MyTheme Online Photo Editor

I came across this online photo editor, which is very handy for someone who finds Adobe Photoshop quite complicated to use -- http://www.blibs.com/editor/. Below are what I was able to come-up with using this online tool and some of my old photos:

= Batangas Tali Beach 2008 =

= Singapore Downtown East Mall 2008 =

I'll post more of these stuff if and when I am able to come-up with more. Good night for now! *yawn*

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Today is The Best Day of My Life

My "Words of Inspiration" video (see upper right section of this blog / right below the banner) linked me to this "The Secret" motivational clip. I think that watching it could actually help you start the day right, so here it goes --

NOTE: "The Secret" is a book, written by Rhonda Byrne, discussing the law of attraction and the power of positive thinking.

Have a great day everyone! And remember, always think happy thoughts! :)

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Thankful!

I think that the best way for me to start the New Year is (1) to be thankful for what 2008 has blessed me with and (2) to look forward to 2009 with so much faith and enthusiasm for the good things to come.

The past year has been a year of milestones for me and I must say, despite the huge roadblocks along the way, I still have so much to be thankful for.

• I’m thankful for the opportunity to work here in Singapore. My first six months have been very challenging, from adjusting to a totally new environment – to overcoming the learning curve related to my new job – to getting through being really, really homesick – to struggling to stay employed because of the global recession – to setting-up and starting a new life away from home. It really was “sink or swim” for me. Considering how easy life was for me back home, going through these things all at the same time really forced me to toughen-up. For that alone, I am thankful because we all need to do some growing-up sometime. It just so happened that the last quarter of 2008 was my turn to do that.
• I’m thankful for Erwin’s coming to Singapore. I sure know, it took a lot for him to do that. People from our previous company were quite surprised of him choosing Singapore over a Chicago onshore assignment. Not only that, he also gave-up law school. Given everything that he has given-up, I can only hope and pray for us to one day, look back and say that this Singapore decision is one of the best decisions we have ever made. It’s too early to tell what exactly is waiting for us here, but one thing is for sure, this change has made our relationship stronger and better than ever. For that alone, I am still very thankful.
• I’m thankful for the new friends/people in my life. Adjusting to a new environment would have been a lot tougher if not for the company of some new friends. It was so much easier for me to blend-in to my team because two of my teammates were Filipinos – Elyse and Almin. Coordination between my team and another project’s team was also not difficult because the other team’s lead developer was also a Filipino – Ate Loi. I’ve also met a couple of new lunch and coffee buddies – Maytee (Filipino) and Banya (Indian). I may somewhat be unlucky with some things in life, but meeting friends is definitely something that I’ve just always been lucky with. I am, again, thankful.
• I’m thankful for my old friends. It just means so much to me that my old friends are still there for me. An email, sms, or a Friendster note from them really makes my day. Given that Singapore is just something temporary, it’s good to know that home will still be home when I go back because I know that my old friends are still there and I still have people to come home to.
• I’m thankful for my family. Despite the distance, my family is still my primary source of strength and inspiration. It is still their words of encouragement and so much faith in me that help me made it through the tough times. I appreciate how they have always supported my every decision in life and how they never pressured me to do anything or to be anything. I will forever be thankful to them as I am the free-spirited person that I am today all because of them.

There are probably a hundred more things to be thankful of for the past year. These are, more or less, just the major ones. As for 2009 – I am, as always, just optimistically looking forward to the best things that life can offer.

Have a great 2009 y’all! All the best this year and always! And to all those who have shared their 2008 with me, THANK YOU! I am surely looking forward to more years of friendship and companionship with you! :)

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Reminders

BE STRONG. Trust that God will never give you anything that you cannot bear. Believe that you are never alone in fighting your battles. Your family is always behind you. If you ever fall, they will surely be there to catch you. They have your back. Draw your strength from the people who have so much love and faith in you. Keep in mind that whatever it is that won’t kill you will only make you stronger. Someday you will look back and you will realize that you’ve fought a good fight and you’ve survived, bruised maybe, but definitely better and stronger than ever.

STAY POSITIVE. Do not dwell on the negatives. Forget about the things that you did not get and the people who did not care. Life is not about what you don’t have. Embrace and nurture your blessings. Realize that you have the power to make things right. Be courageous in pursuing your dreams. See each “good bye” as an opportunity to say “hello.” It has become a cliché, but only because it is true – there will always be a sunshine after the rain. Have a cheerful disposition. Things will be better and life will always go on.

BE STRONG. STAY POSITIVE. LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT.

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Gio's Home Videos

I scanned through my laptop's folders and found these home videos of my five year old nephew. They're quite fun to watch, so I thought I'd post them here --

Presenting Gio... The Poet!


Presenting Gio... The Singer!


Presenting Gio... The Carwash Boy!

Isn't it amazing how children are just so full of pleasant surprises? They never fail to effortlessly brighten-up someone's day.

Good thing we can always stay young... at HEART. ;)

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