The Misadventures of Mizchvzangel

NaNoWriMo

2009-11-02T10:29:00.002+08:00

I have actually signed up for NaNoWriMo. What moment of insanity made me do it, I don't know. As if I needed more pressure!

Kidding aside, it's been years since I first heard of it and I never got around to writing or joining. The stories are all moldering somewhere. Some have even gotten accidentally deleted on purpose. Quite a few never got written.

So here I am, taking part and trying to write a 50,000 word novel before the end of November. I now have 2 stories in my head but 3 projects have begun - 1 is not a novel as you can guess. Life is about to resume since the short vacation ends today. Crossing my fingers and hoping I cross the finish line with the book just for revision.

What Kind of Fairy Are you?

2009-11-02T10:05:00.001+08:00

Stumbled upon a name generator and got this:

Your fairy is called Bracken Iceweb

She is a bone chilling bringer of justice for the vulnerable.

She lives where bracken and curling ferns grow.

She is only seen in the mist of an early morning.

She dresses in leafy bracken-green. She has icy blue butterfly wings.

Get your free fairy name here!

Fandom LiveL Meet Via Astris

2009-04-06T16:29:00.000+08:00

Jovan chats with Paolo Jalbuena about the local Star Trek Club, Via Astris. I love who popped in first though. Watch the video and tell me what you think .

Life Lessons While Crocheting

2009-03-16T19:41:00.000+08:00

I saw this cute top in the mall last week. The difficult part - it has to be made first. It's a crochet pattern. The tough part, I've forgotten how to crochet. My grandmother tried to teach me how when I was a kid. I just never had the patience to learn. To be able to make it, I got the pattern, bought the needed materials and then looked for how to crochet instructions online. My daughter also volunteered to teach me and I'm now off to a good start on it. What I've learned and rememered: 1. It's not age that determines the teacher. It is knowledge and experience and a desire to teach - a passion and gift for passing on knowledge. 2. It's ok to go slowly. It's not a race. 3. Go ahead and count. These are markers of success - milestones of success and growth. 4. The beauty of this: you make a mistake, you get to start over. It's all ok. 5. Give yourself some slack. Too much tension makes it difficult to develop. 6. It's all about determination. It's easy to quit. Perseverance and practice - that's the key.

Suddenly on Vacation

2009-03-11T06:04:00.000+08:00

Though we have vacation leave, I never really use them. Partly because I am not fond of travelling and partly because work piles up when I'm gone. Yes, I know I'm such a workaholic. However, we need to file vacation requests about a month before we take them, so I did. When I didn't get a nod from my boss shortly after, I figured it was a no go. Surprise! I cam in to work yesterday and found I was on vacation that day.

So what to do...

Since I was already at the office I got some paperwork out of the way. Then went home to spend time with my LP. Then went around Araneta center with my LP, sister and a friend preparing for the Star Trek event in May (Must file leave for that as soon as I get back to work). Spent time with the kids before crashing for the night.

I'm so lazy. I don't want to go out. It's way too hot. Summer this year is going to be scorching hot and no, I am not thinking of going out of town. I am perfectly fine using a swimming pool to cool off - and thankfully there a few very near by. Maybe it's time to have a barbecue.

Something to plan...

Witch Mountain

2009-01-10T22:16:00.000+08:00

I saw a trailer of a movie called Race to Witch Mountain. It seems to have nice effects and stars the kid who played the lead role in the movie The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising. It also has Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. It being a Disney movie, you can bet that I've already marked it down as a must watch on my calendar.

When I saw it though, I knew that I'd watched a movie of a similar name before.
Click here to read the rest of this article

One True Love

2008-12-30T20:34:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine wrote a post about his take on "someone Meant To Be". Old question. The debate still rages on. Some people say you bet there is! Others say in your dreams (almost literally).

I think women are more into the concept of the "one true love" than the men. Maybe it's because we grow up with this concept. We have all these romance stories that keep the concept alive. The love songs out there with lyrics that say someday my prince will come. Can you blame a girl for getting ideas?

