All clear

I thought I was gonna be late for work today so thank God I beat the time by a minute! Whew. Also, when I came in to the CR to freshen up there's this girl whom I always see and quite honestly didn't like at first 'cos she looks like a snob and takes forever to fix herself in front of the mirror. She was on the side of the sink where the hand dryer is so I had to excuse myself while I dry out my crying pits. Commuting is hell specially when you're trying to beat the clock. She moved aside as I dry myself, and I get it 'cos the air is hot yknow. I said sorry it's just too hot, and she said it's okay and smiled. And it felt like okay I think she's actually nice and we can be friends! She does look friendlier when she's smiles, everybody does right? I just tend to judge people based on their resting face. But smiling just kinda gives you an approachable glow diba?

Anyway. 99% of the time my first impressions always prove me wrong. And this encounter pretty much puts it a fraction closer to a perfect score. Yey.

The Relationship Advice You Won’t Want To Ignore

Relationships can be hard work at times. Let’s be honest you tend to go through some of the toughest times of your life with a partner, husband or wife. They see you at your best, but then they see you at your worst. You love them, you can dislike them, but you always remain together, right? For some, relationships can get a little off course. This is when you start to wonder whether you were the real deal, to begin with. Many relationships head to this crossroads at some point. With that in mind, here are a few golden pieces of advice that shouldn’t be ignored when it comes to your relationship. Let’s hope it helps you get back on track if you find you and your other half struggling.

Photo from Pixabay

Don’t go to bed on an argument

Arguments are going to happen. Whether they involve shouting or just disgruntled text messages sent to one another you are going to disagree at some point. But it’s how you handle it that is the key to a lasting relationship. While you may both be too stubborn to apologise or wave the white flag, never go to bed on the argument. Always accept it for what it is, agree to disagree and have a good night's kiss and move on. It’s unhealthy to sleep on it and take things on to the next day. 

Keep the relationship alive

Relationships take work. We all know that. But yet many of us don’t put in as much effort as we should. We can get a little complacent. However, this is when things can start to go sour. Keep your relationship alive by spending time together. Intimacy is very important, and often this can be the first sign things aren't going right if you are lacking in this area, this is when you may want to see some advice from Susie Tuckwell - Sex Therapist to add some spark back. You could also consider a regular date night where you are just a couple. No work or children to think about. 

Communicate

For any relationship to thrive communication is key. This means talking to one another about your day, your thoughts and your feelings. It doesn’t take much to start a conversation. Or even send a quick text to let the other know you are thinking of them. Talking is key to a lasting relationship, so don’t let that fire fizzle out. 

Accept what could be going on within your relationship

Sometimes there are big issues within relationships that just get brushed under the carpet for another day. But those days never come, and you find that your relationship suffers because of it. Try and accept what could be going on. Perhaps there is a stressor that you are both having to deal with, maybe things are tough right now. Sometimes you have to accept that a relationship won’t work and you’d be happier if you considered separating. Divorce can often be a good resolve for many couples. But accepting what is going on is key. Chances are tackling your issues could make you a stronger couple. 

Remember you are individuals as well as a couple

Finally, try and remember that you are individuals as well as a couple. Often we don’t get enough time to ourselves which can be vitally important for our wellbeing. 

Let’s hope this advice helps you with any relationship woes. 

Struggling to Turn Things Around? These Might Be A Few Reasons Why

Photo from Pixabay

It would be great if life was always sunny and happy, with everything working out exactly as it was supposed to, and with success and accomplishment being a given.

Obviously, though, that is not the way things actually work out in reality. All of us have to deal with a pretty hefty number of setbacks, disappointments, failures, and troubles, along the way.

In order to keep things moving forward in a positive manner, and to get the most out of our lives, it’s important to be able to pause, reflect on what’s going on, and take steps to turn things around on a regular basis. But what if you’ve been struggling to turn things around, recently? What if situations constantly seem to be getting out of your control, and you’re not managing to make headway?

Well, if you’ve been struggling to turn things around, these might be a few reasons why.

You are allowing too much distraction into your life, at a time when your focus and willpower are already low

When things aren’t exactly working out for you in the best possible way, it’s very likely that your willpower, focus, and motivation, will automatically be pretty low.

So, when you add a bunch of distractions into the mix, you may well find yourself wasting hours every day checking up on your social media accounts, watching TV shows, listening to music, and giving in to just about every option for procrastination that presents itself.

