Christmas Shopping Part 1

Divisoria

In realizing my goal of starting my Christmas shopping before this month ends, I went to Divisoria today. ^_^

With my list and a 5k cash on hand and Ate Jeng with her re-usable bag ready, we ventured into the streets of this famous market district.

Ate's reusable bag: BEFORE

We went there at around 2PM and I was skeptic if I would be able to buy anything from my list because it is a known fact that almost all Filipino people would be roaming around DV by now. But thank Heavens for a bigger 168, our 4 hour shopping time was a success!

Ate's reusable bag: AFTER

I was able to buy baby clothes for three of my inaanaks for 400 pesos and clothes for six of my pamangkins (Kuya's side) for 1280 pesos. Cheap, huh?! :) Can't post the pictures here because that would ruin the gift, but I can assure you that these clothes don't look their price. ^_^

I also got to buy gifts for my two kuyas and Ate Joan (Kuya Jandre's wife) for 600, and gifts for my fish friends for 250. :)

I have a separate list for myself and yes, I bought half of it! ^_^

I got this two cute blouses for 250 each and one slacks for 300 at Juana. Gosh, I now love Juana! :)

Juana is literally at every corner of 168, it is so easy to find :)

 

I have always wanted a long-sleeved shirt, but I couldn't find one that would look good on me and my chubby body :( But not this one. ;p Bought it for 250 and it was great!

I also wanted a new sling bag that would go with anything. This seemed perfect. The original price was 350, but to my surprise, it's on discount and that's why I got it for 315 pesos.

I also wanted lots of plain shirts. And so I bought these three, for 300 pesos.

A bling-bling would look cute on a plain shirt, so I also bought one at a store called Sakura for 150 pesos. :)

I actually never felt a pain on my feet until Ate and I stopped to take merienda. I was enjoying and loving the "shopping for gifts feeling" the whole time. ^_^ This is actually the first time that I'd buy a present for everyone, because this is also the first time that I could afford to buy for everyone. Haha. Last year, I only bought gifts for my siblings and inaanaks, the nephews and nieces - I ignored. Haha!

Anyhoo... thank God my Divisoria experience this year is not that bad. But I guess I won't be seeing Divi again until next year. Christmas shopping shall still proceed though, this time, on various (?!) SM and-slash-or Ayala malls. 

my shopping list :)

^_^

The Ipagmayabang Mo Rule

If you have it, brag about it ;p

Oh, yes.  I finally got it!

My first Belle De Jour Power Planner!!!! ^_^

I'm sorry if I am this excited, you see, you should know where I'm coming from.

 

 My planner from 2007 is MIA. Didn't make an effort to find it because our house is under renovation right now.

2010 was a year of tickets a lot of things to be planned, well at least for me.

You see, Goldilocks' planner used to suffice for my needs, but now that I've got a lot of things that I have to remember, it's sad to say but I NEED SPACE. Haha. A bigger writing space, that is. ;p And the BDJ planner, along with its many perks, seem to fit my needs. :)

I bought it the day after I found out about it. Talk about impulse, eh? Haha! I originally wanted the spiral one, but as my mind was clouded with excitement with the thought of seeing it in person, I didn't notice that what the cashier gave me was the hardbound one. But Rule#10 people.. there is no room for regrets. I didn't mind if it's hardbound, it's the BDJ Planner dammit!!! ^_^

 

This is the part where I flaunt the contents of this awesome power planner. Let me start off with my favorites.

Coupons!

There are over 50 coupons of various stores in here. What's exciting about this is that they have this promo, wherein if you got to use at least 50 of these, kept the receipts and presented it to them by the end of the year, your 2012 PP will be given to you... for free!! :) You get to avail of discounts and a free BDJ PP in return, how cool is that?!

Checklist! I'm a believer of the quote "live your life to the fullest". I've been meaning to create my list of "things to do before I die" but procrastination gets the best of me. And here, this planner made my life easy! Haha!

And oh, I spotted one that's ready to be scratched out! ;)

The weekly view (can you see the vast writing space?!) Haha!

The perks of the weekly view:

 

  

 

 Bills Tracker.

I haven't thought about this EVER before. But since BDJ has put up a space for this, why not? Maybe it's time I track the outgoing cash, rather than tracking only what's incoming. Haha!

Cash Flow Tracker.

This might be hard for me as I am really magastos and I am not used to taking note of the things I use my money for. But I swear, in 2011, I'll *try to* start monitoring my expenses and savings.

The Vacation Planner.

Yeah, I think the space is tiny too. But anyhoo....

The BDJ Essentials notebook (and its perks).

