Itās been almost aĀ year and a half since my āhiatusā post. It appears that the hibernation took longer than I had planned. -_- Obviously, thecuriousme.com needs a lot of love and some updatingā¦. š¦
2009⦠Frequent chest pains due to work related stress and getting hooked to games on Facebook (farmville and cafe world) prompted me to set up my blog site. In my point of view, blogging is a good way to vent out as well as inspire people. š It is a form of diversion that yields to a more productive result. Itās a lot better than playing online games. š
ring bind
hardbound
I used blog2print to turn my blog into a book.Ā Editing and proofreading took months! From 2010-2013, I have written over 200 posts and compiled it all into two blog books that have over 200 pages in each book. š Isnāt that amazing? Whoa! I felt like I won the lottery! I gave the first copy to my family in the Philippines and printed another copy for myself.
Several friends expressed their interest in getting a copy too; however, the printing cost is super expensive. -_- Iām still looking for a more affordable printing company. Please give me a shout (info.thecuriousme@gmail.com) if you know someone⦠:p
Third blog book is in progress⦠No candy crush for me! š See you later⦠alligator! š
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See Related AshRald articles: birth Sasa & Gege
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Soā¦
I just want to let the whole world to know that Iām now an official AshRald member!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Iām on number 585. (Note: I understand Iāve been a member for more than a month now. No, this is not a delayed reaction⦠itās a delayed upload! Arghhh!!!! My apologies my beloved AshRalds, itās been really crazy for the past few weeks. )
My social media identity:
Twitter Handle: krungkrung4u
PEX Account: Ā Ā Ā krungkrung4u *** Note: It’s my first time to be in a forum and I’m still working my way in the PinoyExchange (PEX) portal. Please bear with me. I’ll do my best to be active the soonest. š
Alternate Email: info.thecuriousme@gmail.com Facebook: email me if you want me to add you on my FaceBook. š
Itās absolutely insane because Iām too old for this and Iām not really into this kind of things. I do read celebrity articles but Iām not an avid fan of anyone until Sasa and Gege (a.k.a. AshRald) became one and even sang āBack at Oneā. Ha! That sounded like a poem.
Sasa & Gege
Allow me to get this off my chest:
I so love Sasa and Gege and the whole AshRald group!!!
Whoa! The extremely powerful energetic waves that are transmitted is so contagious even if we are all thousand miles apart. Letās live up to the AshRald name! Be classy, chic, and open-minded. We all know that bashing is for barbarians, right? Ā Letās continue to spread love and āultramagnetic AshRaldā super duper mega over positive vibes.
AshRald “family”
Below are the AshRald WattPad stories that I religiously follow: Slowly But Surely by borntoshare (Wendelyn Dianne)
*** That creative mind of yours is really amazing! Keep the stories going! š
*** Thank you for being one of my twitter friends now. š
Never Gonna Let You Go by Kate Joaquin
*** You’re an excellent writer. I understand sometimes it’s difficult to do self motivation. I also get lazy in updating my blog. LOL One thing that keeps me going are the readers. š
*** I hope we can also be friends on twitter. š
What Love Is by JecaMarieGeli
*** Did you know that I’m not fond of Enchong Dee but because of your story, I’m beginning to like him. Ha! You are indeed a powerful and “moving” writer.
*** I hope we can also be friends on twitter. š
AshRald Fan Fiction by MakaAshRaldAko
*** waiting for update š
AshRald FanFic: My Ideal Man by TheSuperBatgirl
*** waiting for update š
Fallin’ (Short Story) AshRald Productions by KateJoaquin
*** I hope it becomes a “long” story. š
I havenāt read the English stories⦠for some reason, I prefer reading the AshRald Tagalog WattPad stories. Whatās wrong with me? Maybe the twitterpated (ākiligā) factor is more intense if itās in Tagalog? Ā Not to worry, when I get the hang of it, Iāll start reading the AshRald English WattPad stories.
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Just thinking out loud⦠maybe we can set a schedule and have a worldwide AshRald Connection day eh? I prefer to call it AshRald Connection because in my point of view, we are not just supporters, we are family… connected because of AshRald. Does it make sense? š
How? 1. Set a time and day (in which both Sasa and Gege are free)
*** We may be on different time zones but we need to consider their busy schedule š
2. Lay out a program / games / Q&A wherein AshRald and AshRaldTOS can participate (which also includes the Popstar Power Couple)
3. Send an email blast to all AshRald and AshRaldTOS members regarding this momentous event and consolidate who can make it and those who canāt.
