Early To Rise, Early To Vote!

Today is 2013 Election here in the Philippines. Most Filipinos are willing to take part of the most awaited event. I belong to those who are anxious in casting my vote to the candidate who deserves it!

Hence, I woke up early today. It's just funny coz voting is the first thing in my mind when I woke up this morning! :D Well, that's besides my mounting laundry waiting for me. So I've gotta do what I'm expected and supposed to do being a Filipino today - VOTE!

Good thing I came to the school early and looked for the precinct where my name was listed. There wasn't  a long queue yet when I got there. I was able to cast my vote in less than 20 minutes.

Now I'm ready to face another challenge challenge for today - my LAUNDRY! :D

Goodluck to all the Filipino voters today! May this election end peacefully and safely! God bless the Philippines!

A/C Unit For Brandon And Nanay

My brother and Brandon are gonna be here in Manila very soon. After a month, it's my mother's turn to stay here with me. I'm a bit worried. I don't mean that in a negative way. Of course I'm excited about spending time with them. I'm just worried because the weather has really been warm lately that I myself is having a hard time dealing with it. Especially that this room of mine isn't equipped with an A/C. I just suit myself with the available fan that I have for years now. And I know for sure that this is not enough especially for Brandon who's not used to humidity. 

I guess it's about time to buy an air conditioning unit with good appliance service. I don't want Brandon to feel uncomfortable during his stay here in Manila. Same goes to my Mom. Besides, I'm going to benefit from that A/C anyway. Having an A/C means getting enough sleep during the day. :) 

Good luck on my budget!

Graveyard Shift On A Weekend

I've been spending my weekend nights wide awake and basically nothing fun to do but to either watch shows on my cable TV or do my laundry and clean my room. I'm done with my laundry last night and doing my house cleaning later. What a boring way to spend the weekend. And to think it's summer, right? :)

I work nights during the week so I basically sleep in the mornings and wake up at night to go to work. That's my weekdays routine. I didn't intentionally do the same thing this weekend but I really didn't have any plans for fun this weekend. Besides, I'm trying very hard not to spend a lot because I've got vacations planned few weeks from now. I'm saving my money for it!

Anyway, I don't regret my weekend nights being wide awake. I guess it's just a thrifty way to spend the weekend. Don't ya'll think? :D

Looking Forward For Baguio City Vacay

I'm excited about spending time with my favorite nephew in the world! They're coming here in Manila for my promised birthday treat for Brandon. Their tickets were booked a month ago and I can hardly wait! :D

We are scheduled to go to the Summer Capital of the Philippines - Baguio City! The weather is cold up there so I reminded my brother to bring Brandon's medicines and the gadget to do spirometer test in case Brandon's asthma takes place while we're on vacation. Although I hope it wouldn't happen but it's always better that we're prepared.

It's my brother and Brandon's first time to go to Baguio City. We'll be heading there together with my friends. I can now imagine the fun that we'll spend together in that place. I'm so looking forward to it!

Sad And Uninspired? Scratch That!

I read something posted on Facebook about understanding a person. That whatever they do reflects how they feel. I can only remember one line from that quote: That - "if a person sleeps a lot, that means he's sad".

I slept a lot lately. Does that mean I'm sad? I really don't know. But I am uninspired, I know that.

I used to have so much enthusiasm especially on things I love and like to do. I used to sing a lot but ever since I was told about some people who doesn't like my singing, it somehow affected me. So I seldom sing now. I used to play my guitar and sing a lot, even post my covers of songs on Youtube. But I no longer do that. I used to blog a lot, but now I feel like I'm having a hard time composing articles for my blogs. Most of the time, I can't find the right words to say and sometimes I don't think anyone is really interested in my thoughts and the things I wright about.

I know something's wrong. I'm having a hard time putting things in perspective. I know I should and hopefully, since I put this in writing today, I'll pull myself back together soon. I hate being uninspired. It makes me sad. And I don't want to be sad for a long time.

Why Android Phones Are Good For Gaming

image from google

When you are looking for a mobile phone that is good for gaming, and in particular online gaming, there are a number of factors that you need to consider. These are adequate computing and graphics processing power, an excellent display screen that gives sharp, bright and well-defined images as well as being highly responsive to touch for easy and accurate gesture control, a simple yet comprehensive user interface that is easy to learn and instinctive to use, excellent connectivity through Wi-Fi and network access to both 3G and 4G networks, plus a good supply of games.

Today there are just three main players in the field. These are Windows 8 phones, the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 which use the Apple iOS, and Android phones.

