Busting Stress Has Become A Requirement, Not A Luxury

Source: Pexels

Oh boy, 2020 has been a doozy so far, huh? And it looks like there’s no sign of it slowing down. For many, this can be somewhat of an unfortunate realization, but despite the difficulties we’re all going through, or how close you may be to certain issues, self-care has never been a more essential priority. Like any terrible moment, this silver lining has the potential to at least bring one ray of light to the encroaching darkness. This silver lining is the ability to functionally preserve ourselves and care for our families with kindness. It seems that busting stress has become a requirement, not a luxury. This can keep our mental health balanced and our motivations clear. It can help us avoid falling into despair or letting challenges get the better of us. This sounds like a primarily defensive form of self-care, but it’s also a means in which to grant ourselves some breathing room, and ultimately to grow.

But what habits and practices can help you bust stress in this way? With the following advice, we’d love to discuss that with you. Here's some good information about how to get help with stress-busting habits you can try:

Finding A Positive Habit

You can reduce your stress through one-off measures that often have great impact. For instance, visiting a spa and enjoying a massage are known to be some of the best ways to feel peace. But it’s unlikely you can fit one of those in each day, nor would you want to if you could. But a small positive habit we can practice anywhere, such as with the Tai Chi For Health Institute or practicing transcendental meditation can have growing and lost-lasting effects. What’s even more important is how low-cost or free these practices can be to integrate with your life.

Removing Unnecessary Stressors

Sometimes it’s not about limiting stress, but removing yourself from unnecessary stressful situations entirely. Does this mean you have to hide from the world? No. But it could be that you decline meeting up with a toxic parent after bringing your child to school, because all they seem to do is complain and gossip about others. Maybe you are tired of feeling so worn out all the time, so instead of working out so hard you focus on achieving a near-perfect sleep schedule, with the right time and monetary investment (such as memory foam mattresses) that you need for that great night’s sleep. This effort, and factors like this, can help you avoid encountering unnecessary stress in daily life.

Never Bottle It Up

Bottling up stress can seem important depending on how you usually approach these situations. Of course, breaking down in the office multiple times a day is unlikely to be a good strategy, nor is complaining about every little issue you encounter. But if something is truly weighing on you, it’s important to find the time to speak to those you trust, and allow yourself to speak your truth. This way, solutions can be found, and those around you will understand. This can also help you avoid falling into subconscious resentment.

With this advice, busting stress will become a hobby, not a simple luxury.

So so so lazy

New social media cover photo! Thanks a bunch Canva, these cute abstract blobs are super trendy right now no? Haha

As usual, here's some randomness in my life.

✱ Whenever I play Clash Royale I always tell myself not to give a fuck every time I lose because it's just a game. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, specially when I'm on a losing streak. There's only so much failure I can handle and losing 5x in a row really kills my zen yaknow?!

✱ Speaking of mobile games, these are the apps I have in rotation: Clash Royale, Ball Blast, Cooking Madness, and Coin Master.

✱ And speaking of Coin Master. I can't believe I'm playing this right now. I used to be bombarded with their ads. And every time I watch them I can't help wonder where they got the budget to have JLo, Terry Crews, and even Kris Jenner appear in their promos! Could be deepfakes though but who knows?

✱ Alright. It's already GCQ. I don't really know what's changed. I stopped caring about guidelines since MECQ started. We all know the basics anyway, the most important thing is to keep yourself isolated as much as you can. We're still practicing social distancing, wearing masks at all times, proper handwashing, and we're still not coming back to work at the office. Which is good. Only difference is that Jeckie and I are shopping together now. I can't find any definite answer as to whether the one per household rule is still being enforced, but no one has ever checked our quarantine pass in the last three weeks, checkpoints are not checking, and no one has stopped the two of us from entering an establishment together. Entrances are loosening up. It feels like people are less fearful of the virus now. I guess we've adapted and now know how to protect ourselves when going outside.

✱ Still eyeing the iPad Mini and Apple Pencil but official stores have not restocked yet. I'm checking everywhere for updates. Power Mac, Beyond the Box, iStudio, Switch, nada. I've also asked around Anson's, Abenson, Octagon, Silicon Valley, ElectroWorld, to no avail. All they have are iPhones. No tablets, at least not the tablets we want. The only stores I know that have stock are online sellers and tiangge owners. But I find it too risky. Hopefully Power Mac restocks soon, cos we've purchased cases for them already and they're arriving soon haha! Also, I'm so excited to Procreate. The app, of course. 😉 Excited na ko i-joke to sa mga nanay ko hahahaha

✱ Damn it's always Wednesday and I haven't done anything productive for work. Uuuuurgghhh.

