Aiming for an average grade

Practice recycling. I was so busy today because my daughter has a lot of projects to submit. Actually these were given a week before, but you know Filipinos as we are, we just love to cram and do last minute works. Apart from just doing tasks as directed, we need to be creative enough and make some decorating. The key here is to be resourceful and imaginative in order to come up with awesome works of art. It doesn't have to be expensive. All you need is to let your mind do the thinking. Instead of buying ready-made materials, I just recycled used vinyl envelopes as frames for cut out pictures. Indeed, ordinary pictures have transformed into beautiful portraits! At first, I thought this will not work because the special papers I used were matte and not glossy. But with a little fixing, everything turned out well and elegant.  I'm not actually aiming for high grades, but at least above average so that our efforts will not be futile.

Piece of cake

Stressed and desserts. Everything in this world is running too fast. Time seemed to be very essential, but nonetheless it is never enough. We always run out of time and we never seem to catch up with the world moving too fast before our eyes which gives us a lot of stress. Yes, we get that a lot! Stress caused by tons of unfinished workloads, stress and pressure within the family, strain from the problems in the society, and internal anxiety due to personal reasons. Well I think that the best cure for stress is to take it easy. Relax, breathe, and feel no pressure. Who wouldn’t want to visit http://www.kloniahealth.com/ anytime soon just to get rid of those wrinkles? There are a lot of other good things in life which I’m pretty sure you don’t want to miss just because you’re too preoccupied brooding over the things that are bringing you down. So cheer up! After all, "stressed” is just “desserts” spelled backwards. Piece of cake!

To rid or not to rid

Bad Habits. Like most of us, I have bad habits too. Some of these habits were not around before and I was just shocked that they were there without me noticing it. I’m starting to have this habit where I would stare intensely at something or someone when I am thinking deeply, and when I get unlucky I even find myself in a middle of misunderstanding just because of that habit. My worst I must say is when I’m in my very comfortable bed: easy to get in, but very difficult to get out. I get into trouble because of this sometimes. I think it’s really about time I get some “intervention” or even ask help from http://www.boot-camp-boot-camps.com/ as they are experts in organizing activities for the troubled ones. Well as inconvenient as these habits are, they have already become a part of our individuality, but we know that we have to get rid of them too. Yet in our defense, old habits die hard. So what can we do?

Incurable disease

Restoring faith in humanity. Why is the civilization no longer interested in being civilized? This line from one of the movie trailers really caught my attention. It’s not one of those questions that have answers anymore, sadly it has become rhetorical. It became given already. It grieves me knowing how true it is nowadays. People are becoming more concerned with how others look at them rather than how they feel about themselves, younger ones like mocking the elders, parents are busy browsing MilitarySchoolsOptions.com to enroll their son instead of letting him decide what he really wants. Even the values are already messed up! What an incurable disease mankind has brought upon earth? What happened to humanity? We have become too busy satisfying our wants and desires that we forget our spiritual needs. As a passage in the bible goes, “What good is it for the man if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul?” But it’s never too late to wake up and to make amendments with our lives. The process may be long and painstaking, but it would be all worth it in the end. Let us all restore our faith in humanity.

Deteriorating health

Visa assistance. My aunt called me up very early in the morning because one of her client's asked assistance for visa processing. She is married to an American citizen who a retired military officer and is currently undergoing treatment in the US. Unfortunately, it did not turn out well because his condition is deteriorating. Thus, she has no choice but to follow him there. Her husband wants her to facilitate the processing of his pension and insurance since he can really tell his current physical status. He is anxious about the well-being of his family especially when he's gone. Thus, he requested his son to follow his footsteps to ensure the future of his family. We all know that if you are a retired military officer, for sure you or your beneficiary will receive a generous amount. As early as now, they already search for MilitarySchools.us in preparation for the coming school year. I just hope that the assistance I extend will be of great help to her and her family.

