A Pretty Brooch-To-Be

Yesterday, I became nocturnal again.  (I must be a tarsier in the past life or something....)

I thought 10pm was a tad too early to sleep, so I hopped over Tip Junkie and found a nice fabric flower I can try making.  Then, my cheeks blushed into a nice pink color again as I sneaked under the coffee table to dig into a stash of fabrics.  I found a nice plain blue-ish one, a lucky find some time ago in Salvo's. 

Before eleven, I was able to finish my little project and so delighted was I with the result that I just had to snap a photo of it and brag about it on Facebook.  

Tah-dah!

I say, not bad for my first attempt at making this kind of fabric flower, eh?

Luckily, sometime after that, I did manage to get a better sleep than the night before. :-)

I Just Wanna Sleep....

There goes my perfect plan! 

 I was just reading the other day an article of how people who sleep early and rise early are happier than the late-loving people. I'm one of the late-loving folks, so naturally, I got curious and since I've always been lazily aiming to break that horrible habit and start to sleep early and wake up early, last night, I aimed to actually do it. By 9pm, I was in my bedroom. I had eaten my supper, washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Before 9:30, I had done my toilet/bathroom rituals and totally ready to go to sleep. I charged my phones and turned off the lights in the bedroom. 

Well... what happened?

 I did not have any big problems or worries or anything to be super excited about. I'm not on drugs or any medication to keep me awake and I actually have been trying to keep a healthier (organic vegetarian) diet for the last few weeks, unless I just couldn't help it. But I just couldn't get to sleep and spent at least three hours just tossing and turning on the bed, hating my body's sleeping system every minute because I was desperately trying to go to sleep, but I just couldn't. I didn't bother looking at the alarm clock anymore, because I knew it was already past midnight and I was still awake and on the verge of trying to box my face to unconsciousness. 

Grrrrr! Remind me never to take a nap in the afternoon again. That must be the culprit.

Cosmetics Trivia

In Medieval Europe, lipstick was banned by the church and was thought to be used as an 'incarnation of Satan', cosmetics being 'reserved' for prostitutes.

In 1770 a British law was proposed to the Parliament that a marriage should be annulled if the woman wore cosmetics before her wedding day.

Queen Victoria abhored make-up and deemed that it was only appropriate for prostitutes and loose women to wear make-up.

In 1937, many Americans did not accept teenage girls wearing lipstick and a survey revealed that over 50% of teenage girls fought with their parents over lipstick.

In the late 19th Century, Some women stay out of the sun, ate chalk, and drank iodine to achieve whiteness, without the facial cosmetics.

In 1933, a woman had her eyelashes permanently dyed. However, at that time cosmetics were unregulated and the product used for dyeing the woman's lashes contained an extremely toxic chemical. Within hours, the woman had severe symptoms of stinging and burning eyes. The next day, her eyes had ulcers and had swollen shut.  She became blind.

Egyptians used nail color to signify social order, with shades of red at the top, while women of lower rank were permitted only pale colours.

In 1980, Botox was used to treat crossed eyes.

The Long Weekend

Howdy folks! 

And your weekend was...? 

 I hope it was quite amazing. :-D 

Mine started with a boring Saturday, in which I did nothing but washed the laundry the whole morning, and tidied up one corner of my bedroom, which had a massive pile of papers!!! That pile of papers included mostly stuff from two visa applications (including several copies of several forms, several photocopies of various required documents, etc.), bank statement accounts, pay slips, a couple of magazines including this beauty.... 

...and soooo many other junky papers that were supposed to have been thrown into the recycle bin ages ago.  Oh yeah, I still had some super-old receipts in the bunch too. Goodness me!

After the chore, I was able to decrease the pile's size, with majority thrown to the bin, a bunch off to the shredder, and some off to my recycled notebook. 

What is this that I call my recycled notebook? 