✱ Hmm, what else. Oh right, I have duplicate Facebook accounts too. Can't say they're my fake accounts though because who am I to assume I have troll posers? My name is pretty common on Facebook, and I'm not about to report a potentially innocent account you know? Like how do you really know? On the grounds of having the same name and a firstname.lastname.number format in their username? That's crazy right? Facebook automatically suggests those usernames, it's very easy for someone to agree to having a random username because maybe they just chose to get one then just went with the suggestion? Anyway. I'm leaning more towards the possibility that my Facebook twins are legit or just simply uber private accounts with hidden everything, cos you can do that right? Idk.

I do feel a bit worried though so I'm kindof backreading all the posts where I might have said something about this government that may sound incriminating. Well, there's none.

✱ I hope I'd have more subscribers on Youtube, but frankly I have the most boring content and just like this blog I hate promoting myself on Facebook like hey guys please follow my channel pretty please, help me on the road to 1k subs! Hahaha I'm kinda done with that. Nahihiya ako eh, I'm afraid of rejection. And my boss seeing my social media activity lol. I hardly even show my face in my channel, even when making reviews. And I'm well aware that thumbnails with faces are favored more by newsfeed algorithms.

✱ Anyway, please subscribe to my Youtube channel: The Blahger LOOOOL I'd be happy with just 100 subs, I just really need that custom URL hahaha.

Ciao.

I'm tired of complaining

Things haven't been so great lately. I'm getting stressed from complaining about a lot of things!

✖ Our refund from Victory Liner still hasn't been processed yet and it's been more than two months! They're full of excuses. Genesis was able to refund within two weeks during ECQ, I can't imagine what their problem may be.
✖ Our PMO takes too long to issue receipts. Our May billing statement still shows our April dues as unpaid, and I said I can't pay this until you send me an updated statement clearing our April dues. But heck, it's almost due date and I can't miss it urgh.
✖ Lazada is also taking too long to send my Apple invoice, which means I can't register my warranty urgh.

✖ Estancia still refusing access to non-Pasig residents and I miss Unimart!

I've been nothing but patient and understanding this season but I can't keep on being like this when it's been over two months and there's no sign of improvement everywhere.

On the plus side, my monitor got delivered two days ago.

Remember I was supposed to pick this up from the office but guess what, blog jinked it so I wasn't able to drop by Friday last week haha. Our building suddenly has to be closed off due to a confirmed COVID-19 case. Whew.

I was surprised at how big my monitor was. I couldn't remember the size of my desk anymore. I used to work on two monitors but wow this single equipment has taken over most of my desk space, damn. I really miss my office desk.

I love working on a big setup. My laptop now works as a CPU, it's tucked behind the monitor doing all the processing. I've set it up such that even if the lid is closed, the laptop won't sleep. 

Now, my only complain is that I couldn't get the right color settings for the monitor aaaand I can't use the webcam anymore.

I thought I'd be motivated to actually code but I still feel lazy asf. Must have something to do with the bed beside me urgh. I'm so full of excuses lately ano po. I got a full sized wireless keyboard and a monitor, and now I want to get new glasses, and a proper headset. Jusko when will my setup be enough.

Anyway. I'll just quit giving fucks about things I have no control over, which is everything I've complained about so far. I've nudged people enough to take action, now I'm just gonna let them do their jobs and hopefully they deliver before my patience tank gets depleted (again). 

✓ I mean, Victory Liner is already well aware of our complaints. 
✓ There's no point nagging our PMO, I'll just continue paying our dues diligently.

✓ I'll continue to wait for my invoice from Lazada. After all, I trust Apple enough so I hope I don't get any issues with my new airpods.

✓ I don't care about Estancia anymore. We have Megamall, and it has Healthy Options. 

Will you look at that. I already feel more peaceful. I just had to detach myself from things I thought I deserved, but was okay to let go naman pala. 

[Review] Xiaomi MIIIW Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo

Xiaomi MIIIW Wireless Keybaord and Mouse Combo is a full wireless keyboard that's great for everyday use. It's simple and elegant, works with both PC and Mac, water resistant, and also very affordable. 

