I have had these for a while, months now, and it only took me five attempts and an hour to make them finally stick to my wall.
They are beautiful, handmade things that I cannot take credit for, as my arts and crafts skills are limited to coloring books and cutting up magazines for high school student made-looking collages.
Next step, washing the wall to get rid of the layer of grime I only noticed when I tried sticking them on, and maybe if I have the time, repainting. What color would be good for these to pop?
As I said last year on this post: “I would like to spend the rest of my life, with my birthdays in front of a beach.” This year, I continued the tradition I sort of accidentally set myself when I spent the birthday with my toes in the sand.
I was here last weekend:
It was new (for me). I had never stayed there before, and I left the planning and coordination to the person I was with. It was a chill weekend, with card games, drinking, relaxing, and a scorching hot walk to the shore.
It wasn’t perfect of course, but for me it was close. Just spending a couple of days not having to worry about anything but where to eat next and if my singkamas (long story) was cold enough, and what to do with almost a pound of salt that we bought for five pesos.
So I wasn’t where I thought I’d be a year ago, but life is pretty awesome, even if it is a different path.
Here’s to the coming years of unexpected tragedy, joy, challenges and blessings.
What inspires you? People inspire me. I see other people living their lives and I think to myself, I want to be that way. In my work I have three women I want to grow up like; that I’ve come across very luckily in my career. And I will introduce you to them in the order that I’ve met them, as they all garner equally in my aspirations:
She was my first boss-boss. We worked together in the company I first worked for, US Autoparts, with her leading the leadership team I was in. She was successful. She chose to live on her own (a choice not often for Filipina women, who usually live with their parents until they marry). She writes beautifully. Her style was comfortable cool. She travels to faraway places on her own coin. She takes fantastic beautiful photos that made the ordinary extraordinary. And she was nice. To little old me who shouldn’t even have registered on her radar, she took to my writing and offered me this blog. She continues to fill the world with beautiful things, least of all her adorable twins and life with her husband. She continues to inspire myself and others in her un-Stepford Wife way, that she manages a career, raises twins, does her side businesses, and still manage to look effortlessly cute. Her relationship with God is something that I want to grow up to, as I know it takes a different kind of person to truly connect with Him at this age. For a more beautiful world, let Riz inspire you today, because she inspires me every day to look at the world and all its beauty, even in the ordinary, the asinine, the normal.
She also used to be my boss. She is a comet. A VP in a Fortune 500 at 28 (I am not sure on ages). Who looked like she never gave birth a month after she popped out the most gorgeous baby ever. Who moved mountains to save a colleague on the other side of the world, when it was dangerous, scary, and almost impossible to. I love Gianna for her honesty. She says it like it is. Don’t expect the sugarcoating. When you’ve messed up, she will tell you, and when you’re doing well, she’ll tell you that too. She has a superwoman thing going on that sometimes makes me think if she’s for real, and when you talk to her, you see that every bit of wanting to save the world, she means 100%. Her life growing up has not been perfect, and now that she has her own little family, she is working to provide the most ideal life for it, all the while imbuing the ideals of both the Filipino and American cultures, which she both has. And have I also said that she is one of the most naturally beautiful people I know? This quote from Dustin Hoffman about Brad Pitt comes to mind: “”Next to that kid, we all look like onions.” It doesn’t take much, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in full makeup. She wears clothes she can move in. She always looks put together and wears things that you don’t think would look good together, but on her it makes sense. Â Let Gianna inspire you today to make the world a better place. That even in this insane world of cheats, liars and douchebags, there is beauty in seeing the world not for what it can do for you, but what you can help it with.
