Hi, Still Alive. How’re you?

 So I decided to visit my blog. Just because. And of course, since I didn’t delete it, it’s still here.

Stagnant. Just observing. Doing nothing. Waiting for me to be crazy again.

Guess I have to revive this so I can get gigs again, don’t you think? 😅

See you all soon with new posts.

And by the way,

• I wasn’t able to do those ebooks I was planning on writing.
• I wasn’t religious in posting in my blogs after I said I was going to.
• I stopped writing, I don’t know why, and then always feeling I miss doing it and always getting the urge to go back to it. And so here’s another attempt. Maybe because my blog’s topics are all over the place. I still don’t have a niche here.

Toodles!

Right. Write.

Sometimes I would rather write than talk.

And I surely missed writing.

But I right now, we (the Husband and I) have a new "hobby"  -- creating picture quotes, or whatever the heck that's called.

Like that one.

So I'll challenge myself again to bring this blog to life.

30-Day blogging challenge.

I must make myself post something in this blog for 30 straight days.

Follow up on me, would you?

😉

Why, why, why...De Lima?!?

"My my my Delilah,

Why why why Delilah"

Change Delilah to De Lima and it still fits well enough. Hahaha.

Honestly, I liked De Lima when she was still with CHR. But when she became the acting secretary of DOJ, something was off. There was a change in her demeanor, a change in the way she carries herself, even in hoe she conveys her thoughts, which were previously so clear, structured and does not worry about political correctness. And the more she advanced in her senatorial race, the stranger she seemed to me.

But now, especially now with this tiff with the highest ranking person in the government -- who is so sure about himself and confident as a mafia boss (can't use the term I want to use because it has expletives!) because of course, as a lawyer he knows he can get away with anything at this point in his life -- De Lima is acting sooo... what's the word...childish. Even with words of a diplomat and diction of an orator, the act is still so childish. Brandishing her "courage to fight the big guy", but looking like the bully who got knocked down by the wimp in gym class, so hurt and gunning for revenge.

"I like her" is not a phrase apt for this situation anymore. It's more of... "You should have known what you're getting yourself into."

And just as I refreshed my facebook home page to load the newsfeed, this catches my attention:

credits to Rappler fb page.

Well, you're going to be very, very busy. Good luck.

-_-

FINDING FULFILLMENT IN WORK

Started another reading plan in my bible app. Yes, keyword - STARTED. I literally start them, but could not last too many days, somewhat lose interest, and not end. Same with the topic at hand - work. I most of the time start something, only to not have it end the way I would like to.

Maybe because I'm a crammer. I live for cramming. Been doing this since high school, carried it over to college, and prolly have it embedded in my system already. I procrastinate up 'til I need to burn all my energy to catch a deadline. Maybe it's the rush, and the feeling of success when I finish the task. Which only means one thing. I'm not passionate enough with my work. Shame. Shame. Shame.

Yes it's a shame for Christians like me. To not be working like the best steward I should be. Yes. How could I be entrusted with big things when I waste my time and effort doing nothing and busting my brains to cram for the small things.

Because I don't find it fulfilling anymore. I don't know when I also felt so fulfilled with my work since so far, I have been looking at it as a means of survival. Means to fund my hunger, my need for shelter, my want of a comfortable life, my whims. Well, it has changed a little over time. Added reasons are my daughters. For their survival and for their comfortable life. Fulfillment still out of the equation.

Conclusion: I have to find something. Something that will make me feel fulfilled. More than just being told I need to work like Jesus is my boss. Because honestly, it only made me feel guilty. But not enough to push me to work harder, or be proud of what I'm doing.

Early Morning Impression

We were driving Phoenix to school very early this morning, when suddenly I had a statement impressed to me by God,

Truth, truth.I need to know I'm not housing an Achan.

For someone who has not been thinking about things like this since that time, it was unusual for me to have this statement pop-in my mind at such an early time of the day. And only God knows why.