I like to keep A4s that have been printed on one side, unwrinkled and has a blank opposite side (therefore, still too good to throw away, in my opinion), because I cut that in half, punch holes on the side, and add them into my A5 binder.  Then, I use that as a notebook and write stuff in it, such as "things to do" lists, short term goals, story drafts, etc., etc. ....you know, information that I don't really need to keep tidy or for a very long time.  I think it's a good solution for the temptation to buy a notebook to scribble on every now and then.  Now I can't remember the last time I bought a notebook. 

Sunday was off to church and hanging out with the family.

Monday, which was a holiday in Victoria, Australia (Queen's birthday), was spent on a holiday in Bendigo, a place about an hour or so drive to north of Melbourne.  I loved the central district, which had super lots of beautiful architecture.  It was so Old World-ish! I wish I had more time to explore the place on foot with a good camera.  

Now I'm dreaming of moving there someday.... 'sigh!'... if only I were a multi-millionaire.

I'm About To Burst...

May I take a day off blogging? (Sheepish grin follows.) 

It was our officemate's birthday, we had lunch out, and I'm just too full to think of something amazing to write about. 

'Burp!'  'Burp!'  'Burp!'

Excuse me.  See yah later.

Filipino Saving & Investing: Sad Facts

While bored on the bus today, I checked my Facebook and found this bit of info shared by PEBA (Pinoy Expats/OFW Blog Awards)... 

Image grabbed from http://savingissexy.info

I was horrified!

Only 25% of Filipinos have a bank deposit account?  

... Please tell me this is based on a survey among Filipinos aged 0-20 years old!

43.8% spend more than what they earn?

... No wonder Philippines has some of the largest malls in the world! Business men are preying on the Filipinos' weakness, I see.

An average of P200 for emergency savings?

... Gush, this is just enough for a taxi fare to the hospital!

7 in 10 own their home?

... Now, even a 5-kg weight won't stop my left eyebrow from instantly raising at this one.  Is this really based on legal papers and TCTs? Because I do know squatters are very prevalent in the archipelago. 

My first, rather snobbish, reaction was: "No wonder everyone's complaining about hardship in the country! If 43.8% of the people are overspending, they surely cannot blame the government for their hardship, but rather, blame themselves for not budgeting their money wisely."

Then, of course, I begin to think about those people who really do not have much choice but to overspend, because no matter how hard they scrimp, their daily earnings are just not enough even to buy food for the family.  My heart started to feel some compassion for them and I think, "Maybe they are the exemption."

But then again, my narrow-minded side argued, "Well, if they know very well that their daily income is not enough for their basic needs, they should consider getting additional part time or freelance jobs to have an additional income and have enough for what their family need. This is not the olden days where the only choice you have is to wait for your boss to give you money.  This is the 21st century, where you can sign up for free as an Avon dealer, sell cellphone load, use your Facebook account to sell clothes, shoes, etc., among a million or so other ways you can earn extra money."

Let me breathe for a while....

With a saner mind now, thanks to a satisfactory breakfast of gourmet sandwich and a cup of hot chocolate, I'd say, yes, there may be some people who, for some unfortunate and dramatic reasons, are exempted from these criticisms.  But I do not believe that does not apply to all of that 43.8%... not even to a big part of it. In my mind, I see flashbacks of stories from "The Millionaire Next Door", how many people try to keep up with those they believe to be rich, stylish, and cool. 

Does a pair of brand new Louis Vuitton bag make you more beautiful or give you better opportunities than a hande-me-down Cose bag?

(Make you more attractive to thieves and beggars, more likely.)

Does a multi-million dollar wedding make your marriage last longer than, say, a $1,000 wedding?

(Yup, I'm actually sarcastically comparing the Kim Kardashian-Kris Humphries wedding to a rough estimate of the monetary cost of my parents' wedding, proudly noting that my parents had just celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago.)

When will we ever stop saying "Bahala na"?  When will we stop acting like losers and instead of declaring "There's nothing I can do about it", ask "How can I make it happen?"

We can make it happen if we really want to... and if we stop whining and do something about it.  

I could have frowned all day and locked myself inside my room for several months after college when my parents stopped giving me allowance and gave me only the P1,000 monthly interest of my savings that my wise mum had invested somewhere. Or I could have gone to my bachelor uncle and begged for money every now and then.  Or I could have borrowed money from friends so I could comfortably continue working as an unpaid apprentice.  

