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!

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 - 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. :-)