Swabeng Thoughts: What I'm looking forward this 2013.

After thanking every possible people in 2012, this is the time I move on and move forward. As most (if not all) people have their list of New Year's Resolution, I'm already done with it. Instead, I jot down the things I look forward to this 2013.

1. A new job in IT (Career): Its been 3 months since I've left the company. No regrets nor any ill feelings towards them though as I wanted a more stable job rather than just working under a contract. 

2. A new smartphone: Well its a nice-to-have for me as of the moment as my 6 year-old phone is still working well. But I know my phone will reach a point that it cannot be repaired. Hence, I need to get a replacement. An iPhone 5 or an iPhone 4S would do for me sine I love to tinker with its applications while waiting for a call or someone to send me a text message.

3. New places to visit: Be it somewhere within the metro or a province nearby, my feet is itching to discover something new. I just feel the need to catch up with some who were fortunate enough to visit places from across the country.

4. A new digicam (or micro 4/3s): To complement my bulky 7D, I hope I would be able to get my hands on either a Canon Powershot G15 (or G1X) or a Canon EOS-M which some photographers rave these days. Though it may be pricey today, I know within the next few months, their prices would somehow drop before the end of 2013.

5. Having Zero Backlogs in my blog and in my editing sets: Actually, I started 2012 with around 40 backlogs in both my blogs and in my sets to edit. With a lot of things happened, it ballooned to more than a hundred each though I was able to lessen some on my blogs. Probably, this would be one of my toughest challenges this 2013. 

6. A lighter weight and a slimmer figure: This has always been my resolution year after year but I always fail even before January ends. Well, this would also be another herculean task to accomplish but somehow, with proper planning, I would get somewhere. I could start with proper diet and right amount of sleep (7-8 hours). Then I would worry on what exercise to execute next. Hopefully I would be healthier, leaner and meaner this 2013.

7. Marien's Development: By 2013, she will turn two by April. Since 2011, a lot of amazing things happened to both me and my wife. There were some struggles and pains along the way but we overcome each and everyone of them as my daughter gets more and more mischievous (I guess she inherited that from me XD). I hope I could have my wife say yes on having a yaya on her so everyone of us back home would have our focus on what needs to be done especially during weekdays. 

8. Renewing some of my personal possessions: For starters, I need to renew my passport. Then my postal ID and my PRC ID. Then after my CCNA ID expired last 2011, I need to review again before re-taking the exam. Probably I'll add some more as days go by.

9. Learning new things in the field of IT: With the recent advancements in technology, I need to step-up so that I would be aligned with them. If I would be able to get a new job, I'm sure this would be much easier. For the meantime, I'd maximize the resources I have here at home to learn and re-learn a thing or two.

10. Opening a new account: I still feel the need to have my own personal savings as most of what I saved when I was still working goes usually to our joint account that we opened even before I got married. I really need to have my own account so I could save up for my future travels or personal purchase without compromising our budget. 

11. Shooting gigs (Paid and un-Paid): I hope I could get my first paid shooting gig as most of my friends are doing theirs since 2012. My take at the recent FBW event would somehow give me an idea on how to do it and what needs to improve. For the unpaid gigs, that would be my usual "gala" to carshows, conventions and whatnots. 

12. Meeting new people: As I move forward to 2013, I'm sure I'd get to meet a lot of people. From future officemates, to fellow bloggers and photographers, to prospective clients, I'm pretty sure my facebook contacts would add up a few notches as well as my contacts to my mobile phone. Though its sad a few people (former friends and officemates) decided to burn bridges with me, I decided to simply move on and meet new people.  

13. Enhancing my Social Media Knowledge: As a blogger, I'm looking forward to learn more about the ins and outs of Social Media. Learning its nitty-gritty technical stuff would be a good addition to my resume and it would increase my chances of getting a better job. ^_^ 

14. Spending Less and Saving more: I know I'm a good provider, but only a few knows that I'm a terrible spender too. I guess I need to minimize eating out (except if I'm with my family) and save some especially for the rainy day. Now that I have most of the things I need for 2013 (which I bought last 2012), I'm confident I would be spending less (hopefully XD).

