Everything Else

Today marks my 6th month as a WAHM. Also, it begins my 3-month countdown to my 30th birthday.

I am turning 30 in a few months. Now let’s take a moment to let that information sink in…

Ok.

I am turning 30 in a few months, and for me that means that I’m moving up one big step in life.  I believe that there is a vast difference between being in your 20’s and being in your 30’s. So I feel that it’s time for me to change some things in my life, for the better.

As a 20-something, I went through a lot of significant life changes, from having a child to getting married, doing a lot of dumb things, getting hurt, hurting others, having my dreams turned to dust and my world flipped upside down, choosing the wrong things, choosing the right things, quitting smoking, and the list goes on. There were a lot of little things too in between, and all of these put together are what molded my 29-year old outlook as to what life should be once I cross over to the 30-something club.

Milestones. 6 months as a WAHM, 3 months to go til I’m 30. This is a good day for me to start on Project 30, my self-improvement project for my 30-something years. Yes, I do have a plan for the next decade of my life. Let me just pause while I pat myself on the back.

Image used under Creative Commons: Birthday Cake by Will Clayton

I want to commit to 30 changes over the next ten years, important goals that I feel will make my life better. Some are big and some are small. Some are things I want to accomplish within the months prior to my turning 30, and some that will be fulfilled sometime within the next ten years. Ten years is a long time, and maybe along the way, some of these goals may change. I don’t have my full 30 yet, but for now, I want to share with you my partial Project 30 list.

Before I turn 30

1. Exercise. Daily. For the next 100 days. Yes, I really had to put it that way just to emphasize how much I really want to do this. I admit, exercise is not my friend. I am lazy. I have wasted many, many gym memberships over the years. And I want to do better. So there. Tomorrow is day 1 of 100.
2. Quit soda.
3. Reserve eating fast food for special occasions.
4. Pay off my credit card.
5. Finish cleaning our room.
6. Cleanse, Tone and Moisturize religiously.
7. Remember to take my vitamins everyday.

Within the Next 10 Years

1. Move into our own house.
2. Be able to sustain a stable monthly income as a WAHM.
3. Fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes. Seriously. I gave birth when I was 23. It’s about time.
4. Have another baby. Yay!
5. Set aside enough money for the future.
6. Write a book. Or at least a set of short stories.
7. Go back to school. Or at least attend classes, workshops and seminars.
8. Buy my first LV. Yes, that is a goal!
9. Get the little guy started on his extracurricular activities, sports and music classes, and summer activities.
10. Become an excellent home cook.
11. Learn to budget.
12. Try to be more hands-on and more of a DIY person.
13. Maintain my blog and increase readership.
14. Live a healthier lifestyle.
15. Put up my own business.

What should I expect in my 30’s? Do you have any suggestions on what else I should add to this list? I’m only halfway through!

Much love and happiness,

* Find me on Facebook and Twitter! *

So, the red cups are back at our local Starbucks, and that means all my favorite Christmas drinks have arrived. This is never a good thing for my waistline.

Over the years, I have noticed that the primary cause of holiday weight gain for me is my inability to say no to all the special Christmas drinks and pastries offered at ever imaginable coffee shop in the area. I kid you not. It doesn’t help that I have this annual desire to take home all the nice planners you get “for free” once you complete a booklet of stickers or stamps. One drink = one sticker/stamp. This year, you need 17 stickers from Starbucks to get the 2013 planner. 17 x whipped cream/sugar/chocolate = bad for my (I wish I could stick to it) diet.

But I do it anyway. As of today, I already have 5 stickers (yay!), and I’ve had each of the featured holiday drinks. Two in Frappuccino form, one hot. Maybe a bit of jogging is in order? Or rather, walking, since I don’t actually jog. Yikes!

#1 – Dark Cherry Mocha Frappuccino

#3 – Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino

What’s your favorite holiday treat?

Much love and happiness,

* Find me on Facebook and Twitter! *

This post is months overdue!

Last May, I joined my friend Joei’s birthday giveaway. I was beyond excited when I received an email telling me that I won! Yay! Luck is rarely on my side when it comes to contest, raffle draws and giveaways. This time, not only had I won something, but it was something that I really wanted too. Wonderful!

