♥ My Creative Little Nook ♥

Its one of my hobbies - blogging, but due to my busy schedule I find no time to blog. I'm just stealing 5 minutes today- a break from my office work. Lately, I've been too stressed out with all of my responsibilities. Even during my "sought after" vacation, I had to work on the manual/guidelines for email marketing campaigns and webinars. I know writing is not my forte but what can I do? Its my job and I have to do it.

Anyway, I'm working on a new blog on something Im passionate about- FOOD! hehehe. Im still working on the layout (although I just downloaded the template from somewhere) Im trying to fix it up. Its a food blog which will include all my food adventures and recipes. I'll try to spend some time blogging and digging up some coll things related to food and travel. But at this point I have to go now...

Later!

Worked over time today. As I got home, my throat started to hurt again. When I woke up, it just got worse. Sore throat followed by some serious coughing. And now, I had to buy a box of Kleenex from 7-Eleven. Stuffy nose, can't hear clearly. My ears are affected by this virus that struck me. Again, I have to pop meds in my mouth for every 4 hours or so. I need to get some sleep - 7 hours or 8 hours would be good.

Oooh, remember something. Yesterday, I was too pressured with work. I wanted to cry but thought of, "If I cry, then its like I'm giving up on myself" which is unlikely of me. I'm a fighter - I'll do whatever it takes. But today, I am thankful - thankful for the people who extended their hands out to help me out with the project I was doing. I really got ocnfused and lost out there but hooray! It's finished and working. Also finsihed off with my email campaign, boss said I did a good job. :-)

BTW, bought some stuff at National Bookstore today - sketch pad, pencils, colored pencils ( I was supposed to get some oil pastels too, which I really love to use, but its too messy) Will try to bring back the old times - doodle mania.

Sometimes you’re just going about your business — working, partying, falling in love — when suddenly, you’re blindsided: You get fired, your guy dumps you, or you go broke. Cosmo’s gonna tell you how to rebound.

Disaster 1: You Were Fired

How to Bounce Back
“First of all, don’t go around acting beaten down,” says Caitlyn Friedman, coauthor of The Girl’s Guide to Kicking Your Career into Gear. “Be honest but upbeat. Say, ‘It was disappointing, but here’s what I’m going to do now.’ It’s better to be the person who talks about it than to have it be the elephant in the room.” Then face the fact that rejection provides information — so use it. “Think honestly about why you got fired,” advises Bernardo J. Carducci, PhD, professor of psychology at Indiana University Southeast and director of its Shyness Research Institute. “Perhaps there’s a slowdown in your industry overall, but maybe it is something about you. Perhaps you were spending too much time cruising the Internet or your sales were going down.” This is your chance to figure out whether you actually liked doing that job anyway. (Were your sales down because you were bored stiff by selling radio time? Had you outgrown your position?) “If you can take some emotion out of the situation, you’ll learn a lot,” says Friedman. “For many people, being fired is the best thing that ever happened to them because they use it to think creatively about their career.”

Preventive Measures
“Firing rarely really happens out of the blue,” says Friedman. In hindsight, the clues are everywhere. If your boss isn’t quite meeting your eye, you feel suddenly left out of the loop on key projects, you got turned down for a promotion, or there is less pressure on you to achieve goals or score big coups, you’d better start staying late...and brushing up your résumé. And all along the way, adds Friedman, “you should be managing your career — have a five-year plan for yourself.” Even if you’re at a junior level, start meeting people in your industry, attending conferences and events, and building relationships with people in your company who might mentor you. “The bigger your world is,” Friedman says, “the better off you’ll be if you’re fired. A lot of people just figure they are working hard and will be rewarded, but it doesn’t work that way.”

Disaster 2: You’re Broke

How to Bounce Back
You’re not alone: Forty-two percent of the college class of 2006 admitted to living at home a year after graduation. But even if credit-card expenses are getting you down, try to stay out on your own, advises Patricia Brennan, a certified financial planner who teaches personal finance courses at Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County in New Jersey. To get back on your feet, Brennan suggests shifting credit balances to a promotional zero-percent card and finding budget leaks by writing down every dollar you spend for a month. And the little things really count, she adds: Try brown-bagging your lunch, drinking coffee at home rather than buying a daily jumbo cappuccino, and saving your loose change.

