Pipho 7: The event I didn't completed.

I was anticipating for this event in a long time a few months back. but when the day came, it was like, something was missing. Could be the enthusiasm I used to have when I was starting taking pictures. Or probably something else.

I got to SM Mall of Asia at almost 10:00am and I already saw a long queue at the Music Hall at the back so I joined the crowd and sign-up. For a minimal fee, I got my ID, some free snacks and bought myself a shirt as a souvenir for the event.

Since I was by my lonesome, I didn't stay put at the venue though I am looking forward to listen to the speakers invited at the event. Instead, I just stayed outside the venue and look around for some good buys.

I was able to buy a camera strap that I'm sure would be useful in the years to come and tested it. It felt much lighter having a camera strap compared to carrying it all the time with your hand. 

Anyways, pictures to follow soon. 

Growing Orchids: Its more fun in the Philippines Opening Day

When it comes to orchids, I'm not the best person to ask to nor the person to seek advice with. More so, I'm not a big fan of orchids as I don't have a green thumb. XD

Yet I had a chance to check out the Orchid Show last August which was held at Quezon City Memorial Circle. Thanks to Mr. Lawrence Chan for inviting me to this event as I got curious on how broad these group of orchids are.

Before the opening ceremony started, I was able to take some pictures of the orchids while Lawrence gave me some lecture on their scientific names as well as on how they thrive in an environment like ours. But most of their scientific names are pretty long and I'm not the type of person who can recall each and one of them.

Anyway, here are some of the shots that I took as he labeled it one by one on my facebook account.

Vanda Sanderiana

Prosthechea Cochleata aka octopus orchid / squid orchid

Nepenthes Truncata

Dendrobium Thongchai Gold

Cycnoches Jean E. Monniers

Tillandsia Xerographica

BLC. COED Malvarosa

I hope I could attend the next Orchid Show so I could take more pictures. XD

Will be adding some more pictures here in the next few days. XD

Lego Exhibit at SM Mall of Asia

Last Wednesday, while waiting for my friends at SM Mall of Asia for the UNO event, I happen to pass by around this Lego Exhibit. I thought it was a re-run of their previous exhibit but it turn out to be a different one.

I took out my camera even if I forgot to charge my batteries (good thing I brought my charger with me) as I took some quick snaps of the exhibit. Eventually, I spent an hour or two looking for interesting angles and vantage points.  

I got to check some of Lego's toys on sale. If I only had more than enough money, I could have bought something for my daughter to try on and experiment with. 

Looking forward to more Lego Exhibits soon. 

Pictures to follow soon. XD

The week that was (August 26 - September 1)

Sunday: Got up early as I took Migmig out for a walk before having breakfast. Then we got back to wake her mom up to get going. We were suppose to leave home early but since my wife moves pretty much slow, I need to do some changes. We took the LRT ride before taking a cab in Cubao. We got at BGC at around 3:00pm and we went straight to Elias to have lunch there. After our long lunch, we spent more time outdoors as I took some pictures of my daughter while running into a new environment and let her mom catch her. I took time to take her to different spots along BHS Central which was my wife and my baby's first (its my second BTW). As the sun sets, we took a cab heading home as all of us got so tired even Migmig fell asleep. When we got home, I went out to go online to catchup before going to SM Centerpoint to do some additional groceries. I got to reading Sunday's paper as well and went to bed.

Monday: Migmig and I went out to do our morning routine of walking before having breakfast at Mc Donald's. When we got back, I helped my wife in cleaning our room as it collected lots of dust from the last time we had our general room cleaning in November. After cleaning the room, I took Migmig upstairs so she could get her nap. While she's sleeping, I got to do some cleaning of my own and read some of my magazines that I've bought as I make sure the aircon is on so my baby sleeps soundly. When Migmig got up, we went to Nanay to have my baby walk. We had some snacks at Mc Donald's as she's hungry already. When we got back, I went online for almost 2 hours to catch up before going back home. I enjoyed the rest of the night before going to bed as I've got work for the week ahead. 

