Gratitude Journal - Hiatus

I have an announcement: effective yesterday, 04 November 2013, I will not be posting mt gratitude journal on a daily basis.

Don't get me wrong. I think it is in my nature to be grateful. I would still practice acts of gratitude on a daily basis.I may not write it down here, but it doesn't mean I won't do it.

The thing is, I feel that I have been using this journal as a crutch, a too, an excuse. An excuse to make me feel that I am actually doing something and not just waiting. I have been in a rut for the past several months, it is hard to really get my gears into action. As far as planning is concerned, of thinking of the bigger picture, of the next steps, I got it down pat. It is in the doing part in which I need a lot of help. Yoga teacher training, finding means of earning money, helping out others in my chosen foundation - I need to act now.

I still have a cough, but I think I would be able to run (albeit at a slow pace) and practice gentle yoga. Wish me luck tonight!

It's not as if I haven't done anything. It's just that what I'm doing is not enough. Like what Edison said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." So I have to find another way. I keep telling my friends who come to me for advice: we have to acknowledge whatever it is we are feeling. Take a deep breath, acknowledge your <insert emotion here, e.g. anger, jealousy, resentment>, and let it go. So, I have acknowledged the emotion. As for letting it go, I would like to think I have indeed done that. However, if I have it only means that I am ready to move forward right? See, there's the rub - I am still in this lethargic state. I feel that I take one step forward, only to take two steps back. I guess I just have to stop thinking and start doing.

Sorry, I know I am rambling now, but I know you catch my drift. The year's not over yet, let's make it count!


Namaste,

Gratitude Journal - 03 November 2013

Today is a Sunday, which means the weekend is coming to a close. Working people got to experience a long weekend, thanks to November being a holiday, plus the barangay elections which took place on October 28. I can only imagine how terrible the traffic will be tomorrow once everyone gets back to work. Well, probably not as terrible as when all schools resume classes.

But anyway, allow me to post my gratitude list for today.

1. The Men Who Made Us Fat (episode 1) - my friend Claire suggested I should watch this, and I was fortunate enough to download the first episode. It's a 3-part documentary on BBC. The first one talked about how corn syrup (and sugar, in general) contributed to obesity. Apparently, in the US, 1 in 3 people are obese. Wow. After watching health-related docus for two days in a row, you would really begin to seriously think about changing your eating lifestyle.

2. Finished CPI book - this is a really great achievement for me. The Continuous Process Improvement book was given to us by the Logistics Manager of the operating unit I was supporting when I was in Shell. It should have been a full-length training, but given their limited availability, we had to make do with what we had. Fortunately, we were each given the whole kit, which included this book, plus three others and a workbook as well. Amazing! Hopefully, if the interview went well and I get the post, I would be referring to this book more often. Fingers crossed!

Gratitude Journal - 02 November 2013

Hi everyone! Here's my gratitude list for today.

1. Tapa - I marinated my own tapa using soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper and muscovado. I let it marinade for over twelve hours, and then I boiled it first before adding a little oil for frying. Not too bad for my first attempt! I am thinking of experimenting by making variations of the marinade, and also by trying different types of meat (e.g. pork, meat, chicken, shredded meat for flakes type)

2. Jollibee dinner - Dad lent me his Happy Plus card, so I used that to buy dinner. Good thing the nearest Jollibee has a drive-through. I got the chicken mushroom pasta with 1-pc chicken. It was okay, but I think my body is asking for more natural and organic stuff. Hehehe

Gratitude Journal - 01 November 2013

Happy All Saints' Day everyone! For sure the traffic outside is not favorable, as we are located in between two big cemeteries. But no worries, looks like I would still be under house arrest for the whole day in order to rest and get better.

Here's my gratitude list for today:

1. New month, new possibilities - it's the first of November. 2013 is almost over. This hasn't been an easy year, I must admit. But facing these challenges and learning and growing from them are what makes us stronger. Also, the important thing to remember is this: the year's not over YET. Lots of things can still happen before the year ends. Which means more blessings, more gratitude!

2. Cooked pinakbet for the first time - I went to the supermarket yesterday, and I bought the vegetable ingredients for pinakbet! I realized that we still have some meat in the freezer, so I used that for my dish. I'm surprised how easy it is to cook pinakbet! At least I got one more dish I can whip up quickly.

