24 August 2016

32 Things / 10

32 Things is a series of fun facts about me 
as I look forward to celebrating my 32nd birthday on September. 



I DON'T EAT MUSSELS.

I started disliking it when my eldest sister dissected a piece in front of me as if it was a Science project. I was around Sophia's age. The results of the dissection (perhaps it was done to really gross me out, ugh) was beyond all the filthy words I can imagine. Since then, I don't eat it. I sipped its soup when I was breastfeeding Sophia, though; other than that, no thanks. I can cook baked cheesy mussels for R That's love, I guess? ♥ 

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

22 August 2016

32 Things / 09

32 Things is a series of fun facts about me 
as I look forward to celebrating my 32nd birthday on September. 


I DON'T READ AND WATCH HARRY POTTER, LOTR, ET AL.

Well, I read the first Harry Potter book and half of the sequel; watched the first movie, too. But you know, I pretty much got tired of it. As for LOTR - never got interested. After all, I was into sappy Danielle Steel novels and funny Bob Ong satires then. Paulo Coehlo, too. Things changed and it's very noticeable in the current books I have that my taste now is varied. It doesn't really have a single theme or genre. To be honest, I do not even have time to sit and read books anymore! So what I just do is read a chapter or a few pages before bedtime or whenever I sit on the throne, hehe. But guess what? I can finish a whole book for Sophia. Sigh, motherhood.

Photo courtesy of Red Hair and Other Colors

17 August 2016

My People Are Those Who Love It When I Sparkle

A Facebook friend shared a photo of an inspiring quote on her wall and boy oh boy, I found myself turning on the computer again. "I have to blog about these thoughts!", I said. So here I am.


Disbelief is the most appropriate term to describe how I feel whenever I'd get so many "likes" on each of my post on the blog's page. Fine, is that too shallow for me to even blog about? Let us put it this way. Why do you even share it on Facebook in the first place when you are not even excited to get "likes", right? It can be different for other bloggers but honesty is one of my best traits so the heck to those who say *aspiring likes on social media is an illness*. It matters to bloggers. That is how you gauge your engagement with your followers. Simply put - no likes mean no connection. In fact, when I notice that a post doesn't get at least a single like, I delete it. And will just post it again to try. But thank God I have a loyal follower in the initials that come in IDP, who never fails to like each of my post on Facebook or Instagram. Luv yah, girl. You know who you are. *winks*

To get to my point, the quote on the photo says - "You will be too much for some people. Those aren't your people." And I was like, "Ohhhhhh, shocks. This is perfect. This is the best thing the internet has ever told me about blogging." 

32 Things / 08

32 Things is a series of fun facts about me 
as I look forward to celebrating my 32nd birthday on September. 


I'M A PINOY SHOWBIZ FAN!

Not that it's a big deal but I noticed that there are some people who are not okay with admitting that they stalk follow a certain local celebrity on Instagram. I mean, come on, what is wrong with that? There's this one person pa who even said that she doesn't know who Bianca Gonzalez is. Seryoso? Fine, you are what you watch and read but really, don't you make little chismis when you're with friends? Well, different strokes for different folks but ako, I go to YouTube to check if ABS-CBN Entertainment uploads new GGV videos. Ang funny kaya ni Vice Ganda, though minsan nakakainis siya. I got hooked with AlDub, too before Alden and Maine met in Tamang Panahon. After that kasi, tinamad na ako to regularly watch them. Maybe because they met na and medyo bitin na sa excitement. I still follow Maine's tweets and IG posts, though. As for Alden - he's gwapo and all but sometimes, nako-cornyhan ako sa hirit ni kuya. I think because I like honest but misunderstood guys over super good boys. Hahaha, ano daw?! Yes, James Reid all the way eh! People think he's walwal and a bad influence to youth for partying too much but enebenmenyen, he works hard to feed his family kaya. Kalma rin minsan sa pag-judge. I even got into battle mode versus the writer who wrote badly about Nadine. That girl kasi eh. You can read my post here if you haven't! 

8 down, 24 more to go. Will I complete this series before September ends? Let's see.

Photo courtesy of Preview Magazine

15 August 2016

32 Things / 07

32 Things is a series of fun facts about me 
as I look forward to celebrating my 32nd birthday on September. 


WHEN IN DOUBT, CALL ME BY MY NAME!

