january 2012: a review

Week 1: Greeted 2012 with a bang....actually, with a couple o' hits o' MJ, some homemade beer, and a shot of pure absinthe (not a good idea, I tell you).  In the first few moments of New Year's Day, J became a huge casualty because he chugged half the mini-bottle before realizing that it was burning a trail down his esophagus. We immediately helped him into bed and he put his best puppy dog eyes and asked me to get in.

Also, amidst his high and drunken daze, he managed to tell me he's been sure for a while that I was The One and asked me to marry him.  Tearfully, I said yes.

To be quite honest, the days following that are pretty much a blur now.  Yes, I saw my first snow fall and it was magical.  Yes, I was able to spend time with his parents and see the town where he grew up.  But the first week of the year that will forever be known as The Best Year Ever will always be memorable because of this exchange:

Jam: You owe me. What were you talking about last Christmas?
Jason: What do you mean?
Jam: What you told your mom about me extending (my stay)?
(silence)
Jason: Do you want to get married?
(silence)
Jam: Huh?
Jason: Do you want to get married?
Jam: Do you?
Jason: I do.
Jam: Are you sure???
Jason: I am. I've been sure for a long time.
(silence)
(tears)
Jam: Wow.
Jason: so...will you marry me?
Jam: Hell yeah!  Yes!  I've been sure for a long time, too!

On January 5, we made it "Facebook official" and told the rest of the peoples our good news.

Week 2: This was even more awesome than the first week because it was the week that we got our marriage license and the week that we actually got married.

J&J got hitched on the very lucky day of Friday the 13th.  Yes, we're awesome like that.

For our "honeymoon" over the long weekend, we decided to hit the road and go to Disneyland.  It is, after all, the happiest place on Earth.  It only seemed appropriate that we made it our destination on such a momentous occasion.  Plus, I've never been there before and it has always been a big childhood dream of mine.  That, and marrying the man of my dreams.  Two birds, one stone!  Hell yeah.

Week 3: We pretty much just carried on with our usual routine, being happy and all that jazz.  Getting married didn't really change our lives drastically, which only meant that we were already in a great place to begin with.  Of course, being the gushy girl that I am, I squealed and teared up every time J called me wifey or told his work mates "he had to go home to the missus".  I am definitely loving being Mrs. K.

As a team, we also continued to follow our running program.  For at least 4 weeks, I'm supposed to run three times a week (every other day) following this outline:

• Day 1: 5 minute walk, 1 minute easy run + 1 minute walk (repeat 10 times), 5 minute walk = 30 minutes
• Day 2: 5 minute walk, 2 minute easy run + 1 minute walk (repeat 7 times), 5 minute walk = 31 minutes
• Day 3: 5 minute walk, 1 minute easy run + 30 seconds walk (repeat 6 times), 30 seconds easy run + 1 minute walk (repeat 8 times), 5 minute walk = 31 minutes

J's following a more advanced schedule, but for someone starting from square one, mine's pretty attainable.  I'm slowly becoming more used to running again and I must admit, I am loving it!  The dork in me especially loves the fact that we recently both got new matching running shoes (see photo).

Week 4: J's company Milo went on a company skiing trip in Tahoe and he brought me along so I can experience skiing for the first time.  He enrolled me in a novice class where I learned how to balance on skis,  get up on a slope by side stepping, gliding, turning, and all the necessary skills one needs to be able to go down a green course (green = beginner, blue = intermediate, black = expert).  By the end of the day, I was so exhausted that I kept wiping out down the Big Easy trail at Northstar Ski Resort (yeah yeah, the trail name was mocking me).  The competitive overachiever in me teared up and hated the fact that I couldn't connect my turns and successfully carve, but the supportive husband in J told me I did a good job considering it was my first time and that I should try again soon...which I will!

All in all, January shaped up to be an incredible start of 2012.  If the following months continue on in this fashion, then my prediction will be correct: that this year is indeed the best year ever.

[cross-posted from A Daily Dose of Jam]

that gal jam: wiped out and starting from scratch!

Over the weekend, J was updating his server and something happened that caused both of our websites to be wiped out.  I was initially disappointed at the idea of having to remember and re-do all the stuff that I have put into mine—posts about our travels which I have not updated in months, doodles that I have made over the past couple of weeks (which I planned to be a daily exercise, but of course, reality happened), and other stuff that I only vaguely remember.

When J tried to access his last backup and found out that none of my new entries were saved, I took it as a sign.  A warning to sustain my own flow of creativity and not let momentum leave my body.  A reminder that there are more important things than doubt.  That waiting for something amazing to magically fall into your lap or inspiration to hit you smack in the face is a complete waste of time.

I am an overflowing vessel of plans, dreams, and whatnot.  I keep saying I want to get back into running shape, but I always find some lame excuse not to go outside—it's too cold, it's too late, I don't have the right attire, I'm sore.  I call myself an artist, but I allow myself to feel insecure about my work and say that my style is outdated, my skills are not good enough, and no one will be interested in what I do.  I call writing my number one passion, but I can't even transform my 6-month old travel notes into engaging blog entries that retell the excitements of my trip around Asia with J, I haven't written a single new poem in years, and I can't bring myself to chronicle my everyday thoughts for fear of boring my readers (including myself) to tears.