Important Events Tracker

Project Planner

Anything goes page :)

My Lists

Detachable Calling Cards :)

I will never get enough of this excitement until the first day of 2011. Woooooooooh! Sana 2011 na! 

:D

The Anger Rule

Do not let anger get the best of you.

Let me share these quotes I copy-pasted from the internet some months ago.  I'm not sure of the website(s) though, I was just browsing to the many notepads I saved in my local drive and voila.  I think this came from Grey's Anatomy's quotes.

Anyhoo... read them and read well. :)

In life we are taught that there are seven deadly sins. We all know the big ones... gluttony, pride, lust. But the thing you don't hear much about is anger. Maybe it's because we think anger is not that dangerous, that you can control it. My point is, maybe we don't give anger enough credit. Maybe it can be a lot more dangerous than we think. After all, when it comes to destructive behavior, it did make the top seven.

And another one.

So what makes anger different from the six other deadly sins? It's pretty simple really, you give into a sin like envy or pride and you only hurt yourself. Try lust or coveting and you'll only hurt yourself and one or two others. But anger, anger is the worst... the mother of all sins... Not only can anger drive you over the edge, when it does you can take an awful lot of people with you.

Simplifying...

Before you decide to let your mind be clouded by anger, think this:  What use will it do to me?  If I let this anger rule my life, what will I get out of it?  Will it bring a good night's sleep?  Will it make my world a happier place to live in?

Sure, you're only human.  Things provoke you to feel that way.  But just the same, you are human and you have the ability to rule over the emotions you have, you just have to use it.  Because after all, anger is but an emotion and emotions are just that, a state of mind.  The way you react to it, however, is a whole different story, and more often than not, the way you react to anger becomes the deadly sin.

Plus, getting consumed by anger does nothing but get in the way of a lot of good things in life.  You lose friends, you lose loved ones, heck, you sometimes lose family.  So what is there to gain?  Nada. None. Zero.

So man up, do not let your anger get the best of you.

The Plan The Year Right Rule

Plan the year right

Since four years ago, I have been a sucker for planners.  Goldilocks' has always been a dear friend when it comes to that.  But my needs changed now, I need a bigger writing space!  So this coming year, I’m bidding goodbye to you, love.

And saying hello to Belle de Jour! ^_^

Yes, I will plan the hell out of 2011 with one of these!!! :)

Though I don’t have one yet, excited lang, but I sure will buy one this weekend *hopefully* ^_^

Oh, before I forget! Here, fall in love with BDJ. <3

The 30 day blog challenge - Day 09

Something/someone you’re proud of

Since day 5 of this 30-day blog challenge, I haven’t been conforming to the supposed tasks of defining ONE something-something.  If you may have noticed, I didn’t post A PICTURE in day 5, I posted pictures.  I also didn’t discuss A HOBBY I have in day 6, instead I enumerated HOBBIES.  Nor did I post A PICTURE of SOMEONE or SOMETHING that has THE BIGGEST impact on me on the 7^th day; I instead exhibited PICTURES of TWO of my most beloved cartoon characters.

Now that I’m on day 9, I am supposed to confer SOMETHING or SOMEONE I am proud of.  I don’t want to break traditions, you know.  So again, I will not dwell on ONE person that makes me proud.  I’ve a lot of lovely people around me and they each deserve someone appreciating them.  I may not be vocal about these things, but the proud-ness I feel towards them is genuine nonetheless. :)

• I’m proud of my Ate Lala for wholeheartedly putting our family’s welfare above all else.  She was my provider all throughout high school and college and though I haven’t been the sweetest sister to her, I know I am her favorite, haha! ;p  Seriously though, I am really proud of her selflessness, that even until today that she’s in Singapore, she still makes sure everything’s alright here by checking on us almost everyday.

• I’m proud of Ate Jeng too, for being the mother figure in our family ever since Ate La left for SG (since Nanay has been in heaven for 5 years now).

• I’m proud of my tropang isda! 

•  I’m proud of Noreen for being a “one-man team” for the company she’s working for, she’s always been a reliable person (and a genius too). No wonder her superiors trusted her of handling huge tasks that easily.  

•  I’m proud of Maude for recently taking on a new challenge in her life.  Though she’s still skeptic if she’d be able to handle it, I know (yes, more than she does, haha) that she’ll be able to overcome her fears and excellently perform each new tasks handed to her.   

• I’m proud of Nhix for being so strong and for not letting scarcity get in the way of her dreams of making it through college.  Now she’s her family’s own version of “Ate Lala” and I’m proud that she’s selfless like that. :)  

•  I’m proud of Jejo for being the only sane person in her family and live to tell about it.  so strong of a daughter, a sister, a friend and a woman.  It wouldn’t be right if I’d narrate the reasons why I see her that way, and maybe she doesn’t know this but I admire her strength in facing trials life throw her way.

