Christmas Shopping 101

Before anything:

Happy Holidays!

Over the weekend, Arckham and I had places to be and people to see which basically required us to go around the metro. The heavy traffic we faced was close to stand stills and the rather annoying part is that it was EVERYWHERE. We went from Ortigas to Diliman to Quezon Ave and finally Blumentritt. Let me just say that every step of the way was frustrating and to top it all off it rained. Gah! [Picky cab drivers were also of no help]

In the least, I was thankful we weren't heading to the mall.

Let's all learn from this years traffic clog. According to PUV drivers, the traffic is due to people who are basically doing last minute Christmas Shopping. Let me just say that this is something I do NOT practice. Here are the reasons why:

1. The Crowds - it's hard to pick a present for the people on my list if I am frustrated mainly because people are all in the malls. It's crowded, stuffy, smelly and everyone is irritable. 
2. The Poor Quality Products - with the amount of people in the mall purchasing things, everything you are likely to get would either be defective or would probably be lacking sizes since the early bird probably got the better quality products already. 
3. Low Quality of Service - More over, with the influx of people to be catered to the sales ladies/gentlemen are too tired and also highly irritable and would really not pay as much attention to you as compared to a few weeks before.
4. Prices Are Hiked - as much as you would like to tell yourself it's Christmas and there's a sale sign, the items you buy are 10%-20% more than their regular price. [Believe me, I canvass before I buy anything]

See? *shivers*

I also do not understand why this happens? I mean there are so many other and better ways to shop nowadays. [Yes, even on a busy schedule.] Moreover, Christmas Bonuses are given on the later part of November to the 1st week of December which gives people a lot of time to budget, canvass and shop.

For those who want to lessen the stress of Christmas Shopping in 2012, here are a few good practices I've been doing over the years:

1. Make a list. Always organize who you're going to be blessing this Christmas. This helps you not forget or miss anyone during the season of giving. 
2. Budgeting. Always function on a budget. [on everything and not just this season actually] Make sure that you are not going to stretch your funds thinly over the season. Think about it this way, buying gifts over paying your bills should never be the case.  It is not a pretty picture once Christmas Eve comes along and you don't have electricity or food prepared. 
3. Brainstorming. Now that you have your budget, start thinking of what the people on your list need/want this Christmas season. Yes, it is the thought that counts so let's make an effort. This is also a good starting point so that you are not aimless wandering the malls and wondering what to give to people on your list. [Make sure that what you get them is within your budget] 
4. Canvass. You actually don't necessarily need to go around at all. Check stores online and also make sure to take note of prices in order to compare and get the best buys. Most stores located in malls would have websites and contact details, go ahead and use these resources to your advantage. Once you've decided, have it reserved and pick it up or delivered. Sometimes, you don't need to purchase your gifts. You can make them yourself or even give away things you don't really use. [Like that top that really isn't really your style but looks great on your best bud.]
5. Wrapping. Yes this is part of the process. Here's the part where you also can save money. Remember those old magazines you no longer read? Brochures that are no longer useful? Posters? Left over wrappers from the previous year? Well, start using those to wrap your gifts. Get creative. I believe you would find this rather relaxing. [I do]

If you do come up with a budget, don't forget to include yourself. After all, you had been a good shopper and deserve a little treat. For me this year, it's a set of rings from Charm Bin. I really love the items that CB releases. It's fun, laid back and I can sport it at work. CB has good value for money [at times, also a amazing bargains and finds]. Transactions are easy and  they are also very accommodating. [Specially to busy girls like me.] I definitely recommend them for stress free shopping.

So here's [one] of my Christmas Gifts to myself:

 

I am loving it. Thanks, Charm Bin!

Zikon's Debut At MechaPinoy's 2011 Christmas Party

Last December 11, 2011 was the MechaPinoy 2011 Christmas Party. This is one of the groups that support GunPla in the Philippines. Moreover, they throw awesome Christmas Parties with awesome food [let me say that again: awesome FOOD] and awesome people. :D [No, there are not live Gundams as we all might wish but still OSM] 

 

Anyhow, every year an event is held as part of the party program. It's call the SD Con. It's basically sort of an art competition where different people submit entries that they sealed, sanded, painted and detailed. It's called SD Con mainly since the entries should SD GunPla. [Think the chibi kind]

You may not remember this post. Anyway, sadly I was not able to finish that project but plan to revisit it in the future. What I am proud to say this time around though, is that I was able to join the competition and complete ZIKON. :D *extremely proud*

Here he was as his SD Zaku self:

  

Here's his final look as Zikon:

Yes inspired by Dimitri, my camera and the I Am Nikon campaign. Even though I was a bit drunk when I did this, it has gotten me hooked and I'm already thinking of my next GunPla project.

Anyway, if you guys want to see how Zikon transformed just click this link.

Navigating and Changing 2012

It's the end of the year and as with every year end I have a series of little personal traditions I follow to help me close the year and welcome the next. The first of which is planner buying. :D 

Alrighty, one thing you should know about is that I like writing my thoughts down. It helps me relax, keeps me grounded and helps me focus. I have been a "planner person" since my 2nd year in college when I realized that calendars are not sufficient to help me harness my life. Since, then I've had to find the perfect planner for every single year.

