My Boss is (now) a Blogger

Some three months ago, I was but a prodigal nurse in search of a new calling. It was a bit of a struggle: few employers in non-medical industries were willing to take a chance on flighty nurses who had the tendency to drop everything and leave at the first chance of getting a job out of the country.

Luck smiled on me when I stumbled upon Maerskline and MCC Transport, with the help of my friend Mela. She introduced me to the weird and wonderful world of sales and shipping (more exciting than it sounds, I swear)…and to the coolest boss EVER.

I swear, she reminds me of Rashida Jones

Stella’s pretty young, almost TOO young to be a boss. Once I saw her in action, however, I had no further doubts as to why and how she got to where she is. She’s aggressive and authoritative, and she takes chances, no matter how insane those chances seem to be. Hello, she took on not just one, but two prodigal nurses under her wing, a gamble that nobody else wanted to try.

I’ve seen her get sabaw, I’ve seen her get her party on, seen her shop, seen her with friends, seen her with her beau. I kid you not, she has fans in the office. (Ahem, Karmela, Faith and yours truly). I believe they will not disagree when I say that she is someone we all aspire to become.

Okay I know this post is starting to look like I’m just sucking up to her, but no that is not the point of all this. I just wanted to share just how cool she is first before I promote her newest venture…BLOGGING.

It baffles people when Stella claims that her biggest dream is to be a housewife. “Career woman” and “housewife” are usually far from being synonymous. To some people, the term “housewife” can mean a jobless woman, dependent on her husband for their means of living. While I disagree with this negative and rather sexist connotation, I have seen some instances when being a homemaker is made out to be something to be laughed at and ridiculed.

It is also said that when you are a career oriented person, you may have a tendency to disregard your duties at home. How many movies have you seen showcase a career woman who relied on take-out dinners and househelp to take care of the home?

It just doesn't equate....Or does it?

Knowing the kind of person Stella is, she will prove this nuance wrong. In this day and age, no longer does being a housewife mean just kitchen duties and laundry. Women can be both a career woman and a superstar housewife, and this blog will be proof of that.

Superstar Housewife is still under construction, but from the name itself, I can already surmise that this will feature simple recipes that newly-learning women can try, DIY home projects, travel, and of course, a few kikay (makeup and fashion) tips here and there. This is a site for wives, wives-to-be, girlfriends, and  basically women in general.

Work in progress, but clicky on photo to check http://www.superstarhousewife.com/ out!

I have a blogger for a boss. MAN, did I make the right career change or what?

Emotional Workout

These past few days have been strenuous for my head and my heart, so forgive me for any cheesiness and emo crap that will flow from here on out. It’s my blog and I must vent.

An Unexpected Kiss:
I do not know where that came from, but it was a pleasant surprise. I do not know much about you either, but I am curious. Curious about you as a whole, curious as to why you did what you did, curious about where it can lead to, curious if I’m ready for it. I could’ve stopped you you know, but I didn’t. I figure, I spent last year taking all sorts of crazy chances, didn’t I? Not all of them ended well, mind you, but I can still say I’m glad that I did.

So, I am still open to any possibility. If you are too, you know where to find me. Who knows, maybe this one will end better than others.

A Goodbye:
My friend, it has been ten years of laughter, debates and randomness. The fact that there would be no more impromptu invites from you for a while still hasn’t sunk in, but I do hope that you know that I will miss you so, so much. You leaving is only the first step to the many great things that you’ve always been meant for. I’m just sad that we didn’t get to spend more time on your last few days here.

Good luck love, and I hope you find what you seek. I look forward to your return, and the stories that you will bring with you.

A Breakup:
I wasn’t aware that a breakup can happen without an actual relationship, but it just did. You are unconventional, and so am I, and it only makes sense that what we had (have?) was unconventional too, right down to the breakup. We were never fond of mainstream, were we? (Wait, no, you went with the popular choice so I guess you like mainstream just enough.)

I always thought that this, whatever it is that we had, didn’t mean much to you. But I guess I was wrong, if it bothered you so much that you had to bring it up. That caught me way off-guard. And…I must admit that it did mean something to me too, I just never thought about it. I didn’t want to, because the circumstances aren’t very friendly to our situation. I figured it wasn’t going to happen anyway, so why bother myself with it.

Maybe someday, if and when your heart is free once more, and if mine still is, maybe we can try and pick up where we left off. For now, all I can say is it’s been a good game, my dear. Good game indeed.

Beauty Binging

I went on a trip to Watson’s very recently to replenish my usual supply of toiletries. But since it was payday, I couldn’t resist picking up a few new items to sample.

1. Body Builder Volumizing Hair Cream
2. Celeteque Alcohol-Free Toner
3. Garnier Pure SOS Anti-Blemish Pen
4. Myra-E VitaGlow Tinted Moisturizer (Ivory)

I don’t break out very often (thank you, genes) so I haven’t had the chance to try the anti-blemish pen yet. Not that I’m looking forward to a pimple, but I have to wait for one before I could see if Garnier’s SOS thing is effective.

I’ve been using everything else for a week now, and I have to say, I’m very happy with my purchases. Maybe I’ll write a separate review for each if I’m not too lazy.

Winter is Coming

“When you play the game of thrones, either you win or you die.”

When I read that line in the first volume of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice series, I just knew this tale would be too good NOT to be translated to film.

A Song of Fire and Ice is basically a series revolving around seven kingdoms fighting for the right to rule one realm. Sounds simple enough, yes? Sounds pretty damn boring too. I REALLY do not have a stomach for politics, so I nearly brushed this book aside when somebody suggested it to me.

Persistent friends I have, and soon enough I found myself listening begrudgingly to the audiobook  copy of the first novel.

