Long Time No See

 I'm back after a long break!

I actually never stopped writing. I just switched sites for a while. But I plan to write here again more regularly.

See you soon!

A Student Once Again

I am so excited. I am back in UP D (though not in the building of my bachelor course). Thanks to my LP stumbling upon an ad, I get to take language classes and learn to speak Nihongo (japanese language) at an extremely reasonable price. I mean, it's a full third of everywhere else I inquired. That is a steal!

Price aside, this will not necessarily be a walk in the park. I know I'll get back what I put in so getting my brain into learnng mode, eat the right food for brain stimulus and yes, get enough sleep. Being late to or sleepy in class are absolute no's since this is only a short course.

Seriously, I know this will require effort. After all, I have to start from scratch. I seem to have a good teacher (he has a sense of humor which is always good), who will hopefully have lots of patience with me. He allows me to take pics and videos during class (but I can't share those, sorry). I am glad he understands that I need to play the lessons over and over.

I was surprised to see no one else in class was using a phone, tablet or laptop. We all had notebooks but I was expecting at least 1 or 2 techies in the room. Personally, I use the vids for review but I still prefer to rely on my handwritten notes. The advantage of the images and vids is really more for capturing audio and when my hand cramps from gripping the pencil so tight (yes, I am spoiled from using a keyboard rather than writing).

I am also thankful for the learning apps available for tablets. Who knew learning 5 characters a day could drive one insane? (LOL). I feel like I'm back to being a pre-schooler, doing handwriting lessons and flash cards. The good part, my kids get to see me review and hopefully it also helps them learn how to study better. Now if I can just memorize these kana...

Movie Review: Ant-Man

Marvel's latest film release is one that many will enjoy ( I know I did! ) and is an interesting character because he isn't a good guy (by text book definition).

Scott Lang was a burglar (with good intentions), got caught, went to jail and did his time and is finally being released. Typical problem of anyone who has a criminal reord, finding a new job is near impossible. In desperation, he agrees to steal whatever is in a mysterious safe heard about through the grapevine (watch the passing of info to him is hilarious every time). Only thing is, the job isn't what it seems and for the rest, you have to watch the film because I do not want to give spoilers and ruin someone's experience.

I like the character named Hope, daughter of Dr. Pym. She is feisty, strong and beautifully portrayed. Love the way she throws a punch! She is a passionate person but the control she has over  herself is amazing. Many people would have had tantrums and outburts, some would have been ballistic but her emotional moments are beautifully crafted and moving. Great timing!

If you haven't watched it yet, go and watch! The whole family really enjoyed the film.

Tubs of Happiness!

Popcorn is definitely in my list of comfort food. I have fond memories of making some at home with my sisters, popping some in the microwave and gobbling them while watching videos at home and even some of the sweet versions from Goldilocks or Kettle corn. Popcorn is an absolute MUST when we go out to watch movies!

Nowadays, popcorn comes in many flavours. A brand I love is Chef Tony's (as you can see on the right). It took me a while to write this article because there were so many tubs for me to enjoy. Had to enjoy each before stating which ones are my top picks, right? Please note though that there are more flavours already available that I didn't have for this batch. More popcorn parties, yehey!

 My favourite flavour is mochachino which has almonds in the tub. I seriously love almonds and the delicious flavour of mocha makes this part of my guilty pleasures list. The chocoholic in me adores the dark chocolate flavour. It's not something I would eat everyday but I'd get some especially if I have the girls together. Not a real fan of the jalapeno cheddar. It doesn't have the bite I was expecting, just a hint of the taste but no heat. The Belgian butter on the other hand is too rich for me but I can have a little of it at a time.

I love the look of the packaging but am seriously not a fan of the container. My kids can open it easily whereas I feel like an idiot as I struggle to not break a nail to get at my snack. Here's hoping an easier to open (for adults) tub design comes along soon.

I am glad there are more flavours for me to try. I know Chef Tony is cooking up more combinations and I can't wait to try them. What are your favourite flavours? 

#ChefTony's #ChefTony'spopcorn

Sun Protection

I recently went to the Dermplus booth at SM Megamall for the launch of their sunblock products. Most of us don't think of sun protection. We see it as an added expense. For most of us we associate sun protection with swimming; perhaps because that was the only time when we would buy bottles of sunblock. I remember mom would always make us put sunblock on before entering the pool. We'd also be discouraged from swimming during the noon hour (though it rarely stopped us when we were kids) on the excuse that we had to digest our food.

