Airbnb stay: Our Forbeswood Parklane BGC staycation

Before this gets buried too deep in my drafts, here's an account of our latest AirBnb stay! We spent 2 nights at this cozy one-bedroom unit in BGC Forbeswood Parklane in celebration of our second wedding anniversary, and I'm here about to spam ya'll with pictures. But first, here's the link to the property: CozyPad in ❤️ of BGC near St.Luke High Speed WiFi

Looking for a well-decorated BGC unit is easy, but when you factor in parking provision, you're not left with much. Luckily we spotted this unit that ticked off all our Airbnb checklist: Nice interiors, free parking, self check-in, and Superhost!

It's newly renovated, which probably explains the smell. It can be a bit stuffy, but nothing opening the windows can fix. My favorite space would be the living room because it's so spacious and I just love how natural light pours into the wide windows. I liked the open living and dining layout, and also the semi-enclosed kitchen.

The bedroom is just right, there's not much space to walk around but since there's a king sized bed in it, can't complain! Bathroom is small though!

I really admire how the place was decorated. The colors are warm and earthy, there's a lot of light, the decor is lovely, and they didn't scrimp on storage space.

So love the palette in this unit!

Thoughtful touches that we appreciated: Big bottles of water, umbrellas we can borrow if it's raining, and slippers!

The unit is centrally located and is walking distance to High Street, Mind Museum, and Forbes Town. There's also a 7-Eleven at the ground floor of the building. Not much in terms of view, unless you enjoy being surrounded by tall buildings, but it's definitely not gloomy, you still get a lot of sunshine coming in, and you can even watch the sunset being reflected by the tall glass building in front haha.

That's it! We definitely enjoyed our stay!

That's my husband looking dapper in the living ❤️

Today

I'm so freaking tired I would've loved to call in sick today but I can't afford to lose anymore sick leaves and I have something important to do at work that I really want to get over with as soon as possible.

Today I attended Activity Builder 1, a three-hour morning session I'm required to fulfill in order to complete my training requirements for Philam Life. Bit of a background, if you may. My parents are both financial advisers, with my dad holding a Unit Manager position. And right now they badly need additional recruits or else they'd be demoted, or something to that effect. Anyway, it's bad. So they convinced me to reinstate my underwriting license so that I could become part of their headcount. The only catch is that I have to attend two full days of training. So okay, two full days alright. They told me I could take the weekend sessions, so fine. I agreed. As a favor.

But now, as it turns, I'm not only required to fulfill two days of mandatory training, but frkn four!!!! PLUS, three more halfday trainings. And the worst part?! There are no weekend sessions (I was only lucky to score one Saturday session). The fck right?!

I wouldn't have cared so much if all I had to do was sit during classes and pretend to listen. But this frkn Activity Builder thingy forced us to really engage, and even make actual calls to prospective clients. Wth. Of course, while my classmates were busy scrolling through their contacts, I was calling all the people I know who are still asleep. So I'd get the excuse that they didn't pick up. Heh.

But you know, the trainings are actually good. They're valuable, and they make it a point to really equip you into making that sale. But it's me eh, my heart's not in it. I'm only in for the attendance. I just want to get over it. I'm not interested in making a sale at all. I'm just doing all this as a favor to my parents.

And earlier this morning I felt really ashamed of myself. Here I am surrounded with people who are passionate about turning underwriting into a sustainable source of income for their families, and I'm taking it all for granted.

But well, I may be half-assed about this whole thing but heck I did pick up some bits of wisdom and rhetoric, in random:

• I learned the importance of goal setting: If you don't know what you want, does it matter what you get?
• It often takes something painful to awaken us
• If you don't have to work for money, what would you really like to do?
• A person without a goal is like a bulb, its light scattered. On the other hand, a person with a goal is like a laser beam, its light focused.

Rrright. 

Life Lately and September highlights

Heya. Haven't been blogging recently I know. So many things have happened last month and as much as I want to blog about them already, I'm still super swamped at work and I can't spare a moment to blog. Hay.