Well so far, this would be the things I look forward to this 2013. Do you already have yours?

Marien 365: Week 2 (Day 8 - 14)

Before I forget, I took these pictures from April 20, 2011 to April 20, 2012. XD

Day 8: A few days back, my wife asked me to buy something that my baby could sleep at when she's in the living room. I found a big basket that fits the description and tried it the next day. It seems she likes sleeping in it XD.

Day 8

Day 8: Caught from another angle. I just couldn't help it but took another shot before leaving for work. Ah, she sleeps peacefully despite the noise.

 Day 8

Day 9: No she's not going cry. Rather, she's going to poo and my wife's mom didn't know what hit her. XD

 Day 9

Day 10: I couldn't remember if this was her first bath. Anyway, I click and here's what I have ^_^

Day 10

Day 11: I'm having a hard time with my timing so I focused on her ears instead. She's breastfeeding that time XD.

Day 11

Day 12: Sorry for the noise. XD. I'm training her to look at the camera. XD

Day 12

Day 13: Marien: Do not disturb. Baby is breastfeeding XD

Day 13

Day 14: Another early morning shot as she's still camera shy during that time.

Day 14

The Week That Was (December 23 - 29)

Sunday: Got up early and I was able to go online somehow before Migmig got up. The morning was pretty much the same except that I had to keep an eye on our daughter as she slept in the afternoon. That was the time I was able to read Sunday's paper in the process. By past 5:00pm, we went to Gateway to spend the late afternoon there. We grabbed some snacks at CBTL as they still have the double-stamp promo. In no time, I have only one left before claiming a planner for my wife. We strolled around Gateway until our other relatives meet us up on our way home. When we got home, I took a breather before attending my 9th and last "Simbang Gabi" for the year. Then I went online for an hour and a half before going back home and getting a well-deserved rest.

Monday: Got up early so I could go online. Migmig got up early so I took her out for a walk and some breakfast at Jollibee. Her mom got up as soon as we got back home from Llanas. I was able to put Migmig to sleep as I fell asleep as well. We went down at past 2:30pm as it was our lunch time. Her mom was pretty much busy as I took care of our baby for the rest of the afternoon. I wasn't able to go online outside which compromised some of the things I should have done online. Well, I just went online upstairs when Migmig has already slept for Christmas. I went online as well until I fell sleepy as well.

Tuesday: Got up at almost 7:00am as I went online. Migmig got up at past 8:00am and we went out for some fresh Christmas air. When we got back home, her mom was still sleeping and got up a couple of minutes later. After Migmig took her bath, I went out to go online but the cafe I usually go to is still closed so I looked for somewhere else. The one I got into had the worse network connection ever. I got back home and spend the rest of the afternoon until Migmig got up. We attended the 5:00pm mass before going to Robinson's Magnolia to spend some quality time. By the time we got hungry, I picked Classic Savory for dinner. However, their slow service really agitated me to the point that I wanted to throw plates at the restaurant to express my disgust. Eventually, I had my dinner before going back home. Then I went online again before retiring to our bed.

Wednesday: Got up at 6:00am as I got a lot of catching-up to do. I was able to go online and update a few blogs before Migmig got up. I had to change her diapers for poo before we went down. We were able to spend the morning before I went out to go online for 2 hours to catch-up. When I got back, I had lunch before my wife and baby went down. Apparently, my wife fell asleep while Migmig was playing all by her lonesome. When we went down, my wife went online making me take care of our baby for the entire afternoon which is not bad anyway. We went out to make sure that we enjoyed the outdoors as well as the coolness of the season before I went online for the night.