If you’re struggling to turn things around in your life, it might be because too much of your time and energy is being taken up by idle distractions that you can’t seem to resist.

Counteract this situation by removing distractions from your life, as much as possible. That might mean installing a web blocking app on your phone, for example.

You aren’t eating or sleeping enough

When times are tough, and we become very stressed and preoccupied, we typically cease to take care of ourselves in the way we should.

One of the primary ways in which this manifests itself, is by missing out on sleep, and eating too little (and too little of the right things.)

The thing is, sleep is essential for health, mental function, willpower, and energy. And so is proper nutrition.

Begin feeding yourself properly again, and getting enough rest, and you might find that you are more capable of improving your life, literally overnight.

You’ve been too vague, or ambitious, in your plans – or you haven’t made any plan

Vague plans such as “I should visit the dentist soon,” tend not to lead to actual solutions to problems. Instead, researching and contacting a dentist such as monavaledental.com.au is the way to get things done.

At the same time, setting yourself goals, and making plans, that are too ambitious, often results in things remaining static. “I’m going to be fit enough to run a marathon,” is a stretch if you currently aren’t capable of going up a flight of stairs without feeling winded. And, if a goal seems unattainable, you’re likely struggle to pursue it wholeheartedly.

Finally, if you fail to make plans – well, then, it’s not surprising that you aren’t achieving much, is it?

In order to turn things around in your life, you need to make concise and focused plans, keep them manageable, and work consistently to fulfil them.

[Review] IVO C151 Faucet-mounted water purifier

I can't believe we only learned of this product recently! IVO Faucet-mounted water purifier is exactly what it says I don't know how else to translate that. It's an attachment that basically filters your faucet water so you can drink straight from it. Love it.

Before I let you on in my blabber, here's a Youtube review:

Alright, pros and cons:

Pros:
1. Compact and space-saving
2. Cost-cutting
3. Very convenient
4. Japanese technology, made by a reputable manufacturer that also makes dialysis machines. Yeah so kinda like if filtration is the game, Torayvino is the name. 
5. This particular model can filter up to 1500L of water

6. Water tastes fine. No aftertaste like in bottled waters.

Cons:
1. A bit pricey
2. Hard to tell when the cartridge is due for replacement (unless you go for a different model, there's one that has a LED screen to indicate your consumption)
3. Pretty bulky for our small sink
4. Good for small households only, I'd say 1-3 people so you don't keep on changing the cartridge (unless you don't intend to use it for regular drinking. Some people get it just for washing produce)

I learned about IVO by asking in our community Facebook group, then I also learned it's being advertised in OShopping. It's actually been around for a while. And IVO isn't the first one to introduce this type of product. Just search for "faucet mounted water filter" and you'll be greeted with tons of options. There's Megafresh, some generic ceramic cartridges, unbranded activated carbon attachments, but I decided to stick with IVO for the following reasons:

• It's manufactured by a reputable Japanese company, Torayvino
• It employs a 4-level filtration system (Pre-screen, 2nd Screen, Hollow Filter Membrane, Granular Activated carbon)
• Claims to deliver 99.99% bacteria-free drinking water - I mean if a Japanese product has boldly put such claim in their packaging I'm bound to believe it lol
• The product looks pretty haha (I mean compared to other brands yknow haha)
  
  

Okay, so what's in the box?

1. User manual in English
2. Head unit
3. Filter cartridge C151 than can filter 1500L of water
4. Various adapters

It's pretty easy to set up, you just need to try which adapter works for your kind of faucet. Once it's installed you'll now have 3 water settings...

Photo from Oshopping

You can look inside the cartridge to see the interior filter. 

.

This is one of my happiest household purchases so far.

We've finally kept our ugly blue water container for good because we didn't have to fetch water every week! I mean, our condo supplies us free drinking water but it's a hassle when we run out of backup and they're closed for the day or it's a Holiday idk I hate it. I also think they don't clean the containers well. Also, I hate having to nag my husband to fetch water when it's out lol.

It's space-saving, compact, and portable too. The attachments included in the package allows it to be mounted on almost any type of faucet. We don't really pay for drinking water, but if you are then this is quite a good replacement. I admit this is actually an added expense for us, we pay for the filter and cartridge replacement and our drinking water is now being added to our water utility bill, but it's not really a big deal considering how convenient it is to have clean drinking water right from your faucet.

VERY Important usage tips!

