You know what they say, there's no mess that a little ambient lighting can't fix. It's no secret how a top down white fluorescent light can make little dirts and bits too in-your-face. For someone like me who doesn't like to clean as much, I really needed to take the extra mile somewhere else to make the room more presentable (or at least buy me some time).
I loved my little lamp, but since I was hoping to get a new dimmer one anyways, I wanted to search around for alternatives. I figured that the chain lights (a.k.a Christmas Lights) concept you'd usually find in Pinterest sounds like an interesting idea so I picked up a set of chain lights, and carpe-ed the hell out of the diem.

Materials:
1 x IKEA SÄRDAL chain lights (24 bulbs)
1 x pack of Command(TM) Decorating Clips


 Since the clips are clear, it also comes with clear strips (which is relatively new, I remember having clear clips with white adhesives. Glad they figured out how it did not make sense before.)


I put 1 clip each corner and 2 in the middle part equally apart. You don't really have to measure. I just followed my gut placing one on each side. Then, I just let the ends of the chain down freely.

Aaand here's how the chain light looks in action. Sweeeet!

The IKEA SÄRDAL chain lights are sold at S$19.90 (IKEA) and the Command(TM) decorating clips about S$5 a pack. You can find them in in Cold Storage, Stationery Superstore and Fairprice.

This photo doesn't give it much justice but it's actually in Green

It's no secret that only very few people are patronising Sony Xperia phones these days. So for the few Sony fanatics like myself, you can only imagine THE misery of going store-to-store asking "Do you have any cases for Xperia Z5?". You'd think the Sony-made covers are lying around in Sony stores but they don't either--and don't even get me started with other retailers.

I had this phone with me since it hit the PH shores in November last year and I have been ordering accessories from overseas since then.

SEE:  Amazon Shopping with POBox.ph - Kindle, Xperia Z5 Charging Dock and Spigen Case

You'll find a wide range of Z5 accessories on Amazon, but this Style Cover Window from Sony is particularly hard to find! I was very sure I am not getting any other case that isn't either clear or matches the phone color exactly! (Bec. I knew head on, that I was getting this phone for the color alone. LOL) To be honest, there's a few you can find on eBay, but, extremely overpriced, so that's off the table.

I've looked in every Sony Store I know in Singapore and Manila (and trust me when I say Every. Sony. Store) and lost all hope until yesterday, finally, after 2 months of actively searching, I ever so fortunately found one in Singtel Shop @ComCentre!
Yey! Even cheaper by a few bucks vs. Sony store prices.

Here's how it really looks. LOVELY. It's the same color as the phone. Ugh. The beauty.

As of yesterday, (14 May 2016), there's one piece left in green, one in black, then plenty in white.
If you don't know where Singtel Shop ComCentre is, it's very close to Somerset MRT. Take the exit along Somerset Rd. then walk towards Tripleone Somerset, then walk across the Skate Park. You couldn't miss it.


Here's a very simple guide in setting it up, in case you need it. :P
http://support.sonymobile.com/global-en/stylecoverwindowscr42/userguide/One-touch-setup/

My passion for phone cases has not failed me. It's a fantastic day! Hahaha.
--

Sony SCR42 Style Cover Window for Xperia Z5
$46 (SGD)
SingtelShop, 31 Exeter Rd

Was the title too tacky? Oopsie.

I've been to Singapore twice in 2015, but both were vacation with my family. Singapore is amazing and as a tourist from Manila, it really looked like a better place to live in. So this time, it was different. I had no concrete plans, but working overseas has always been in the picture.



A few months later, I found an interesting opportunity and was offered a job--and I took it.
It wasn't easy-peasy. I don't know if everybody really had to go all through that (countless exams and interviews), so when I finally got in, it was very hard to say no.
I didn't tell a lot people. It's a very personal journey and I wanted to do this with the least outside judgement. I wanted to see if I really wanted to be a Java Developer. If that's my true calling. (That sounds lame but it's true)

My thoughts were:
If was going to suck it up and stay a programmer anyway, might as well do it in Singapore.