Thursday: Got up at 6:00am as I got to go online early. For almost 3 hours, I was able to finish a lot until Migmig got up at 9:00am. I made sure she had breakfast before enjoying the rest of the morning. My wife left for work and let Nanay be the one to give our baby her bath. I was able to go online atleast for an hour.  When Migmig got up at almost 3:00pm, I took a bath and left for Robinson's Magnolia. When I got there, I had my late lunch at Bonchon before having coffee at CBTL to complete some stamps for my wife's soon-to-be planner. Probably I stayed there for an hour before going home but no without trying a shawarma from Jacob's. I didn't went straight home yet as I went online for an hour. By the time I got home, I had Migmig to take care of until my wife came home.

Friday: Got up at 6:00am as I got to go online early. But since I don't have our broadband yet, I got to test-edit some pictures on our other laptop and added a few actions to make my workflow much faster. I'll make sure to load all actions on the laptop just like the other one. I was able to go online at 7:30am but only for a short time as my wife needs to use it in the morning. My mom arrived as she paid us a visit and spent an hour there. By 12:30pm, Migmig fell asleep which gave me some time to update some backlogs and check on other things undisturbed. We went down at 3:30pm to have late lunch before they left. Her uncle took Migmig out for a walk as I got our home to myself for a couple of minutes. When they got back, I took Migmig upstairs for a few minutes before we went out to spend some time with Nanay. When we got back home, her mom was already home waiting for us. I left again to go online until almost midnight. For some reason, I went online again until almost 2:00am. 

Saturday: Got up late at 7:30am and I went online only for a few minutes as Migmig got up already. We went down at 8:30am as her mom is not feeling well leaving the bulk of baby-sitting to me for the morning. Good thing I was able to feed my daughter some breakfast and being a weekend, I had company to help me in taking care of my daughter. After Migmig's bath, I was able to have lunch before going out and go online for almost 3 hours before going back home. For the rest of the afternoon, I took care of Migmig and answered to her needs. We went out at 6:30pm to have some snacks at Mc Donalds before going back an hour later. Again, I went online outside before heading for home and spend the rest of the night. 

Swabeng Thoughts: What am I thankful for this 2012.

As 2012 comes to a close, the world would still continue as prophecies about the end of the world should wait for indefinite time. There are a lot of things I should be thankful of be it good or bad. Here are some things that I am thankful for this year. 

1. My wife and daughter's undying love and understanding: They are my number one priority right now. They are my source of inspiration whenever I need it to keep me going. They keep me in check though at times, my temper goes out of control. I love the both of them with all my heart and I'll do anything to make sure they're well taken care of until I grow old.

2.  Blogger friends mostly from FBW: I never imagined that my blog would be read not just from people here in the Philippines, but from around the globe as well. Since I started joining their comment exchanges and G+'s, somehow I learned a thing or two from their comments. Its nice to know that there are fellow bloggers who started from a personal niche to where they're good at now. Also the drama involved as well like some petty catfights that made me get some popcorn as I read those comments =P (I kinda learned from it too). 

3. All of my former colleagues from the companies I've worked with: Thanks for helping me to be the person I am now. I know where I would be heading to in my career as I'm preparing to face it head on. To some who removed me from their social media sites (facebook) I felt kinda sad but on one end, life goes on without you anyway =P. 

4. Family and friends that I've been with for years: Despite moving to Manila, separating me from the rest made me realize that they are still there for me. Its really good to know that despite the distance, they are just a text or a facebook away thanks to modern technology. 

A few days before 2013, that's something I look forward to. ^_^

Marien 365: Week 1 (Day 1 - 7)

Here goes Marien 365. Make sure to check on the prelude so you would be able to full understand my project to myself which is dedicated to my baby. 


Day 1: A few minutes after 7:24AM. My wife gave birth via cesarean section after 17 hours of labor. Her doctor told me she needs to go under the knife so she could finish giving birth. 

 Day 1

Day 1: The Medical City has the strictest visiting hours (at 11:00am-12:00pm and 5:00pm-6:00pm). I went to the nursery room at 11:00am but she was still inside the incubator (mandatory for babies via cesarean section). I had to be contented viewing her from a distance.

