The Sunday Currently (vol. 12)

I'm wearing glasses soon! I was advised during our annual physical exam that I should get corrective lenses. I usually nail reading the eye chart up to line 8, mainly because I could already see the sequence beforehand and therefore memorize it. But this time I got caught when asked to read it backwards! HAHAHA Nastress ako! Tipong, shocks shocks DEFPOTEC spelled backwards is C...E..T..something right?! E BAT DI KO NA LANG KASI BASAHIN?!... why the heck am I being competitive with a freaking eye test?! 

And that, my friends, is how I was prescribed to wear glasses.

Aaaaah Levi! <3 I tried okay!

Currently

Reading
No progress with The Graveyard Book because I was busy reading Levi fanfics.

Writing
This?

Listening
The fan

Thinking
About the things I have to accomplish tonight: a logo request, and a header makeover for this blog. I want to do something I drew, and also put another navigation bar at the top to segregate the category links from the other links (Home, About, Contact, etc.). Still playing stuff out from other layouts. I think I have the general idea of what to do, but implementation is a bummer.

Also, I've been thinking if I'm being too hard on myself for not being impressive enough at work. I'm always so slow. To be honest, I'm not capable of impressing anyone with my, uhm, work skills LOL. I've never impressed anyone at work. I always end up mediocre. And it sucks cos I have a habit of comparing myself to my peers. Did you know I accidentally read an email about my officemate being regarded so highly by our clients that apart from my respect for him growing double, I also felt burdened that I have to at least be at par.

But it's all a matter of perspective ika nga, that email confirmed that indeed, there's a genius in our team, and also someone I can bother with my work (ie. get knowledge from). I'm always too shy to ask for help. You know when you're faced with a problem and you want to solve if yourself first before asking someone? Then you start digging and eventually get frustrated and stuck. Then you resort to asking people for help. Then you get scared cos you've been looking into that problem for too long already and they might think, why did you only ask about this now?!

My question is, how long should you usually try to get things done by yourself before asking for help?

Smelling
nada

Wishing
For more focus. I get easily distracted. You can't get me to work one thing for an hour without pausing at least 5 times doing irrelevant stuff.

Wearing
sando and shorts

Loving
The fact that I got to sleep for 16 hours yesterday! And I even dreamt twice!

#1: I was being interviewed for a US Visa (talk about how dreams confirm a nagging desire) by 3 people: my non-favorite blogger, a vocalist of an indie band, and one of my teammates. It was a series of interviews and I got an impression that I passed, though who knows.

#2: I was congratulating my sister on her 1st year anniversary of working at UCPB saying, you can finally resign! yahoo!

Also, Levi! hihi <3

From BPI: Register at UBER Manila without a credit card!

Because of Uber, I almost wanted to get a credit card. Two months ago, I inquired about why they haven't implemented non-credit card payment options in the Philippines yet, and they said they're looking into it... so I waited! After all, other countries have it, so i thought it's only a matter of time before it gets rolled out in our country.

@yanbirog Hi Yan! I’m sorry, but currently we only accept credit cards. We’re hoping to expand further in the future though!

— Uber Manila (@Uber_Manila) May 14, 2015

That was last May, and true enough, they've explored that option! Now we can register at Uber using Visa or Mastercard debit/prepaid cards! Yahoooo!

Most Visa or Mastercard debit/prepaid cards are allowed now, but it's still a matter of trying it out!
You may check this site for more insights about allowable cards to use! :)

If you're a BPI card holder though, more treats are in for you! This promo is the reason I remembered to sign up for Uber :

Sign up to UBER using your BPI Card and your first 2 rides are FREE!

Each free ride is worth up to P500.

Promo is valid from July 17, 2015 - October 17, 2015 (promo code: BPIRIDE)

2 FREE RIDES UP TO 500 EACH?! Oh come on. Get that card and REGISTER NOW. You wouldn't want to pass up on this! So yeah, I registered using my BPI More Fun Visa prepaid card and it was successful!

If you don't have a card yet just apply for a BPI prepaid card and sign up to Uber using it! Here are your options:

1. Apply for BPI My E-prepaid Mastercard
Php 500 valid for 2 years.
2. Apply for BPI More Fun Visa Prepaid Card
Php 350 valid for 18 months. Personalized card design.