There are a couple of things sitting in my drafts right now that I can't bring myself to start because I'm just so frkn busy with other things. LOL I've never been this busy in my whole two years here hahaha. Bakit ganito Lord huhu ayoko ng masyadong busy hahahahuhuhu

So, what's in my drafts? Haha this could be a new blog series you know. Just to remind myself of the so many pending things I have to write about because their photos are clogging up my phone already. Hehe

• My iWantSeats booking experience (Manila to Baguio)
• [Review] Dibea D18 Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner - the perfect Dyson alternative
• How we spent our 2nd year anniversary: a gastronomic diary
• Airbnb stay: Our Forbeswood Parklane BGC staycation

So what's up lately?

Taytay Tiangge

My sister and I went to Taytay tiangge last weekend to buy... hulaan nyo hahaha.

I wasn't really game about the whole idea because I don't need anymore clothes really, but I didn't want my sister go alone so I tugged along. Sobrang traffic driving there on a Saturday afternoon, grabeee it took us one and a half hours to reach the frkn place coming from Mandaluyong. We left at 2pm ah mygulayyyy

Anyway. At first I was kindof mehhh about the whole thing. There were tons of tiangge and most of them actually sell the same thing. We came around 5-ish in the afternoon and a lot of stalls were packing up already. No biggie though cos we were still able to find very good items. I had a pretty small haul. Two shorts, a pajama, and 3 tops. That's it! And I only spent less than 500 pesos for all of those. Bonggaaa. I was careful not to splurge 'cos I was too scared it won't fit nice when I get home hahaha.

But well, when we're back home Terai and I tried on all our purchases and man I regretted not buying more tops, and not buying any pants at all! They all fit well haha sayang.

May next time pa naman so okay lang hehe.

Angkas virgin no more

I had an early Makati appointment last week (9am) so I had no choice but to grab an Angkas ride (pun intended lol) because there weren't any Ayala buses passing by where I could sit lol. Nakaka-adik pala mag-angkas pag ma-traffic. Sobrang na-appreciate ko sya pag rush hour. I booked an Angkas twice that day and I really enjoyed it haha. But of course I'll only go for this option if it's an impossible rush-hour.

Got into a minor car incident

Our first time with a private vehicle lol. This happened two weeks ago, October 5. We were on the way to my parent's house at Farview when we got bumped by a Toyota Fortuner while turning on an intersection. Our bumper sustained some scratches, and the other car I think lost a clip in their fender liner? Damn, good thing our car is already due for a bumper repair (and so many others haha) so it's not the first scar.

Anyway. It wasn't too stressful, sure we caused some traffic hehe, we were beside a church where so many cars were double parked so we did kinda block half the remaining street... but we moved away quickly naman since we decided to just settle it uhm, peacefully? We both have comprehensive insurance anyway. And as much as I want to blame the other driver for the damage, it's not worth the stress confronting them, right when they even called backup. I just thank God that we're all so nice to each other as in wala namang galit lol.

PS, I wasn't driving ah. Hahaha.

Obsessing over luggage type backpacks

I learned of this type of bag from one of my officemates. It's basically a backpack that opens luggage style, like this Pacsafe Vibe 28L Commuter Backpack.

Pacsafe Vibe 28L Commuter Backpack

I wanted one for myself because it's the perfect carry-on bag and it looks cool. It can be carried two ways, can slip through your luggage handle, and it fits a laptop too. Perfect for frequent travelers (that I'm not haha).

But of course I'm just being envious and materialistic. I don't think I'd buy myself one because it's super expensive and I still have my trusty old big backpack haha. So I just went to satisfy my envy by trying them out at the malls. If I can't have one at least I can try one! Hehe

Here's the Pacsafe Vibe on me! I love it already! It's around ₱7-8k though so lol nevermind.

I also found something similar from Hedgren, but it's heavier. Here I asked the sales lady from Landmark to wear it for me so I could take a picture hehe. This one naman is ₱10k lol.

This model is called STEP 3-Way Duffle Backpack

Thule also has something similar but it's super duper big lol. Check out their Subterra Duffle Mineral 40L. I'm good with the Pacsafe Vibe 28L already, but yeah that's just me dreaming haha!

Done obsessing over the Moka pot

Been curious about percolators/moka pots for a while now, but after reading several Amazon reviews I'm finally letting the thought of it go. I just wanted to try it to taste the difference but if it means being at the mercy of a poorly assembled pot made of thin sheets of fake stainless steel that's an explosion hazard, nevermind then. My 800-peso single cup electric coffee brewer will do. It's safer too.