• I’m proud of Ep, for being able to handle motherhood with such grace.  I wasn’t sure myself if I’d be a great mother someday, but seeing Ep do it and love it at the same time, inspires me.

• I’m proud of V for being the best boyfriend.  Had I known before that I’d be this happy, I shouldn’t have wasted time and pursued him instead! Haha! ;p  I’m proud of how he’s able to handle me and my rants, of how he’s there to control me when my impulse gets the better of me, of how his life values are slowly becoming mine, of how he loves his mother (boys who love their mother has always been a turn-on for girls and of course for me), of how he’s going panicky when I text him “I’m bored” when I'm at home, of how he’s simply there to make me feel that I’m not alone and that I am loved.

• I’m proud of Ate Suzie, for being not just a team lead, but for being more like a mentor.  For always looking after me and for making sure I’m going the right path.  For giving me new challenges, not in the intent to taunt or mock me, but to sharpen my skills.

• I'm proud of Batch 6 for still keeping intact after 5 years.  I'm happy that everytime I'm with them, I feel like high school all over again.  I'm proud that we're able to keep that friendship. :) 

      Oh wait.

Hey, I’m proud of myself too! ;p

• For being able to put up a blog (with quasi consistent posts) that actually lasted until now ^_^ and for being granted the Blog with Substance and the Versatile Blogger Award although this site has been up for only two months (and 11 days). 
• For being able to buy the first gadget out of the money I’ve worked hard for to earn.

• For this. ;p
• For being disciplined enough to stay away from rice since like two months ago (but dear God, how I miss it >.<)

Ayun. ^^

The Nuffnang Rule

Make money friends something out of blogging. 
It's about time (i think)

Hobbies, like photography, trekking, traveling, most especially shopping, don’t earn you cash.  They do the opposite instead; they require you to spend.  What with the need of new lens, maintenance of the camera, gadgets for mountain climbing, air fare, sea fare, whatever fare, all those, they STEAL your money.  *okay I used the word steal just to add a little drama ;p*  And alright, maybe they make you happy; maybe they make your life more exciting, maybe they boost your enthusiasm for living.  But you have got to admit, they involve free flow of cash out of your pocket, too.

Blogging, on the other hand, does not.  In blogging, you don’t only earn new friends; you also earn respect from old friends, you also get to make money! :)  How? Here’s how!

By joining a blog advertising community like nuffnang! :)

I have been intending to make something out of this blog ever since I don’t remember when, but I was being stopped by the immaturity of my site and by the fewness of my posts.  Not that I think my blog is mature now and not that I think my 12 posts a month is enough (I just noticed that the past two months consists of 12 posts, haha, I didn’t mean to do that though), but I think it’s time I do something new with this hobby of mine.  I know, I know, I haven’t been actively writing in the past few weeks and I’m sorry for that.  It’s just that life happens you know. ;p  That’s why I thought maybe I needed nuffnang to inspire me to post some more. Haha!

I’m not only after the money though; I’m also after the challenge of making money. >=) Because more money would mean more visitors too.  More visitors equals more traffic! More traffic equals happy me! :)  Plus, since this is a “community”, this will also serve as a door for me to know (and hopefully be known) by other great bloggers.  Oh gosh, I’d get to earn friends, earn money, earn traffic and earn popularity!  How cool is that?!

Nuffnang also holds review-posting contests every now and then, I think I’mma try battling for that too.  I need a serious training in my reviewing skills, and this would be a great motivation for me, yes? ;p

a re-post from my first blog

my first was a short-lived blog :(

Out of the blue, I recalled that I created this post even before I unearthed my first ever blog site, which was named: i mind my own business.  It was a good blog title, I can't believe I let it go. :(  

Haha. Anyhoo.. Enough of the drama.  

Here is the post that ignited my blogging life. :)

this is too good to be true 

I wrote this last August 11 (yes, before I even started this blog site). The reason for the delay in posting this, you will see below. *wink*

Have you had a wish or maybe a dream that you wanted so bad but you’ve accepted it’s not yet the time for you to reach it? Like perhaps an SLR, which you know you can buy if you wanted to but your priorities stop you so you whole-heartedly set the “itch” aside? Or maybe something simpler like wishing for an unexpected holiday that would make your weekend longer because you seriously need it but you know would never happen (ever) so you just drag yourself to work because you have no choice?

Or maybe something grand. Like what I had.