While there is little wrong with the latest Windows 8 phones in terms of technology, currently there are still not as many Windows 8 games apps as there are for the iPhone and Android phones, which is particularly the case with online casino games.  Although online casino gaming is only a part of the total online games scene, it is nonetheless a very important part. So that really leaves two contenders in the race.

The iPhone 5 is a great phone. It is twice as fast as its predecessor and has a four inch screen with a very useful HD display with a 16 by 9 form factor, which in many ways is an ideal online gaming platform. However, as good as it is in many ways it is eclipsed by the latest generation of Android phones. Find the best android casinos at Androidcasino.ca . Where the iPhone 5 has a twin core 1 GHz processor, the Android Samsung Galaxy 3S has a quad core processor and the Galaxy 4S has an eight core processor, and while the iPhone has a four inch display, the Samsung Galaxy Note has a 5.5 inch display.

There is only one conclusion: while the iPhone is a great gaming device Android phones are even better. 

Prayers For Boston

I really feel sad right now. I feel like my heart is being crumpled and torn apart. I hope I can still fix it. If not, I hope I can easily move on.

I actually just got home from work. I was busy at work so I couldn't think about my misery while at the office. But when my work is done, I remember my sadness again.

I don't want to turn on the television because I know there's more bad news. There was a tragedy in Boston. It's worst than how I'm feeling right now. Sigh. I feel for the victims.

God bless my heart. More so, God bless the victims of the Boston tragedy. 

Exhausted

Work has really been exhausting these past three consecutive days. It isn't fun at all. And I think it's going to go on until Friday. I just can't wait for the weekend. And my upcoming birthday leave on Monday, of course. :)

I think my lack of sleep is also to be blamed. :D There are petty reasons why I couldn't get myself to get enough sleep. Blame it to the social networking sites and the movies and the T.V. shows. LOL!

Alright, alright, I am to be blamed. :D I'm just making excuses, that's all. I hope I can convince myself to get the sleep that I need or else I'd jeopardize my health. I don't want to get sick. I'll be loosing my monthly health bonus if that's going to happen. :)

Well, it's bedtime now. I better hit the sack before I change my mind. :)

Mornight everyone!

Lenten Season And Long Weekend Holiday

It's Lenten Season here in the Philippines. To some, especially to Roman Catholic believers, this is the time that they reflect on their sins and resubmit to God by either staying at home and quietly pray. Some of them do outrageous form or repentance like doing flagellation and crucifixion. The latter's practice is more common on provinces here in the Philippines

To some Filipinos, this is the time of the year when they get to spend more time with families and friends on vacation trips since it's a long holiday weekend. The weekend begins tomorrow so they got four days to have fun. And since it's summer, most of them are seen on resorts and beaches having fun under the sun. Geez! I envy these people!

To call center agents or employees like myself who work for American companies, this is the time for us to take advantage of the holiday double pays. :D Most of us don't get to enjoy the adventure trips and long vacations during this time of the year, although we have options to do so, we'd rather spend our time in the office and work just to earn more money that we can spend for a not-so-crowded dream vacation. :D Nah! It's just my way of looking positively on times like this, I guess.

We may have our own ways of doing things during this time of the year. But whatever makes us happy, let's make the most of it!

Fell For Another Unexpected Prank

Remember my post about bidding friends goodbye? Well, it turned out that it was but a joke. :) My friend Irene and I fell for another prank that the couple made. We really thought they were leaving. LOL! 

When I went first thing the next day after I learned about them leaving our locale (and obviously already blogged about how sad it was for me), I was already trying to hold back my tears. Just when after knocking on the door, our pastor said that the news about them leaving wasn't true. And then he gave me permission to strangle his wife who's still in the bedroom that morning. The prank was her idea, by the way. LOL! I didn't strangle her, of course. I just tickled her until we're both laughing so hard.

I learned that the reason why she created the prank was because I haven't visited them lately. I've been busy and really didn't have time to hangout with them and Irene. I miss bonding with them, though. Although we know that they are leaving our Church locale sometime soon, just the thought of them leaving really makes Irene and I very sad. They've been one of our "real" friends here in Manila. They're like family, as what I've mentioned on my previous post. I just hope they have an option stay to further their stay here in our church locale.