Gratitude Journal - 31 October 2013

Happy Halloween! I have been feeling a bit under the weather the past couple of days. Spent most of the day just resting. I did other things, too, but I'll reserve those for tomorrow's journal entry. Meanwhile, here's my list for today:

1.  Catch-up over lunch - Bgy. Kapitolyo in Pasig is such a foodie place! I decided to meet my friend for lunch, and she asked if it was all right to eat at this quaint deli  she saw. Poco Deli it was called, and

2. Sweet desserts - after lunch we went to a dessert place called Lai's Cake of the Season. This is still in Kapitolyo. I have tried the ube cheesecake before, which was so-so for me. I needed to find a place where I can catch up on my reading (as I was preparing myself for my interview), with free wi-fi as well. Good thing there was only one other customer when we went in. I ordered the avocado cheesecake (I know, I know - I'm such a cheesecake lover), which was delicious! Their brewed coffee was blah.

3. Interview - the interview was very short. Mine took less than thirty minutes. Will just continue praying at this point. Thanks

4. Running at Capitol Commons - the newest development property in Ortigas is called Capitol Commons. This was where the seat of the Pasig government lay. Now it is a beautiful place filled with children, runners, yuppies, students, etc. Per Google Maps, a one-way length from one side of the property to another is around 450 meters. Since we did a full loop, that would make it almost a kilometer! And we did more than three rounds! Cool.

5. Thor: The Dark World - watched the last full show in Alabang with my friend. This film gave me a star wars-techie feel at some point. The movie felt long at some point, but it was still a great movie.


Namaste


post: I had a hard time writing yesterday, no thanks to my fever and colds. Just realized how short this entry was. LOL

Gratitude Journal - 30 October 2013

1. Running - I ran at Filinvest again last night, and it felt great! The thing is, it was pretty late when I started (aound 7:45 pm), and there weren't a lot of runners that night, so it felt pretty creepy, since there are some parts of the trail that are really dark. I guess if you let your imagination run wild it can get the better of you. LOL Seriously though, the good thing is once in a while there are roving guards/police in motorcycles and/or patrol cars. But I guess it's still better to run with a companion at night.

2. Yoga - after running, I went to Gold's and did an hour of yoga. Well, almost an hour. I haven't done the Bikram series in a while, so I incorporated a lot of those poses in my practice last night. Standing head to knee (Dandayamana-Janushirasana), seated head to knee, and the Japanese hand sandwich (Pada Hastasana or hands to feet) are really challenging poses for me. Just keep practicing, and I'll get there!

Some routes that I have taken recently

As promised, I am posting the routes that I have taken recently when running.

The first one is a run from BF Homes all the way to Filinvest, Alabang. What I like about this route is that there are hills that you need to traverse (Tirona heading towards Alabang Hills, Palms Country Club area). Also, the fact that you ran from one city to another and back sounds really cool. LOL

Map of first route

The second one is just within BF Homes. What I like about this course is that it's relatively flat, so you can run at a very easy pace. The problem is that these are the busiest streets in BF, so you have to be on the lookout for stoplights, vehicles, bikers and other pedestrians.

Map of second route

Now that I know the actual distance of these routes, I can time myself better. My goal is to finish a 10-k run in under an hour before the year ends. Wish me luck!

Gratitude Journal - 29 October 2013

Good morning! Let me post my gratitude list for today:

1. BBM on Android - since BBM launched in iOS and Android last week, it has gotten a lot of downloads. In fact, in the Google Play Store, it was already the 2nd most downloaded app as of yesterday. I installed the app, and I got connected to my high school friends! I really miss them. What's great is that even if we're thousands of miles apart from each other (at least with some of us), we're still good friends. Charge that to having a solid foundation due to a very small class size (and I do mean VERY small).

2. Kare-kare pasta - I turned the left-over kare-kare into a pasta sauce, and it turned out great! In fact, I think I ate too much and I gained five pounds since Friday last week. LOL

Gratitude Journal - 28 October 2013

1. Democracy - today is the barangay elections, and I'm grateful for the fact that we have a right in choosing who will be leading us. I just hope that our next set of barangay officials will really do their jobs, and put their constituents first before themselves.