Both of these prepaid cards can be used to register with Uber, and it's really easy to apply for them. Just go to the nearest BPI, fill out a form, present a valid ID, pay the processing fee, and wait for the card to be available for pickup. It's that easy!

But you know, when I registered my card at Uber, I encountered a lot of errors! It was frustrating. AND MY CARD WAS BLOCKED TOO. HAHAHA nakakainis lang. So, if you don't want the same to happen to you, heed the following tips:

• Type your card number accurately. Every card detail you supply in the sign-up form must be typed with utmost care and certainty. Card verification goes through a super secure process, you wouldn't wanna mess your chances with erroneous inputs. This could lead to your card getting blocked, so be very careful!
• Load your card beforehand. I don't know what the required minimum amount is, but at least put 500 pesos in it. I was charged 10 pesos for card verification.
• In case you get this error message, "It looks like your bank is having trouble processing this card. Please check with your bank and try again. If this continues to happen. Please try a different card." DON'T FRET. It means your card was blocked due to invalid sign-up attempts. But it will be lifted in 24-hours so don't worry. Note that it's the bank who does this and not Uber, so that means you won't be able to use your card for 24 hours. :) I ran through this problem and called BPI customer service cos I was freaking out that I can't use my card to pay for food, right when I've already transferred money to it. Sobrang hassle, you know you can't withdraw money from it so I have to spend it elsewhere. huhu

As far as registering at Uber using a BPI prepaid card, I guess that's it! :D Excited to try Uber!

By the way, don't just play around with your UBER app, cancellation of booked rides costs 100 pesos!

Additional tip when you're using a prepaid card to book for an Uber ride:

Before requesting, make sure you load your card with an amount greater than on equal to the maximum fare estimate of your ride, otherwise your request will be invalidated. But don't worry, just load it up and you can request again. :) Apparently, Uber does a balance check for prepaid card holders before hooking you up with your ride. :)

---

FREEBIE (for non-BPI card holders): Use this promo code, UBERNATICS to get FREE UBER credits when you register! :) Click on the image below to sign up :)

heya

Inside Project Pie - Ayala Terreces

Random things I wanted to share since I missed another Sunday Currently due to, ano ba, laziness. Blogging at home is quite a bother honestly. I have to setup my laptop downstairs cos the wifi couldn't reach me in my bedroom. haha So most of the time I only go online if I really really have to, like when I needed to answer Chili's online survey so I'd get free nachos on my next visit. haha

Fortunately, the router has been transferred upstairs because my parents are converting their bedroom to accommodate their office so yeheyy for more internet time? So anyway,

Watching

I'm totally absorbed watching Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin)! It's so freaking intense and everything. I would've finished watching by now but I've run out of HD episodes to watch haha. Currently waiting for episodes 18-Final from my officemate hihi. No actually, I'm already streaming it online. CAN'T WAIT EH.

You guys should watch it, I'm more than halfway and more than convinced to put it on top my Favorite Anime list. Do I even have one? I can't believe I didn't know about this before! No wonder it kept me thinking what the fuss is all about with these green hoodies with wing logos at the back. It's the Survey Corps! Makes me kindof detest all the hype about it tbh, people wearing it as if they'd actually choose to join the Legion for real. Their job scares the shiz out of me I wouldn't even be thinking of enlisting myself in the first place.

hey artist, hope you don't mind!

Two episodes to go before I finish watching the first season. As of writing, I'M DONE!

I'm kindof shipping Mikasa and Levi, I don't even know why. And when I learned the have the same surname, it weirded me out, but nothing in the series revealed they're relatives (yet) so uhm, yey for guiltless shipping? My mind was rooting for Eren x Levi at first. I KNOW I KNOW. It's kindof hard to push back my fancy for yaoi and I'm still seriously struggling about it every time I'm faced with anime. So fine, I'm gonna stick with Mikasa x Levi. hihi Or I'll just quit shipping altogether and simply fangirl at the thought of Lance Corporal Levi. He's so cool on so many levels. <3 <3 <3

Eating

Aaaaaaaah 💜

A photo posted by Yan Birog (@yanbirog) on Jul 19, 2015 at 5:01am PDT

Now? Nothing, but this weekend I finally got to try Project Pie and realized how it's so much like Mad for Pizza, or the other way around. Same price, same ordering process, and everything. I liked Project Pie's ambience more though! And I love my pizza, it's full of everything and despite the pizza maker's warnings of some toppings not going well with each other, I still made it a point to put everything I want, with emphasis on a lot of mozzarella, jalapenos, and herbs! <3 Omnomnomnom