When fantasy is better than reality

Childish dreams. When Harry Potter came out I said to myself, “Hey I want to be a wizard too!” After reading Hunger Games, I realized that I just want to be a fan. I don’t want to be a volunteer in my district anymore. And now that I just finished watching the blockbuster film “The Avengers”, I wanted to become a superhero all the more! As ridiculous as it may sound, I was even tempted to inquire MilitarySchools.us if they have a “Captain America” program! I know that one of our dreams when we were kids is to become a superhero and have super powers. We even fought with the evil villains with our imaginary swords and bow. Childish dreams. But looking at what is happening with our world today. I think those childish dreams are somewhat making sense. Our world seems so hopeless; never ending conflict between the people and between states, problem with pollution, global warming and a lot more crisis to the point that we resolve into wishing that we have super powers to end all these. Captain Planet, where are you? The earth needs someone like you! Thanks to our immature fantasies at least we have a defense mechanism to forget about the sad realities that we are all having now.

Poverty due to unemployment

Increasing crime rates. With the increasing population, it can't be avoided that crime rates and other related incidents also rise. This is because poverty due to unemployment also increases. As a consequence, a lot of students now belong to drop-outs and out of school youths as their parents can no longer send them to school. They rather prioritize their every day needs over school expenses and allowances. Like a domino effect, this scenario brings about a series of end result such as chaos, theft and robbery incidents, drug-related cases, and the likes usually involving teenagers. As parents, we fear for the safety of our children especially now that peer pressure is the primary contributing factor for many offenses. As part of responsible parenting, we see to it that we give proper guidance through open communication. As much as possible, we try to supervise them with whatever they do even when using the computer. We feed them with useful online articles to read like military school options to at least divert their interests. By providing them with information about self-discipline, there will be lesser chance of turning the wrong way since they already know that for every action, there is always a corresponding responsibility with it.

Piles of school works

Series of school projects. As their monthly test is about to come, my daughter is now very busy doing various projects. They are required to pass at least 1 work for every subject. Imagine how tiring it is if you have more than 10 to work on? As parents, we find it exhausting since we have other things to do as well not to mention the household chores. In fact, I just came from the mall after buying a long list of needed materials like zipper pouches, envelope jackets, and colored papers. Of course, we can't afford to just look and watch them finish those piles of school stuffs. Personally speaking, arts and crafts are my forte; thus, I really can't help myself but extend a helping hand. Although teachers often say that students must do it themselves; yet, there are things that need adult supervision like when using sharp cutters and scissors. Therefore, parents must always be involved with school works to avoid unwanted incidents. I just hope we can beat the deadline, so that her grades will not be affected.

Meticulous upbringing

Secret to younger-looking skin. I grew up with a family who is very meticulous when it comes to personal hygiene. From my relatives to my parents, they always see to it that the entire body is properly taken care of from hair to nails. The same applies to my daughter since I want her to observe strict skin care routine also. I admit that I am extravagant when we talk of self-pampering. Even when I was still single, I make it a point to save money to spoil myself. Since we all know that skin care is quite costly, I see to it that I still get updates by browsing the net instead. In fact, I regularly subscribe to various websites like arganoilshop.com to keep me posted with the latest trends. I know we can never stop aging because it is inevitable. The secret to young-looking skin is to combat it to delay the process.

Look and feel good

Vain with self-pampering. Women in general are naturally vain when it comes to self pampering. Despite the economic crisis, still we manage to allocate a portion of our earnings for beautification purposes. We love to look and feel good at all times. You may see several salons just few steps away from each other, which means tough rivalry; yet they still earn a lucrative amount of income. Regardless of how low or peak the season is one never goes home empty-handed. However in order to sell one's services, beauticians are constantly on the go to learn new techniques and procedures just to have an edge over the others. They see to it that they participate in seminars and workshops regularly to keep updated of what is in. But for those who can't afford, they just settle on browsing the net for latest skin care updates. If you want, you may check out arganoilshop.com as well for more skin tips and solutions. At least, you won't be left behind with the hottest trends in skin regimen.

What can trigger criminal offense

Crime-provoking acts. I wonder what provokes people from committing crimes. If you have noticed, news reports are all about assaults, murders, and ambushes on different parts of the world. What could have triggered them from doing such stupid offense? Yesterday I have seen another lawbreaking act on the television for around the world news, which is about a man who killed twelve innocent people inside a movie house. A tragic scene indeed! Although that happened in the States, still we should not be laidback when it comes to safety. Police officers must always be vigilant in seizing criminals. Thus, if you have observed that in other countries, military training has already been incorporated in their curriculum to ensure preparedness at all times. Not only in Asian countries, us military schools as well are watchful when it comes to all possibilities of terrorism. I just hope that everything will be under control, so that we will live peacefully and not in fear.