Game of Thrones Season 6...

As of this writing, nope, I haven't seen the premier episode, and nope, I don't want spoilers. So if you're planning to give me spoilers, stay away from this blog. Or from my social media sites! Or else...

I'll ignore you. Forever.


Haha.


Anywayzzzz...

Been out for quite a loooooong time.. Even tried migrating this blog to wordpress and then regretting it afterwards.. So i stopped updating. and writing. and getting feedback, and everything in between.

Now, I'm back. Again. For good? Maybe, maybe not. Am I busy? Yes.
Am I alive? Yes of course, I wouldn't be able to write this post if I was dead. Even if you believed in the after life and ghosts.

So what's new? A lot of things, and a lot of people. One specifically is a new person -- a daughter particularly. Phoenix has a younger sister now. Her name is Phive. [Don't ask.]

What else?
You may want to wait for other updates, so far, that's it.

Toodles!



Ok, here's a new pic for you. Well, not so new, but new nonetheless.

Cupcaken - If you're in Cebu and you want Cupcakes!

I have previously blogged about Cupcaken here and so far it's doing quite fine. But have you been there?

A few other bloggers have been there and have, of course, posted very good reviews about the place. We want to thank them and recognize their posts about Cupcaken here:

• Cupcaken... Sweet and Great from My Tasteful Life.
• Cupcaken from Blog that Cake
• Heaven in Cupcaken from The Sweet-Toothed Diaries
• That Cupcaken Cebu from The Glamarazzi
• Cupcaken from Y101fm.com

For others that may not be aware, Cupcaken has a facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/CupcakenPastries



An Instagram page:

And a twitter page:
http://www.twitter.com/CupcakenCebu



For inquiries, please drop a line see our FAQ Notes at our FB page, or shoot us an email at cupcakencebu@gmail.com


Cupcaken can also be seen in Tyke's Cafe at the Mezzanine of Pier 1, Cebu Port Area.

We would like to hear from you!

• leave a comment below if you have posts about Cupcaken
• tag your photos in faceboook and instagram with Cupcaken with: #cupcakencebu #cupcakenofficial
• hashtag your twitter posts with  #cupcakencebu #cupcakenofficial
• DM or tweet us in @CupcakenCebu

Filipino ID Card - I Have Issues that need to be Clarified!!!

Saw an article in PhilStar today - House pushes issuance of 'Filipino ID Card'

1. Ok, 1 ID number for life, or until a person reaches 18. Why 18? Does that mean you get to change your entire identity when your 18?

2. "other revisions deemed necessary by the cardholder" -- so that should mean that the government should not deny changes to a person's 1-number-for-life ID just because 'deemed necessary', right?!?

3. So what if I just got that new unified ID for sss/phic/pagibig, and now this new Filipino ID? And what about those with professional license numbers? The TIN number/ID?

4. So this ID will totally scrap out the relatively newly implemented unified ID for sss/gsis/pagibig/phic, right? Which also just scrapped out that other new unification for other IDs before that I can't remember anymore -- which are half-baked plans that underwent half-baked implementations. Right?

5. Will the banks and other GOCC's and corporations stop asking for at least 2 government issued ID's as requirement? Because that's going to be weird.

Hmmm, how come, all of a sudden, there's this BIG project that can potentially make 1 or 2 or 3 major suppliers of plastic ID cards so rich starting, let's say 2015/2016? Are we fishing for supporters and financial support for 2016 because you just lost PDAF and DAP, huh Government?


But I guess I have to read that bill (House Bill 5060).

Stocks, Investments, Getting Rich

Who doesn't want to get rich?

I know I want to. In the shortest possible time with the littlest effort possible. But we all know that's improbable. Impossible even.