One of the best gifts that I've ever received

Most of the story takes place in various regions in a continent called Westeros, previously ruled by the Targaryens, a family well-known and feared by many for their strange affinity with dragons. Yes, you read that right. Dragons. See? The series is looking better already, yeah?

Anyway, yeah. Westeros was ruled by the Targaryens until two other families (Baratheon and Stark) allied to overthrow them. Several years of peace later, the usurper king meets his death. His firstborn son, should’ve been the rightful heir…but who his first and trueborn son is a question that must be answered first. And as that question hangs unanswered, the rest of the seven kingdoms of Westeros have begun the mad race to claim the Iron Throne.

Across the sea, exiled from Westeros, is the last Targaryen aiming to claim what she thinks is hers by birthright.

Elements like intrigue, betrayal, fantasy, incest and revenge make for a novel that is just SO HARD to put down. George RR Martin has an intricate writing style that allows him to integrate magical elements oh so subtly into a very rustic medieval setting which just makes everything much more believable.

I muscled through the audiobook despite my firm belief that books are meant to be read, and not listened to, just because I didn’t have money at the time to buy my own paperback copy. I’m on the third installment of the series now, and I just have to say, so far, it just keeps getting better.

ANYWAY. The whole point of me blathering about the books is that HBO has turned it into a series! It’s supposed to be premiering April 17, 2011 in the US, but since I am in poor, ol’ third world Philippines, I would have to wait until mid-year to see the first episode. Which really kinda sucks, because I’ve been drooling over the promotional posters for months and months.

If you’re in a country where A Game of Thrones has premiered, please let me know how it turned out. Is it worth watching? Did HBO do justice to its epic-ness? DO YOU HAVE A LINK WHERE I CAN WATCH IT OHMYGOD DYING HERE

Anway, if you’re just like me and do not have the luxury of seeing the pilot episode, I guess we should just settle for the promo posters:

…I really should unfollow the AGoT Twitter so I don’t get even more envious of everyone else who HAS seen the premiere.

One Month with Nymeria: X10 Mini Pro

It’s been a month since I got Nymeria, my X10 Mini Pro. She’s the first phone that I ever got with my own money, and my first SmartPhone too. It took a bit of getting used to, but so far, I’m in love with her. She’s compact enough, she does everything she’s supposed to, and can even do a few extra neat tricks.

Say hi to Nymeria

Admittedly she does not have the sexiest of designs. Aesthetically speaking, I think the Samsung Galaxy S and HTC Desire models have the sleekest designs out there, as far as SmartPhones are concerned. I don’t mind it much, I like that Nymeria is small enough to shove in my pocket.

This post is basically an attempt of a basic, average, everyday mobile phone user to review what using an Xperia X10 Mini Pro is like.

What I especially like:
- responsive touch screen
- conversation thread type of messaging, very much like iPhone messaging. I love that correspondence with specific people can be archived this way.
- battery life lasts for about three days of moderate texting and calling and minor web browsing
- having the choice between standard alpha-numeric touch screen keypad or slide out qwerty keyboard
- WiFi connectivity and everything that comes with it. Get on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and WordPress anytime, anywhere as long as there’s WiFi
- USB connector makes charging via PC/laptop possible. No need to lug the charger around, just the USB cable.
- seemingly scratch proof. I’m not exactly careful with my stuff and they end up getting scratched one way or another. Not sure if I’m just treating Nymeria with more care than usual, but she’s still scratch free at the moment.
- Little to no lag, as long as you don’t load her with so many apps.

What kinda sucks:
- sometimes OVERLY responsive touch screen. My cheek tends to hit the End Call button on the screen during calls >_<
- wifi processes and certain apps tend to consume battery faster (but I think all SmartPhones have this problem)
- phone software updating takes FOREVER
- the tiny screen might make web browsing and reading difficult for some people. I can deal with it, since I don’t really use the browser function unless I really need to, but some people might prefer phones with bigger screens.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the purchase, even though it punched a 10k sized hole in my savings account. I’m on an app shopping spree in the Android market right now though. Someone stop me before I kill Nymeria with so much junk. XD

Succumbing to the Call of Androids

A few posts ago, I talked about the list of stuff that I would be saving up for. The list included several gadgets, like a new phone, a laptop and an MP3 player. A recent addition to the list is the Amazon Kindle. I’d write more on that, but that should be for a different post.

A month ago, I was so ready to buy the Kindle already, because I saw someone selling it for only 6k. But then Vixen, my five-year-old Nokia N70′s battery gave out on me. I tried replacing the battery, with a cheap-ass batt first, and then a more expensive original battery, but neither extended the battery life for more than a day of moderate texting and calling. I get a lot of calls on my mobile so it REALLY sucks when my phone dies on me. That was when I decided that it was time to put Vixen to rest.

RIP Vixen

I researched for days on what kind of phone I wanted to get. I initially was tempted to get a Blackberry, but I was told I might not be able to maximize its features here in the Philippines. Plus, it’s kind of expensive.

I was never a technophiliac, was never really up to date with what’s the latest on gadgetry out there. All I really wanted was a phone that wouldn’t die on me when I make calls, so I figured a nice Ericsson Walkman phone (Zylo or Spiro, to be more exact) is affordable enough and would serve my minimal needs well.

I always said that I didn’t like non-standard phones, because the mobility of a clamshell/slide unit tends to make it prone to damage. I also said I didn’t want a very complicated phone, because I might not be able to use its other features much.

And then the saleslady handed me a working model of Xperia X10 Mini Pro.

More on the X10 Mini Pro later.

WordPress for Android

Testing, testing.

…what. Yes I got an Android phone. Yes it has a touch screen and a slide out qwerty keypad.

Preferences change, okay?

Will write more about my lovely new pet in a separate post. For now, I’m just testing out the WordPress app. Seems to be working well enough.