But I managed to spend below my monthly income.  I sold Avon products and also signed up to sell Boardwalk products.  I figured out how to make "Peanut Kisses" (yes, the famous specialty of Bohol), bought my ingredients from the market, and made some, which I consigned at my friend's retail store. I brought packed lunch and snacks everyday, so that, if possible, will only have to spend for my fares and nothing else.  In the afternoons, I'd often walk so I could save an extra amount.  I always found free entertainment (movies and hanging out with friends) to keep me excited and indulge my fun-loving side.  I got free hair trim and treament (several times in those months!) from students in a beauty school who needed models in their class.  I made and followed a tight budget and survived those months without complaint, until I was able to get a paid job. 

P1,000 a month, a double-ride to my apprenticeship 5 days a week, and I still managed to spend less than what I earned. 

Have you done the like?  Or are you included in the 43.8%? 

I Love My Uggs!

As the cold season starts attacking our senses and threatening us with frostbite again, Ugg boots have started coming out of our closets. 

Why do people love wearing Uggs? 

Though they may not be a beauty to look at (the term Uggs was actually derived from the word 'ugly' because they look ugly), nothing can beat them in providing warmth and comfort to our feet on cold, cold days....a great treat for the tropical me, who easily gets frostbitten.  You do not need to wear a gazillion pairs of socks... even sockless, Ugg boots can keep your feet warm enough for hours... at least, here in Melbourne.  I don't know about Antartica.

But along with their return also come criticisms which often appear on the 'complaint' section of the famous public transport newspaper, Mx. There are always folks complaining that people should not be wearing Uggs because they're meant to be indoor (as in, inside your own house only) slippers and not meant for going to work, school or the like.  They do strongly criticize the wearers, saying Uggs will always be seen as slippers, and never as proper outdoor shoes.

I don't voice out in Mx, but I will in my blog and here's what I've got to say:  

I don't care what you critics think.  I'm gonna wear my Uggs to save my toes from frostbite.  Make a face and cringe if you like.  Along with that, go ahead and be very jealous of the warmth and comfort my feet are enjoying! Bwahahahah!!!!

First day of my Ugg-wearing this year.

And also the first time in several weeks that my feet didn't feel the cold!

Polish Farewell

Last Friday, we had a little Polish-themed tea party at work.  One of our officemates was going on a holiday to Poland, so we thought we'd throw a teeny weeny party for her, before she left.

The day before, there was a secret email that was sent out to the rest of us, except our Polish gal.  We were told to wear socks and thongs the next day, because it seemed to be the fashion in Poland. Of course, it was not compulsory, so I didn't join the fun. (I should have though!)

On the day of the party, we were all called to the big round table, where there were four different desserts waiting for us.  Tah-dah!!!

Szczęśliwej drogi! means Happy Trip... or something like that, in Polish.  That's what they said.

And they also said cheesecakes and blueberries are very Polish!

And most importantly, you gotta see the footwear for the day. Well, we all hope she enjoys her holiday out there! Have fun, DF!

My Bumblebee is Black!

I don't usually take a photo of my car and post it online (ex. Facebook) because I really think it's so silly to brag about your car to the world and when I see others do that on Facebook, I just roll my eyes and make a face.

But I just can't resist this one... a result of a little gift to myself last Christmas, which took me forever (blame it on major procrastination) to stick to the car's bum. 

Yay!!!  I've got my Bumblebee!!!! 

No, it's not a yellow Camaro, but I just like Bumblebee best of all in Transformers. :-D

Praybeyt Benjamin Is A Gay Pinoy Mulan???

How was your weekend?  I spent it babysitting my nephews, who were watching the animated movie 'Mulan' when I arrived at the scene. It was then that I, after a million years, was able to watch that movie again.

But sometime in the middle of the movie, I realized how there was such a similarity in the plots of Mulan and another movie I recently watched, Praybeyt Benjamin. Here's how:

 

MULAN:

- The country was invaded by the Huns.

