Finally! After 199.6 million years!!!

I know I'm the last person on Earth siguro to own these babies, but still I'm so proud I got them before they all became extinct!



With no further ado, I present my Jurassic Boracay LE Havaianas!
Weeee!! LOL!





BIG THANKS to D for my Red Polka Dots Mono!



Shoutouts to Sis Jen for my Navy Nautical Stripes!



Now, I'm feeling the summer already!
Ooops... it's Christmas pa diay! Hee Hee!!
Excitement!!!



Don't you just luuuurrrrvvvee them???

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Today, I have tons of work as it is mid-week! But as you can see, I'm still not working! I have a hangover and what better way to alleviate it but chat, bloghop, update social networking sites, et cetera...

Seriously, I was going to start editing my files when I chanced upon Gadgenista's post about God's Facebook! I was like... "What in the world???" Okay, I apologize for those who are offended but hey, check it out below. If the Bible were written like this, it would be so much fun to read and I bet I could read it in a day. Tee hee!





Hmmm.. To add God as a friend or what?

Seriously, I gotta get back to work.

Dear God, anoint my creativity, my ideas, my energy, so that even my smallest task may bring You honor. Lord, when I am confused, guide me. When I am weary, energize me. Lord, when I am burned out,infuse me with the light of the Holy Spirit. May the work that I do and the way I do it, bring hope, life, and courage to all that come in contact with me today. And, Oh Lord, even in this day's most stressful moments, may I rest in You. In the mighty Name that is above all Names, in the Matchless Name of my Lord and Savior Jesus, I pray, Amen.
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That's no question! What's in a blog anyway? I'll tell you what... I'm speaking for myself here when I say I blog because writing is my passion. Since I was 15, I found my love for words. What a feeling it is when I am putting my thoughts into words. I have a blog because it is my journal -- to keep track of my life and maybe assess where I am and what I have become. I'd like to think of it as a public diary. I have countless diaries in my room and as I scan through the pages, it's like watching my life go by... so my blog is mine. But I don't mind people reading about my life anyway, because ever since then my life has been an open book. I don't keep secrets. I don't like secrets. So goodbye diaries... Hello blog! :)

I'm thankful for my friends, my readers, my audience for faithfully visiting my blog sites every now and then. After all, what's writing when no one enjoys it? It's an art after all. I am also grateful for the support and the comments because it makes me feel not alone. Some have written to me personally telling me I have somehow reached out to them, that i wrote what they've been wanting to express for so long, that I am not alone and showing me love and appreciation for the blogs. Thank you, everyone.

I have had so many blogs/journals online. Only 3 actually exist now. No more LiveJournal, no more Xanga, no more MySpace blogs... (Should you find those, I think some of the entries from waaayy back are still around.) What's left are my cross-post blogs from Multiply to Blogspot and my Friendster blog. All containing the same entries as of recent... So take your pick.

It just dawned upon me that I've been around Multiply for 3 years. I joined sometime early November 2005. And since then, I guess a lot of people have visited this site.

My homepage shows me this information:



17,195 times! By 2,514 people!

And my blog page reports:



Hmmm... 3,376 times... 1,607 readers... Not bad.

What is happening now is that my blog, if not at all sounding too dramatic, is meant to entertain. It's turning into a photoblog which I really love doing in my spare time because you guys know what a camwhore I am... and I don't mean that in a bad way. I'm just a little worried that sometimes what I am writing could be misinterpreted because different people have different levels of comprehension. So yeah, I guess it's the risk I have to take when I open my mouth, or in this case, letting my fingers do the talking.

I know some blogs earn money. Mine doesn't. I wouldn't mind if it did BUT I'm not in it for the money. I just write. ^_^ And I do have a life, contrary to others saying that bloggers don't have real lives. Excusez-moi?

Like right now, I'm gonna end this entry quick because my manicurista is here already and I gotta get these nails prettified. Hehe. So vain, huh? But that's just me being me. =P

Have a good Sunday, everyone!



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You all know that, right? And if there's any rule I don't intend to break, it's this: Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you. Yes, that's the Golden Rule. But it is the one that sums up everything I do in life... I believe in Good Karma and Bad Karma, too. I'm not religious, even though I was raised sirado catolico. But my faith can move mountains! I have the strength to live because I believe in the Higher Power/Supreme Being, God that is. And aside from that, love keeps me grounded. <3

I may not be as responsible as most 25-year-olds as it wasn't really required of me growing up. I guess it comes with the only-child syndrome or ADHD. I thought I was bipolar. But I know my obligation to my friends, my loved ones, and the people around me. I know what friendship is really about. I know what relationships truly are. I know how to keep those. I know what I want in life and I know how to give back what is due. Remember what Newton said? "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." I'm not being smart. It's a given fact... one that is applicable even in everyday life.