Close at hand

Materializing projects. I am proud of my hometown. From the time a new mayor has been proclaimed, a huge transformation has set in. Several projects have materialized, which benefited a lot of people. Services that they haven't enjoyed ever since are just very close at hand. Thus, investors are enticed to splurge their money because they are confident that return of investments in few months time is not impossible. In fact, a well known department store has just started to recruit employees for their upcoming grand opening within this year. They coursed the recruitment through the government to ensure that every job ticket holder is properly screened. The good thing about this is that the future employees don't just get a job, but benefits as well. I just wish that progress will not stop from here. Even when a new mayor will be elected, I hope officials will continue to do their duties and responsibilities to its people.

Tiny bits and pieces

Still adjusting. My daughter is a transferee in her school. This is because we need to relocate after opening a small business in my hometown. She is still adjusting to her environment and classmates as well. Although not that plenty as compared to her previous school, still there are several notebooks and projects required. To address her needs, I bought her a file case for her small stuffs aside from a backpack. By distributing things evenly, this will help unload her back from excessive weight. One of her weaknesses is getting hooked with latest international Korean pop groups to the point of buying almost all things that have some connections with them. These include pens, tumblers, bags, and notebooks. Not only that, she sees to it that all her collections are well-kept and maintained; thus, I bought adhesive back pouches for her to use. I just hope that this obsession will not last that long because this will only add up to my expenses.

Unhealthy scalp issue

Hormonally-related problem. I am not sure if dandruff is hormonally related or not, but I just noticed that they recur whenever my menstruation is about to come. Every time I am exposed to hot weather, this also triggers itchiness and scaling. Thus aside from using an anti-dandruff shampoo, I often do my homework as well by browsing the net for hair treatment. After a week of using, I noticed a dramatic improvement and I am so satisfied with the result. Hence for those who happen to share the same problem as mine, why not click here for useful information? I want to let others know that this problem is treatable as long as you are diligent in following the routine. Do not allow yourself to be swallowed by shame just because of unhealthy scalp. There is always a solution to every problem. All you need to do is to find out which suits you best.

Adding years on actual age

Meeting deadlines. I need to meet deadlines because I have several clients for this month. I have so many things to do right now; hence I want to make sure that everything will be fine by the end of the week. Stress can really add more years on our actual age. This may be due to the fact that we are constantly in a state of anxiety that we no longer care about facial expressions. Wrinkles will definitely develop in no time. On my part, since I don't want to be one of them I make sure not to forget my daily skin care regimen. Before going to sleep, my skin must be free from dirt and make-up as this will clog pores and can cause irritation. In addition to that, I make it a point to read latest updates about skin care. If you want, you can read more about these articles as well for additional information.

Working Online

Online Shops. I have been stuck in traffic this afternoon causing me to be late with my meet up. It is not really business related, but I am just about to claim what I ordered from an online shop, which is a lot of cute stuffs placed inside vinyl envelopes. It would be rude to simply just give the payment and get the items and then leave, so I decided to start a little chitchat. From our small talk, I was inspired to somehow start a little online business of my own. Why not? I find it a very good idea to have it online where I would just post the stuffs I’m going to sell and give a variety of choices. Since almost everyone already have access to the internet, it would be very advantageous on both the seller and buyer side. The seller does not have to bring or display all the items, instead simply bring the chosen item of the buyer. The buyers also find it easier as they can just choose what they want because everything is already on the website. I think it would really be a good part-time business because I don’t have to watch over the products all day. Just leave it there, wait for any orders and notifications, negotiate, and closed deal! Just a click away!

