2015: Half Of The Year Comes To A Close

I haven't done a gratitude list post for quite some time now and I think it's high time I write one. I have SOOOO MUCH to be thankful for and when things are shitty or not going my way, I just have to come back and read my lists and be reminded that I just have to choose to see the good.

♣ Gratitude List ♣

1. Finally getting my i-craft plotter cutter and Epson X200 printer ☺ Remember the Cameo Silhouette I was originally pining for? Well, turns out there's a better product out there and it's now MINE! The original cost of the package I was able to whittle a few thousands off due to my sleuthing and research skills. Ho Ho Ho! And Christmas came early because daddy (and mommy) subsidized my purchase, HOORAY!

Inisip ko na lang na bumili ako ng iPhone or ng Samsung S6. Actually, my purchase is much better because it's income-generating. Diba? Now I have a printer/scanner, a cutter plotter, laminating machine and a heat press (na namana ko kay AD) ☺ Ang saya.

Look what I can do with my "gadgets"

Ang bongga, diba?

2. My supplier has finally stocks of my order. After three months, my supplier called to inform me they now have my order. Yippee ☺ I'm trying to start preparing for my Christmas bazaars early so I can accommodate more orders during the season.

3. AC buying me new sneakers. Wala sa plano pero dahil sale siya and it's in my favorite color (and she offered!)- GORA!

Still waiting for the perfect moment to debut my cute mint with neon orange sneaks ☺

4. Bullet Journaling. Not really obsessed with daily planners but I really wanted one where I can plan my day better and be more productive. I noticed that I tend to forget things easily which leads to unaccomplished tasks. I came across an article on Facebook about bullet journaling and the rest, as they say, is history.

A gave me a planner last Christmas but each day has sooo little space and you know, I still prefer my cheap, small notebook I bought in Landmark. The good thing about bullet journaling is any notebook will do and it's freestyle. The video just gives you an idea of how to do it but you're free to do pretty much what you want to do with it. So far, I'm loving it and I do think it's helping me productivity-wise. So I guess the search for the perfect planner has ended. From now on, it's bullet journaling for me ☺

For now, that's pretty much it. I'm sure there were more stuff I'm grateful for, I just forget what they were.

Umm.. another thing, I am ending this post on a sad note. A friend died last June 23. She was just 33 years old. She left behind her parents, a brother, a husband and a three-year-old baby girl. It was all so quick- she had an operation to remove a tumor in her brain last week of March, had a stroke while during recovery just one week after her operation and was in coma for almost three months. I pray that she's in a better place right now and I also pray for her loved ones she left behind. We may not be that close but I am thankful that she was part of my life. May you rest in peace, Lora.

2015 Reading Challenge: Girl Online

Umm.. so I was expecting a lot from this book judging from what I read from its blurb.

In the beginning, the book has promise. I thought the premise was interesting- there's this girl, Penny, who has this blog that has a pretty big following, only she runs the blog anonymously. I also find her crush on Ollie and her "friendship" with Megan interesting.

I really thought there's more to Ollie than meets the eye. I honestly thought that Ollie and Penny had a chance so I was very disappointed when Ollie wasn't really part of the main story. After Penny's embarrassing moment was when everything turned from possible to incredible.

First, I highly doubt that there are people who would fly four people to another country, all-expenses paid just to style their wedding venue. Aaaaaand.... two of those people aren't really helping with the set-up. So maybe they're filthy rich but filthy rich people are actually very stingy, mind you. Or maybe they're actors or rappers, the ones you see in MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen. Ang saya naman nila masyado.

But wait, there's more! Not only does Penny go to the US without having to do anything but she meets this incredibly good-looking guy who turns out to be a popular musician. After just a day or so together, they fall in love.

I really, really hate these books (or movies) where a girl and a boy "fall in love" in a span of one day. I mean, seriously, you don't even know if he's a serial killer, 'no! And in this case, Penny doesn't even know Noah's last name. So hindi lang pala sa pelikula ni KC at Richard Gutierrez naiin-love sa loob ng isang araw at pagkatapos ay parang gumuho na ang mga mundo nila.

Anyway, after reading the book, I found out that the book's author, Zoe Sugg, is actually a YouTube celebrity. I now get where she got her idea of a famous blogger falling in love with a musician- it's basically her life- also, debunking my comment that plots like this one is incredible.