I'm not righteous but I am frank. I don't lie to myself or pretend I'm anything but ordinary. I tried to repair my tattered reputation, for which until now I think I haven't succeeded...yet. But it doesn't really matter. I know myself, my limits, my boundaries, and my capabilities. I live NOT to please anyone. I don't step on anyone's shoes (unless I'm dancing which I'm really bad at!) and if at all I do, I apologize as soon as possible. Everyone makes mistakes... and I am happy to say, I've learned from ALL my mistakes.



More than 10 years ago, a friend of mine gave me a handwritten copy of instructions. This is something I'll share to you if you haven't gotten this through email by now because I presume it's being circulated in cyberspace already. These are also guides I live my life with because when I read this a looooooong time ago, I knew this is the key to living my life to the fullest.

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
   • Respect for self
   • Respect for others and
   • Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
13. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
14. Be gentle with the earth.
15. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
16. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
17. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
18. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

It was even claimed that the Dalai Lama wrote it. But I don't really care who did... because having lived my life like that, it's been rewarding already. Sometimes I think people who have gone to rehab are lucky people. Why? You must think I'm nuts having said that. I've never been to rehab myself for any substance abuse/mental health or whatnot but I've been working pretty close to therapists and their clients. I've seen many who have successfully learned coping skills, reasoning skills, behavioral modification, and everything else that one needs to have a happier and more fulfilling life. People change for the better. It made me believe in second chances.

I've been hurt sooooooooooooo many times. I've fallen a lot. And even though skinned knees are easier to fix than broken hearts, I've survived it all. I'm not manhid. I have feelings, too. I get angry. I get hurt. I am human. And I express it all. I don't hide who I am. This is me. Take it or leave it.

If you got a problem with me, talk to me. I'd be very happy to sit down and discuss. Maybe then we can help each other out... as human beings. After all, what is life here on Earth??? This is all temporary. Don't take life too seriously though... because you will never get out of it alive.

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"Live like there's no tomorrow; love like you've never been hurt; work like you don't need the money; dance like no one is watching; party like a rockstar... and f*ck like a porn star!"

If you're bored and got nothing else better to do than bloghop, well, you're in luck because tonight I'm doing a review. I was a little confused where to place this Multiply entry -- in the Reviews section or my Blog. But what the heck? I'm blogging anyway.

I should be somewhere else right now. In fact, I should be partying the night away downing all you can drink Tequila at my niece's debut in Cebu but the forces of nature are soooo cruel. Thus, I am stuck here in Ormoc because as much as I would want the fastcraft ferries to take me to the next island, alas, nothing can't be done. Now I wish I have superpowers so I can fly... or maybe have that "lana" of the aswang. Whatever.

Enough of that now, here's the real story. Back in late September/early October, I was feeling the charming mixture of glum and glee. I was happy about my savings but I was having a dilemma looking at my list of Things I Don't REALLY Need But REALLY Want To Buy:



It was funny because I group SMS’d some of my friends and 6 of them replied I should get a laptop; 3 of them said I should just save my money. *sigh* Come to think of it. I don’t need any of them actually. The Material Girl in me is such a bitch.

So then, a month later (approximately 5 days ago), I was browsing online and checking my emails before I started working and chanced upon Sony's website. Somewhere along the endless clicking of the mouse, I saw the T700 Cybershot model from Sony.



And just then, I fell in love with it <3. I got so attracted by its features even though I swore never again to purchase anymore Cybershots since my last one died on me. Actually, it was my fault that I got it all drenched when my water bottle decided to flood my bag with ice cold H2O. But it was more distressing back in 2005 when the Sony Service Center said it would cost me a whooping 17K to get it fixed. So I bid adieu to Sony then.

Anyways, here's a quick history of the digital cameras I've had in the past:

1. Kodak DC3200
2. Sony DSC-U20
3. Panasonic D-Snap SV-AV50S
4. Sony DSC-L1
5. Casio EX-Z60
6. Casio EX-S880
7. Nikon D40x DSLR
   

So much for that, let's fast forward to the present. Since I've had some experience with various digital cameras over the years, I still didn't find one that really dazzled me. Even my DSLR doesn't quite astound me. Well, it did at first but still, my kikayness wasn't that impressed. But here comes the T700 and I was at a loss for words.