Lesson learned? I'll make sure to spend more time with them. And better make the most of it since they wouldn't be around forever. But the friendship will definitely remain. Their jokes are just not meant for you to laugh out loud, their jokes could sometimes make you cry just to prepare you to laugh out loud again. LOL! Geez! I just love this couple. :D

My Lonely Guitar

My guitar is hanging lonely on my wall all this time. It's in its almost worn guitar case and I haven't even cared to take a look at it for months now. Yeah, I haven't strum my guitar anymore. Not that I didn't want to. I think I'm just too busy. I guess I'm not inspired to play it yet. I just couldn't find an inspiration, you know. Sigh.

How will get that inspiration back? I guess I have to take it off the now dusty guitar case and find ghs strings to replace the old ones. Try cleaning the guitar for ones and maybe that will bring me back to being passionate about playing some songs with it.

Well not today because I'm really exhausted from work. But I promise to find time to hold that hanging guitar sometime soon. Honestly, now that I'm writing about it, it makes me miss playing the guitar and sing at the same time.

Don't you worry my lonely guitar. I'll find time with you very soon. :)

Bidding Friends Goodbye

"Close friends are truly life's treasures. Sometimes they know us better than we know ourselves. With gentle honesty, they are there to guide and support us, to share our laughter and our tears. Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone."

- Vincent van Gogh -

Our Church pastor, whom I’ve been friends with for more than a year now, is assigned to administer a different Church locale here in Metro Manila. That means my friend Irene and I are not going to see him and his wife more often than we used to beginning tomorrow.

It doesn’t feel like it’s the end of the world yet but just knowing that friends are leaving makes someone who treat these friends like family make him/her feel really bad. I bet you know what I mean.

I feel sad because I haven’t spent a lot of time with the couple the past few weeks. They’ve been asking Irene about me and why I wasn’t been hanging out with them lately. I just get caught up with some personal stuffs that’s why. Irene and I will miss them terribly.

It’s hard to say goodbye but I guess that’s how it is. People come and go but I know for sure that our friendship will remain true. Even if we will be miles apart from each other.

Kiddo's Plans And My Not-So-Good Response

Kiddo and I talked about his plans of working overseas next year. I really think it's a good idea. He would be able to earn and save money for himself and for his family. Although he's already including me on his plans for the future, but truthfully, I don't feel like I want to think about that yet. Not that I don't want to get married. Of course, I do.  I just want him to enjoy his single life to the fullest before finally settling down. He's young and there's a lot of things life can offer him. All he has to do is take the risk. I don't want to be a hindrance to his dreams. I even want him to dream BIG.

I keep telling him that but he would insist in doing it for us. And he talks about teaching me how to drive the motorcycle because he's planning to leave it under my care. And goes on with his plans about changing the tires and the grips of the motorcycle so I get comfortable when I drive the two-wheeled vehicle.

I'm quite flattered because he always include me in his plans. It's just that I don't want him to limit what he can do because of me. I want him to explore the world and enjoy his life. Because who knows? We won't end up together anyway and he might find someone better in the future. He frowns whenever I say something like that... :(

Ready For DST! :)

1. Online chores - Check!
2. Laundry - Check!
3. Room cleaning - Check!

Yay! Congratulations to me! I was able to complete these tasks today. My hands are soar though because I got allergic again to the laundry detergent I used earlier. But it's okay. Finished it for hours now I'm ready for my new shift tonight. It's the Dayligh Saving Time now. And my shift starts 2 hours earlier than the usual. Sigh. I better hit the sack coz I don't wanna be late on my first DST shift.

Goodnight everyone! It's Spring Forward! :D

Will Celebrate My Birthday The Summer Way

Summer 2013 is ON  here in the Philippines! Most of us are ready to head on a beach and have fun despite the excruciating heat of the sun! :D Oh! It's going to be an exciting summer!

Ladies like myself are already preparing for the most awaited season. Most of us are watching our diet and make sure that we do some exercises to achieve the body that we want to show off on the beach. It's nice to wear a two-piece swim wear without worrying about that bulging tummy, right?

Personally, I'm not only excited about the summer fun. I'm also excited about my upcoming birthday! My birthday is less than a month from now. And I still don't have a concrete plan of how I'm going to spend it. It would be fun though if  it would be spent on a beach somewhere with friends. Sigh. How I wish I get an early birthday present. I really would love to have that 2 Pc Rasta Lace Swimsuit on  Spencer Gifts official website. It's my kind of swimwear since I'm a Reggae music fanatic. It's not going to be one of those 50th birthday ideas from Spencer's Gifts since I'm only turning 30 next month. But I really would appreciate a gift such as this one every year even after my 50th birthday! :)

Geez! I'm turning 30 soon. I still can't believe it. Sometimes I refuse to tell myself that I'm getting old because I don't ever want to lose that kid in me. Ever! 

