Sketchfest 2011
Junior Category

awesome artists at work!

thanks for scrolling! saw yourself? just comment below! >:D

Titus Pens iDoodle Contest 2013

happened July 1, 2013 at SM Marikina Cyberzone

i've been meaning to blog about this awesome event but i never had the time haha. at least ngayon meron na! thanks to SONA, i had to take the day off because of the terrible traffic. thankfully, it's a good time to finally catch up with my pending blog posts! yeyy!!

so i learned about this doodle contest via my friend's mailing list. i took jeckie with me to the contest, and together we went on a cool adventure to SM Marikina. lol. it was a short trip, we used the LRT at Gateway, Cubao. and well, hanep lang! elibs na elibs kami sa LRT dun! ang ganda! being regular MRT passengers, riding this LRT for the first time was very refreshing.

cool looking station haha

 

it was so spacious inside the train. tingnan nyo naman! haaayyy when will MRT be like this? >XD

anyway, on to the event! there were so many artists who came, most of them looking like students hehe. honestly it was a bit cramped, it was hard trying to move around. the seats are so packed together because of the volume of the people who came.

nevertheless, i enjoyed it! 3 hours of nonstop doodling using their awesome oil-gel ball point pens and i was able to come up with this! and i insist on the many shots. haha

i didn't win but it was such an amazing experience. it's kindof the first ever art contest i joined outside of school (if i remember correctly), and i had no regrets. plus, i discovered that the pens they provided were so freaking awesome. believe me when i say this, i have a knack for pens and Titus fine oil-gel ballpens are the greatest if you're into ballpen art. just look at the quality! the colors are all sharp and vibrant and it's so different from the typical panda ballpens. you can trace a pencil line art with em and the ink won't run. how awesome is that. it's the type of ballpen that will make you want to reaaaaally draw your balls out. >XD

oh, before i forget, the grand winner! >XD

by Marvin Bandoles
taken from https://www.facebook.com/doodleartenthusiasts

congrats! those are frkn crazy details! amazing! >XO the other winners really kicked major ass as well. it was very inspiring having to see so much talent in one place!

yeheyy! happy that i took home lots of these!

thank you Titus Pens, for this wonderful experience! for the free shirt, name tag, pencil, eraser, envelope, folder, and of course the glorious pens! >XD

just started with Mary Kay!

hello! this is the first time i felt excited to wear make-up! seryoso! ang kulet nga eh, i'm not saying i'm a late bloomer. pero sige pwede na rin. lol

matagal na kong fan ng Mary Kay mainly because of the quality. my mom was the one who indirectly introduced it to me, after which i've grown quite a liking to it. pero di pa ganon ka-intense, after all, di ko pa afford nung mga time na yon. haha

but just recently, ate wheng, my new friend and also our victory group leader mentioned about their promo something something so sabi ko, weh? ganon lang babayaran ko? LOL and so 4 days after hearing about the promo, i joined Mary Kay! hahaha

the plan is to just hit the promo, then que serra serra na. meaning, i won't push myself further! after all, i'm just after the make-up! and until now the plan still holds. i'm just pretty fascinated about how it's affecting me, like i'm suddenly excited to groom up like a real lady! for the first time! haha exciting much! i've never felt this excited to look beautiful naks. hahaha

anyway, this is my SONA-caused look LOL. specifically my sobrang-traffic-kaninang-umaga-kaya-umuwi-na-lang-ako-at-nag-make-up look.

as you can see, it's barely there. kinda oily pa nga eh. but that's not oil. that's glare! as if? haha anyway, forgive me cos i'm still starting pa lang and experimenting on what looks best on me that i could use on a daily basis. i'm getting hooked on liquid foundation but it's such a hassle having to put it on properly. you know, making it all pantay with no bumps and crap. the horrorrrr.

LOL. for this look (naaaaks bumu-beauty blogger) i used the following Mary Kay products:

i mean, just in case you would possibly possibly want this look. HAHAHA

timewise matte-wear liquid foundation (beige 2)

for my complexion (i'm maitim, or morena in a more encouraging word). beige 2 is still a bit too light. i just tried it cos i saw it in mommy's purse haha. i'm a beige 4, btw. but in fairness, kahit sobrang puti nung beige 2, using just a small drop and lots of crazy brushing on my face. it kinda blended well! LOOOOOOL

mineral cheek color (shy blush)

yes i'm wearing blush on! a very shy one in case you never noticed LOOOOOOL

eye liner (black)

which is very very dry na because its cap got lost but nevertheless it was very easy to apply. naaks. LOOOOL

and finally...

mineral powder foundation (beige 2)

just to finish off the liquid foundation. blah

it's pretty bare on cam but i actually like it up close. much barer. LOOOOL. kidding. 

anyway, all of those products, you can find by browsing our e-catalog here: http://tinyurl.com/MaryKayForSale

and for orders, you can always reach me by commenting here! just make sure to leave your email so i can get back to you asap! >XD

awesome daaay

woke up 1pm after an undisturbed 10 hour sleep! i missed getting full sleeps. grabe. after a couple of days rendering crazy OTs, i knew i had to recharge my body so much! i'm imagining a full body massage, a facial and a good swim but argh. imagination ko lang yun.

OT days
so we have this project. it's crazy. it's java. and i feel doomed (as usual). i was made to lead the UI peeps and i feel kindof inadequate. technically. you know. while i believe i've learned so much java since i started, i still don't think i have enough to impart to the newbies. just the basics. i can, on the other hand, give them a ton of moral support if they want. hahaha

now i know how mam grace felt when she has to juggle between teaching newbies (me, majorly!), beating her own dev deadline, and answering to support issues. with just 8 hours on the clock, mapapa-OT ka talaga. hahaha

hm. i feel sad that i had to render so freaking many hours just to get the login/logout module to work. to think all the classes are provided na, and i just had to tweak the xhtml part, nalulungkot parin ako kung bakit hirap na hirap ako. hahaha

and grabe lang makasira ng budget ang pag-OT. look, i'm living on a tight 200/day allowance. that's 150 for fare + 50 for snacks or something, given that i always have baon naman. i was able to do it for 2 weeks straight and i felt proud cos i saved a lot! but this week was such an exception. 3 days straight OTs and i had to adjust my allowance for food! huhu anyway. haha



my parents' silver wedding anniv is coming up! 
earlier, i was thinking of a fitting gift at wala akong maisip. e saktong nakita ko to sa appliance center, so i bought this instead!

my parents have been wanting to replace their old crt tv in their room so i thought it's the best gift. less 5,500 pa pag cash oh! hahaha i admit this was a dakot move (read: kurot principle). i cleared out my entire tangible savings for this HAHA pero okay lang, there's still next month! hihihi

tangible kasi nasa banko at madaling iwithdraw, if you want long-term savings. ehem, usap tayo!

i just joined a victory group!

yeyy i now have a cell group! i met for the first time with ate wheng (our vg leader) earlier to arrange our schedules and discuss about discipleship. it's an intimidating topic for me, but nothing i can't handle if it's what God set me up to! i'm excited to learn and meet new people and more importantly, to improve my relationship with God. seryoso! aaargh this is so exciting!

i think it's almost a month since i started attending Victory Nova, mainly because it's nearer to our home... and what can i say, i'm happy with my decision. ewan ko ba but i'm attracted to their aesthetics, you know... tarps, brochures, videos and even the tithes envelope. i love how they're all so well designed. hehe

i'm looking forward to becoming a better person with this decision! haaay thank you Lord!