4. AshRald Philippines will gather in one place together with Sasa and Gege
AshRaldTOS will figure out how to meet up in one location per country. If it’s not possible we have to content ourselves in the comfort of our homes and make full use of the power of technology. š
5. AshRald Philippines and AshRald TOS will all gather via Skype or FaceTime whichever is more appropriate.
It would be great if a committee will be formed to organize this event. I know it’s a crazy idea but we’ll never know. Miracles do happen. š
Thoughts anyone? š
P.S. My heartfelt thanks to the following: Nicole (@gabriella0225) – for helping me out in the AshRald application
Wendy (@wendelyndianne) – for mentioning my blogsite on twitter and most of all for continuously writing the ever inspiring “Slowly But Surelyā fan fiction. You rock! š
AshRald President Ro (@RoroRoar22) – for starting up the AshRald community and for being so accommodating with newbies like me.
Kate (@imissshockends) – for being so kind enough and incredibly patient in answering my silly questions.
kalabaw moo (@kalabaw_moo) – for being so bubbly and friendly.
Abby(@AbbyDenniel) – for being my new twitter friend.
@AshRald and @AshRaldTOS for the warm welcome.
And to all AshRalds who followed me on twitter even if I hibernated for quite sometime… I will make sure that I follow you back. Let me know if I’ve unintentionally missed anyone. š
Iām really going bonkers! Out of the blue (whether Iām on the street walking or in the work place or wherever), I would ābelt outā the theme songs of their two (2) movie-team up, I wonāt last a day without you and Fallinā. And of course, its out of tune! :p
Catch Me I’m In Love (“Fallin'”)
Won’t Last a Day Without You
Their love team & courtship stage is sending followers all over the world in frenzy! An āoldā lady like me can even feel a shiver down my spine just by watching them (even if they are just looking at each other!). Their love story is absolutely an epic!
click image to view the video
click image to view the video
***Note: If you can’t understand Tagalog, just watch their actions. š
Sarah, being a true blue Filipina (in all ways), is definitely a rare gem! Her preference for her suitors to woo her parents first makes her a Ā total knock out! Ā Considering that Gege (a Filipino ā American) grew up in the U.S.A., itās fascinating to see how he abides to Sarahās wish and follow the Filipino old-fashioned way of courtship. Also, heās all out in shouting to the world how much he cares for Sasa, protecting her and makes time to be with her even if his schedule is so hectic!Ā Whew! Weaklings canāt do that right M.A. and T.W.? :p
click image to view the video
*** Note: If you can’t understand Tagalog, just watch their actions. š
Whether we admit it or not, we all dream of this kind of courtship and relationship. By watching Sasa and Gegeās friendship transform into something special makes us realize that dreams do come true. I guess, thatās the reason why a lot of people (young and old) are drawn to their blossoming relationship and magical moments. Aside from giving an automatic smile on our face, it certainly gives hope and inspiration to all of us. Ā Ā Agree?
Gege visiting Sasa in her TV Commercial shoot
By respecting their privacy to date freely will definitely ease up the pressure that they are receiving right now. Like what the Popsters, Ashralds, and other Sasa & Gegeās supporters always say, the best way to help them is to work hand in hand in praying for their relationship to last a lifetime. They deserve it! Letās unite in spreading positive vibes!
Now, while patiently waiting for the next chapter of their love story⦠Iāll continue reading Kate Joaquinās āNever Gonna Let You Go ā AshRald Fan Fictionā and BornToShareās (Does anyone know BornToShareās real name?) āSlowly But Surely ā AshRald Fan Fictionā. āAshRald Fan Fictionsā are Ā an ongoing imaginary tale about Sasa & Gege.
