Happy List #3

Hello weekend!!!=)

PINK SUNSET. I was rushing to our showroom when this made me stop for a few seconds. Pink Sunset. Tama ang address ng office ko - somewhere over the rainbow, and over the rainbow is not a pot of gold but an endless sea blanketed by a cotton candy pinkish and bluish sky. How girly. =)

BOOK SALE. While the smell of a new book beats the smell of coffee all the time (at least for me, because I am not a coffee drinker, haha!), this book which I've been meaning to buy (but seem to always forget to buy) made me say, "I'm happy, so so happy, I'm the happiest girl in the world" - How to be Good for Php 150?? Never mind the curious, weird, judgmental stares at the secondhand bookstore. Ladies and gentlemen, meet my new MRT companion for a week (I'll be finishing it this weekend!!) - Nick Hornby. =)

LOLA A. I am a lola's girl, I grew up with the most wonderful grandparents one can ever have. Last Thursday, my Lola Asion celebrated her 76th birthday. Sad, I was not able to attend the party. Happy because my lola turned 76 - still the smart and sharp lola that I have known since I was a little girl running around in my pink underwear. Excerpts from our phone conversation:

Tina: Hi Lola, Happy Birthday!!
Lola A: Thank you. Please pray for me.
Tina: I love you lola.
Lola: mutters something incoherent
Tina: Lola, I love you po.
Lola: passes phone to my brother

We have never been the type of family who showers each member hugs and kisses and says "I love you" - these give us goosebumps so I can just imagine my lola's feeling of awkwardness. But I want to say it because it has to be said so, because though I know that she knows, it's different when you hear it straight from the source. Especially if the source is the smartest, prettiest, sexiest, the best granddaughter in the world, weighing 100 pounds, in the red corner and the future Ford Supermodel of the world.... let's get ready to rumble!!!!

NEWSPAPER ON A TUESDAY. I don't read the newspaper on the weekday just on Sundays - but good thing I did as I came across this interesting article about cartoon characters and their influences on the author's life. If I were to run down my own "cartoon character" mentors, at the top of mind are:

1) Julio at Julia - kambal ng tadhana
2) The Sleeping Beauty
3) The Little Mermaid
4) Eloise
5) Princess Odette - from The Swan Princess
6) Penelope Pitstop

I promise to make my list longer!

TRAVEL INSPIRATIONS.

Host: Candidate number 23, good evening! Here is the question: If money is not an issue, where are you and what are you doing now?

Tina or Candidate number 23: Thank you for that beautiful question.

Audience and a multitude of fans, applause!

Tina or Candidate number 23: I wish to not disappoint you, but I will give you the generic of all answers. I'll be everywhere in the world, immersing in and appreciating different cultures, witnessing the wonders of the Universe, hopping in different train stations, chatting with strangers at the airport, hanging on to dear life in a Tuktuk ride in Thailand, meditating with the monks of Tibet, hiking on the Himalayas, planting rice with the people of Batad, dancing to "Pearly Shells" in Hawaii, eating crepes in the streets of Italy, singing Empire State of Mind in New Yooorrrkkk, concrete jungle where dreams are made of (fades away...), waving at the astronauts from the Great Wall of China, having a picnic on the grounds blanketed by cherryl blossoms in Japan, surfing in Australia, diving in Palawan, having a wonderful family dinner in Cagayan - in short, I am everywhere my heart desires me to be and I'd be traveling.

Host: Oh you should have gotten directly to the "in short" part, we get your point. Why the need to elaborate?

Tina or Candidate number 23: Because I'm smart. Bow.

Audience and a multitude of fans, applause!

This long and nonsense rambling is inspired by a souvenir newspaper I brought home from Dubai last March which I came across while trying to sort and organize my office desk and munchies from Japan courtesy of a cousin's friend.

To a longer happy list.
Have a blessed weekend!

Follow Your Bliss

Prepping for Monday.

via mindbodygreen

La Union

Lola Nanny is in Australia that’s why her Surf Retreat  (inn) in San Juan, La Union is closed and I can’t have my fill of her choco-banana shake I tasted 4 years ago. This info I picked up from Jomar, a 12-year old boy who sold me overpriced native mangoes. His sales pitch was: “Sige na ate, para may pang-baon ako sa school…” – he didn’t have to finish the sales talk.