2. Serving at Mass - really happy that our service went well yesterday. It's good that our choir director, who had a bad case of gout a couple of weeks back, is in a much better shape. I hope he gets to become more physically active and join us for sports, too!

3. Delicious food - we had kare-kare and dinuguan for lunch yesterday. Weird combination, I know, but hey, it worked! Also, my Ate gave us buko pie as she and her family came from a weekend in Tagaytay.

Gratitude Journal - 27 October 2013

Forgot to post this yesterday! My bad. But no worries. The important thing is I just keep up at this.

I had a great Saturday! My dear friend Jeyn and I initially blocked off our calendars to try out a new spa in QC (yes, we would go all the way to QC to check out a new spa. Or a new resto. LOL). However, Jeyn had already tried the spa a week before, and she said it wasn't good. That, plus the fact that we didn't have any more funds for getting a massage, meant we had to think of a different activity. What initially started as just a free breakfast turned out into a whole day filled with fun, laughter, food and friendship! Here I go:

1. Free Starbucks breakfast - Jeyn's older sister said she needed help with a seminar she organised at St. Luke's Global, and in exchange for our help she would treat us to breakfast. So that's what we did! The help was really just to make sure everything was organised, especially on the meals side (for the attendees). When I got there, everything was pretty much set, Jeyn and I just took care of the coffee. After less than half an hour, we trooped to Starbucks where we had our free breakfast! Yay!

Gratitude Journal - 26 October 2013

Hi everyone! Don't count me out yet. I'm still at it with this whole gratitude journal thing. :-) Here's a breakdown of some of the things worth being grateful for today.

1. Choir practice - music is such a huge part of who I am. I am grateful for our practice last night. Being able to sing is such a blessing for me. Especially since I get to do it with people who love music too. Plus, we get to sing in church. Which brings me to my next item.

2. Faith - what's nice about our choir director is aside from the music part (which he's obviously good at), we spend time discussing liturgy and theology too. I have to admit, we may be looking at the same thing from a different perspective at times. But it doesn't mean only a single view is correct. This happens in all organizations - even the Catholic Church. Just think: the Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, Opus Dei all have a different "approach," so to speak. But ultimately, it all boils down to Him.

Gratitude Journal - 25 October 2013

TGIF! I can't believe it's the weekend again.

1. Online presence of tutorial service - slowly but surely , I have started posting tweets, posts and online ads for the tutorial service. I hope this picks up. Soon. Next task is physical ads around the neighborhood.

2. PvZ 2 on Android - this is amazing! Don't really understand why there was a two-month delay between the iOS and Android launch. But I'm not complaining. I have always been a PvZ fan. Heck, I still play the 1st game at times. PvZ2 is way more challenging, however. I do not, however, really appreciate the fact that some plants have to be bought (as in with real money). I mean, the frozen pea and squash, really?!?!? Oh well, good thing I got my hands full, especially on another game (see entry number 4 below).

3. Restful sleep - like what I mentioned, anything over six hours is a blessing for me! Really happy! ☺

Gratitude Journal - 24 October 2013

1. Gratitude Journal - I'm just happy that so far, I've been able to keep this up daily. Without any calendar or task reminders. Hooray!

2. Running at Filinvest Alabang - I was able to run from BF Homes all the way to Filinvest (via Alabang Hills Village), and it was great! Running at Filinvest is wonderful, especially at the Palms area. Lots of hills and trees. Even though some areas are really dark, there are other joggers (even women all by themselves) so you wouldn't feel it's unsafe. Will plot my course and post on a separate blog.

Gratitude Journal - 23 October 2013

Today I am grateful for the following:

1. Running around BF Homes - I ran for a little over an hour last night, and it felt great! I will plot my route in MapMyRun, to get an idea of how long I have travelled. I am thinking of doing a fartlek or tempo run later in Filinvest. Hopefully the weather cooperates.

2. Interview - I had an interview for the Continuous Improvement Lead for an Australian telco, and I think it went well. It is an individual contributor role based in another island. But they are offering a relocation package. I hope I get through to the next round of interviews. Fingers crossed!