So... Instead of waiting for interest income from a savings account that doesn't exist, husband and I decided to invest in stocks. It wasn't that difficult to understand given my background, yet of course we need to go through making some bad decisions along the way. Bought some shares that we're good, bought some that are now awesome. But we all have to get the right information from all sources we can get from that are actually credible and believable.

For the Philippine setting, I found one - it's Pinoy Investor.

pinoyinvestor.com

They provide all sorts of information ranging from technical analysis to fundamentals, even the entire stock symbols listed in PSE (that's Philippine Stock Exchange, genius...). If you want to subscribe to their updates and research, I have included a link to their page at my sidebar.   :)

I still am not a millionaire, nor do I have a very big account because of the stocks I have acquired, but at least I have started. And so far, we have a couple of green figures there now. Who for those who already have a COL Financial Account can understand what I mean. Yes, I do my own analyses and buys and sells through COL Financial, formerly CitiSecOnline.

#uselessWednesday

The most number of laptops that are running and being used by the attendees in one single meeting.

So far.

It's Real, Robin Williams is Dead

It's not a hoax, it's true. Robin Williams is dead.

photo credit: http://en.mediamass.net/

According to reports, he committed suicide.

I found out about it early this morning from CNN.

And there are several other news reports regarding his death, therefore, it's not a hoax!

And from twitter and other social media accounts like facebook and instagram, for the hashtag #RIPRobinWilliams, just click on the photo above to see the latest posts.

Dingdong & Marian - NOT their First Engagement!

It’s trending and I got curious what’s the fuss. Although I totally applaud Marian for that particular program’s opening number. She danced really well. I thought the only steps she knew was the gyrating hips for Marimar. Haha. But for those who haven’t seen the youtube video versions, check them out from Marian Rivera’s Youtube channel and directly go to part 4/5 so you can watch the proposal (or just see the video I embedded, after the jump). And for you to notice something  that may or may not have been clearly noticeable with the telecast version which, by the way, was live and kept the stars on their toes because they’re so used to just recording episodes and airing them weeks later.

photo credit: pep.ph (obvious ba?)

Can I lose 12-17 Pounds with JUST Water?!?

6-day Water Fast (photo from GQ.com)

17 pounds gone (for that guy) BUT after migraines/headaches, irritation/angst, hunger, and for me, probably working while hungry while everyone else at work, and at home, is eating something that smells really very good and eats so very slowly just to annoy you... Can 6 days with absolutely nothing but water be worth it?

6-day Water Fast (photo from GQ.com)

I have no idea.

But it sure does make you curious doesn't it? -_-

It will take me more than the promise of 10+ pounds loss to get me to try it!

I've Finally - For the Last Time - Decided to go for that Ebook!

photo from dreamstime.com

I have finally, again for the nth time, decided to write one ebook.

And another for a different category.

And another.

And another.

Until I finish at least 2 ebooks before 2014 ends.

Or so help me......

CPA Board Exam Results - July 2014 Exams

PRC (the Professional Regulation Commission) has released the results of the CPA Board Exams held in July 2014 about three (3) days after the last exam day. We are now welcoming 1,107 out of 5,540 new CPAs to the real world. Now, goodluck in job hunting!

snapshot of the Official Statement from PRC

For more details on the following, just click on the titles:

• Complete List of Successful Examinees - CPA Board Exam July 2014
• Top 10 List - CPA Board Exams July 2014
• School Ranking - CPA Board Exams July 2014
• Official Results - CPA Board Exams July 2014 (Full Text)

Realizations at the Middle of the Week

I have always had this feeling that I need to do something that caters to my “creative” self, my artistic frustrations, my need for brain non-stress-triggering activity, and my financial goals, all at the same time. Yes, if there’s something out there that can cost little to none and answer for all of the above, I’ll take it!

