One Year Flying

I know it was around July, but I didn’t exactly mark the date on my calendar. I was actually hoping WordPress would send me a notification, a little confetti shower of sorts. It took a comment from Ishaiya on one of my older post for me to be reminded of the actual date of the anniversary of my first post.

(Pause for some cheers and confetti^^)

This isn’t my first attempt at blogging. The first blog that I had was a french-inspired blog where I mostly put things related to…surprise, surprise (!)…the french language. With some previous posts under my belt, this technically does not mark my one year in WordPress; however,  I felt the things between last year and today is enough reason to celebrate.

I find it a bit surreal that a year had already gone by and that now, sitting in my bed, I am now writing an anniversary blog post. (Another pause for some cheers and confetti:) ). A couple of months ago, I envisioned that I would be writing a very impassioned piece on the joy of writing, the wonders of the blogosphere, and other sweet stuff to mark this occasion. But to tell you honestly, after a long day at work, I am not feeling very impassioned at the moment. But do not despair, I am not about to write a sappy, whiny post on my blog anniversary. This momentous (O_0) event just made me a little pensive, that’s all.

To feel a bit tired of writing is not exactly an unusual feeling (especially when the real world is getting in the way). Looking back at my experience with my first blog, I now see, that the fact that I am still writing this despite not feeling very motivated is what kept me from maintaining my little space in the internet.

With my old blog, I thought that the main problem that I would be having is the lack of topic to write about. In retrospect, I find this a bit silly considering the number of topic one can relate to french, the study of language, France, culture and other similar themes. That can also be an occasional problem from me, Daily Prompts, weekly challenges and other people’s input do help in this department.

So what was the difference with this page?

Two things: GOAL and a COMMITMENT to that goal. Since this is my anniversary blog post, (more cheers and confetti!) I hope you would indulge me to expound on those two things.

First is my goal.

For flyforicarus, I only have one: To have at least 5 posts per month.

You might ask, “Why 5?”. Well, why not. I am not really sure of the answer myself . But I guess since my first month only had 5 posts, I made it a goal to at least maintain that figure. What I am sure of is that it was never really about the actual value of the number. It could have been a 4 or a 10 (good thing it was not 10 ^^). The important thing here is to have a clear target that is realistic.

“Achievable goals are the first step to self improvement” – JK Rowling

I would admit that having a stat info to look at every now and then can be a good motivator. However, of all of the numbers in my stat, the one thing that I truly care about is the number of post I make in a month. Racking up on the number of likes, comments and follows gave me a happy feeling especially in the beginning. But these numbers are not numbers that I should obsess about. For one, these numbers are also dependent on the quantity and quality of my post. Instead of focusing on the result of my work, I decided to concentrate on the things that I can actually control.

More post = more materials for people to read = higher possibility of more likes/ comment = more happiness 🙂 🙂

Next on my list is my commitment to the goal.

I had a particular month when I was so busy  that I didn’t even bother to check my page until the last few weeks. I think I needed two more post to meet the goal. I was not in the mood to write anything and was making lots of excuse like, “maybe I can just stick with 3 post, then I will write 7 the next month” or, ” I wrote more than 5 last months, so by the  law of averages, I’ve already met my quota.“, etc… They were not works of art but I still managed to meet my quota despite all that bargaining. That made me feel quite pleased.

All in all, this whole blogging thing had been a great way for me to unload some ideas that I would just normally keep to myself. The experience had reiterated some of the values that I already know but do not consciously practice in real life. It has also made me appreciate writing, although it didn’t care much for it before. I feel really proud and happy that I was able to write some of the stuff I wrote here and was glad of the decision to start this whole thing. I don’t know if it’s just narcissism or if other bloggers feel the same as well.

Aside from the sense of accomplishment that I get every time I click the “Publish”  button, I get this inexplicable excitement whenever I see that that notification box light up. The conversations that I’ve had with some of the people here at the WP community has been the best part of the experience for me. Conversations that I would not have thought possible, from sharing our views regarding a mythical character to cats, books, social issues, more stories about cats– I just feel so blessed to have chanced upon some of these amazing people.

For the next year my goal is to read and interact with other people more. Considering that some of the most stimulating conversations I had came from people across the country and the globe, this new goal would be a great way for me to expand my horizon and to broaden my perspective on  a lot of issues. I think 5 comments or likes per week would be a manageable goal for me. Now all I have to do is to strengthen my commitment to this goal.

