Joined. You should join too!

Ae of An Artechoke blogged about Joey's blog giveaway a couple of days ago. I thought I'd give it a try as well. :D

Cheers to Joey on her 1000th post!

Read her blog as well. It's really nice!

joey'space.

Dash: MTLA 205 Field Trip in photos

So what are past pictures for if not to remind us of how far we've come? 

I have been very blessed to have met many new wonderful people through the MTLA program, especially the Scavs - Bru, Bro, Shai, and Sarah. They have been there for me ever since we met, from late night plates to pedaling the bike just to move me even when I was sick and had an actual fever to sitting at the front of the College's building while eating junk food. Anyway, here are some random shots from the first ever masters class field trip we had (120609). Pardon the picture quality, I will try to take better pictures soon as I really need to at least be able to take nice photos with a point and shoot camera.

First stop: Hinulugang Taktak National Park

Falls =

Foam! (I hope this doesn't look the same till now.)

Steps (Notice the irregular rise.)

Second stop: I forgot where.. I'm sure it was in the paper I had to submit though. LOL.

Trying to capture nature.

Inviting. Because it was hot.

Shot after shot of the water feature. And this is what I came up with.

Overlooking

Picture taking

Shadow

Aftermath.

Circular

Linear

Group shot

Dash: Macau 2006 in pictures

pirates ahoy!

museum

landscaping

Senado Square

view while dishwashing...

 favorite eating place... noodles!

facade

lemon cello ice cream!!

chocolate croissant and cheesecake @ the Macau tower

 food love :)

amphitheater

Hello Kitty loves Macau! :)

Macau skyline..

Dash: Macau 2006 (repost)

from my old blog: 

Friday, May 25, 2007

Macau Madness

A year ago, Ariel and I went to Macau for two weeks.. Yeah it was crazy and all but here are some of the things that we got to do that made it so memorable:

1. Upon arrival at the Macau airport, the two of us got held up at the gates by the guards on duty.. Long story but we got in nonetheless after some time of confusion. But just to make things clear, we didn't get held up because Ariel looked like a terrorist! LOL. Although that might have been the reason why we got stopped in the first place by the guards who RANDOMLY choose from the arrivals whose possessions to check.

2. One of the nicest things about Macau are their buses. Air-conditioned, automated, and organized, they made getting around the place quite easy. Since we were staying in Taipa, which is a bridge across the main Macau area, the bus we were riding on our first bus trip alone went across the bridge... Then... Someone shouted (which we so did not understand), the bus stopped, and the people were all pushing to get out of the bus!! Waaa!!! We went along with them, a bit panicky ourselves only to find out that there was just something wrong with the engine and we just had to transfer buses. LOL. Of all the buses, it just had to be our bus. It was great standing there in the middle of the bridge since you don't normally get to stand there. Too bad we didn't even think of taking our picture to commemorate being stranded.

3. We helped out in the kitchen for lunch one Sunday! Woohoo! That was quite an experience for someone who doesn't really cook, doesn't really do the dishes, doesn't even set the table most of the time.. (okay, I'm not THAT lazy.. LOL) Which leads me to...

4. I cut myself with the knife I was using to.. Hmm... Slice onions?! I really can't remember what I was preparing then but I definitely cut myself. Why do I remember? Coz it hurt. LOL.

5. Since we just had to have internet.. We walked three hours just looking for a computer shop! LOL. It turned out that everyone there probably had their own internet connections at home or at the hotels or at the universities.. We finally found one near Senado square though. Whew! But not before tiring our feet out for the night.

6. We almost slept outside for the night LOL. There was something wrong with the keys to the apartment we were staying in with Ma'am Celine and family. And when they were in Hong Kong for the night, we almost didn't get in... Until..

7. We devised a way to open the gate with.. Chopsticks! LOL. For some weird reason, I was carrying chopsticks in my bag. And thank goodness for my uber thin wrists that we got to open the steel gate covering the door and was mercifully saved from staying out all night in the FREEZING COLD. (Yes, it was super freaking cold that time that even when we were safe inside, I still slept with my shoes on. LOL)

8. Since we were often on kitchen duty, it was also our duty to be able to communicate with the resident apartment keeper (for lack of a better term coz I can't think of any at the moment..) when the sink got clogged. Unfortunately for us, he doesn't speak much english. But since we were incredibly brilliant, we thought of taking a picture of the clogged sink with our camera phone and showed it to resident apartment keeper. Lo and behold! He understood! And soon we had the sink back in action and a thousand plus peso bill (once converted) in our hands. Just for the sink?! Waaaaaa... Thank goodness it doesn't cost that much to get a sink fixed around here. Liquid sosa lang ata katapat nun dito e hehehe. O kaya mainit na tubig.

9. On one of those days when we were roaming around looking for architectural firms, we got on a bus that included where we had to go to in its stops. Unfortunately, we didn't know that it already passed that stop and so on we rode until the bus was empty and the driver left his seat. Huh? Where were we? And that's the story of how we accidentally got to go to the border between Macau and China. But we never got to cross waaaa.

10. And the last but certainly not the least of our experiences, since these 10 are actually still quite a few compared to the numerous memorable experiences we had (I think Ariel and I actually had our first almost-fight in Macau due to very obvious personality differences hahaha), on our first Sunday there, we got to hear mass. In Portuguese. :)

Dash: My Personal Travel Chronicles

I have always loved traveling - there's just something about that great, grand adventure that keeps calling out to me. There's that certain call of the 'unknown' and the packing and unpacking and eating. Yes, definitely lots and lots of eating. Thankfully, I have been blessed enough to be able to go on a few memorable trips with some wonderful friends who share this urge to go out and experience the world. Right now, we are still saving up for that next big trip and I have been tasked to do the preliminary research. But before I add on to my list of places, let me go down memory lane first as I have never written about my travels before. I think it will serve me well to do some sort of documentary so that I will always be able to quickly remember how incredibly blessed I have been. And still am. :)

Most of my travels happen every other year. I don't know if there's really a pattern or if it's just purely coincidental. I won't go too far back. Let me just start with 2006. I don't have much pictures as I'm really lazy at taking pictures although I plan to change this soon as I intend to buy a fully functional and equally adventurous point and shoot camera. Preferably one that is shockproof, waterproof, and dust proof. :D I'll probably do individual posts on each trip as much as my schedule and mood permits me. Even this entry is taking time out of my precious work hours but I love writing for myself and this is a way for me to de-stress, so here goes: (I won't include Batangas in my timeline anymore as it is our province and we're practically always there.)

2006
Macau - stayed for 2 weeks before graduation, supposedly looking for work. Haha. We didn't have any decent cameras then sadly. But I'll re-post a blog entry of mine from way back when plus some pictures I just took with my phone.
Cebu - went on two trips to Cebu in November 2006. As official architectural researchers for the office, we were able to visit ancestral houses in Carcar as well as some other heritage sites. I think I have decent pictures from this trip as we were supposed to be doing documentation. The architectural details we gathered were really nice and well-maintained. Plus, the trips were all free because it was for work after all.

2007
Was a great year with my wonderful friends - from Galera to San Juan to Baguio. We're still waiting for that grand Luzon road trip to happen though.


2008
 Hongkong and Macau - Ariel, Anna, and I closed the year out with a bang by taking that long anticipated Hongkong and Macau tour. Going around by ourselves was really fun, we kind of complemented each other in terms of usefulness. I just knew then that if ever I was to travel again, they are on top of my dream travel team list.

2009
Didn't go out of the country then but was able to go around locally - Subic, Tagaytay, Baler, Baguio, Morong, Bataan, Candaba, and Enchanted Kingdom.
Baler, Aurora - really lovely place that I was able to go to once again for work. (Some of the perks of site visits.) Went straight to Dicasalarin where there was absolutely no signal except via radio. Stayed at Baler proper for a few days as well. Too much food for a few days. Haha.

2010
2010 was a great travel year for me: I was able to go to Batangas (as usual), Boracay (first time!), Singapore, and Shanghai, China. I hope to do individual posts on these as they were the most wonderful times. :)

2011
Land-locked and Manila-bound. For an entire year. Was supposed to go to Bangkok, Thailand, General Santos, and Cagayan De Oro but cancelled each and every single trip even if the plane fares were already paid for. Tsk tsk. 2011 was the year of the wasn't meant to be. But 2012 is fast making up for it. God promised sunshine always as long as you believe. :)

2012
 Boracay - second time. But no Astoria Hotel this time around, haha. I miss that place. So pretty. Imagine we spent most of the time in the pool instead of at the Boracay beach. Officially a professional thing as this was the Architects Summit 2012. Congratulations to our chapter for winning Area Best Chapter then, we've won National Best Chapter as of this writing. :) Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to attend both awarding ceremonies. But at least our hard work in preparing the Bid books paid off. :) :) :)

So there are still plenty of days left for the rest of the year.... Let's wait and see what God has in store for us - the most amazing experiences are always still yet to come. And life just keeps getting better and better. :) :) :)

Day 2 QU

The 20 glasses goal is seriously an epic fail. I really tried and I think I can only reach around 14 or else I'll be constantly in the bathroom instead of working. But I did eat a lot today and last night! Haha. Like that ever was a goal. But really, food is <3. And so is adventure. Excited much??

Even though nothing's definite yet, I know that God loves me and He's taking really good care of me which is why I'm here now.. I'm giddy at the fact that I'm starting to hear His direction again. <3 <3 <3

That Restaurant called Bellini's..

Let me indulge in a little bedtime blogging..

Last Friday was Bru's birthday which we celebrated by 'not working' in the office yet we worked everywhere else (because we really can't not be working for an entire day, the workaholics that we are..) I also finally got to meet my BFFs after a long time but that's an entirely different story.

Anyway, we found ourselves at Cubao expo that Saturday night at that restaurant called Bellini's. I know the photos I have taken with my Ipad does not do the place nor the food any justice but food is food and friends are friends and I really love the positive vibes the night gave me. I walked all the way to the MRT after, which for those who know me lately knows how much of a challenge this was for me. Plus I was able to sleep by 12! Unreal.

So here's to more birthdays Bru! Cheers always.

Day 1 - Quick Update (QU)

Fail. Haha. It turns out 20 glasses of water is pretty hard. I think I only managed 10? But I was out for a long while carrying stuff and stuff hence no water. And if I look at the time now it is almost 2. But maybe I'm more 50pass - 50fail because I did wake up early. :)

Goals for the Week

I'm supposed to be sleeping by now (part of my goals) but I have to wait for the UX31 to finish updating. I got it back yesterday but only got around to tweaking it tonight. Turns out that takes time and I still don't know if it's already fully-functional as I couldn't add my bluetooth mouse before it started the whole update process. I'm thinking now if I should bring it back to the shop and have Asus fix it instead of just them. I kinda miss the Zenbook wallpaper I used to have actually. Anyway, that's a decision I'll have to make tomorrow when I've done my weekly sched as sending it back will mean days of no laptop which isn't really the best for work. So on to positive and productive things.. Here are my goals for this week:

1. Sleep early and wake up early. A friend used to tell me that rather than buying all the concealer in the world, sleeping early is the best thing to do. Not only is it healthier, it is also a hundred times cheaper. I need to get my sleeping pattern back to normal ASAP as Mother had only one rule way back when and I think it still applies until now - no one's allowed to drive with not enough sleep!

Which brings me to..

2. Renew my driver's license THIS week. The poor car is stuck with nowhere to go. I haven't even been taking care of it as I've been told repeatedly to at least start the engine once a day.

3. Drink 20 glasses of water per day. It is so hot right now and I really should keep myself hydrated. And Coke does not count.

4. Write that readmission letter. Deadline is May 2 dear. Or are you planning on going AWOL again? Yeah I figured you wouldn't so write that letter already!

5. Hmmm... Too many goals make me feel anxious so I guess I'll stop for now. One last goal will be - update blog!! This is one of my cheapest stress relievers these days which is why I'm semi-writing more often. It is easier to update on the UX31 though especially when I need to put photos and stuff. Not to mention updating from here is like typing from a touchscreen cellphone which is a complete waste of my above average typing skills.

UX31, you're still not done!?? 63 of 97? Should I give up now or just leave you be?

Random.

So instead of sleeping, here I am again in the wee hours of dawn effectively doing nothing. My UX31 is currently held hostage at Villman Trinoma after suffering its second breakdown since I got it. Hopefully I'll be able to get it back tomorrow after a quick reformat or else it will be off to the Asus service center yet again. I have a ton of work and the Ipad can only do so much. On some random positive thoughts since apparently I fail at giving this blog a focus or in keeping my promise of daily dosing (try twitter as I'm practically always there), the launch event was a success, our chapter won best national chapter for 2012, and we've got airconditioning in the office. Finally. God called me the other day as well and I've been obedient. Good vibes all throughout. I also realized for the nth time that no matter how much I want to blog, I actually do not have the time. And two, aside from the non-existence of a decent camera, I am really lazy at taking pictures. Case in point this past week's activities. Or even just tonight's. I spent a very brief moment of composing a blog entry in my head but ended up succumbing to eating. My tummy was grumbling and so I ate. I also realized that as much as I want to be 'fashionable', I am simply not. I end up wearing these loose solid colored Envi t-shirts from Bench all the time. I wear them with shorts, jeans, trousers, skirts. I wear them to the office, to meetings, to mall outings, to sleep. I wear them with slippers, flats, or heels. Simply put, they are very well-loved to the point that if I actually take the time out to do outfit shots, they'd be there practically every day. I also don't use a lot of shoes. I recently discovered that I can use a single pair of shoes everywhere. And I really mean everywhere. I also have this extensive brand loyalty like with my current shoe choice of Toms which I have in classic and ballet flats. And my slated next purchase of Toms wedges. If only they had sandals I would probably have a pair of those as well. But seriously though, I can survive on just the Envi tee and the Toms classic. Which I pair with these three trousers I bought in one day that are practically the same style. And let's not mention my black nylon bag collection which I abuse quite extensively (remind me to head to Prada as I've successfully caused one to temporarily retire). Oh but I do have a cute little jacket collection. Haha. So what's the point of this entry actually? I just want my brain to unload so I can fall asleep as I have another long and early day tomorrow. Unfortunately, it's during these hours that I find myself thinking and planning and working the most. Goodnight anyway as I hope to finally fall asleep. Zzzzzzzzzzz.....

Baggage

So I promised myself to actually use my stylus instead of just carrying it around. I tried to draw the contents of my chosen bag from yesterday's post. I'm sure it's pretty clear now why I'll be needing a separate bag just for work. The meter tape should always be present after all.

What's inside:
1- BB Storm (I think.. I'm not entirely sure as it's supposed to be my Mother's. But I've been road testing it for more than a month now....)

2- Nokia E72. My trusty phone of over 2years. Has served me quite well and does its job really great. Takes pictures good enough for presentations.

3- Maybelline tinted lip balm with SPF. This I bring EVERYWHERE as I'm really pale all the time.

4- Elizabeth Arden's Red Door mirror. I need this for my contacts (together with my contact lens' solution) and having it shaped like a door makes the geeky architect inside me happy.

5- Coach ID/keys/mini-wallet thing. I really don't know what it's called but it does multi-task pretty well. I only have to bring this actually and I'm all set.

6- Lotion. I recently keep getting dry hands as I wash or put alcohol on them religiously throughout the day. I need to apply lotion all the time.

Now with just these in my bag, I think I can go around already.. But to be able to work, I'll definitely be needing more. Like a pen and paper perhaps?

Unloading

Everyone keeps telling me that I carry way too much in my bag every day even as I keep defending myself that the contents are all just essentials. My aching shoulders at the end of the day proves them right I guess. So with that in mind, I've decided to try to trim down my 'essentials' to just the really barest of necessities. Hence the following bags:



Bag #1 is a mid-sized hobo with perfect colors for summer. (Not as perfect as these colored Mango bags I saw yesterday though. Thank God the store was closing already before I can impulse buy for the nth time.) The size of this bag can probably fit my Ipad which I intend to carry on a daily basis as it holds my schedule, notes, to do lists and Sims (haha) amongst the many other reasons I have to justify its purchase.










Bag #2 is this gunmetal leather handbag which I've been wanting to use for the longest time but which sadly does not even fit my 2 phones and wallet. Maybe I should leave my wallet at home then? Haha. But I will try to use this bag first as I favor it more than the colorful one. I will probably carry a separate bag though for work purposes. We shall see....











Note to self: You take really craaaaaaappppppy pictures!! The bags don't even look like bags. You can't even appreciate whatever detail they may have! Hmmm... Maybe an Ipad isn't the best for picture taking? Get an Iphone? Haha. No Katsy. N.O.

After 30 minutes of figuring out my stuff...
I managed to fit the most basic of my essentials into the small handbag! Yes! Which garnered a look of horror from my sister - "You're an architect and all your stuff is in that???????"

Why? Do architects need big bags to survive on a day to day basis? Yes we do need that alcohol (I was able to fit mine into the small bag!) and tissue and moist wipes for site visits. Not to mention those paint swatches, that tape meter and those pieces of papers where a lot of important stuff are hastily scribbled on (I'm going to have to rely on my phones for instant notes). We kind of also need an umbrella for emergencies, sunglasses to not get a migraine (put my sunglasses on top of my head and let it stay there till the wee hours of dawn), multiple IDs and cards for random stuff (I might pass by Bench and need that Bench Lifestyle card for points..)...

Which only meant one thing - I'll be carrying another bag with me. >_<

Slow

I got a new toy yesterday in the form of the Targus Stylus in navy blue. I promised myself that I'll be using it to 'practice' drawing. Looks like somebody beat me to it....

Step #2

Just because I promised to blog at least once a day. Step 2 is as important as all other possible steps. Actually, it just may be the most important step of all - TAKE A BREAK!

Step #1

There is one tool that is an absolute must-have in multi-tasking - the To-Do List.

When you have a ton to do and you find out that you're only human (bound to make mistakes, forget a few....), having an actual to-do list is the next best thing to having actually accomplished your to-do list.  

So what is a to-do list?
It's basically a pretty straightforward list of ALL the things that you have to do in the next second, minute, hour, day, week, month even. I find that there are items on my to-do list that I keep rewriting even as I crumple away the old to-do lists after I have successfully crossed off (and oh how I love the literal act of crossing off an item off my list - sometimes I even put "get lip balm from room" just to be able to cross an item off immediately). These items that are on constant repeat made me realize that I never actually get around to doing them which means that they may not be urgent exactly but they are important enough to merit several rewrites on fresh lists. Now this basic to-do list only works for items that have a clear direction and with no element of time pressure noted. Basic lists like the one I used to use above (quite extensively, as I used to have several of these sheets with me all the time) just note the date of the list and provide a bunch of lines for all the items. It's much like a shopping/grocery list which is pretty linear. I tried to add an element of organization to my lists by grouping them under project headings but then there goes the clear lack of time as a crucial element in anything to be done.

So how do I get time into the equation?
I asked a friend to go through my list with me and she suggested adding the time element by labeling items according to categories (I usually just ask a trusted friend for advice as it is the quickest way to know something without going through tons of research. I found that I am an extensive researcher and if I start researching on such productivity methods, I might go down the deep rabbit hole and end up doing nothing else. Much like this blog I'm starting really. But since it helps keep me sane then on I go...):

URGENT/IMPORTANT
URGENT/NOT-AS-TIME-CONSTRAINED
NOT URGENT/IMPORTANT
NOT URGENT/NOT-AS-TIME-CONSTRAINED

Now you may ask me why there's urgent and there's not as time constrained, like what's the difference? Isn't urgent the same as time constrained? Why is there an urgent/not-as-time-constrained category? Let me explain each category with slightly bit more detail. (I think my friend suggested different categories but of course I had to modify it to fit my highly complicated thought process.)