Click the image to read the Never Gonna Let You Go – AshRald Fan Fiction
*** Note: I havenāt met Kate yet but I saw her āscriptā via Facebook. Sheās a 17-year old fan of Sasa & Gege. And she has the making of an excellent writer! Whoa! I suggest you check it out. Keep it up Kate!Ā š Ā
Click the image to read the “Slowly But Surely – AshRald Fan Fiction”
*** Note:I just discovered the Slowly But Surely – AshRald Fan Fiction! Ā Please give me a buzz if you know the writer’s name so that I can post it on my blog. š I’m so excited to start reading it. I’m sure it’s as awesome as Never Gonna Let You Go. Wheeey! Ā Way to go BornToShare! š
***Update: I’ve read Slowly But Surely and I admit… I cried!!!!!!!!!! OMG! Wendelyn Dianne (@wendelyndianne) Ā is such a passionate writer! You betcha! Finally, after researching her name for ages, I found it! Thanks to Kate (@imisshockends) for ending my “agony”. š I’m just so happy because they are also now my twitter friends. I love AshRald and AshRaldTOS! šĀ
P.S.Ā OMG, did I just sound like a PR Manager for Sasa & Gege?
August.
Itās the first day of the month and the last day of the long weekend. At first, I thought it would be boring and uneventful but I was wrong! Ha!
The following were the major activities that kept me busy within that three days: Movie Time
I watched The HangOver II and The Social Network. Iāve been planning to watch these movies for the longest time but itās either I was too busy or too lazy. Iām glad I was able to do it this weekend. Ā If you havenāt watched it, I highly recommend that you check it out. I had a blast watching the two movies.
HangOver Part II
The Hangover II is a good stress reliever and The Social Network is a very informative movie. It tackled the origin of Facebook and the hurdles that the founders went through.
the social network
Driving Practice
I was able to practice driving for three consecutive days! Thanks to Kuya Derek, my cousinās husband, for patiently accompanying me and for giving me pointers in order to polish my driving skill. Ā And also, Iām truly grateful to my cousin Lorna for scheduling the driving practice.
the car
My driving was a bit rusty last Saturday because of the few days that I did not drive. Nonetheless, I was able to catch up with the aid of the helpful tips that Kuya Derek shared. I have a long way to go and Iām doing my best to take it one practice at a time so as to not stress myself.
The good news is⦠ I made a great improvement on the following:
control of the steering wheel
backing up
parallel parking
road merging
left and right turn
understanding the rules of the road
Itās a great relief because I can now calm myself and not be too intimidated with the other Ā vehicles.
Packing & Household Chores
Packing my stuff and doing household chores were the clincher of the long weekend. Iām moving my things to my new dig by the end of this month.
James is my 6-year old adorable and quickwitted nephew who taught me how to play beyblade, Wii, and Xbox. He also wanted to teach me how to play Bakugan but I kept giving excuses. :p
james & pinky
In any case, below are some of his cute funny moments:
Credit Card James: Mom, can I borrow your credit card? Mom: Why James? What do you need it for? James: I want to buy toys for free. Mom: What do you mean for free? James: Because if you use a credit card, you donāt spend money. You just swipe the card! You should use it more often Mom.
Can you believe it? He already had that concept at such a young age. omg! Note: It was later on explained to him that the credit card is paid through the bank.
Phone James: Hey Tita, why are you always using your phone? Tita (TheCuriousMe): Because youāre always using my laptop James. Iām using my phone to surf the internet, chat, browse facebook, listen to music, watch videos, and write articles for my site. James: Is it a phone laptop? Me (TheCuriousMe): Yes James.
James stopped talking and was in deep thought for a moment. Then he suddenly grab his Nintendo DS and dash off to the bathroom. Maybe to internalize how āphone laptopā works. Iām sure he will figure it out when heās few years older.
School Me: James, will you be in Grade 5 next school year? James: No, I will be in Grade 2. (Note: Heās currently in Grade 1.)
Me: How come? Canāt you choose? What if you want to be in Grade 6? James: That canāt be. I need to pass through grade by grade. (Note: His expression is really serious and he sounds like we are discussing a very crucial topic)
I just smiled.Ā Another lesson from James eh? To sum it up, we can never climb Mount Everest in just one day. We can never move a mountain with one push. Thereās no shortcut. It should be taken one step at a time. Aja!
Moreover, one thing that he canāt live without is Pinky! Itās a pink stuff toy that was bought before he was born. His Mom thought she will give birth to a baby girl but it turned out that itās a boy! Sans James and Pinky are like twins, simply inseparable!
I admit, no matter how fabulous the advantages of using an iphone presents, I still dilly- dally. At that time, my drive to start my blog site was very low. The motivation that Iāve been looking seem to sunk down in oblivion. However, my momentum resurrected and went on a steady beat when I break free from the claws of a dangerous creature.