Feeling

Relieved that our helper returned to us after 4 months. The one who's been with us for a decade already and who left because I think we antagonized her into packing up. Uhm (-2). But then rumors came about that she actually eloped with her boyfriend, some construction worker in the village who, rumor has it (again), was coaxing her into taking supplies from our pantry... like cooking oil and detergent. Nakakatawa lang. She's more than welcome to be back though! We all love her and miss her. My mom kept comparing her to the 2 helpers who came after her, seems like she misses her so! haha Thank you Looooord!

Wishing

I had a lot of extra money cos I'm getting frustrated over my growing Lazada wishlist already. Newest I'm crushing over, a Sony BSP-10, a small bluetooth speaker with NFC and is Qi compatible (read: wireless charging). Why do i need these extra features anyway? I was only looking for a bluetooth speaker with an audio cable. The BSP-10 doesn't have an audio cable but I read it can receive audio input from its microUSB charing port. So now, I'm looking into a microUSB slash 3.5mm audio cable. Is there even one in CD-R King? And also researching if it can really receive wired audio input lol.

Or should I reduce my wanting to something that clearly has my minimum requirements, that is - the JBL Microwireless Bluetooth Speaker, 50% cheaper with a quality brand to boot. But NFC is tempting. Also, the way you can hook it to Sony Smart Connect to check battery status and all sounded really appealing to me (as if i needed it).

Spotted!

Spotted! Organic quinoa and chia seeds at SM Hypermarket :D

A photo posted by Yan Birog (@yanbirog) on Jul 19, 2015 at 5:00am PDT

Organic quinoa and chia seeds at SM Fairview Hypermaket! Wala lang, it's in the "International" shelves. There's also red quinoa. :D Hope they stay for good. I got myself a pack of chia (1lb.worth 600something) and we're basically topping it everywhere! haha Smells like wheat germ, tastes like nothing, slimes as it lingers in the mouth. It's aaaaaall good! I'm loving it so far! And careful not to dip a wet spoon in the jar cos the seeds may expand. XS

That's kind of all! :) Hope you have a great week ahead!

What's in my Notebook? (vol. 3)

Work's getting busier so it's harder to sneak some drawing time hehe. Here's what I managed this week! :D

Inspired by one of Us the Duo's songs! Go listen to them!

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." - Exodus 14:14

A reminder that we're not alone in our battles. :)

I bought a fineliner for better outlines and less smudges but I'm missing the sheen finish of regular ballpens so hi Titus!

Art related, I thank God cos I won a ticket to last week's Type Lab MNL! Reason why I delayed buying a ticket is that I knew in my heart some of the sponsors will throw a giveaway haha! I'm against attending paid events unless I've exhausted all effortless means to enter for free :P Thanks Swift Premium! In fairness, ang premium nga ng lasa ng bagong corned beef nyo, pati packaging haveyyy! <3

Anyway, it was a super rainy weekend that time so I only came to get the kit and listen to Abbey Sy's talk. Tbh, wag kayong magalit okay, I was bored. 15 minutes have passed since she started talking and I was wondering when she's gonna stop yapping about herself and finally introduce the topic. After 5 more minutes I realized she is her own topic and I was, ano ba, mejo na-disappoint ako. I've been following her so I kinda know what she's up to every now and then, and she just kindof repeated her journey on stage and introduced herself and her many designations in life. If you're someone who's not familiar with her and her work, you'll definitely be amazed. But heck, hasn't she promoted enough of herself already? #JustSaying 

My opinion of her talk doesn't change the fact that she's still a very talented person worth looking up to. Passion is important, but the girl has vision too and she makes things happen. There's no stopping her on the things she will accomplish. Nakaka-inspire diba. Makapag-resign na nga. Chos.

I wish I had listened to the other speakers as well but I haven't catched up enough with Jeckie and that's more important! Plus, it was raining hard and going to Makati is a such a freaking hassle. Sitting at the back is crappy too. It's super loud near the pop-up stores, what with all the sales talk and spazzing going on, and unfortunately I'm seated in front of three super conyo girls who wouldn't stop chatting. In fact, the place is filled with super conyo people! Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just pointing out a probable demographic of type enthusiasts lol.