Sir Rons, my interim boss invited us to join his travelling group to a surfing trip in La Union and though I am really scrimping and saving up on things worthier than having a killer surfer abs, interim or not, he is still my boss and the probability of saying no to a boss is really slim.

So, on the second week of June, I went to La Union and surfed and ate. Mostly ate. And syempre pa, brought home Top 10 things La Union taught me. I think I want to do this for all the places I will be going to in the future – because places and the experience of travelling are great teachers. Di ba? Di ba?

Top 10 Things La Union Taught Me

ONE:  La Union taught me that - - I AM SEXY AND YOU KNOW IT (cue club music, ilabas ang Tanduay Ice, wohoo, party!!!) Haha! Scrap that. La Union taught me that surfing is one great abs-generator (ano daw??). Legit surfers have to-die-for abs that can rival that of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'. And they know that they have abs and they flaunt it, and they flaunt while on their surfboards, while catching waves, while teaching students like me how to paddle, how to stand up, how to balance – and they do not mind if their board shorts are so low-rise, their butt cracks are showing because yun nga, they are flaunters, show-off’s because WE like watching and ogling and being flaunted on/about/upon. They are sexy and they know it. If you got it, flaunt it. Lesson number one and ultimate lesson of all!! (Breathe Tina, breathe…)

TWO: Breakfast food is THE REAL Happy Meal. It does not even require a toy bundled with it, it can stand for itself. "Belly, Belly on the Body, who is the yummiest of them all?" "Danggit na may sawsawang suka, my queen, is the yummiest of them all! Puwede ding pancakes."=)

THREE:  There is a fruit called MAKOPA. Haha! No Kidding, I am from the province and I should know better about vegetables and fruits (because provinces are abundant with everything that grows naturally) but this is the first time that I have known one, seen one and tasted one. It tastes like sugar-free apple and according to the smartsy google - makopa is Malay Rose Apple. Hmmm, now I have the makings of a promising botanist - I know makopa. Haha!

FOUR: There are surfing bulletins posted in most surfing resorts where surfers and surfer wannabe's can check the height and frequency of waves. We visited La Union on a typhoon season and the waves are angrier, more frequent and more tiring to surf on than the usual. But of course, for surfer chicks and dudes - the angrier, more frequent waves, the better. My sexiness can only tolerate baby waves but on that particular weekend, I was a poser-surfer, nirayuma ako after. Muscle pains para mas sexy. Yuck! Haha!

FIVE: Bosses are humans too. And they can be cool if they want to. I did not laugh when I saw my boss got wiped out, promise, because this is a public blog. =) 

SIX: One of the guides asked, “Gusto niyong pumunta sa Macho Temple?” I felt a little guilty and ashamed when I replied excited and shrieking, “Gusto ko!!!”. Turns out, it’s Ma-Cho, not macho like how I thought it was (blush). It’s not a famous La Union must-see attraction  because one really goes to La Union to surf – just that. It’s the first time that I have been to a temple and I am impressed with the details. Ma-Cho is a Chinese Deity of the Sung Dynasty. In the Philippines, She is also known as the Virgin of Caysasay. Interesting.

SEVEN: La Union was a gentle reminder that I need to work out and have a little discipline when eating. I am not getting any younger. I can eat an 180 grams of multi-grain pringles then have my lunch after then have my merienda after then another set of snacks then pre-dinner meal then dinner then desserts then midnight snacks. No Kidding. Buti na lang, I am naturally sexy (wooott!!), but still, this is not an acceptable excuse.

EIGHT: La Union's neigbor Tarlac is the home of the famous Isdaan, a restaurant owned by the Ongpauco's famous for Barrio Fiesta and Singing Cooks. The concept is really nice - huts floating on a lake with a smorgasboard of Filipino dish to choose from. They do not scrimp on space and continuously develops the place. It is also the home of the famous taksyapo where you buy breakable items, smash them on the wall and say good bye to stress and anger. My favorite activity, however, is feeding the fish - they literally jump on you just to get their food. Sabi ko sa boss ko, "Sir, first time kong pinagkakaguluhan!!".

NINE: A claim that never fails. Sunrise moments are best spent on the beach. Sunset moments are best spent on the beach. This picture was taken two years ago in Bacnotan surfing spot, 20 minute drive from San Juan, La Union. We were the last group to surf and the sunset caught up on us. Super beautiful.