After browsing around my bookmarks, I revisited one of these blogs, Frugal Honey, a recent financial niche blog of someone who owns/manages one of the known sites for beauty bloggers, Kikay Exchange. From there I realized, I have been moving the wrong direction for more than a month now. I wanted to start beauty blogging, but Frugal Honey has started detaching from it. I wanted to generate income from these things I write, but was starting something that did the opposite (beauty/fashion blogging entails purchasing products for reviews, especially if you’re a newbie since no one would sponsor you!). With that said, I know I was in deep sh*t. So I pulled out my journal and a pen, and started working up my mojo back by journaling first. I even included a snapshot of that below. (Funky handwriting, I know.)

snapshot of my journal & green ink.

Oily Acne-Prone Skin Care Routine Using Local Drugstore Products

I promised myself that one of these days I will post something about my skin care routine. So just so you know, again, I have very oily skin. I used to have terrible acne (thus the scars on my cheeks) and I do still have some of those pesky things on my chin and at both sides of my jaw.

Let’s move on. First, I wear makeup to try and hide the scars and the blemishes. So by the end of the day, just so I won’t encourage my face to bring on a few more recruited pimple soldiers, I remove my makeup. Though I try to make my makeup as thin/little as possible, I still have to use a makeup remover.

Makeup Removal

I used to use Maybelline Eye and Lip makeup remover, but after weeks of debating with myself and looking at online reviews, youtube videos, etc., I finally decided to stop using it and instead try the famous oilcleansing method (OCM). Good thing there’s a local brand here in the Philippines that are natural – Human Heart Nature. I use their 100% Natural Cleansing Oil with Sunflower Oil. I bought mine in Shopwise, for P295 for a 195ml bottle, I think, and mixed it with extra virgin olive oil, simply because I can’t find castor oil anywhere in Shopwise – 2 parts olive oil, 2 parts sunflower oil. Which I later changed to 1 part evoo, 4 parts sunflower oil because… see the story below.

Shawill ColorStay Mineral Foundation

Started using this new mineral foundation I found in Shopwise - Shawill ColorStay Mineral Foundation. Bought it for Php288, just Php11 cheaper than Maybelline Clear Smooth Extra Shine Free Powder Foundation, which was priced at Php299. I bought because I've already finished my Maybelline, after so long - I've been using it on and off.

So it's Php288 for 16grams of mineral foundation claiming to be lightweight and natural. So I'd presume it's going to be of sheer to light coverage. I'm shade 006 by the way, been using Natural with Maybelline Clear Smooth Extra blah blah, name's too long and I'm lazy. :)

Here's how the plastic jar looks. Sorry I already threw away the box. Haha. 

Oily, Super Oily Skin!

I have super, super oily skin. It's not just the t-zone anymore because sometimes, even my cheeks and jawline are oily. Just imagine, an hour or so from applying very minimal makeup, my t-zone's already shiny as an oiled frying pan. And I'm not just an oily face, i have acne-scarred cheeks, and still get pimples on my chin and jawline. Like right now, I have these pesky ones on my chin.

(Take a look at that photo: left sheet is the unused one.)

Been on the net hunting for the right products, but take note, just the cheaper drugstore ones that are easily available in the groceries, department stores or drugstores. Haven't found the perfect ones for me yet, but at least I have ones that I go back to, kinda like hg but not so.

Can anyone suggest anything? :) leave comments...

Coffee at Work: Does it help?

(images from author's personal IG)

You have a facebook profile, you have instagram. A day doesn't pass by without you noticing that sometime in the day, someone posted a coffee shot, a coffelfie (selfie with coffee), or a group shot with coffee in a coffee shop, even a photo of someone's desk and coffee stash. And we can not deny it anymore, more and more people are into coffee now more than ever before.

So. How do we benefit from it?

Coffee keeps us awake. Or at least we think it does. Whether its the instant caffeine fix or just the warmth (or heat of a boiling cup) of this dark liquid, it somehow extends our wakefulness a little mire throughout the morning, or thru the unholy hours of 2 or 3pm. All the more for our call center friends - coffee is the new water!