These Days

Employment vs. entrepreneurship . I think at some point, everyone thinks about whether to do one or the other.  A common Filipino aspiration is "magkaroon ng sariling negosyo," at least from the features we see on TV.  Think about it, if you hear, "maging empleyado" vs. "magkaroon ng negosyo," it does seem like the latter is the loftier goal. To clarify, I am not to undermining employment.  I have worked for multinational companies since graduating from college and I know how stressful and difficult it can get.  Employment has its perks, for sure.  Steady income, and layers of 'protection' that keep you from immediate impact of market fluctuations, a structured environment, processes, etc. Even so, I still admire people who risked starting their own businesses and have successful ventures.  What drives one to go for it?  I have thought about the lures of entrepreneurship these past few days because I was exposed to them to a small degree.  I...

I follow a lot of blogs on RSS.  As of today, I have over 1000+ unread posts.  Google Reader doesn't even bother to tell me the actual number anymore.=)   Makurat unya ko. The thing that I realized (ok I've known this for quite a while) is that I have shorter attention span and low motivation to read through long wordy posts, no matter how interesting they are.  I would read the start, skim over the middle and read the end... Not good. It may be the distraction of all the clickable links, the other unread articles and the Internet culture of speed and immediacy that contributed to this.  Or the idea that we can easily go back to the post once a block of reading time becomes available.  Which never happens because there are newer articles that vie for our attention. Still with me?  Good job!=) If this phenomenon is happening to me, someone who didn't grow up with Internet or TV and loves to read, how much more for the younger folks who are exp...

PasikBlogan Challenge #16: Ten Minutes Tops. Choose any topic, time yourself and blog for 10 minutes, tops. ================================= For my 10-minute challenge, I would like to talk about another of Neil's milestones.  He's potty-trained!  Yey!  He lets us know when he needs to go and has been successful doing #1 and #2 in the potty.  The thing though, he says 'weewee potty' for both but you'll know if it's just #1 if he doesn't want to sit. =) He's been pooping in the potty for months now.  And he used to say 'poopoo potty' when he wants to go.  He started saying just 'weewee potty' weeks ago when we started on training for #1.  There were accidents in the beginning, as expected, but he has been very consistent lately. He's in diapers only when he sleeps, or if we're going out of the house.  Getting rid of diapers will be the next stage.  Stay tuned! Or not. Congratulations, Neil! Reading while waiting =)  ==...

*** PasikBlogan Challenge #10: Few Words ***  PasikBlogan is a challenge for  Bloggers to stretch outside their comfort zone. Learn more at the PasikBlogan Facebook page .

PasikBlogan Challenge #11: Five Things I Find Challenging About Blogging ================================= I have been blogging on and off since 2003.  My first blog was hosted on blog-city, which I discontinued when they turned it into a paid service.  Then I moved to multiply, then blogger.  Even if I have been doing this for so long, I am no veteran.  There are still some things I find challenging about it.  Here's my top 5: 1) This blog is public on the web, no viewer restrictions.  I still struggle with how much to disclose and how personal should I get with the posts.  The thought that total strangers can learn quite a lot about me from this blog still makes me uncomfortable.  But I also want those who know me to get enough updates so it's a constant balancing act.  My few personal blogging rules: no whining, no personal attacks, no negativity... 2) I used to keep separate blogs on parenting, books, and my 365 photography project...

PasikBlogan Challenge #9: Taught by a Toddler.  Blog about what you've learned from toddlers. ================================= I can relate to this challenge!  I know that having a toddler has taught me a lot of things but it's good to sit down and really ponder about what those lessons are.  Here are some of the lessons I learned from Neil.=) Don't rush, don't worry .  As a first time parent, I used to always check developmental milestones to see if Neil is keeping up.  I used to worry if he seems behind and if he's ahead, that used to assuage my fears as well.  I've graduated from that.  Worrying takes away the joy of the present.  And how many times have I been proven wrong when Neil suddenly does or learns something new?  Now I let things unfold in their own time.  He'll do things when he's ready, things will happen when they are supposed to. Things are just things .  We know that people are more important than things, ...