TEN: Blessed are those who have found that one thing they are passionate about and are actually doing and living them. Captured beautifully by Rumi, a poet whom I have come across just now, "Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do". Whenever I see the surfing instructors waiting for their next sessions, I feel happy for them that they get to do what they love to do and are able to impart such love to others. One of the beautiful experiences I had in La Union was when I attended the yoga and surfing retreat several years ago and met people who have found their calling. I never tire of sharing their stories. One of them is Nancy, my roommate. She was working in a big firm in Makati at the time of the retreat, just recently she finally found the guts to quit corporate, and is now a certified yoga instructor. Inspiring.

'Til our next field trip!!
-Teacher Tina (naks!!)

5th out of the 12 promised stories for the year

Sunday Sermon

words.

                                                                  pretty thing.

Go out and let stories happen to you.

all Pictures and text via Pure Nourishment

Happy Sunday!

Harry Potter

nagkasabay kami sa grocery ni  mareng joanne, sabi niya...
(words of wisdom from JK Rowling)

Design Inspiration #2

The Written Word

Stumbled upon these wall quotes (wall stickers) here, and my future home will definitely have one of these. Or maybe two. Or we'll see, I'm a sucker for words.

So dreamy.

all photos from belvederedesigns

Design Inspiration #1

First, I think I should start a pinterest account for an online mood board - it has amazing and colorful things, interesting finds in the worldwide web (do we still use the term?=D) But while, I am still slacking, every time I come across pretty things for my future home (sana super near future na..=p) and because pretty things make one feel pretty, I will post them here.

Buena mano, products from Heima. There is one principle in designing a house I picked up from home magazines I've read, pick out just ONE accent piece, just one piece for conversation starter, just one item that will carry out your entire place's design and it will do all the work for you.

These colorful settees from Heima are to die-for and each one will make a great accent piece. Can't I have them all?=)

and 'lookee here!!=)

Words of Wisdom from Heima - Love, Dream and Be Free!

Great to have a goal.=)

Saturday Sermon

and a beautiful heart too..=)

via Pure Nourishment

Trayks & Trains ver 2.0

Part Two.

Missing My friends - Ria is not in the picture though. =)

I asked my friends the same question: "What are you doing and why are you doing it?". I am loving every bit of their answers (which they came up with only in a matter of a few minutes!!) and I hope they do not mind if I share them here because their answers are far better, more inspired and worthier to be shared than mine:

From Ria:

Mine are just super babaw. I love life, love people (even if they don't love me back), stalk crushies, do some work to feed my body, travel to feed my soul and live the most out of my life (which sometimes mean not doing anything, simply staring into space or just sleeping). I live a life of a sloth (but of the spiritual kind ^_^) which sometimes makes me feel guilty but I do it still cause I know that life is precious and this could possibly the only moment in my life that I could really live the kind of life that I truly wanted. 

I feel that I am living on a borrowed time and soon I will be called back to the "real world" in order for me to serve the purpose to which I was born and created. But until that calling comes, I am inspired to live the life of a free spirit and a carefree soul!

From Ajean:

I am in the process of rediscovering myself this year, dear. I am targeting inner peace, for starters. My main motivation for doing such is my regrets in the past and my anticipation of the future. *bow*

From Bes:

Career-wise, I do economic and financial analysis because it pays the bills, feeds me (well, haha), and funds the other things I like to do with my time. I know these aren't very inspiring reasons and on some level there I at least find it interesting if not all that meaningful, and I can see a path for me in this (be it a very foggy, murky one that that for all I know leads to a dead end), but these are enough for me for now. At present I don't know how to do anything else and I don't know which of the various anything elses is the one I really want to pursue with the kind of drive, passion and determination that all these blogs and books and talks tell us we should be feeling for our life's work, so... for now, this is a good place. I've read about people who do the 'comfortable' thing for years and then just wake up one day unable to do it anymore, so they switch careers. I've read about people who do something they don't really love or hate for years and then just wake up one day and realize they love what they do after all. I've read about people who vehemently pursue the thing they love but have to give it up because they've either been shown the door or the bills. I've read about people who do both-- spend half their time doing what they love and half doing what pays the bills.

Academic-wise, I'm studying economics again both because it helps me in my work and because I find it, for the most part, really interesting (microecon not included haha). Forecasting is especially appealing (if I could make sense of all the stat and math) because it would be really cool to be able to predict possible futures (to within a margin of error)?
On the side, I'm reading about personality and psychology because I want to understand myself and others, because most of the time I don't.