Preventive Measures
Everyone should have an emergency fund that will keep them going for three to six months, says Brennan, so start putting that aside with your first paycheck. If you’re finding that you can’t pay your credit-card bill each month, put the card in your freezer — literally. “If it’s sitting in a block of ice, that will at least slow you down and give you a chance to rethink before you spend,” she explains.

Disaster 3: You Were Dumped by The One

How to Bounce Back
There is a fine line between obsessing and reflecting, says New York psychologist Dale Atkins, PhD, author of Sanity Savers: Tips for Women to Live a Balanced Life. “You do need to confront it and feel the emotions,” says Atkins, “but you need to put a cap on it as well.” She advises giving yourself a specific window of time each day to indulge all the painful thoughts and memories — say, 7 to 8 p.m. — and then force yourself to let go and start thinking about the bigger picture. Which should not, for a little while, include hopping into bed with either a handy ex or the next guy who buys you a drink at your neighborhood spot. “That kind of quick fix doesn’t feel good for long,” says Atkins. “Ultimately, you’re going to have to allow yourself to be vulnerable again, and that can’t happen until you’ve gone through the healing process.” Once you’re semirational, begin analyzing your past for destructive patterns you can avoid next time.

Preventive Measures
Some things in life simply aren’t under your control, and someone falling out of love with you is one of them. But you can become a more resilient person in the face of disappointment or heartbreak, says Atkins, by creating and sustaining a strong circle of supportive friends and family rather than letting those ties lapse when you get serious with someone.

Disaster 4: You Hate Your Career Choice

How to Bounce Back
First question: Do you hate your career choice or simply your job (or your boss)? Think about what really motivates you: Money? Creativity? Autonomy? Make a list of the accomplishments you get the most compliments on. Then, advises Friedman, research your options by joining professional groups (the Downtown Women’s Club is one), going to conferences, and asking people what they love about their work.

Preventive Measures
Every six months or so, advises Friedman, do a career scan. How have the past six months been? Where do you want to be next year? Ask yourself: Where did this idea of being a [fill-inthe- blank] come from? Does it feel authentic to me? Do I experience joy in it? Those internal queries can help you recalibrate sooner rather than later.

Disaster 5: Your Best Friend Betrays You

How to Bounce Back
At this point in your life, your friends are standing in for family, says Atkins, so a betrayal of magnitude can shake your foundation. “It can help to talk about it with other friends who can offer perspective,” says Atkins. “Maybe there’s something going on in her life that you don’t know about…or something about you that she can’t handle.” Whatever the reasons, dump the revenge fantasies, and just concentrate on whether you want to give her another chance. Is this the first betrayal, or one in a series? Is it a very long-lived friendship that deserves another shot? If you do want to try to repair things, Atkins suggests writing an e-mail along the lines of: “I don’t understand what happened, but I feel hurt. If you want to tell me about it, I’d like to know.”

Preventive Measures
Don’t put all your friendship eggs in one basket. “You don’t want any one person to be the source of your identity,” says Carducci. Instead, have several close friends in different circles, so if you end up disappointed or hurt by one of them, it’s not so devastating.

Building Your Decision Muscles
"When something bad happens, you need to take action to recover, say life couch Christine Hassler, who offers the following tips to help you strengthen your coping skills.

Make Every Decision Solo
Don’t ask for help for a week — with work dilemmas or choosing an entrée at dinner — to get in touch with your ability to be decisive.

Take a Trip Alone
Even if it’s just two towns away, get away for the weekend. You’ll be out of your comfort zone and in full-time decision-making mode.

Decide for Right Now
Dump the what-if mentality — not every choice has a domino effect far into the future, so try to stay in the present.

Get Out of Your Head
...And into your body. You make better decisions if you’re intuitive. So listen to your physical signals to access your gut.