(Drum roll please) I wanted to be promoted to SE… BUT (there are a lot of buts and I’m too tired to pinpoint each of them). Yes. As early as my 8th month in Accenture, I am itching for that title. I wanted to kick the “A” out of the “ASE” so bad but I thought I’m too premature or maybe too ambitious for that. So I postponed the thought, erased the red and bold “X” mark on the month of September, and moved it to March of the next year. (The last sentence is an exaggeration, of course there’s no X mark! Haha! I just meant that instead of September this year, I’m editing my dream and targeting to be promoted next March *wink*)

My perception of promotion in ACN before was you have to reach a minimum of 2 years (yes, you have to finish your bond) before the bosses will see you and maybe consider you to be promoted. Yeah, well that was before… because as I continue to spend a day after another with this huge company, I learned (after all the emphasis of the leads and execs) that promotion is not based on time spent within Accenture but is based on your performance and rating. Meaning: they don’t care if you’ve spent 5 years or just 6 months as ASE, just as long as you impress them, then you’re ready to rock the SE role. BUT (emphasizing the but again) there are a lot of other factors and competitions too and blah blah blah, I guess I'm not in the position to enumerate, I just know that there are. Hehe.

These things I learned from my Project Manager the morning he talked to me regarding my rating. No, I will not tell you what my rating is. Instead, let me share to you the emotions I felt before, during and after the conversation:

INTRO: I went to work (Tuesday, August 10) fresh from a 4-day weekend and I almost dragged myself to work ‘cause I’m still kinda hung over by the long vacation. That morning, my TL is showing hints that I am about to receive good news from our PM. I was clueless at first, but when a colleague asked “Nakausap ka na ni boss Rod? Hinahanap ka nya kahapon.” I thought maybe it’s the time for revealing my rating and of course I felt a little nervous. Unfortunately, boss Rod was on SL that day, so there’s no chance I can get out of the misery of waiting. I had no choice, hence the first emotion:

• ANXIOUS – Of course I was! With all the hints my TL told me, I’m hoping this is something good. I still dismissed the thought of promotion though, but I can’t help but hope for it. What if it is about me being promoted? What if I wasn’t careful what I wished for and I just might get it? A promotion this soon? Come on.

• CYNICAL – What if it’s not? Of course it’s not. I’m only nearing 8 months old in the company, how could I be so lucky? Plus, I’m hearing rumors of a colleague being promoted; can they promote two ASEs per project at a time? Of course not.

I generally felt the above mentioned the whole of Tuesday. Then eventually, the day ended. Wednesday came. Cutting the long story short, the conversation with boss Rod began and I felt:

(Warning: there will be a lot of “talking to myself” lines)

• HAPPY – Oh my God. Did he really??? Me??? Oh my gosh. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

• SKEPTICAL– This soon? Oh no… This is too good to be true.

• ECSTATIC – Oh my Gosh. Thank you Lalen!!!!! Thank you Ate Suzie!!!!!!

• INSECURE – Do I really deserve this? Have I shown enough? Must. Do. Something. More.

• HAPPY - *victorious smile*

• PANICKY – What if I sucked at being SE :( What if I’m no good at handling bigger challenges?

• CONTENT – ohhhh…. Yeahh…… :)

• PRESSURED – MUST. DO. BETTER.

• OVERWHELMINGLY HAPPY - I can’t believe I'm not allowed to blurt it out yet, how am I supposed to shout this out to the world?!?!?! :D

• WORRIED – I hope other peers would make it too… :(

• HAPPY – Oh well… :)

The conversation ended with me walking away from the conference room with a smile. I am so happy and so thankful and so happy and so thankful (I know, I said it twice… what the heck, I just am!)

I kept this good news from my friends and yeah, I waited for it to be formally announced declared before I posted this entry because I didn’t want to ruin anything. Honestly, I am still in shock and well, happy never the less. ^_^ (stop counting the word happy please)

I love being in my current project. I love my colleagues. I love my mentor for being so supportive and encouraging. I love my job. I love Accenture. I am looking forward to the next fiscal year and I’ll do my very best to not stay in SE for long *wink*

The 30 day blog challenge - Day 08

Short term goals for this month and why

Short term goals for this month:

1. See a dentist.
2. Get my teeth cleaned and repaired.  Or at least start the process.
3. Accomplish at least day 15 of this effin’ rule.
4. Have my hair cut.
5. Start shopping for Christmas (for myself and for my inaanaks, friends, family and loved one)
6. Finish two documentations I promised my domain team lead and quality team lead to have accomplished.

I guess that’s about it.  Don’t wanna bite more than I can chew! Haha! :)

Why?