In my next posts, I might be sharing tips for other Expats like me! :)

I love DIY-ing boxes, paper bags and all that craft. So you can only imagine how thrilled I was to find out about Punch Boards.

Online shoppers' S.O.P: Google for local sellers. (For Manila shoppers you may also check OLX, Lazada, Instagram shops)

If not available locally (or ridiculously expensive locally), head on over to Amazon.com and pull up your trusty My Shopping Box account.

Here's what I got:
1 Gift Box Punch Board, 1 Gift Bag Punch Board, 1 Pillow Box Punch Board



Now I know it didn't sound like it was the right season to get crafting stuff but then again, no craft police is gonna gome get me. (LOL)

These sell for around 11-15 USD each and if I remember correctly there was a get this plus this and this promo in Amazon for this combination. So: price each + Amazon shipping (if applies) + MyShoppingBox fees costs me roughly about P3,000 for the entire set. This is relatively cheaper if you buy this in most local online stores I found which sells for about 1,300 and up.

Is it worth it? I don't know yet! Haha. But these will surely come in handy in Christmas. (Score!)
In the meantime, I try to make nifty items out of it like pen holders, and holders of practically anything, really.

Have you tried any of these punch boards? Let me know what you think!

Spent 2 hours in Fully Booked during a book sale, dropped all my books and brought this home instead.

Kawaii!!! Isn't that what most people say when they're talking about something as cute as this?

I should stop buying cute things I don't need. I'm ashamed I haven't put any label on anything other than... well... my label maker. I know I'll find a use for this one day!

Motex Label MakerFully Booked, BGC, TaguigMade In Korea

My review for Elias, BGC Taguig

Since I can't catch-up with my eating, and always lazy to take photos before diving in, I've decided to sign up with Zomato (which I should have done ages ago!!!) then just paste my reviews here. Hahahaha! How boring is that? I was getting ways to embed it, but no luck, so I'll just do this for a while and see if I'm happy with it.

"You're nobody until somebody calls you bossy."

Okay. When I said I was going to read more books this year, I didn't say I was going hardcore.
We all have our own reasons for reading. Mine was because I got myself a Kindle so I have to prove to myself I didn't just binge-bought last Black Friday sale. Kidding! Okay maybe just a little.

Tina Fey Bossypants. I actually learned about this book from my roommate so I had a physical copy to take a photo of!

I love Tina Fey's humor and everyone who loves Mean Girls (which is everyone) knows why. In case you didn't know, Tina Fey wrote Mean Girls and reading this book explains a lot how Tina came up with all the interesting characters and her perception of high school life in her movie.

This book is like her mini-biography? I guess? She tells the story of her life in the most random kind of details. It's perfect for a light after-office reading. One thing I might note though is that she mentions a lot of personalities/celebrities I'm not at all familiar with so it's a little difficult to catch up sometimes, but if think you've watched enough American TV, you'll be fine.

Did you have fun reading Tina Fey Bossypants?

A few days before the Black Friday sale, I started to scout for nifty stuff on Amazon.
I scored a $49 kindle and had it shipped right away. I'm a MyShoppingBox user, but I always wanted to try out POBox.ph and now that I discovered they now offer Air Freight, it seemed like the perfect time! They used to ship only By Sea.

Unlike other freight forwarders,  POBox.ph consolidates your items for free. Taking advantage of that, also got me an Xperia Z5 charging dock, and a Spigen case. All these items where shipped to their warehouse everyday from 11/23 to 11/25.

25 November 2015
All my orders have arrived at POBox.ph facility.



07 December 2015
I've checked on my items why they haven't been billed yet. This means they haven't tagged my item to my name yet.

10 December 2015
I have been billed and I was hoping to use my Citibank discount. I've been told that the discount only works for Sea Freight but at the end of the conversation, I was given a discount, anyway. Talk about customer service!

02 January 2016
I GOT THE PACKAGE! I was counting 15 working days after I've made my payment, and with the holidays coming up, I've figured it'd arrive at around the 8th of January. I was so happy to have found my package arrived on the 30th of December!

