Day 334: Monito

This gift is going to my exchange gift baby.  I sincerely hope he does not have any kind of awareness of this blog and will not see this post.  Otherwise, I might get outed before I'm supposed to be.

Day 333: Test Shot

I was going around looking for accessories for Nino.  Interestingly, this is the only shot I got to take during the day.  I was running test shots with the polarizer, and found it to my liking.  I was also looking for a tripod, but my sister called dibs on it and volunteered to give me one for Christmas.  She's giving me a Manfrotto tripod.  How neat is that?  I love my sister, even if sometimes we hate each other.  That's what family is, anyway.

Day 332: To Start A Good Day

My love affair with coffee has been discussed in this project several times, that if you're following this you might be tired of reading about it.  I normally start my day with a cup of coffee.  I found out about this brand of 3-in-1 from one of the girls on this project.  When I saw it in the grocery, I hoarded.  Good thing, too, since they ran out of stock the next time I was there.  It's different from Nescafe, and I hate to say this, but this one tastes like the stuff coffee dreams are made of.  It also comes in different flavors, and I think you have to somehow find what you like.  So far, Mocaccino and Vanilla Latte are my favorites.  They kick the day off right.

Day 331: Hanging

I was reading for the most part of the day, so I didn't get to take a photo of anything other than my necklace.  I like how the light falls on the beads, though.

Day 330: A Picnic Blanket

I received this gift from Dianne today, and I love it!  It's a collection of token pieces and each one has a meaning.  I find it absolutely adorable!  I like receiving presents, just like everyone else, but I like it best when you know there's thought involved in the gift-giving.  These are the gifts that show you value.

Thanks again, sis! :)

Day 329: Shadows

I'm bored and I'm tired, so I didn't really get to take anything decent.

Day 328: Locked

I bought myself this lock for the gym locker.  I like traditional padlocks that requires keys, however, I'm practical enough to know I wouldn't appreciate walking around the gym with keys dangling on me like I was a jail keeper.

Day 327: Spring in a Roll

Dropped by BreadTalk to get Cheese Floss, when I saw this.  The colors on the bread was very appealing.  Plus the funny names they give the bread adds a certain charm.  Now, if only they don't use as much plastic.

Day 326: Needs to Change

I've been thinking of re-installing shower fixtures in my bathroom.  It's a little difficult to make these decisions when you do not own the apartment.  However, I'm thinking that since I don't really plan on moving any time soon, I might as well fix everything.

Day 325: Ceramic Sunflower

I remember getting this ceramic hook from St. James Bazaar two years ago.  Which reminds me, I haven't done the bazaar scene for some time.  Which is a good thing, because I'm saving to travel.

Day 324: Shady Mirror

Nothing significant to take a picture of today.  Bored to bits and pieces.

Day 323: Millenium

This year is the year I spent reading the Millenium Trilogy.  On off days, I would sometimes spend hours in a coffee shop reading.  I know it sounds superficial, but I do this so I can get out of the confines of my apartment.  Not that I don't like it at home, it's just that I cannot just stay inside the whole time.  I can, but I guess, I refuse to.  


This book has taken me to all sorts of highs and lows.  Lisbeth Salander is probably one of my favorite fictional characters to date.  This girl puts meaning to the aphorism "don't get mad, get even".  I don't care if she's a sociopath.  She, at least, has strong moral ethics.  The things she do, are things done not out of spite, but out of a strong sense of justice.  That's a lot more than most people do for self-preservation.

Day 322: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I've been thinking of getting myself an iPad recently.  Primarily because I'm running out of space to keep my books.  Add the fact that as much as I love the smell of paperback, it does add up to my carbon footprint.  However, as I contemplate on the merits of getting a tablet, I would still buy myself a book so I will be forced to read.

Day 321: Bills

It's that time of the month when you have to take care of the bills.  I remember the first time I did this on myy own, I felt like such an adult.  Now, it feels like a damned nuisance.

Day 320: When Hope Is Not Enough

I find the adage on this beauty product too humorous not to notice.  I've always liked Philosophy, but I have been partial to Hope in a Jar.  This just came as an extra in a set I bought from them.  I'll probably try it soon enough.

Day 319: Dollhead

One of our interns left this with me a couple of years back.  A girly souvenir.

Day 318: Torquoise

I've been running a lot recently, and this has caused my old pair of sneakers to wear out.  I feel sorry for the thing as it looks ready to break apart.  I had intended on waiting until December to get a new pair, but I figured I needed one now since my old pair is more than ready to retire.  I had apprehensions about the color, but damned if this wasn't the most comfortable running shoes I've worn.  They have cushions on the soles, which Nike calls a footbed.  Call it whatever you want, it's sold to me.