I really appreciate that you are very comfortable in talking to me, my dear readers. To be honest, that is one of my favorite things about my being a blogger. You see, there are a lot of bloggers and digital influencers out there, who people just cannot virtually talk to because you know, they're so popular that they can't reply to every comment that gets published on their blogs. I also like that one of you even said that I'm very *responsive*. I was like, "yes, of course, I'm online so why would I seen-zone you? Right? :)" 

I'm not saying I'm famous and all but having 28 freaking thousand likes (as of this post) on my Facebook page is a huge thing for me (and the blogging industry, actually)! However, the beautiful people who comment and message sometimes call me "sis" or "mommy". In my past and at some point, it was okay with me. I thought it's a norm in the community. Now that it kind of gets overused, though, I have this awkward feeling towards it, especially with "sis". If you have called me that or mommy, it's fine but I would truly appreciate it if you will just call me by my name - Denise. Or D, if you want to be a bit more personal. ♥ 

P.S.
Case is different for my real-life sisters who can call me sis, of course. Hehe.
Glad, too that Sophia's new school now calls the parents Mr. or Mrs.

Photo courtesy of Nordstrom

13 August 2016

32 Things / 06

32 Things is a series of fun facts about me 
as I look forward to celebrating my 32nd birthday on September. 


I'D LOVE TO MASTER PHOTOGRAPHY!

Growing up, I saw my papa lugging with him a Nikon SLR during our family trips out of town or just in the zoo. He's the standard type of dad, who takes photos of his kids. This is why I kind of regret that he's like that. We didn't have a photo together! Well, we have one; I was 3 months old. Great. So now that I'm a parent myself and that my daughter has a soldier for a dad, I always take their photos together. Some have very pose-y shots, most are random. I discovered how much I love photography when I was in gradeschool and we were looking for photos for an article I wrote for the school paper. I borrowed the photo journalist's point and shoot Fuji type and dreamed one day to have one. 

Fast forward to today's generation of phone-tography, anyone can be so good at photography without having to be called a photographer. But I wanted a different stroke for me. I still want proper lessons, proper equipment and the title. Someday, perhaps. The world is my oyster.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

32 Things / 05

32 Things is a series of fun facts about me 
as I look forward to celebrating my 32nd birthday on September. 


BLACK BUT SWEET COFFEE IS MY MORNING POTION!

I love latte and McDonald's Iced Vanilla Coffee is one of my faves but on a regular day, black but sweet is my thing. I remember not having a single Cup A Joe one day; whoa, it was disastrous! Migraine attacks were inevitable and no one can talk to me without taking a peek at death. So I learned my lesson well - no matter what: drink coffee. 

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

10 August 2016

War Against the House Enemies & A Giveaway From Pest Off

You know what they say about raising happy kids and messy homes; that it won't come together all the time as you wish? Well, there is truth to it especially if your family's like us, who do not have anyone to manage the house but us. Now that I have online work, a small biz and this blog to maintain - I hardly have time to fully clean the house! After my shenanigans for my well-received #baonserye episode on my Facebook page, the kitchen area usually looks like a warzone. Seriously. And we all know that those traces of war attract *enemies*, right? By that I mean - house pests that scare the hell out of me. So how do I keep them away without being rushed to the hospital?


1. Making sure that if I choose not to wash the dishes, the edibles or "ngatngat-worthy" are all in the trash bin. It has to be somewhere far from me or I'll freak out to death once I see a fiend crawling on top of the sink. *goosebumps* lol 
2. I have a cat. Have you noticed (in the movies, Instagram, blogs or maybe someone you know) that those who love to cook are those who love the feline family, too? I have no scientific idea about it but it does apply to me. I just feel like keeping my furry baby but I'm also glad that she helps me drive away the unwanted guests at home. 
3. If my cat fails to fulfill her duty, I use products to halt a budding scary pest domination. I have insect repellent sprays for mosquitoes, flies and roaches. We also draw on wall crevices using insecticide chalk to neutralize creepy crawlies. As for Mickey Mouse and his friends, we are armed! Pest Off sent us their best mouse and rat warriors last week and really, it's the best! 

32 Things / 04

32 Things is a series of fun facts about me 
as I look forward to celebrating my 32nd birthday on September. 


DANCING IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I CAN DO!