As for the other things I do,

I crochet because I love to create things. I crochet because I need something to do with my hands. I crochet because I love the idea of something handmade-- crochet can't be done by machine-- and truly unique, because no two crochet items are ever exactly alike, even if it's made by the same person with the same materials.

I write because sometimes I have lots of things to say that no one but myself would care to listen to. I write because it puts structure to my thoughts.

I read because what others have to say can be mind-opening. I read because mine is not the only perspective worth having. I read because that's how I travel. I read because that's how I time-travel. I read because that's how I live several lifetimes in one. I listen to music for the same reasons. I sing because that's how I stop thinking. 

                                ***********************************************

Thank you Universe for bringing these people into my life! =)

Trayks and Trains

If there is anything in the world that can successfully remove me from my eternal state of sexiness (yes, that's how you begin a blog entry, confidence!), it is the act of riding the MRT. It is an ordeal which I go through everyday unless I become rich enough to finally see the light of Molly - my future car (pero house muna!). I ride the carriage intended for women at the premise that "dalagang pilipina's" like moi are easier and more comfortable to ride with. I forgot that in history, yes, there was a Maria Clara (MC) but then there's also the feisty Gabriela Silang. And the Gabriela's bred faster and multiplied more than the MC's.

While I am tempted to write about my rants on the third world state of the country's transportation system ( I am a taxpayer and I demand stress-free riding on my padyak's, jeepney's, and trayk's*!!), I have a different and more personal agenda.

*Trayk is the sosyal term for tricycle, picked it up from Jenny Blas, one of my closest friends, on our first year in college. Funny, how I think of it as a sosyal term but that is my first impression when she said, the word, "trayk". My promdi heart skipped a beat when I heard it, "trayk". I thought then, pag balik ko ng Cagayan, shet, sosyal na'ko, and my promdi friends will bow down because of my sosyal transformation brought about my city-college education!! Thank you, "trayk!".

Back to MRT.

Thought not backed up by statistics, I bet that 90% of the MRT commuters are part of the working class - all in a rush to get to work. Women rush and shove and push - they ruin their mornings exchanging the infamous MRT script that can rival Cherie Gil's, "You're nothing but a second rate trying hard copy cat!" line.

Girl 1: Miss, naiipit na ko, wag kang manulak.

Girl 2: Di ako nanunulak, nakita mong ang sikip-sikip, MRT 'to miss, kung ayaw mong mahirapan (pause, roll eyes, deep breath)... EH DI MAG TAXI KA!!

"Eh di magtaxi ka" - the shut-up you are part of the working class who can not afford a car even a measly taxi fare, thus you do not have any right to complain line.

And because I am feeling profound and smart-sy fartsy, I ask myself, why am I doing this? Amidst sweaty armpits, dishevelled hair and crumpled clothes; amidst the feeling of mediocrity and restlessness of having some stranger breathe on my face; amidst the helplessness and motionlessness because, one, there's no more space to move around in, two, wala akong perang pang-taxi! If God did not compensate my  poverty with my to-die-for physique and oozing sex appeal, I would have gone mad and rebellious.You are just and fair, Lord.=)

Why are we okay with having to go through this everyday ordeal? Why do we even do this? Because we like it? I do not think so. Because we look forward to spending the entire day on our desk and to seeing our bosses? Maybe two out of 10 do. Because we fear getting reprimanded for our tardiness? 4 0ut of 10. I search for a definitive answer. Why am I doing what I am doing and why am I doing it? (dapat may reflections sa lahat ng sufferings, sabi nga, life is a beautiful struggle - cue music, spot light on me, emote, tulo ng luha from my left eye... )

I did not grow up thinking that I will work in the real estate industry in the future. I have been with the industry since 2007. The reason is simple and uninspiring - it was the first opportunity that presented itself after college graduation. Do I see myself in it in the next five years? i could not say for sure, it certainly has grown on me but I am still left unsatisfied. I work in the business development department of that developer somewhere down the road, somewhere over the rainbow, and somewhere only we know. I function as a business owner to projects assigned to me, ensures that everything is a-okay and oversees the project life cycle from its cradle to its grave. One of the things I like about my current work now is that I am learning a lot and that I feel useful to an organization - and without any hint of yabang, my department will go  a little crazy if ever I decide to leave because I am indispensable, because I KNOW... where the files are kept (haha! kala mo because I am smart, i am a cabinet magnet,wahaha!), other than that, they can manage on their own.