- Men were required to join the army.

- Mulan's father was sick, so she wanted to join the army instead of her father.

- The men who enlisted had to undergo military training.

- Mulan pretended to be a man to be accepted in the army.

- Mulan soon got discovered and was removed from the army.

- On her way home, she came across the Huns again and went back to warn the army, but they didn't listen to her.

- Mulan's male comrades dressed up and pretended to be women to trick the Huns and gain access to where the Emperor was held hostage.

- Mulan and her comrades saved the day.

- Mulan became romantically linked to their leader, Li Shang.

- Mulan's ancestors (as ghosts) were also in the movie.

PRAYBEYT BENJAMIN:

- The country was attacked by terrorists.

- Men were required to join the army.

- Benjamin's father was sick, so he wanted to join the army instead of his father.

- The men who enlisted had to undergo military training.

- Benjamin pretended to be a straight man to be accepted in the army.

- Benjamin soon got discovered and was removed from the army.

- On his way home, he came across the base of the terrorists, went back to warn the army, but they didn't listen to him.

- Benjamin's male comrades dressed up and pretended to be women to trick the terrorists and gain access to the compound where the military generals were held hostage.

- Benjamin and his comrades saved the day.

- Benjamin became romantically linked to their leader, Brandon Estolas (Derek Ramsay).

- Benjamin's ancestors (as spirits that Benjamin met when he supposedly died) were also in the movie.

Well, what do you think? 

I think... Praybeyt Benjamin might not be an original story, but it's still entertaining. :-)

Royal Souvenir!

Hey, guess what?  I just got back from a Chinese restaurant, where I bought a bowl of noodles, and saw an announcement on the Herald Sun.  Tomorrow's issue will come with a royal souvenir magazine, 50+ pages of it, for only $2, in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth's big diamond jubilee!  

It's gonna be a collector's item, so better grab one, as, with collector's items, the price of a copy will most likely just zoom up to the sky (to space and on to Deneb) in the future years, decades and century!

Will you be having any diamond jubilee party this weekend?

What Have You Got For Lunch Today?

I'm at work, in between CPR training and only have a 30 minute break.  Here's my boring piece of morsel for today...

Rice and Coles' Tuna in Onion and Savoury Sauce

Let me share you though one thing I found really funny about this can of tuna....

ALLERGY ADVICE: CONTAINS FISH.

Does any body think tuna is NOT fish?

How To Eat Peas WIthout Dirtying Your Hands

We have been addicted to spicy, toasted (?) green peas that my sister bought (several packs!!!) from an Indian store in Dandenong. It's just great to nibble on while waiting for dinner, or after dinner, or practically any time of the day. Last night, I got a parcel (something I bought from eBay)but wanted to eat green peas at the same time. In an attempt to eat peas but not dirty my hands, I found a nice mug, poured some peas in it... 

...and poured them into my mouth, as though I was just drinking a nice cup of hot chocolate. Yum!

Have you eaten anything lately in a not-so-typical manner?

What Have You Got For Lunch Today?

Scrambled Eggs and Rice.  Simple as that.

Photos For Your EBay Listing... by Me.

Like every other non-billionaire out there, I have succumbed to eBay selling.  Well, they said some folks earned millions there after a few years of selling!  Why not give it a try?

Besides, I do have a few pre-loved items I could get rid of and turn into nice yummy cash.

But... How do you sell on eBay? Do you just go ahead, put any photo, scribble some description, put a price and "poof!", expect it to be sold at a high price in three days?

There are strategies on how to be a good eBay seller. From other websites, books, magazines and youtube videos, I have collected ideas on how to make a good listing, and definitely, the photos that you pick for your listing make a big impact on the marketability of your items.  Here are my two cents:

Post clear photos of the item.
Clear, my dear.  Not dark, not too bright, not too light, and not too small.    Something like this:

Clear as day, you are selling cabochons that look like these...

Not like this...

You're selling the peacock? I thought you're selling...uhmm.. the roof? fence? house?