Here's a quick review of the . As usual, we'll go with the following order:

✓ Specs and features

✓ Price and availability

✓ What I like

✓ What I didn't like

But before that, here's an unboxing and first impressions video I uploaded on Youtube.

Alright. I chanced upon the Xiaomi Wireless Combo while browsing for wireless keyboards on Shopee and Lazada. I wanted a full and wireless keyboard to improve my work from home setup and I think I scored a good product with Xiaomi.

Specs and features

Mouse:

• 1000dpi optical sensor
• 2.4GHz wireless receiver
• Anti-slip texture
• Plug and use, no additional drivers needed

Keyboard:

• IPX4 waterproof
• Sensitive button for PC/Mac switching
• 4° or 8° keyboard typing angle
• Full sized keyboard layout (104 keys + PC/Mac switch key)

Price and availability

Got this one from Shopee for ₱1,250 (discounts and vouchers included) so if you're interested, here's the link: https://shopee.ph/product/133211801/6533975360

What I like

There's really not much to say about keyboards in general. My requirements are simple: full sized, wireless, and affordable and this product is just about perfect. It's simple and elegant, I like how the edges are tapered round and that there's not a lot of empty space around it. It's not thin but it doesn't look bulky, and it looks really neat and it looks great on my desk.

What I didn't like

The mouse. It's good enough, it clicks and scrolls well but for some it could be hard to click. That said, it could be better. It's also too big for me. Well, I have small hands and I have my own Logitech mini-mouse that I intend to continue using simply because it's smaller.

Also, the sound of the keyboard. I sounds click-clacky and like a plastic mechanical keyboard, you know? I mean it's no big deal but I just noticed how it sounds different from the usual keyboards. You may hear the typing sounds on the Youtube video above, towards the end. On second thought, I actually thought it sounds cool hehe.

Overall I really like this product. I may even bring this with me once I go back to the office. 

Oral Health & Hygiene Tips for All the Family

It’s important that your whole family looks after their oral health and hygiene. It’s one of those things that’s very easy to overlook, but that shouldn’t be the case. It’s about more than white teeth and nice-smelling breath. Oral health is serious and establishing good habits in your kids from an early age is really important. Here’s how you can start improving your approach and getting it right today.

Source: Pixabay

Get Into the Habit of Flossing

A big part of staying healthy and looking after yourself properly is getting into good habits. That’s definitely true when it comes to good oral health and hygiene, and it’s even more true when it comes to kids. That’s why you should get your kids into the habit of flossing a couple of times a day. It’ll ensure they keep up the habit for a long time to come.

Use Fluoride

Using fluoride, and the right amount of it, is really important when it comes to maintaining healthy and clean teeth. The easiest and best way to do this is to simply choose the right toothpaste product that’s capable of offering the fluoride your teeth need. It’s something you can talk to your dentist about if you’re not sure about it.

Find a Family Dentist You Can Trust

It’s vital that you have a family dentist in place that the whole family feels like it can trust. Places like Bowral Street Dental Practice offer top services and you should get to know a service before you commit to it. That way, you’ll always feel in safe hands when you head to them for check-ups and other routine procedures. It’s essential you have confidence in the dentist you choose.

Make a Dental Care Calendar

A dental calendar can be useful if you’re a busy family that often misses appointments and forgets to organize check-ups and things like that. We all know how busy and chaotic family life can be at times and having a dental calendar will at least ensure that you have those reminders in front of you of what you need to do and when. It’s harder to forget that way.

Brush Your Teeth Together When Your Kids Are Young

When you have kids that are still very young, it makes sense to brush your teeth together as a family. When you do this, it helps to normalize the process for your kids and they’ll want to imitate you. It’ll also become a game and something that’s fun, and that’s the perfect way to establish good habits that should hopefully last a lifetime. That’s just what you want.

Each of these oral health and hygiene tips is really important and everyone should be looking to get these right if they want their families to have good dental health going forward. Don’t cut corners or ignore the basics because that’ll only lead to more problems later. Put the ideas above into practice as soon as possible.

Life Lately and thoughts on the New Blogger Post Editor

// I woke up today with a message from the parking owner saying they'll be increasing our rate by ₱500 and that we should confirm by the weekend. It sucks. I felt angry at first, of all times really? But then I realized it's not too bad because of the following reasons:

• It's still considerably below what the average parking rate is in this property, in this year.
• Our next lease will start on July pa naman, so it's not really short notice. 
• I doubt we'll get a better deal if we move. First level parking near elevator is a premium spot to me.

