Wednesday, November 30, 2011

No reverb 2011 =(

Last year I joined a 31-day writing/thinking challenge called Reverb10 -- it was hosted by Gwen Bell and 2 other people.


I was really looking forward to this year's reverb when I received sad news in my inbox that Gwen and her team would not be doing one this year for various reasons.  She invites people to create their own reverb --


I decided to backtrack and look at 2009's reverb topics -- and will be writing about those instead.


Best of 2009 Challenge by Gwen Bell (couldn't find the original entry in her blog)



December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?
December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?
December 3 Article. What’s an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious’d and reference throughout the year.
December 4 Book. What book – fiction or non – touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?
December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?
December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?
December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can’t believe you didn’t know about until this year.
December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?
December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?
December 10 Album of the year. What’s rocking your world?
December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?
December 12 New food. You’re now in love with Lebanese food and you didn’t even know what it was in January of this year.
December 13 What’s the best change you made to the place you live?
December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?
December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?
December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What’s yours?
December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. “2009 was _____.”
December 18 Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?
December 19 Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?
December 20 New person. She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2009?
December 21 Project. What did you start this year that you’re proud of?
December 22 Startup. What’s a business that you found this year that you love? Who thought it up? What makes it special?
December 23 Web tool. It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn’t live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.
December 24 Learning experience. What was a lesson you learned this year that changed you?
December 25 Gift. What’s a gift you gave yourself this year that has kept on giving?
December 26 Insight or aha! moment. What was your epiphany of the year?
December 27 Social web moment. Did you meet someone you used to only know from her blog? Did you discover Twitter?
December 28 Stationery. When you touch the paper, your heart melts. The ink flows from the pen. What was your stationery find of the year?
December 29 Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?
December 30 Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?
December 31 Resolution you wish you’d stuck with. (You know, there’s always next year…)

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

This year's Christmas/Birthday Wish/Want List --

I wasn't going to make a list this year because I have had a year of gifts already (plus we are gifting ourselves a big trip in January) -- but I like being able to look back at my blog entries and read about a particular day or time in my life.


Anyhoo, click here for last year's list.


I was able to tick off 4 items on last year's list (the sewing machine, the trip, the Bear and Honeybee necklace and a Cath Kidston bag. <-- it was discounted on Asos and I need a bigger bag for when I'm with the kids.)


This year, here are the things I would like to get:
1.  This Kate Spade bag.  The Kennedy is a new design introduced by Kate Spade.  I love how boxy and structured it looks and I like the plaid print.   (The bag also comes in leather.)


2.  Another pair of Sanuks.  I was very happy about the Sanuk Buy 3 Get 1 Free promo -- but the Sanuk people here in Iloilo kept insisting that the free pair can only be slippers.  Johann and I just ended up availing of the 20% off discount on 2 pairs of shoes.  I love wearing them!  I actually wore them for 10 days straight -- and the helpers would just sneak my pair out to be "sunned" in the afternoon.  I want this one with the sparkly sequins!  


3.  I have a strange desire to wear gold shoes (see #2) -- every day.  I think gold is a nice "neutral" -- and the extra sparkle every day wouldn't hurt.  I found a cute pair over at J&M by Soleil -- I am just biding my time -- but I will most likely gift myself a pair of these.


4.  (Still) A Subscription to Romantic Times Magazine.  I put this on my list every year -- and I've subscribed to 4 other magazines (Family Fun <-- thanks to Newsstand's great subscription price, Food Network <-- thanks to Zinio's Black Friday Sale, Parenting Early Years <-- thanks to Zinio's $10 loyalty gift and Every Day with Rachael Ray.) -- partly the reason why I never got around to getting this subscription is because I can mooch this from a nice lady from New Caledonia who generously shares the latest issues with me over at Bookmooch.  


5.  Mixing Bowls.  Proper ones.  Not pots being used as mixing bowls.  But mixing bowls.  I kinda regret not getting the Pyrex glass set when SM had their 1-day Thanksgiving sale last week.  Oh well.


6.  More iTunes credit!  Newsstand, TV Shows, ebooks -- it's the gift that keeps on giving!


7.  Time for myself.  And the will power to exercise.  I fell off the wagon last year -- am happy that I didn't gain any extra weight this year -- but it would be nice to lose some of it next year. ^_^


8.  Time for myself.  And a clean counter so I can try to make cinnamon rolls!  (Yeast, I will conquer you next year!)


9.  An iPad.  We've "borrowed" (read: commandeered my dad's iPad) and it's about time we return it to him.  I would like one for myself -- I find that I enjoy reading magazines and books on it.  Plus, I've also found really nice (not-so-mindless) games for the kids that work better on the iPad than on the iPod Touch.  I know there are android tablets that are cheaper (the 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab is #1 on my list) -- but it would be easier and less expensive (in the long run) if I just buckle down and get an iPad.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

52 weeks of mail: an interesting project --



52 Weeks of Mail

The project is:  Send out a letter/postcard via snail mail once a week for one year.

I'm actually an avid letter-writer -- when I was abroad for summer school, I sent my parents a postcard every day.  They kept arriving even when I got home na.  It's still nicely bundled in one of their drawers. ^_^

I wonder if I can sustain writing 1 letter a week for 1 year?

I wonder if I have 52 different people to send a letter to? ^_^

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

If you want to try out a new romance author --



Beverley Kendall has a novella out in ebook format and it's FREE.

All's Fair in Love and Seduction is available at the iBookstore, at Amazon and over at Barnes and Noble.