chellogscornflakes

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:24:00 +0000

Do I believe in signs? There are times when I'd like to... times like this when I really want something to happen so bad and all signs point to it happening.

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:10:00 +0000

It's the weekend! Yesss! One of the few luxuries I have is sleeping in late on weekends, but tomorrow we're going house-hunting.

I'm trying hard not to get too caught up in the excitement of the prospect of finally having a place of our own as I might end up disappointed... again.

But it won't hurt to hope. Haaay... sana ito na.

Mommy Woes

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:59:00 +0000

I am a working mom.

It isn't easy going to the office and try to make a living knowing I have to leave my little one in the house. It is a choice that I have to make everyday. It is hard, but for now I have no other choice.

My family is not well off. We're average. We have two helpers. Sometimes I think this is too much, but looking after the baby is a full time endeavor, so one takes care of that and the other do the other essential chores.

I have noticed that the nanny had been slacking off lately, and worse, even had an ugly spat with my mom just the a few days ago. That hurt me. I think I have been a good employer. I gave her salary on time, did not so much as put any restriction on her TV time, offered kind words to her and only rarely got "angry" with her. So I ask myself, "where did I go wrong?"

The recent incident created a friction between my mom and I. I approached the situation with a level head and tried not to let my emotions get the better of me. I cannot go all-out berserk with the nanny for doing what she did to my mom knowing full well I still have to entrust the care of my baby to her until I got a replacement. Mom thought I did not fight for her enough.

What should have I done?

It is never easy raising a child and having a career, or trying to be a good daughter amidst all the craziness. I'm still trying to balance everything out hoping that everything will be okay in the end.

Tiny Wheels

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:15:00 +0000

Love this Hot Wheel. It's a Morris Mini 2011

I collect them. Though I doubt they'll be worth anything after some time. Unlike some of the hardcore collectors who never open the darn boxes, I kind of believe that toys should be freed from their confinement to be enjoyed and played with.

Morris Mini and some of its friends.

Yoga

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:08:00 +0000

A number of months have passed since I started doing Yoga.

I wanted to return to my Aikido training. Actually, I did, but only for a couple of weeks then I just stopped. Blame it on pregnancy, but since then my body just refused to go through the punishing warm ups and arts. I'm getting restless, I needed an outlet, a physical activity.

I have always wanted to try Yoga, but I had the impression that it's only for the elitist. I swallowed my preconceived ideas and went on to enroll.

True, most of the people I met since that fateful first day are... well... rich, but I did not let it bother me.

What was just plainly a search for a worthwhile activity became something that adds meaning to my life.

I'm glad I made that leap. Aikido will ALWAYS be my first love, but Yoga is what will always nourish my soul.

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 04:44:00 +0000

Hello Blogosphere! After almost a year of going completely AWOL I am just glad I can share my thoughts again to whoever cares to read my blog

To open the year... what I'm going to share here I lifted from Jenni Epperson's blog. I hope to do and be all of these. Cheers!

Guidelines for a successful and wise 2011

Health:
01. Drink plenty of water.
02. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper
03. Live with the 3 E’s: Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
04. Make time to pray.
05. Play more games.
06. Read more books than you did in 2010.
07. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
08. Sleep for 7 hours each day.
09. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
10. Know your limits.
11. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
13. Dream more while you are awake.
14. Envy is a waste of time; you already have all you need.
15. Forget issues of the past don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
16. Life is too short to waste time hating others.
17. Make peace with your past and accept your mistakes. We’re only human.
18. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
19. Smile and laugh more often.
20. You don’t have to win every argument, agree to disagree.

Society:
21. Call your family and friends more often.
22. Each day give something good to others.
23. Forgive everyone for everything, even thought it’s hard!
24. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
25. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business. Who cares?

Life:
27. Do the right thing!
28. TIME heals everything.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

Ramblings 2

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:22:00 +0000

Ever get the feeling that you were left out for some reason, or have been overlooked... like what you are doing does not really count for something?

Well, I have. Just now.

I feel like kicking someone in the mouth, but being the pacifist that I am keeps me from doing so.

Pregnancy Woes

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:21:00 +0000

Wooohooo!