So yeah, we renewed and got the PDCs ready. 👍 Also, I can't be angry at our parking landlord because it'll be awkward in our Facebook group if I start looking out for a new spot, and most importantly she's sister-in-law to one of my former managers hahaha. So yeah, behave ako lol. FYI we currently pay ₱5k for parking. If it's any consolation, a friend who lives in the neighboring condo pays ₱10k. Hehe okay.

// My spending habits are kinda normalizing now too lol. I'm draining my allowance getting stuff online. I thought I'd want to buy less this ECQ but no, I have all the time to browse Shopee and Lazada! It's a trap! Plus all my favorite foods can deliver now so who's gonna stop my laziness from spending more? It started with an overpriced sleep mask, then an android streaming box (for my parents), then we decided to do take-out dinners every weekend, i bought a pair of apple airpods, ordered watercolor journals, and just now a set of wireless keyboard and mouse. 

I actually want to get more things, my ECQ wishlist is shaking.

// My latest purchase, the wireless keyboard, is actually an attempt to improve my current WFH setup and make it more conducive to work. Laptops kill my developer mojo. I need a full keyboard. I've coordinated with our office so I could pick-up my monitor, and also get some stuff from my pedestal. I'm set to drop by this Friday. Hopefully no trouble with the checkpoints, and no traffic too.

// I want to plant basil so I can make homemade pesto spread. But where to get gardening soil, and seeds too?

// You know how I've been making weekly vlogs on my channel, I'm thinking of changing my mobile video editor. I'm currently using InShot Pro, and it's great. It's super easy to learn, has a lot of options, but at the end of the day I'm looking for more features that would improve the way I edit. It's great for montages, but I'm trying to make more reviews and tutorial videos now and I need more than the traditional features. Considering I'm using a Pro version, I wonder why I don't even have PIP and video collage options. 

Any recos for a mobile video editor? :D

// This new Blogger post editor is pretty neat! Although I have a few concerns, mostly regarding their choice of icons for the toolbar. 

Update: I figured that part of the toolbar is hidden because I was using a laptop with a smaller screen size. After switching to a monitor, I'm seeing all options in one row now.

Text align options should not be hidden in a sub-menu, it's one of my most commonly used option, so it breeaks my user experience having to click more just to get there. If there's a keyboard shortcut for those, much better!

A lot of menu icons are confusing. Paragraph Format, Jump Break, and Toggle Caption buttons all look like Text Align options.

Font Type button looks unfamiliar.

Table button looks like Border options.

I find the toolbar icons in this new post editor less intuitive than the previous one. Considering it's a Google product they should at least consider following a standard right? Take Google Docs editor for reference, I mean. They were able to stretch the editor to a full width, they should've maximized the space on the toolbars. 

Anyway. I do like that it's neater, wider, and the preview option allows you toggle between device types so you can see how the post looks on mobile devices too. 

Hope they improve this editor!

:)

Sup ding-dongs

Here's to another week wasted doing nothing productive at work. There's this one task I've been putting away for about a month now that I've finally gotten the motivation to start. As in officially start. I've been yapping about the plans I have for this task in our weekly meeting, but truth be told, I haven't really gotten around developing anything.

Let's get technical.

I just really need to migrate some data from PeopleSoft to our timekeeping database to align the department names and team names. I've got the data in an excel file, and I've done some concat magic to generate update statements for each row, but that's about it. I'm scared to touch it. Because I knew once I rolled it on the database, I have to inevitably start working on the back-end, and then the front-end. Right now I'm just too lazy for that. It's not a simple update, it's a freaking DB structure change.

I remember back in college when we're told decent databases should have structured tables with information accessible using IDs. Especially those with one-to-many relationship. Our current system has none of that elegance. Our tables are a mishmash of data and it pains me every time I have to LIKE query. Pun intended hehe.

But anyway. Okay, I rolled in the data and now the fun begins. I've fixed some pages, updated queries, created tables, and I'm nearing front-end of this tunnel. Pun-tastic. Now I have to work on the UI. Which is exciting, because I get to learn and apply something new to our forms: multi-select autocomplete text fields! 

In another news, I just ordered airpods from Lazada. I saved some 500 I guess, and another 500 when ShopBack validates my purchase. So it's not so bad? Can't believe I just shelled out 9k for a pair of earphones but heck, been wanting to reward myself for uhm, following ECQ?! Damn.

Oh well. Let's keep hanging on.