Fear Factor

As nonchalant...



...as a cute little pig being accused of spreading the dreaded swine flu virus.

All this news about the AH1N1 virus is driving everyone mad. Just recently I had a little bout with flu, and this sends everyone in the office running for bottles of disinfectant and alcohol. Even my mom orders me to go to the hospital for an SOP check-up. I couldn't blame them, though. It's spreading like wildfire, and the least we all could do right now is to prevent the virus from stepping inside our bodies.

Good thing that the doctor told me what I had was just a seasonal fever, otherwise I would have freaked out like the rest of them. :D

As a precautionary measure, I am taking batches of multivitamins and ascorbic acid. It's better to be careful, really. :)

Cherry Chow Down

As sweet...



...as canned cherries for the vodka.

I went to this fun party the other day that served Absolute Raspberry and Jagermeister and Jack Daniels. I had quite a lot of the Absolute Raspberry because I got kind of hooked to its fruity flavour that's reminiscent of cough syrup (seriously), and well, also because of the sweet cherries they kept serving it with.

The cherries, oh the cherries! Those sweet cherries that also tops my fave fruits (next to strawberry)...I must have consumed an entire bottle of Maraschino cherries and maybe 5 glasses of vodka. Talk about proportions.

I think I'm going to buy me one of those cherries in a bottle, maybe stack up on it so anytime I crave for it, it's within reach. Sweet!

In Between The Sheets

As soothing...



...as the sound of soft rain hitting the roof.

No this isn't an adult-oriented post, I am just making that last minute post before I drift off to sleep. The rain is humming its nice lullaby right now and it's making me crawl under the sheets, my eyes about to shut close. And tomorrow, I will be looking for water droplets on leaves to take pictures of.

I love the rain. I don't know why but I have always been drawn to this great wonder of nature. I wouldn't even hesitate to jump on a heavy downpour--it should be fun.

But right now, I just want to crawl in between my sheets and sleep.

Smoke Machine

As hazy...



...as cigarette smoke under a bright lamp.

A friend forwarded me an email about a local distributor who's selling electronic cigarettes. The details didn't register to me at first, and I was quite reluctant to believe the product claim but when I started probing more (thanks to Google search), I found out that the product does exist and it guarantees people low nicotine, tar, the works.

Among the other things that the Electronic Cigarette promises are:

*healthy substitute for traditional smoking

*earth-friendly

*non-flammable

*durable and realistic-looking design

*comes in flavors that are very familiar to your taste

*rechargeable


I could very well be wary of bogus stuff, but this--this is something!

Then again, I did quit already--and I did with only will power to boot. :) So that crosses me off the target market. Woohoo.

Riverdale Lawsuits

As strange...



...as Jughead Jones's use for his hat.

I was randomly reading stuff on Wikipedia when I got linked to the wiki page of Archie Comics. And I was quite baffled by the number of lawsuits the management/owners of the publication have done over retaining full rights/exclusivitiy to anything and everything Archie. But to sue the poprock band The Veronicas for alleged trademark infringement and to stop fan bases from forming? Really now. I'm actually an Archie Comics fan and I have been thinking of creating a fan art, but reading the lawsuits, I don't think it's a good idea.

Read the rest of the lawsuits here. I just hope I'm wrong.

A Cup Of Complacency

As cozy...



...as a cup of hot coffee.

On gloomy days like today, a cup of coffee offers the much needed warmth and comfort, enough to thaw my frozen ears and nose back to life.

It's cold but I'm doing fine! :)

Blue, White, Green Stripes

As mildly entertaining...



...as realizing how your toothpaste and t-shirt look very similar.

I was in front of the mirror, putting toothpaste on my toothbrush, when I realized that the blue-white-green stripes of that triple action toothpaste I was using bore resemblance of the blue-white-green striped shirt that I was wearing. What a coincidence. This earned a short but hearty laugh from me. I think it's cute.

And this probably just validates how weird I am. :)

A Meeting Is A Meeting Is A Meeting...

As riveting...



...as answering ten client questions in record-breaking two minutes.

A meeting is a meeting is a meeting--no matter how fast you downplay your meeting time or how long it takes for you to explain stuff--it's still going to be another scheduled meeting off the calendar list. Even if you cross it out, it will still pave way for more follow ups. Which creates another cycle of meetings, meetings, meetings.

And what's surprising about this realization is I'm not even annoyed. I like meetings. It just means I have a job that's paying me, and in this uncertain times I think it's one good news.