I'm on the twenty second week of my pregnancy. I've survived my first trimester, albeit with battle scars. ;-)

I want so much to have an ultrasound, just so I can see if my baby is normal. But alas, the doctor says I can have it on my sixth or seventh month. I'm already getting impatient.

Nearing my third trimester, though, has brought new difficulties. My back pains are getting worse and I can hardly walk. Probably because I'm getting heavier. This is compounded by the fact that I have not seen my baby. The anxiety is slowly gnawing on my spirit.

Regardless, I have never felt so loved by my family, especially by my husband, who has done so much short of carrying me on his back wherever we go. I feel blessed and thankful as this experience has brought my husband and I, well as my family closer.

Thoughts on Being Pregnant

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:38:00 +0000

Being pregnant is probably one of the highlights of being a woman. What could be more exciting than to have a tiny person grow inside you? Motherhood... it's one of the mysteries of human existence one could never ever fathom.

Yet, for all the things it is touted to be... pregnancy is frustrating and, literally, a pesky lump in my throat.

PLEASE, don't misunderstand me. I'm really excited about having this baby. What I'm having difficulty about coming to terms with is that this pregnancy has left me nauseous and sleepy all the time, not to mention the sudden eruption of unsightly zits on my face. I feel like throwing up just now, while writing this post.

I miss feeling good, I miss having physical activities, I miss eating all the food I used to eat.

Now, I just lie in the bed, not wanting to move about. I don't feel beautiful. I don't even like to eat that much as some of food leaves a weird aftertaste in my mouth.

The doctor says that this feeling will last about four months. So I still have, like, two months of this crap before everything starts looking sunny.

In the meantime, I'll try to be positive about this, and rejoice at the fact that I'm not the only one suffering.

Hello World!

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:43:00 +0000

... it took a while getting acquainted with my Blogger account again. After several tries with the password I was FINALLY able to open the darn thing. It's quite understandable, considering I haven't opened it for like, what, half a year?!

Oh... a lot of things happened from the last time I posted I would not even attempt recounting every single piece of it here, right now.

Suffice it to say, the biggest, and probably the most life-changing, event that has recently occured to me, as well as my husband, is that I'm going to have a baby.

I found out I was six weeks pregnant two weeks ago. So yes, who would have thought I'm going to be a MOM?

I never thought, not even in my wildest dreams, that I would be capable of bearing a child. Now the biggest hurdle would be to try to get through the next seven months without any hitch. I 'm half ecstatic and half scared. Would my husband and I be ready to be parents? Would we be responsible enough? I realize that these are the kinds of questions the answer to which are given only at that precise moment when there is no avenue for turning back.

Haaaaaay....

Hooray for J.R. Richards

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:08:00 +0000

This is the cover of J.R. Richards' solo album "A Beautiful End".

For those who do not know or has never heard of J.R. Richards, he is the front man for the band Dishwalla.

Please do not ask me whether they have disbanded, because I do not know. :-p

Anyway, I've been playing the album over and over and over again. I just cannot get over how amazing his voice sounds. More than this, the songs have bittersweet themes that just call to you.

I wish that the album could have been made just a tad longer.

This being said, any Dishwalla fan would not be disappointed with the album, and any J.R. Richards fan would fall off his seat when they hear every track.

Just have to say... this note comes with a two-thumbs-up!

Books Again

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:18:00 +0000

From my last post I was able to finish Brisingr, Stardust (so old news!), an Archie Double Digest, and Twilight. Whew!

Anyway, I had fun reading the books. I'm going to start New Moon today so as to complete the Twilight saga, and get it out of my hair. I want to see where Edward and Bella's story would go. Although, after reading a couple of news and reviews on Breaking Dawn and the supposed backlash it created against Stephenie Meyer - the author, I'm already fretting. I'm not a diehard fan of the series, but I cannot deny that I am extremely curious.

As for Brisingr, I cannot wait for Christopher Paolini to come out with the last book, as the third book left me quite breathless. I mourned Oromis, as well as Glaedr's death. And I am most intrigued by what the Menoa Tree would later ask of Eragon. There are just so many questions left hanging, and it would almost be a crime if Paolini would take another, what, three years to finish the last book.

