Where have I been?

Goodies Hunting at Multiply

I have been all over Multiply lately, checking out online sellers and their goods! It all started with a hunt for pretty shoes, which led to the hunt for bags, bag organizers, and gift items for Christmas. Where have I been all this time? Why didn’t I find these sites sooner? I got my mom’s 60th bday present from someone who sold jewelry organizers and mom loves it!  I got her into the Multiply frenzy as well, and she ended up ordering some gift items too. Fun!

Now I’m looking at accessories, particularly bracelets. I don’t know why, but they seem to appeal to me these days, and I’ve got my eye on those Hamsa and Kaballah bracelets, charm bracelets and a chain and leather wrap bracelets that Nicole Richie, Rihanna and Lauren Conrad were seen wearing. Here are some of the interesting stuff I found:

Assorted Shoe Charm Bracelet

Red Hamsa Bracelet (comes in white, black, blue, brown. best worn in 3s)

So what the heck is a Kabbalah bracelet and a Hamsa Hand? The Red String Kabbalah bracelet is said to protect us from the influences of the “Evil Eye”. The Evil eye is a very powerful negative force. It refers to the unfriendly stare and unkind glances we sometimes get from people around us. Envious eyes and looks of ill will affect us, stopping us from realizing our full potential in every area of our life. In wearing the Kabbalah bracelet, it would be best to have someone you love to tie the Red String to your left wrist.  After which you need to make a promise to yourself that you will refrain from negative thoughts or talk about others. This harmful behavior will interfere with your effort to gain personal fulfillment and protection. (thanks to http://qonline.multiply.com/ for the info)

Leather and Chain Wrap Bracelet

And this is how they would look if you wore them together:

Job Hunting On The Net

Aside from “Multiply-ing”, I’ve also been looking for a new freelance gig but ended up getting a full-time work offer from an attorney in Los Angeles who’s into green living and sustainability coaching! Her passion is helping companies becoming more “green” and she’s focusing on marketing now. She’s also launching an eco-friendly clothing line soon and I get to help her with that too. Spoke to her on Skype today and it went pretty well…I just might start working next week. Yay! It was tricky finding the next best gig…I’m just glad I stumbled into this one! Wish me luck!

Yoga

I posted about yoga classes today in Facebook. Now that I have more free time to do it regularly, I’d like to share it with others. I got Mia, a former colleague to join me last week so that’s a good start.  My yoga instructor Ravi is one of the nicest people I know, and I admire his humility, discipline and commitment as a yoga practitioner.  He embodies the benefits of yoga — he always has a happy disposition, doesn’t look his age, and of course, has a lean, mean yoga body. I must say it’s been quite frustrating convincing to people to attend yoga classes regularly, let alone convince them to try it.

I’ve actually succeeded in convincing some friends/colleagues to try it, but after a few sessions, they have not come back. Some tell me they don’t have the budget for it, some said they were too busy, some said their schedules won’t allow it.  I used to have the same reasons too, but having experienced the benefits of yoga, I told myself that I will make time for it. For good.

And that’s when I realized why it was difficult it is  to “force” people to join or to try it. I forgot that it has to be their choice.  The thing about yoga is that you have to experience it to believe it. I never expected I’d enjoy it..in fact, I only tried it out on a whim. Next thing  I know I was buying a pink yoga mat at the mall and never again had I felt back pains. Sleep became really pleasant too. I hope I can get more people to join and I hope they’d choose to do it regularly. Next on my to-do list: yoga by the beach.

Weddings

So I’ve already bought a dress for a friend’s wedding next week and I’ve got the bag and shoes to go with it. Another two of my  friends are getting married in the next 2 months and I started thinking about how many weddings I’ve been to these past few years. Quite a lot, actually. While I love looking at the dresses, the flowers and tasting the wedding cake, at the end of the day (or night),  weddings always make me ask the same question: will they live happily ever after? Hmm.

Good reads

Anyway, I was browsing and googling as usual and found some interesting blog posts today, such as why men should give flowers, connecting with someone in the field you’d like to pursue , and the hazards of being dependable.

They were all  fun to read. I usually do these random readings in between job searches. I am currently looking for another blogging/social media writing job to fill my time. I got an email today from Jobstreet and 90% of the openings were for writers! Most of them are full-time though, and I’m looking at part-time freelance work for now. I’ll be busy with masteral studies soon  but I think I’ve got room for one more gig. And Christmas if fast approaching so I need extra moolah for gifts!

1. This month, I resigned from my job. I love my colleagues and I am very grateful for everything that I’ve learned there, but I felt that I needed to advance in my career and I didn’t see that coming with my old company. Now I’m just enjoying my free time — meeting up with friends, downloading movies, malling,  and doing freelance work. =)

2. I will be enrolling in a Masters in Mass Communications program this week. I have always had the love for communications and have had an eye for teaching, so I decided to go back to school. Can’t wait!