Most people think that our other half will be tall, dark and handsome. Well...read the rest of this entry

Chef Tony’s Christmas Offering

2008-12-26T17:28:00.001+08:00

Christmas Flavors

During the long Christmas Holidays, thonning is a must. Of course, popcorn is a must! One of our favorite sources: Chef Tony's.

They have some limited edition flavors and christmas choices. The ones I got to taste were Warm Butter Caramel, Creamy Hazelnut and Belgian Chocolate. The limited edition flavor is Belgian Butter.

Not being a toffee lover, the caramel didn't appeal to me much. My taste buds just couldn't make heads or tails of the flavor. I thinks it's better to keep that a flavor for my candy.

My Christmas Pick

The Belgian Butter had no appeal either. I love buttered popcorn so I guess it's belgian butter that does not appeal. It just appeared too bland.

Now let's get to the flavors I loved! As you can see, I think these make a great Christmas gift! The Belgian Chocolate is a unique taste and yummy. The Creamy Hazelnut though is what tops the tree for me. Can you tell how much I love it?

Before You Sit Down

2008-12-14T10:05:00.000+08:00

Traveling in crowds and very slowly can be draining and after a long shift, one tends to just want to sit bonelessly, dead brained and praying that this particular vehicle will get you home without stopping at every spot where people are standing. You get in find a comfortable seat and drift til it’s time to get off.

Since I now have a longer commute to work, I find it helps to pay attention to the small details to keep spirits up. I noticed that aside from the usual “badge not honored here” and “God knows Hudas not pay” posters, there was a small white board with yellow writing. Being way in the back, I couldn’t read it.

As soon as some chairs became vacant, I transferred up front, behind the driver so I could read it clearly. Here’s what it said: Read the rest of this entry »

The Ride

2008-12-04T11:20:00.000+08:00

I took a cab to work this week to avoid being late. Now, I always make note of the taxi name and plate so that I can text my family - thus increasing safety. The taxi name or company was Jesus First.

The first 5 minutes were forgettable. The remainder had me thinking this guy wanted me to see Jesus first, way before anyone else...and soon! He drove like we were in a video game with a fire burning up the rear - not literally. He switched lanes, swerved, skidded and all but stunt drove down EDSA. Now, I'm not one to freak at driving fast but this was more like a car chase with no one running after us!

So how has your week been? Anything interesting to share?

Balance

2008-11-29T17:49:00.000+08:00

At our graduation yesterday, one of my new bosses talked about how balance is really a matter of choice. It is up to use to set how much time is used up by work and how much is then allocated to the rest of life.

At that point, I recalled why I love my Franklin Covey planner so much. One thing I learned from the What Matters Most course I took when I chose to get my planner was that we decide what we value and plan our time and life around these things. Balance is achieved by taking care of what we value.

Now, this is very individual. For example, I value being effective and productive at work but I also value my family time. That would mean that I must ensure to make time for my family, not just time to be home - dead to the world in sleep usually. I deliberately set time to hang out with my LP and kids to touch base on what's happening in their days (work or school) and find out what their into. We hang out, play games, eat and sometimes just sit beside each other while we all surf the net or read books.

Another thing I value is time for myself is a critical thing to keep myself functioning well. I find I NEED space where what I will do will benefit no one but me. This can be as simple as an hour to read a good book or an afternoon hanging out with old friends. It can be a day off where I sleep in or a trip to the spa.

There are many other things that are important to me and yes, it can be quite a juggling act to make sure that all these needs get met. I know though that in the end, it is important that I do so to make my life a quality one. We must LIVE and not just go through the days in a daze.

Balance...for me to be able to continue to work effectively, a must not an option.

Team Fredo Team building

2008-11-09T16:58:00.000+08:00

Somehow we managed to squeeze in the team building in the short time allotted. Due to a java error I can't seem to upload pics so I resorted to putting them up on my flicker then blogging here to drag them in somehow. Will upload the rest when I can get multiply to accept them.