• After installation, make sure to "break-in" the filter by running a slow flow for at least 30 seconds to avoid air pockets from forming inside the cartridge. I read about a user who ran a fast flow on first use and by 2 weeks the water is already running very slowly, they had to replace it.
• If left unused for more than a week, prime the cartridge by running a slow flow first for a few seconds before drinking.
• If there's a water interruption, remove the cartridge to avoid accidentally running murky water on it once the water supply is back. Once dirty water has passed through the filter, the water flow will slow down terribly and you'd have wasted its filtering capacity. This is particular here in Metro Manila I guess because every time the water line is restored, it spits out dirty water at first, until it gets clearer and clearer and clean enough for drinking.

How's the price and availability?

IVO Faucet-mounted Water Purifier Set retails for ₱1,980.00. It includes the head unit and 1 cartridge. C-151 cartridge replacement costs ₱1,380.  There's also a pack of 3 available for around  ₱3,300. You can purchase online through OShopping, IVO PH, True Value, All Home, or Mercury Drug. I bought mine at True Value Glorietta. :)

How's it doing so far?

So far so good, we bought the unit on April 17 and it doesn't look like it needs to be replaced anytime soon. We're just a household of 2 so I figured it would take quite a while to have it replaced. They say it's time to change the cartridge when the flow is starting to slow down, ours took over a year to slow down mainly because we drink at the office for the most part hehe.

I would recommend this to a small household. Like maybe 1-3 people.

Also those living in condos because it's usually tight and every square inch of space savings matters.

Also if your faucet is low and doesn't have a standard threading, it would be very difficult to work with this. Luckily our faucet is kind of a bridge type that's tall enough that you can place a pitcher underneath. I've seen faucets that are so different you can't remove the aerator to reveal the threads.

I wouldn't sell this to big families, obviously they have more water needs and would max out the cartridge in a few months. With a cartridge that pricey, I'd say you'd be out replacing it every 3 months and that's not very practical. Unless, like I mentioned above, you don't intend to use it for your regular drinking water needs. It's a good supplement though.

  

UPDATE: April 6, 2020

Okaaay, it's been ALMOST A YEAR, and we haven't replaced the cartridge. We estimated our usage to be around 3L per day, which is quite lavish considering we drink water at the office too. That said, it would take us 500 days to max the filter capacity. Still a long time from now.

This is how the cartridge looks like right now:

It's gone darker, but I can't taste the difference yet hahaha. Should we change already? I'm not too worried cos we're still far behind 1500L but I don't know if that color is still considered safe lol.

UPDATE June 9, 2020: I checked with IVO PH and they told me that it's still safe to continue using the cartridge even with that color, as long as the water flow is still tolerable. So it's really up to us. So far, water flow hasn't slowed down considerably and filter cartridge has gone darker. No worries though because they assured me that no matter the strength of the flow, water quality remains the same. Love it!

Anyway. Yeah, go get this one. I fully recommend this product!

I need a break

This has been the most stressful day of my career here at the firm. I accidentally truncated a table that removed everyone's leave records. Easily trumps the infinite loop issue I had back then by a big notch. This has been my biggest ~work~ mistake and I'm so embarrassed by it huhu.

We were able to restore a backup copy of the table but the data was only until 1pm today. I deleted the records around 5:30pm so that leaves us with 4.5 hours of data gap where I could only hope no one tried to request or approve leaves. I'm so close to asking those who logged in between that gap to know if they made any leave transaction. Just to remind them to file them again, cos you know, they're gone. And I just want to make sure. But heck I'm too tired and right now I'm just kindof wallowing in my mistake. I tried to look for the logs but wtf for some reason there are no logs for the day! I'm suspecting the app isn't logging prod transactions at all and it's so weird but I already got an idea. My goodness.

I haven't touched the system in 4 hours now and while a part of me wants to continue working, I don't feel like coding 'cos I don't want to make any more mistaaaakes huhuhu. May trauma paaaaaa huhu!

Gosh I don't even know what to work on next! Whew. This is definitely not the Friday I was expecting. I was looking forward to continuing working on my dev tasks. I was having fun. I actually think I'm on a roll, little did I know this snowballing mojo of confidence would be smashed by a careless mistake. I was working too fast, missing the little details, relying on muscle memory, trusting my productive streak. Heck I just got a commendation yesterday for deploying a robot and now this?

