Apr
21

Muscle Men … Anyone?

I have never been a fan of muscle men, I don’t see the allure in them. There was this workout gym that I pass by every time I head out to the local library and all those photos of body builders on display didn’t really excite anything in my womanly parts however they do excite my best friend, Luci and it’s kinda cute and creepy at the same time.

Then he mentioned something about about p6 extreme and how she wants to gain some muscle too. I told her that is quite impossible. Or say I wouldn’t want him becoming one of them (pointing to the photos) saying that he is lovely and perfect just the way he is.

Apr
19

French Web Content Writer / Marketer

Must haves:
Fluency in both written and spoken French
Experience in article writing and doing freelance jobs
Familiarity with social networking sites, forums, blogs, ecommerce websites, etc.

Scope of work
- Article writing in French for French websites
- Editing of existing website contents in French
- Online marketing

Salary: starting 15K (negotiable)
Start: ASAP
Duration: Long Term
Employment Type: Full time job / home based

Apr
17

Resume 101

I have never thought Anya would need any help creating a resume of her own. I mean she has been working for over a decade now and in the span of that decade she has switched jobs and employers on several occasions so I thought interviews and resume writing are a breeze for her. Imagine my surprise when she called and asked me for help in making a dollar tree job application which was to be sent out before the end of the day.

I told her I have no idea how to do it, if it is any different from the regular resume then I am at a loss. She showed me a sample and said maybe we could go from there.

Apr
16

Learn Something New

Thanks to the internet, I am able to download a lot of language learning podcasts. A few years back I started learning Chinese Mandarin and though this has been an off an on journey it’s say to say that I can at least understand simple conversations and am able to introduce myself, haggle my way with a street vendor using the language. At the moment I am fascinated with learning French. It started when I watched several films starring Audrey Tautou, I find her very beautiful and alluring and the lilting sound of her voice plus the inherent sensuality in the French language prompted me to start learning it.

Apr
12

A Playground of My Own

Back when I was little I used to remember spending quite a lot of time in my old school’s playground. The slides, tunnels, swing and the monkey bars were a source of delight for me. I have always been a loner and if I were not spending time in the library reading an encyclopedia on the queens of England I would be in the playground. I used to think how amazing it must be to have my own private playground … it wasn’t till a few months ago that I could buy an already set up playground called Jungle Gyms.

I mean I used to think I would have to hire a gazillion people to build it for me. Now I wonder how expensive it’s going to be.

Apr
05

Boys and Their Toys

You know what they say about big boys and their toys? Well I have to admit that they are actually true to a very annoying degree. I kind of think that them (the boys) talking about gadgets and what not is a whole lot better than finding them talking about girls and you know what. Well I have been hearing them talking about joemeek products and I have to say it’s bloody annoying. They have been at it for close to an hour and you’d think they were talking about the Yamashita gold mine.

Apparently after 5 minutes of me pestering them about it, they finally told me they were all talking about musical instruments and all the gadgets that went along with it.

Apr
04

For the Groom

While we were watching a rerun of Glee my friend commented on how she would like to have a Glee wedding too. Where instead of the usual parade of bridesmaids, flower girl and ring bearer she would have them singing and dancing like in Glee and she wants to use the same song too, Marry You by Bruno Mars. I just smiled coz the first time I saw that episode I was thinking the same thing. We were silent for a while and then asked out of nowhere what I think would be considered as unique grooms gifts. It actually made me pause and as hard as I tried to search my brain for something I came up blank.

Apr
03

I Think I Wanna Marry You …

After watching an episode of Glee where Finn and Kurt’s parents got married and they did a Glee wedding where the casts sang and danced on the isle Bruno Mars’ “Marry You”. I love it and for that split second it brought out the child in me dreaming / wishing for that fairy tale wedding.

I love the overall performance but … it’s Sam and Quinn’s performance. I just love her voice … I find it very soothing. Have a look below:

Apr
01

A Plastic Model

When I saw this image it reminded me of that plane plastic model that I ended up buying in one of my flights with Cebu Pacific Air. Yes I bought a regular sized airplane plastic model and I have it currently perched on top of my television set.

Then a friend of mine said something about buying plastic model kits from a wholesaler in China. He said he intends on reselling them and if all goes well he’d have a sufficient income.

Mar
31

For Men Only

Mark told me that the only way he could get in the good graces of her future father in law is to bring him a box of hoyo de monterrey cigars. I frowned, I mean Sarah’s father did not look like the type who would smoke fancy cigars.

In all the times I have visited Sarah’s home I have never seen her dad smoke a cigarette. Oh well I guess it’s one of those things for men only.

Mar
30

I ♥ Damon Salvatore

I found myself falling hopelessly in love with Damon Salvatore. Yes, you got that right … I am in love with the “evil” brother, I mean who on earth can resist him? That smirk of his is just bloody sexy! LOL I’ve even managed to post his face and use it as my wallpaper whew!

- Bloody sexy! -

- I absolutely love this picture — so perfect together :) -

Mar
08

Umbrellas – Gift Ideas

We have been planning on providing personalized gift items to our employees. We currently have about 25 of them and higher management wants me to think of something to give them during their birthdays. I realized that a company offers commercial umbrellas at PatioUmbrellas.com seems like a practical gift idea and the cost fits our budget.

Mar
05

Angry Birds — So Cute!

I saw this image while browsing through several blogs in random when I bumped into really cute cupcakes in the form and shape of Angry Birds. It was very tempting and really delicious looking. It also made me wonder if its possible not to just eat them at all as they’re too cute to eat really.

Mar
01

On Auto Replay

Whenever I see a beautiful diamond solitaire rings anywhere mum’s words would go playing in my head and I can’t stop it. It’s like it has been programmed into my brain to play the moment one of these lovely beauties appear before me. I was 16 when we saw this beautiful ring on display and I cannot help but stop and stare. I muttered out loud how nice it must be to receive something like that from my prince charming. She pulled me aside, looked me in the eye and said … the price of that ring is enough to buy a small island together with its inhabitants. It’s probably more than enough to provide food for a starving tribe somewhere in Africa. Having a ring as beautiful as that is not a guarantee you’re marriage would last … it definitely not a guarantee you’d be “living happily ever after”.

It played again earlier today when I passed by Tiffany’s and I cannot help but smile, mum has always been practical and a believer in the simple things in life.

Feb
27

Expensive!

Who would have thought that acoustic guitars could be bloody expensive. I thought that since I have seen several of them sold outside Sto. Nino church they would be cheap. I mean what can you expect since they’re all out in the open.

The first thing that caught me by surprise was the wide array of colours available, there’s pink, purple and yellow. Out of curiousity I asked the man behind the booth and the price surprised me even more. Heck, its as expensive maybe even more than a those taylor guitars. Unbelievable!

Feb
20

Recreating Fantasy

Monica has been dreaming of fairy tales lately and I find it amusing. She has always been a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast and Snow White. Lately she has been thinking of redecorating the house with rustic log furniture converting the house into a semi cottage like that of the dwarf’s home in Snow White. She’s already eyeing this piece of furniture for inspiration and I wonder how much money she is willing to spend just to get this fantasy of hers realized.

 

Feb
15

Flowers

With Valentines Day having come and gone the prices of the bouquet of flowers have gone back to normal. Thank God for that. It was such a shame that I didn’t get to find the flower coupons I got online before Valentines Day and I ended up paying a heft price for a simple yet elegant bouquet of pink, cream and lilac roses. Had I found my coupon I would have gotten a discount but no matter what’s done is done. Besides I was assured that I could still use the coupons till the end of the year.

Dec
15

Thought I’d Share This With You

Guys,

I was checking through my to do list before the year ends and I thought I’d share this with you guys. So just bear with me.

I started doing part time freelance back in 2007 at that time I was working full time as a human switchboard (call center) and didn’t give a shit about things like SSS, Pag-Ibig, PhilHealth and tax and what not after all the company took care of the remittance for me.

Before I resigned May of last year I had a few worries, its a huge risk to go full time freelance I’d lose all the benefits I was accustomed to namely: SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig, and the health insurance package provided for the company.

SSS – I continued my contribution switching from “Privately Employed” to “Voluntary Member”. With my previous job my monthly SSS contribution was P1560, contribution rate is computed based on your basic salary. Back then my basic salary falls under this bracket (see: SSS Contribution Chart) You can choose to pay as much as P1560 or P312 per month that’s up to you. Those without an SSS number yet its an easy process and you can get your ID number the same day you work on processing it. Its the ID card that takes forever to get to you.

PhilHealth – this may not sound much but it helps in times of hospitalization. I updated my record from employed to voluntary member and every month I pay 100 PHP. Yes contribution is only a hundred bucks per month. For those of you married, only one spouse has to apply and the wife and kids will be placed as beneficiaries so they too will be covered in case they get hospitalized.

Pag-Ibig – am not sure really I continued this when I have no intention of applying for a housing loan but just in case I change my mind a few years from now I have this handy. Its P200 per month only.

Health Insurance – this is prolly the toughest. I was used to just going to any clinic here in Cebu to see a quack and just present the insurance card issued by my previous company as means of payment. I spent a lot of time thinking on this and researching on which provider to go for. I ended up with Kaiser, am paying a P2970 per month which gives me the ff: benefits.

Income Tax – this I still have to work on. Almost all of the freelancers I know do not give a shit about filing for income tax. Why pay it when the company you work for is not registered in the Philippines? Why pay it when you have the option not to? Why pay it when it just ends up in the pockets of corrupt government officials? But the thing is if you don’t declare your income the government thinks of your as unemployed hence you won’t be qualified to file for loans. ITR is an absolute requirement when filing for housing loans and what not.