So that's what I do.

And why am I doing it? For the practical reasons why one has to work.

To pay my bills.

To extend a little help to my parents in sending my brother to college. According to Adel Tamano's Sunday article several weeks ago, if work stresses you out, make somebody a reason why you're doing it. And I am working so my brother Paul never gets to miss a week of his allowance. I want him to experience the abundance I had felt when I was in college - that dreams are endless and they do come true. That life is beautiful. That there are many things to see and experience. That life is good.

To be able to fulfill the responsibilities to my family and the society (pag-asa ng bayan, unite!) without giving up so much of the personal goals I intend to achieve.

To travel.

To buy myself books. Or Kindle. =)

To be able to afford a vacation for the whole family.

To make my parents life comfortable and litlle easier than now.

To buy my sisters shoes and clothes - nice ones not picked out from a mallwide sale.

To finally touch and go on adventures with Molly.

To have my own space, buy a really nice desk and bed, and to be able to afford daily visitors-accommodation (because I am famous and everyone wants to get a piece of me - haha!).

To be able to afford a comfortable life for my future family.

To be free.

To share.

My reasons are extremely selfish (I concede to it) but my character is made this way: I can only be a light to others if I had been a light to myself. Like what my Lola told my father years ago, one can not give what one does not have.

And that dear friends, is what you get from riding the MRT.

Jumbled and Rumbled thoughts.

Happy Jumbling and Rumbling weekend!

Happy List #2

One : Freshly Made Sheets

Floral Sheets from SM Department Store

Bed Sheets never make it in my shopping list because it is a mommy-item. But after my pink-striped sheet got ripped, blue sheet faded (they're both seven years old and have been with me since college dorm days), and red sheet constantly borrowed from a cousin, it's time I stop blaming the distance between Cagayan Valley, where my doting nanay is, and Quezon City on my restless nights brought about by icky-sticky sheets. So unhygienic. So i bought one from a department store, settled for a white bed sheet with floral design (I'm not really into flowers but they are the cheapest among the acceptable choices i can find, haha, sorry di pa suweldo nun), had them sent out to a laundromat (I love how they smell after having washed by our friendly neighbor's laundry shop, twist and turn - syempre, may libreng plugging, love your neighbors!) and slept my way to dreamland. Next month, when I get so much richer than I am now (confident dapat!!), I'll be more fussy with thread counts and comfiness of my only-for-the-rich sheets. Oh sheets for my sweet, sugar for my honey...sing it with me, sheet-heart. haha!

Two: Fully Booked

Fully Booked Gateway Tiles (Left); Fully Booked Greenhills (Right)

Why do I love it so much? I have written a few entries about my fondness (and yes, love) of the bookstore because it has always been there when I needed it the most. 
Stores to visit:
Fully Booked in High Street - multi-level bookstore for multi-level happiness.
Fully Booked in Green Hills - grand staircase for grand surprises!
Fully Booked in MOA - my home away from home.
And my most favorite of all, Fully Booked in Gateway - their floor tiles are chapters out of Machiavelli's The Prince, how brilliant!

I want a house with floor tiles or designs inspired by the written word.


Three: Dear Darla Pizza

Yellow Cab's Dear Darla Pizza

I like it when I have a participation in the prep of the food I eat. And because I do not and can not cook (haha!), I resort to other ways of involvement like sprinkling of  herbs or spices on my food. Or turning the food this way and that way before it finds it place inside my sexy belly. Dear Darla perfectly fits the bill. You add alfalfa sprouts, and arugula and several other unidentified vegetables (sorry!!) then roll the pizza strip to seal in all of its pizza-goodness. Yum!

Four: Watermelon Shake

Watermelon Shake from La Union

The only drink I order all the time in restaurants, capable of producing fruit shakes, whenever, wherever,other than water. It's the most refreshing drink in the entire Universe.

Five: Home Magazines, Showrooms and Home Decor 

Thank You Alan, Miss Toni and Summit Media

Other than bookstores, whenever I feel the need to de-stress, I visit home decor stores and furniture shops. I dropped reading fashion and entertainment magazines in exchange of home magazines. Last Thursday, I mentioned this current addiction to anything home-related to a collegue from the marketing department and the next thing I know, I received an entire package of real living magazines - I am the happiest girl in the world.