So, it took me two years to weigh the pros and cons before I finally decided to buy an iPhone. Ā The convenience of using the iPhone to āpenā down my thoughts and immediately upload it to my blog site writing while in the train, bus or wherever I am was the deciding factor.
Thank you Steve Jobs for being the greatest innovator of all times (in my point of view that isā¦) :p Now, my iPhone became a part of my daily routine. Itās the last thing that I check before I go to sleep and the first thing that I look for when I wake up.
The practicality and usefulness of the iphone allowed me to utilize my time wisely. Ā Aside from writing articles, I was also able to do the following:
I decided to sell it (see transfer of ownership) due to unavoidable circumstances. Itās pretty agonizing because Iām letting go the most amazingl gadget that Iāve ever had so far. Of course, the laptop is also useful but iphone comes in handy at all times.
At any rate, life must go on. Who knows, I will get another one in the near future. Maybe by that time, Steve Jobs has already developed a phone that can enable people to teleport. Ha! :p
I was contemplating whether I should write this post or not because I know itās a sensitive topic. Nevertheless, as an individual who experienced losing a love one at a young age, I decided to go for it.
The hostage taking that happened in the Philippines and resulted to several casualties was a heartbreaking moment that affected a lot of people all over the world. Numerous arguments have been going around coupled with pointing fingers and covering ass. This “shifting the blame” game can never Ā bring back the lives that were taken. In any case, justice MUST be served.
Losing a loveone in a very tragic manner is very traumatic and painful. I was on the same boat few years back so I perfectly understand what they are going through. My mother died in a vehicular accident when I was 13 which nearly cause my fatherās life as well. To top it off, the driver run away and eventually surrendered to the authorities. It was agonizing back then but now I can say Iāve moved forward.
I would like to share what my nephew posted on his Facebook. This is the link to Andrew Philipās view on the hostage taking in the Philippines. Here you go.
I hope in the long run, time will heal all wounds. My deepest sympathy to the victims and their family.
I was in the midst of consolidating all my articles and working out on the structure of my site when I started playing farmville and farmtown. In a week or so, I dropped farmtown because itās too tedious and I donāt like the graphics. I continued playing farmville (FV) though (see FV or FT article).
Another game on Facebook that caught my attention was cafe world (CW). Itās interesting because you get to set up (which includes building and renovating the cafe) and manage your own virtual “cafe”. It helps people think on strategies on how to balance things like increasing the profit at the same time providing good customer service.
FV and CW are fun and educational because it provides an avenue for people who donāt have a business to learn the ropes and have a feel on what itās like to run a business. Inspite of that, I decided to stop playing FV and CW because I realized Iāve been spending more time in the virtual world than in the real world.
For those who managed to balance both worlds, I salute you! Ā Ā Ā Aja!
I signed up in Facebook last year (2009) and it took me about a week to contemplate if I will play Farmville (FV) or Farmtown (FT). My friends were addicted to it and I donāt want to get hooked. However, due to undying curiosity (www.thecuriousme.com really fits me ey?) I finally gave in. As suggested by Rein, my friend based in Canada, I chose FV.
For the first week, I kept on ploughing and planting on my six (6) plots. One suggested that I need to increase myĀ neighborsĀ and earn more coins inorder to gain more plots. While some were convincing me to do Farmtown instead.
During the weekend, I seek Rein’s advice in increasing plots when I chance upon her in the Yahoo Messenger (YM). She instructed me to use the āplowā tool and patiently walked me through Farmville. The tips she gave me helped my plots grow and my money was more than enough to buy seeds.
Organizing plots was also one of the hindrance that I’ve encountered because apparently it canāt be moved, it needs to be deleted. I wasted few coins because once you delete a plot, the coins you spent to buy the plot will not be returned to you and you will need to pay again the new plot.
Rein was laughing at me because I was really determined to increase my plots, level and earnings. She was quite surprised because in just few hours, I managed to jump from Level 5 to Level 8. Itās quite a feat for a newbie huh?
I did try FT but itās not as user friendly as FV. The plants looked nice but the set up was more troublesome than FV.Ā FV is a stress reliever but I opted to quit. Itās addictive. I want to focus my time with other things more productive.
I wonder when this FV and FT will craze end. A year or two from now perhaps?