Finally, I would like to thank all those who liked, commented, followed and read what I wrote here most especially to those who keep on coming back. I hope I can talk to you again soon.  ❤

Hugs and cheers,

Arianne

Fresh Eyes

You, that they no longer adore, For they say you were once serene, pristine and beautiful. But to the eyes of one who is new, Your leaves are just as green, and your skies are just as blue. Pity that they missed to see, The beauty of …

A Little Like Lovin’

Have you ever seen a sunset, Gently kiss the sea? Well, that’s a little like lovin’ Yeah, yeah it’s true. Well it’s a little like Love, love, love, A little lovin’ you. ~The Cascades —————————————————————————- I think this line from The Cascade’s song is very …

Cat-Dog-Human Connection

On some days, I sometimes feel so negative and down that I can’t bring myself to look at other people and feel cheerful.

Then I get welcomed by this scene…

Daks and Jetty: insta-friends, insta-pets 🙂

I feel so blessed knowing that I have some wonderful non-humans to share my good and bad moments. They are a constant reminder that everything will turn out alright. Just looking at them makes it so!

For more on this week’s photo challenge, click here. :3

No Banning, Irregardless!

REGARDLESS of the fact that irregardless has wormed its way into many modern dictionary, I cannot, for the life of me, stop myself from inwardly cringing when I hear this word used in a sentence. I mean, the right word is two letters less and is even one syllable short, hence it is more efficient to say it right, right? So why settle for the longer, less appropriate version?

IF you have been using the word quite regularly, and you simply disagree with my view on this very trivial matter, I wish not to offend. I would urge you to read on.

Quote · June 23, 2013July 14, 2013 · 1 Comment ·

Arianne sans M

Arianne, A History

In the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, bowler Arianne Cerdeña became the first Filipino to win gold medal in the Olympics. Although bowling was only an exhibition game in the Olympics, it has not made this achievement any less remarkable. In fact, I can still feel the excitement in my father’s voice when he explain why I was named so. 

Our conversation was not just triggered by my curiosity but also in a greater degree, my frustration in having so many person with the same name. Perhaps motivated by Cerdeña’s achievement, many girls born in the year 1989 were also given the same name by their parents.

My father pointed out that it shouldn’t really cause me any bother since I, Arianne, was after all, named after a winner. No pressure.

Spelling Dilemma

So okay. I’ve got lots of people who share the same name. No biggie. Jen, Ann, Ryan, Paul and a bunch of other people can relate to that. Considering that my name is not uncommon, it drives me nuts to find people misspelling my name quite very often. Some of them, I even consider as friends (feigns hurt expression^^). Worse, they misspell my name even if it was already explicitly indicated on the same page like in Facebook or on my email.

I smell a conspiracy to ruin my day >:|

I think one of my french teacher described it best, “Arianne sans M” referencing on another student of his named Marianne. How hard can that be?

I try not to get irritated anymore. When complete stranger e.g., barista, waitstaff get my name right, it leaves me quite pleasantly surprised. It definitely restores my faith in humankind 🙂 🙂

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For the Daily Prompt: Say My Name

Beaks on Bricks

Often, we only see things if we know what to look for. Birds are a common sighting in the place where I live but I don’t think I was able to appreciate them enough. They have always graced us with their presence while we continue to make their lives difficult. To take some time to stop and appreciate these animals is really an eye-opening experience. You get to know them a little better. I now know some yellow birds, blue ones, some with a ribbon like tail and a whole lot more (well maybe not that much^^).

Now, my photo takings skills are at the very minimum. I am just literally pointing and shooting most of the time. I was not even aware that there were birds in the picture. I only noticed them while I was looking for a good picture to fit the Weekly Photo Challenge.

I know this picture is not what you would consider as a photographic gem but finding those especially subjects “hidden” and just lurking in the background makes it a winner for me.

Season for Same Old Change

“CHANGE” have never looked so outdated

Philippines has two seasons; the wet and the dry season. But unbeknownst to most people,, we have a third and equally important season.

The Election Season.