Day 317: Rain Pelts

Rain pouring down outside the cab as I went home.  This global warming thing is really insane.

Day 316: Baked Potatoes

Pardon the poor quality, my hunger was more important than getting a clear picture. :P

Day 315: Filter In

Since I sleep most of the day, I try to keep my curtains drawn most of the time so it's easier to filter the sunlight.  Sometimes, when the wind blows them open I pin them up with my ever handy peg.

Day 314: A Thousand Cranes

We were doing origami art for several birthday celebrants at work, when I just ended up making one paper crane after another.  I did not even realize there was a bunch of them until I ran out of paper.  They're pretty neat, though.

Day 313: Panizza

We had dinner at the Tower Club with a visiting executive today, and this was the star of the dinner.  Panizza is this thin-crust pizza cut in lengthy strips which you roll over some vegetables.  It must be known for most people locally as Yellow Cab's Dear Darla pizza.

This is nothing like Dear Darla, though.  It's ten times yummier.  Comparing it doesn't even give it justice.  Chef Chris Locher came out to ask what we thought of the food.  I have to say, he's a master of his craft.  He also served us tiramisu (it was so soft and divine, you simply put a spoonful in your mouth and it melts right there) and homemade gelato (my favorite out of everything).

Unlike how most people would probably envision work-related functions, this was a very relaxed dinner.  There were a lot of thoughts shared throughout the entire dinner, it felt more productive than I expected it to be.

Day 312: S'mores

Recently, my need for sugar intake is on a high.  Not simply because I'm craving for sweets, more because I need it to keep my energy up.  I thank the gods of Starbucks for producing s'mores, then.  Chocolate and marshmallow is about enough sugar to keep me bouncing around the entire day.

Day 311: Nerds

I needed an extra dose of sugar to get myself running today.  Nerds, it is, then!

Day 310: Bookworming

Spent the entire day under the covers alternately reading and sleeping.  Bed weather, bookworming weekend.

Day 309: Strung Up

It's a rainy weekend, and I don't really want to go out.  I'm too bored, yet too lazy for words.

Pardon me, I'm a little obsessed with Mika right now.  Listening to Rain (Mika).

Day 308: Caramel Tarts

Found this in Salcedo Market.  I had a very interesting conversation with a colleague before going home.  It was great to exchange banter like that with people whose opinion you respect.  We talked about how perspective changes attitude towards different things.  Which reminded me of a song I'm currently earworming on: Blame It On The Girls (Mika).

Day 307: Tastes Like Christmas

I am guilty of looking forward to Starbucks' Christmas cups.  Particularly because it means they will start selling Peppermint Mocha, which is my absolute favorite among their drink list.  I try to replicate it the rest of the year by requesting a shot of mint with my regular mocha.  It's close, but there's something different about the taste of peppermint.  It makes you think of a Happy Ending (Mika).

Day 306: Antiquated

Today marks my first year at work.  Yay!  What's fascinating is, I'm facilitating a Foundations class on my first year anniversary.  The photo above is one of the journals I own.

Here's a thought I have after a year with my organization;  I used to think that joining a new company is like getting a new boyfriend.  There's an excitement very similar to what you feel when in a new relationship.  It feels very much like a honeymoon phase.  Interestingly, it doesn't feel like that with my organization now.  It was a start up when I joined and when I say start-up, I mean start-up. There were serious birthing pains involved.  It did not feel at all like a honeymoon.

It somehow felt like buying a house.  There's excitement, yes.  The fact that you're in a new organization where you have a gazillion opportunities to make a difference. It's exhilarating, if you think about it.  But just like getting a new house, sometimes you get the feeling that it's more trouble than it's worth.  Think of it this way, you go through sample after sample of flooring until you finally decide to get limestone, because it's aesthetically pleasing and it fits the interior of your house.  What you do not realize, is that limestone is a bitch to maintain.  Thing is, you can't really change your flooring again just because the upkeep is difficult.  This ain't like Sims 3, you know.  So you weigh it in.  Is getting new flooring worth all that trouble?  Or do you stick with limestone and deal with it?

Either way, you stick it out.  You don't let the house go just because the flooring didn't turn out the way you imagined it to be.  You stick it out because you know that it's a good long-term investment.  Ultimately, you also realize that at the end of the day, you're not just keeping a house.  You're already building a home.

Day 305: The Best Thing in Life are Sweets

They're just too cute for words.