Weekend Loot (Part 2)

Pens Galore! These are gel pens from MonAmi called "Love Pets". Comes in colors: Black. Blue. Sky. Green. Wine. Rose. Pink. Orange. And as promised, more details on entries to come!

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Weekend Loot (Part 1)

Two shotglasses from Korea. Part of massive weekend looting that includes pens, notebooks, notepads and jelly cellphone housing. More details on entries to come!

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Back to Basics

People are probably confused why they now see me use an old Nokia 1100 and an even older Nokia 3100. I’m tempted to ask, what’s wrong with these phones, anyway? Friends are surprised to see me enjoy these two phones nowadays because they used to see me with high-tech phones and gadgets.

Barely a year ago, I carry in my backpack a small purse that contains, more or less, the following: a Nokia N70 (a craze at that time), a Sony Ericsson K608i, an HP1940 iPaq (with a wireless keyboard), a 6GB iPod Mini, and a Creative Zen Nano Plus. Also in the backpack are: Kodak digital camera, my 80GB external hard drive, two USB flash drives, USB card reader, USB port hub, three Phillips headsets, and an assortment of Cross, Parker, Sheaffer, and Inoxcrom pens. For safety reasons, my backpack’s zippers are always locked using two Master combination locks. Whew!

Fast forward to today.

I still carry the same backpack, and the same purse. (Grin.) But in the purse now are: two Nokias (1100 and 3100) and the iPod Mini. I still bring along the camera, external hard drive and flash drives, because clearly, they constitute a reasonable necessity. The card reader and USB port hub are either at the office or at home, but I have stopped carrying them with me.

There are new additions, though. (Big grin.) In my bag are my Starbucks 2007 planner, a personal journal that still needs a name (Grin. Grin. Grin.), and another notebook for what else, note-taking. (Big grin.) Also, there are more pens in my bag now, as I love to color code (and I love to hoard, according to Lilia). I purchased a set of three Pilot G-TEC-C4s (Bigger grin.) and a set of five HaloZee twin highlighters. Currently, I am drooling over the set of available-only-in-the-US Pilot G2 gel pens.

In terms of data management, I can say that I have truly gone back to the basics now. It didn’t take me overnight to do that, though, and quite a number of reasons contributed to this ‘historic’ change.

My iPaq. The PDA that is supposed to make life easier for me (and for others, too) only made things worse. I had an earlier version (1930) which worked well, and so I thought the 1940 will work along fine, if not better. But I was wrong. Sometimes it doesn’t synchronize with either my PC or laptop. At times, the battery is suddenly drained of power even after a full charge. But what busted my patience was when it didn’t turn on minutes before an important presentation at a staff meeting. All of my notes were in the iPaq, and I had to reconstruct everything out of memory. So after seven months of using an iPaq1940, I decided I had to part with it.

My 3G phones. Like so many Filipinos, I liked to keep up with the growing trend in cellphone fashion. So that when the first batch of 3G phones came in the market, I immediately grabbed not one, but two new handsets. For the price I had to pay for them, they were clearly a big investment. And so when the time for need came along, I was forced to ditch them and learn a hard lesson: I only need a phone that can send and receive calls and messages. Period. It was a big heartbreak for me and it was a lesson learned the hard way, but still a lesson, anyway.

Going back to the basics did not come to me overnight. And it obviously became possible through a variety of reasons. But for several months now, I have been immensely enjoying a less-electronically-constipated life. My Nike backpack is heavier with three notebooks and dozens of pens inside, but I have no regrets. Not one bit. It’s a little tough for my back, but the satisfaction I get when I read my notes and journal entries is indescribable. Call it OA, but it's an amazing experience. I admit missing TextTwist and Bejewelled in the iPaq, but I guess I'll just consider it one among my life's big (and not-s0-big) trade-offs.

For now, at least. (Biggest grin.) Tomorrow is another day.

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What's in My Bag

In August, Lifehacker.com asked its readers to send in photos of their 'Go Bags'. A photo submitted must show all the contents of a 'Go Bag', and a full text description. Lifehacker was so swamped with submissions that they had to do Parts 2 and 3.

When I submitted my entry, they were well into the 2nd part. But Part 3 came and my bag still wasn't selected. Oh, well. So here it is. My own 'Go Bag'. (Note: below the photo is a full description of my bag's contents.)

