What I know now

It may take a couple of wrong turns, broken dreams and failed attempts to realize the value of one's self. Trust me when I say this that the road to self-realization doesn't come easy nor does it ever end. Every single day of our earthly lives, we discover something new, something worth changing and something we should let go of. And right now, I have realized a couple of things :

..that the only people I can ever entrust my life to (for now), are my parents.
..Silence is not always a therapeutic way of communicating - it is a two way street that could either mean apathy or deep concern.
..People can be good, if they'd want to.
..There isn't such a thing as a bad day - only bad moments in a given day.
..Speaking up must be used with caution - for a drop of unsolicited idea can make or break you.
..Timing is everything.
..We make plans for ourselves, but there will always be a bigger plan to it all.

I see things differently now. I know, for sure, that I will be okay - no matter. So this is me free falling. Let's see where it will lead me :)

Project DIY : Beads & Boxes

For the past couple of months, I have been ogling DIYs and frosted glasses over at youtube. And whenever I get idle time at work, I jump at the chance of checking paper and beaded crafting, just to get more ideas. I can't really explain it. Crafting, to be specific, has become a haven to me. And I told myself I am going to start my crafting ASAP!

That's exactly what I've accomplished yesterday.

What you see is a non-sewn loot bag and a book, wrapped in mint paper and ribbon, to be given as a gift by my friend, Rex, for his friend's wedding come December 13, 2014. I used cuff links to bejewel the ivory cord and the ribbons, and reused a price tag to serve as a greeting card. Other materials would include : 
- katcha cloth
- Aleene's fabric glue
- origami paper
- wrapping paper in mint
- scissor
- scotch tape

So, what do you think?

And on a different note, I came across this article by HangingRice.com published via SunStar newspaper detailing the 7 Craft Stores one could find in good 'Ol Cebu. Please click this link.

and the journey goes on

"And so I'm back, from outerspace" - Boy, was this lyric very appropo. Nope. I did not invade any galaxy nor fought aliens from outerspace. Lol.  But am I glad to be home again. :)

So, how should I start this post? Well, let me just say that this verbaljunkie right here is definitely brimming with blogos-ophic thoughts to share. The past year and a half has been a whirlwind of surprises for me. A lot of unexpected things happened - both the good and the ugly, but in conclusion to that chapter? Life is just too damn beautiful to ignore.

Therefore, let me keep things to a minimum, for a now, and let us all bask in the goodness of life and the many lessons we all have shared in it. Good or not, things do happen for a reason.

And for some photo op, lookie :

brown oxfords - Lower East Side by Payless

setting boundaries

How I wish I had the very same remote control Adam Sandler had in that movie "Click". One can simply redo, undo and fore-do a situation in his/her life. But of all the many buttons that remote control had, there's this one that I would want to try in my life right now - slow motion.

Having lived a life of overdue bills, rush hour and rising quotas is insanely overwhelming sometimes. It is either you regroup your senses or lose hope altogether. This used to aggravate me - having no control over time and over numbers. However, when you isolate yourself from the many humdrums of everyday activities and stressors at work, you find a haven that allows you to breathe, lay back and care less as to how the outside world is reacting. 

What I have learned in my almost 2 months of hiatus is this: Don't worry over the petty. If it's something you can get by without increasing your blood pressure nor end up smacking the front screen of your door, by all means, let it go. As how Van Wilder simply put it, "Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but does not get you anywhere."

quirk trip

Wanting to be on the road means bringing just the right amount of stuff to get you by with any given scenario. You need to have the right set of shoes, clothes and a little dose of extra something to keep the whole experience worth the while. 

So, I happen to come across this little haven back when I was strolling the streets of Somerset. Describing the interiors as delish is just underrated. On top of that, they sell vintage-inspired items that are not only stylish, but surprisingly functional as well. Want to know what this mysterious, quirky, little shop is? My friends, welcome to Typo.

Photo blog in coming...

Snooze those little buggies away with this aviator-inspired eye mask

Travel documents in all sorts of mess? These stylish pocket keepers will surely handle that.