I first learned how to dance in front of an audience when my mama told us to attend dance ministry meetings in our church. Perhaps, that's her way of taking our minds from thinking about our papa, who passed away that year. I was 8 years old and very shy - a shadow of my two older sisters. My eldest sister was a graceful teenager while my other sister can dance albeit her awkward moves. She's tall and lanky so I know she didn't look that awesome, haha. Initially, I just wanted to watch them and sulk in my non-appearing self-esteem. There's this girl named Ging-Ging, who's the same age as me and so good already! Our mentor, Ate Mae, talked to me. I remembered that she even included me in her closing prayer on our first day of meeting. The next meeting, she brought in tambourines! I was excited to use it. I have always admired the tambourine dancers in our church. They looked like angels clad in white silk dresses with colorful ribbons attached to their tambourines. I held one and tried my best to follow the steps. When I saw the reassuring nod of Ate Mae, I felt the rush of confidence ran through the veins of my body. Ging-Ging and I were the youngest members of the dance ministry and were always in front, as if leading the group. I always looked forward to our Saturday rehearsals for our Sunday service. At a young age, dancing for the glory of God was my greatest achievement.

Things changed in our family when we moved in to where my maternal grandmother lived. I was turning 11 and was an adjusting tweener. My mama transferred me to a public school here in Marikina. I had a hard time fitting in especially on the first few weeks. There were mean girls in our class! They can't accept that I automatically was put in section 1. Eventually, I became part of the school paper and learned how to dance ballroom (I think that's a public school thing hehe). Come highschool, my clique and I always danced to hits of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Solid Harmonie and Spice Girls. So I brought what I learned from all those in college. My friends and I even chose Modern Jazz as our PE elective. We choreographed a dance number for our finals to the tune of Rhythm of the Night! It had complete kabaklaan and all, haha. 

I miss dancing so much that I silly-danced with Sophia this afternoon. And guess what? I recorded a part of it and uploaded it on Youtube. Seeing my not-so fit self dance is an eye-opener. I need to lose some weight! Also, we looked crazy but what the heck, those are memories Sophia and I will surely laughed on when she's all grown up. Wanna see it? Sorry, I can't show it anymore. 😁

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

08 August 2016

32 Things / 03

32 Things is a series of fun facts about me; 
to celebrate my 32 years of living, loving and laughing.


I DREAD DISHWASHING - UGH!

I still do it, of course; no one will if I won't, unless my husband is home. But if possible, I'd skip that part in my life as a homecook. You see, the kitchen is my sanctuary! It has the most stuff in this house. My close friends and family know me as the chikadora who cooks. Well, you might have learned about me as the mom who shares her #baonserye episodes on Facebook. Everything about me revolves around food. My online jobs as a Social Media Manager are all depending on food brands and blogs. I sell savory sidekicks and tasty treats over at Bebeng's Kitchen. And this blog received its highest number of views to date because of my daughter's packed food for school! Hello, #baonserye! For the life of me, though, dishwashing is one of my house manager duties that I dread most. 

That is why when dishwashing liquid brands like Droplets of Nature, Joy and Cusina sent me their products for me try, it made me so happy, haha! They kinda helped me *survive* the tough domestic job that is pag-uurong.

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Photo courtesy of Unsplash

05 August 2016

32 Things / 02

32 Things is a series of fun facts about me 
as I look forward to celebrating my 32nd birthday on September. 


PIZZA IS LIFE!

Fine. Food is my bestfriend but among all that I can cook and eat, pizza stands out from the rest. I don't eat it all the time as I do with rice but it's my most favorite. Like, ever. You see, it's a complete meal. Yes, that go-grow-glow thingy suits pizza best, right? And it's so convenient to eat, too! No need for kubyertos. Well, not if you're maarte that you need fork and knife pa. 

I love pizza but I'm not a choosy pizza-consumer. Sometimes, I'm okay with 3M or Krizza or whatever kanto pizza out there. There are also times that I want Sbarro, Italliani's, Yellow Cab or Project Pie. On a regular day, though, I have Greenwich or Pizza Hut to call. 

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Photo courtesy of Magalic

04 August 2016

32 Things / 01

I'll be celebrating my 32nd birthday exactly a month from now. So last night, I thought maybe I'd share here 32 fun facts about me that you (especially my new readers) might want to know. Game?


I LOVE VIDEOKE!

It was in 2009 when Sophia and I went to Surigao, where R was first assigned. For 13 days of no TV and internet, I almost went bonkers. Thank God, the families living inside the camp have videoke machines at home. They charged P1-2 per song. So imagine how I went concert-crazy with my P20! I sang my default pieces: Sway by Bic Runga, It's Raining Men by Geri Halliwell and some Aegis hits. As always, I never end my videoke sesh without Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive!

If money is not an issue, I'd definitely buy the latest Magic Sing right now. 

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Photo courtesy of Sweet Water