1. Foldable fan. Very useful in the hot and humid Philippine climate.
2. Small pouch. I use this to carry several items like keys, cellphones, wallet, mp3 players and flash drives. Very handy when I need to go out to lunch, or when I run errands and I cannot bring my back pack, like when I do grocery shopping.
3. My Nokia 3100. Super durable, super efficient. It’s been with me since November 2005 and I never had any problems with it. Not even with its battery.
4. My Samsung SGH-X160. It’s good to have two phones with two different mobile carriers. In case the other doesn't work, I can still have the other.
5. My blue 6G iPod mini. I love it! Thanks to Apple for blue iPods.
6. Alternate mp3 player. Creative Zen 512M.
7. Combination locksets for my bag’s two zippered compartments. I use these when I need to leave/deposit my backpack, like in the supermarket or bookstore.
8. My luckiest LA Gear wallet. Had this one since 1999. Super durable.
9. Baby lotion. A quick solution for skin dryness especially inside our air conditioned office rooms. It helps that this is water-based so it’s light. I don’t get the “sticky” feel.
10. Baby cologne. So refreshingly sweet. Can’t go wrong with this.
11. Comb. Useful when needed. Not that I always need to tidy up my short hair.
12. Visine. When my eyes get tired and strained.
13. My medication for asthma. Symbicort and Ventolin.
14. Toothpaste and toothbrush.
15. My blue earphones.
16. My black earphones. I need two earphones. I don’t know why, but I do. Hee-hee.
17. Bench™ hankie and a small towel (underneath the hankie).
18. External drive with 80G capacity and its cable.
19. Flashdrives. 2G (black) and 256M (gray)
20. ID card.
21. Rosary. This one’s very precious to me because it was a gift from my youngest brother.
22. Small expandable folder to hold and organize receipts, post-it notes, business cards, and other ID cards. It also has my passport and flu vaccination card.
23. Pill box. It contains all of my medicines for allergies, GERD, and various first aid medications: aspirin, paracetamol, loperamide.
24. Isopropyl alcohol. 70%. A small bottle is always very handy.
25. Off lotion. It’s a mosquito repellent lotion.
26. Small pouch containing cables, card reader, and a USB port hub.
27. Pens. Pens. Pens. And lots of pens.
28. The Body Shop’s clear lip gloss.
29. Blistex Gloss and Shine.
30. Mesaki lip shine. Green Apple and BubbleGum.
31. Body Shop lip balms. Satsuma and Strawberry.
32. Berroca. Best upper ever. Better than coffee.
33. Compact mirror.
34. My Starbucks 2007 Diary Planner. Can’t go out of the house without it. Also has a small notebook inside the leather case.
35. Glasses. One dark, while the other is my “working” glasses.
36. Keys. For my apartment, for the office.
37. Finally, an incomplete photo of the “go” bag. It’s a Nike black and gray back pack, bought at a sports store in February 2006, which makes it an 19-month old bag. But never underestimate it, though. This bag’s been with me to Thailand, Batangas, Boracay, anywhere! And it’s still standing. Hurray!!! It’s one tough bag.

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On to Happier Things…

Now that I am slowly getting back into the regular grind of things, let me post my ‘new’ wish list.




1. Notebook.

I want a Moleskine 2008 Diary!!! Woohoo!!! May be a good change from using Starbucks Diaries for three years now. Moleskine is a bit expensive, though. Hmmm…





2. Bag.

A new Timbuk2™ “Track Day Pack” backpack. It is waterproof, has a rubberized bottom, and it’s blue!!! It also has a headphone port. Wow. Not that I am in a hurry to dump my old, reliable Nike. It’s still doing fine and looks as new as it was the day I bought it. But I’d really love to have a Timbuk2™ backpack.


3. Shirts.

Any colorful, unique, comfortable shirts will do to replace my older ones that are beginning to fray and fade. Ehehe. I want the Nike “BALLS” tee I saw last week.

4. Jeans.

I own more than a dozen pair of jeans, but I want to buy one with the “distressed” look. Could be Diesel, Dickies, or Lee.

5. Sneakers.

A pair of Rocket Dog™ “Joint” sneakers. I am drooling at this beauty. Although I will always be a Chucks lover, other sneaks are welcome every now and then.

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How I Got By

Most of us go through significant experiences in our lives. Some are hilarious and even comical, leaving us breathless with laughter. Some are bold, daring, and risky, while others are awfully dreadful. And while others are trivial, some experiences, however, are just so difficult that we are left panting and heaving in their intensity. In time, through our experiences, we find ourselves changed, if not tainted.

The two months of summer had been surprisingly easy for me. Though I was mostly miserable because of Lilia’s departure, so much was happening at any given time that I forgot to dwell on my loss. I became busy adjusting to apartment living. Though living alone could be depressing at times, it is only proper to say that it has also brought me immense joy and peace.

In June, a certain gloom crept in. I could not explain it, but it felt like a huge weight was slowly pressing me down to the ground. In spite of my efforts to liven things up, everything went askew for me.

Though I will always remember June as the month when I became a published writer, I certainly cannot forget the difficult financial woes I went through during this time. It was a difficult struggle coming up with the copious amounts I needed. And so after covering all the unexpected expenses in June, I could barely make ends meet in July. It breaks my heart to look back at the difficulties I had to deal with. I remember being stranded by a downpour one Sunday afternoon. While waiting it out, I browsed a shop’s collection of cheap second hand books and saw Nicholas Sparks’ Message in A Bottle selling for 179 Philippine pesos. Sadly, I had to turn away.

By mid-July, my desperation hit an alarming level, but I kept my composure. I kept my composure so that nobody knew or noticed how troubled I am. And though I was panicking like hell, I tried my best to remain calm. I tried my best to practice grace under all the pressure. Oh, there were tears in between, but those painful tears were all shed in privacy. There were many sleepless nights, but only my bedroom saw my restlessness. In my moments of despair and pain, silence became my refuge and ally. In my sadness and fear, prayers shielded me and fortified my faith.

July was hard, it is true. And grueling. Yet it liberated me. It was definitely a humbling of a different kind. It taught me perseverance, tolerance, and best of all, acceptance. It blessed me with patience and peace, and built my faith. It brought me back honor and dignity. But most of all, it gained me respect.

And that was how I got by in all the ugliness of July.

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Life Went By...

The past month of July has been the ugliest July I went through in my entire 33 years of existence. During which, my life went by in a horrific, gruesome, monstrous progression while I sat watching by.

But, oh yes, life went by.

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