Halloween Travel List

Since I'm not over Halloween yet (hey, there's still Old Halloween on November 6), let me share with you my Halloween travel list. These are places I would love to go to during Halloween, just to soak up the culture and the atmosphere:

Salem, MA

the Hawthorne Hotel Oct. 31, 2014 Newsletter

How could I not include this? In Salem, MA,

Happy Halloween!

It's been a while on this blog. It's good to be back.

It's November 1 here in the Philippines, so many people in the cemeteries, so many people travelling to the provinces.

Aside from the customary cemetery visit, let me share with you my "traditions" during Halloween (some of them are so new I've only started doing them this year. *laughs*):

Watch Halloween Movies
Ah, my childhood. Every Halloween (my favorite holiday even against Christmas), I make it a point to watch at least one movie I've watched during childhood. I watched two this year:

 

The Halloween Tree: my absolute favorite! Halloween for me is this movie. Read the book, as well, for the full effect ;)

Crystals and Focus

I mentioned before how I always wear my Onyx ring. It symbolizes calmness, strength, and steadfastness, and it helps me have something to focus on when I need it.

I have other crystals I use for focus, meditation, or just something to hold on to when I need it:

From upper left clockwise: Citrine; Blue Lace Agate; Clear Quartz; Amethyst; Black Onyx

Citrine. A yellow stone, this is like the sun. Aside from being a stone of wealth, it's a "happy" stone, warm and uplifting like the rays of the sun. It does not require cleansing and could be used to uplift one's mood.

Comfort Jewelry

You know those jewelry pieces that you just have to wear otherwise you feel like there's something missing, like you're not prepared to face the day? That's how I feel when I don't have these with me. I wear these everyday. These are my comfort jewelry:

Saint Benedict Stainless Steel Necklace. Well, the pendant is stainless steel and the chain is sterling silver. Both are fantastic as they don't tarnish even in water. That's why I NEVER take this off, not even in the shower. When I'm not wearing this, I feel vulnerable, like there's an important thing I forgot to bring.

Pining for the Sand

With all this rain, I'm lemming for the beach. It's the -ber months, I know, but summer isn't far off (ish...).

The picturesque cove above is Twin Rocks Resort in Virac, Catanduanes (my mom's hometown :D ). Definitely check it out and add it to your to-visit list.

P.S. Fun fact: During the day, when the sun is high, the waters go into low-tide mode and recedes from the shore. Then you can walk where the water once was! Super fun.

Health Heroes: Items to Keep Healthy and Fit

Remember my post yesterday about me being out of shape? Well, I'm really serious about getting back into shape. So here are some of the things I'm currently using (or would like to use :P ) to keep healthy:

FitFlop sandals / A1000 Bloch Studio Yoga Mat / UP by Jawbone Fitness Wristband in Assorted Sizes Onyx / 

Tiny Tea Teatox (28 day) / Tiny Tea Teatox (28 day)

Seven App. I featured this in my What's in my iPhone post. It's basically and exercise app that guides you through a 7-minute (or more, if you want) exercise every day. It goes from light to heavy and levels can be unlocked as long as you stick to your schedule and keep exercising every day.

Muscle Pains, Keeping Fit, and Yakult

Good God, my leg hurts. I was in PE class yesterday and we had these steps (it's a dance class) where you squat really low on the ground (the dance was tango, FYI) and support your entire weight on one leg. It seemed fine until the next day (today); my leg HURTS. The muscles are sore and I have a hard time going up stairs or flexing my leg to take my weight. 

This made me realize how out of shape I am. Before, I could go through one hour sessions of intense workouts and have minimal muscle pain the next day. Now, I can't even perform a simple dance step without being in pain the next morning. 

It's quite hard to be fit in college with all the stress and exams and lack of funds. But I think it could be done. A very simple way to do so (especially in UPD) is to walk instead of ride. The campus is large and, if time permits between classes or early morning or after classes, go a turn round the Acad oval. It's a relatively easy way to get your body moving. 

You can also stretch from time to time, especially if you sit all day. Just some simple reaching out of legs and arms could do wonders. A jumping jack is also advisable for some easy, simple heart-pumping action. 

It's also very important to eat well. Today I drank Yakult. It's not much but it's something. I'm gunning for one of those cleansing teas in the near future but right now, the tried and tested Yakult will do. 

However you want to do it, keeping fit is important. Now excuse me as I nurse my sore leg. 

This is not a sponsored post. 

What's in my iPhone

The iPhone is one of the best things that happened to me this year. I use it a lot for college.

Here are the apps in my iPhone:

The apps are mainly divided into 12 categories. This makes it easier for me to search for an app and it makes the whole interface clean (thus saving my sanity).

The four at the bottom are the most used apps for communication, with the Settings for easy access to cellular data, and the Camera for daily snapshots of life and college readings.

Had flashcards ready, but nothing beats good ol’ legal pad. Apparently, I study better on a pink one with red ink. #weird Whatever works for you, go with it. || #studytips #college #collegetips #ss

Scheduling Tips

I mentioned here and here that I have a schedule and I use a planner for organization. Even with those, it’s not that easy to set an efficient schedule, especially with all the things going on.

So here are my three tips to organize effectively in college:

1. Prioritize. Answer these questions: Are all your tasks worth doing? What is the goal accomplished by a task? Is that goal immediately important?

Weekly Wrap-up: August 11-17, 2014

So the second week of school is done. Has it only been the second week? I feel like the semester’s already in full gear.

This week, I wasn’t as focused as I wanted to be. I had a plan that I’d devot 100% on my schoolwork from Tuesday to Friday (my school days), with homework days on Saturdays and Mondays. I’d only take a break and have “me” time on Sundays. Harsh schedule, I know, but necessary with all the course load and my OC-ness. I might give myself some slack later, we’ll see.

Back to School 2014

The first week of school has ended (more like first two days) after a loooong break. Enrollment was pretty stressful for me. True, I finished mine in three hours, but in those three hours, I was on a roller coaster of emotion;