They say you have to express outwardly and make the world a witness to your innermost desires because doing so will bring you closer to that one thing you want to achieve the most at this moment. And so I write this down (and think of it and pray for it...):

Papa Jesus,
You know the ways of my heart.
You said several centuries ago when you visited our ancestors in the planet earth: ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you - wala na pong bawian!So here I am, asking and seeking and knocking. I pray with all my might, mind and heart for a house,a home, a space I can call my own. I promise to be a good girl and to work really hard so You'll think I am deserving of such gift. I would love to do my groceries in SnR, fill in my refrigerator with food and treats I promise to share, dust off my couch with a cool feather duster I got from Ace Hardware (feather duster kasi matipid po ako sa electricity kaya I will avoid vacuum cleaners saka para cool - haha!!), write a blog entry and check off items from my to-do-list on my organized work desk, read inspiring stories on my deck with a beautiful view of the city (or the sea or the mountains) and have a good night sleep on my big, warm and comfy bed.

I dream and think about my dream home in most of my free time, and like most dreams, I am confident they will come true.

To a longer happy list!

Mid-week

Because today is Wednesday....

...and I need to remind myself to pause and just be grateful

via Daniw

...and I feel hopeful (or at least need to be).

via PureNourishment

Stay Creative

It's too beautiful, it needs to be shared.

via fengshuidana

Oh Monday!

Fighting off Monday Blues with the "Dream Job Dreams" - whatever it is.

Dear Universe,
You know the wishes of my heart.
Guide me.

Your Child,
Tina

I found this interesting read from Monica Manzano's blog.

Top 10 Reasons Why You Must Have Your Dream Job
By Joel Garfinkle

1. Allows You To Be Your True Self All of The Time
It takes a tremendous amount of energy to step into a false persona for work and not be your true self. Your dream job will enable you to not be "Jekyll and Hyde" but will allow you to be your true self at all times and not waste energy.

2. Fits Into Your Life
Your dream job will integrate perfectly into your lifestyle and will fit you wonderfully. It will feel like a natural part of you and will not hinder your life and other aspects of your life (family, hobbies, interests, etc.). This does not mean that there will not be times when your job will interfere with your life - that is something that will happen. But a dream job will interfere with the rest of your life significantly less than other jobs. For example, your dream job may offer you flex-time so that you can work at home at times to spend time with your family. You will still have to work but it will offer you more flexibility and more of what you want.

3. Incorporates Your Values
A dream job will have the same values as you and will not ask you to embrace values that do not resonate with you or to go against your beliefs. If you have a concern for the environment, for example, your dream job will not ask you to be involved with toxic waste dumping.

4. Allows Your To Tap Into Your Unique Gifts
Everyone has different gifts and qualities - your dream job will allow you to tap into your unique gift and express it fully. You'll notice that work will feel more effortless due to the use of your gifts and you'll begin to notice the impact you're having on all that you touch.

5. Gives You Energy Instead of Draining You
You feel energized by your job instead of drained and exhausted by it. You look forward to it and embrace every part of it. You start to notice that you have energy for other things both in and outside of work. Having more energy has the benefit of helping you to become more creative and enthusiastic. Imagine the possibilities when you harness all the energy that will fill you.

6. Enables You To Align With Your Passion and Do What You Love
There is an ease that comes with cultivating your passion. You'll feel as if you're coming to your true home and doing what you're meant to do in this lifetime. As you do what you love, you realize your purpose is being fulfilled and you feel satisfied and comfortable.

7. Helps You To Make a Difference to Something You Believe In
It enables you to feel good about giving to your job knowing that you are making a difference in some way and your unique talents and gifts are being used to bring about change to something that is important to you.

8. Is Enjoyable & Doesn't Seem Like Work
You wake up every day excited about going to work instead of dreading it. You can have fun at work and feel happy about doing your job. You might find yourself asking "Do I really get paid to do this work? It feels more like a hobby than a job."

9. Follows Your Wants Instead of Your Shoulds
You listen to your intuition and your heart instead of your rational mind and/or what society and others think you "should" do. As you listen to what you want, you begin to know yourself more clearly. The rest of your life starts to rearrange itself around who you truly are and not who you were supposed to be.

10. Fulfills You
You feel a sense of completion. The work you do, how you do it, and the responsibilities and roles all come together in a way that makes you feel satisfied. You know the work you are doing is having impact and you are truly serving your purpose.