Pardon for the image quality. My poor 3230 is dying already. I need a good digicam and a great phone.

Nails! Nails! Nails!

2008-10-18T09:52:00.000+08:00

I love having a manicure! They make the hands look so elegant. I love colors - even the ones that make the boys go, "did you kill the one who ran over your hand?". In short, your nails look dead. I say, to each their own and nail colors are just an accessory, much like a watch or jewelry.

Anyway, one style I was never into is called french tips. I found the idea funny. Imagine, you paint your nails to look like your nail. it seemed like too much work to make your nail look like a polished version of itself.

Then my aunt gave me a DIY french nail kit. So I figured, wth, let's try it. Hmmmm....interesting. It seems to appeal to a number of people. The nice part, most people don't seem to realize I have any polish on - I guess that was the idea then hehehehe. The best part: It's really easy to do as long as you have the nail guides.

Now I'm thinking about nail tattoos. A friend was telling me about this shop in The Block that does them for about 150. You do have to have your nails done in white though before you go to them. I don't know though id 150 for something that will grow out in about two weeks is worth it. There some lovely sticker tattos and fake nails that are great though.

For those interested in how to DIY french manicure, you can take a look at these pages or websites: I like this - it has pictures!

With illustrations: Free Beaty Tips: French Manicure
Beautyden: French Manicure
I love this blog because her tips are creative! - My Manicure

Get Plurking With Me

2008-10-10T07:49:00.000+08:00

I recently gave in and signed up for Plurk. Join the club. Get plurking with me.

Eureka Episodes

2008-09-24T17:05:00.000+08:00

More episodes of Eureka! More to watch. You guys probably already saw these but I still want to share links for those like me who mainly watch online now.

Episode 5 is a mummy episode. Is there really a curse?

Who created comic book stories? Geeks. So naturally, there just had to be a superhero episode (Episode 6). After all, who doesn't dream of becoming a one?

Election fever has hit Eureka. It's Vincent against Zoe's boyfriend against the weatherman. Can you guess who becomes the new Mayor? That's Episode 7.

The latest episode is

High At 5!

2008-09-20T19:51:00.000+08:00

The account that I work for celebrated it's 5th anniversary today and I enjoyed the party. The venue was Club Filipino. There was a lot of good food - so much that I'm sure there were left overs. The place was big enough to accommodate more people than there were - sadly many couldn't make it. The atmosphere was very relaxed and everyone there seemed to be set on having a good time.

I guess it is partly because I now know more people in the company than I used to. Though I arrived alone, I was sure I would find someone to sit with and true enough, there were a lot of people willing to let me sit with them. I found myself shifting tables, sitting with various groups, saying hi to those I knew and getting to know a few of those I didn't.

The performances were nice. You can see that effort was put into the numbers for the event. The TL's put heart into their performances. For me, the best number was that performed by TL's Drei, Melai and Paul P with the JIL band. Now that's rocking the house!

I did my best to get videos of the event. The sad part is that multiply doesn't play 3gp . So first I have to convert the videos - if I can. Then upload it. Hopefully someone with a better cam than I had will upload their images and videos and I can just snitch and share .

Some Things I Found Funny Today

2008-09-19T13:26:00.000+08:00

Here are some things that ticked my funny bone today.

I went to a stand that sells stuff on sticks. The girl took my order for squid balls and dropped the items in the boiling oil, stick and all. Then she takes them off the stick and serves it to me. So I had to string them all again so I could eat it. Hay!

We ate in a restaurant where everyone was wearing outrageous hats. One guy had fake butterflys attached all over. Another girl wore a head dress that reminds me of the Bellstar dancers. And jazz hands! hehehehe

While waiting for the mall to open, the guard was keeping careful watch on his assigned doors. Some people inside had to go out. He approached the doors they were standing at, told them they couldn't go out that way, then stuck the key in the lock - but didn't turn it. Then he walks away. Naturally, one of the people turned the key and walked out the door. The guard comes back, shakes his head and locks it again. If you didn't want the door opened, why put the key there? To be able to say that he didn't personally open the door?

