291/365 - Stress Relief

Maica and Martina doing homework after Kumon Day 1

I'm real glad I had opportunity to take a step back and re-assess the priorities in my life. Because seeing my wife and my daughter takes a lot of stress off my daily "struggles."

At the same time, I'm trying to do something I hope will become a daily habit for me. I read somewhere that everyday you should find three things to be thankful for. I hope that everyday I remember to take a step back and find three things (hopefully three new things) everyday.

Finally, I remember a few years ago I was able to spend at least two or three days without saying or writing anything negative. I made it a conscious effort to avoid the negativity. Of course, I also did my best to catch myself whenever I had a negative thought enter my consciousness.

I have no idea why I have a hard time maintaining the positive practices I should have, but hopefully if I can just stay self-aware I may be able to become even more positive, and experience less stress.

Out.

287 - 290/365 - Random Thoughts

It's been another tiring week at work. Physically and mentally. We've been moving inventory around to make room for more product about to arrive. Because of this, and the fact that we're still basically a skeleton crew, all of us have been lifting and hauling stuff. 

Getting ready for some shut eye

We do get help, but still. It's very tiring. Try moving huge quantities of brake discs everyday. I guarantee it's better than going to the gym. My body is still sore even as I write this.

This insect killer keeps also acts as a bright night light

The mental aspect is something I'd rather not touch in this relatively public blog. All I can say is I'm drained. I need to recharge. And the summer heat isn't helping.

Normally I enjoy getting some sun, but lately I'd rather stay in the shade or in an air-conditioned room. The heat this year is something else.

Beat the heat - barely

Also, I've been trying to find time to not only take better Project 365 photos, but to also have better content in my blog. I guess this isn't a good way to continue the blog, but I also have no plans of stopping. Not when I'm almost done with the project.

Out.

Testing manual mode on the G16

284, 285, 286/365 - Thoughts

Martina's toy

I've got new sneakers

Allez cuisine!!!

I've been in a very introspective mood lately. Don't ask me why, because I don't know the real answer either.

What I do know is that I have more things to learn about how the world works. Things I should have known was before - maybe in high school.

It's not like I don't know the things I'm talking about. It's just that I know that I'd be a hell of a better person now had I accepted these truths way before. We shall see what happens.

All I know is that I am my own worst enemy, yet I am also my greatest ally. It's all on me.

Out.

277 to 283/365 - The Holy Week in Review

Hello again, usual readers (if there are any - hehehe). If any of you were wondering why I haven't blogged since last Sunday, here's the reason why. My Mom, Dad, Maica, Martina and I went to Japan for a Holy Week holiday.

Monday I was too busy running errands and packing, so I decided to put off blogging.

I always hear this song in my head whenever I'm packing

Upon arrival in Kyoto we immediately had dinner where we had dinner our first night there last 2013. This terrific ramen place in Ramen Alley at Kyoto Station. I forgot the name, but this is the. Best. Ramen. I've. Ever. Had.

Ever.

Not only that, the chashu rice "side dish" is even better. I devoured the ramen and ajitama egg first before finishing off dinner with the chashu rice. Divine.

First night's dinner was the same first night's dinner we had last December 2013

The next day we took a half-day tour with a tour guide my mom met when they visited Kyoto a few years back. She's been my mom's regular tour guide, and has also become friends with my mom as well. Chieko-san (I forgot how to spell her name) took us to Ninna-ji Temple to see sakura and visit one of the vacation homes of an emperor from days long ago. The sakura were very beatuiful, and the fallen petals on the grass made it look like the trees were on a fine layer of snow. I was really awestruck.

Very happy to catch Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) in Ninna-ji Temple

Day three had me going to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka with Martina and Maica. We took Martina there so she could visit her pals, Snoopy and the gang. Since the weather was better now than when we first visited, we were also able to explore USJ's grounds better. While I may not have ridden the rides I wanted to ride (since the queues were long) we did enjoy spending time sightseeing.

Turkey leg snack being sold in Universal Studios Japan

For our last night in Kyoto, I took Maica (and Martina, of course) to a sushi bar in the 11th floor of Kyoto Station. I really wish I knew the names of the restaurants, because the sushi we had there was amazing. I was lucky to order a set that included Japanese Sea Eel sushi. It was so good I ordered four more a la carte orders, two for me and two for Maica of course.

A friendly sushi chef serving me part of my dinner

On Saturday we had to go back to the Philippines. As usual we took the earliest train from Kyoto to Kansai. Instead of flying straight to Manila, we had to take a stopover in Hong Kong. Actually we also did that going to Japan, I just forgot to mention it. I don't know why we chose to fly Cathay Pacific, if the fare is cheaper or what, but I enjoyed the trip to and from Japan.

Waiting to board the plane

Finally today I spent the whole day uploading all the photos I took from the trip to my flickr account. I didn't include the videos, but that's all right.

Our remotes are very dusty when viewed up close, I think

So there you have it. I spent most of Holy Week in Kyoto and Osaka, and now I while I do feel fully refreshed I still have vacation lag. I still just want to relax even tomorrow. Since it is a work day tomorrow, I do have to hit the ground running.

Out.

273 - 276/365 - MFest

Got Pugad Baboy 22 to read when I went to Clark

Gotta catch some Zzz's

Fancy Braiding

Everything's going to be OK

This past week had been a busy week. We spent most of the week at work preparing for April 12's MFest in Clark, Pampanga. Fortunately April 9 was a holiday so I was able to have some rest.

Unfortunately that also meant we had one less day to prepare. And as always, there were hiccups during the event. Whether it was keys left in Manila, to missing (and non-existent) extension cords, problems seemed to creep up everywhere.

Fortunately we were able to weather the storm and finish the day relatively fine. Then we had to pack up and drive back to Manila. That was pretty tiring.

Today, Sunday, I spent sleeping. I woke up at 5am then fell asleep again. When I woke up at 7am I managed to go around and do some stuff before falling asleep again until 10:45am or so. Then we went to my in-laws, where I fell asleep yet again. So I didn't get to watch the Pacquiao-Bradley fight, not that I wanted to watch.

I just wanted to sleep. And sleep I did. When we got home I played some games for a few minutes before promptly falling to sleep again. And now that I'm blogging I'm just waiting for myself to get sleep before I tuck in for the night.

It was a fun, tiring, frustrating week. I learned a lot, discovered new things, and got more focused to accomplish things I had been thinking about for the longest time.

Out.

270, 271, 272/365 - Miscellaneous Things

I plan on speanding a few nights reading this magazine for some ideas.

Got this Reese's Peanut Butter cup from my wife.

Martina at her swimming lessons.

This has been a pretty busy week for me in terms of work. We've been working almost non-stop preparing for the first MFest Philippines event this coming weekend at Clark, Pampanga.

Aside from that, I recently found out that The Undertaker's Wrestlemania streak has been broken. Taker lost to Brock Lesnar, and I haven't seen the match. I'm just shocked the former even agreed to lose, and I'm thinking that that loss means it's The Undertaker's last match in the WWE. If he does go into retirement, thanks for the memories.

On a sadder note, I just heard today, April 9 ,2014 Philippine time, that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away. I remember rooting for him when I was younger, and I was a big fan of his during his early years with the then WWF.

I remember there was rumors when I was in grade school that the Warrior had passed away. The ones I remember were:

1. While gorilla pressing Andre the Giant a vein burst in his biceps and caused his death.
2. His arm tassels prevented the flow of circulation in his arms and caused his death.
3. The original Warrior died and was replaced by someone else (Because different shaped nose! Different color hair!

Rest in peace, Ultimate Warrior. I'm glad before you left us you managed to bury the hatchet with the WWE.

On a more personal note, I finally managed to attend one of Martina's swim classes. I'm really impressed by her confidence and fearlessness. Not to mention the fact that I'm very proud that she's almost got the concept of floating. She still sinks without the aid of flotation devices, but there are times she can pop her head up the water. A big thank you to Aquanauts in Greenstone for being patient with my daughter and encouraging her to enjoy swimming.