*sigh*

Brisingr

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:35:00 +0000

At last, after three years of waiting, the fans of Christopher Paolini's Eragon and Eldest are in for a treat. Brisingr, which is the third installment of the Inheritance Trilogy, now the Inheritance Cycle, has just been released.

All truth be told, I have been eagerly anticipating the release of this book for quite a long time so much so that when it was put on sale yesterday I immediately rushed to the bookstore to buy myself a copy.

So, despite my super toxic workload I have to snatch a minute or two to read a few lines. Wow,

I'm in a booklover's heaven!

Bio Me

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:23:00 +0000

As i was browsing through my mp3 files the other day I stumbled upon a song which I downloaded a long time ago. It was the opening theme for the show Choudensi Bioman. Now, if you were born in the late 70s or in the early 80s, and is a TV addict (like me), I'm sure you must have had a glimpse of this show. As a young kid, I remember all too clearly how I used to cry if I ever miss one episode because I failed to get on the school bus on time to catch it on TV.

Who could forget Red One, Green Two, Blue Three, Yellow Four and Pink Five? Or Peebo, and even Doctor Man?

I was so into this show i even made myself a biowatch like the one seen on the show which activates their metamorphosis into super sentais whenever there is trouble.

Thinking about this makes me want to become a kid again. Mababaw lang kasi kaligayahan ko noon. Just to be able to watch it is enough energy juice for me to survive the whole school week without breaking down. YEBA!

It's nice to reminisce about this period in my life when everything was so uncomplicated. Masaya pero nakakalungkot. I try to watch the show all over again on YouTube, and though the MAGIC is still there, perhaps I have become too worldy or even disillusioned. That life is not as simple as it is on TV, and the you cannot blow up the bad guys using laser guns and be hailed as a hero.

Packed Like Sardines

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:06:00 +0000

Has anyone tried riding the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) lately? I have, and I must say I cannot feel more sorry for myself each time I ride the darn thing.

With the soaring prices of gasoline, the MRT is the best option available to anyone who takes public transportation. Rather than taking the bus, which would take ages to get you where your supposed to go, the MRT lines do not suffer from heavy traffic, which translates to shorter travel time. Nevertheless, I think the MRT does not have sufficient cars to service their growing patrons, hence, people look like packed sardines everytime, and not only during rush hour.

Riding public transport is not supposed to be like a penitence one does every Holy Week, but in this case, it is.

It's wishful thinking to hope that gasoline prices will go down anytime soon. So in the meantime, we, common folks, will have to bear some more the smell of sweaty armpits ( I don't mean to be critical, but it is just so true), and guys who get the kick out of brushing their front fenders against women's behinds.

I Stand Corrected

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:41:00 +0000

So, I read the specifications of Samsung i780 again, and I have to correct myself. It does carry Mobile Office. This means that one can create, edit and view word documents, as well as powerpoint presentations.

So, I think I'm going to get this phone! The only snag to this grand plan is... you guess it right... MONEY. =)

I Want a New Phone

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:48:00 +0000

I have been surfing the internet for the past two days looking for a suitable smart phone. Frankly, I have grown tired of lugging one too many gadget in my bag - a phone, a PDA, and an MP3 player - I need to to find something that will answer all my requirement.

At first, I was really set on saving up for a Palm Treo, but as I am using Windows Vista, I read somewhere that there might be some compatibility issues, especially with the HotSync function of Palm. Well, darn it! How on earth am I going to have a back up of all the information on the Treo if it would not HotSync? Then, I found Samsung i780, Nokia E71, and Motorola Q8 and Q9h. Apart from Nokia which runs on Symbian, I think all run on Microsoft Windows Mobile. However, all of them are not installed with Mobile Office, which is what I really need. I was already getting really frustrated, until I found Samsung's Omnia.

I'm not a tech-geek, but like, wow! I read the specifications and it packs a mighty wallop. I fell in love with it instantly, and although I would not like to describe it as an iPhone Killer since the iPhone is a class by itself, it will definitely give Apple a run for their money.

