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Thank you for visiting this blog. I am mainly blogging over http://witsandnuts.net. :)

On kicking 2013 off

Start 2013 off with an empty jar and fill it with notes about good things that happen. On new year's eve, empty it and see what awesome stuff happened that year.

I'm starting my 2013 off with a red box instead of a jar. :)

Happy new year!

A happy Christmas

I hope you had a meaningful celebration of Christmas wherever you are. Click here for more "going to make you smile" photos. :)

Feast for my eyes

It's been a long time since I had my lazy days... yes, I just had it. Thanks to the long weekend courtesy of the UAE National Day celebrations. Anyway, I'm glad that I've been productive when it comes to watching films that I wanted to catch a long time like The Help (it made me teary eyed and be more appreciate of the house helpers), 10 years (it's a sort of highschool reunion film, fun watch and unpretentious; makes me want to research about the "Never Had" song), etc.

And just when I'm saying goodbye to the long weekend already, I just found myself reaching for the Eraserheads Reunion concert dvd. There I go, I was transported to some of the best and not so good moments of my highschool and college years. I don't know, Eraserheads can really speak so much to me in so many ways. But overall, they can instantly cheer me up.

I'm happy to have had dedicated the long weekend to the people and stuff that really matter in life. It gave me the push and glow that I need to face the coming (tough) weeks ahead. :)

The World from the Side of the Moon

PP (or as I alternately refer to him as P squared) shared the cover and title of his first album via his twitter account last night.

I'm excited and yeah, I'm a fan since his American Idol days. :)

Paper dolls

(More photos here)

I was sorting photos from our visit in Penang Toy Museum and this photo of group of dolls made me realize that I never had a real Barbie doll until now. My parents and grandparents , even if I am a favorite apo (grandchild), did not buy one for me although most of the young girls had it. They claimed that it is expensive and they would rather buy me Goya chocolates. I did recollect from my cousin that it was the same in her case. However, she bought a Barbie for herself when she started earning on her own.

It is nice to look back at those times including the little rarity in our upbringing. But it did not make us feel less. We actually thought that we were unique and special that we were making our own dolls --- the paper dolls. Of course, we got to "sew" (draw) the paper dresses as well.

Happy times.

We don't need to be a millionaire to be happy

Pinoy Payaso, the clown with the eyeglasses whom we met at my inaanak's (godchild's) birthday party.

I'm a huge fan of "investing on experiences" rather than acquiring depreciable stuff and I'm happier when I'm the one gifting instead of being the receiving end. But of course, gifts are welcome anytime. Heehee.

Here's an excerpt from New York Times' Don't Indulge. Be Happy:


Interestingly, and usefully, it turns out that what we do with our money plays a far more important role than how much money we make. Imagine three people each win $1 million in the lottery. Suppose one person attempts to buy every single thing he has ever wanted; one puts it all in the bank and uses the money only sparingly, for special occasions; and one gives it all to charity. At the end of the year, they all would report an additional $1 million of income. Many of us would follow the first person’s strategy, but the latter two winners are likely to get the bigger happiness bang for their buck.

We usually think of having more money as allowing us to buy more and more of the stuff we like for ourselves, from bigger houses to fancier cars to better wine to more finely pixilated televisions. But these typical spending tendencies — buying more, and buying for ourselves — are ineffective at turning money into happiness. A decade of research has demonstrated that if you insist on spending money on yourself, you should shift from buying stuff (TVs and cars) to experiences (trips and special evenings out). Our own recent research shows that in addition to buying more experiences, you’re better served in many cases by simply buying less — and buying for others.

The happy shoes

 

 I consider this pair as my happy shoes. I'm glad that they still got my size (39). I love the "smiling" whiskers on it, aside from that being too comfy. You can tell that they need extra care away from my cats. ;)