By the way, percolators are stove top coffee makers that uses boiling water to brew coffee in a continuous cycle. It's a cool concept but the pots are quite high maintenance lol, I mean compared to your regular coffee maker haha. So yeah, bye Bialleti! It was nice obsessing about you but I can't be bothered with more dishes on the sink!

Team building 2019

Oh yeah, before I forget, September was one memorable month. We celebrated our wedding anniversary, one of our friends got married, and you guessed it duh, we had our annual team building hahaha.

We rented a resort at Tali Beach, Nasugbu, Batangas and just enjoyed the day. We brought groceries, ate lunch at Kainan sa Dalampasigan, waded at Tali beach, watched the sunset together, cooked dinner and enjoyed ourselves. Definitely happy to be part of this team. Okay so pic spam na lang tayo goys haha

Kainan sa Dalampasigan is such a beautiful restaurant!

After lunch we finally drove to the house we're staying at. The resort we booked was super nice, wide and maaliwalas. Definitely something I want for myself one day. This layout is perfect. It's a bungalow too, just my dream!

The wooden pieces of furniture in his house is soooo lovely!

During the afternoon we went to the beach and watched the sunset. Ang ganda gandaaaaaaaa! ♡

This was at Sunset Beach

We cooked dinner and prepared a frkn lot of food! Aylabettt!

Look at our beautiful breakfast! 

Jeh-ar and Jen's wedding!

So yeah, I'm pouring out all my September highlights in this post, except for our anniv because it deserves a separate entry hahahahaha. Here are snaps from our friend's wedding!

Lovely Jen walking down the aisle! ♡

Pinoy nga naman lol

Soooo thaaaat's iiiit!

Ang haba haba nitong post but I'm glad it's finally out of the way. Off to declutter photos on my phone!

5 Ways To Lose Weight Fast Before Levelling Out At A Healthy Weight

Photo from Pixabay

The harsh reality of life is that there is no magic cheat to gain the perfect body forever. If you truly wish to maintain your look and health, it’ll be necessary to adopt a sustainable strategy. Nonetheless, failure to see positive results in the first few weeks of a health kick can seriously damage your hopes of staying on track. Starting your transformation in style to gain quick weight loss before settling into a more sustainable long-term plan is key. Here are five simple solutions.

Opt For HIIT 

High-Intensity Interval Training is a great way to lose weight quickly. In truth, you’ll probably keep it in your workout schedule for the long haul too. For the immediate challenge, though, focusing solely on HIIT cardio is a great way to lose weight. Wearing a fitness band to track calorie burns and gain the right frame of mind is useful too. The competitive nature will inspire results.

The fun factor is a key ingredient in the recipe for success, and enjoying a range of activities is vital for the long-term situation. For now, shedding the pounds is where your fun starts.

Choose An Extreme Diet

Nutrition is a hugely influential part of any healthy living strategy. If you’re eager to lose weight fast, there are several options at your disposal. Meal replacements can work but may leave you feeling hungry. The carnivore diet, or an alternative low-carb plan, can work wonders. You’ll drop the pounds rapidly and can significantly aid your metabolism for the long haul.

Opting for this type of diet rather than meal replacements can allow you to maintain it for longer. Just be sure to replace any lost vitamins and nutrients.

Change Your Life Habits

Physical activity shouldn’t be limited to the gym. Increasing your exercise throughout the day can have a seriously positive influence. Cycling to work or walking to the gym can burn a few extra calories and keep your metabolism on its toes. Turning housework and other chores into a workout can also aid the cause. It may also increase your enjoyment.

It’s unlikely that you’ll be ready to keep this up for the long haul due to time constraints and the need for balance. Nonetheless, it can give you a serious short-term boost.

Target Water Weight

Water retention will increase your weight and size. While it’s not a huge problem, losing this can be a great way to promote quick transformations. Avoiding your food intolerances is a crucial step to consider while a morning coffee can support water loss too. Dandelion extract is another ingredient that’ll help you lose water weight at a rapid rate.

You could easily lose a few pounds and an inch or two from the stomach in this way. It’s arguably the easiest solution at your disposal.

Get Surgery

Finally, you could choose surgery or medical procedures. CoolSculpting, liposuction, and gastric bands are three of many options. If this is the route you wish to take, additional research is required.