1. Of course! It was my long term goal before.  Long term because back then, I didn’t have the moolah.  Now that I have plenty (yes, plenty is the proper term, haha!) I’mma do this. ^_^  I actually had an appointment for a dental consultation that was scheduled a week ago, but the dentist had an emergency so it was cancelled.  Before this week ends, I’ll call again to see if we could do it this Saturday. :)

2. Needless to say, after seeing the dentist, I want the process of cleaning and repairing to get started as soon as possible.  Not just because I’m desperately wanting to have a sparkly white teeth, but also because I’m scared that my precious money might transform into something else, like clothes, shoes, bags, food, movie tickets, and so on. Haha!

3. When I decided to take on the 30-day blog challenge some two months ago, I also mentioned that I will finish this before the year ends.  Look at me now.  I’m not even accomplished with the half yet!! And it’s mid-November already!! Hahaha!

4. I like me hair shorter.  Friends say it looked better on me.  Wanna do the comparison too??  *pictures to be pasted tomorrow*

5. I’m not really fund of shopping for other people (well, except for my boyfriend, haha).  I’ll be honest in saying that I like shopping for myself and myself only.  So when I buy gifts for others, I don’t do it on a one-time-big-time manner.  I do it one by one.  Haha.  I do it in between my selfish shopping and this takes place on different weekends.  There have been additional people on my list of gift-receivers, so I think I better start now if I want to be finished by Christmas. Haha!

6. Ugh. Work related.  But yeah, I’m adding this one too, because somehow, it is also me-related.  With promotion comes great responsibility and though I hate responsibilities, I have no choice.  Haha!  But seriously, I want these two documentations finished so I could finally say “Been there, done that” someday. *that day being December 1, haha* :)

The 30 day blog challenge - Day 07

 A picture of someone/something that has a big impact on you

Okay, so I edited the title.

It was supposed to be “A picture of someone/something that has the (pronounced as thee) biggest impact on you”, but just by looking at it, I can’t really pinpoint one thing or one person who has THE (again, pronounce as thee for emphasis please?)  biggest effect on my life.  They are plenty and they affect me in very different yet each-important ways.

And I don’t wanna dwell on seriousness.

Please.

So I’m choosing this pair of cute sea creatures:

Yes, they are.

Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star.

 

Haha! I’m sorry, friends, they are the chosen one.

I chose them because although I know there are a lot of grown ups out there loving them as much as I do, for me, they opened the door to sensible humor.  Haha, kidding.  The humor is just a plus but these two, no matter how stupid their characters play, deliver decent lessons about life, love and friendship.

Yeah I know,  I wasn’t impressed by the way they were drawn at first too.  

I didn’t like the squareness of Spongebob before and it seemed odd to me that he’s living on a pineapple under the sea.  The cartoon series appealed to me as weird, too.  But I did give it a try, and now I’m glad to have done so!

Now, I own a lot of spongebob stuff.

Thanks to my colleague, Lovely, who made it possible for me to own a Spongebob KFC Bucket and both them tumblers!

I don't know where this cellphone blingbling is at the moment.  I had a Patrick, too.  But no picture to boast :( V bought me my first Spongebob cellphone blingbling, but it's already "expired", so I didn't take a picture of it na.  Haha. Kupas na in tagalog!

This shirt I bought at Divisoria.  I can't help it, it's rare to find a cheap Patrick shirt that actually looks like him!

A birthday gift from Noreen. :)

This has been my coin purse for (I think) four years now.  This is a Christmas gift from Ate Lala.  I've been trying to replace this, but nothing seems to get me over it. :)

 

Of course, he's my cellphone's and our desktop's wall paper, too!

Yeah well, maybe I don't own that much. I don’t intend to “collect” them anyway *plus some, I had no pictures of*.  I just find them cute, so I buy them. Or put them on my wish list so someone can give them to me as a gift. ;p

 

I’ve always intended to buy lots Patrick stuff, too, but it’s rare to find something that really looks like him.  I hate it when their faces get distorted that if I knew who did it, I’d look at the person with utter disgust until he or she apologizes with what he or she did.  Haha.

I’m really not a “die hard” type of fan, but this cartoon series comes close to pushing me to become one.  Yes, it’s weird, but I still do watch their episodes, heck even the tagalog version, no matter if I’ve watched it before.  I’m only depending on the TV, but I think I’ve watched each and every episode of seasons one to four.  Yes, I watched the movie in the big screen, too! *thank God I have friends who also love them, haha*  Too bad, I haven’t been able to catch up now, well, because I live... and work.  But hey, I think I’mma include a DVD of full Spongebob Squarepants episodes in my Christmas wishlist! Haha! Been wanting to own one for years! ^_^