PasikBlogan Challenge #8: Traffic Reflections.  We all experience traffic. On the road or in other areas of our life. What goes on in your mind and heart when you're in traffic? ================================= I am very lucky to not have to deal with traffic on a regular basis because my workplace is just a stone's throw away from the condo we're renting.  We weighed the cost and benefits of renting this unit and we concluded that the proximity is worth it.  I just walk to the office so the only traffic I deal with regularly is people traffic while navigating the streets of Makati. But one can never escape traffic in Metro Manila.  Dealing with it is easy if you have someone to converse with.  In my case, it's almost always Rich, the driver.=)  We talk about anything and everything, including some crazy traffic-induced ideas, like how cool it would be if you can hit someone's car and NOT sustain damage IF you are in the right.  That way, every...

Here's what the family was up to this weekend. Went to Clever Cats and bought toys for Neil on Saturday.  We were supposed to do groceries afterwards but ran out of time and had to rush to NAIA 1 to meet Carlo.  He's in Manila for a few days and staying with us.  We had lunch at home, after which we were off again to Greenbelt for Neil's weekly class.  I was too tired at this point, didn't get enough sleep the previous night, so I took a powernap inside the car... Then we all went back home for dinner.  It was almost 8PM when we tried to contact Erick/Joy again.  It happened to be their son Theo's 5th month and we decided to drop by their house to catch up.   We were up very early on Sunday to attend the 8AM church service.  Afterwards, we dropped Neil and yaya at the condo, then had lunch at Zong .  Gourdo's, which was close by is on sale so we checked out the store after lunch.  I got a really cool new mug!  Then we went s...

A few weeks ago, I bought Groupon vouchers for  50% off from Clever Cats .  Clever Cats carries wooden educational toys from Melissa & Doug, Educo, etc.  They are suppliers to some of the big toy stores in Manila so the prices are way cheaper than the malls.  They sell online but also have a showroom/warehouse in Makati near Cash & Carry.  We checked it out last Saturday. As with any other toy store, this was a time black hole.=)  We all had fun looking around and choosing what to get for Neil. Toys, toys... And more toys. We used up the two vouchers and had to pay more in cash.  We decided that there will be no more toy buying this year. Loot! If you're looking to buy toys, definitely check out Clever Cats.  The location is very nondescript from outside, just watch out for the little sign on the door. Clever Cats 1269 Batangas St. cor. Guatemala., Brgy. San Isidro 1200 Makati City

Carlo's visiting from Singapore and I thought it was a good time to use the 50% off voucher for Zong I bought weeks ago.  It was a Sunday and I called for reservations but they weren't accepting any more for the day, only walk-ins. We were there at 11:30AM and expected a crowd but there were only a few tables occupied.  It turns out, we were just a bit earlier than the lunch crowd.  Halfway through our food, the place was almost completely full and most of them by big groups celebrating special occasions. Our food: We ordered the Yang Chow Friend Rice, Singaporean Prawns, Fried Chicken with Salted Egg, Vegetable Rolls and Fried Prawn and Peach dimsum.  I would say the fried chicken is a must-try just because it's a unique version and really tasty.  The fried prawn and peach dimsum was very good, too.  They serve fresh and succulent shrimps here. Short verdict: that was one good lunch and I would definitely go back. Total cost: ~P1900, P120...

PasikBlogan Challenge #4 : “Get me the hell out of here” You find yourself lined up for hell. It’s up to you state your case and explain why you are *not* supposed to be in hell. ----------------------------------------------------   Heaven is an impossible destination if everything was up to me.  Nothing I can do by myself (sins, shortcomings and all), can ever entitle me for a place in heaven.  No, sir!  I was doomed and I needed a Savior...  ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) ... For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) Having sinned, I deserved eternal separation from God.  But Jesus, who was without sin, suffered the penalty for my sins.  I only needed to acknowledge Jesus' sacrifice... ... If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For i...