Tuesday: Again, breakfast was courtesy of Mc Donald's after having a walk with my daughter. Before going to work, I made sure my baby was already sleeping. On my way to work, I grabbed some magazines and a book by FHM from Fully Booked at Gateway before heading off to The Landmark for lunch at Sisig Hooray. I arrived late but work was pretty much steady as my colleague was doing most of the damage. I grabbed coffee from Krispy Kreme for me to keep myself awake while doing some comment exchanges from different blogs I visit. Dinner is at Chicboy even if I don't feel hungry as I wanted to eat on time unlike when I'm home in Sampaloc, meal time differs depending on what time Nanay cooks. Work was pretty much boring as I got to do some comments exchange instead for the past three days (Saturday-Monday). After shift, I took the next bus going home even if I feel very sleepy by that time.

Wednesday: For the 3rd straight morning, Migmig and I had breakfast at Mc Donald's for me to kill some time so my wife could get some additional rest. Then I took her to Llanas to do some groceries before heading back home. I left home at 1:00pm as I forgot to charge one of my batteries for the shoot. By 2:15pm, I'm at SM Mall of Asia and went straight to Sweet Inspiration to have a Mongolian Buffet for lunch. I thought I won't be able to finish my second plate but I stayed there long enough for me to be able to finish everything as my tummy went round again XD. Then I strolled around MOA and I got to see an interesting exhibit from Lego that was pretty much different from the exhibit I saw last year (I'll write a blog about this). I forgot to charge my batteries so I had to do a stop at Starbucks to have it charged. Thank God there are plenty of electrical sockets to plug my charger to while killing some time inside. Also I have to wait some of my friends there as all of us would head off to 1Esplanade to attend UNO's UNOversity event (I'll write a blog about this).After the event, we went to the nearest Shakey's to share stories and spend more time joking each other. I took a cab on my way home as my friends dropped me off along Edsa-Shaw Blvd. When I got home, my wife was fast asleep so I went online until 3:00am since I won't be reporting the next day anyway XD.

Thursday: Got up at almost 8:00am as I am expecting that my mom will pay us a visit. When Migmig and I went down, my sister was there as well. Good thing they spent more time at home which helped me do other things as well as I let my baby wake her mom up. Then we got busy again as Migmig's bath was already in the works. After that, I took a breather before putting my baby to sleep. I was able to go online once she slept but only for a few minutes as I need to go somewhere else. I went to QC Circle to attend the opening of an Orchid Show as a good friend of mine invited me (I'll write a blog about this). After the opening ceremony, we had dinner at a nearby restaurant as we share stories. The people I am with are an interesting bunch as I got to listen to them and we parted ways at almost 9:00pm. With time to spare, I got to spend some personal time at Starbucks along West Avenue as I think and plan what to do after my contract ends. I know I won't be generating income but I wanted to be productive in one way or another. By 11:30pm, I took a cab heading home and went online until 2:00am before finally going to sleep.

Friday: Got up at almost 8:00am as I feel so tired and sleepy as I didn't have enough sleep for the past few days. I took Migmig out for a walk and she seemed to enjoy it. I had breakfast at 7-11 and bought some bread for my baby but she had some other food to eat so we went back home. However, she still wanted to go out  so I had to take her out sparingly. We went to other places that she seldom visits so her eyes would have a different view to see. Then my wife give our baby a bath while I rested for a while before doing some chores, When I got up to put Migmig to sleep, I was a little bit surprised that she slept early so I was able to get ready for work. I know I'll be by my lonesome for my shift so I played some Cafe Land as well for the first time. Its pretty much enjoying as I was able to level-up as high as I can.By dinner, I had wagyu at BFast but I didn't had as much as I can because there's no one in the office so I had to eat as quickly as I could. Well work was not that much as I waited for my colleagues to arrive before heading home, but not until almost 1:00am as I got hooked on this new game (cafe land) XD.

