Neat Facts About McDonald's

I took a picture of the new traymat of McDonald's. Most of us (excluding myself) normally don't pay attention to the tiny details when we eat out. All we care about is to satisfy that hunger or craving we have. And most likely, majority of the population also don't even pay attention to the traymats. Nevertheless, I think this is a good idea in sharing "insider" information to customers. It actually kinda makes you feel that you're being taken good care of. Seriously. With biases aside.

Wishes

I make wishes all the time. I wish on both the silly and serious things. I make wishes not only for myself, but also for the people I love. And yes, I still believe that wishes do come true. You just have to believe and wish, hard enough.

I wish for rainbows.
I wish for happy, candy sprinkled days.
I wish for peace.
I wish for colorful dreams.
I wish for crazy beautiful memories.
I wish for love.
I wish for bear hugs.
I wish for angel kisses.
I wish for stars.
I wish for rain.
I wish for clean air.
I wish for comfort.
I wish for heaven.
I wish for breathtaking landscapes.
I wish for good health.
I wish for merry go rounds and ferris wheels.
I wish for luck.
I wish for inspiration.
I wish for good sleep.
I wish for fairy tales and happily ever afters.
I wish for romantic dates.
I wish for nice weather.
I wish for endless energy.
I wish for surprises.
I wish for completeness.
I wish for change.
I wish for security.
I wish for freedom.
I wish for bliss.
I wish for a clean Earth.
I wish for sunshiny mornings.
I wish for creativity.
I wish for time.
I wish for success.
I wish for positivity.
I wish for Superman.
I wish for Batman.
I wish for unwavering faith.
I wish for stability.
I wish for passion.
I wish for good times.
I wish for perfect moments.
I wish for you and me, together forever.

"We all get at least one good wish a year, over the candles of our birthday. Some of us throw in more, on eyelashes, fountains, lucky stars, and every now and then one of those wishes come true. So what then? Is it as good as we’ve hoped? Do we bask in the warm glow of our happiness or do we just notice we’ve got a long list of other wishes waiting to be wished? We don’t wish for the easy stuff. We wish for big things. Things that are ambitious, out of reach. We wish because we need help and we’re scared, and we know we may be asking too much. We still wish though because sometimes they come true.

But what if you don’t have anything to wish for? What if you have everything you could ever want? Then wish that nothing changes."

-From Grey's Anatomy

Why Every [super]WOMAN Is Beautiful

Why Every Woman Is Beautiful
anonymous

Her heart loves
a rollercoaster ride.
She cries. She laughs.
She falls in love.
Sometimes, cautiously.
Oftentimes, recklessly.
a constant marathon.
Her mind is on
Running. Running. Away.
Changing pace.
Turning around.
But never stopping.
Her dreams keep on flying.
They may not reach the sky
but will never ever take a dive.
Her hands touch
other people's lives.
Constantly.
As if that is the reason
for their being.
But most of all,
every woman is beautiful
because she is both steel
and cotton candy
and everything in between.

Got this from the Belle de Jour planner that Krizia gave me. I think it sums up nicely the very essence of a true woman.

Back to Earth

I feel as if I’ve just come out of a long hibernation. With all the festivities coming to an end, it’s now time to go back to the real world again. Time to work hard and also, workout harder (to shed those extra holiday pounds I’ve gained). The transition from vacation mode to reality mode can be hard sometimes. It’s so easy to drown in a world where you don’t have to worry about anything. I wake up each morning with nothing on my mind, save for relaxing and chilling and eating. I momentarily forget the busy life I have. My momentary bliss as I would like to call it. How I wish I could permanently freeze time and stay in this kind of world forever. But as the cliché goes, nothing lasts forever. It doesn’t really sound as bad at all. I’m actually looking forward to getting back to my old regular routine. I’m recharged and excited to get back to the things that I usually do, even the most mundane included. While it's nice to indulge, I’m afraid I would get complacent and idle if I'm rewarded with too many long breaks. The recent respite I have is more than enough to give me the pick-me-upper I need. I know there will still be lots of breaks in the future and yes I am definitely looking forward to that occasional abroad trip. But for now I am already contented to start sweating it out, figuratively and literally! That is I already need to start working and start doing my workouts.

Cold Manila

I am loving the weather right now. I can’t remember the weather being this cold. Not that it’s cold cold, but in Manila standards, I guess you could consider it already is. I wish we could have this kind of climate all year round. I think the temperature is around the 20+(C) degrees range and probably lower pa in some areas. They say it’s going to last until February. Yey! I know there probably is a global warming alert sounding off somewhere already. Honestly, it’s a bit weird to be suddenly experiencing this cool weather. All my life, I can’t recall Manila being this cold or was I just too young (or too old?) to remember? Hehe While this is definitely a big plus especially to people like me who have lived most of their lives in tropical (read: hot and humid) weather, I’m just kind of scared to know that something odd is also happening to our planet. I think the global recession came as a blessing in disguise na rin. The economic slowdown will help our environment breathe. We can finally give our environment the much needed break it needs now. As much as I love cozy weather like this, I don’t think I would want to experience a snowy Christmas in Manila next year or any year for that matter. That would be really strange.