 Day 1

Day 2: I went to the nursery room at past 5:00pm to visit her again. I haven's seen her eyes open again but after she yawned, she smiled. The best remedy to ease out the sleepless night I had in the last few days.

 Day 2

Day 2: I asked the nurse to move her to the other side for me to take a picture from a different angle. It took me a while before her face moved. It seems that she's still sleepy. XD

 Day 2

Day 3: She winked at me once I hot the shutter button. XD

 Day 3

Day 3: I guess she's wondering who would take her home. 

Day 3

Day 4: Got up as she spend her first morning home. We put her on the stroller and I think she liked it. 

 Day 4

Day 4: Well, I guess she wanted to get carried again. 

 Day 4

Day 5: I wasn't able to take a picture of her while she's awake. I just took this shot while she's sleeping XD.

 Day 5

Day 6: As I got up from my 3 hour sleep, I saw her awake already. She must have been looking forward to go out for some sun.

 Day 6

Day 7: Awwww, she must have been hungry or somethin'.

Day 7

Swabeng Thoughts: Simbang Gabi and Lesson Learned from It

I never thought I would be able to complete the traditional "Simbang Gabi" (Dawn Mass) until last night. Never in my wildest dreams I would be able to complete but still I did. 

During the course of "Simbang Gabi", I've learned at least 2 lessons aside from the  homilies given by the priests. 

Rather than making excuses on why you can't do it, find ways on how to do it. I was kinda having excuses why I can't attend "Simbang Gabi" Work and conflict of schedules were mostly the culprit but I guess those were valid during those times. As we know,"Simbang Gabi" is usually held at dawn in the old days until the church introduced its anticipated version where people who can't get up early can still go after work or school. For me, I did something that made it possible for me to have it completed. ^_^

Sacrifice. Most people do sacrifice good sleep during the course to make sure to attend "Simbang Gabi". Having a bath is even worse as water is really cold (heaters are a good fix to these). I observed that some people fall asleep during the priests homily which defeats the purpose of "Simbang Gabi". I endured 3-4 hours of sleep plus having a bath on ice-cold water at 3:30am just to make sure I would be able to attend. ^_^

Some people say that if you completed "Simbang Gabi", you can make a wish and it will come true. Is it real, well just make sure to find ways to make it happen. ^_^

And before the clock strikes midnight, I just wanted to greet everyone of you a....

Taken from Google

The Week That Was (December 16 - 22)

Sunday: We got home at 1:00am as I went online to wait for the start of the "Simbang Gabi" My wife was playing on her tablet until 3:00am which I went down and got myself ready. When I got to the Church, I felt so sleepy I almost fall everytime my eyes shut down. After the mass, I went home and went to bed to finally get some sleep. I got up at around 11:00am and started my day. I went online for a short while to update some of my stuff. I got back at 2:00pm to take care of my daughter until 8:30pm which I attended another "Simbang Gabi" which was the anticipated one. By the time I'm done, I went to bed to get that much needed rest.

Monday: I got up at past 6:30am and stared to go online. I think Migmig got up at past 8:00am before we went down to have breakfast. The morning and afternoon was pretty much the same as I took care of my daughter before I went to bed early for "Simbang Gabi"

Tuesday: Got up at almost 3:15am to attend the Dawn Mass (better known as Simbang Gabi) at The Our Lady of Loreto Parish at 4:00am. This would be my third so far though I hope the priests would focus more on Christmas Season rather than lambasting on The RH Bill which was already approved on the third reading. When I got home, I went online until I fell asleep at almost 8:00am and got up an hour later. The morning was pretty much chilly as Christmas Season for me is really here. When Migimig went to sleep in the afternoon, I was able to go online for at least an hour or so. At around 3:00pm, I went to Gateway to have my Fully Booked receipts exchanged for their VIP Card. I only need a few pesos more to get to 15K-peso requirement but the lady told me to sign-up the form anyway. After getting my newly-acquired VIP Card, I took the LRT to SM Centerpoint to meet my blogger friend. I had to wait as I had my late lunch at Bonchon as well as stroll around the mall. My friend arrived just in time as he treated us again to dinner at Bonchon. We shared some stories for at least an hour before we parted ways. When I got back home, I got ready as I attended the 4th Dawn Mass at 10:00pm. After mass, I spent the rest of the evening with them before going to bed.