I know we've got a handful of Holidays last month and it's probably worst-case scenario for deliveries, so it's an awesome surprise.

Happy New Year!
To be very honest, I am quite disappointed with how 2015 turned out because I had a handful of things I wish I had accomplished--taking guitar lessons, scuba lessons and driving lessons. None of these happened.
I have had a lot of things going on in 2015, don't get me wrong, but I went on hiatus on this blog and hardly had any time to share anything. Such a shame.

It was a good year for travel I've been to places--Cebu, Singapore, Taipei, Singapore again.
It was a good year for personal improvement--I moved out.
Not a good year financially--because you see, items 1 and 2 above does not actually add up to huge savings.

I wanted to start out this year with a list of what I'm supposed to write about.
My 2016 Plan is to make PLANS. Lists. Layouts. Flowcharts. Take baby steps. Baby productive steps.
And oh, I need to lose weight. Like seriously lose it all.


I'm looking forward to a great year ahead! Happy New Year!

Fit. Frugal. Forward.

Command + shift + 3 or Command + shift + 4 on Mac allows you to capture and save to your desktop a snapshot image of your entire screen (3) or a portion of it (4).
If you want to take a screenshot and just paste it somewhere, do a Control + command + shift + 3 or 4.

Bonus: Facebook messages accepts direct copy + paste'd screenshots! ;)

I'm a mouse... Duh?
I've been swooning over this mouse even before they were released. Silicon Valley had displays of these and I used to go grab and click it at every chance I get. Coolio, my sister got the blue one. 2 to go!

These come in 4 colors in interesting names. Blue Bliss, Bubble Bath, Green Envy and Daring Diva.
Daring Diva it is.



CON: I am not very sure though about the precision. Mouse precision is something very easy to nitpick about, it doesn't feel quite right but I can't put a finger on it.

CON: Super loud scroll-click.
I don't know about you but I use the scroll-click quite often. (Is that even how it's called?) And it's too damn loud to use at night. In case you didn't know, it functions the same as a CTRL + left-click. So basically, when browsing, what it does is opens a link in a new tab for me. If you were stilling doing right-click + Open In New Tab, you're welcome. Haha.

PRO: It does feel good in the hand as it promised. The click buttons and rubber sides gives a good grip.

PRO: Invisible Optic. No red blinding lasers, thank you. That's one thing I always consider when getting a mouse (not that I need a lot). Yup, we deserve better.

PRO: It's a bright freaking purple mouse.

Product:
Logitech M235
ElectroWorld, 4/F The New Glorietta, P750

So we were keen on not wasting an Independence Day long weekend. It was too hard to get a place since we started looking only a few days before the holiday, so we ended up booking whichever resort we find in available in the nearest beach area--Batangas.

Ordinary working day, 4-hour overtime, and missed dinner. This calls for an emergency good food moment.

Reading instruction manuals and shampoo labels is as far as my reading habits can go. I remember in college before Twilight was even 'a thing', my sister insisted that I read it because the author writes very naturally and would be easy for me to understand, but then, I unintentionally slept through the 4th page. I literally slept on the book. You can only imagine how enraged my sister was to see that picture.

I have read some Paulo Coelho books very recently, but now, I'm taking a step further (wild times!) and picked up the book: The Happiness Project

I know, I know. Everyone has probably read it already, but wuheva.

Most of the time very recently, I find myself thinking if I am on the right career track. I do love what I do at work, but I think it's just way too challenging for me than I want it to be. It makes me think that maybe this isn't what I am really supposed to do. Maybe it's not what I want to do after all. Why am I not doing what I love?
Or am I? But what am I missing?
What do I love to do anyway?

Overall, it just makes quite unhappy.
So, what I expect from this book, is to realise the answers to that.

I need to set myself free!

Got carried away.