My Little Piece of Cake

I didn't have a big cake. I only had a slice for my birthday. It's okay, I'm still eating my cake.


Happy Birthday to my beloved twin sister too. :)

Gross National Happiness

Some excerpts of the article:

'Gross National Happiness', or GNH, is Buddhist Bhutan's unique approach to national development, and a pursuit that many in the remote country say has been vindicated by the ongoing economic meltdown in the outside world.

"The whole world is going towards materialism, and the more they get the more they want. But they're still not happy. They don't need to copy us, but they should take a look at other ways."

Bhutan has been pursuing GNH for the past few decades: it was conceived by the country's last king, and the new monarch -- 28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who was crowned on Thursday -- says it will remain a policy centrepiece.

According to a pilot survey conducted earlier this year by Bhutan's Gross National Happiness Commission -- previously the national planning commission -- 68 percent of Bhutanese could be classed as being happy.

Read the whole article here.

I think I'm going to apply for a Bhutanese citizenship. I want to be a part of that historic 68%, not an easy feat especially in this day and age of ours.

The Slow Revolution or The Slow Movement

My friend Nicole emailed this to me. I could relate to this video.




"It is important to remember that when you talk about slow, it's not an extremist movement. It's not a fundamentalist movement. It's not about going back to the old days and doing everything at a snail's pace. I can't think of anything worse than swapping the cult of speed for the cult of slowness. Speed is great. It's about relearning the lost art of shifting gears. It's about understanding that there are moments to be fast and moments to be slow. It's about trying to do everything not as fast as possible, but as well as possible."

Scorpio Reading

I like what is written in my horoscope today. This however doesn't mean it accurately depicts my current state. I just happen to like what it says. This could actually be a good piece of advice that one can give to whomever.

"Your heart is in the right place today, dear Scorpio, so feel free to share your good mood with others. Keep things simple and straightforward. Try not to complicate any issue with unnecessary garble. Streamline your thoughts and actions. You will find that you can be much more efficient when you cut out those aspects of your life that are not pertinent or absolutely necessary. Follow your heart at all times."

I Like!

Nike Zoom Victory +
-I'm lusting for a new pair of gym shoes. So love the neon green and black combo.












Pepper Steak Lunch
-DIY fast food steakhouse at an affordable price. I like!














Project Runway
-Since Nate Berkus and Top Design came into my life (hehe), my secret wish was to be a good interior designer. And then came Project Runway, now I wish I can also make mean designer worthy clothes. Wish lang naman...















Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
-Good read. Almost addictive. I can't wait for the motion picture.












Aldo's Enterprise Mid-Heel Wedge
-I've been on a lookout for a shoe wedge. I finally found it! Yey!

Warrior of the Light

I like Paulo Coelho's Warrior of the Light. It's about accepting failure, embracing life, and rising to your destiny as the book cover says. It gives me the extra strength and inspiration every time I read it. It's a good read especially for those who are in doubt and troubled. Here are a few excerpts that I particularly like,

*****************

When somebody wants something, the whole Universe conspires in their favor. The Warrior of the Light knows this.

For this reason, he takes great care with his thoughts. Hidden beneath a whole series of good intentions lie feelings that no one dares confess to himself: vengeance, self-destruction, guilt, fear of winning, a macabre of joy at other people's tragedies.

The Universe does not judge; it conspires in favor of what we want. That is why the Warrior has the courage to look into the dark places of his soul in order to ensure that he is not asking for the wrong things. And he is always very careful about what he thinks.

*****************

For the Warrior there is no such thing as an impossible love. He is not intimidated by silence, indifference, or rejection. He knows that behind the mask of ice that people wear, there beats a heart of fire.

This is why the Warrior takes more risks than other people. He is constantly seeking the love of someone, even if that means often having to hear the word "no", returning home defeated and feeling rejected in body and soul.

A Warrior never gives in to fear when he is searching for what he needs. Without love, he is nothing.

*****************

"The Warrior knows he is free to choose his desires. And he makes these decisions with courage, detachment and - sometimes - with just a touch of madness."

His Love Concert

I watched Gary V.'s His Love The Repeat concert last night at Music Museum with Dolfo. It was 3 hours long. If it weren't for the seats we got, it would have been a great show. Since we decided to watch the concert last minute, there weren’t any good tickets left. We had to settle for balcony instead. The view from the balcony was actually okay. It was the seats that weren’t. It got a little uncomfortable after a few hours of sitting. Nevertheless it was an entertaining concert overall. His 2 sons and daughter also performed with him. I wished I was born with their talent. These past months, I was able to watch a number of concerts and I must say that Gary V.’s concert tops my list, next to Air Supply. Hala I’m turning into an oldie. Hehe Anyway sulit talaga because Gary V. sang all of his greatest hits. He’s been in the industry for more than 24 years, so imagine how many songs that was. Galing nya talaga.