Flats

  By zarine | February 20, 2012 - 12:38 pm | -The Z Diaries-
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So this post and an upcoming one will be about my newfound love for traveling. I still couldn’t claim to be as passionate as many people are about it because I still don’t think that I will do it more than 4 times in a year. This 2012, I’ve already been to Singapore, in June, my sister, brother, sister’s friend and I are scheduled to spend a few days in Cebu, and then I have already booked tickets for Cagayan de Oro for a pre-Christmas trip in December. I guess I can have room for one more, if friends will come up with something, but I guess that’s it for  2012.

The first time I was in Singapore, I only bought with me 2 wedge-type sandals/slip-on, both about 2.5 in. tall. I thought I’ll be going around in a city, so they would do. HUGE mistake! I learned the hard way that you have to do very long walks to go from one place to another – even with their very efficient transportation system. I admitted later it was a good thing because I needed the exercise, but I actually had to buy myself comfortable flats to preserve my feet and the function of my legs. The second time around, I know what to do – no tall heels, no hard leather, no bobbi brown shoes – unless you’ll take the cab from and to your hotel for a night out.

All the Awards to Adele

  By zarine | February 13, 2012 - 7:48 pm | Music
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So today I tuned in to StarWorld Asia to catch the 54th Grammy Awards – well if waiting for Kelly Clarkson’s (and Jason Aldean’s in effect) and  Adele’s performances, and also Jennifer Hudson’s Whitney Houston tribute, can be considered “tuning in.” It’s no surprise that Adele made a clean sweep of all her six nominations. I admit that I cannot listen to her albums continuously for an extended period of time like I do with, say, the Wicked the Musical OBC recording or Kelly Clarkson’s pop albums, but she’s definitely one of my top favorite artists. Few singers have the quality of talent that she has, much less the endearing personality. I can only wish to watch her perform live in the near future – I’m sure I’ll be reduced to a wide-eyed fangirl again, like what happened to me while watching Wicked in Singapore almost a month ago. If concerts do a back ground check of fans to see which ones are most likely to “attack” the artist by screaming gibberish out of, well, fangirling, then I’m in danger of being caught with this one.

Music & Me

  By zarine | February 11, 2012 - 9:44 pm | -The Z Diaries-
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I pains me to say that I’ll probably never be a musician – in the smallest, most trivial way possible – because I’ve always been a music fan and some part of me always hoped that if I want it enough, I’ll learn to create music or at least be proficient with one instrument or two. As I grew older, however, I am slowly realizing that maybe it’s not too bad to remain just a fan. What’s too bad about just sitting back and listening, anyway? I can even hum along, although I don’t have the pipes required to actually sing along loudly. That’s why I’m really excited that my brother – to whom I gave my last acoustic guitar when I finally gave up on it – has been showing real talent in this area. He invited me to a concert that involves his college music group, and it’s just too bad I can’t make it this time. Someday, maybe I can get him a gibson supreme or something else really nice. I can’t help but be a proud sister, although I’m just now trying to avoid feeling like I can at least live my dreams through him. Besides, he’s already way beyond my level when he got mad that my sister and I wrote about buying a “ukelele” when we should’ve spelled it as “ukulele.”

Impulsive

  By zarine | January 18, 2012 - 6:06 am | Personal
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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.

 

Happy New Year!

  By zarine | January 2, 2012 - 9:52 pm | Random Thoughts
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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!

 

 

 

 

(That) Tale As Old As Time

  By zarine | December 6, 2011 - 8:34 pm | -The Z Diaries-
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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.

 

Productive, What?

  By zarine | December 5, 2011 - 9:46 pm | -The Z Diaries-
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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.

Nano Nano

  By zarine | December 3, 2011 - 10:26 pm | Tech/Gadgets
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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.

It’s All About TV Shows

  By zarine | November 25, 2011 - 2:51 pm | TV
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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.

The Price of Big Discounts

  By zarine | November 25, 2011 - 10:22 am | Random Thoughts
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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.