That's all for now....

The Heat Is On!

2008-09-17T11:13:00.000+08:00

The month may end in ber but it sure doesn't feel like it. It feels more like a summer month. There may be a breeze but it doesn't cool you. In fact, it feels like someone opened an oven. Either that or it's summer vacation, your actually on the beach but there are buildings superimposed on where the sand and surf should be.

Oh well...grin and bear it. The sun will go down soon. Things will get cooler then.

FL! 080824 Pixar, Wall-e and Clone Wars

2008-08-24T20:23:00.000+08:00

For this episode we salute Pixar for the work they've done (yes, we love their work!) and We View: Wall-e and Clone Wars. Do watch the show and answer our poll question: who do you like more? Wall-e or R2D2?

Thanks for watching

Eureka Episodes 3 and 4

2008-08-23T17:08:00.001+08:00

Eureka has gone dog crazy in episode 3. I love the line where this character says, "so the bitch is back" - and yes, it was meant quite literally.

Episode 4 on the other hand is the awaited nuptials. The episode is titled "I Do Over" and it's a time loop episode for sheriff Carter. This is the how manieth loop in the show? Anyway, do enjoy watching the episodes. Hopefully Waddy keeps updating.

FL! 080811 Fandom Olympics

2008-08-10T20:17:00.000+08:00

Olympic fever has taken hold of the world and the Fandom Live crew has gone to enjoy the show and the food. Nick and Nina anchored the show while Tobie and Gigi covered the event from Beijing.

Online TV Shows by Ustream

Of course the Fandom Olympics is also ongoing and we need to hear from our viewers as to who they think will take home the gold in the events we showed. You're the judges. Email us at live@fandomcafe.com or leave a comment to help your chosen champions.

See you next week!

Watching Eureka

2008-08-10T16:14:00.001+08:00

Eureka is finally back!

It's the third season and this show about a town of nerds is definitely on my watchlist. Even though it isn't showing (not even on cable yet), there's no need to be deprived. I found a site where I can watch it online .

For those who want to watch the first ep, here it is.

Then here's the second.

I hope this blogger keeps us updated. Thanks, Waddy!

Ne-Yo's Closer

2008-08-10T14:31:00.000+08:00

If there is one reason to listen to radio or tune into MTV or MYX, it's to hear and watch great songs performed.A friend said I had to hear it but you know how it is when someone likes the song but the song doesn't like him? They sing it but it sounds too far from the actual piece for you to appreciate it? That's what happened to me.

Another friend, Gelli, is a DJ and she really loves his music so knowing her great taste in music and love of dance, I got hold of the mp3. Love it! It's already uploaded in my music section in my for those moods album.

The video must be watched too. It is so cool! I love the way they used black and white and the precision with which the dancers moved. I liked it so much, here's the video from youtube below.

Enjoy :)

FL! 080727 The Mummy Episode

2008-07-27T19:55:00.000+08:00

You want to watch this ep! If you are a Brendan Fraser fan, watch this. If you are a The Mummy fan, watch this. If you want to get startled by Tobie, YOU MUST WATCH THIS!

Update: Kiddie Chef

2008-07-27T16:52:00.000+08:00

I posted last week that my son was chosen to compete in the school Kiddie Chef competition. I am pleased to share the news that he won third place! Way to go, honey!

When I got to talk to his teacher I asked why he was chosen to compete. I knew that they weren't selected due to cooking ability since they don't do that in school. His teacher said he was selected because he spoke well. His job was to explain what they were making and why it was a healthy nutritious snack.

The best part, he discovered something new and healthy he'd like to eat. Oh and yes, the recognition was nice too.