As an added bonus, here's a video of Martina in her swimming class today. Enjoy.

Out.

267, 268, 269/365 - Rebirth

Friday Night Dinner with Ma at Ginza Bairin

My beloved Rav4's dash

I guess I was wrong, I like the fit of this collared shrt

These past few days I've started doing 3D again. More as a hobby for now. I just want to make sure my dulled skills aren't going to get any duller.

I've decided to create, and hopefully finish, a 4 meter wide by 10 meter long small house. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a common hall. So far I'm done with the bathroom. I'm now in the process of creating the common hall.

So far it's been slow but decent work. I still have my basic skills. I do know my work now needs polish. To be honest, though, I don't want to put as much time in it now as I would like. I do want to do other things aside form 3D, and lately Martina and I have spent a good deal of time playing with each other.

Why am I blogging about this? It feels great to do 3D again. I can't believe I can still do it. Actually, I know I can do it. I may not be up to date with the latest techniques and trends, but I still have the basics. I just need at least two weeks to re-familiarize myself with whatever software I have to use should I decide to get back in 3D. And I know I still have tons of skills and talent to contribute in 3D.

I'm getting my passion back. And it feels like a great rebirth.

Out.

266/365 - Regression

Martina colored this butterfly then hung it on the wall via scotch tape

Some feelings I felt way before are coming back. Maybe it's because I'm not made of sterner stuff. Maybe it's just frustration, I have no idea.

The good thing is now I am aware of what's happening and I am looking for ways to beat the negativity. And I just realized, the feelings may be back but the reaction isn't. I'm still not going to categorize myself as "really depressed." I'm sad and frustrated at times, yes, but now I can keep it to myself. I don't let things affect me as much as before.

Am I still emotional? I guess so. But now most of my emotional outbursts tend to be happy outbursts. Specifically when I'm playing with my daughter, Martina.

I still have angry outbursts when I drive, but to be honest that's just me letting go of the anger the only way I can. If I keep it inside I might end up doing some stupid road rage thing.

I guess the title for this post is wrong. I haven't regressed as bad as I thought.

Out.

264, 265/365 - One Hundred Days to Go

Chula was not feeling well that day

Kichitora Ramen revisited - food still tasted good

April 2, 2014 marked the 265th day of my Project 365. Meaning I've got a hundred (or ninety-nine?) days left before my project ends.

I don't honestly think it's all downhill. Truth be told I've been finding it difficult to take photos everyday, what more to blog. So hopefully I can gain momentum and finish this off with a bang. I have no choice - my project ends on the eve of my birthday.

Out.

263/365 - Randomness

Free toys from Kinder Egg

I have not been in any mood to blog lately, and I think that's just wrong. Do I only blog when I have some deep thoughts in my head? Or when I want to release some negativity? Of course not! I should be blogging in good times and bad times (Sort of like praying, but that's another topic I will write about whenever...).

It has been a relatively quiet few weeks. You have noticed my blog posting has either slowed down or gotten really random. I guess maintaining a 365 is tiring work. My pictures are boring, and my posts are getting fewer.

In motoring related news, Toyota launched the latest Yaris last night. No, the link I provided isn't news covering the launch. It's a link to news about Toyota bringing the latest Yaris to the Philippines.

To be honest I am excited about this. I want to know how it stands up to the Honda Jazz and Kia Rio. Why the Jazz? Because I still consider that the best hatchback available in the Philippines, in terms of practicality and looks. The Rio because I love looking at that car, and as long as Volkswagen doesn't bring the Golf here, the Rio will still be my second choice for a hatchback.

For those of you wondering what happened to the Ford Fiesta Ecoboost, I still like it. But the reason I like that car is because of the engine. So now it moves to my number three spot, unless the new Yaris can change my mind.

Hmm, I guess I finally managed to blog about something.

Out.