I’m pretty much an impulsive buyer even if I am not exactly what you can call someone who can afford to splurge all the time. I do get the concepts of delayed gratification and saving for a rainy day, and all those sensible stuff, but when I’ve set my eyes on something, I usually manage to give myself extremely valid arguments on why I shouldn’t be denied. Which is why I can only bite my tongue when I feel that my sister is spending too much on things that she doesn’t have an immediate need for. Sometimes I can’t help thinking, if she can afford this or that, then maybe I shouldn’t be so lenient about rent and paying for groceries, and all that. I also can’t help thinking that I’ve set a bad example. But then again, when I think about that, it gets me wondering if my better examples have been largely ignored or are generally useless to anyone but myself.

Anyway, so my sister’s laptop broke – for a few minutes, it amazingly restored itself – and immediately we thought about a replacement. We both can’t live without a computer, so  I understood her pain. But, of course, she doesn’t want those clearance laptops, which she can easily afford. She’s already set her eyes  on a Vaio or a Mac. Sometimes, when I think about the things that we don’t have and the things that we don’t really work for to have, they can really get me down. But, really, dwelling on it is pretty much a waste of time. I guess the only thing I can do is assess my choices and see where I can make adjustments for the better. Then work on it. To that I tell myself, goodluck.

Repeat after me: It’s going to be a freaking awesome year!

Not just ok, not just good, not just great, but LEGEN – wait for it – DARY!

And I’m not even on mood enhancers. Although I think it’s a bit outdated to be quoting Barney Stinson, if you get my drift that should be forgivable.

So, how’s your New Year’s resolutions coming along? Do you have a list in your head? Have you written them down? Or are you adamant those are just silly nonsense? I’m sure there have been years when I’ve raised my eyebrows – or worse – at people blabbing about resolutions for the new year. But I’ve decided I’m not going to be that person this year. I already have my planner, with pages thus far filled. I’ve managed to sync my calendars across my devices. I think all I need to worry about is the follow-through. If I can just keep on going, and never lose the momentum, then at least I’ll finish 2012 knowing that I tried to make every second count.

I spent my 2011 in a somewhat autopilot state mostly because I didn’t allow myself to prioritize something else other than work. I don’t think I’ll put work in the backseat this time (being a self-confessed workaholic, among other reasons) , but I want to try injecting some variety into my day-to-day existence this time around. I’m not yet sure how, but I have some ideas. Starting with taking care of my health. This sedentary lifestyle has reached it’s limit, it’s time for phoenix weight loss. I’ve also been wasting my gym membership so that should definitely change. Beyond that, there are other things to focus on and to discover.

Here’s hoping that we’re all feeling hopeful, in the very least. A very happy new year to all!

I can still remember when I watched Beauty & the Beast (Disney animated classic) back in the 1990s. I was not that young to be still too enamored with fairy tales, but I had always been and I believe up until now I never really lost my fascination with them. I think the fact that I discovered them on my own through my innate curiosity about everything I can find in books and TV and movies, rather than having my parents open my eyes about them as a child, only intensified my attachment to stories of all kinds.

That is why I find it not surprising that no matter how my tastes in the kinds of stories I pay attention to have evolved over the years, fairy tales will always have a special place in my heart. It’s not just about the princess and the prince and her tiara and his mens wedding ring and their happy ever after. It’s everything in these stories that represent hope and dreams and how life can be the most beautiful thing there is if only you can look at it with endless wonderment.

All these are also why I can’t wait for February, when Gaston, Belle, and the Beast will make an appearance in my new favorite show, Once Upon A Time.

I started today on a positive note by willing myself to get up early enough. I thought, all I need to do now is to prepare my things for the gym, actually go to the gym and get a bit of workout, then maybe grab a coffee from Starbucks and go home to start work, which I can feel will come by noon. Work came, alright. My plans didn’t push through, however, and now I’m ending my night quite angry myself for wasting away the ENTIRE day. I didn’t even finish work, which means tomorrow I’ll be cramming to keep with the deadlines again.

Gah. I can print all my “tasks” and to-dos everyday on my Epson TM-T88V, and unless I actually do a little bit of “rewiring” to adjust the way my brain functions these days – or maybe it’s just my attitude – I’ll only keep on wasting precious time. As if I can’t tell myself enough – 2012 has got to be different, for the better of course.

When my sister graduated from college, all she asked for as a gift was an iPod. So I  checked the Apple store to see which one I can afford (translation: I will be willing to buy for someone other than myself, heh), and I decided on the iPod shuffle. What, I got her through college – sort of – so that’s just fair, right?