(via happeeschool.com)

Here's the book blurb:

What if you could change your life--without changing your life? Gretchen had a good marriage, two healthy daughters, and work she loved--but one day, stuck on a city bus, she realized that time was flashing by, and she wasn’t thinking enough about the things that really mattered. “I should have a happiness project,” she decided. She spent the next year test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.
Each month, she pursued a different set of resolutions: go to sleep earlier, quit nagging, forget about results, or take time to be silly. Bit by bit, she began to appreciate and amplify the happiness that already existed in her life. Written with humour and insight, Gretchen’s story will inspire you to start your own happiness project.

Feeling ko it's for older audience, nope not because of explicit content, but maybe not quite the setup for the 'Single' young adult that I am. But anyway, if I find it relatable, I think it just might suit every other 20-something person out there, going through the same things.

There's an eBook version of this book that you can find here:
The Happiness Project - eBook from Amazon 

Have you read this book? What do you think about it?

Cheers,
Trixie

I am a McDonald's kid since 1991(or '95 maybe) but I do enjoy ocassional Jollibee feasts. So I was home-alone the other day and realised I haven't had any cash with me (genius). I went to jollibeedelivery.com and hoped they accept online payments. It was a long shot but I was very surprised that they actually do!
"Yey! I am not going to starve to death! Not today!"

I am very sure their website just went through an upgrade because I used to complain how crappy it was.

Yes, all mine. Heyy, what can I do? They have a 200-peso minimum.

It's not too late for a summer lakad!
It's been a while! Playa Calatagan Beach Club is a (residential) resort in Calatagan, Batangas, where we always go to with my Tito and Tita in summer.

It's a 3-4 hour drive from Taguig and that's probably not the ideal 'quick trip to the beach', but it's still one of the beaches closest to Metro Manila.

I haven't been to a lot to compare it with, but its definitely my favorite resort for one good reason: the river pool.

This is about half of the pool.

The river pool is a long stream starting from one side near the kiddie pool connected to a full-size leisure pool.

(c) playacalatagan.ph

We would always rent the cabanas along the river pool, which is a lounge and jacuzzi area connected to the pool.
The place is big, and not crowded at all. Unless there's an event by the beach.


Jacuzzi is the best invention of mankind.

Add caption

Here's Ipe enjoying the beach... alone-ish. I asked him to take photos of me, but his hands are full... literally.



It's Brad's (our Shih Tzu) first day out and it's too bad he's not allowed by the pool area even when we brought his house along. :(
We understand it though, because the other guests might be uncomfortable but it would have been better if we can keep him somewhere close to the Cabana. My mom had to stay by the receiving hall to watch him there.
It's our first time to bring a pet so we didn't really know. :(

Hi there, Brad! :-)

They also serve good food in the resort, but they usually switch between caterers. It's too bad though, I remember liking the food better from 2 years ago.



Playa Calatagan Beach Club has no membership fee but you have to be a resident/lot owner to get in (or at least know someone who is). They don't have any accommodations for overnight stays so it always has to be a one-day affair. We usually leave for Calatagan at 7am, then go home at 5pm.
The pool is open only until 6pm.
I hope I can bring my friends here some time. I really enjoy being here and it's always good to be back. :-)

It's a chill Sunday afternoon and I went out to see my college friends Ice and Rich. After hanging out for a couple of hours, we met Ice's boyfriend and had dinner at a little steakhouse near Caltex, in, uhh, Marcos Highway.

I heard our friend, Den, was performing in a cafe in Libis, so, Fifi and I decided to tag along. A Ukelele-themed cafe sounded really cool!

It's a Friday Sweldo Night and you can only imagine how tough it was to get from Makati to Libis. But since we really wanted to see our friend do her thang, we gave into the x2.2 Uber surge and just hoped for the best.
We arrived after about an hour which I think is not so bad.
(If you're curious, our Uber trip cost us P479.)

It's an open mic night so everyone was welcome to play and sing along. Den and her friend who sang with her were really good and so were the other 2 seemingly regular performers that were there when we came. I haven't seen her played in a long time and I loved it so much! I'm starting to want to learn playing, too.