Hindi ko pa rin gusto. Bleh. 2 out of 5 stars.

Apparently, there's a sequel to this book. It definitely won't be in my To Read list.

New Look

My blog has a new look ☺ and I looooove it. I still can't tweak it like what the other bloggers do with their blogs but I'm pretty content with how it looks right now. It's back to white background and if before I've had enough with experimenting with putting a photo on the banner area with all the html-tweaking I learned in blog design diy blogs, Blogger made it easy for those like me- nagpapanggap na may alam sa HTML. So anyway, this post is just an update of what's going in this ho-hum life of mine.

'Slobs

Forgot to blog about my stash from AB when she came home last April. This was what I got for pasalubong~

AB got me this muneki neko during her stopover in Japan
me gusta muchoooooo

I AM VERY BUSY gadget purse
naalala niya daw ako nung nakita niya
lagi ko kasing linya yan- Busy ako

And oh, that's the Anastasia dip brow pomade I bought two years ago! After my bazaar stint last 2013, I went online and there it was on my email- 20% off any Anastasia product, free shipping pa. Eh I felt so kawawa, so ayan, dagdag sa koleksyon ko ng mga pang-kilay. You know what's funny? AB brought it by mistake back to NY. This waterproof dipbrow pomade I waited two years to get my hands on is back in New York. Hindi kami meant.

Bad Trip

Remember the case of the Samsung cellphone that wouldn't charge? Well, I took it to St Francis Square to buy a charger since all my "original" chargers (meaning, the chargers that came with the product, ie. the phone) wouldn't charge my phone nor my Kindle which I blame on these curly plastic thingies

These are the culprit. I take care of my chargers. I don't wind them in tight loops, I always hang them on chairs or my headboard to avoid breaking any wires. So these so-called cable protectors were actually the cause of malfunction... None of the chargers would charge my phone, baka sira daw charging pin. So I had it repaired in St Francis din- dun sa mga lalaki na may table na nakaset-up, which in hindsight, mukhang shady characters talaga sila.

So kuya "repaired" the charging right in front of me and after he put everything back together, my sister's call came through so I had to answer. My sister can't hear me so I tried calling her again, hindi pa rin ako marinig. I called our house so I can verify kung talagang signal ang problema o baka nasira na pati audio ng phone ko. The mic is broken. Kuya claimed it wasn't him who broke it. Eh it was working perfectly just minutes before he murdered my phone mic. And he even took my battery somewhere I don't know which I think was suspicious. He'll check something daw with my battery- ang lakas ng kutob ko pinalitan niya ng luma or fake.

I should've learned through AC's experience and not trust these shady people in St Francis Square. AC took her broken netbook in St Francis and left it with them so they could assess the damage, whether or not it's still salvageable. We came back for it, salvageable pa daw pero at the cost of a new netbook so wag na lang. She took it to Asus' authorized repair center and they informed her that the internal speakers were missing.  

So right now I have to use earphones to make/answer calls, which is not so bad cos it could've been worse (ie. my phone conking out on me for good). Buti na lang my 2-year phone contract's almost up and I can get a new phone by September. I hope Smart comes up with better phones for my plan kasi sa ngayon ang chachakakhan ng phones for my plan.

Love At First Sight

I was scouring Divi for this specific photo tack material I was able to buy from one of the stalls there two years ago. Akala ko the ones I brought last year from a different supplier was the same as this photo tack material I'm trying to find pero they're, I think, a millimeter thicker so my labels umaalsa at the corners. Ang pangit, diba?

Ang ending, I was at this store where I bought my laminating machine and last year's stash of photo tack supplies and they introduced me to this lovely machine

 It's a cutter plotter which means I don't have to cut my labels mano-mano. Honestly, medyo nalungkot ako kasi I like cutting my labels manually, as in with a pair of scissors. But I'm so tempted to buy this pretty "gadget" (well, eto ang version ko ng gadgets), but together with the printer, they cost 26K. Ang sakit ng bulsa ko. Huhuhu... Is this a wise investment? If Agnes & Co. pays me soon, I will buy this baby but if not, then maybe next time. If it's meant to be, all the powers of the universe will conspire to make it happen. Idagdag na din jan ang santong dasalan.

Ayan na muna. Ya tengo sueño.