If the rainy season brings devastating storms that ravage an entire city, and if the summer heat can bring out the worst droughts, this particular season can also bring about several losses and destruction. Election season also comes with a number of epidemics and illnesses, like the election fever which can lead to all sorts of problems such as violent tendencies in several election hot spots, grandiose delusion for some candidates and mass hysteria for their supporters.

Just like how people rebuild after a storm or how people start to revamp their wardrobe for the summer, the other thing that makes this season similar to the two conventional ones is its potential to initiate change.

Change. Change. Change.

Hmmm…Truth be told, I am very much skeptical of this concept looking at the current scenario.

Am I to expect change from a septuagenarian and an octogenarian fighting for the mayoralty seat in the country’s capital?

Is it wise for me to hope for change from the sons, daughters, cousins, and spouses of incumbent/ former politicians?

What type of change would siblings in the senate or congress bring?

Not much probably.

Us Filipinos are known for our close family ties but political dynasties are not my preferred expression of this trait.

But like any other period, I just have to brave through this particular season and endure throes of irritating political advertisements (with many of which I find intellectual insulting) and walls full of blown-up faces of these aspiring candidates.

I’m not expecting any major change nor am I about to hold my breath for it but still believe that hope is thing that we can keep.

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Written for the Weekly Photo Challenge. 😛

Writings on the Wall: Mockers and Martyrs

It’s kind of a bummer when you decide to “spend” time reading your Facebook news feed only to realize you have spent quite a substantial amount of time reading through countless posts and pictures. I think SPEND is an understatement, Waste is more appropriate. The good thing though is that I am constantly aware of that my friends are still eating decent food (they’ve got pictures to prove it) and that they are health and happy with their full set of teeth (and, yes A LOT of self-pictures can prove this). 🙂

Once in a while, a picture/ article catches my eye and flips a switch turning my mind from a passive onlooker to an over-analyzing mass of blob. Although some of them annoys me outright, I think I would favor them a little bit better than those “self-portraits”. At least my mind is also somehow stimulated. Now, I’ve got another source for a “Daily Prompt”!.

Tonight, I saw an intriguing posts from my news feed which I decided to write about.

This picture came with a long narrative but I think the general message here is that people, especially those celebrities who has mocked Jesus in public, will be punished in due time. Here is an excerpt:

John Lennon (Singer):
Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said:
‘… today we are more famous than Him’ (1966).
Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.

Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer) said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written.
In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.

Nowadays, I see a lot of similar posts which really makes my head ache. Religion is always a controversial topic. This post is not different. I respect all kinds of religion, but I must admit that I have very little patience for misleading statements and false logic. I know religion isn’t exactly the most logical thing in the world but …Mock God and you will die a painful and well-deserved death…

Huh? What?  Everyday, someone (good, bad, famous or not), meets a painful, tragic and untimely demise. It happened to saints and sinners alike. I cannot say if it was well deserved but I will be the last to judge. What I do know is that these types of fallacious statements are often very moving and effective. I just hope people would not be too quick to jump into such propaganda.

Do you believe that Jesus is Holy and His name should be Glorified and not Mocked?
If you believe in him, Click write Amen!

They even add this note in the very end. Not sure if liking, sharing or commenting on these types of post will earn me some bonus points with the Big Guy up there. I think I’ll take my chances and skip this bit.

Blasphemy is not a thing to be taken lightly, but I often wonder if God would count such post as something blasphemous as well since the argument used sounds awfully twisted and even somewhat cruel. For selfish reasons, I pray and hope that the God I believe in is a just and merciful one.

Ho hum.

Mother Likes them in Multicolor

I am not too fond of taking photos of subjects with lots of colors because somehow my lack of photo taking skill is more exposed when I am doing so. I often find the pictures chaotic and disorganized, like it is all over the place. Looking at the previous photos that I took, I noticed that those with colorful background and images were taken with my mother or at her request. Here are two of my favorites.

Cool kids, coolest mom 🙂

As we were having out morning stroll in the park, we saw several school kids participating on a street dance of sort. But instead of performing hip-hop or freestyle, they were actually performing some folk dance in full costume. I encouraged my mother to have her photo taken. The kids were so game! I really love this picture.

Flowers in bloom at Baguio

My mother just loves having her picture taken with beautiful flowers in the background. I had a lot of pictures of her with several flowery backgrounds when we went to Baguio. I think the flowers really felt like they were some sort of celebrity. 🙂

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More colorful pictures here, Enjoy!

