A Little Change for Next Year

I am very excited for this year to end and for 2017 to start... I have a good feeling next year will be a good year for me, I am claiming that 2017 will be my year!

There's a little change that I planned to do for myself next year. I'm your t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, but since I will be starting a new business venture next year, I am expected to wear formal attires for meetings and most of the time actually. So, I decided that I will start wearing skirts next year. As I was browsing online, I found out how elegant StyleWe skirts are.

Goals for 2017

Hi guys! Can't believe it's been a year already since I purchased this domain name and started this blog. Some of you may know, I've been blogging since 2010 but I just keep making and making new blogs each year.

Photo grabbed from www.journalismfund.eu

Anyway, year 2016 is coming to an end! Time flies so fast, right? But, I'm glad it's about to end and we are about to unfold a new chapter. This year has been very challenging for me... Too much family problems, financial problems, too much self-pity, anger, work problems, emotional problems, and ups and downs of my long distance relationship. Yes, it has been very tough and I'm glad I have survived this far.

I Considered Shaving My Head

I've been having problems with body. I've been diagnosed with PCOS recently and that explains my mood swings, irregular periods, undying acne, aggressive weight gain, excessive hair growth in my body, and of course, thinning hair or hair loss from the head.

Being stressed most of the time doesn't help at all. I noticed bald spots (like in the picture above) in my head. The bald spot on the other side of my forehead is really big than the one I showed in the picture above. It affects my confidence, big time! I know, my hair looks thick but once you touched it, you'll feel (and see) how thin my hair is.

I Feel Like Giving Up

Since I was young, I knew I have a very big responsibility on my shoulders being the eldest daughter of the family. I did everything I possibly could to please my family, especially my parents. I maintained good grades when I was still a student, I avoided getting into a romantic relationships because they think it's a distraction. When I graduated, I immediately started working to support and provide for my family. I was and still am happy providing for their needs. I feel very happy knowing they get what they need and what they want.

Photo grabbed from tinybuddha.com

Whenever I see the smile on their faces, I feel great. Their smiles inspire me to do more. Those smiles takes all my worries away.

I Will Try Them All

I've been really struggling to lose weight just recently. I feel so frustrated that I no longer fit in my old clothes. I started to change my diet and started to move around (I used to live a sedentary lifestyle). I feel very happy to see some positive results, but still not good enough.

I found out another good trick to make me lose my excess fats. It's been effective so far. It motivates me more to eat clean and move more! Wanna know what it is? Buying clothes in your target size!

My Love for Siomai

I have never tried eating siomai before and I didn't had plans to try it, I don't know why was that the case. But recently, around May this year... I finally gave in.

I was about to pick-up someone at the seaport, and as usual the arrival of the ship was delayed. While waiting for the ship to arrive, I got hungry. Then I smelled siomai. I really told myself I wouldn't try it, but I gave in anyway. I have this idea in my head of how it would taste like -- awful. But lo and behold, pork siomai tasted so heavenly inside my mouth! nom nom nom. I was really surprised how good it tasted! I was smiling from inside while I was eating it.

Follow me on Instagram: marie.eds

My Sister's First Holy Communion

My youngest sister is in the fourth grade already. Time flies so fast! Just recently, her teacher gave us a notice about their upcoming communion. You see, we were raised by Catholic parents and our grandparents always tell us to be involved in our church's activities. Obviously, everyone is so excited for my sister's first holy communion (way too excited!).

My mom asked me to look up online for first communion dresses for my sister, since I am also very excited for this moment of my sister's life — I am more than willing to help look for the perfect dress for her.

Sleeveless Ball Gown Organza Tea Length First Communion Dress with Bow

Perfect Gift for Him

Ernie is a nice man. We've been friends for years now. I first knew him back in high school. He's quite the popular kid in school because he's good looking and plays the guitar well. He didn't noticed me at first because I was just an ordinary girl. I forgot what actually happened, but we became very close and that's when our friendship started.

So, as an honor for this great guy... I was thinking of getting him something. We can call it a token for our friendship. As I was browsing online for a gift that will match his personality, I found this double neck guitar bass. The first moment I saw it, I know right then and there that it's perfect for him. It suits his looks and his personality very well... and to think it's a limited edition one, I know he will love it.

Long Personal E-mails

We all know the effort made by someone when they give us cards or handwritten letters, right? We feel so special knowing that they exert that effort, for us. But the thing is, we rarely get handwritten letters now. Since we live in a digital world now, everything is typed or printed. As an alternative to handwritten letters, there's e-mail now.

Back in 2009, when I first started my online career as a social media marketer and a virtual assistant, I usually communicated with my clients through e-mail and I felt some personal connection with them through that. Now, we have Skype and other instant messaging, which make things easier and we don't have to be anxious for replies, by the way.

Sharing The Magic Within Brazil to The World - Sara Boo

I've always had this fascination about Brazil and it's people. I haven't been there and I don't know any Brazilians personally, but my impression of this is that they are warm and friendly people.

Since I spend most of my time online, while surfing randomly (more like surfing about Brazil and Brazilians), I've encountered Sara Boo. It is a Brazilian brand that was born from the passion of the diversified and wealthy nature of Brazil.