Now am not sure what your plans are or if you just doing this freelance gig until something better comes along, or if your doing this part time or what. But as for me am doing this for the long haul, am a full time freelancer / grad school student and am just covering all basis. I don’t wanna end up finding myself in a retirable age without any government pension because I neglected to pay my SSS contribution.

Applying for everything above can seem a bit daunting because of the legwork involved but its worth it … just think of the big picture. I’m not sure if this helps you in anyway but thought I’d share it with you guys just the same.

Dec
13

A Christmas Message from My Boss

I was a little surprised when I boss asked me out of nowhere, “did you receive a message from Santa?” and I was like “huh?”. When working we communicate via Skype and I have specifically created a Skype account for this project alone. Then I remembered an email with the “Message from Santa Clause” subject and told her that I immediately deleted it without opening since I thought it was just one of those marketing newsletters. She laughed and said not to worry as she still has the link, thankfully I still haven’t deleted the email permanently. I opened it and had a very pleasant surprise. See video above.

Dec
01

Yard Sales

I have learned from a good friend that not all second hand items are bad quality. I used to have this mindset of not buying second hand items because they have already seen the light of day. She then told me that there are several items that ordinary people like us won’t be able to afford buying brand new. She was talking about this experience she has had buying a medical computer through second hand dealership and she was more than happy with the purchase or more accurate to say her boss was happy with the purchase.

Nov
27

Quiet Week

The thought of spending a week or two at a remote cabin somewhere used to scare the hell out of me when I was younger. The thought of wolves, creepy crawlers and imaginary monsters made the idea very scary. Now though after seeing several photos of quiet and quaint looking cabins with rustic furniture I was beginning to seriously change my opinion on the subject of spending a week in the woods. It must feel great to get away from the noise in the city and just be one with nature.

 

Nov
15

Dress

I have never been a girly kind of girl and would do anything just to avoid wearing a dress. I can actually count with the fingers in my hands the number of times I’ve actually worn a dress where the occasion does not allow jeans and Chucks. Now I do like attending weddings but the downside and this one makes me groan is the fact that I have to wear a dress. I’ll be attending a friend’s wedding early next year and am already fretting on what to wear more so now that I will be looking at the plus size dress section. I doubt I’d manage to lose the extra weight before the wedding day.

Oct
19

Landed a Contract

It has been a while since I’ve spoke with Brad and to hear his voice again was kind of refreshing. He talked about work and how busy he has been for the past couple of months and how life has been good to him. He asked how I was and I told him what I have been doing and how I relieved I am to have left the call center industry. He informed me of a good news from last week where the company he works for landed the Olympia steel buildings contract which was his sure fire ticket to getting a promotion. We chatted non stop for about an hour and I have to thank Skype and wifi for making this possible without having to pay a cent.

Sep
25

Crazy for this Girl

Aug
18

iPod Nano: To Buy or Not to Buy?

I was thinking of getting a new music player for jogging purposes. Something compact but can store a lot of music. A friend suggested an 8gb ipod nano, there’s a purple unit available and it looks very slim and light. I’ve gotta check the pricing though and see if I can fit it to my budget.

Jul
29

Gift for Women

If you are in doubt as to what would be a nice gift for a girl friend for whatever occasion, then a gift basket of skin care products would do the trick. Who doesn’t love an extra bottle of lotion?

Just be sure you know what fragrance to for in the basket. Maybe a basket of lavender items or what not.

Jul
21

Yummmy

Good food always relieves my stress but it sure does not help my weight loss campaign. Last week on a Thursday me and my girl friend went to TGI Fridays for a very late dinner. Here’s what I had that night:

Looking at the photo made me realize I want another round of this Jack Daniels Grilled Salmon.

Jul
09

Ice Cream Anyone?

I love ice cream! Being a sucker for sweet things I could definitely eat a gallon of ice cream till my teeth numbs. LOL. But there’s something I just couldn’t manage to pull off and that is eating ice cream with chocolate cake. Other cakes I can manage bu chocolate cake with ice cream … that’s too much for sweet for me.

Jul
01

Insurance

Allen has told her brother that with his kind of work it is necessary that he get one of those disability insurance just in case something goes awry at work, one can never tell. Jessie works as a freelance electrician accepting jobs from several clients. So since he works freelance he doesn’t have a company to shoulder all sorts of benefits. He needs to buy an insurance for himself.

Jul
01

Hello Kitty Camera

My digital camera which is a Fujifilm is about 3 years old and for some reason it decided to stop working. The moment I turn it on it gives me this annoying beeping error with the code “Focus Error”. I was thinking of having it repaired but realized that maybe I could just go buy one of those cute olympus cameras.

Maybe one of those Hello Kitty ones like in the images above.

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