Wednesday: Got up at 5:30am as we had to prepare for my wife's Christmas Party at Enchanted Kingdom. We got to Katipunan at around 8:00am as a van was waiting for us there. We had a stop-over at Shell along SLEX for breakfast before reaching EK at past 10:00am. We had an arguement that took until lunch time before it was resolved. Well, we wasted 1200 pesos that we weren't able to ride any thing at EK as we took turns in taking care of Migmig. Honestly, I could have said NO a few days back and got more productive at home instead. We left EK at 6:00pm and got back home at almost 9:00pm. I left right away as I went to SM Centerpoint to buy a boxershort as I ran out of underwear to use. After getting what I need. I had my late dinner at Bonchon before going home.

Thursday: Got up at past 3:30am as I need to prepare for "Simbang Gabi". Though I'm having a terrible headache, I made sure to continue until the "Simbang Gabi" ended. I had a bite before going to bed again at 5:45am. I got up at around 8:30 where my wife and Migmig kept on waking me up despite that headache. I went downstairs to get some more sleep and finally got into my senses when the time Miss Universe 2012 was being aired on channel 2. Then I tried putting my daughter back to sleep only to get up in less than an hour. Then I had lunch at home of roasted pork belly and it cured my terrible headache for some reason. XD. I need to wait for Nanay to take care of Migmig as I attended "Simbang Gabi" for the 6th straight day. After attending, I spent the rest of the evening with them.

Friday: Got up at almost 7:00am as we all slept at almost 1:00am since Migmig was having runny nose again that prevented her from breathing properly. I went online for an hour or so until Migmig got up. I made sure she's well dressed as we will be meeting my mom at SM Mall of Asia later. We left home at 9:30am and got to SM MOA an hour later. We were able to meet my mom as we strolled around for a bit before going to TGIFriday's for lunch. Its been a long time since the last time we had our lunch over there and We enjoyed our lunch for about an hour or so. Then we strolled around some more before we left the mall at 1:00pm. Yes, we left the mall early and got home at 1:30pm. I was suppose to put Migmig to sleep once we got back home but instead, I fell asleep for about 2 hours as I turn on the aircon to make sure our room is cool enough. I went out to go online in the afternoon until past 6:45pm as her aunt is going somewhere leaving me to take care of our Migmig until someone comes home. Good thing my wife came home just in time that the mass has started. I went to the Church right away and attended the mass. After that, I bought some snacks before finally going to bed.

Saturday: Got up at 6:00am and I went online outside since I need a faster connection. By the time I got back, I dressed-up and went home to San Pedro to take some thing with me. I got there at 9:00am, hungry. I tried calling Shakey's but I couldn't seem to contact them so I went there to have my late breakfast instead. After breakfast, I fixed some my things there before going back to Manila at almost 2:00pm. My bedroom was almost turned into a storage room after a couple of weeks. I got back home at almost 5:00pm and I went online for a couple of minutes before taking Migmig out. We went to CBTL at Gateway to have some snacks and they also have a double-stamp promo for their planner which means it would be easy for me to complete my card. Then  I bought 2 new planners as I let my daughter browse through some baby books before we went back home just in time for "Simbang Gabi". After mass, I went home to spend the rest of the evening with them. As Christmas comes nearer, its also getting colder as well which means we save more as we don't need to turn on the aircon. XD

Christmas Gift Ideas? Why not get these December Covergirls

As Christmas is just around the corner if you're running out of Ideas to give to your friend, officemate or simply to yourself, why not get some magazines to read and enjoy before the world ends (LOL!).