Do I Have The Right to Sleep?

It's 3:18 AM and I can't sleep, even though I want to. I'm working on some projects to improve some websites that I have, for them to generate a little more moolah for me. Before you raise your brows because of the title of this post, please hear me out.

If you have read my previous post, you would understand why I am very eager to earn more money. But other than that, there are many more reasons why.

I love sleep. Who doesn't love sleep? I miss sleeping six to eight hours a day. I'm lucky if I get to sleep two to three hours a day. It's actually my rest day today (I mean yesterday, Sunday) and I was looking forward to it. I was like "Yay! Finally, I can catch up and get my well-deserved sleep!" but that didn't happened.

Life... Full of Surprises

Hi everyone! I've been missing in action for months, again. So much has happened in my life outside the internet. Some of it, I am proud of and the rest just makes me sad. In just a matter of seconds, my life changed. No, it's not what you think. I did not get married or got pregnant. I've been contemplating if I should share it here or not... but I decided that I should. I need a breathing room and this blog is perfect for that.

My dear readers, brace yourself because this may just be one of my many dramatic posts.

The sad thing is, nobody ever really knows how much anyone else is hurting. 

We could be standing next to somebody who is completely broken and we don't even know it.

Ube, Again...

Being on my period makes me really lazy and cranky, and my cravings are usually out of this world (lol). No wonder I'm not losing any weight, but it's okay. I'm still sexy! HAHAHA.

So anyway, my neighbor was on her way to the supermarket and I asked her a favor, if she can buy me a chocolate ice cream because I've been thinking (craving) about it since last week. Good thing she did not hesitate to say yes. I was afraid that she would say no, that means I have to get dressed and go to the supermarket myself.

I try to avoid going to the supermarket so I won't be tempted to buy anything that I don't really need.

A New Trend of Prom Dresses

I think I have mentioned in my previous blogs that I was not lucky enough to attend prom during my high school years because of some personal reasons. I was heartbroken, because prom is probably one of the most memorable events in one’s life. But, I have to move on. You know what I did? I just help my friends chose the perfect prom dress for them. I'm quite good at that, I guess.

I’m almost 23 years old, a working young adult, but still browse for prom dresses. I don’t know why I do that. Today’s trends just amaze me. So many beautiful dresses to choose from!

After my working hours, I usually spend my time writing, watching dramas, and also browsing online. I happened to stumble upon WinnieDress. According to the website, they are a company that focuses on customizing wedding and special occasion dresses and they are based in China.

I find these two piece prom dresses interesting. We never had this back in the day. We usually get those whole dresses (or whatever is the term for that) before. Girls of today are lucky to have different varieties to choose from.

What is My Calling?

I'm almost 23 years old, but until now I still don't know what I really want to be in life. I still haven't figured out what is my calling. I felt so left behind, and it's one of the not very nice feelings in the world.

When I was younger, I have thought of many things of what I would be when I grow up. At first I wanted to become a teacher, then another year passed and I wanted to be a lawyer, then another year passed, I wanted to be a chef, and then another and another and another. It seems like every year, my desires of what to become is changing.

BPI Card Replacement ~ Forgot ATM PIN

Just few weeks ago, I was trying to withdraw some money from my ATM. I saw that there was long queue in my bank's ATM machine and I was in a hurry so I went to the other bank's ATM machine, and just my luck, it says that I entered the wrong PIN. I am aware that I only have three (3) tries to enter my PIN, and I failed to enter the correct PIN in three tries, I can no longer withdraw my funds. After the first attempt, I decided to go back to my bank's ATM machine and just fall in line... and when it was my turn, I entered my PIN and still says the same. I am very certain that I entered the correct PIN, so I tried again and it still says that I entered the wrong PIN. You guess it right, my card is no longer useful after that. I went home defeated.

At first, I had no idea what to do. A week passed and I just let it be, but at the back of my mind I'm already worried. I don't have so much money in my account, it was just enough for a week's budget and I worked hard for that money and I can't just let it vanish like that.

Too Crowded

Been here in Manila for months already and I can tell that I am still not used to the traffic, the pollution, and especially the crowd. Manila is just too different from the province. It's just too noisy, but it's also fun (and scary, sometimes).

I still miss the peacefulness of the province but, in the name of career and being an independent woman, I have to embrace Manila wholeheartedly.

So anyway, I went to Baclaran Church (National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help) to attend the mass and light some candles afterwards. After attending the mass, I decided to take the LRT (Light Rail Transit) on my way home. It was so crowded on my way to the station from the church. I forgot it was Wednesday. No wonder there were so many devotees attending the mass.

Life in Biliran

I've been to many provinces in the Philippines, especially in Eastern Visayas and Northern Samar. Living in the province is one of the most quiet and safe place in my entire life. They established harmony, hospitality, and peace. They preserved the norms and traditions, that only in the provinces in the Philippines you can experience.

Photo grabbed from Vigattintourism.com

I Love Sunsets

Ever since I've got my first point-and-shoot camera, I'm already fond of capturing sunsets. It has some dramatic effect on me. Sunset for me is beautiful and mysterious. Beautiful because of how it makes the sky very picturesque and mysterious because we never know what will happen after it's gone.

Beautiful sunset in Mindanao