3. I had a 45-minute interview early this week for a US-based company for the position of Content Manager. Job description says I will be managing writers from US, Europe and India. Fab! My only concern though is working the night shift…this will require a lifestyle change. It’s really a great opportunity but I guess my hesitation is stemming from my bad experience doing the night shift in my old job. If I do take this job, my biggest challenge would be how to get good sleep — my room is situated in direct sunlight. The afternoon sun is harsh and I don’t have airconditioning so that is a problem. There’s also construction going on in the house beside ours , so there goes the noise issue. If I can’t get enough sleep, I get irritable. And I don’t want to be irritable at home or at work. Nobody wants grouchy, unhappy workers!

4. I’ve started attending yoga classes again and hopefully, this can help me lose some weight for the 3 weddings I have to attend in the next 3 months. Yes, 3 weddings and as of this writing, I don’t have a single dress to wear for any of them! I hope I can find one soon because I really don’t want to have one made for two reasons: it’s way more expensive than buying just off the rack and I don’t want my measurements taken — it will only remind me of how much I need to lose! LOL

5. I can’t get enough of these outfits from Banana Republic. And it’s not just the coats. Love the shoes too! I think I’m in the wrong country! LOL

Mexican 5th grader Alejandro Luna Flores (no that’s not him in the photo, hehe I couldn’t find his) donated money from his piggy bank to the flood victims of the Philippines. How sweet is that? I just had to blog about it. His donation of P2,451 may not be much, but coming from a 5th grader, I think it simply screams love.  Alejandro reportedly told the Philippine Ambassador to Mexico that he is interested in Philippine history, and that his favorite tourist spot here is the Chocolate Hills. Maybe little Alejandro thinks it is actually made of chocolate? We wish. Haha Anyway, it’s great to read news like this, and it’s definitely touching that many donations have arrived from all over the globe to help the victims of tropical cyclones “Ondoy” (Ketsana) and “Pepeng” (Parma). 

Anyway, I’m currently lusting after this phone — the Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch.  I love that it’s slim and sleek, with a keypad and touch screen! Camera? 8.0 megapixels. Gorgeous! And something I should save up for.

I like make-up. Pretty little things that can do wonders for your face!  I don’t wear make-up everyday, but I believe in its power to transform your look from blah to fab. So I was pretty excited when I found this mineral makeup line called Bare Escentuals at Rue La La — it definitley made me go oh la la! Bare Escentuals is home to healthy, 100% pure bareMinerals makeup. This beauty innovation is composed of 100% pure bareMinerals with no additives and zero irritants. No doubt about it , I’ve joined the thousands of women who have fallen in love with their products. Check out some of these goodies from their site:

The Get Started Kit — Everything you need to achieve complexion perfection!

Sweet Obsessions — 9 pretty eye colors for your every mood! Sweet!

Red Zin 100% Natural Lip Color — Long-lasting, luxurious lip color for just the pop of red you need!

For more pretty stuff, visit Bare Escentuals today!

This is overdue, I know. I spent a week in Manila and I could have documented every single day in my blog but I didn’t.  Maybe I was just plain lazy or too exhausted (from all the walking and eating. haha) to write. Anyway, I feel like I owe my blog a longer post, or several pictures at least of the week that was. The week was significant for a lot of things.

1. I witnessed Typhoon Ondoy damage Manila. It was like seeing Typhoon Frank (which happened in Iloilo) all over again. Only worse.  Lawyer friend Giselle and I had to wade through flood water to go back to our hotel during our first day! Nevertheless, I got to spend time with good friends from law school, and buy make-up from the Beauty Bar.  LoL!

2. My visa interview was postponed later in the week so I had to extend my stay. Only when the day finally came, I was denied. Apparently, the consul thought I would not stay in the US temporarily. Whatever made him conclude that, I have no idea.  Anyway, it’s okay. I’ll probably try again next year.

3. I did volunteer work with some friends for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. Yay!

4. I finally got to see and eat good food at the Canteen at Trilogy and stay at Lette’s apartment. (Thank you lette! Had a blast!)

Now I’m back at work and I have exactly two weeks left. I am resigning Friday next week and although I will miss my friends at work terribly, I am looking forward to going back to school again. I’m taking up masteral studies! I’ve still got two homebased, part-time gigs going on, so money-wise, I guess I’ll be fine. I’m on the hunt for another gig though. Just so I’ll have money for other things. “Other things” being wants. Wants, being, er, shoes. Haha I’m not totally closing my doors to working in a corporate environment again, but I think this is a much needed break for me — working from home at my convenience and being paid well for it. Wish me luck!

The Philippines is currently under a state of calamity. First it was Typhoon Ondoy, and now, Pepeng. My country is suffering a great deal of battering with this week-long typhoon and my heart goes out to the victims, especially the women and children. I have never seen such devastation in our country prior to this, and I’m only glad that at least, even for a short time, I was able to do volunteer work (repacked goods for the victims) when I was in Manila last week.  This country may be drenched in the heavy rains and damaged heavily but there’s a flicker of hope for all of us knowing that in the worst of tragedies, people come together to help each other. When Mother Nature unleashed her wrath, humanity showed that it is, afterall, still capable of caring. I’d like to share these photos with you — just some of the many that I’m least likely to forget.

If you’d like to help, here’s how: