The Yarn Spinner
Random thoughts. Rants. Real stories. Artwork. Myself. These are just a few of the things you'll get from this blog.
Moving Beyond Worry and Anxiety
Lumix GF2
After years of contemplating, here it is. My very own Lumix GF2 double lens kit.
I’ve been wanting to have a decent camera for so long. I remember checking out Canon’s website way back in 2007 just to admire those beautiful DSLRs which I can only dream of back then. I keep putting it off, buying an expensive camera, because I have a lot of expenses and again this is more of a ‘want’ than a ‘need’.
Then I learned about this technology called micro 4/3. It’s a bit cheaper but simply put, you’d have DSLR-like photo quality and the portability of a point and shoot. The price of micro 4/3 cameras are almost the same as entry-level DSLRs but I went for it because of the portability. I don’t plan on doing serious photography anyways. I just want to capture everyday moments. I want to capture photos of places I will be exploring. And I don’t want to carry a heavy DSLR while travelling. So this camera is perfect. Perfect for me. I did research (for almost 5 months!) on which m4/3 camera is good and it led me to this one. I’ve only had it for two days and I’m really happy about what I can do with it.
I figured it’s the right time to invest in a camera because I have a few planned trips this year and I would like to capture memories using a camera that can do just that. I brought my point and shoot to our CDO-Bukidnon-Camiguin trip and boy did that camera let me down. Besides, I’d be paying it in an installment basis so it shouldn’t be that heavy in terms of expenses.
I’ve yet to explore all it’s features and all there is in terms of manual settings but I am really happy with it right now. Here are some shots from the last 2 days :)
Clamcase
This post is nothing, really. I’m not gonna bore you with what’s been happening to me lately because I know nobody cares. Hehe. Anyway, I’m just really testing this keyboard case I got for my iPad… and after a few minutes of trying it, I think my big hands sort of got used to the compressed keyboard. This keyboard case is called “Clamcase” which transforms your iPad into a macbook. Well, not really, but in terms of appearance, yep, a bit. It is a bluetooth keyboard so no need for cables. It is supposed to last for 100 days on standby so I guess it’s pretty cool. The best feature I like about this case is the “360 degree hinge” which gives you an “infinite” number of viewing positions. It’s just a bit weird because I constantly touch that area below the space bar, unconsciously looking for a track pad. Also, it is a bit heavy. Definitely not your everyday case but it’s really helpful if you’d be doing some heavy typing like answering emails or making a blog post.
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Between you and me, I bought this because my iPad now looks like a Macbook. hehe
Abstinence
In case you’re wondering why there’s no update in this blog lately, that’s because I’m trying to stay away from social networking media. Why? Trip lang. Maybe partly because I want it to become my own version of abstinence this holy season. And yes I already threw up the white flag with project 366. I know it’s a little too early to give up but I just can’t keep up. So yeah, I failed but at least I tried right? Have a meaningful holy season you guys :)
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This is not breaking my ‘abstinence’. I realized I can just post entries without browsing the feed. Nageexplain? Hehe.
Project 366: Week 4 — Alive!
Woke up early to go to church only to find out that we had a flat tire. It was enough to ruin my day but I chose to be calm and maintain inner peace. It was already there and there was nothing I could do but replace it. So my original plan to stay at home, rest, do nothing and spend nothing did not happen. We went out to buy a tire (kaching!$$), then we headed to the nearby mall (kaching!$$), then decided to just go home and watch a movie in the luxury of our own house. As usual, my day did not go as planned but it was still a day for family-bonding.
Thanks to the chinese president for this additional day off. I still don’t like you but thanks.
Finally, after two weeks of waiting, I finally got my NBI clearance for travel abroad. I was worried about the release of my clearance because when my manager applied for his, he got a hit too. When he claimed it, he was asked to report to the main office for an interview. Hassle! Good thing that did not happen to me. Thank God.
I got to go home early today so I decided to buy a cake and surprise Ninang on her special day. She was really surprised. She had no idea (that explains her ‘panggahasa’ outfit) hehe. Ninang has always been there for my family, for me. I am so thankful that God gave me a wonderful Ninang. Love you Ninang! Thank you for everything. Mwah!
You know hair stylists, when you say trim, they get excited. Got my haircut last Monday and it turned out to be too short. My bangs are too awkward to be let down so I’ve been wearing my them up with wax (which I hate!) the whole week. The wax is doing its job well. My hair was still standing after a very long day. And that’s my sister by the way. I asked her to take a picture of me but insisted on joining the picture. Hehe.