(Credits to Uke Box Caffe on Facebook for all the photos)




The place is small, but enough for a few barkadas and families. There are Ukelele's hanged on one side of the wall (which are for sale, I think, so lucky you if you fancy any).



They have really cozy nooks with bean bags and coffee tables and I think it's really nice and comfy and beautiful! But because I'm a total genius, I didn't bring my cam and haven't gotten a picture. I wish I can find a restaurant just like it in Ayala or BGC!
We got there practically starving and wanted to get everything off of their menu. Their menu was, rather interesting though, to have Ramen.





We were also very lucky to hear this talented young lady who even played an original piece. Lovely!
It's such a very inspiring sight to see people sharing their beautiful talent, doing what they love doing.

Uke Box Caffe is a fresh new restaurant that I would argue every music lover will love. Aside from coffee, sandwiches, and ramen, and other delicious blended drinks, they offer free jamming sessions every weekend nights, Ukelele Workshops (on a schedule) and lastly, customised Ukeleles!

The place was very difficult to find on Maps so if you need to find them, go visit them on Facebook to get directions.
It's just across Eastwood Pulis Station to the left. Don't trust me 'cause I'm directionally challenged. You're better off looking at the map on their FB page! :P

Uke Box Caffe
187 Village Center, E. Rodriguez Ave.
Bagumbayan, Quezon City

Tipsy Beans, is a coffee shop with a twist. They have introduced the idea of making good ole' wholesome drinks mixed with a little bit of liquor. Surprise, surprise.

Tipsy Beans just opened right across our office building, and in this hot summer weather, having a new (not to mention affordable) dining place open up close by is awesome.
Interestingly enough, since I only visit Tipsy Beans during lunch break from office, Their Tipsy drinks is probably not the way to go.
Since I am OBSESSED with breakfast food, I had their All-Day Breakfast Chicken Tocino.

It took a while before my order arrived, which is forgiveable because the place literally just opened.
The wait was worth it.


It's a full meal. I would usually choose brewed coffee because their Iced Tea is too sweet for my taste, but it's such a HOT day!
I wish I can tell you how many times (exactly) I've been here, but let's just say I'm practically eat here everyday. It's mah turf now betchaz!

It's the details that matter.
I love their choice of tableware, fresh and trendy. There's nothing like good food with extra effort on presentation.
This All-Day Breakfast Chicken Tocino is top notch I couldn't speak more about it. I have always raved about the Chicken Tocino in Slappy Cakes, but Mango Ensalada aside, it's pwned.
They also have Pork Longganisa which was equally good, but you know, Chicken is luv.

Here's the rest of their Food Menu:

Beer-Battered Fish Fillet with Tartar Sauce (Regular) PHP 95.00

Milo Godzilla (sober) PHP 95 Classic Milo 'on the rocks' with Vanilla Ice Cream!

Tuna Melt Sandwich Php 95 Too expensive for the size compared to their other dishes, but suits my Tuna taste!

Their Makati branch is a hole-in-the-wall. The entire restaurant is like a piece of glass room attached in front of 2 existing restaurants, probably owned by the same person. It's like a mole in the wall.
...Dafuq did you just read?

Strawberry Milkshake Php 95 This is so beautiful! If you are too paranoid/conscious about your 'sugars' I suggest you share it with someone. :)

My friends also recommend: Spam Tempura and Adobo Flakes (YES!).

Overall, Tipsy Beans, I would argue that Tipsy Beans can be famous not only for their re-invention of drinks, but also their food selection. I commend them for not only making food that satisfying and well-presented--but for making a tiny restaurant classy yet affordable.

GOOD NEWS: It's the perfect time to pay them a visit because MetroDeal is offering half-off coupons this week!


Link to promo: P99 for Worth of P200 of Must-try Delightful Food & Thirst-Quenching Drinks at Tipsy Beans Coffee Shop - Save 51%

Ian bought five of these. Adik lang. Even my officemates did.

See you there!
(No, seriously. You'll prolly see me there.)

DISCLAIMER NOTICE. We are not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Metrodeal and/or Tipsy Beans.