For the first photo above, I placed the cabochons on a shelf right in front of my huge window and shot a photo in broad daylight, and without a flash. You do not have to use the most sophisticated or expensive cameras.  I used just a simple digital camera for my eBay photography, because I don't have a gloriously expensive one and I do not want to invest in an outrageously priced asset (liability too) when I cannot afford it yet. Believe me, you can really make the best of whatever camera you've got.  I've even taken amazingly clear shots with my phone's camera.

Post relevant & helpful photos of the item.

If you can post as many as you can, to show every side of the item, every good thing about it, and every fault it has, do it.  Never be contented with one, unless you're selling a brand new DVD of the latest movie.  

Like this. You really don't have to explain much with photos.

 

Choose photos that help them understand as much as possible, the item they are wanting to purchase. If you are selling this bracelet, for instance, this nice clear photo of the item would be good...

But adding more photos of it would even be better!!!  Take note that in eBay, you can now post up to 12 images for free.  So with this bracelet, you can also show how it will look like when fastened...

... how it would look like on your wrist, showing the fastened side...

... and the other side of it, while still on your wrist. 

Admit it, when you buy a bracelet in the market, for example, in person, you often like to try it on first and see how it looks on your wrist, most like in the last two photos.  

For other items, the important points are that you show the item by itself, with measurements or with a standard sized item (a coin, for example, to show the relative size), and then you add photos that explain how the item works or can be used.

Sing Super Mario!

This is one of the videos that has amused me lately.  Enjoy!

(He looks funny... reminds me of one of our wedding singers. Lol!)

I Want To Publish A Book!

It has been a million years in the making!  That crazy story I first wrote on MS Word when we were bored in the office some years ago... OK, I think it was in 2007. 

It started as a joke. I have this officemate, whom we nicknamed Lion, that we just love to bully.  She's the typical person who never gets seriously mad although she easily gets mildly annoyed.  That's why we love to bully her. LOL!

Yes, it all started with her.  She's somewhat tomboyish and would rather die than wear a skirt if it's not a super-required school uniform.  Because she's boyish, I created a fictional character based on her name, but made this character a girly girl who wants to win an international beauty pageant. Like Miss Universe. And she does everything to win the crown!

Lion actually laughed hysterically the first time she read it.  I thought she was possessed! Every now and then, she would let out a crazy, evil laugh, while continuing on with the story I made up. At the back of my mind, I knew then that there was something good in that story.

The first version of this story was two-pages long (letter-sized, size 8 or 10 Arial font, default margins, on MS Word).  Then it became three pages long. Then, four.  Then another friend of ours from college, Luna, who was somewhere else at that time, wanted to read about it and urged me to make it into a real book.

Working on the story has been on and off.  The other year, I seriously thought I would be able to actually finish the whole manuscript before October, and have it published and sitting among the pretty cyber shelves of Amazon by the next year.  But the writer's block happened, and the manuscript was shelved for a while.

This year, I want to be a mum already very soon (I am happily married, FYI). And when that happens, I imagine myself just staying at home and taking care of my baby.  I need a passive income.  Something like that book. 

Please, writer's block, please never happen to me again!!! Puh-leeze!!!

This is what I've got so far...

Wish me luck. I need it. Very badly.

Why Denebian?

I am a Denebian... by drawing of lots.  At the start of our last year in high school, I and my classmates were made to draw lots.  There were two sections: Deneb and Rigel.  You'll be assign to which section luck will bring you.  No exceptions. Luck led me to Deneb. Thus began my life as a Denebian.  

Deneb is the name of one of the brightest stars in the sky.  This star can be found in Cygnus, one of the northern constellations in the Milky Way.  That's all I can tell you about it.  Nope, I've never been there. Rumour has it that they have a mall.  Someone bought a Jollibee franchise too... according to gossip.

Do I ever want to go there?  Nope. I don't want to burn.  Deneb is a star, remember?

Snake bracelet, bought from Gaisano City mall in Bacolod. Totally not related to the post.

Hola!

Yes.

First post as me. 

Drop by and say hi. 

Or forever hold your tongue. 

:-D