PasikBlogan Challenge #2: Random Strangers.  Take/Find a photo of a random stranger, post and blog about that person speculating on his/her thoughts, who he/she is, etc. I took a photo of this lola during the Handmaids of the Lord conference in Marikina last May.  I was waiting for Mommy to exit the building and lola was standing a short distance from me. I think she may be 70.  At this moment, she was a bit worried about finding her companions in the sea of people.  It was a hot day and she was tired and hungry.  After 3 days of conference, she was exhausted but thankful for the spiritual food that she received.  She makes a note to thank her dear friend who convinced her to go.  She just wants to find them so they can have lunch together and then make their way home.  It will be a long bus ride back to the province and she longs to see her grandchildren again... **** PasikBlogan is a challenge for  Bloggers to stretch outside their ...

This morning, I spilled my morning drink on the computer table.  The bottom of the laptop got wet, the numeric keys of the external keyboard, the ipod and the speaker phone... I acted quickly, wiped off everything, and happy to say that they seem to (still) be working... Also today, I bumped my head on the cabinet door WHILE I was trying to open the cabinet!  And right at the corner, too, so it was very painful.  I am now sporting a bukol on my forehead.  Yes, these things still happen to me... I've noticed that I'm susceptible to these accidents when I am not completely paying attention to my tasks.  My mind is on something else and I unintentionally completely ignore what I'm doing physically.  This is a lesson on being present. ********* Pasikblogan Challenge #1 - Crappy and Mundane.  See more details here .

I am the menu planner in our house.  Every weekend, I list what will be ulam for the whole week and the corresponding grocery list.  Lately, there have been a lot of repeats so I am always on the lookout for new dishes to try.  I chanced upon a roast chicken recipe in a magazine and decided it was going to be ulam for yesterday.  The chicken was thawed at 9AM and at 10AM, I looked for the recipe. Trouble #1 .  I couldn't remember which magazine it was so we had to flip through a stack of magazines to find the recipe.  I was getting ready to just wing it based on what little I remember but before that had to happen, we found the right copy.  Yey! Trouble #2 .  It says cooking time is 45 minutes.  Doable.  But prep time was 3.5 hours!  Toinks!  This is what I get for just taking a cursory glance at the recipe...  Anyway, no choice.  We had to have lunch by 12 noon so I shortened the marinating time to less than 5 mi...

I found this journal while looking through the notebooks section at Fully-Booked.  (Confession: I love notebooks.  I like looking at designs, feeling the paper and the unlimited possibilities of what they could be filled with.) Back to the journal, it's called My Future Listography.  There's a list topic that you can fill in on every page.  The topics are interesting, fun and thought-provoking.  I like making lists so I was immediately drawn to this format.  They come with cute artwork, too.  Really nice! Here are a few pages I snapped with my camera phone (low-res). I, however, did not buy it.  I thought it might be a good exercise to think of my own lists and create my own artwork to go with it.  Work in progress. Here's Listography on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/My-Future-Listography-Hope-Lists/dp/0811878368/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

July 22, 2011. UP Diliman I can't remember the last time I jogged around UP.  Probably while I was still doing my MS?  Basta, too long.  Jogging was one of my favorite things to do while in college and I got to do it again last July 22. Our team at work participated in a global company-wide charity run where 1 km = $1 to be donated to Shelter from the Storm . I pledged 12k, but didn't finish it all in one day though.  I did 3+ rounds of the acad oval and made up the remaining distance the following week on the treadmill.  I haven't exercised in more than a month prior to the jog.  The exertion felt goood!  Note to self: Mag-exercise! After the run... Then team dinner at Chocolate Kiss.  Good food!