Thinking into deeper issue

Critical thinker. On rare occasions, I would transform into someone who is a “critical thinker”. It is when I would “think deeper” into some issues, internally contradicting everything that is different from my point of view. Sometimes, I verbally express my stand on something while hoping that others who disagree would not throw it into oblivion. Just like when I demonstrated how to use adhesive back pouches my own way. Actually it doesn't matter at all as long it serves its purpose. I have the freedom of expression’ as my defense. So what triggered “the critical thinker”, you might ask. Well let’s just say I’ve been reading and watching a lot of news lately such as politics, the death of a very well-known showbiz personality, and the upcoming election. History taught us that we have a presidential and democratic form of government, but I think the way things appear right now has become an oligarchy. By definition, it means a type where it is ruled by powerful yet not necessarily capable people. Just think of the rampant political dynasties emerging from the lowest seat in the government to the highest. They may not be that capable for the position, but power and money allows them. What a tragic scene actually! I’m not trying to brainwash anyone here. I’m just saying what I see from the other side.

Driving me crazy

A depressing condition. Obsessive compulsive disorder is a condition in which a person is preoccupied with rules, orderliness, and control. A shot through my heart! There’s nothing wrong with abiding the rules, being orderly, and wanting to have control, except of course when you have OCD. But I must admit that I am an OC person as well. It drives me mad when a single detail is not in place to the point that I arrange my wardrobe according to color. With the darkest shade on the bottom part of the pile; the slightest sign of disorderliness drives me insane. Because of my constant want to achieve perfection, I tend to become a control freak sometimes. I remember one time during college when someone asked me why I kept using spring notebook. Although it’s hard to do, I covered it with plastic sleeves, instead of the conventional one. My answer was “So that when I make a mistake while writing, it’s easy to tear the pages off.” It is really hard when you are an OC. No matter what you do, you just can’t help it. Other people may find it irritating. I myself find it irritating at times too, but I hope you understand.

Regret is always at the end

Family first. Upon waking up this morning, I felt a bit nervous seeing a big crowd near our gate. I assumed something happened since it is very unusual to see a lot of people early in the morning just for nothing. So out of curiosity I went nearer to listen. Indeed, a dead man's body was found floating on the beach wearing nothing. Policemen say this may be due to squabbles involving teens. Nowadays, it's really hard to be a good parent to our children. Most of the time troubled teenagers are the ones involved because parents lack quality time. They are busy looking for money rather than looking after their welfare.  As parents, we need to learn more about their behavior; therefore, check out http://www.ParentingTeens.com/index/Troubled+Teens for more information. Prioritization must come in. Despite working hard for a living, a specific day must be allotted for family bonding. Nothing is more important than our loved ones; hence, take care of them before it's too late. Remember, regret is always at the end.

Good old times

One of a kind childhood experience. Give a modern kid a picture of Power Rangers and they will never know who these guys are. They have an Xbox and a few minutes later they will get bored unlike the Atari which my generation could spend hours playing. These are just some of the many things the youngsters during my time had experienced, which kids these days would never understand. Let's bet! I would give a hundred peso bill to any kid who would not refer to a film container as a “small Tupperware” or a kid who can recognize what floppy disk holders are!

“Kids these day”, a famous phrase we older people would usually say. As technology advances just as kids these days are; I could say that they are missing a lot of the good old stuffs. They will never understand how getting skinned knees are worth it when you have been out all day in the playground with other kids. They will never experience the fun we had playing under the rain as they are more often than not facing their PCs and iPads. For sure I would never allow my kids not to experience the kind of childhood I had; fun, free, and a lot of experiences that made me become what I am today.

Love hater

Too cheesy. I would never become a self-confessed hopeless romantic type of person. Call me heartless when I don’t get teary eyed when seeing something very sentimental. I can't blame myself as I find it really cheesy. Although I know it’s really hard not to sound corny especially when we’re saying things from the bottom of our hearts; we could at least try to minimize expressing it out in the open. Unlike most girls, I do not watch a lot of chick flicks, read a lot of sappy love stories with very predictable “happy endings”, and spamming love songs that always come off mushy. That would be too geeky. You might take me as a hypocrite, but I have also been in love, maybe not just once but a few times. I’m just not too dramatic about it. Unlike most girls, I don’t really approve posting love declarations in public just to prove the point. They probably should get a room for that.

I may have come off as a “hater” for the most parts, but hey I could also write love notes, put it inside vinyl envelopes, and let it float into the vast ocean. Sorry but I find the “message in the bottle” concept a little too overrated. But my point is that, a simple “I love you” would be enough. Too much of something isn’t good.

