how do i even start?

the past week was, simply put, tiring. hindi ako sanay na maging busy. haha. i couldn't take breaks, i couldn't blog!!! i, couldn't, blog. i was on the computer till late at night, i missed a date with my GS girlfriends, i failed to listen to CDs alex lent me, i missed my zumba class. i missed this blog the most.

but im happy. because i was busy doing something that was so fulfilling. friends, i crossed out another faith goal just this week: i now have a by-line.

by-line/ˈbīˌlīn/ (n.): a line at the beginning of a news story, magazine article, or book giving the writer's name

when i accepted this second job, i thought yehey i have another writing job, i have another source of income. then my boss/friend told me that i should/can include my name in every article i publish. sweet and neat and all things rainbow-y! writing takes longer than usual because i treat every article with utmost care, like they're my children bearing my name. here's one of them:

The Value of Multilingual Executives Today

i thank God for giving me this blessing: for this surprising promotion which has turned into a big deal for me even though it really is not (at least for the world). gail is the best tag teammate too. last friday he gave me mcdo fries and chips and the freedom to stay up till late at night to watch tv. i watched a justin bieber special, a confirmation that somehow i still have time for myself when i can do what i wanna. best thing: gail watched with me. bestest!

hug point, growth rate of love for beybi (by gail)
because studies show that blog entries with photos are more appealing, studies talaga no?!
he drew this sometime around 2009

i have a lot of things to talk about! i honestly think i forgot how to blog, or maybe there's just too many things i want to write about but i can't, because at the back of my mind and in front of my face is another week's worth of work, minus a couple of days. crunch time alang alang sa el nido getaway on friday yehey!

you know vacation's near when you keep on hearing this song in your head:

ps: excuse me while i go back to reviewing "Blogging 101".

how to talk to little girls

i read in a blog that most often than not (actually always), we see little girls and we say "o how cute naman your braids." aside from that would annoy the purists (pure tagalog or pure english only), it may also contribute to how a little girl sees the world and herself: that looks are more important than anything else. but what is wrong with telling girls that they look like princesses and complimenting them for their pretty dresses? nothing. but why not start off with a conversation about the book that their mom is currently reading to them? or ask them about how their day is going. anything out of the looks area. and then let them know that they are pretty, that they are beautiful.

i wouldn't really know if that strategy works in emphasizing that looks are not as big of a deal as people make them appear. but it makes sense i think, because i very well know the feeling of being told of how pretty i am, as much as how im very familiar with the feeling of being ugly. im an advocate of looking beyond the looks. let's all balance this, shall we? that although we can't hide our natural characteristic to admire beauty and to abhor the lack of it, let's not get obsessed.

little girl me, little boy jan, and mommy and daddy

if in the future you get to talk to my little girl, please start with something else. you bet she'll have something worthwhile to share with you, other than the color of her dress and how it sparkles when she twirls. (but i think she'll still twirl for you.)

best dressed

tops & shoes: nike; leggings: f21 (hmeh ganon! ahaha)

akalain mo naman. never akong nanalo ng best dressed, ngayon lang. sa fitness class pa kung saan napaka OP ng aking pagkatao. thanks to eyna and alex who invited me to a 2-hour intense taebo class. dalawang araw pagkasakit sakit ng aking katawan, ngunit super sarap ng feeling. aray ko galing ko!

dahil nainspire ako (muli) na magfitness fitnessan, ill sign up for open classes at goldgyms galle. thanks naman to my officemate aishel who sold me her vouchers na hindi na nya magagamit. im zuper eggzayted for zumba! latin is my go-to music whenever i need writing motivation, so i think it will work as my lets-get-physical motivation. 

ps: i have a date with tin and totskie later. yahuuuuu!!!!!

refinery

whenever we're sick and in bed, God becomes our nurse, nurses us back to health. i said, "God be gracious! Put me together again -- my sins have torn me to pieces."

-psalm 40:3-4

just when i thought ive become a better person, God brought me to my knees all over again. God revealed to me that ive changed, and not for the better. He brought to me gaby, a friend who knows me well and was used by God to serve as my mirror -- i now see who ive become as i "grew up".

while it is true that i have more practical, smart and grown-up learnings under my belt, i compromised love, compassion, zeal, kindness and thoughtfulness. how arrogant was i to think that ive gone a level up in my life. i was more concerned of what everybody will say than on what God sees.

it hurts to be told how filthy you are. God didn't tell it to my face, but His purity and holiness are always enough to let me know ive gone too far away. he took me to the desert where there's only the two of us: His holiness and my filth. He taught me lessons, reminded me of what my values are, made me cry because He loves me still and more.

my perspective is changed now. God is preparing me for something, i know. i don't know what exactly, but whatever brings me closer to Him i embrace with my heart. if He wants to take something away from me, id let go. the only constant thing in my life is Jesus, and for more of His glory i give myself away with His help and His grace.

http://pettydesigner.com/

let's just blog

i have a list of topics and stories i have yet to post. at times i toy with the idea of blogging about things that interest others or, simply put, blog entries that convert to clicks that convert to profit. things such as movies, or sales, or the weather. but everytime im given invitations to blog about this and that so i can win prizes or snag a spot on a website, i pass. instead, i go back to the integrity of the word ME. this space is, and will be, for sharing parts of my life that hopefully would encourage others. it's here that i'm free to write without apprehensions, it's here that i thrive and get inspired.

hehe :p

the way the internet treats articles and copies is turning out to be more and more depressing for writers. i know this because every single day, i write different content and copies for purposes that would please the god of the interwebs, Google. but when i write for everyday Sunday, i feel free-er. it lets me be myself. it's where i go back to whenever i want to tell myself 'hey you can chase your dreams!'

ps: this is coming from a major revelation from God that im losing compassion, passion and faith. i want to restart by reminding myself that i can be kind, thoughtful and excited about life. nay to negativity, God is with me. ;)