Now, I know that everything is digitally convenient with just a swipe of a finger. But this junkie right here still wants her thoughts "physically" tangible. And I picked not just one, but 4 designs out from Typo's wide array of binders and notebooks. 

Come on. What's a quirk trip without a dose of caffeine? This comic-inspired drowse buster will definitely put things in a creamier perspective. LOL

Whoever said that being a verbal junkie on the road would only necessitate the functional? I differ. I  have always wanted one of this dark-rimmed, wide glasses for the "effect". LOL

This brand does not only offer the best buys there is for the literary-inclined individuals or the backpackers who still want to exude glam despite the hustle and bustle of travelling. It also offers a plethora of goodies that can take you from your everyday trip to school or work and bring your journey to a much heightened level by bringing in a more personal touch to your experience. It's a paradise worth scouring. Try it and be Typo-ed!

the next WHERE TO

It seems to me that when somebody mentions the word "travel", we immediately assume International airports, immigration officers and more than a 3-hour flight across some place foreign. It stuns me that most of us would prefer getting out of our birth place rather than basking in a homey bliss of having to learn what our district, city or province can very well offer.

While my thoughts brought me back to my days in Singapore, I've realized that we need not have to be tourists in a foreign country to enjoy travel. It is all about finding out what's MORE in something you have seen a million times, and still find yourself looking at it as if it were your first. I must say that having lived my entire life here in Cebu, I feel I haven't been around much. Yes, I've seen the usual prospects: the malls, the tall buildings within Asiatown I.T. Park, the Fuente Osmeña Rotonda and many other known landmarks. But what I am really after right now, is seeing a much simpler, much smaller-scaled Cebu. I want to discover a coffee shop hidden in some not so famous subdivision that brews one of the best caffeine there is; I want to get my hands on Lapu-Lapu City's Ukay-ukay; I want to ride in one of Ceres bus liner's non-air conditioned buses and explore Cebu's southern region with non-commercialized beaches and food joints. 

I guess, I have reached another milestone with my blogging - well, more of a blinding realization really. While I don't mind taking my verbal senses to a much broader platform, I also would like to rediscover the familiar. Hmm.. This does sound like another plausible concept. (I am one giddy verbal junkie right now!)

And since I am all in rediscovering Cebu, here is a post I came across while doing the using humdrum of stuff in Facebook. Hope everyone gets to see Cebu the way she did. 

on the menu

Here is a blog post from callcentersphil that was downright hilarious and spot-on true. If you've been to the call center block, or basically anyone who has worked or is working in a nightshift job, then read this. 

A BURNED OUT CALL CENTER AGENT IN THE LAND OF WILLY WONKA

Image via Wikipedia

BURNED COOKIES

A recipe for a burned out call center agent

Ingredients

• 10 kilos of all the resentmentyou have ever felt in the call center but never expressedtowards those shrieking callers who have called you moron, idiot, and/or stupid, those racist customers who refused to speak with you, and those ungrateful ones, whom after you have faithfully helped to resolve their issues, taunted you back with insults, and in doing so, destroyed your faith in humanity.
• 10 kilos of all the bitterness you've ever felt toward those call center authority figures whom you have once respected but didn'trespect you back, who took advantage of your credulity and never appreciated your willingness to tear out your guts at their bidding, and in doing so blotted out your belief in the promise of reward for your sincerity and reliability.
• 10 kilos of all the revulsion you feel towards the circumstances that surround you, that scoffs at an attempt to promote righteousnessand instead rewards perversion, that mocks at honesty and ethical behaviour because "No one gets rewarded for being honest and ethical," and in doing so destroys itself.
• 2 cups of crushed and pounded belief
• 300 grams of ground sanity
• 200 liters of bile
• 1 tbsp of vinegar

Directions

Throw everything into a large vat and mix thoroughly to form a batter.Beat mercilessly until it is soft. Knead the batter with your bare hands and make a dozen of fist-sized lumps. Then shape them into the people you despise.

Bake in 2000 degrees of rage.

Orders, anyone?