3. The House of Hades - this latest installment to the Heroes of Olympus series by Riordan has arrived this month, and I was able to get a digital copy yesterday! I decided to start reading it AFTER I finish one of my two current reads. Now, I have to be honest, my current reads are a bit challenging for me to finish. But I am positive I can finish one by Friday at the latest. I can't wait to start reading The House of Hades!!!

Gratitude Journal - 22 October 2013

It's 4:49 am as of this writing, and I've been up since around 3:30 am. But it's all good, since I slept early last night. Will also try to get more shut eye later in the day.

Gratitude List:

1. Creating the pasta dish from leftover bulalo meat, camote tops, chili, garlic and olive oil. I also poached an egg for the first time! It got overcooked a bit (the egg), but not too shabby for a first timer! :-)

2. Job Interview - I was scheduled for a 1pm interview yesterday, October 21. However, the interviewer called me up at 1:40 pm and asked if we can have it rescheduled at 9:30 am today, to which I agreed. I am grateful for this opportunity, and I hope it is the start of more things to come.

3. Got the contact number of the foundation from my friend BJ - I was asking for the name and contact number of the social worker who is involved at the Pque City Hall where my friend works. He (my friend) knows all about my plans for yoga teacher training, and how I want to offer free yoga training every week at The Haven, a center for abused, neglected women. What I got was the contact for a different foundation: instead of The Haven, I was given the number of Bahay Aruga. But that's okay - I can work my way from that point onwards. I am still thankful to be given a lead.

Gratitude Journal - 21 October 2013

After the whole Tumblr/Blogger mess with my yesterday's post, I've decided to turn off the IFTTT recipes first and focus on that at a later date. It's a good thing I logged in to Facebook yesterday, several hours after I wrote my entry. Otherwise, the endless cycle of re-posting from Blogger to Tumblr and vice-versa would have continued. Like FOREVER. On the other hand, that seemed like a good stress test opportunity of sorts. Hehehe.

Anyway, here is my gratitude journal for today.

1. Breakfast with Dad and Tito Apen at Jollibee - my Dad suddenly decided to eat out for breakfast, and as I was about to take the car out of the garage, we spotted my uncle, whom my Dad asked to join us. We didn't have a specific place in mind, and when we couldn't decide, we just ended up at Jollibee. I prefer McDonald's over Jollibee any day, but hey, I'm not complaining. Besides, only Jollibee has Palabok, which is what I ordered. :-)

2. Running in Nuvali - Dinah asked if I am free to join her, Marc-Antoine and Echo at Nuvali yesterday afternoon. Apparently, Marc was keen on trying out the wakeboarding. I said I would love to join if I can get to run. And she agreed to run with me. So, while Marc was wakeboarding for the first time, Echo, Dinah and I had a great time running (without any walking breaks, mind you) at Nuvali. What's funny was it was starting to get dark when we were running, and the street lights haven't switched on yet. Since Nuvali was so huge and empty, it was beginning to get a little creepy. We then saw another runner who was all alone, running in the opposite direction. We bumped into him again when we turned around and headed back to the wakeboarding area.

Gratitude Journal - 20 October 2013

Blessed Sunday morning! Today I am grateful for the following:

1. Running - yesterday I went to Filinvest in Alabang and ran for a little over an hour. This is another great running venue option for me - it's secluded, there are lots of hills, and very few cars pass through. This is at the Palms Country Club area all the way to the driving range and Manong's. I was aiming for non-stop running for an hour , and I'm so happy I did exactly that! I can check how much distance have I covered, but to be honest it doesn't really matter at this point.

2. Yoga - after running, I went back to Molito where I parked my car and went straight up to Gold's Gym. There, I practiced yoga for half an hour. Just the sun salutation, followed by a few other poses. I'm so happy that I'm beginning to be more consistent in practicing daily. I was able to practice thrice out of the last four days. Yoga really helps me in a lot of ways. Just breathe, and let go. Simple, isn't it?

Gratitude Journal - 19 October 2013

Effective today, I will write down AT LEAST five (5) things I am grateful for everyday. I am a firm believer of the fact that expressing gratitude is a key ingredient to happiness. In hindsight, I should've probably started this gratitude journal a long time ago. But no mater, the key thing is that I have started. For this first entry, I will include events/things that happened during the past several days. But moving forward, I would probably need to restrict it to the last 24 hours, since I am to do this daily.