The only problem is... a smart phone this great will definitely burn a hole in my pocket. As I've posted before, I just bought myself a laptop, so of course, I'm low on my moolah factor, and this means that I have to save a lot more if I'm to get this phone. Poor me.

Would it be so bad if I were to wish it would become cheap really soon?

The Lovely Bones

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:05:00 +0000

The Lovely Bones is a novel written by Alice Sebold in 2002. I came across the title while I was reading Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife. One of the reviews mentioned it, but I figured it would be very difficult to find a copy of the book here in the Philippines, so I just completely forgot about it. Then one day, as I was browsing through one of the shelves of a second-hand bookshop, I saw it, sitting by its lonesome self and quite misplaced between two Tom Clancy novels.

To summarize, the story takes place on 6 December 1973 in Pennsylvania. A teenage girl named Susie Salmon takes a shortcut home from school when she is confronted by a neighbor, George Harvey who, then, persuades her to enter a burrow he has recently built in the middle of a cornfield. Once she enters, he rapes her and cuts her body into parts which are later put in a safe and dumped in a sinkhole. An elbow, which was the only body part of Susie's ever found, is eventually picked up by a neighborhood dog. Meanwhile, as Susie breaks away from life itself, her spirit rushes towards her personal heaven where she watches as her family and friends go on with their lives.

To say I was moved by this novel is a definite understatement. Reading it was like being literally ripped from my body by the sheer strength and spectrum of its emotion. It is written in a very straightforward manner that the thoughts and feelings of Susie are not just laid bare before me as a reader, but has somehow become my own.

While this novel is striking in its brutal depiction of how Susie is killed - dismembered, in fact - by Mr. Harvey that there were times when I just have to put down the book to stop myself from crying, it is also just as striking in its depiction of human resilience, and of hope and acceptance growing out from tragedy. Hence, as Susie reflects towards the end of the novel -

"These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections — sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent — that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events my death wrought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous lifeless body had been my life."

I have encountered several reviews of this novel, one or two of which criticizes Ms. Sebold's concept of heaven and how the story veers so far from how Catholics view it. Just so that everything is clear, The Lovely Bones is far from being a religious novel. I think it is mighty unfair to judge the merits or demerits of this novel based on this very trivial matter. The novel tackles a more crucial theme, which for me involves a very critical analysis of the human psyche, and how it plays into everyone's potential into becoming a Mr. Harvey, Susie or Mr. and Mrs. Salmon. It may be cliche to say that as humans, we do not have control over the circumstances that we are put into, but ulimately, our choices will govern what we make of the situations and whether we let ourselves be suck into a darker place where we cannot go back from or struggle to get back on our feet despite the hardships it entails.

Welcome Back to Cyberspace

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:26:00 +0000

I can't believe it's been a month since I last viewed or posted any thing on my blog. Not that I haven't got time, it's just that this site has been blocked by the company where I work for. Bummer!

So what has been happening in my life during my "forced absence"? I've been busy with work. Just so I wouldn't get misinterpreted, I just have to clarify that it's not as boring as it sounds. Much as I hate to admit it, I'm actually enjoying it. It's not as "toxic" as it was in my previous job, but, nevertheless, it fires up my long sluggish synapses. In fact, it enables me think out of the box. I used to belong to an office tasked to formulate policies based on a particular law, whereas now, I kind of get to apply the same policies on the level of an end-user. Oh well, it's kind of complicated, but I do hope you some how got the picture.

As a plus factor, I also get along well with my co-workers, and I have a great boss. Hmmm... so how should I qualify "great" then? Putting it simply, I liken him to a rogue warrior with a mission to rid the company of incompetent people. Now, how's that for a description? I think it's very apt, though. He's very principled, and he stands by his people. Bosses like him are very rare. In fact, he's very much the opposite of my previous boss. (Hehe!!! I think I really need to stop bad-mouthing her).

Anyway, I'm adjusting pretty well. I've stopped whinning about how I miss my friends from my previous work, though it doesn't mean I don't. I get to visit them once a week. I make sure I do.

So... I'm back. I'm sure I'm going to bore you all with a lot of non-sensical stories about my life, but I'm here to stay.