Turned out, it inspired me to buy myself an older-generation iPod Nano from Ebay. After a few months, though, because of some unimportant reason, we decided to swap iPods. So the thing is, I’m hating the shuffle. That’s too strong – I’m not liking it too much. I don’t like that I can’t control my playlists. I don’t like that it can’t accommodate all my mp3s. I like that it’s so easy to carry around, but that’s about it.

Now, I’m being tempted to buy an ipod nano 8g just because of the above reasons. But then again, I don’t need one. And I’m really not in a position to “waste” money like that. I guess I’ll distract myself with looking at the specs of the 160 GB iPod classic whenever I think of the nano. Geez, what a problem to have.

In the past year, maybe especially because I’ve spent almost the entirety of the that fraction of time inside my apartment, I’ve been introduced to a lot of TV shows I used to only hear about but largely ignore. And I’m someone who already spends a lot of time downloading episodes after episodes of most of the better known TV series out there. My fascination for all things sci-fi continues with three seasons of Warehouse 13 and, more recently, four seasons of Torchwood. Funny that these two shows cannot be more different, which I felt more strongly because I watched them back to back, despite both of them involving people who collect artifacts (WH13 – historical artifacts, TW – alien artifacts). Nevertheless, both shows made me sit still in front of my TV for hours, and by the end made wish for a metal step stool so I can easily reach the X-Files DVDs I’ve stored atop my closet.

I’ve written so many times before about the online discount deals that seem to be very successful worldwide in luring people to buy products, travel vouchers, food vouchers, and all those stuff – things that people don’t really have a need for, more often than not. Like this eyelash growth curler I just saw in my e-mail (yeah, I subscribe to a lot of these sites).

But reading this article, I couldn’t help but nod about most of the comments people have forwarded about the price of getting these big discounts. Well, for one, sometimes the vendors bloat the actual selling price just to make it look like you’re really getting the deal of your life. Terrible, but that’s business for you. Then there’s bad customer service where, upon claiming your product, you’ll be treated like a second-class buyer just because you didn’t get a priced item for it’s actual value. I’ve felt this more than once, but my thought at the time was “as long as I’m getting value for my money.” After a while I felt bad, but then again, I can sacrifice my pride for such stuff, no big deal.

So do I still buy stuff from those sites? Of course. I’m less excited than I was before, but looking at my purchases, I think I still manage to have at least one purchase per month. And I’m hoping it stops there.

… is that when actually you get to cross out something, you’ll think of something else you’d like to accomplish. Here are some of mine, in no particular order:

Visit Singapore, but now
Visit Singapore often or maybe live there

Watch Wicked live (will do in January, in SG)

Watch Next to Normal, but now…
Watch Next to Normal in Broadway

Watch Les Miserables in Broadway

Watch Roger Federer play live

Watch a Wimbledon final live

Get a picture with Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi

Invest on a would-be abode

Write a book (it doesn’t have to get published)

Write a song

Visit my sister in Canada

Send my parents to Canada to visit my sister

Wow, I could go on and on. Why can’t I just list something like buy my brother a PS3?

Sometimes when I listen to music, I get this image that I’m driving around a place with a beautiful view while blasting music from the car stereo. Also, I’m the only one driving in those roads because, you know, I can’t really drive and it’s easier if I don’t have anybody else to worry about in my head. And it’s always morning so I have perfect sun and breeze and I won’t have to worry about not having Off Road Lights.

Right now, I’m listening to an album of Missy Higgins (The Sound of White), and it’s kind of perfect. The Wrecker’s sole album is good, too. Cigarettes, for one, is an angst-filled song good for self-reflection, although it would probably not make you want to press hard on the accelerator as much as Pink’s girl anthems (Most Girls, I’m Not Dead) or Kelly Clarkson’s Never Again.

So, all I’m missing is a car and an actual ability to drive. Not much, huh?!

That’s me. Maybe not in the whole wide world, but probably in both sides of my family. I mean, my aunts keep on telling I don’t visit them, and what did I do? Visit them once then not do it again for a long time. I’m not too fond of texting either, just because I really don’t normally send text messages unless I really have something to say. I always say they live too far away from my place. And here are my other cousins from the other side of my family, who live just a few blocks – and a jeepney ride – away, and I wasn’t even there when my cousin’s baby’s first birthday was celebrated, and I adore that kid to pieces. (Well, they didn’t celebrate at home, so I guess that’s kind of an excuse.) Anyway, she’ll be two pretty soon, so let’s see if I can at least give her a nice gift and give it to her myself.