I started wearing prescription glasses when I was seven. I tried contact lenses for a time but never found them comfortable, so I decided instead to find cute frames that I can switch around to suit my mood or match my outfits. That explains why Joei‘s Firmoo giveaway excited me so.

Firmoo is this fabulous online optical shop where you pick your frames, input your prescription, and they ship your glasses to you. It’s ever so convenient! They have affordable options too, perfect for people like me who aren’t very good at taking care of their glasses.

After browsing the site, I knew right away which pairs I wanted. Yup, pairs! Shipping is free if you order more than one, and since the frames I wanted were on the cheaper side, I was able to choose two pairs of glasses – one with clear lenses and one tinted. If you’re worried about how the frames will look on you, I suggest you make use of the Virtual Try-On feature on their website. Just upload your photo and try away! Worked for me. 🙂

Wheee!!! It’s here!!!

The package arrived one afternoon while I was preparing reviewers for my little boy. I get excited whenever I receive packages in the mail. It’s one of my simple joys in life. The first thing I noticed when I opened it up was the envelope was lined with bubble wrap on the inside. Then I saw that the hard cases were severely dented. I got a bit worried that the glasses inside might have been damaged during shipping.

Dented cases.

When I checked the inside, I was happy to see that the insides were lined with bubble wrap too, and that both pairs of glasses were safe and sound.

Thank goodness they packed them well.

My new sunglasses!

Don’t you think the green and blue plastic frames are so cute?

There was a thank you note, a soft case and a screwdriver included in the package as well. Now I don’t have to borrow Mr C’s screwdriver anymore when my glasses are loose. Or maybe I still will, since I usually ask him to fix them for me.

Soft case + my very own screwdriver!

I’ve been wearing the pair with clear lenses ever since I got them. The sunglasses, on the other hand, came in handy during my recent trip to Boracay! All my other pairs, including my old prescription sunglasses, have been stuffed in a box for a few months now because I like these ones so much.

My everyday look.

Fun in the sun special!

Thank you, Joei! Ever since this, I’ve started joining more contests and giveaways! I hope this is the start of better luck for me. Haha!

Much love and happiness,

* Find me on Facebook and Twitter! *

First of all, let me make a few things clear.

1. This post does not contain any movie spoilers. I’m not about to ruin the experience for those who come across my blog and have yet to see the film. I threatened to hurt anyone who tried to tell me the details of the film before I got to see it, and now that I’ve experienced it myself, I have no plans of sharing anything about the movie unless the person I am talking to has seen it as well.

2. I may be a girl, but I do enjoy watching guy movies. I find them exciting.

3. While I enjoy guy movies, my comments about them are often of a girly-girl nature. The kind that make boys roll their eyes. The kind that sometimes make people think I’m a ditz. After all, I am a girly-girl, and this is proven by the fact that I call movies like The Avengers “Guy Movies”.

4. My opinions are my own and in no way reflect the opinions of the general female public.

5. This is not a movie review. I did my share of film reviews in college, and quite frankly I was never that good at it, which is why I rarely write about movies. 

So my boys and I braved the opening weekend cinema chaos and caught the 1:45PM screening of The Avengers at Alabang Town Center on its first Sunday. I usually steer clear of cinemas on the first week of any blockbuster movie because I’m not a big fan of crowds. But since the boys and I were so drawn by the hype, especially after watching Thor and Captain America on video last week, we decided to give it a go.

All I can say is, I thank God for SureSeats.com, without whom watching a movie yesterday would not be made possible. I reserved our tickets online Saturday night, and even with the advanced booking, I still had to stand in line for about half an hour to pay for and claim the tickets. Imagine that. A friend of mine was actually planning to watch yesterday too, but wasn’t able to because all the screenings were sold out by noon. So there, thank goodness for SureSeats, and for my brother who pushed me to sign up for it!

We were thinking of watching in IMAX or 3D, but decided at the last minute to just catch a regular screening because we were trying to keep our expenses at a minimum. We often end up spending a ridiculous amount when we go on family movie dates, with our tickets, snacks and dinner or lunch afterwards. Snacks are usually standard – a bag of cheese popcorn for the little guy to share with his dad, a bag of the five-flavored popcorn from Tateers for me (which I also share with Mr C), and a large drink for each of us. Lately I’ve been having Serenitea with my movies, as I’ve found that it goes really well with popcorn.

