SweetSimpleJoys

Early this year, one of our hard drives died on us . Yes, it literally just crapped out. My dad said that some drives do expire after certain number of years. It happened on some of his computers as well and the only thing that we can do is contact the manufacturer and ask for support. As if that’s easy.

I was really upset because most of our files were housed there. Our photos, our movies, our MP3s, our softwares. The demised hard drive was our storage disk.

But months later, we forgot about the lost files and seamlessly moved on without them.

So while I was going through my files and folders, imagine my delight when I found some photos that I thought were lost forever. (I also found scanned images of D’s drawings which I posted here.)

Among the photos were those of our first trip to White Beach, Puerto Galera together. These are not the original pictures, but smaller and edited copies of the hi-reso images. I was probably going to use these somewhere that’s why they were re-sized and tweaked and stashed away in some forgotten folders. But I am glad that I still have these photos saved. A reminder of how beautiful the place was. Especially because D was there with me.

Trivia: D claimed that he would have proposed to me in Puerto Galera had I not “ruined” his plan. (Huh? It wasn’t my fault. Hahaha.) But we had the lying-on-the-sand-under-the-moonlight moment and I can only imagine now how it would’ve been utterly romantic if he proposed right then and there. But whichever way he proposed, it doesn’t matter. I love him just the same. Even more now.

This was D’s offer to appease me after we got into a little “misunderstanding” two days ago.

Pasteleria Ilustrado’s Sans Rival. I ate this together with 2 orders of  Siomai House’s siomai (what else!). Yum yum!

I think I’m having a sweets-craving phase. Two weeks ago, we trooped to Festival Mall in Alabang to buy Pasteleria Ilustrado’s Baked Cheesecake, another favorite. Sadly, they ran out of it. But instead of settling for the sans rival, I decided to sample one from Cravings’ dessert spread. I haven’t tasted any of their cakes so I asked for the bestseller. Hence, the Choco Caramel Cake.

The first bite was both heavenly and sinful. After that, it was just flat out sickening. It’s too sweet for me. And D bailed out early so I had no choice but to finish off the whole mini cake myself, while being regretfully reminded of the delicate and balanced taste of Ilustrado’s desserts. For someone who has no sweet tooth (craving for sweets occurs rarely for me), it was torture. And it didn’t end with the last bite. I woke up the next day sick in my throat, perhaps because too much sugar has coated it.

I might still try their Devil’s Food Cake though. The marshmallow icing looks promising. But yeah, Pasteleria Ilustrado’s Sans Rival is definitely a treat!

I love you D!

As I’ve previously posted, I was excited about setting up and decorating the venue for my nephew’s christening party and called it my Project no. 1. And I thought creativity was enough! Apparently, it’s not.

So here are the lessons I learned from my brief event styling stint:

1. You cannot go from conceptualization to execution 3 hours before the event. You have to plan, plan plan.

2. You and your assistants must be on the same page. Brainstorming is ideal days before the event. If you only have a few hours to decorate, only one must take the lead and the rest should follow.

3. You must know your materials. In my inexperience with balloons, I used indoor balloons outdoors. The party was scheduled midday, just as the sun is shining in her full glory. Before the guests arrived, 50% of the balloons have already popped.

4. You must bring all the tools you might need. Since I didn’t plan ahead, I needed a lot of tools I didn’t have.

5. If you don’t have the luxury of time, stick to your FIRST idea and do it.

Need to sleep early tonight(11:38 pm is early for me). I’ve got a project tomorrow – to decorate and ’stylize’ my nephew’s christening party! My first try to do an actual event styling. I still don’t have an idea on how I’ll go about it. Maybe an early bedtime will do me some good.

I’ll post pictures when I come back.

Happy weekend everyone!

A few months ago, I was feeling a bit restless bordering on panic mode, having just resigned from my regular job. Although I was able to pocket a lump sum, I don’t have a job anymore and however big the amount of money I have, it can only last for so long.

How will I able to sustain myself? How can I buy my stuff? How about my shopping and dining out?

Those were the thoughts that raced through my head whenever I allowed myself time to reflect on my situation. Although I did eventually got into online freelancing, my income was still much leaner than my salary as an employee. It entered my mind that I may have made a wrong decision letting go of a job that was supposed to give me financial stability, but I held fast to it and tried to find something valuable in the experience than wallow in regret.

