Thursday Thought Bubbles

A month ago, to my horror, I broke one of our Canon lens. It was just the 18-55mm kit lens but it was one of my favorite and trustworthy lens and one that I used mostly for blogging.

Two weeks ago, we found out that our other lens was causing our DSLRs to crash. I don't know how or what to call it. Simply put, every time we use our 28-135mm lens to both of our DSLRs, it makes an error, making the body of the camera turn off and dysfunctional. We've been using the 28-135mm lens together with the 30D but since the 18-55mm broke, we used it with the 400D as well. Whenever the 30D crashes before, we thought there was a problem with the body of the camera. However, when we used the 28-135mm lens with the 400D, it crashed as well. So that's when we discoved that there's nothing wrong with our 30D...it is most probably the 28-13mm lens.

As if fate is playing a game on me, this all happened towards my Husband's birthday. Since we don't have a proper point and shoot camera, I cannot let it happen that we don't have a good camera on his 30th birthday. And yes, as OA as I may seem, I cannot live without a DSLR these days. We still have our telephoto lens and the 50mm lens, however, having no other lens used for shoots and events, patay ang negosyo hehe. So I had to order new lens this week.

Thursday Thought Bubbles (sharing with you some of my thoughts throughout the day)

8:03am
morning tea number 1: half a slice of margherita pizza from Baker's Delight.

8:55am
wow, too early for my package to arrive. it's not even 9:00am.
not expecting the package til after lunch time.
they (the online store) are really good. will buy from them again.
must call husband to tell the good news.

9:01am
voila! my new baby wrapped in styrofoam wonderland.

9:49am
i wanna go home. i wanna go home. i wanna go home.
i wanna go home and play with my new toy.
i'm so excited, it's been a loooong time since i've bought a new gadget.

10:00am
green tea time. cup no. 1 starts now.

11:14am
i really wanna go home. now na.
green tea cup no. 2.
must eat the other half of my margherita pizza.
need nourishment.

11:25am
email received that a former "workmate" is going back to the office after resigning for two weeks.
what the hell just happened??? freaking unbelievable.
according to the email, he deferred his resignation and will be back next week.
naloka kaming lahat kasi mega-organize kami ng going away party and gift niya
at mega-dalamhati kami tapos ngayon babalik siya. isang malaking kalokohan.
not that we don't want him back, not that we can turn back time.
it's just unbelievable.

1:12pm
i forgot about lunch again!
second time this week.

1:40pm
my wormate just gave me this heart-shaped stress ball.
baka sa inis ko sa trainees ko, instead of just squeezing the stress ball in my hand,
i might throw the ball at them. god help me.
don't get me wrong, i love what i do but once in a while they really get on my nerves.

2:30pm
yay! an hour and a half before dismissal time (parang school hehe).

3:47pm
Ayoko na magtrabaho!!!!! I really just wanna go home.

3:50pm
Will go home in 10 minutes. :) :)

4:33pm
ngek! nandito pa rin ako sa office.
will really go home now.

Presenting our new baby: Canon 17-85mm IS USM Lens

I can now shoot as far as this...

and as near as this...

Photos taken from our balcony, us being on the 3rd floor of the building.

Affirmation: Live in the Moment and Enjoy Being

I will

live in

the moment

and enjoy being.

photo from vulcan75

Tips on How to Enjoy "Being":

(these are advices I give myself whenever I forget to just enjoy my here and now. I hope these will help you too)

Be always in the present. Wherever you are and whatever circumstance you are in, enjoy it, savor it...cherish it.

Count your blessings. While it is okay to dream or want something in life, it is never healthy to obsess too much for things you know you can't have at the moment.

Be grateful for your NOW. Remember two things: (1) Each moment passes by quickly--it may be over before your know it and (2) your next moment may not be as great or as happy, so live each moment as if it's the best moment of your life.

Keep in mind that challenges are a part of life and that it is meant to teach a lesson. Embrace it the way you cherish your joys in life and always find the lesson each challenge conveys.

Never take shortcuts. An unhappy moment is part of life and the only way to live fully is to manage feelings such as fear, grief, frustration, disappointments, etc. Give yourself time to heal. Cry and wallow if you must, but don't be a slave to your unhappiness. Being able to rise up and learn from an unhappy moment is a sign of growth (take note: there must be LEARNING as without it, growth will be futile).

I've shared this before and I will share it once again.

"My concept of 'Being' means embracing whatever life brings you...it may be joy, sorrow, pain, hardships---the key is to cherish it (even if its painful) and learn from it. We honor our joy, we might as well honor our pain too. Life is so much sweeter when you know you're able to go thru happy or sad moments with no shortcuts."

- an ibyangism i learned when i moved in Sydney and found out that life is more beautiful when you have gone thru cherished tears

Here's wishing everyone a happy week ahead!

Everything May Change But True Friendships Last

One happy Friday night with my girls Hilda, Ara and Chloe as we met up after work for coffee and dinner.

One realization that night: my, how we have grown!!!!

Used to be that we talk of boyfriends, past relationships, work, fashion and any other thing that single ladies talk under the sun.

Nowadays, we have moved on to talking of our love for our partners in life, managing a home, sharing recipes, insurances, travels & get togethers that involves family and sometimes, we even talk about our health and appointments with doctors.

Yes, we are getting old (hehe). But it's amazing that we've been in a journey together for a long time now...as friends and as sisters. And it's awesome to look back that during our younger days, we were there for each other...and now with the many changes in our lives, we are together still.

In a woman's life, a lot of things may change---careers, dreams and even one's partner/husband (yes, pwedeng mapalitan ang asawa hehe)...but it's very possible that TRUE FRIENDS will remain constant.

For more photos of our dinner and coffee date, click here.

Cheesecake on a Chocolate Brownie Base

If you're wanting to satisfy your craving for cheesecake and chocolate, I recommend you try Grandma Max's Cheesecake at Max Brenner. This is not your usual creamy and rich cheesecake. It is baked cheesecake slice on a chocolate brownie base.

An order of a slice comes with a siding of fresh strawberries and melted Max Brenner chocolate so you can dip your cheesecake in. Even if this not your usual cheesecake, it is still oozing with richness and comes with a punch of chocolate heaven in your mouth.

This is also a great companion to Max Brenner's Hot White Chocolate.