Aja?

I have a fear of letting people down. Don't we all? I hate breaking bad news, and I also hate trying and failing then admitting it can't be done. What I hate the most, is myself for letting it come to a point where I had to withdraw after spending so much time trying to make it work. Huhu

But today I have to face it all! Help me Lord!

Secrets that will Help you with your Long-Term Travel

Making the decision to pack up all of your belongings can be difficult. You may have to quit your job and you may even have to leave some of your family behind too. Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to make your experience that bit more enjoyable.

Travel Slowly

The best thing that you can do is travel slowly. If you are on the road every other day then this can be exhausting. You may feel as though you are bouncing from bus to bus and that you are also having to deal with taxi drivers far too often. The last thing that you want is to experience burnout, so spend a week or so in each town or village and don’t feel too much pressure when it comes to seeing absolutely everything. This will help you to truly unwind and take in everything around you. The longer you stay somewhere, the cheaper your accommodation will be too because you will be able to negotiate with hotels and they may even be able to give you a much better rate.

Source: Pexels (CC0 License)

Hobby

It doesn’t matter whether you want to learn how to juggle or whether you are just writing in your diary because you need to find something that will help to keep your mind active. Sure, there is nothing wrong with you lying in a hammock for a week or two if you are going on a short holiday but if you are going on a long vacation then you might get bored. If you want to really document your experiences as you travel, then one way for you to do this would be for you to start a travel blog. This will help you to stay mentally active and it will also help you to share your journey with others. You might also want to add some travel pictures too, and this is a great way for you to make sure that you are preserving memories so that they last for a lifetime.

Fresh Eyes

Sometimes long-term travel can be a curse. The main reason for this is because you are constantly seeing new places and interesting sights. This can make some places in the world seem boring, but this is not the case at all. You need to remember that every single destination that you visit has its merit and that just because you have seen something similar in another country, doesn’t mean that the place isn’t worth visiting. For example, if you have been scuba diving in Belize then you may feel as though there is no point in you going to the Great Barrier Reef. This isn’t true, and sometimes by pushing yourself to try new experiences, you can really make the most out of your trip.

Have a Day Off

It’s important that you give yourself at least one day off every single week. This will help you to recharge your batteries and it will also give you the chance to relax. Remember that not every single day needs to be action-packed, and that if you don’t give yourself the chance to relax then this could end up making the rest of your vacation feel underwhelming. Of course, missing out on something exciting can be a difficult experience, but you need to do it for your own mental health. One way for you to make the most out of your day off would be for you to have a spa day. When you do, you can easily go for a massage or even have a swim in the pool. This will make you feel as though you are still doing something, and you won’t be cooped up in your room all day. If you fancy doing something a little bit more entertaining, then go to the bar to have a drink or even spend some time chatting with people who are staying in the same hotel as you. This could open up new experiences and you never know, you might have a relaxing night that is still packed with fun and adventure.

Stop for a While

If you are going away for months at a time, then one day off might not be enough. You may feel as though you eventually become worn out and need a little longer before you set off to the next town or city. This is completely normal, and it is certainly something that every traveller goes through from time to time. You need to make sure that you have a routine and that you also find a place where you can really settle down. Find a country that you like and feel comfortable in and then stay there for a month or even two. This will work wonders for your soul and your mental health, not to mention that it will also make you ready to tackle that next part of your adventure. At the end of the day, if you want to enjoy long-term travel then you need to actually stop travelling from time to time. Find a place that you love with a good amount of things to keep you interested and return to a life of normality.

Nature

A lot of people love to be surrounded by nature. The main reason for this is because it helps to soothe the soul. You could climb a mountain, sit by a river or even go hiking in a forest. Either way, it doesn’t matter which option you decide to go with because there is nothing like a bit of nature to relax your mind and body. Another bonus of getting out in front of nature is that it can easily help you to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. You can fill your lungs with some fresh air and this can give you some real perspective. If you are an avid photographer, then you may even find that getting out in nature gives you some fantastic photo opportunities and this would be great for your travel blog.