Albert is on my Side

This line by THE Albert Einstein is one that I often use to justify the chaos that happens in my work area. Shameless, I know. But the truth is, a pile of unsorted objects and other things does NOT bother me that much. I know some people go OC over these things; but not really for me. On several occasion, both in college and at work, I have been told to have some obsessive compulsive behavior. I am not in denial or anything but a quick peek at my work desk will prove them wrong.  I do recognize that I have a potential to be one. I love the process of re-organizing my things BUT I rarely do this because I know it will take me forever to do so since it may involve (but not limited to) dusting the files, color coding them, putting printed labels on each one, rearranging the file boxes, cleaning and other time-consuming activities. I guess that is where the OC label can come in.

As for the clutter on my desk, of course I would love to keep it clean and organized. However, I have observed that the degree of mess in my work place gradual escalates without me even noticing it. Although that would just confirm my theory that my mind can resemble something like a yummy garden salad, I think it just proves that the way we organize physical things in our environment reflects how our mind processes ideas and things.

I have seen some character on TV before who cannot function if you de-clutter his work place. I, on the other hand, would love to keep it as neat as possible. I even wrote myself a reminder on my cork board to DE-CLUTTER even hour or so. Unfortunately, I often miss the note because of all those mess 🙂

As for cleaning up, I try not to get too absorbed with that activity especially at home. My mother already knows how”lost” I can get if she lets me “re-organize” our bookshelf  so she no longer asks me to do that for her. I usually end up wasting most of the afternoon  re-reading tiny notes, books other objects I find on the pile of things to organize.

For my tiny office space, I always clean up before I go so there is really little chance for the mess to pile up.

My computer files though would be a different story all together. 🙂

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For more on this topic, click here.

I can’t believe that my last to two posts are all related to work. I guess that means I’m ready to welcome Monday. I hope you guys are too!

A Slice of My Weekday

On a typical week, 5 of those days are spent primarily with work, Saturdays are for graduate school and Sundays, if my workload will allow me, is my day to relax.

I don’t really have much photos to show for my Sundays because I tend to just let the time roll.  With numerous weekdays in between, it just so happen that I took more pictures of my weekdays. They might not always be fun, but they sure are colorful.

This is the train that I take each day to go to work.

Coffee?

Or tea?

Capturing chaos

Leisurely stroll…at 12noon!! Thank God for the Trees!

Chaos part 2

…hoping to catch the train so I can go home early 🙂

Missed the train so I will need to wait 30min or more. At least the view is OK.

I’ve seen a lot more interesting photos from the other Photo Challenge entries, like HLUPU’s post with lots of photos with her cat (would love to spend more time with mine!) or Bams’ gallery of photos from traditional Jakarta.

Do check them out 🙂

 

 

 

If I were a Boy…

I am a girl. I have been since I can remember…and the last time I checked 🙂 . I thought it would be best to get that out-of-the-way. I love being one. A girl, I mean. It is also one of the clear reasons why I am thankful to be born in the Philippines. Looking at my country’s status through the Millennium Development Goals,  the attainment of Goal # 3 (Promote  Gender Equality and Empower Women) is one that we can be proud of.

From the news of teenage girls getting shot at by the Taliban, to the age old tradition of widow burning, I truly believe that misogyny is deeply embedded into human culture. This, I believe, is evident in religion, politics and other major social institution. Starting with the physiologic difference between a man and a woman, the dividing line seems to go on forever. Even in a country such as ours, I often feel that the sex that I was born in can be a disadvantage.

classic gender switcheroo on anime

I have often pondered what it would be like to be a boy for one day or to even be born as one in another life. Not that I fancy being one, but I think it would be quite a ride to know how much difference I can make. Not much probably. I don’t think it will turn the entire world upside down.

I may try doing some of the things I couldn’t such as walk around shirtless (how liberating that would be! Haha!) or pee standing up. I think statistically, I have a better shot at getting a better job or better position as a man.  But over all, I guess I would just stick to the simple things, like giving my seat to an older lady, or avoid dishing out some indecent stares, or pay enough attention to my significant other. I would also speak out against women violence and abuse. I will spend more time listening instead of just doing the thing that I think should be done. I would also make an effort to clean up after myself.