Ah, life. :)

Night Time Wonders

As relaxing...



...as silence at 2 in the mid-morning.

So this is how 2 a.m. feels--everyone's off to slumber land and you are wide awake, and there's this urge to just jump on to your bed and curl underneath your sheets, but resistance is great because the work needs to get finished, pronto. Must not lull to sleep, must not count forty winks.

I have never missed my bed the way I missed it for two nights straight that I've worked on this project.

I'm just glad to have made it through the hurdles.

P Effin' S

As maddeningly frustrating...



...as a Photoshop crash when you're about to hit the save button.

Oh yeah, Photoeffinshop alright. I was in the last leg of this project that I've toiled on for the last four hours when the whole thing just crashed. And I was just seconds from saving the file. I've been scouring the web for answers, but so far, posts have been directing me to look for .tmp files--these are recovery files, granted one was able to save before the crash. Which I wasn't able to do. So not exactly helpful.

Oh darn. Now I have to start from the very beginning. Great, great, just great.

Note to self: Save the darn file every 30 minutes!

Mad

As calming...



...as pastel colours after a crazy round of intense rebuttals.

I am seriously mad today. I got into an argument with somebody, and as always, my case never made it to the court.

Here's a shoutout: all I need is a heartfelt apology!

So here I am, in front of my computer monitor, looking at pastel colours. I know it's weird, but it does work for me, soothing me when things get too heated. How about you? What's your cooler when you overheat?

My Right Hand Is Killing Me

As straining...



...as a straight 18-hour use of a computer mouse.

If I was a paranoid freak I would've have believed carpal tunnel syndrome has just kicked in on my right hand for using the mouse for long periods of time.

Note to self: Get a five-minute, hand-stretching break every hour to avoid stressing the working hand too much.

And I quote my colleague... "Do not give any health problems to the hand that feeds you."

Lol.

Bonkers

As frustrating...



...as a malfunctioning pocket pc just when you really need to use it.

Oh drats. My trusty PDA went bonkers today, going into an error frenzy just when I need to send messages to other people. My friend says it's a temporary system glitch and should be running like a well-oiled clockwork granted I remove some of the really useless programs I'd installed that are eating up memory space. And I think I've also bombarded the gadget with so many status notes/schedules/tasks that the constant beeping reminder has taken its toll on itself. So there, this error thing has been partly my fault. It's just me--maximizing a gadget to its full potential. And after all, it's mine. :)

Will now try to reboot the thing again.

I think it's gonna make it. :)

Happy Easter!

As happy and exciting...



...as an easter egg hunt on a Sunday morning.

I've been on vacation for nine straight days. I don't know if I could call it productive, but I do feel like I haven't done a lot to maximize the time off from work. I feel sad that vacation is over, but happy because I'm returning to normal cash flow hahaha. :)

So come Monday morning it'll be back to work. I think I'm grateful and happy :)

How To Spend Less Money

As tight...



...as a coin bank lid screwed close like there's no tomorrow.

So how does one spend less money?

I am currently in this phase in my life wherein my idea of "success" and "power" is having the ability to buy anything and everything in sight. Coupled with hang ups in past life, this becomes a killer combination, which in turn pushes one person to equate the two quoted words with money and extravagant spending. This idea is not exactly very kind to my bank account. And all the while I still feel like something's amiss. And hereon I must admit: money doesn't buy everything.

And then I came across an article in Yahoo and I thought: geez I might not be that weird at all. It never crossed my mind that there's actually a link between "feeling powerful" and "spending less". And this, my friends, will probably save your emergency funds.

Read on!

UNUSUAL TIPS FOR SPENDING LESS MONEY

Research shows that people spend money because they feel powerless. If you're struggling with debt and spending outside your budget, check out these seven ways to feel more powerful in your life...because they're also tips for spending less money!

"Consider two individuals, one a successful millionaire and the other a recently demoted banker," say researchers Derek D. Rucker and Adam D. Galinsky of Northwestern University. "Both might view a Rolex watch as a clear status symbol. However, for the millionaire, wearing the watch might not make him/her feel any more powerful than he/she normally feels. In contrast, for our demoted banker, wearing the same watch might make the banker feel significantly more powerful."

The following ways to feel more powerful in your life will help you stick to your budget. And, for more practical tips on spending less money, click on The Spend Less Handbook: 365 Tips for a Better Quality of Life While Actually Spending Less by Rebecca Ash.