URGENT/IMPORTANT
These are items that MUST BE DONE IMMEDIATELY! DO or DIE! An example is "eat lunch now (at 5pm)". Seriously though, these are such items like print out drawings for presentation at 2pm today (and it's 3am and you're still not done with the presentation) and write letters for signing of a signatory who is leaving tomorrow. Extremely-busy-people/crammers have the most items on this list all the time.
URGENT/NOT-AS-TIME-CONSTRAINED
These are items that have to be done but are not as high priority as those in the first category; meaning they can be delayed a day or too before they move to the category above. These are items that fall into the critical path if you adopt the "Critical Path Method." If you do not accomplish one of these items soon, the rest to follow will all be in alarm mode. And yes, we do not want that to happen. At all. Making sure that you don't miss one of these items is crucial so that they won't cause delays later on.
NOT URGENT/IMPORTANT
Now this category is for those items that are not due within the next two weeks but are highly important for some reason that only you know. One example is "Read the Hunger Games before watching the movie." Oh shoot. Wait. That should fall under the first category as the movie is showing already!
NOT URGENT/NOT-AS-TIME-CONSTRAINED
This category I created mainly for my sanity as I wanted a place where I can write all the things that I wanted to do but at the same time be reminded that these do not have a place in the schedule any time in the near future (read: unnecessary except for my absolute sanity which translates to must be done like now now) unless I absolutely make time. A perfect example of an item on this list is "write in blog". Which just goes to show my perfect understanding of my priorities at the start of the work week.

So wait, how do I get time in the equation again?
Now when you have an extensive list already grouped under project headings, merging them with the categories above may prove to be a tad confusing. Thankfully, I thought of the perfect way to apply the categories onto my already existing list - USE COLOR!

I actually left my written to-do list and made a grand list of things to do in my nifty (now favorite) computer program MS Excel. (I will do my best to write an entry about the evolution of the to-do list soon as I think it is quite notable - this journey of digitizing almost everything.) Once I've input all my darling little items under their specific project columns, I then used color to apply the time element categories. You can actually use whatever color you like but I suggest using the red color for the URGENT/IMPORTANT category. There is nothing quite like seeing your Excel grand list of things to do practically all in red to bring you to panic. I also used blue and green and orange I think. It really depends on my mood. Another important thing though is to put ABSOLUTELY NO COLOR on those items that you have already accomplished. That way, you can feel a sense of satisfaction as your list turns into this monochromatic world of accomplishment. Such is the world of peace to counteract the colorful world of to-do with its look-at-me hues!

So how do I go from here?
Now this one really should be simple. If you don't already know the answer then let me spell it out for you - START WORKING! Get moving and start crossing items off your list. At the end of the day, making the actual list doesn't really count (although writing out those lists make me feel like I'm doing something honestly..), it's finishing the items on the list that really matters.

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." - Conrad Hilton

Finding Focus

I haven't been really updating as I've been very, very, very busy. But in the midst of it all, I wanted to find a specific direction for this little blog of mine. I feel like I'm all over the place, much like how I actually am now in real life. The only time I get to rest is when I absolutely must. But no complaints here. I'm extremely blessed to be able to do all that I have to do.

And so I realized... I can blog about how to focus when you have way too much to do yet you still want to do more! I am a dreamer after all. And to make my dreams come true, I believe in working hard. But most of all, I believe in working smart.

multi-tasking, efficiency, creativity + balance, rest, recreation = success, contentment, happiness

I'm still working my way to figuring out this equation. But for now, let me just savor the 15minutes I took to write this entry of mine.

Focus. Finally.
Even if I have way too many.