Without any intention to picture all men as rude, insensitive and useless,  I just feel that with all the perceived “power” that has been given to the male race, they can actually do more for the women and for the world. With great power comes with great possibility, right?

I am not trying to make my sex look like a victim. We have time and time again proven otherwise^^. However, I was quite struck by the impact of male participation in causes concerning women. I have once seen a moving ad for breast cancer advocacy. This one featured a father although out the scene. The same goes for campaign ad featuring men against violence…with Daniel Craig no less!

It left quite an impression because I felt that it is no longer just a problem of the half of the population. I think this is true for most advocacy, may it be on sexual abuse, voting rights, work place equality and others. For most cases there is an actual burden shared by all.  Because despite the long list of difference between the male and female species, we may, in essence, just be the same.

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Next Page: Siam, Here I Come!

For some reason my calendar is full of things-to-do with unmet deadlines. I really wanted to make 2012 as the year for me to travel but it didn’t really work out. I was not really disappointed or anything because I figured that if it is to happen, it will in good time.

November of last year, Cebu Pacific had a P7 seat sale for all international flights. At that time, I had my eyes on Cambodia as my first overseas destination. But that didn’t also work out. I was quite disappointed because I know it was probably the cheapest that the price would go for that specific travel period. After some discussion, my friend and I decided that if we ever come across another seat sale, we would no longer hesitate to book a flight. She further suggested that a trip to Thailand is much easier for first time travelers like us.

As for this book, I saw this guidebook in Booksale on the first of January and it only sold for P65! That particular bookstore has often had travel and language books for France, Hawaii and other destinations but it is the first time for me to see one for a South East Asian country.

I thought to myself, “If this is not a sign, then I don’t know what is”. I immediately bought the copy, took a picture of it and posted it on Instagram.

Then, after 8 days, another seat sale was offered. It was not as cheap as the one we saw before but somehow, I realized that one of the reason it has a taken me this long to go out and travel is the fact that I am always looking out for that “perfect time”. So after consulting my travel buddy, I closed my eyes and clicked my way to Siam!

It’s amazing how this book has become some sort of a good premonition for me us. I’m not sure if the law of attraction was in the works or the universe is conspiring for me to be where I should be in a few months time. Although, I figured my own decision and willingness to take the plunge also had much to do with it. Either way, I am really happy 🙂

In less than 40 days, I will be in Bangkok and out of my usual comfortable nest. Although it’s only for four days, I can’t describe how excited I am at the prospect of having this particular adventure. I haven’t really finalized our itinerary for travel but reading about it in Travel Advisor and other travel blogs has been an exciting experience on its own.  I surely look forward to writing about my first overseas adventure^^

I recently had a conversation with one of my professors about travel and he left me this quote from St. Thomas Aquinas,

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

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For more photo entry for this week’s Photo Challenge, click here.

Force of Nature

Taken on October 2, 2011 at the Manila Bay after the Typhoon Pedring

For some foreign tourists who spend their summer in one of the lovely beaches in the Philippines, the tropical weather is a great departure from the usual dreary weather that they find back home. But as Sunshine Corazon once pointed out, it’s always sunny in the Philippines…“except during the rainy season 🙂“.

There’s nothing quite like a stroll along the bay side after a nasty storm. Years before, we decided to walk around the same area after typhoon Milenyo. It was quite incredible to see decades-old coconut trees laying down the pathways. I thought that typhoon was particularly strong since it was able to tear down those seemingly invincible trees.

Looking at the picture above, I think “strong” is an understatement if I were to describe Typhoon Pedring. The area was not just damaged, it was demolished. Several parts of the sea wall were nonexistent. All kinds of garbage were mixed in the rubble. It was as fi someone took Thor’s hammer and started smashing it on the baywalk. The sight was just incredible.

Being on the receiving end of nature’s wrath, I hope the way we respond to these disasters improve continuously. Each calamity is a learning opportunity. Manila Bay has now been restored but it took more than a year to do so. However, I don’t think this scenario is just a one time thing. Nature has a way of proving us wrong at the most inopportune time. Sometimes all we can do is to react and prepare as much as we can to avoid loss of life and to decrease damage to property and infrastructure.

Where nature is concerned, preparation is our best tool in moving forward.

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Click here for similar post for this week’s Photo Challenge