7 Unusual Tips for Spending Less Money

1. Acknowledge the different types of power. You can feel physically powerful, spiritually powerful, intellectually powerful, professionally powerful, economically powerful, and on it goes. You'll probably feel different types of power in different parts of your life - and at different times of your life.

2. Recognize unhealthy versus healthy power. Being manipulative, deceitful, vengeful, or passive-aggressive are unhealthy ways of expressing power. To feel more powerful in your life, ask yourself if you're using your power for good...or to control others. Being healthy this way does affect your spending habits - because it's difficult to be healthy emotionally, and spend every penny you have (and those you don't)!

3. Rise to a work challenge. It doesn't matter if you're a store clerk, department head, or secretary of state - rising to a professional challenge increases your feelings of power. Pennsylvania-based freelance writer Lori Baer, says "Conquering a freelancing task I was nervous about fosters empowerment and greater confidence for next big thing." Look at work challenges as ways to increase your personal sense of power...and let those confident feelings increase your resolve to spend less money.

(to read the rest of the article, click here.)

How Refreshing!

As sweet-smelling...



...as a clump of freshly-picked strawberries (off the supermarket cooler, that is).

My newly renovated room now smells of strawberries--in the form of synthetic air freshener in a can. Either that, or the faint smell of paint. I am opting for the first one, although I have made a mental note to scour for organic air fresheners because I've read somewhere that synthetic air fresheners pose a problem for lungs.

So there. I still vote for potpourris. :)

Paint Splatters Everywhere

As messy...



...as a room filled with kids playing with white paint.

I am well under this renovation that I am doing in my room--not exactly the type of makeover that you'd see on reality shows, but just enough to turn a once shoddy room into a functional bedroom fit for one. I have not been able to install the a/c I just bought because when you're doing everything, backpains are ultimately gonna kick in. Just like this very minute, which is why I am in the interweb right now. I call this the fifteen minute break. And also--I don't think I am even capable of installing it myself, so I'm hiring pros to do the job (and I am hearing the proverbial cash register bell go ka-ching inside my head).

And the horror--oh yes, white paint splatters on the wooden floor. How sweet. I will have to scrape all of them, but maybe after I finish checking things on the net :)

Speeding Like Mad

As frantic...



...as an old-school bell alarm clock that goes off in the morning.

There is a reason why people shouldn't sleep late on weekdays, and I actually lived through that reason. I slept late because I got too engrossed in this program that I was watching on tv last night. And when I woke up, all hell broke loose because it was 10:45 in the morning and I had an 11 am meeting to attend to.

I've never taken a shower this record-breaking fast: five minutes.

Of course I arrived 30 minutes late--who was I kidding? Traffic is bad in this part of the city especially on Fridays. I'm just glad I was able to pull off the meeting and closed a good deal.

So there, lesson learned.

I Can't Wait For Weekend To Roll In...

As pristine...



...as a freshly-painted white-with-orange-tinge wall.

This weekend I will do major renovations in my room. I don't have a floor plan, but I do know what I want to do so I guess that's already a guide for me. I am planning on paster colours, seriously--this is where I will be carrying on stuff from my day job so I think it helps to have an environment that doesn't clog the mind shut.

The downside of this, obviously, is I'm practically shelling out xxx months' worth of paychecks for this major room revamp. Whew. Need to get the extra dough.

Bokeh Generator

As mesmerizing...



...as a random out-of-focus shot by the Christmas tree.

I just bought a 50mm lens for my dslr and I admit, I've been generating more bokeh than actual concept shots in my photography. I just adore the colours of bokeh made by street lights or car tail lights--simply fascinating.

And oh, yes, I do love the faster capture :)

And I realize, too, how expensive this hobby could get at times. :-P

Did You Feel It? I Almost Didn't.

As clueless...



...as a jester on April 2nd.

I think most people do not find any significance in April 1.
Well I do. I think this is the day when people are most crazily creative, trying to pull off the best jokes and pranks left and right. Some win, some don't. It's the whole mad nature of April first. And I like it just the way it is (or, until somebody pours milk on my head or something...then I will declare war.)

Happy April Fool's day! :)

As Free...

...as a Mickey Mouse balloon in flight.



That's how I usually feel when the clock turns 7pm and I am free to go home.

Sky Rockets In Flight...

...afternoon delight!

Late afternoon + Starland Vocal Band music + popcorn + coke = A trip down memory lane.

The good old days were just plain...good. And I'm only 24.


(artwork by Jeff Jakub at jeffjakub.com)

Most Of Us Are Like This...

The new age employee: