flight of ideas

A very useful and funny tip from What The Duck comic strip by Aaron Johnson.

…fake it ’til you make it.

In my case, one major thing I need to fake is confidence. I need to develop the ability to not panic (or at least keep it all in), as that usually results to less focus, and makes my hands more jelly (than they usually are). Palagi tuloy ako nasisigawan ng “boss” ko

So if resolution number 1 is to believe, then resolution number 2 is to believe even more.

2009 is about to come to an end, and after a whole day of  contemplating I know just what I need for the new year.

…konting bilib pa sa sarili.

I’ll quote a line from the movie “A Cinderella Story” and baseball legend Babe Ruth…

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”

So in gratitude for all the blessings I have received this year, I look forward to giving back to life more this coming 2010. And it all starts with a little self love and more faith.

Have a wonderful, happy, sparkling new 2010 everyone!

“Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

I am thankful for one more year of blessings, both obvious and disguised.

This coming year, I look forward with much hope, as I challenge myself to go beyond a boundary I have never crossed before…naks!

Happy Birthday to me.

A discrete period of intense fear or discomfort…
(from DSM IV)

…if I show at least four of the criterion/symptoms listed below this category of a psychological disorder then I might be having a panic attack. But then again, my Abnormal Psychology professor would always recommend having internal and external validation of data before concluding or labeling anything as a psych case.

Great. Now I’m babbling…

It’s 12 midnight (as of my writing) and I’m leaving for Cebu tomorrow. Flight is at 10:15 am, but I don’t even have a single piece of item packed for the trip. I’m doomed!

I’ve been stressed for the past few months, helping organize this year’s Philippine Blog Awards. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that I am helping, but sometimes, my worrywart freak of a self doesn’t do me good…and it’s a nightmare for the pangga.

Ironically, this is the time i feel like writing on my blog. I just probably need to rant this off.

Oh, and just to share, this is what’s been running through my mind lately:

I’ll get going now.

“Patience is finding reasons to smile…

…even when there seems to be none”

…ng matatamis na tugtugan

…ng mga pusong umaapaw

…at ng mga damdaming may tinig

Salamat SUGARFREE!!!

Luv: Teacher Hana, laro tayo ng Nanay, Tatay…

(chants)
Nanay, Tatay, gusto kong tinapay
Ate, Kuya, gusto ko ng Starbucks…

ano daw yun???

Havaianas Philippines presents Make Your Own Havaianas 2009, where flip flop lovers are given the opportunity to create their own personalized Havaianas.

From choosing your own style, sole and strap color cominations and embellishments, expect to bring home a pair (or more) of Havaianas that will show off your creativity and personality.

Go simple and sleek by putting chic Swarovskis in different colors, or be fun and bold with this year’s featured Lifestyle and Culture pins.

Imagine a lomo camera, a tarsier, a jeepney or a sorbetero cart pin on your feet! These different Lifestyle and Culture pins are so cute, it’s so hard to choose just one. It was my first time making my own Havaianas pair, and in spite the can-be-super-difficult process of choosing colors and embellisments, the long line and a little waiting, I was giddy happy when I saw the final look of my pair:

my funky red Havaianas

This is the third year that this is happening and it has been always a successful event. Expect a long queue to the assembly line, so I suggest you go with somebody to talk to, or to substitute with in line while you sit down for a while

student assemblers from different universities

So visit the Rockwell Tent from May 28 (Yes, tomorrow!) to June 1, 2009 during mall hours to make a Havaianas pair that’s truly your own.

Happy flip flop making!

(Matagal-tagal na ‘to sa drafts folder ko…kailangan na i-evict! )

The first restaurant we visited for the Davao Food Appreciation Tour was Tadakuma Japanese Restaurant.

It was raining when we got there, but it was warm and cozy inside the resto.

I eat Japanese food, but I’m not too fond of sushi and sashimi. I was also concerned with Markku since he’s not really into Japanese dishes as well. But, I was happy to see that the food they served included more of the “normal cooked Japanese meals”

From all the dishes served my favorites were the Sukiyaki, the Yakisoba, and the fried rice.

The Sukiyaki’s soup was so tasty and the beef was so tender.

I love the Yakisoba noodles, which I hardly order in other Japanese restos I go to. (Probably because I’m more fond of the “instant Yakisoba” ) Unfortunately I didn’t get to take a picture of it.

We were also served with Gyoza, one of  Tadakuma’s best-selling dishes. I think the secret is in their sauce.

We also tried the Atuyaki, a savory tofu dish. It was different, but also yummy.

And of course, a Japanese meal is not complete without my favorite California Maki (well, MY Japanese meal )…

…and fresh sashimi

I also enjoyed this bean sprout dish, but I’m not sure what it’s called though.

Overall, I enjoyed lunch very much. Using chopsticks to eat didn’t stop me from eating a lot.

I also appreciated the green tea they served for us. I’m not fond of tea because of its usual bland taste, but it was very refreshing to the palate after the meal.

So, If you’re in Davao and you suddenly crave Japanese food, just head on to the Damosa Business Center and visit Tadakuma.

Arigato-gozaimasu to Tadakuma for the wonderful lunch they served us.

The 2009 DFAT was brought to us by Davao Delicious and Davao Foodie.

…So the first thing I did during the holy week break was clean my room.

While cleaning my room I had several realizations:

1) I am a “sentimental basurera“. I try to keep everything, all the trash things that I can put meaning to. I realize that it’s nice to look back and remember things, but I don’t always need another dust collector to remind myself about it.

2) My room reflects my state of mind. When I’m preoccupied with something, busy or worried, my room is usually a mess. When I start cleaning up, I’d become more focused and relaxed about things. It’s also not impossible though that it’s the other way around, all the disorder in my room prevents me from having decent rest, which leads to a tired, confused state of mind the next day.

The first two realizations led me to realization number 3, my take on why cleanliness is really next to godliness.

Everyday our we get little knick-knacks from the hustle and bussle of our lives. We take home smiles, nice conversations over coffee, and great accomplishments from work. But we also can’t avoid that long line at the MRT, the bad news we see on the newspaper, or our long list of tasks to do that wouldn’t end. At the end of the day most of us would have brought home problems for dinner and worry, worry, worry.

Sometimes we don’t notice that our hearts and minds get filled with so much clutter that we forget the right things to do. Instead of meaningful reflection, we dwell on emotional trash and life’s excess baggage. We forget what’s really important in our lives and sometimes even forget to pray.

Cleanliness is next to godliness, but it is a clean heart and mind that would make us closer to God.