1. FHM Philippines (Meg Imperial): For the third time, FHM has fielded an unknown (to me) to be their covergirl. Upon reading the pages, it appears to be that she's one of the Kapatid (TV5) Talents that they were trying to build up. And she's only nineteen years old which means she's got a long way to go.

FHM December 2012

 


2. Esquire Philippines (Juan Ponce Enrile): He wants us to be happy ("Ang gusto ko happy ka") Issue should be more appropriate than "The Meaning of Life Issue". No offense to Mr Senate President, but if you ask me, I hope to see more lovely women in the cover of Esquire. =P

Esquire Philippines December 2012

3. Rogue (Lovi Poe): I'm thinking if this was Lovi's 2nd time in Rogue or not but I'm sure I would look forward to read its pages later. The cover was pretty classy and its done with taste too.

Rogue 2012

For both UNO and Playboy, let's stay tuned as I'm sure they're up to something before Christmas. XD

The Week That Was (December 9 - 15)

Sunday: Well, I got up at around 9:00am as Migmig was looking straight at me wanting to go out already. Still feeling hungry from yesterday's party. we had our breakfast at Jollibee and I got Sunday's paper before going back to enjoy the rest of the morning. After my baby's bath, I went out to go online until 2:00pm. We watched the Pacquiao-Marquez fight which Pacquiao lost (were still proud of you man). I just spend the afternoon reading Sunday's paper and enjoyed the rest of the day.

Monday: For some reason, I got up at 5:30am after I felt that something went inside my ear. I was able to clean it with my fingers and when I saw what time it is, I decided to get up and get started. I was able to do some blogging. I went down early to catch a few minutes of sleep until my wife and Migmig went down at almost 9:00am. Then it was a pretty slow morning for us as I was able to put Migmig to sleep at 1:00pm before going online. She got up at past 3:00pm and we went down to have lunch. Then its her aunt's turn to take care of her as I dozed-off again for some reason probably for an hour or so. Then we went out to visit Nanay and let my daughter walk as we enjoyed the rest of the evening.

Tuesday: I got up at past 7:00am, which was way behind 6:00am. I was able to go online for a couple of minutes before my mom arrived to pay us a visit. she stayed for an hour before she left for work. Migmig and spent some time outside before going back home. Then by 1:00pm, my daughter fell asleep which means its time for me to get ready and leave for Makati to get my backpay. But I have to go to my mom's office to pick-up the CTC (Community Tax Certificate) she got from the Manila City Hall before going to Makati. When I got to Ayala, I head-off to Krispy Kreme first to get my free mugs but I forgot my card so I went straight to Grow to get my backpay, my certificate of employment and my copy of exit clearance. It didn't took me long to get a little portion of my back pay before going to Greif to visit some friends. After that, I went to Greenbelt to spend some time before having my late lunch/early dinner at Bo's and to have my card stamped for their coffee book. Then I bought some magazines with me before taking the bus home. Once I'm home, I simply enjoyed the night before going to bed.

Wednesday: For the second straight day, I got up late again. I went online as soon as I got into my senses before Migmig got up at almost 9:30am. We went out and deposited the check that I received the other day to add it to our existing account. We got back home at almost 10:30am as my wife was almost done getting ready for work. I was able to go online again as Migmig got her afternoon siesta. When she got up, we had our lunch before I decided to take Migmig to Robinson's Galeria to spend the afternoon there. When we got there, I took her to Toys R' Us to look for some toys and to let her enjoy the view. Then we had an afternoon snack at Bo's though my daughter doesn't want to sit still on her chair. We got back home at past 8:00pm as her mom arrived a couple of minutes later.

Thursday: Got up at almost 7:00am and started uploading some pictures for my blog. Good thing the weather is still cool as Migmig got up late. The day was pretty much the same for me as I was able to go online outside to be able to be more productive as well.