Happy List

Happy List (week 1 of June 2012)

Cosmopolitan Philippines' 15th Anniversary issue last May 2012 with Ann Curtis on the cover has a feature entitled the Happy List. The magazine listed down 15 things/topics/places/persons which have, in one way or another and in their most simple way, managed to contribute happiness to the fun and fearless populace. This weekend, I have come up with my own happy list (and I hope to do this more frequently). I negotiated for a me-time with friends and in the case of my family, imposed. I have said this a million times and at the risk of sounding selfish, I value my me-time and there are instances when I feel more comfortable when I am alone and when I operate solo. So my idea of me-time in the first week of June is a gastos-free weekend on my bed with my books and tv series. I samurai'd and chaku'd and borrowed Captain America's shield to keep all those negative thoughts flying on to me with these snippets of happiness from the Universe which made my weekend not "mardigras happy" but happy. Just that. Simply happy.

FREE CONCERT TICKETS. It might make me reconsider my me-time for this weekend if it were Backstreet Boys concert tickets (happening any minute now and i am just sad i cannot watch my boys, hay!) but when somebody asks you out to watch a concert for free, you do not really say no even if you have no idea who the artists are. haha! Libre 'to pare, the best things in life are free, di ba, so this is THE best thing. 

Alan: Gusto mong manood ng concert nina Edwin Mc Cain and Taylor Dane on Friday?

Me  : Sino sila? (haha! walang alam)

Alan: si Mc Cain yung singer ng "I'll be", si Taylor Dane "insert song title which I forgot"..

Me  : For free?

Alan: yes.

Me  : I'm in.

Dapat unang text parati sakin, "Tina, libre 'to, gusto mong sumama sa....", the answer, whatever the question is (basta wholesome and non-compromising of my values, good girl yata 'to, haha!) , is a resounding yes, yes, yes! 

CHEF TONY'S POPCORN. And the tagline fits, "Your Tubs of Happiness". If I were to endorse a product (because I am famous, mwahahaha!), chef tony's will be my food endorsement. I always buy their classic and caramel flavors and I gave away these tubs of happiness last Christmas because happiness is meant to be shared, naks! But just recently, when we watched that free concert of Edwin Mc Cain in SM MOA Arena, their snack concessionaire bundled chef tony's cheese popcorn with their measly hotdog sandwich and it was such a treat, it made my night.

FRUITS IN ICE CREAM. It's the third stall from the Kalayaan Dorm entrance of the UP Diliman Shopping Center which I frequent most Sundays because of their ice cream. I order only one flavor: Pistachio. Ang sarap. It's not overtly sweet like other commercial ice creams, swabe lang. This is usually my last "foodie stop" in UPD. First, isaw and squid balls. Second, boiled peanuts. Third, Sweet Corn. Fourth, watermelon shake. Last (because you always save the best for last), pistachio flavored ice cream.

TV SERIES. No bum-on-a-weekend mode is complete without watching the telly. My current fixes are Cougar Town (hilarious!) and revenge (dark).

SUNDAY BROADSHEET. I only read newspapers on Sundays and I've written down in many of my entries that I am loving everything about the Sunday newspapers. The Philippine Star has the best feature writers: Jim Paredes, Butch Dalisay, Lucy Torres, Adel Tamano, Bianca Gonzales, etc. The Philippine Daily Inquirer has the best editorial writers there are in the country: Randy David, Rina Jimenez-David, Patricia Evangelista, etc. 

SUELAS. I picked up my third pair of Suelas shoes I ordered online last Thursday and again like Chef Tony's, if I were to endorse a shoe brand it will be Suelas - super comfy and stylish. Check out them out here.

photo from fengshuidana.com

ANOTHER BLOG ENTRY. My sister finds it weird that I keep on writing in this blog (enthusiastically, complete with pictures and all) even if I am far from the league of celebrated bloggers. I write because writing keeps me sane. It's one of those things I gravitate to when I need to be creative and colorful and real to myself. I like re-reading previous entries and realizing, hey, I have a story, I am not a fleeting soul,not a mere speck of dust in the Universe. It's my stage and I write as if what I am writing is interesting even if the only one who finds what I have written down interesting is myself. Writing is my yoga. And after every entry, I feel like I have gotten out of a good back massage and foot rub. Writing makes me happy.

To a longer happy list!

Happy Sunday!