Wait, have you seen the T700 yet???





So pretty!!! And check out these amazing features:

• 10.1 effective megapixels
• 4GB internal memory, stores up to 40,000 photos
• Extra-large 3.5” touchscreen LCD (like the I-phone!)
• Just 16.4mm slim (15.2mm at thinnest point)
• Slim, beautiful design with choice of five fashion colours
• Powerful album functions to store, organise and share your photos PLUS a built-in editor that really makes the photos interesting... and you know, I like doodling my photos ;)
• Smile Shutter automatically captures smiling faces
• Beautiful portraits with Face Detection and Anti-blink technology
• Easy web upload for sharing images on social networking sites

I couldn't get enough of it (yet!) but I knew I just got to have my hands on it. So goodbye to my dilemma and shoutouts to Kim (of KimStore) for being my fairy godmother or should I say my Santa Claus for the early Xmas gift!





Yep, I got the red/rouge alright. It's soooo HOT I tell you... And check out these initial test shots.



Quite the SLR effect, huh!? Yup! Yup! Yup!



Camwhoring at its vain-gloriest! (Wait, is that even a word?) ^_^ I'm just so happy!!! Obviously...



And yeah, so you noticed, I changed tee-shirts... Tee hee :) See how vibrant the colors are!?!?

 

Love love love... <3>

Even the night shots are really cool. If you noticed, regular digital cams when used with flash at night, your background tends to get so dark, you don't see what's behind you anymore.



But that's a thing of the past now! See??? And apparently, the photo editor comes really handy! ;) The doodling is my ultimate favorite thing to do with the cam. Also, when night shots are activated, it takes double shots as per Anti-blink feature. Cool, huh? No more accidental blinking!

And now, I've also got a big reason to smile!



If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! :) So what are you waiting for? Go get yourself a Sony Cybershot T700! :)

Note: This isn't a paid advertisement, okay? I'm just really ecstatic with my new baby... I call her, Shanti.

That's all folks!

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To be misjudged and misunderstood has got to be the worst thing/feeling in the world, except stepping on shit, that is. But the feeling is pretty much the same. I haven’t quite adjusted back to the “provincial” life, trying to become the Mona Lisa or Mother Teresa. I’m not even this near to being the next Lucy Torres, not that I want to be one anyway. I’m perfectly fine as MyMaria.

Each of us has his/her own character as a person. I am the spoiled little kid kind. But I am NOT a brat. There’s a difference between the two. Spoiled kids are given what they want without asking for it and the brats get what they want whatever it takes. After having lived away from my parents for some time, I already realized that people don’t always get what we want and contentment is always the key to being happy. I have no issues with contentment.

What I still don’t get is the stereotyping in this small town. Birds of the same feathers flock together alright, but I am not a bird. I would rather call myself a social butterfly than a bipedal, endothermic, vertebrate animal that lay eggs. I don’t think that being friends with social outcasts should define you as a person. I don’t think that girls who are independent, witty, and smart should automatically mean being an intimidating control freak or a manipulative bitch. No, I really don’t think first impressions last either.

It hurts when people say things about you that are untrue. I mean, in my part, I wouldn’t be so alarmed if one would say that I had plastic surgery or anything but if anyone talks bullshit about me, like maybe say that I’m a home wrecker or that I am slave driver who manipulates guys to do things for me then that’s really hitting below the belt. Then you shouldn’t be surprised either should one of your family members end up floating dead inside a black garbage bag by the river if you keep hounding me with your false claims. I know people are entitled to their own opinions, but hey, come on, keep it to yourselves. Even though I couldn’t be bothered by these allegations, I would really appreciate not hearing anything of the sort -- especially when it sounds like a broken CD playing over and over again. Now, wouldn’t that just drive you up the wall???

Just let me be... ...and leave me alone.




There's a point in your life when you get tired of chasing everyone and trying to fix everything but not giving up... it is just realizing that you don't need certain people, the insanity and drama that they bring. WhatEver Yaya... hehehehe ^_^
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My indigo Havaianas with gold metallic logo are finally here! Salamat sa mga sponsors (you know who you are!) and Sis Beth as always for the accommodation. Mwah mwah mwah!!!



Very distinctively different from my silver metallic logo, although not as gold as I would have wanted it to be. It's more of a deeper shade.

>

But it's luuuuuuuuuurrrvvveee!! <3 And I am in ❤! Tee hee!



Havaianas is ❤!!!



You likey??

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