Oh yes! thanks to Simon, I got news that the untethered jailbreak for iPad 2 has been released. I finally tried to do it and it worked! It was really simple. I was imagining it would be like in those movies where the protagonist tries to hack a system with hightech gadgets and projector screens and stuff. I was planning to play a hightech music as background while I was doing it but it happened too fast. Oh well.
Well, it will come alive because we will be seeing it live! I bought tickets for me and my family to watch the sound of music at Resorts World. I’ve been hearing a lot of good feedback for this production. In fact, when I was buying the tickets from ticketworld, the lady in front me asked me what I was watching and when I said the sound of music, she went “That’s so nice! Sobrang ganda.” Sabihin ko sana “pakialamera ka!” kidding! She was really nice too. She bought tickets for Rivalry and said “Enjoy!” as she walked away. Thanks, nice lady! And Maria, see you soon!
Project 366: Week 3 — Both Sides
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. My mom was waiting for something so we just stayed at home. I started watching Junior Masterchef Australia season 2 but stopped it because I didn’t feel like watching another cooking show. So I decided to just cook something myself. Tried cooking hotdogs and onions and it was a hit. Liann and I ate it all in seconds. Yeah, it was a boring day.
I was low on workload today. We had two new joiners and their trainer for the day called in sick so I volunteered to conduct the training myself. The two new joiners were a Jr. PM and an IT support staff. They were very participative and asked a lot of questions. It was a long day but I’m glad I got to be teacher Derick today.
Today, I am scheduled to start the test planning for my current project. It was a two-day effort and scheduled to be finished in 16 hours. However, admin tasks got in the way and I spent 2 hours on interviews and 2 hours on evaluation. I needed to be on track with my schedule on the project so I decided to spend 4 hours at home to compensate for the time I lost for the project. There’s a lot to do but I’m happy with my job and with all the opportunities given to me. Hooray for today!
After passing the developer certification last week, I have a schedule for another certification tomorrow. This time for the Sales Cloud certification. I know this is a long shot because the actual requirement is 2-5 years experience as Sr. Business Analyst and although I have experiences doing configuration, I’m not a BA. I just want to give it a shot and see what happens. As a preparation, I studied until midnight about a lot of topics and then I got sleepy and called it a day.
Yep, I can say that I’ve looked at “clouds” from both sides now. From passing to failing. I guess it is not the right time yet so I took the result positively. Need to gain more experience. Most of the questions were not about what salesforce can do but what will you recommend as a consultant. I can’t get that from books. I have to be exposed to learn those things. :)
It was a long day today. I had to stay until 8pm to finish a test script for another track. Well, I can finish it at home but I didn’t feel like bringing work home this weekend so I finished it in the office. I downloaded this app which plays relaxing music and sounds to help you sleep. You can mix and match different sounds. For tonight, I chose ‘light rain’, ‘waves’, and ‘sound of birds’ as my lullaby. Good night, good sleep.
In a perfect world, the traffic light turns green when I get to the crossing. But, it’s not a perfect world. Okay fine, I admit I tried to beat the red light earlier. The light turned yellow just when I crossed the yellow line. I should’ve stopped but I did not. So, there goes the mmda officer hailing me to the side. Crap! We have this letter from the dialysis center directed to the mmda officers to let us pass if we get caught because my mom’s a special case. I showed the officer the letter but he said “bakit, ikaw ba ang naospital?” so I figured there’s no point for a conversation. He took my license and started writing on the receipt. I was begging him to let me go just this time but he won’t listen. I stopped begging. I don’t usually beg. Haha. He then showed me a book, gave it to me and pointed my violation. Reckless driving. Nice. He then pointed the amount it’s gonna cost me. 2000 pesos and a seminar. Great. Oh wait, is this a sign? Shall I insert money in this book and give it back? I’ve been driving for 3 years and this is the first time I’ve had a violation so I’ve no clue. What happened next was a sort of bargain. He repeatedly said “nakikita mo ba kung magkano yan? Nakikita mo ba kung ganong abala yan?” it was a clear sign that he’s asking for ‘lagay’ and I did not know what to do. Bribery is crime too, right? When he said “50%, gusto mo?” it was crystal clear. I tried to haggle with him. ”Sir, wala nang panggamot tong nanay ko, kagagaling lang namin sa dialysis”. It worked. We settled for 500. If my lolo or tito was here, we could’ve gotten away with 200. Really. Justice can be bought. It was a clear violation and I was willing to pay for it but these buhayas need money for their own. As if that money will go to your office. Really? You guys feed your families with dirty money? But I’ve learned my lesson. When the light turns yellow, stop.