2015 Reading Challenge: P.S. I Still Love You

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One of my most-awaited releases this year, Jenny Han's P.S. I Still Love You. I love love love To All The Boys I've Loved Before, like five-stars love, and with that super bitin ending, I've been always on the look out for the sequel and now here it is ☺ I think this book was the main reason I hurried up and finished reading The Girl On The Train.

I loved PS but not as much as To All The Boys. I initially gave it three stars on Goodreads but then I had a change of heart and have it four stars because three stars is what I give those books na okay lang, it was a nice story but I'm not so crazy about and PS deserved more than that, hence the upgrade.

Out of all Jenny Han books I've read, Lara Jean is my favorite. I can't remember if I have made the comparison between Belly and Lara Jean, but what I remember is Belly was annoying and there wasn't a time I got annoyed at Lara Jean, even if it seemed she was a little too sweet-sweetan. Actually, it seemed as if she was really sweet and it wasn't just an act. But then again, how Lara Jean talks and moves and how she thinks (at least, how I think I see her talk and move in my mind), it's as of she's only a year older than Kitty.

Speaking of sweet, is it just me or was there too much mention of cakes in this book? Haha. Pero seryoso, andami masyadong mention ng cakes and cookies. Naumay ako ng unti.

And so the big question is- Peter Kavinsky or John Ambrose?

[cue Sana Dalawa Ang Puso Ko music]

Umm, yes this was my favorite part of the book- the kilig parts ☺ Even if Johnny seemed to be the better man, of course I still rooted for Kavinsky. What was frustrating was that he wouldn't tell LJ what really was going in between him and Gen. If it would give LJ some peace of mind, then I think he should've told her. I believe Lara Jean wouldn't tell anyone, not even Chris if Peter would make her promise not to tell anyone. Well, maybe she'd tell Margot but who would she tell? She's over yonder in Scotland. So yeah, I'm still for Peter Kavinsky. Haay, we always go for the "bad boys," don't we? Plus, LJ didn't have that much chemistry with John, but we welcomed his character because we knew he'd make Peter jealous. Ahhh, yessss.

But I agree with what one book blogger said- that the ending was a little too hurried. John Ambrose gave up Lara Jean just like that? Parang mas madami pang pages dedicated to the cakes and cookies. Hahaha.

I was expecting that PS was just the second part of yet another trilogy but looks like this is where the story ends.

2015 Reading Challenge: The Girl On The Train

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Goodreads says I'm only three books behind but the real count is actually eight. EIGHT! I've been slacking off when it comes to my reading list but I'm proud to say that in real life, I'm pretty productive ;) While I wasn't reading books, I've been meeting up with friends, been to Palawan and Baguio with family and have been working on orders. But still the "perfectionist" in me is disappointed that I am waaaay behind my target.

The 17th book this year is Paula Hawkins' The Girl On The Train. Reminded me so much of Gone Girl, a book a found engaging enough albeit a little slow. However, I liked The Girl On The Train much better. I found a little slow, just like GG, but maybe the main character was more likable here. Nick and Amy of GG were both at fault; while Rachel, even if not without fault, was more pardonable, how she reacted to things was more understandable. Sure, she became an alcoholic but that was how she coped when she got frustrated.

You know, it scares me how I'm usually good at pinpointing who's the real killer in these thriller novels (and at those crime & investigation shows). I remember, some years ago, when one of my blockmates asked us a question that was supposed to determine who was psychotic tendencies, and guess what- an article about the exact, same question was appeared on my Facebook timeline- click here if you want to find out if you have the mind of a serial killer. So anyway, suffice to say- I kind of guessed who the killer was in the book. Of course, I still have had my doubts whether or not the killer was really the killer- most especially when Megan, in one of her recollections- didn't like the way the killer looked at her.

My favorite character still is Rachel, even she makes me want to hit her with her drinking but I guess that's what happens when one is addicted to something. My least favorite character is Anna. The nerve of that girl for not wanting Rachel to go near the house in Blenheim, for calling Tom. I guess what happened serves her right. And hooray for Rachel for getting to start her life over again. I was still sort of rooting for a Rachel- Scott ending, but alas, after Scott's outburst at Rachel- he was never to be read of again in the book.

Four stars ☺ Next book in my list is Jenny Han's P.S. I Still Love You. Exciiiiiited :-D