The thought of losing the things I know I've worked hard for—even if it's something as small as mere website content—made me panic, I won't deny it.  However, it also made me realize that I had so much to offer, if I only gave myself the chance.  The things that really count won't be wiped out just like that—they're in my head and my heart, only waiting to be utilized and developed.

This is a fresh start—and I've had many in my life—and this time, I vow not to waste it.  I will fulfill my dreams, ambitions, and plans and watch them become bigger.  I will learn to draw inspiration from everything I can get my hands on.  I will punch fear and doubt and boredom in their guts every time they come at me.

I will take life one day at a time, enjoy my time doing things that make me happy, and not worry about the uncertainty tomorrow because I have hope and faith that good things will happen.
 
And I am going to love it.

+++

Here is a list I came up with just now and put on as my desktop wallpaper.  It is a list of things I need to do on a daily basis to gain control of my own inhibitions and insecurities and unleash the incredible, colorful, life monster inside me.

• Exercise.  Get that flat stomach I've always wanted.  No, "huge pusons run in my family" is not a valid excuse.
• Read a random Wikipedia page.  Knowledge is power.
• Listen to a Jason Mraz song and post about it on your other blog.  I know, too many blogs.  So what? :P
• Spend an hour on Google Reader.  Don't let the unread entries pile up to a thousand.
• Share a link or two...or five.  Prove that I am a social networking butterfly.
• Watch your favorite shows and write something about them.  Have something to show for the hours I spend torrenting and watching dramas and comedies.
• Visit websites for inspiration.  Don't be satisfied with an afternoon of just watching shows.  
• Doodle something.  It doesn't have to be spectacular or digitally rendered.  Move those fingers.  Use my Sharpies and prove that it was a good idea to bring them with me.
• Blog whatever's in my mind at the moment.  Don't think about my audience.  Do it for me.

[cross-posted from A Daily Dose of Jam]

it's all about the astig.

After being asked to conceptualize, design and create numerous websites for my family's many business endeavors pro bono, my badass programmer boyf Jason and I decided it would be a good idea to actually make money off of our astig set of skills.  So, we aptly named our nth venture together AstigNet, a place that offers nothing but astig web-related stuff.

By stuff, I mean:

• Web Design - If you're sick of your website's design and you want a revamp, if you don't have a website yet and want to have one conceptualized, designed and created from scratch, go Astig.
• Web Development - If you want something installed on the back end to help you manage your content, accept payments and registrations, or any other requirement you might want built-in, go Astig.
• Print Design - If you have something to say on any type of paper and print, go Astig and let us say it for you through astig graphic design.
• Content - Do you have bare pages on your website that need words?  Are you selling products that need write-ups and reviews?  Do you want to have your own technical manual, company profile, or articles written for you?  Whatever written content you need, don't be afraid to go Astig.

We offer astig packages that are tailored to fit your needs.  The great thing about AstigNet is that we are still currently based in the Philippines, the land of cheaper labor and undiscovered talent.  While we still live here, we offer low and affordable rates.  Once we go to the US, we would of course have to raise our prices to match the higher standard of living.  However, for those who avail of our services as early as now, we shall maintain you at our Philippine rate. 

how to effectively get off your ass and write, write, write.

For as long as I can remember, I've always enjoyed writing.  From the many well-kept notes I had in school (my classmates all wanted to photocopy my immaculate study materials come exam week) and the many blogs I started to the numerous features and literary pieces I wrote while I was active in the college paper and the still-existing list of blogs under my name, we can pretty much conclude that yeah, I live and breathe the written word.

I love writing, but sometimes I write about stuff I don't particularly love, and that's okay to a certain degree.  I say that based on experience--these days, I have found myself more frequently reaching that degree and I almost always feel stuck.

So the question is, how do I wriggle myself out of being stuck?  How do I create time to write about stuff that I actually love and give a damn about?

I chanced upon a link on Twitter that led me to a list of tips that will help you make room in your otherwise busy schedule (hey, playing Angry Birds, Facebooking, and watching Glee replays count as activities, too!) for some writing to be done.  I shall simply re-iterate tricks mentioned by editor Victoria Mixon in her site and add my interpretation, not only to get you lazy bums back into your writing groove, but also to slap me in the face in greeting every time I attempt to go off-course.

1. Unhook.  Basically don't even launch Google Chrome (or whatever browser you prefer) that automatically loads your Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader, Youtube, Reddit or other social networking account that causes you to be a mindless drone who unknowingly puts a pin through your balloon of motivation every goddam time.  DON'T. DO. IT. NO. MATTER. HOW. BORED. YOU. ARE.

Your notifications and @replies will all still be there a few hours from now.  Sure, Google Reader might go apeshit and stack up to 100 or so unread items, but that's the beauty of the "Mark As All Read" button (you can hit it, I won't tell), that's why entries can be sorted into topics.  So you can skip the ones you only subscribed to just to fil up your reader and read it when you've got nothing else to do.  While you're on a quest to exercise your writing chops, do yourself a favor and rearrange your daily routine by putting "getting some writing done" on top of the list.