Persistence as my forte

Left-sided brain. Anatomically speaking, the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa. Same with creativity, it is the right cerebral cortex that has dominion over it. I wouldn’t really consider myself a “right-brained” or “left-brained”; in fact, I always thought I’m neither or just a so-so. During that day that someone showered logic, it’s either someone towered over me or I wasn’t actually at the front row. And when it rained creativity, I was using my umbrella. But if given the chance to undo it, I’d gladly throw that umbrella away!

Colors amaze me. The details of stuffs, I’m really particular about it. These things fuel my imagination; however, I can’t seem to materialize it. I have a lot of things in my head that I want to do: paint beautiful pictures like Mona Lisa, draw people, design unique stuffs, and even create my own version of things like zipper pouches, but my lack of creativity and talent restricts me to do so. It’s kind of frustrating but I think I just have to keep practicing and hope that someday I’d get a major creativity overhaul! I may not be blessed with that skill, but persistence has always been my forte; therefore, I will never give up until I’d become better.

Savings guaranteed

Busy preparation. Lately, I am busy buying scrapbook stuffs for the student's projects. This is in preparation for the monthly projects in one of the private schools in our town. I also had my printer converted into continuous ink supply since it guarantees ninety percent savings. I learned this secret after visiting a friend of mine who happens to own an Internet Cafe' near our house. While waiting for it to finish, I indulged into window shopping. One of the stalls in the mall displayed imported electronic gadgets, tools, and appliances. They even demonstrated how to use their products like the document shredding phoenix machine. After roaming around for approximately one hour, I went back to the lower ground floor to pick up my printer. I hope this time I can maximize my printing jobs from making wedding invitations to ID pictures. At least, my shop's monthly sales will also increase due to varied services.

Law of Equivalent Exchange

About a few years ago, I’ve always been headstrong in this crooked made up principle of mine, the “Law of Equivalent Exchange”, which I have adopted from a movie series. It more or less states that one cannot gain anything without first giving something in return and to attain that, something of equal value must be lost.

I was so young back then when I hammered that principle into my head. I always thought that everything comes with a price; though, not necessarily monetary value, sometimes the intangible ones or even the infamous “debt of honor”. That one’s a bit tricky.

It’s hard when you have this debt of honor since you’ll be enslaved with the idea of being indebted to someone and the constant need to look for the “perfect price” to repay that debt. You can’t just get a credit repair service to help you. And if the person you’re indebted with is a mean one, then you might be in trouble as it will be used against you. I’m not really in the position to give ideas on how to pay that debt since I have my fair share of those debts also. If ever you have solutions, I would appreciate it if you'll share it with me.

Endless projects

Officially started. The class has indeed officially started since endless projects and assignments are overflowing. Every now and then, my daughter asks for money to buy some school stuffs at the nearby general merchandise store. I am glad that they are really hands on especially when it comes to experiments. Unlike before with her previous school, they just look at pictures to get an idea about the topic. However, sometimes I find it inconvenient now that we have relocated in the province. Not all the time materials are available just like the vinyl bags. I have to travel few kilometers just to get to the nearest mall in the adjacent town. Good thing there are several air-conditioned buses available twenty four hours a day. At least I won't have a hard time commuting. As compared to our lifestyle in the city, I find life simpler and less expensive. No fast-food chains, malls, theaters, and the likes that would entice you to spend your hard-earned money. I just hope that I can start saving for the future.

Not a big fan of reality shows

The downside of reality shows. I am not really a big fan of reality shows. I find it boring and more often corny. But since I had so many things to do last night that I still don't want to fall asleep; I had no choice but to watch. The show is about real people vying for the four million pot money. They have to stay on the race and win every game. Today's episode was full of extreme pursuits one can ever imagine. It is so scary since it's a matter of life and death struggle. One contestant almost hit the travel trailers of the production team when he lost control of the steering wheel. Everybody thought it was his time because the impact was so great that it would be impossible for anybody to survive unscathed. After seeing what happened, I immediately turn off the television to avoid having nightmares. I can still clearly remember the incident and it makes me quiver. I just prayed and put all my things in order.