The venue is nice but it could be better if they picked a space with very little natural light, for the sake of seeing the presentations better. It's hard to appreciate what's in front when the screen is being washed off in the day light. Or use LED screens instead of projector. Sayang talaga yung slides. 

I would also put the exhibit and booth outside and open to the public so that more people would be enticed to come and check the event out! :D 

Lastly, I'd include each of the speaker's topic as part of the program schedule, I didn't want to guess what they're going to talk about and be disappointed later on. It's also a deciding factor for me, to know what I'll be taking away from the conference. It's easy to stalk the speakers online and bask in the glory of their art, I want to learn something they haven't shared online. :)

On the good things, there were enough pop-up shops to satisfy the hoarders (which is not me). There's Hey Kessy, Sunday Paper Co., Ella Lama, Craft Carrot, Swirls and Strokes, etc. I spotted Moleskine and was almost sold on their mechanical pencil buti na lang my reason and my lack of money got the better of me. Walang hiyang mechanical pencil, 980 pesos?! Don't tell me gumamit na non si Da Vinci?! My gaaaaahd. 

The kit is really really beautiful. The postcards were nice but I got a slight OCD attack cos Abbey's postcard is smaller than the rest. Shoooocks. How do i put these in a grid? lol The white eco bag is beautiful (but I'd rather have it black), the notebook is super pretty, the pencil is making ugly marks on the eco back but that's just me and my kaartehan, Swift Premium is the best seryoso I love it! I should probably post pictures no? 

Hm. Yun lang naman lol. XD

Have a happy week ahead!

The Sunday Currently (vol. 11)

After missing two weeks! I'm back with another The Sunday Currently! :D

Papemelroti

Currently

Reading
I finished reading Wonder by RJ Palacio (read my reaction here!) last week! I was supposed to read The Book Thief by Marckus Zusak next so I brought it in the office with me, unfortunately i never got the chance to read there and I forgot to take it home so when I finally had the chance to read, it's 8 kilometers away so today I'm reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman haha. More on re-reading actually cos i totally forgot what it's all about already.

Writing
Nothing! I'm starting to wonder that this 'Writing' is for haha.

Listening
to Us the Duo's No Matter Where You Are album! :D Catch them here in the Philippines! They had a concert last July 10 at Rockwell, but this weekend they're holding 2 free mini concerts at Robinsons Galleria (July 11) and Robinsons Magnolia (July 12), both at 4pm! <3 --- Oops, publishing late so sorry for the late news. XS

Thinking
About how to save properly and stop spending money I don't have yet! I've been borrowing from my emergency funds to cover for my cravings like eating out at Chili's or Army Navy thinking I can repay it naman when swelday comes and justifying the expense as an emergency cos i'll probably go crazy if I don't eat burrito right now. It's so wrong, I'm still trying to figure out a way around my cravings and food phases such that I don't get to touch any more of my supposed savings. huhu T__T

Smelling
Nothing! I have colds so yeah. -_-

Wishing
I had lots of money to spend on food, books, gadgets, and clothes. Don't we all?

Wearing
T-shirt and shorts!

Loving
That I've been getting good sleep lately because of the overcast weather. The day isn't bright and it's cold too (perfect bed weather!). But of course, I wouldn't trade it for a series of storms. We live near La Mesa dam and last Friday, the nearby communities were advised to "force" evacuate because the dam is near spilling level already. Of course, they weren't really forced... knowing the people, everything they hear from the authorities are mere suggestions. :\

I thank God we weren't that affected yet. We're literally surrounded by waterways. I hope the weather gets better, even though it would mean sleepless mornings for me. huhu

Wanting
1) A Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact! Haha! Whenever I go to the bookstore, I take pictures of books I would love to read, and it always gets me into a mental debate of whether to buy them all or just download ebooks. Most of the time ebooks win cos it's free, add to the fact that most of the time i'm broke so I figured I would need a tablet to better my ebook reading experience. So much for being broke no?

2) Google Cardboard! My officemate showed me a cardboard he bought online and I'm so bent on getting my own! Sucks that I already deleted most of my cardboard apps!

Needing
To find a way to avoid growing my eyebags worse over the night shift. They're so evidently black already I may have to spend for concealer na. huhu

Feeling
Blessed and excited for swelday to come cos I wanted to know how much I'll be actually earning extra by working the graveyard shift. To be honest, I think I already spent all of it. :\ HAHA So let's see. Bakit ba kasi ang gastos.