Friday: Got up at almost 7:30am as I quickly went online before my wife does at 8:00am. I took Migmig out for breakfast at Jollibee as she's already hungry. We were able to enjoy the morning before her mom leaves for work at almost noon. If only my wife gets up early, she doesn't have to complain anymore why she gets late for work. When my daughter fell asleep, it was time for me to get ready as I head-off to SM Megamall to buy some of her needs (diapers and baby wipes). It took me almost 2 hours just to get there as traffic was pretty horrible. I went to Watson's first to buy some baby wipes before having my late lunch at Bo's. I was supposed to update my personal expenses for the year when my phone ran out of batteries. Anyways, I got to read some magazines while having some lunch before I went to the Supermarket to buy some baby diapers. Then going home wasn't good either as traffic was pretty bad along Shaw blvd. When I got home, my wife wasn't home yet but my daughter was covered so I went out again to go online until 10:30pm. I was surprised that my wife was still out so I was the one who put Migmig to sleep. I fell asleep was well as it was a tiring day.

Saturday: Well, I woke up at 1:30am only to find out that my wife wasn't home yet. I tried to call her and she told me, she' on a Christmas Party and they cannot go home yet. A couple of minutes later, she got home while I'm online. I slept again an hour later and got up at 7:30am to go online again. XD. I let Migmig had breakfast the minute she got up from bed and let her play. Since her other aunts and uncles were home, they helped me out in taking care of her. I was even able to go online until I got back in the afternoon. My wife and I had a little discussion whether or not I accompany her to their company's Christmas Part. And eventually, I gave in. Besides, its free food at Sambokojin so it would be stupid of me to decline XD. It didn't took us that long to get to Eastwood though my wife and I had to get a cab at Katipunan. When we got to Sambokojin, all of us there were able to enjoy their food. I got to eat more compared to my last visit though I haven't tried their cooked food. After a hearty dinner, they decided to have coffee at CBTL to kill more time. We took a cab at past 1:00am the next day going home and I have a few hours before "Simbang Gabi"

Swabeng Thoughts: A Prelude to Project 365.

For some reason, I really wanted to post my project 365 that I did from April 2011 to April 2012. Though I felt a little bit hesitant as I may compromise my daughter's safety and well-being, I'm sure Our Creator has special plans for all of us. 

I was suppose to start posting it as early as January of 2012 but due to unforeseen circumstances, the date has been moved up to now. 

Before I begin, here is my take on my Project 365. 

1. My daughter was born on a Wednesday. Hence the week for this project starts every Wednesday. 
2. I would do probably a weekly post or I could post every 5-6 days whichever is more convenient for me.
3. I'd probably post between 1 to 3 pictures per day so I won't bore you that much. 
4. This project won't be successful if it wasn't for my wife who helped me along the way especially in times that I can't shoot. 
5. As I've seen different Project 365s before but I never see anyone posts until Day 365. But this would be more difficult as I'm taking pictures of one subject alone, my daughter. 
6. And lastly, I'll be renaming it from Project 365 to Marien 365 being my daughter's first name. 

Well here's a sneak peak of how it began from birth...

Day 1

Up to the time she celebrated her first birthday.

Day 365

Stay tuned for Days 1 to 7 within the next few days. ^_^

Now I'm off to attend Simbang Gabi. XD

The Coffee Book 2013 from Bo's Coffee: How to get one.

Tired of getting the same planner from one of our favorite coffeehouses? Bo's Coffee has recently launched the Coffee Book 2013. 

Coupons, sketches, and a lot of Philippine coffee fun facts. These are just a couple of things we incorporated in The Coffee Book 2013. We wanted to give you something you could still keep even after the year is over, which is why this gorgeous planner book features original artworks and a lot interesting tidbits about the Philippines and the coffee it offers.

To get one of these Coffee Book, here's how: 

1. Every purchase of any food or beverage worth P200 from today until January 31, 2013 will entitle the customer to a Coffee Card and one sticker
2. Customers must collect 14 stickers to redeem the Coffee Book 2013 for free.
3. Stickers can be acquired if the qualified purchase is made at any Bo’s Coffee outlets nationwide.
4. Customers must present the Coffee Card when any qualified purchase is made at any Bo’s Coffee outlets nationwide.
5. Valid stickers are signed by Team Leader on Duty with the date of purchase, transaction number & total amount purchased.
6. Customers can redeem stickers for dine in, take out & merchandise purchases. Bulk transactions or reservations are entitled to a maximum of 3 stickers only.
7. Customer can redeem the Coffee Book until March 31, 2013.