Its more than a decade actually, its been two (2) decades since I had my last bite of my favorite chocolate - Nestle's Lion Bar. I can still vividly remember the last pack my mom bought for me - a 3-piece Lion Bar pack from Cherry Foodarama grocery in along Shaw Blvd. I was happy and contented even just by holding that pack, although I was eager to open it and gobble it up. After that day, the Lion Bar chocolates were nowhere to be found. Its like they disappeared - together with one of my childhood memories of eating candies and chocolates. After that one, I would always look for those chocolates. And then in 2007, I was watching TV and then it appeared once again in my sight, Lion Bars- produced in small quantities in a small sweet shop. Then again, it all came back to me - the chocolate I was longing for for years.
And last Sunday was my luckiest day. Lion Pop Choc was sold in a local grocery store - only 4 packs were sold. I had to beg my mom to buy them for me. And yey! I did get them. Although it was a bit different from the original bar, its tsill was fullfiling. Lion Bar... yum...

Woke up at 7am and prepared mini pancakes... made 8 mini pancakes for me and mom.
Flour, eggs, milk and baking powder - combined them to make the perfect batter...
Drizzled some maple syrup on top... yummy! bon apetito!

I woke up feeling happy and at peace - well, I guess the medications (antibiotic and anti-histamine) I'm taking do help a bit in letting me sleep for longer hours. The sun is up though rain clouds are starting to form.

Yesterday, I really had a great time. I visited my friend who just gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby girl names Gabrielle. She had gray eyes and a cute little button nose. She turns all red whenever she cries. It was such a beautiful sight. It was also nice to know that my friend was okay although she had to undergo the dreaded C-section.

After leaving the hospital I watched Ice Age 3 - the final "episode" for the trilogy. For me it was waaaay better than the first two movies. I especially love the idea of the "world above" and the "world under". Buck was a great addition to the "herd".

I first saw her works while browsing the internet and then now, she is one of the artists featured in Google. Her successful exhibits and merchandise sales really shows how popular she is now as an artist. I especially loved her work back in 2007, The Non-Stop Game. Looking at it just made me think about Peter Pan all of a sudden - being a kid forever, playing non-stop. I also loved her work, How to be A Good Mother. And in 2009, another great set from this artist. Dancing Queen and Doll are my favorites in her showcased works.

She was born in Hong Kong. She believes that in her past life she was an alien from distant planet so she's facing difficulties in communication with people here on Earth. She claims that she can draw with both hands at the same time so that she earns a living at double speed and has more time for sleeping! A graduate of the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong and the Kent Institute of Art & Design in England, Chau is currently a famous graphic designer and an illustrator in Hong Kong.






Carrie’s works depict the daily life as funny, positive, with an eerie touch of delicacy. Through her drawings and 3D sculptures, she represents swollen and joyful characters, and seems to be inspired of jumping jack, fairy tale where angels, imps, and all the animals from Noah’s Ark. “Sometimes I’m inspired by fairy tales; I like fairy tales such as Blue Beard, The Emperor’s new clothes. But not the Cinderella, snow white or such kind of story, too “sweet” for me.”

1. How old will you be in five years?
29 years old.

2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today?
office mates

3. How tall are you?
5'7

4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks?
The next payday hehe

5. What’s the last movie you saw?
Transformers:Rise of the Fallen

6. Who was the last person you called?
Alain

7. Who was the last person to call you?
Mom

8. What was the last text message you received?
About going out tomorrow

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voice mail?
I don't use voice mail

10. Do you prefer to call or text?
text.

11. What were you doing at 12am last night?
Eating Belgian Waffle with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel syrup

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced?
Single

13. When is the last time you saw your mom?
A few hours ago

14. What color are your eyes?
brown

15. What time did you wake up today?
3:00pm (I work on permanent night shift)

16. What are you wearing right now?
jeans, black v-neck long sleeve shirt plus black sandals

17. What is your favorite christmas song?
All I Want for Christmas Is You and the one that goes "Chestnut roasting on an open fire"

18. Where is your favorite place to be?
Home

19. Where is your least favorite place to be?
parties

20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
A trip around the world

21. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years?
Australia. Traveling maybe.

22. Do you tan or burn?
I dunno.

23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?
Nothing. I really didn't believe in ghosts until this one time happened, but it was nothing really.

24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
My puppy, Zick and I were playing then I got on the floor to get some DVD's, opened the TV rack's glass door then Zick came rushing towards me with his rubber bone then *bump* he bumped on the glass door. Poor thing. It was funny but after 3 seconds I felt sorry for him.