Anyway, whatever is going to happen, I will have fun on my birthday. Wearing that sexy bathing suit and enjoy the day with my friends! It's summer and I'm going to celebrate my birthday the summer way!

My 5-in-1 Watch

I finally bought my first watch!

I've been looking at watches recently and have been wanting to own one. I'm tired of looking for my phone in my bag when there's a need to check the time. Now all I have to do is simply take a look at the time on my wristwatch whenever I need to.

I wasn't aiming to own one of the signature types. They're expensive. LOL! I actually got the watch from one of my colleague's catalogs and thankfully, it's on sale! I didn't hesitate and got what I wanted - a 5-in-1 watch. It has 5 different straps which will be very useful for me. I'd be able to match it to whatever outfit I want to wear.

I'm just happy with my acquisition today. It isn't expensive but it's worth it for me!

The Reggae Music Experience

photo from google.com

I used to play Reggae music with the Kuerdas Band back in the days when I was still in GenSan. Reggae is a music genre that came from Jamaica. It's a combination of rhythm and blues and jazz with the African beat. I'm talking percussion instruments.

I tell you, it's that kind of music that's a combination of sexy and cool. :D I like it when I'm onstage singing and able to make the audience dance to the rhythm of Reggae music. You can see that everyone is having so much fun.

It's just sad that some people incorporate Reggae music with the use of marijuana. Well, Bob Marley, the guy who popularized Reggae music was known to use the substance since it's part of his culture and religion called Rastafari. But it didn't mean that everyone who plays reggae music follow his footsteps. I bet if he lived longer, he might be brought to a marijuana treatment center since it's pretty obvious that he takes a lot of it. You can't blame him. Marijuana isn't illegal in their place.

My cousins and I were in the band together but we never used marijuana and didn't do any pot sessions together before or after our gigs. We never tried using it at all. We just look like we're "high" on stage just because we're artists. :D We can feel irie over the songs we sing so that the music that we play would encourage people to enjoy the night with us. Even without the joint!

Sigh! I miss playing Reggae music with Kuerdas Band!

Stop Bein' Lazy And Do The Laundry!

I slept at about 8pm last night and woke up on the wee hour of the morning which was 2am. I couldn't get myself back to sleep. So I turned on the TV and watched movies on HBO. I got really hungry at about 6am, ate breakfast and went back to being a potato couch! I didn't even encourage myself to jog. I was just too laze. Geez!

It's about 9am now and Coyote Ugly is on HBO again. If I'm not going to switch the remote to a different channel, I'd be watching it for the 4th time since yesterday. LOL!

Alright now! I'll stop being lazy and start doing my laundry! Or else I won't be productive and it's a brand new week!

Happy Monday everyone! :)

Thoughts About The Pipes

The pipes instruments are really nice to hear on Blues, Jazz and Reggae. They add really nice harmonics to the songs. And they're definitely very important in an orchestra concierto especially the trombone.

I just wonder why I haven't seen a lot of girls play them. They're mostly played by men. That's why it made me interested with these musical instruments. Not that I have been playing it. I wanted to. I wonder how it feels to be able to play it in a song. Is it breathtaking? Or not that exhausting? Maybe so since it seems to me that trombones are being used as fillers in a song or in an orchestra. Meaning those who play it will still get their air back and won't get very exhausted and keep blowing the instrument the whole time. Or maybe I'm wrong. I just haven't heard of it being played solo. I haven't seen one either. That's just what I'm saying. :D

The Poor Vendor On A Gloomy Friday

It's a gloomy Friday! Good thing I brought my umbrella last night and save me from getting soaked from the pouring rain today. Atleast I'm ready for the rain. But little did I know, I'll come across somebody who wasn't prepared for what this gloomy day is going to bring. I got lucky, he didn't. And I really feel sad for him.

So there I was. I rode the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) like the usual. When I got out of the train station, I saw the lady vendor who sells my favorite sweet corn. I went straight to her and bought three pieces like the every other day. We don't know each other's name but she already recognized me as one of her avid buyer. She's comfortable talking about just anything that pops in her mind even in that short span of times that I buy from her. 

Today, she told me about the vendor right beside her who sells kakanin (some Filipino native delicacies). She said the poor guy just became a victim of a scam. Here in the Philippines, we call them budol gang. I myself became a victim once before. And just hearing another person experience the same horrible thing I went through sent chills to my spine. I thought to myself before, "Was it budol budol? Or just plain supidity?". But it happened to a lot of people here in my country in all walks of life. I think it has to do with us,Filipinos, being trusting in nature. Not that we are stupid, sometimes we just see good in people perhaps.