So, here we go!

Things I am grateful for today:

1. Choir practice/birthday celebration last night - this was held at my sister's house. And she prepared carbonara, plus a barbecue glazed type pork. A choir mate brought cake, and even my sister baked yellow cake (the one you bake using an even toaster). Music, laughter, friendship, good food plus a shared faith make for a great night. :-)

Sample upload

As the official Blogger App is not yet available locally at the Play Store, I have no choice but to find a Blogger client. Here's a sample post from Bloggeroid. Initial comments: very simple interface, took little space to download, need HTML knowledge to edit and stylize the entry, and I can't find where I can add tags/labels. Overall, not bad for an ad-free app. :-)

posted from Bloggeroid

Updates

Wow. I haven't written anything here for the longest time. I feel I have done this blog a huge disservice. But since I am back to writing again, I will be providing updates more often. Can't wait! :-)

Color Manila Run 2013 - just a few pictures

Here are a few pictures from the Color Manila Run 2013. I know, I know - I have been totally remiss in posting my races. I do apologize for that. But I still hope you enjoy these pics, though. :-)

By the way, I have yet to cite my sources for these pics. I know I wrote them down somewhere - will search for it first. Otherwise back to square one for me. But know that I WILL give credit to the people who took these pics.

 At the gun start, still looking fresh and clean..

Yoga updates

It's almost the end of May, and I really need to start putting my plans into action. First off, I need to find an institution where I can devote my time to helping other people, especially through yoga. I was originally thinking of Marilac Hills, a center for abused and neglected women. This is located in Muntinlupa, which is perfect since I am from the south of the metro too. However, upon researching I discovered that this center caters to YOUNG women - as in 18 years old and below (click here for the list of DSWD institutions). I have yet to find out the minimum age that a person needs to be in order to practice yoga. Besides, there are waivers to sign, and if these are minors then they would need a guardian to sign. Finally, yoga for kids is completely different, so I will not be the best person to teach them. I might end up causing them more injury than actually helping them (*gasp*)!

Getting Back on Track

I know, I know - I have been totally remiss since the year started.

I was able to FINALLY complete my first half-mary in February; but, having come from sickness, it wasn't really a stellar performance, so to speak. But still, a half-mary is a half-mary, and I am very happy to have accomplished that.

I need to get back to yoga, as in having a regular practice. Not only do I need it physically, but mentally as well. Plus, there's still my teacher training plans for this year. More on that later.

Overall, the first four months have been a crazy mix of ups and downs. But I am still blessed, and for that I am happy. Still got loads to look forward to, including my next half-mary. Target is July, so I need to start training again. Hopefully there wouldn't be any roadblocks this time.

To wellness!

Happiness Exercise: 6 things

Man, I've been so remiss in my writing.

BUT, given that it's Easter, I know the important thing is that I should pick up where I left off and not let past failures control me, right? Otherwise I'd never be able to get back up.

So, as a quick post, allow me to write down six things that bring me happiness right now.

1. Milk Tea and Wi-fi: Here in this southern part of the Metro, I can count at least TEN milk tea stores. Yes, it's obvious that milk tea is the new froyo. Just like running is the new badminton. But this trend brought a couple of good things: more choices (and value for your money), and free wifi. I just love the fact that I am able to go to a milk tea shop armed with my laptop and/or table, order a drink (and, at times, a snack) and enjoy the drink while surfing/reading/studying/watching videos/listening to music. I just hope that this trend wouldn't die anytime soon. Plus, some stores offer more than just milk tea anyway. For me, whether it's milk tea, regular tea, or even a yakult smoothie, I say kudos!

2. Reading: I am extremely happy that I got my reading groove back. This year, I promised to read at least 70 books (that equates to around 6 books a month), and I am pleased (nay, proud) to report that I am on a roll! The first quarter alone saw me reading more than twenty-five books. It certainly helps to have a Booksale in our building, and this branch has a great collection! Current read: a non-fiction narrative of the author's mom's Holocaust experience. Powerful stuff.