[Windows] How to open specific folders using the Run dialog

Here's a pretty neat trick I always do whenever I setup my desktop ANYWHERE. Like what I'm doing now since I just got a new PC at the office hehe.

I find it easier to just hit Win + R then type 'Yan' to access my personal folder located at 'My Documents'. Like so:

This

Opens my folder at My Documents:

So how do you do that? 

Simple! Create of shortcut of whatever folder you want at your personal Users directory

Where is that? Key in Win + R >> type '.' (a dot)
Usually it will take you 'C:\Users\<your username>'. If it doesn't, just navigate to where 'C:\Users\<your username>' is.

You know you're at the right place as the directory will contain your usual user folders like My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, etc.

Place your shortcut there! Just like what I did (right click >> new >> shortcut >> add your folder path) :D

The name of the shortcut link will be the name you have to type on the Run dialog. :D

And that's it! :) Anything you put in that directory can be opened directly on the Run dialog. And it's not case sensitive! Try 'My Documents'. :D

Hope this helps! I find this extremely useful as I didn't have to put desktop shortcuts anymore. I do the same for apps, I prefer opening them via run dialog cos it's faster and prevents me from cluttering my desktop or flooding my taskbar with pinned programs! hehe

This entry is for opening specific folders using the run dialog, if you want to open specific applications/programs, i have another tutorial for that here. :)

Just read: Wonder by RJ Palacio

This isn't a book review cos I don't know how that works. Maybe this is more of a reaction.

From Good Reads:

My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside.

But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Narrated by Auggie and the people around him whose lives he touches forever, Wonder is a funny, frank, astonishingly moving debut to read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page. 

I consider it rare that I get to finish a book in less than a week! HAHA super slow reader lang #sorrynotsorry.

Anyway, I loved the book because it's very light to read, has a nice theme, and relatable in many aspects because it talks about something universal that most of us have probably gone through one way or another.. school. Even though there are cultural differences, I guess my "middle school" experience (which, for me, is high school) pretty much weighs in the same. There are stereotypes: the jocks, the popular kids (who are usually the bullies too), the nerds, the outcasts, etc.

I have been bullied when i was 12 and have experienced being mentally ganged up by a group of popular kids. To be honest, it doesn't get too messy in an all-girls Catholic school, no one ended up in a cat fight or with a bloody mouth, but I remember the fear. It's there, it's real. The feeling of being scared every day, of not wanting to go to school, it's all too real. And for a 12-year old, it can get really bad. It got me super stressed out. Even now, after more than decade, I can still remember how freaking awful it feels.

"When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind"

I all out agree that we need to learn to be kinder than is necessary, and this perhaps is one of the central messages of the book. To choose kind, in whatever situation you're faced with. But to choose kind, over being right? I don't completely agree. If we disregard the right thing, what do we need justice for? You cannot teach without being right about something, and you have to reason that out.

I guess the kind of 'kind' the book, or Mr. Browne (Auggie's English teacher), wishes to impart to his students is to choose kindness if you find you can't express your being right in a peaceful way. Or to choose being kind to anyone regardless of how they look like, or treat you, or give you bad vibes. Or to balance your position so that you appear more kind, than right. That's valid. I would always try to be kind to anyone, no matter my mood. Key word: try.

But then, you can always be kind while being right, I guess that's the best choice. There's nothing wrong with being right. Insisting the right thing doesn't make you unkind, and in the same way being kind doesn't mean you're giving up what you're fighting for. But yeah, in whatever you do, be kind. And honest. Okay.

I like Auggie, he's smart and witty and is really a wonder. I think even if he isn't suffering from a severe facial issue, he'd overall still be a great guy!

I enjoyed reading the book because it was very light to read, just like a blog! I honestly couldn't tell the difference with the different POVs cos they didn't seem to talk differently from each other. I was bothered by Justin's chapter though, I seriously freaked out when I saw the first sentence started in a lowercase. Then I realized it was supposed to be that way. It was odd seeing that. Is that how you feel with my blog? I don't capitalize you know. Even as I write this, I'm struggling. T__T; It kindof breaks my typing speed. HAHA

I should finish this, IT'S A MUST READ. It's fun, a light read, relatable, and morally uplifting. Makes you want to really start being kind to everyone! <3