2. Close your mouth.  A kinder way of saying, shut the eff up.  Wait for your empty brain to reboot and start filling up with words, thoughts, ideas, the whole shebang.  Have a pen and notebook (I like Sharpies and unruled paper) handy, or open Notepad and begin writing down whatever comes to your mind.  It doesn't have to make sense right away.  Writing in bullets can sometimes be a great way to organize brain content later on.

3. Plug your ears.  Or if you share your workspace with your incredibly hot boyfriend like I do, stop yourself from looking behind you to check him out--you can have all the hankypanky time you want later.  Earphones help if you are the type who can concentrate with music playing in the background.  Otherwise, you can invest in a couple of ear plugs or just master the art of zen and drown out everything that surrounds you.  It's hard though, especially if there's a damn construction site next door.  If you can successfully drown that out, you're awesomesauce.

4. Watch the clock.  In my case, I use Google Calendar to create my task list and Qlock for alarms.  Make sure to work on a schedule and try your damdest to stick to it.  Don't be cruel to yourself though by scheduling unrealistic time frames.  Squeeze in a couple of breaks so you have time to unwind.  If to you unwinding means Facebook and Twitter though, think twice before you schedule those in between writing tasks...you might be risking loss of momentum.  Take breaks for snacks, a quick walk, maybe even a power nap.  Reserve Internet surfing for after you finish all your work.  Trust me, I've made that mistake quite a few times already, and I always end up having to cram my work a few hours before my deadlines.  I always finish and I always convince myself that I work better under pressure, but a loud voice in my head goes, "HAH!" every time I pull that excuse out of my ass.

5. Take advice.  The list says to get a great book about writing, letting it fall open randomly and start reading.  I have a couple of great books I can try this with.  It sounds like a great tip.  Mine are more about screenwriting and story development though, which is probably a good start.  If you don't have books on writing readily available and you have great self-control, you can try Google searching writing tips AND ONLY writing tips.  If you feel like you're losing it, don't be afraid to copy paste content quickly into Notepad and shut that web browser down.  Nope, minimizing won't work.  If you really want to do it, do it right. 

6. Doodle a name.  Write it, type it.  If you feel like you've immersed yourself too much into reading writing tips, write down random names you'd like to give your characters. If you're not specifically writing a story, then doodle your crush's name.  Doodle a song lyric.  Allow the words to evolve into something completely different and work your way from there.

7. Drink tea.  If you dislike the leafy aftertaste of tea like I do, try adding milk and ice.  Oh wait, list says "something warm and comforting".  Maybe warm milk?  Hot cocoa?  As long as you have a nice, go-to drink to keep you energized that's not a plateful of bacon (unless you're dead hungry, but eat light meals!), an espresso, or booze, you're good to go.

8. Zonk out.  Don't feel bad for taking a nap.  That loud ringing in your ears or those throbbing temples are your brain's way of telling you to time out, ease up a bit and take things slow.  Maybe dream a little while you're at it.  Sometimes stories resume in our sleep.

9. Disappear for a week up a river or a mountain, break a leg, and get snowed in.  If nothing works, swap your setting for something else.  Change your environment if the walls feel like they're closing in on you.  Assign yourself a temporary new work place.

Here's to wishing you (and myself) a heartfelt good luck with your next writing expedition.

that gal jam: better, brighter, sexier, and more awesome!

Version 2.0 Launched
Finally, it's up! I have been bugging le boyfriend Jason to work on my website and give me the ability to say sayonara to the world of Wordpress by programming the backend using Django. I have no major complaints about Wordpress...it has served me well. I just grew tired of it, that's all. Seeing how clean and organized Jason's site was made me want a more badass version of my online portfolio. Thanks to the J-Man, I am now more determined and encouraged to update my site more often. A round of tight hugs and juicy kisses are in order. Oh, and a shoutout: http://bit.ly/faoq4U (Thanks to my cousin Don for being the mastermind behind this cool tool!)

What's up, Buttercup?
Most of those who know me well know how go-with-the-flow I am, which means a boring, 9-to-5 desk job is the total opposite of what fits me. I did my duty by trying it—I lasted 3 months before I realized that being confined in an office for a huge chunk of my day is not the way I want to live my life.

Thank goodness I had the perfect excuse to try and mix it up! Jason flew halfway across the world to be with me and now that he's here, shared dreams of exploring the country (the world) became a possibility. To be able to do that, I needed to sever all ties with anything that held me down. I needed to embrace the world of freelancing.

So yeah, that's what I do now. In between writing articles, reviews and website content for my cool client-friends and designing/creating marketing collaterals for those who trust my artistic sense, the J-Man and the J-Gal have been running races, hiking mountains, swimming seas, riding ordinary non-aircon buses to unknown places, and basically living the good life. Together. It's great, I tell you. I've never been happier.

That's it for now. Will gradually fill this up until full-blown awesomeness is comppletely restored. Later!