Until recently, a beautiful realization came to me when I was at the shopping mall. I haven’t gone shopping for a while so I thought that maybe it would be a refreshing treat after beating myself with a lot of freelance work online. I had a good look around, stopped to admire some lovely pieces-clothes, bags, shoes, the usual stuff that filled my shopping bags before. Summer had just began and there were a lot of cute summer dresses on display, some nice pair of shorts and slip-ons. But no matter how charming they were, I simply didn’t have the desire to buy them.

Everytime I held a T-shirt or a pair of sandals in my hand, the first thing that came to my mind was ‘Do I really need this?‘ or ‘Where will I use this?‘. Surprisingly, being a compulsive shopper that I was, asking these questions was enough for me to let go of the item. And as I put more and more items back into the rack, I realized I really have so few things that I need to buy. Unlike the time when I was still working in a physical office, when it seemed that I needed a new batch of clothes every month, or that I needed another pair of shoes to go with the new dress I just bought, or that the leather of my bag had cracked and I needed a replacement. I was in a frenzy cycle of habitual spending, all the while thinking that those are necessities I can’t live without.

But now, all the things inside my closet are at least 6-month old and I don’t feel like they need to be replaced any time soon. I have streamlined my shopping list to the bare essentials and have cut not only my expenses, but the number of trips I make to the store. The less I go there, the less opportunity for spending.

Why the sudden change in my behavior? (which only confirms that yes, shopaholism is curable).

One big factor is because I’m not going out as much anymore, which brings me to another realization that a lot of our supposed needs are being dictated by the environment and the lifestyle that fills our everyday life. They are not really inherent need, but rather a desire to fit in and not be left out.

Case in point, in an office full of pretty, smart-dressed co-workers, you would feel out of place with your lousy shirt and outdated jeans. The need to belong is often satisfiable by purchasing articles like clothes, gadgets and accessories that make you look more current, more fresh. Funny how a complimentary remark such as ‘Hey, you look good in that new dress” can strengthen the desire to  buy some more new dresses. If you’re not careful, being current and fresh often whips up a habit of thoughtless shopping.

And that’s how I was until I decided to quit my regular job to try freelance work.

They say that you’ll only learn the value of something when you no longer have it. Ironically, I realized how non-valuable were the items that I was spending for before, thinking they were the most important things, now that I don’t have them. Having the money to buy whatever you want can actually mislabel the things in your life and trick you into spending more for what appears to be your necessities at the moment. But I’ve found out as I learn the essence of working to enjoy life, most of these things you won’t even miss when they’re gone.

Working at home put me in a different perspective and redefined the way I value my income. All it really took was to ask myself how much do I really need. And if you can answer it honestly, you’ll be surprised to know how little and how few your needs really are.

Have you ever come to a point in your career where it seems, at least to some people, that you’re doing okay–earning a decent amount of money, well on your way up the corporate ladder, steady and secured for a bright future–but it just doesn’t feel right for you? Somehow, somewhere inside you is an unanswered call to do something outside your perfect 9-5 job.

So let me ask the question again: you have a successful career, but why are you still not happy?

I persisted with that thought hovering like a black cloud above my head for a few years. I used to think that I was just an ungrateful person who’s too miserable to count my blessings, especially when my family and friends would say “You’re lucky. What more can you ask for?” Indeed, what more can I ask for?

But I found this interesting presentation that could very well explain why we feel the way we do towards our ostensibly successful careers. Take a few minutes to watch, I promise this will be well worth your time (Although at first, it may seem that it’s just a book sales pitch, but after you get pass that, you’ll find gem in the succeeding slides.)

Career Advice ‘08
View more presentations from garr. (tags: career advice)

Both D (my boyfriend husband) and I are doing freelance work. But unlike me, D is still employed. However, their company was not spared from the global recession and had to trim the working schedule from 6 days to 3 a week starting January.  Although they are still grateful because unlike the other companies in the Philippines and all over the world, theirs needed to just hibernate instead of totally shut down or lay off people, their monthly paychecks were reduced consequently. (UPDATE: D has resigned from his day job, we’re now married and are both still happily earning income from online work-at-home jobs).

It came at a right timing for him though, because he got a semi full-time work online and was actually worrying at first how he would juggle both jobs. But with their new work schedule, he suddenly has 4 days to do freelancing. So we’re together most of the week, sitting back to back with each other, working on our own respective assignments and have been contented with a few ‘cuddle breaks’ in between. Darrel and I have been too immersed with our own freelance jobs online that we barely have the time to go out and enjoy ourselves. Even our weekly movie watching took the back seat as our freelance careers slowly took off.