My New Acquisition

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:49:00 +0000

I'm now writing this post in a little stall inside a popular mall here in the Philippines. It has wireless fidelity (wi-fi) so I can surf the net freely (smiling). Most importantly, I'm writing this post on my NEW LAPTOP.

I'm so happy with my new tech-toy I cannot stop myself from tinkering with it. I feel like a child giddy with excitement at having her wish granted. OOOOhhhhhhh!!! I wanted to have a laptop for the longest time I just did not have enough savings to buy one.

Just sitting here makes me think about the countless hours I could spend surfing the net!

Yahoo!!!

Just Rambling

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:20:00 +0000

It has been a while since I last posted an entry. I miss doing this.

I miss a lot of things... internet surfing, watching YouTube, logging on to my YM account and chatting with friends about almost everything - including work, watching the latest episode of Smallville and Prison Break, and downloading cool songs and movies from the internet. I miss badmouthing my previous boss who is sooooo awful I wish I could boot her out of the office right now for endlessly tormenting my friends. I miss being goofy and acting stupid.

I miss the real me... the weird me.

Being in a new environment kind of makes me realize the things that are lacking. But I cannot be selfish. I know I have to be more responsible, being married and all that. Much as I like being just being happy-go-lucky, I have to grow up a little and make mature choices. I guess wishing for a better and secure life is all a part of it.

TGIF... ?

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:45:00 +0000

It's Friday... finally!!!

A two days' respite is what I really need right now.

After spending a week in my new work, I feel really drained. It's not because of the work itself, but because trying to get along with the "new crowd" took a toll on my well-stocked energy reserve. In all fairness though, they were really nice to me and they are a happy lot, but I can sense the caution when I look at them; for them I'm still a stranger (as they are to me, anyway).

I badly miss my family in my old office. Honestly, there were moments when I just wanted to go there and spend the rest of the day with them, joking around and being weird. At least with them, I'm confident that I'm not being judged for being me.

Incidentally, they're going on a trip to Pagudpud. I wanted to go, but I think the Fates somehow conspired against me on that score.

Sad.

When Life Gets a Little Too Realistic

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:04:00 +0000

Well, it's just one of those days when I do not feel like doing anything.

I think of nothing.
I feel nothing.
I only breathe
To exist.
For what?
The complications
of living.
Do we really need to Be
in order to Be?
Just Be a spectre,
It might be easier.
No attachments.
No pains.
No memories
To make me break.
But it may be just
Wishful imagining.
I think.
I feel.
I breathe
to exist.
I need to Be.
It is what life
dictates.

P.S.
......... Existing can be a difficult business.

No Goodbyes

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:59:00 +0000

In four days' time I would be transferring offices.

I feel sad, especially so since I would be leaving my present office quite unexpectedly, and not to mention, with a heavy heart. It was not planned, and leaving was so far from my mind. But an opportunity came knocking and I have to make a decision. I would have to say it was a decision borne out of necessity and not one which was done because it was what I wanted.

I would be leaving a place which had been like a second home to me for the past two years and I would be leaving, not my friends, but my kin.

I do not want to say goodbye, because I know we will still be seeing each other, more often than not, I hope. But how do I keep myself from feeling this yawning gap inside me as that appointed time draws near? How do I keep myself from breaking down?

I miss them already and I have not even left.

Not So Forbidden Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (C h e l l o g s) — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:42:00 +0000

How do you call a person who is addicted to Jet Li?

Adiktus JetLikus...

Hahaha!!!!!

I do not know if what I'm about say is something to be proud of... I was actually able to watch "The Forbidden Kingdom" TWICE.

All I can say is that the movie was all FUN, and anyone who has some extra time in his hand should definitely watch this.

Although I'm quite biased about anything and everything that has something to do with Jet Li, this movie definitely exceeded my expectation. It was comical, and the pacing was fast and snappy. I was oh so glad to see Jet Li doing something different and totally out of character, it was quite refreshing. Not to be outdone, of course was Jacky Chan, who did a marvelous job portraying the Drunken Immortal. In my opinion, he did the stunts and the movements in this movie more gracefully than he did in "The Drunken Master".

I know I'm getting redundant already, but this movie gets a TWO THUMBS UP from me.