Let's play... a photo a day

Here's how to play:

♥ Starting on March 1st take a photo each day with inspiration from the prompt. For example prompt 1 is 'up', so take a photo looking up. Or of the word 'up'. Or something that lifts your mood 'up'. It it totally up to you how you want to interpret it.

♥ Once you've taken your photo you can share it on Instagram, Facebook {on your own profile or business page}, Twitter, Flickr, your blog, Pinterest, Tumblr or even just keep them in a folder on your desktop. If you're sharing on Twitter or Instagram add the hashtag #Marchphotoaday so others can find your photos too.

Note: For day 20 you'll see that it says 'before / after'. Again, you can interpret this however you like. I thought it would be cool for people to use an app like picframe to show two photos in one. It could be a meal before eating and the plate after. It could be anything! If you don't have any iPhone or don't want to buy an app - just use your imagination and either take two photos or work it into just one.

For more info, visit Fatmumslim.

Wisdom nugget #1

Curious tag game

I loved tagging games when I used to blog in Multiply. You just have to answer the questions and it usually doesn't require too much explanation. I think it is a great way to make readers know about the writer without having to share too much.  It was really nice of Michy from I am a dekaphobic to tag me. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed answering the questions.

Original photo is from here

Let's start this first with the rules for the game:

- Post these rules
- Post 11 random things about yourself
- Answer the question that the tagger set for you in their post
- Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
- Go to their blog and tell them they've been tagged

11 Random Things About Myself:

1. My favorite household chore is cleaning the bathroom.
2. I am a VERY fickle-minded person.
3. I  chant "Bacon, bacon, bacon" when I'm craving for it.
4. I think I have Adult ADD/ADHD.
5. I seriously hold people on what they tell me.
6. People who don't know how to say thank you or sorry irk me.
7. I love beef and seafood.
8. I don't like Sinigang!
9. I have a big bag syndrome.
10. I can move on from bad things easily.
11. I love color-coordinated things. 

Answered Questions of the Tagger:

1. What's your favorite restaurant?
I have three : Tong Yang, Sambokojin and R&J Bulaluhan.

2. Froyo or ice cream? Which brand?
Ice cream! Häagen-Dazs. But it's so expensive so i usually go for Selecta. :)

3. Coffee or milk tea? Which brand?
Coffee, still. I love Starbuck's Java Chip and Coffee Jelly but for the instant ones, I like Great taste's white coffee.

4. What's the last movie you watched?
I watched The Vow in the big screen last Friday but the bf and I had an X-men marathon on Saturday.

5. Which book did you last read?
Matched by Ally Condie.

6. Do you have a planner? Which one are you using?
I have a Harry Potter planner, gifted to me by my dear sister.

7. Who's your favorite artist of all time?
I can't decide between Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman. 

8. What's your very first blog entry about?
It's about the list of things  I wanna do before I turn 25.

9. What's your favorite Filipino dish?
Bulalo and Kare-kare!

10. What's your most popular blog entry of all time?
 My A traveler...NOT post have the most number of comments so I guess that's it.

11. What's your current profession?
I am a Licensed Librarian. :)

11 New Set of Questions:

1. Have you done something bad this week?
2. What are your plans for the weekend?
3. What is your favorite book?
4. Do you play an instrument?
5. Would you like to have kids (someday)?
6. Do you fall for people easily?
7. What do you believe in, free will or destiny? Why?
8. Would you change your religion for your bf/gf?
9. Are you comfortable with the idea of LGBT relationships?
10. Do you compare yourselves to others?
11. What is your beauty secret?

I'm tagging Cherry of  A Day with Me, Rae of Scatterbraintures and Sey of 14th Street.

Piliin mo ang Pilipinas

El Gamma Penumbra never fail to amaze me. When I first watched their PGT Finals performance in Youtube, I had goosebumps. Now, this. Even better!  Enjoy the video!

Visit the iChoose and Choose Philippines sites too. Share why you are one Proud Pinoy/Pinay! :)

A traveler...NOT

I cannot really travel as much as I want to, but that is one of the luxuries I do allow myself to have every once in a while. I've been to Zambales (Anawangin and Nagsasa), Cebu & Bohol twice;  then Baguio and Puerto Princesa once. Here are some of the photos from my previous trips:

I dream of visiting more wonderful places here in the country... And yes, someday, I'll travel the world. It's actually one of the main reasons why I want to be rich! But while I don't have enough moolah, these are the places I think I can afford to go, before I turn 25.