Ok, so about the Avengers…

I just absolutely loved the movie. I have very limited knowledge about the comic books or cartoon series that came before the film, but that didn’t matter. Everything was so exciting and fast-paced, but with a concrete and detailed plot line. One thing I did notice was there was not a single ugly person in the film. Even the extras were good looking. Even the Hulk wasn’t an ugly Hulk. Seriously.

Ok, so he’s not exactly Hulking in this photo I actually think he looks like Baron Geisler here LOL

My favorite Avenger would have to be Iron Man. I just think he is too cool for words, and his sarcasm and wit is beyond entertaining. It’s also nice how Stark has this connection to Captain America. For those who haven’t seen Captain America, Tony Stark’s dad plays an important part in the film. Yes, this is kind of a spoiler, but not for The Avengers, so it’s forgivable.

The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan

Robert Downey Jr has been doing a wonderful job bringing Iron Man to life, although I may just be biased because I’ve always loved him and his movies, from Chances Are to Heart and Souls, Only You, Tropic Thunder, Sherlock Holmes, and both Iron Man films. You get the picture. I just never really did like Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, I find her too stiff and uptight. Or is the character really supposed to be that way? Anyway, on a side note, you guys should really check out her website, GOOP. I love it, it’s one of my guilty pleasure reads.

Tony Stark / Iron Man

I think that the greatest thing that The Avengers has done for me was to introduce me to the existence of Chris Hemsworth. I mean seriously, this guy is the stuff that dreams are made of. I mean, if Thor, who just happened to look like that, came down to Earth and told you he was gonna take you to live with him in Asgard, wouldn’t you let him pick you up and carry you over his shoulders? Of course, I like the character too, as I’ve recently discovered this fascination I have with mythology. I actually even sat through Percy Jackson late one night after a very long and tiring event, and I really enjoyed it. So yeah, Thor, I really enjoyed the movie too. I was completely engrossed by both him and his brother Loki, and I like how they seem so other-worldy compared to the rest of the characters. I guess they’re supposed to be other-worldly, since they aren’t from here, right?

Thor, who just happens to have better hair than I do

Loki, who is not a bad-looking bad guy Told you there aren’t any ugly people in this film

I’m a girl so I wasn’t excited much by Natasha Romanoff, and Hawkeye was, well, just there. I didn’t like the How I Met Your Mother girl, though. Not in the least. One thing I am happy about is that Natalie Portman only shows up once, and doesn’t say a single word.

So that’s my take on The Avengers. Definitely not substantial whatsoever as a film critique, and certainly deserving of a funny, confused stare from die-hard, male comic book fans (as in, “What is this girl saying???”). 100% girly-girl, and totally me. Am I glad I made an effort to catch the film in the middle of all the hype? Yes. 100%. Would I watch it again? For sure. But I’d probably wait for the crowd to die down this time.

I don’t know why, but all of a sudden I’m wondering if I can push myself enough to train for a marathon. And yes, I am aware that completing a marathon means running a whole 42 kilometers. The thought has never occurred to me before, and I honestly don’t know why I’m thinking about it now. I’ve never been a runner. Even during my more active days filled with tennis, soccer and dancing, I tried my best to keep running to a minimum. I’d even go as far as to cheat during running drills simply because I didn’t like it much. I’d get discouraged when my legs started hurting, and so I never really built the endurance for it. So you can just imagine how insane I must seem to myself now, thinking about the possibility of me running a full 42k.

In the interest of getting into shape, I took advantage of my Holy Thursday free time to go on a short walk (emphasis on walk) around the block this afternoon. It took me 26 minutes to walk 2 kilometers. I may be bad at math, but I know that this pace will not cut it if I want to get into this seriously. The question is, do i really, seriously, want to get into running? Maybe this is just the heat messing with my brain. Or maybe it’s just another item to add to my all-new list of life changing possibilities that seems to be constantly growing as my 30th birthday gets closer. Whatever it is, it involves exercise, and that’s always a good thing, as far as I’m concerned.

Stay tuned for progress then!

Spotted by MrC in Starbucks, Leviste.

Contributors! There I am under my friend Monty’s photo, and the letter O.

Oh what fun! I’ve yet to get myself a copy, though. Actually, I haven’t even seen the magazine hehe. Still, first time to see my name in print. Love it!