Make sure that the terms and conditions are made: 

1. Stickers will be given right after each valid transaction is made.
2. Customer must complete the 14 stickers to redeem the Coffee Book.
3. Customer may combine a maximum of 2 Coffee Cards with a total of 14 stickers when combined to redeem the Coffee Book.
4. A Coffee Card with 14 stickers completed must be surrendered to the cashier to redeem the Coffee Book.
5. A stolen or lost Coffee Card may be replaced with a new one but the stickers earned cannot be replaced.
6. The promo is not valid in conjunction with other promos or discounts.
7. Bo’s Coffee reserves the right to refuse the redemption of the Coffee Book if the customer is found tampering with the stickers to reach the required number of stickers to claim the Coffee Book.
8. Employees of all participating outlets, including relatives up to second degree of consanguinity or affinity are disqualified from joining the Coffee Book promotion.

I was able to browse it at one of their branches and indeed its a collectible item. So if I were, you, I'll start collecting those stickers now. XD

And once I get my hands into this Coffee Book, I'll make a review about it. ^_^

Filipino Bloggers Worldwide's First Grand Eyeball in Photos

Note for the pictures: No editing was done except for resizing for the web. If you see your photo here, please do grab but make sure to give credit to the photographer (me). I didn't put any watermarks here so you may print them for personal use.

 

First, I would like to thank everyone from Filipino Bloggers Worldwide for trusting me to be one of the photographers during the event. This means a lot to me as I know I have to start building my portfolio and hopefully earn in the process. 

By the time I got to SM Megamall at around 6:00pm, a few bloggers starts to come in signaling the beginning of the registration  process. 

 I had to make sure to take note of some requests like taking pictures of items from our sponsors. This event won't be possible if it wasn't for the Admins and Volunteers who gave their best in making this event a success.

At around 7:00pm or so, the program proper has already started. FBW Admins Ness and Franc did the honors of hosting the event. Both of them did a great job. A slideshow was presented featuring the FBW Admins c/o Tristan. 

To make the event even more livelier, a human bingo (I think that's what is called) was played for the audience to interact with fellow bloggers. I think this would be the best way to keep them busy for a while and at the same time, get to know other bloggers as well.

Then, dinner time. Almost all of us queued-up to get our fill, thanks to Sir Orly Ballesteros of Ex-Link Events for making this possible as almost all of us got hungry XD.

Everyone had a good time especially during the raffle portion. I think almost all bloggers won at least twice (except for me XD) and I'm sure they're all smiles when they got their prize.

Also, Mr. Mel Cortez of Bawal Magshoot Dito (BMSD) paid us a visit with some tokens to raffle-off.

After the first round of giving away some prizes, it was time for some serious learning. Jason Cruz of

Of course I was able to take some snapshots of other people while listening to Jason as well.

By that time, I was already enjoying taking pictures more. I didn't noticed I had 300 shots in only a short span of time. XD

After Jason's talk, we had more raffle prizes that were given away...

All smiles once their names were called during the raffle part. XD

The top 10 travel bloggers were also awarded during the event with three of them available for picture taking.

After awarding the top 10 travel bloggers, another set of prizes were raffled off care of our sponsors. XD

And despite those hiccups and mishaps happened during the event, I could say it was still a success. I'm sure the next grand eb would be planned ahead a year from now (I think). The backdrop for the photobooth was used by some as most people were starting to leave already.

Of course, the event won't be complete without a group picture. Again, I would like to thank the FBW Admins for trusting me to be one of the photographers for the event. ^_^

This event won't be possible without the help of our sponsors.

Again, Thank You!

Sorry for the very long post. XD