Saturday: All of us woke up late at 9:30am. I did some morning rituals before taking Migmig out to Llanas to do some groceries. When we got back, her mom got up as well so I was able to feed her some breakfast. Since my baby took her bath late, I had to take a bath for work after her. Going to the office was pretty much fast and smooth as I was able to grab a cup of coffee at Krispy Kreme and went straight to the office. I warmed up my laptop as I started playing Cafe Land again XD. It was pretty challenging to manage not one but two games as I need to play my wife's cafe for a period of time. I got a call that I need to figure out how the problem started and what would be the best fix. In the end, I got to fix the user's issue ^_^. I did some photo editing as well to lessen my backlogs but with some upcoming events I feel that I need more time to do this XD. Dinner was at Jollibee and I ate dinner good for two person XD. I wanted to go home early but my colleague arrived late at almost midnight so I had to wait for him while playing cafe land. I took a cab heading home to get the rest that I needed.

Swabeng Thoughts: 10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy

I accidentally saw this article from Yes Magazine and I find it really interesting. What makes us happy? Here are some Swabeng strategies for making you happy (based from studies from all over the world to find out how things like money, attitude, culture, memory, health, altruism, and our day-to-day habits affect our well-being). 

Taken from Yes Magazine's Website.

1. Savor Everyday Moments: Pause now and then to smell a rose or watch children at play. Study participants who took time to “savor” ordinary events that they normally hurried through, or to think back on pleasant moments from their day, “showed significant increases in happiness and reductions in depression,” says psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky. 

2. Avoid Comparisons: While keeping up with the Joneses is part of American culture, comparing ourselves with others can be damaging to happiness and self-esteem. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, focusing on our own personal achievement leads to greater satisfaction, according to Lyubomirsky. 

3. Put Money Low on the List: People who put money high on their priority list are more at risk for depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, according to researchers Tim Kasser and Richard Ryan. Their findings hold true across nations and cultures. “The more we seek satisfactions in material goods, the less we find them there,” Ryan says. “The satisfaction has a short half-life—it’s very fleeting.” Money-seekers also score lower on tests of vitality and self-actualization. 

4. Have Meaningful Goals: “People who strive for something significant, whether it’s learning a new craft or raising moral children, are far happier than those who don’t have strong dreams or aspirations,” say Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener. “As humans, we actually require a sense of meaning to thrive.” Harvard’s resident happiness professor, Tal Ben-Shahar, agrees, “Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable.”

5. Take Initiative at Work: How happy you are at work depends in part on how much initiative you take. Researcher Amy Wrzesniewski says that when we express creativity, help others, suggest improvements, or do additional tasks on the job, we make our work more rewarding and feel more in control.

6. Make Friends, Treasure Family: Happier people tend to have good families, friends, and supportive relationships, say Diener and Biswas-Diener. But it’s not enough to be the life of the party if you’re surrounded by shallow acquaintances. “We don’t just need relationships, we need close ones” that involve understanding and caring.

7. Smile even if you Don't Feel Like It: It sounds simple, but it works. “Happy people…see possibilities, opportunities, and success. When they think of the future, they are optimistic, and when they review the past, they tend to savor the high points,” say Diener and Biswas-Diener. Even if you weren’t born looking at the glass as half-full, with practice, a positive outlook can become a habit.

8. Say Thank You like you Mean It: People who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis are healthier, more optimistic, and more likely to make progress toward achieving personal goals, according to author Robert Emmons. Research by Martin Seligman, founder of positive psychology, revealed that people who write “gratitude letters” to someone who made a difference in their lives score higher on happiness, and lower on depression—and the effect lasts for weeks. 

9. Get Out and Exercise: A Duke University study shows that exercise may be just as effective as drugs in treating depression, without all the side effects and expense. Other research shows that in addition to health benefits, regular exercise offers a sense of accomplishment and opportunity for social interaction, releases feel-good endorphins, and boosts self-esteem.

10. Give it Away, Give it Away Now: Make altruism and giving part of your life, and be purposeful about it. Researcher Stephen Post says helping a neighbor, volunteering, or donating goods and services results in a “helper’s high,” and you get more health benefits than you would from exercise or quitting smoking. Listening to a friend, passing on your skills, celebrating others’ successes, and forgiveness also contribute to happiness, he says. Researcher Elizabeth Dunn found that those who spend money on others reported much greater happiness than those who spend it on themselves.

Why not give it a try and let's be happy for a change... I'm sure you deserve to be happy. ^_^