I pity the poor vendor. The scammers were able to get PhP1000 from him without a sweat. According to the lady vendor, the guy made the old man believe that he's buying a lot of his goods. He showed the old man a 1,000 peso bill, and asked to give him a change of 650 pesos. The old man gave the change right away and later realized that the guy actually haven't handed him the 1,000 peso bill yet. The scammer was quick to leave with the goods and the money. The old man was left in dismay.

I still wonder how those kind of people afford to take advantage of others who work very hard to earn for a living. I walk past this old man everyday. He's one of those street vendors who don't mind the weather, the dusty road and the noisy streets of EDSA just to be able to bring food on their table. Everyday is a challenge to them and then they come across people who would just take their money and leave them in despair. Sigh. I hope it wouldn't be that gloomy everyday for the poor vendor. And the guy who took his money, he will receive his punishment in time.

My Mother's Happiness First? :(

I just spoke with my Mom over the phone. Honestly, I quite don't like talking to her lately. She wanted us to build an apartment on the small piece of properties she bought some years ago. She wanted to loan some money to her sister and she wanted me and my older brother to pay for it. I was just silent when she was talking about it. And then she wen't on by asking why I still haven't saved some money. I don't know if she's aware but she makes me feel like I'm kind of a looser. Well, she's right about me not able to put some savings in the bank and I've been working my a$$ for years now. But she don't have to tell me that bluntly. I really don't know why she couldn't tell me that in a more gentle and subtle manner. It hurts my ego, you know.

There are a lot of things I wanted to do with my money and that doesn't include putting it up for her plans. I wanted to enjoy my single life and travel to places I've never been to. I want to be happy. But I guess, I have to make my mother happy first. Or else she's not going to stop nagging me about that apartment for the rest of my life. Sigh.

Another Busy Weekend For Me

It was a long day, once again for me. I just got home to check the venue for next weekend's big event on our Church. It's a pretty exciting event. I can't wait to see what's going to happen.

Here's a photo of myself and friends earlier today:

There are a lot of things we have to do before the main event. Our group was tasked to take charge of the speed-dating booth and the jail booth. It's somehow gets the biggest task compared to the other booths for the event but I'm confident that we would be able to exceed they're expectations. We would be able to pull this off! So help us, God. Nothing is impossible to Him, anyway.

Meanwhile, I'm going to hit the sack because later today I'm gonna be joining another meeting at the church and sit on one of those comfortable worship chairs. I don't want to be dozing off during the meeting so sleep it off now while I still can. :D

Let's all enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Thanks Bo!

I read Bo Sanchez's ebook called "My Maid Invests in the Stock Market..." which I also want to share with you guys. Just click on the link to read about the eBook.

It's about how he was able to help his maids and his driver on their finances and encouraged them to invest in the stock market. I myself am interested in the stock market and would want to invest in that soon. Not now. I'm still struggling with my finances to say the least. I try to make a list to budget my salary but it I still don't have enough for savings and emergency fund. But after I read Bo's ebook, I started to somehow manage my finances.

In his book, he talked about a simple system which is what I recently practiced. It is about his maids dividing their salary into 5 envelops. And it works for me! Here it is:

• First Envelop: Tithe Fund
• Second Envelop: Expense Fund
• Third Envelop: Support Fund
• Fourth Envelop: Emergency Fund
• Fifth Envelop: Retirement Fund

He explained in the book how each envelop is important so better read it yourself.

For now, I'm still trying to really manage my finances. I basically discipline myself. I don't even go to movie houses lately. And since I'm following the rules of Bo, I now know how to say NO to unecessary spending. And I'm proud of it!

Thanks Bo! I finally am able to manage my finances! Stock Market, you're next!

Imma Muffin Girl

It's the start of another work week! I hope it's going to be a great week! Here's my favorite walnut muffin and my cup of coffee to start it off! :)

Confused Heart And Uncertain Brain

photo courtesy of google.com

Remember what I blogged about asking myself if Should I Still Be Counting? Well, guess what? I still will be. Even though my heart is still confused and my brain uncertain, I'm still gonna be counting days, months or maybe years. Who knows we'll end up being together and live happily ever after? :) I know I'm just being dreamy. Happy-ever-after only happens in fairy tales. My love life isn't one of them. 

For now, I'll just go with the flow and hopefully find happiness in my decision. Let's just see what the future holds.