Man I deserved this right? I know I did. I was being complacent and too confident with my work. What a slap. As much as I needed this wake up call, I didn't want to affect prod data just to learn a lesson! Huhuhu

Anyway. I have so much to thank my teammates for and Lani too our server girl whom I called first to ask if they have database backup. My team mates swooped to the rescue and looped in my boss. Juskooo I wouldn't have the heart to tell my boss I did something wrong when I haven't fixed it. The horrorrrr. They reassured me everything's gonna be alright, we have backup, we'll definitely get a development database now.... but argh. Stuff like this just kinda lingers on me. And I just realized, in my 7 years of working, that I'm not mature yet. What would I do without my teammates' support and my boss' supervision. I'm a frkn child I could cry!

I'm still mourning for the data we may have lost forever. Huhuhu

Anyway. Here's a distraction. Trifold brochure design for one of my friends.

Happy weekend I guess.

Ah, life

Currently slaving on a project I should've finished last month. I kept procrastinating on this because I knew I'd be able to stumble on a more elegant solution to my dev enquiries. And I did! I'm done with the code and I'm doing some testing and validation before moving to UAT. I'm glad I tested this out (well, that's a must) 'cos I was able to fish out a logical error in my workflow which resulted to my partial deliverable being inaccurate. What a shame!

Earlier this evening I had a health risk assessment from our clinic. As usual, yet another validation of why I feel awful everyday. I'm overweight. Obese 1 in fact. And just so I'd remember, here are my stats:

Current body weight: 69 kg (152 lbs)
Ideally: 45-55 kg (100-121 lbs)
BMI: 28
Body fat %: 37.9% (acceptable is 25-32%)
Body age: 47 (I'm frkn 28)
Visceral fat: 8.5 (normal)

Yeah so the only normal reading I have is my visceral fat and pulse rate lol. Can't be too happy. I definitely gained so much weight over the past few weeks. I blame rice. Don't we all. I'd like my weight to be down to 140 lbs first, that's enough to fit in some of my old clothes. I think even the upper range of my ideal weight is ridiculously thin for my height. But of course, thin is normal. At least healthy normal.

Oh well.

5 Possible Reasons You Can’t Get To Sleep

For some of us, getting to sleep can be a real mission. It can result in hours of tossing and turning, which can become more frantic as it gets to the early hours of the morning. There are many factors that can stop us from getting to sleep easily. Here are five possible reasons you may be struggling to drift off.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

You’re too stressed

Stress can keep many of us up at night. When stressed, our body releases cortisol which makes our mind more alert and our body more energised. Taking the time to de-stress before bed could help to flush out this cortisol so that your mind isn’t racing and your body isn’t tense. There may be forms of bedtime meditation that you can try in order to get yourself de-stressed. A hot bath meanwhile is another effective stress reliever. Avoid stressbusters such as exercise, which may simply perk you up and make it harder to sleep.

You’ve been consuming the wrong foods/drinks before bed

Certain foods and drinks will make it harder to go to sleep. Caffeine is the biggest culprit – coffee or tea before bed is best avoided and you may want to limit chocolate (this often contains caffeine too). High-sugar drinks may also keep you up, whilst fatty foods may cause bloating that makes getting to sleep difficult. Instead, try foods like honey or oats, which can help you get to sleep by promoting the hormone melatonin. Bananas and almonds are also good sleep inducers due to their content of magnesium.

You’ve been looking at too many bright screens before bed

Staring at a bright TV, laptop or phone screen before bed could be tricking your brain into thinking that it’s still daylight hours, delaying the release of melatonin. Try to make it a habit of turning off all devices with screens an hour before going to sleep. As mentioned earlier, you could try having a hot bath or meditating instead, or you could read a book – anything that doesn’t involve a screen.

Your bed/bedroom is too uncomfortable

An uncomfortable bed could also be preventing you from getting to sleep. If you suffer from any kind of back or joint pain, you may find that a soft mattress exacerbates the pain, whilst a firm mattress provides more support. Alternatively, some people may prefer a soft mattress that they can sink into. It’s also important that your bedding doesn’t make your too hot or cold – consider using different materials of sheets for different seasons to help regulate temperature more easily.

You’ve been lying in too late

Lying in late will make it harder to go to sleep at a reasonable time. Because you haven’t been awake long enough, your body and brain won’t be ready to sleep. Try making an effort to get up earlier even if you have no reason to. If it’s your day off from work, you may still be able to get a lie in – you may just want to keep a cut off point such as 10am to prevent you lying in too long so that you can then go to bed at a reasonable time the following night.