25. How many TVs do you have in your house?
1. My mom doesn't tolerate me watching TV so I just watch on my laptop (secretly)

26. How big is your bed?
Single

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer?
Desktop and laptop

28. Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
With

29. What color are your sheets?
Right now? Its pastel with Teddy Bear prints on it.

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?
3 pillows

31. What is your favorite season?
Rainy days (Tropical country)

32. What do you like about fall?
Experienced it, i like how the leaves change its color... its like magic

33. What do you like about winter?
The first time I experienced it it felt like i was trapped inside a snow globe. I like it when the snow covers the street, roofs.. everything. Everything is white, like walking in clouds... except for the fact that its really cold.

34. What do you like about the summer?
beach! the sun!

35. What do you like about spring?
Melting snow.

36. How many states provinces have you lived in?
When we went to the US for a vacation.. well Ive slept in 4 states (California, Neavda, Washington DC and New Jersey)

37. What cities/towns have you lived in?
Here in the Philippines, Ive lived in 2 cities. Pasig and Mandaluyong

38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
bare feet

39. Are you a social person?
Not really.

40. What was the last thing you ate?
belgian waffle

41. What is your favorite restaurant?
I have lots in mind right now...........

42. What is your favorite ice cream?
I'd prefer having ice pops/popsicles...

43. What is your favorite dessert?
Egg tarts

44. What is your favorite kind of soup?
Pumpkin soup with yogurt, mushroom soup

45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich?
I don't eat PBJ's. I don't eat peanut butter in the first place.

46. Do you like Chinese food?
Yup. also Japanese.

47. Do you like coffee?
Not much. I'd prefer a cup of hot chocolate

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average?
5 or 6

49. What do you drink in the morning?
water or Berri's Morning Start Juice

50. What non-banking related card in your wallet is the most valuable to you?
discount cards and Time Zone cards

51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
yes. I always face the wall then have a pillow cover my whole head.

52. Do you know how to play poker?
no, and I don’t care

53. Do you like to cuddle?
sometimes

54. Have you ever been to Canada?
no

55. Do you have an addictive personality?
yes

56. Do you eat out or at home more often?
both

57. What do you miss about highschool, if anything?
the carefree-ness of being a teenager

58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you?
yes, my schoolmate, we call each other ka-birth

59. Do you want kids?
yes i do. i love playing with kids.

60. Do you speak any other languages?
i know the basics.. as in super basic terms in Korean, Japanese and Chinese. I am fluent in Tagalog (Filipino) and English.

61. Have you ever gotten stitches?
nope

62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
no, but i want to.

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?
both.

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat?
window

65. Do you know how to drive stick?
yes.. that's the manual drive right?

66. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
food, shoes, bags, clothes, movies

67. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7?
no. but i have a couple of them

68. What is your favorite TV show?
Supernatural, The Grimm Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Monster Allergy

69. Can you roll your tongue?
a bit

70. Who is the funniest person you know?
ummmmm

71. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
no.

72. What is the main ring tone on your phone?
Zero by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

73. Do you still have clothes from when you were little?
some for "precious keeps"

74. What red object is closest to you right now?
pen

75. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth?
no. i know i waste water

76. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
yes

77. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
bees

78. Do you flirt a lot?
no.

79. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
barbecue sauce and ranch

80. What is your favorite food?
anything, depends on my craving

81. Can you change the oil on a car?
yes.

82. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?
no

83. Have you ever run out of gas?
no

84. What is your usual bedtime?
2am but now its 8am

85. What was the last book you read?
Breaking Dawn

86. Do you read the newspaper?
sometimes

87. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
nope

89. Do you watch soap operas?
no

90. Do you dance in the car?
no

91. What radio station did you last listen to?
dont listen to the radio anymore

92. Who is in the picture frame closest to you?
i dont have a picture frame at the office

93. What was the last note you scribbled on a piece of paper?
sleepy

94. What is your favorite candle scent?
vanilla

95. What is your favorite board game?
monopoly

Where’s 96? here.

97. When was the last time you attended church?
last sunday. but i visit the adoration chapel (Blessed Sacrament) almost everyday.

98. Who was your favorite teacher in high school?
no one.

99. What is the longest you have ever camped out in a tent?
1 day.hahahahha

100. Who was the last person to do something extra special for you?
Alain. He picked me up last last night because it was raining and he knew I was sick... *sweet*