Then one day…

One particular busy day I told him “Let’s go to the beach”, and he agreed instantly. It was so exciting because that would be our first out-of-town trip together and we really needed a time off from our freelance work.

It’s Monday and we’re not working…

I’ve never been at the beach on a Monday since I started working because Mondays have become somewhat untouchable days at work. No, you cannot take the day off on a Monday. No, you cannot file a leave on a Monday. No, you cannot be sick on a Monday. But there we were, on a bright Monday morning, aboard a small ferry boat to an island called White Beach in Puerto Galera.

On normal summer weekends, the boat can carry up to 80 passengers. But that day being a Monday and still a little too early for summer, there was only about 20 people on our boat: a family of Indian nationals, a Filipino family, two ladies returning home after they’ve been terminated from their jobs, and Darrel and I.

The trip was swift and smooth. We arrived at the island at half past 10 a.m and I was surprised to find a rather deserted beach. I have been to Puerto Galera twice before that around the same time of the year, except that they were weekends, and it’s always full of people. It looked kinda lonely at first, but the idea of a more romantic, less crowded beach came in and we thought that our timing couldn’t be better.

The day begins…

We soon found our way to our room that we bagged for a great deal. It was okay, nothing special, but it was really cheap compared to the normal room rates on peak summer season. And I patted myself on the back because I’m getting good at finding cheap hacks (something that Vince, my online boss, has ingrained in me. Basically, one of my job responsibilities is to find the cheapest rates on hotels, air fares and everything else he needs for his business travels and I am glad that somehow, it’s rubbing off on me).

At lunch, we ordered the signature pork kebab, which Darrel thoroughly criticized–the flavor was good he said, but the meat was overcooked and the price was ridiculously expensive. Then by 1 a.m. we had our island tour. Puerto Galera islands are beautiful and I always delight in the tours everytime I go there.

We also did snorkeling on the corral reefs and Darrel enjoyed it very much. He even took off his life vest and dived into the reefs and had a blast chasing the fishes. I would’ve enjoyed it better had I not bruised my feet on the corrals and had saltwater did not sneak inside my goggles and hurt my eyes. But it was okay because Darrel had tremendous fun. We went back to the White Beach at 5 p.m. and neither of us had the energy to swim around anymore. Besides, the weather was gloomy and the water was so cold that we just wanted to nestle inside our room instead.

By 6 p.m., we went out to have dinner and had the worst grilled stuffed squid ever. The squid meat was as thin and tasteless as a card board. We ended up giving leftovers to a stray dog. After dinner, we saw on  TV that there’s gonna be a lunar eclipse that night at 8:45. I’m a sucker for astronomical phenomena so we hit the sand and, with our blanket, lay under the enthralling full moon waiting for the eclipse. It was the stuff romantic scenes are made up off: two lovers laying by the beach, under the full moon, holding hands, talking sweet nothings to each other. If only that evening wasn’t so cold and we’re not so tired from the day’s activity. Darrel was afraid we’d fall asleep right there on the sand.

After what seemed like a very long time, we decided that we’ve been waiting for too long and 8:45 had passed (none of us had a watch) and the eclipse was not seen from our side of the earth. We went back to the room only to find out that it was only 8:40. Arrgh! I just said to myself, maybe the cold is not worth it.

2nd day…

We were up earlier than the sun the following day as I like earling morning walks by the beach the most (I make sure that I do that whenever I go to any beach).  We may have missed the eclipse last night, but I was glad that we didn’t miss the breathtaking view of the ocean at 4 a.m. It was simple amazing.

We spent the whole morning taking pictures, capturing all the wonderful things that the island can offer as the day unfolds right before our eyes. It was an awesome vacation and Darrel and I definitely had the grandest time off.

More importantly, I was proud and thankful to Darrel because the trip was his Valentine’s gift to me . Proud because I have witnessed how he struggled financially in the past. And with the current situation of their company, it wouldn’t have been possible for him to give me that treat. But I have seen how he labored on his freelance work online and am happy to see that he’s doing really well.

Now, we’re back to work, back to sitting back to back with each other, and earning and saving for more important events in our lives. And we’re hoping that this freelance employment can help us put everything together. Beautifully.

Click here for more White Beach Puerto Galera photos.