Currently watching “Baby & Me”. Sabi ko na kahawig ko tlga ung bida dito eh. Haha. Ang kumontra panget! :)
Project 366: Week 2 — Memento
8/366: Huling Hirit sa Marriott
After too many attempts to do an overnight despedida for Cands in Marriott, it finally became a reality. After ice skating and dinner in MoA, we headed straight to Marriott to bond over drinks and videoke. We’ve had so much fun. So much that we were called three times by the reception to silence us. When the third/fourth call came, we decided to just stop the videoke and just chat. We weren’t ‘allowed’ to sleep. We talked about a lot of things. We talked about matters of the heart. We played pinoy henyo. We talked like there was no tomorrow. We went to the casino that morning to have breakfast but they stopped Loren and I from entering. They asked for an ID because apparently, we look like minors. Haha! Thanks, Candice for everything. It was a memorable day. Just a little sad knowing that this would be the last bonding for now :(
9/366: Brabalibintawan!
First day of the working week and I did not report for work. I woke up with terrible body pains. It was a combination of the really bad fall I experienced when I was Ice Skating and probably the rain on Sunday morning. I decided to put on these plasters but I did not feel any cooling nor warming effect. The massage my mom gave me made me feel better though.
10/366: A freakin’ HIT!
Despite the body pains, I had to wake up really early because I’ve scheduled this day to request for an NBI clearance for travel abroad and to renew my Passport. My mom, lolo and I arrived at Robinsons Otis at around 8am for the NBI Clearance. They say the processing is quickest in this branch and I think it was just okay. It took us three hours so it wasn’t that bad. The thing that’s bad was that both my mom and I had freaking HITS! The clearance will be released on January 23. Goodness gracious. We went to MoA to just hangout until 30 minutes before my appointment with DFA. The process for renewal is much faster now. It only took me around 2 hours to finish everything. Meds was there too to renew her passport as well. My passport will be delivered some time soon. Next, Korean Visa! C’mon Mamon!
11/366: Success, not Software. Success!!!
The big day. I was scheduled to take the Force.com Developer Certification at 7am so I arrived in the office at around 6am. The exam was challenging. The questions were tricky. There was a “Mark for review later” check box on each question and what I did was to only check that box if (1) I’m not sure and (2) I don’t know the answer. I’ve calculated the passing rate against the total number of questions and I was allowed to have at most 18 mistakes. When I counted the items where I was unsure, it was less than 18 so I did not review my answers and clicked Submit right away, hoping with all my might that I pass the exam… and I did. I did pass the exam! I am now a Salesforce.com Certified Force.com Developer. This is my second certification after the Administrator Certification which I took last September. Really happy and really proud to have passed the exam. Thank you LORD!
12/366: Memento
When I arrived in the office, Cands gave me this really cool “Phone Bling”. It says Cool Dude *ehem* and it matches the protector of my phone really well :) She’s leaving soon so on my way home, I grabbed something for her as well. I chose this cute “Watchover Voodoo doll”. No, this is just for fun not for real voodoo. I think it’s “purpose” fits Candice really well.
13/366: Candice’s Last day
Candice is leaving for the United States this weekend. She will be working from the US office moving forward so that means we will not see her as often as before. It was a sad day. I have been really close to her and I’m gonna miss her :’(
Candice, ingat ka dun ha. Wag ka papalipas ng gutom. Enjoy your free time and keep in touch! Skype tayo minsan pag di ka busy ha :’(
14/366: Happy Birthday Joshua!
His birthday was actually yesterday (13th) but he came home late. We were already sleeping when he came. Today, after dialysis, we went to MoA to check out the bay. My mom wanted to see what’s in there. After that, I treated them to a nice dinner at Aristocrat as a celebration of Joshua’s birthday. We had sisig, sinigang, kare-kare and barbeque. We had Chatime for our drinks. When we got home, we finally lit the birthday candles on the mom-made strawberry chocolate cake. It was yummyyyyyyy!