I also have this thing that before December 1, I should already have my planner (or in this case planners) for the next year.

So, here are the two things that will be my constant companions for 2012:

Navi 2012

I can see the hundreds of unwritten pages flicker in front of me. I long ot fill them with the day-to-day adventures of life, the milliseconds that make up the most amazing moments and the myriads of treasures that await every place I long to encounter. - Navi 2012

When I started working, I made sure to keep my personal life personal and my professional life professional. Hence, I also decided to have a planner specifically for work. [That and that both personal and professional life  cannot be handled by just one planner]. For 2012, I've decided on the Navi 2012.

My favorite feature of Navi is the Manifesto. It's something I find unique to Navi. I also like the bucket list and the awesome photography and excerpts. One thing, I'm not too happy about it is that the actual daily writing space is a bit cramped. [Trust me I know, I had the Navi 2010] That's one of the reasons why it's my work planner and not my personal planner. Too little space for journal writing but just enough to keep track of deadlines, meetings and to-do lists. The right hand pages would be sufficient for meeting notes as well. Oh and like it's counterpart, BDJ, it also has coupons.

What drew me to get the Navi is mainly due to what it represents: Adventure, Exploration and Direction. So why the heck is it my work planner when it really fits my personal activities? Well, I recently moved into a new company. Honestly, I'm going to be a half a year old by January though I think I'm done adjusting there is still a lot to learn [and I am loving it.] I want Navi be there to guide me as I plan my year at work, travel and move towards the goals that I will be setting for myself in January.

This Journal Will Actually Change Someone's Life 2012

For my personal thoughts: This Journal Will Actually Change Someone's Life 2012. If there is one thing I love about this planner is that it is totally fun. It may not have coupons like Navi nor as coveted as the Starbucks Planner. I have to say this beats both with the fun filled pages and moreover, buying this planner already helps someone since part of the proceedings goes to a NGO that is dedicated to a good cause. More over, through out the year you are made aware of how to better yourself and better the world. [And believe me, this is keeps me grounded.]

It has a quarterly check up to see how you are doing. Its pages are filled with interesting facts and trivia. It is functional and equipped with mood charts, monthly budget and to-do list space. What I love the most about this planner is that big amount of space it has for writing. There are only 4 days in a spread. I can't wait to start filling it with my thoughts and observations for 2012.

I'd like to think I'm ready for the new year  now.

Cold Air, Comforting Words, Great Photography

So my trip to Baguio was not all that bad. What I love about the place are the really warm and cool people I know. [:P Words are so fun.] I have great friends that just absolutely know how to cheer me up. I love you guys for knowing how to push my buttons. :P

So here's the rest of my trip...

Dinner with The Book Club. This is basically my high school group of friends. I absolutely love these people since they are the ones who are there for me no matter what crazy thing I do. There were only four of us present for that dinner: Lor, Kaye and Jake. [I miss you Pip, Meg and Cha] Being with this group of people probably would be the best place for great-slash-crazy conversation. We have our own twisted logic.

I also love them since they know where in Baguio to get the best food with awesome value for money. Let me just say that I was not able to get a picture of my dinner cause I ate it up so fast. Then we had dessert which is totally a given when we get together.

Thanks for dessert, Jake. Thanks for also allowing me to take numerous pics of you guys.

Midnight Coffee at Ionic. Midnight Snack at Good Taste. If there is one thing Baguio has to offer is the great secret cafes and places with awesome food. Ionic recently got renovated. Gone are the ancient table clothes with cigarette burns [sadly, the mafia feel is gone as well] but same great coffee. I was there for awhile and had some me time before June joined me.

Kris, one of my dearest friends, informed me that he was coming up to Baguio. So, June and I waited in Ionic for him. I met Tyler that night as well. Once everyone was properly [and improperly? :P] introduced. We headed to Good Taste for their scrumptious buttered chicken. [Again, no picture of the food since we were really hungry.]

June had to go. Then Kris, Tyler and I decided to wait for dawn at his place.

Exploring the 50's, Casa and the Clouds. After dawn, I headed home and crashed for a few hours before I started hunting down lunch. Since Tyler hasn't been to 50's Diner that's where I met up with them for lunch. Tyler got quite a surprise with how generous a serving his lunch was.

After which we walked to Casa Vallejo, it's an old hotel that burned down a long time ago. It was recently refurbished and re opened. It now houses a classy restaurant and a hotel as well as the most awesome bookshop, Mt. Cloud.

Awesome DoppleSiblings. While at Mt. Cloud, I met up with two of the most amazing people I know. They are both rather well known artists online and I am so happy to be able to call them my friends. They got to play around with Dimitri and I think I might just be able to pull them into photography. :P [I can't wait to see them again on the 23rd of December]

After taking lots of pictures in Mt. Cloud, we headed to Picarre in SM to sit and chat. And another pair of really awesome CG artists [and my childhood friends] joined us. We played a couple of rounds of guessing details about each others lives. After which, they started sharing their work with each other and I just took pictures. [I cannot draw or contribute to a discussing of drawing to save my life.]

So, let's just say that despite the dismal reason that I had gone home. My friends made sure I left with a smile. I love you guys. :D