I worked with her briefly, but not directly. She headed another team that was known to be close knit, smart and hardworking. We’re not very close, but a conversation here and there, blog and Facebook comments, instagram stalking from time to time. Toni is a shining star. From all the conversations that she’s been brought up, I have heard nothing but praises about her work ethic, her dealing with others, and general personality. I can’t even begin to think of another person who hasn’t received a critique at one point or another, but her reviews are flawless. From time spent with her at teamwide meetings, other social gatherings, I know what they mean. Toni is on point all the time. She is a valuable contributor to conversations, she enriches working environments. She is healthily competitive without being abrasive. She loves food as much as I do but it doesn’t show on her petite frame. Her blog posts are actually things I look out for, even if they are aimed towards mothers, the humanity that she shows makes her life not perfect, but manageable. Get inspired by Toni’s real life, her everyday tips, adventures in day to day, and amazing, low key style that is timeless and easy to wear. In this world of hurried, harried and crazy, she makes it seem doable to spin all the plates we women have to from day to day.
So here are women that might inspire you today to be better, through example. I am definitely a fan of each of them.
Whether it was sheer boredom, or eerie curiousity that prompted me to go with Anna to her makeup class, it was definitely the girliest night I’ve spent in a LONG time.
See, she takes classes at the Australian College of Hair Design and Beauty at Podium. I’ve never been to a place quite like this. All I know of makeup is from watching my mom apply the stuff on herself, and that’s knowledge that can fill a thimble at best.
It’s quite an impressive sight. You just feel going in like it’s THE place to improve yourself. And even if my improvement came at the able hands of Ms. Angeles, I felt like I learned quite a bit. (Though I’m still at a loss on how to use this information)
It took an hour and a half to achieve this Bridal day look (That was what she deemed it) and I think it was worth every minute.
Thanks Anna for infinitely changing how I feel about makeup. 🙂
Now if i can only find someone to tame this matted nest I call my hair.
So Tony’s been at Mayer’s for a week and i called and asked when I could get him. They told me Monday after lunch, and I thought, perfect. Rest day. No plans. I can drag Mom and Joannaman along. We always like going around Binondo checking out the jewelry and they’ve missed Dong Bei so I knew it was easy asking them to go with me.
So we went around Binondo, at Joannaman’s insistence. I’m not much of a jewelry person myself, I only wear what people give me.
Dong bei was delish. I stuffed myself with dumplings, I think i ate 3/4 of the order. I was hungry so sue me. We even got takeout dumplings and chicken for dinner for two nights. Frozen so it’ll last.
Then went to Mayer’s to pick up Tony. When i asked what went wrong, they told me that they just replaced the unit. So rest in peace Tony.
I have a new job. From a yearlong stint as an Internet Marketing Specialist I find myself facing a whole different terrain. I am now a User Experience Specialist (in training). This is definitely something that’s making me way excited but also ants in my pants nervous at the same time. I still work in the same office, but in a different team, a different workstation.
New lifestyle too. Or at least trying to. In tune with my doctor’s orders, I’m going to start working out. I was told to get back to my usual weight just so she can rule out a few things. I definitely won’t be dieting or anything like that, but I’m gonna move more.
This way I can justify all the food trips I’m gonna go on the near future. I already have a script going on, “I’m not trying to lose weight, I’m doing this for my health. ” Or “Do i look like I can go on a diet?” Or “If you were my friend you’d go get ice cream with me.” (Wait that’s a different script entirely)
Basically it’s still the same old me with a few different upgrades.
I have Ms. Pink SEO to thank for this domain. Even if I did abandon her when I changed jobs, (Haha I kid I kid) she took me under her wing and hosted this blog. I am extremely grateful and hope to live up to the hype.
After 5 years of blogging you’d think I’d know what to do by now, but this is the domain that’s mine all mine and I’m going nuts (happy nuts but still) with all the options. Bear with me on all the changes that gonna come in later when I figure all this out.
Why jodyalarva.com? I figure my food blog became more of a smattering of topics under the sun, I don’t think i can keep up a food blog for long. So this is gonna be a blog about anything and everything I come in contact with. It’ll be your choice of whether I really think or not. Coz in my case, it’s usually the latter. Especially when it comes to certain four letter words… Life. Love. Food. It’s do first, bang your head into the wall for doing that in the heat of the moment later.