As an adult I know that I need sun protection all the time. I recall a time in college when I looked down at my foot and noticed I had a tan on the exposed part of my foot. I also remember how my dad's arms were different in shade (his left arm was tanned from sun exposure while driving).  Talk about bad tan lines!

Dermplus gave us a bucket of their new products. They've come out with seven products for people like me who prefer to keep their natural shade of pale. My personal pick will be the SPF 130 if I'm out and about simply because it is the strongest and I really hate tanning. The only thing I dislike about it is the scent upon appliation though it seems to fade quickly. I  prefer the scent of the moisturizing sunblock SPF 35 (the yellow one). The scent of the one for kids is a little too fruity sweet for me.

On a side note, according to the staff at the Dermplus booth at Megamall last May  8, their products for kids are not meant to be used on babies. We have a little one in the family so that was a very important thing. I would hate to use the wrong product on her skin so thanks for letting us know, ma'am.

With the temperature as high as it is in the city, I'm sure I'll get to test all of the sunblock soon. Update once I've used them all!

Listening to the Universe Whisper

From Oprah's Master Class

I once heard it said that the universe (or God, if that's your belief) speaks to us to try to keep us safe from harm and steer us towards our best life. If something isn't right for us, it is steered away from us though often we don't understand why and we struggle to get it or keep it within our grasp. I've learned that when things keep going wrong, no matter how hard you are trying, it's time to accept that it isn't for you.

I'm a work from home person. I prefer to be one. The freedom that comes from working online rather than in an office setting is one I truly enjoy. Being a freelancer allows me to choose my schedule and give myself holidays and breaks. The pay is also not lessened by having to pay so many people to make something happen such as with many corporations since the only employee involved with my client is me.

I heard from my niece about this company whose line of work seemed to be right up my alley. So I thought it over then I applied for one of their jobs. And now this is where the fun began.

First step needed was to take an exam which makes sense. They need to guage certain skills as a baseline. The test had 4 parts. You pass the first test, you proceed to the second, and so on. I ACED the first test but strangely, rather than get screen for the second test, I get a screen that said I alrady failed it. What?! I didn't even get to see it!

So I figured, hmm, maybe it's a glitch. I followed the process for reporting an error. They emailed me that the problem was resolved and I could proceed but when I accessed the site, It would be a complete retake. What?! That doesn't seem fair. Hay! At that point annoyance was building but, ok, maybe their system has to work that way. Passed the test. Yehey! Time to do a demo test.

So I got myself scheduled for the test, read the materials provided and had my system up and running. Everything looks ok. Now the instruction materials stated that they'd be calling 30 minutes before but I still had 60 minutes to the start of my appointment when a call from them came in from the prospective client to test the setup. OMG! I shouldn't have opened the line so early. There went my study time!

Now I had checked the setup requirements before I had gone to bed last night. Everything seemed to be A-OK before I stepped out to run errands. However, the tester tells me he can't hear me clearly and we confirm that my headset's mic is not working. In spite of all attempts to get the mic functioning properly, it doesn't and I'm forced to reschedule for another day. It's alright but a little frustrating.

Why in the world were so many things going wrong? I don't know. I figured the problem was my headset or the laptop. Simple test to confirm would be to use another headset. So I used my phone's earphones and it works perfectly so it does not appear to be the laptop. As a confirmation, I plugged in the headset that had a problem and lo and behold, it is working perfectly! What the hey?!?!?!

All this makes me think this isn't a good client for me. They appear to be a good company but I think I'd better listen before the whispers and quiet knocking become a scream and a brick, as Oprah said.

FunRun: Parun ng Cowboy

As you can see from the image above, Cowboy Grill in cooperation with their listed partners, are sponsoring a fun run for May 17, 2015 at the CCP Complex.

Runner's Singlet

There is a 3k, 5k and 10k run. Registration fee is 450, 550 and 650 respectively and can be done at any Cowboy Grill or Mizuno branch. Registration fee includes the singlet and bib.

Everyone who finishes is a winner. You get your cowboy hat and badge once you cross the finish line. No, there is no need to run in boots ;-P

If you are like me, who don't like running or fun runs aren't your thing but want to support this charity event, you don't have to run. You can register and pass on the singlet and bib. You can also just show up for the after party. You can even just register and your donation will be much appreciated. Just remember, no hat or badge unless you cross the finish line.

Proceeds of the fun run go to Cottolengo Filipino, an orphanage for disabled kids.