Stay Fit and Healthy

When you are at home, you probably have a schedule and a solid routine. At the end of the day, it can be difficult for you to make time for your health when you are travelling, and you may even find that you just don’t have healthy options available too. If you want to help yourself here, then make an effort to go on an evening run instead of going to the bar. Sure, this can be difficult at first but when you get in a good routine of it you will soon find that it becomes second-nature. You might also want to make the effort to keep up with daily exercise too. This could be something as simple as walking up and down the stairs or even choosing to rent a bike instead of taking a bus to your destination. If you don’t feel as though any of this is an option then consider doing sit-ups when you wake up, as this can get you in the right frame of mind for the day ahead.

Detox

One day a week, it helps to have a detox. This is a day where you will only eat fruit or even vegetables. It also helps to have a strict rule where you only drink alcohol one or two nights out of the week. This will help you to sleep much better and it will also help you to avoid staying up too late as well.

Prepare for Everything

When you travel the world, you will be going to all kinds of different countries. This is great, but if you are not careful then you may not be prepared. It always helps to have some contraception with you and it is also a good idea for you to take some bug repellent too. In some countries it is harder for you to access pain relief as well, so make sure that you keep that in mind. Of course, it may help to pick up certain items as you travel the world, as they might be more convenient or accessible in some countries.

Taste Something Different

As you go on your travels, you may feel as though you get sick of certain meals. This is understandable, but it does help to change things up a bit. For example, if you are absolutely sick of rice and noodles then it may be a good idea for you to try something different, or even a dish that you have never heard of before. Sure, you might be worried about wasting your money if you don’t like it but at the end of the day it is a great way for you to broaden your taste and it may even help you to explore new ingredients too.

Of course, there are so many ways that you can help yourself when you are out travelling the world, and if you take the above tips into account then you’ll soon find that there are endless things that you can do to make your trip more enjoyable.

Okay, let's breathe!

Oh my goodness I'm still so frkn busy with work! I can't believe it! I mean I'm not complaining, I love what I do, but maaan it can become a bit overwhelming looking at how things are starting to pile on my lap. And it's already performance appraisal period so I got to hustle to make extra good impressions right?

Anyway.

Yesterday we attended a short internal seminar on fighting procrastination. I learned that my level of procrastination is still on the safe side and that I'm probably a combination of these types of procrastinators: The Perfectionist, The Dread-Filled, and The Lucky One (Thrill-seeker). (Source) How so?

As a perfectionist I tend to become too drawn in the smallest details that I get stuck on perfecting a component when I could've spent my time wisely to finish the project on time. Example, focusing too much on UI when I haven't even mapped out the back-end yet. Argh.

There are tasks I that are just so dreadful I don't want to hear about them. These include complex test scenarios that require coordinating with people *shudders*, and business processes that are too vague, too complex, that I don't know where to begin and what even to ask. Because I'm afraid to face them I go for the quick wins, eventually forgetting about the big scary tasks, until such a time when someone follows up... And when that day arrives, I switch to a thrill-seeker. I procrastinate until the time comes that I'm forced to do it and there's no other way but to face the beast of a task head on. Pressure. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But for the most part I end up regretting not tackling it earlier, when I had all the time to dwell on it understand it.

So you see, if the task is too easy I become a perfectionist. That or I delay it because I'm over-confident about it lol. When it's too hard, I go dread-filled. And when there's no other way, I cram.

But what have I learned, really? Besides getting a better profile of the type of lazy ass I am? I realized that I should frkn impose my own system of managing tasks. I want to go agile, even when I'm a lone developer. Organize my tasks into tickets, run sprints, be efficient! But argh, just the thought of it dreads me out lol. For now I'm good with my good  'ol to-do list. It sits on a Monokai themed Notepad++ so it's looks like code and already gives off a productive vibe hahaha.

Moving on.

It's been a month since I started doing daily devotions regularly. Regularly, meaning 5 days a week. I'm really grateful ate Jez encouraged us to do a shared devotion on YouVersion. Ever since then, I've been planning my devotions and waking up early too haha!

It's been one of the happiest changes in my lifestyle so far. I get my daily coffee fix during devotion, and I get to workout afterwards (either gym or Youtube workout video). Speaking of, my gym subscription is about to expire and I'm planning on not repurchasing another month because apparently, I only went to the gym nine times since the last month. Other days I just worked out at home. Yeaaaahhh.

That's it. Pretty much.

Still swamped with work but loving it so far. Here's to hoping I deliver them right. Whew.