I am aware not that "well-traveled" even in our very own country. But when I stumbled Lakbayan, I still gave it a shot. It was a very interesting  way to "evaluate" one's score when it comes to traveling around the Philippines. You guys should also try it. Getting results was just so easy. No signing up or whatsoever. Here's my score: 

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

I am a C- traveler! I know it's nothing to be proud of, but seeing the failing grade  fueled that burning passion in me to explore more of our country. This year, I would be traveling to Bacolod and Cagayan de Oro/Camiguin. Next year, I hope to squeeze more travels in my budget. And when I finally turn 25, I'll take the survey again. Hopefully, by that time, I can at least get a grade of B. :)

Back again!

I've been out for a while again because I had to give my right wrist some rest. It had been hurting so bad that I had to wear a splint :

It was uncomfortable, not to mention, unsightly! Wearing it was a nightmare to a computer-love like me. I had to stand while working in the computer. I also had to undergo some tests for my nerves, which included currents and lots of needles. Not fun, but I am very glad that I don't have carpal tunnel syndrome or cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerves in the neck).

Anyway, that's it for now. Not using the splint anymore but no one wants to abuse the wrist, right?

Best ad

I am not a fan of forwarded messages but this is just so funny that I have to share it. Hope you guys enjoy it too! :) This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed. It is reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal. SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant.  I'm a very good girl who LOVES to play.  I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire.  Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand.  I'll be at the front door when you get home from work; wearing only what nature gave me...  Call (404) 875-6420 and ask for Annie, I'll be waiting..... Over 150 men found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society.

...

It's a week before you-know-what. We're not big on celebrating it, but we do celebrate in our simple way... Last year, we had this in the apartment's rooftop:

That's me, the boyfriend, the boyfriend's ate and the ate's boyfriend. :)

I'm thinking of camping this year. How about you guys, what's your plan for next week?

____________________________________________________________
I refuse to mention the V word for the fear of the photos getting crawled and indexed as part of the celebration... :)

No freedom nor love

Freedom to choose is already taken from us. Everything we would do or say must be according to rules and orders. There will be no hate, but you won't feel love either. Even the one you'll have to spend your life with will be chosen by the government. What will you do? How will you survive?
 

I do not know if that would make you pick up a book, but that would certainly grab my attention. I don't get to read much as I want to nowadays because of school stuff, but whenever I get a chance, I spend some time with my new love: Young Adult Dystopian Novels.

Sappy love stories have been my "favorite" genre until I discovered YA dystopian. Although most of my favorites still have a romance side to it, I find them more enjoyable and exciting reads than Segal, Sparks and Ahern. I mean, don't get me wrong, I liked the stuff those three authors wrote but adult novels tackling  adult problems are tiring to read. 

Now, we all know what young adult novels are, but whatdahey are dystopian novels?

A dystopia (from the Ancient Greek δυσ-: bad-, ill- and τόπος: place, landscape) (alternatively, cacotopia,[1], or anti-utopia) is a vision, of an often futuristic society, which has developed into a negative version of Utopia. A Dystopia is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. It often features different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions and a state of constant warfare or violence. --Wikipedia

They're usually mistaken or categorized by Sci-fi, but I don't really like the hard-core science fiction. I like the ones with empowered women and a little "kilig" on the side. Below are my top 5 Dystopian YA books.  Only one of them has a male protagonist because I don't really feel connected with the book if the lead is not a female. I included the blurbs, hoping you'll be encouraged to read them too. 

1. Divergent

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

2.  Delirium
Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.


 3. Hunger Games trilogy

Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.




4. The Sky Inside

 A stranger has come to take away all the little children, including Martin's sister, Cassie, and no one wants to talk about where she has gone. The way Martin sees it, he has a choice. He can remain in the dubious safety of HM1, with danger that no one wants to talk about lurking just beneath the surface, or he can actually break out of the suburb, into the mysterious land outside, rumored to be nothing but blowing sand for miles upon miles.





5. Matched and Crossed

Cassia always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate, until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

 If you have questions about any of the books, leave me a note. I didn't include my review because I'm not good at that, but I'd be very happy to answer any of your queries.

The Places we'll go.

I found this video in Patty Laurel's blog. I've actually just read the book some weeks ago, but seeing the video today made me cry. It gave me affirmations that I wanted to hear. I felt as if the people were talking straight to me. The message is exactly what I needed today. 

 Enjoy!