KimStore drops Prices for iPad Mini

KimStore, probably the most popular local online gadget store, has dropped prices on the iPad Mini!

Wifi version:
16GB – 18,900 (from 20,000 originally)
32GB – 23,100 (from 24,500 originally)
64GB – 28,200 (from 28,500 originally)

Knowing this has revived my lust for this gadget. They also dropped prices of the iPod Touch 5 to only 13,600 pesos for the 16GB model.

Currently, I am very happy with my iPhone 4. When the iPhone 5 was released, I decided I wanted it. Then the prices were released. It’s not officially in the Philippines yet so we can only buy it from the more entrepreneurial Pinoys who pre-ordered and brought it to our shores ahead of the telcos. The prices are soaring high! There is just no reasonable way I can pay for a unit. Frankly, my iPhone 4 works completely well and if I take care of it well it should continue to do so well beyond my contract with Globe that expires in April next year.

So though I got a little overexcited about the new release, even going to such extents as checking out iPhone 5 cases, I actually might hold out for the next update before trading up. The iPad mini or the smaller version, the iTouch, might be a more affordable alternative for the meantime.

Read more about the iPad mini from Mashable’s review.

October, So Over!

October was like a high mountain that we struggled to climb, and we prevailed. At work, we had such a lousy first week of the month that we had to pay for it the rest of the time. Good thing though is that we learned what our true limits are, and that we have a reliable number one team. We, started from the bottom and made it to the top half in three weeks. Everyone else was on a downward trend too, everyone but us.  That tells me that we have the talent and the skill to be the top team, the only thing left is to remain vigilant, at all times.

Courage-to-challenge-the-climb-of-the-cliff_1366x768

Image source

Stress levels at work were so high, and well, it can’t help but affect what happens outside. I’ve eaten a lot and spent too much this month Sad smile

I bought a new bag from a local seller. It’s cheaper than my last three bag purchases but I love it and I think it can withstand the abuse all my other bags take from me! My mom is ordering one for herself too. Here’s a photo of my violet bucket bag courtesy of seller, Basha Manila:

bucketbag

 

My shoe family welcomed three new girlie pairs to the fold. Two are from a local entrepreneur, while one was from Payless. I got CanCan and Moonwalk in Cobalt Blue from LuluSwing:

cancan

moonwalk

The Moonwalk fits very nicely, while I think that perhaps I should have ordered a size bigger for the CanCan. Nonetheless, I love them both and hope they don’t get worn out too soon.

I drove around a lot this month. One day I drove from work to Pasay to pick up Alfred, then rushed all the way to beat color coding to arrive at San Benissa in Fairview before 7AM. I made it with time to spare! On a different day I took my Mom to her appointment at the US Embassy. Since I couldn’t accompany her in there, I waited for her at my favorite Starbucks branch, with this view:

I took a nap there, despite the very bright sunlight, haha, and I mostly just looked out the window and observed the people walking, cars passing, and looked out to Manila Bay. Then I also read a few pages of my book, but that usually gets me sleepy when I lack sleep. Two hours later, Mom was ready to be picked up.

I bought shares from Jollibee (JFC), and I attended Module 2 of the Pesos and Sense Seminar Series. I haven’t quite blogged about it and it happened over a week again just before October ended.

I read My Friend Leonard, Grisham’s The King of Torts. I also started on The Dreams of Ada but I only finished that yesterday.

We watched one film in the cinema, Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles. It’s a local film that is touted to be cutting edge because it’s the first one shot entirely on a blue screen. The effects are surreal.

I’ve also continued with my physical therapy sessions, but often it’s only twice a week instead of the three times that was recommended. I have 2 more sessions to go and then I’ll be going back to the doctor with the PT’s assessment. I predict more sessions in my timeline. There were days when I felt like I was 100% back to normal, but then I have days when I feel the pain again. Perhaps it’s just a reminder not to take on too much all at the same time.

I’d met up with a dear friend and we shared a massage experience at Nuat Thai, before chatting each other up at this milk tea place nearby. This should happen with more friends, more often.

This is the first year in about eight years that I didn’t take charge of our annual Halloween party at 19th street. The kids still pushed through with it, but I wasn’t there. Di bale, babawi tayo next year, or maybe sa Christmas.

I am very thankful for October, because of the lessons it brought, and the laughter shared with family and friends at every opportunity. It definitely gave us the momentum to kick start an amazing November.

How was your October?

Elephabet. Toppers. Rock on!

I cannot promise that this post makes complete sense. It all started from searching through my blog archives for a Halloween 2011 photo (there’s none). We may or may not have our annual Halloween party on Wednesday night, see. And to convince myself that it needs to happen, I wanted a memory of last year’s bash. Couldn’t find one. What does this frantic search for photos remind me of? The need to catalogue my photo files. Stat!

Since photo organizing is still an art I have yet to master, I will leave that for yet another day. So this search led me instead to the Bunny with a Toolbet store in Etsy. The owner put her book and crafts project on Kickstarter last year and I was really interested in it. I went back and forth about sponsoring though until the fund was completed and I didn’t pitch in at all. Now, I still want to buy the book, and maybe a few of her pieces.

Here’s how the Elephabet book looks like. It’s also available on Amazon.

Source: etsy.com via Vera on Pinterest

 

 

Apart from the book, I’m also thinking of getting an original Elephant that she made just for this project. But then I her Wedding Topper Elephants!

Source: etsy.com via Vera on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Vera on Pinterest

 

 

This pair is my favorite, I think, but I’d also love it in purple!

Source: etsy.com via Vera on Pinterest

 

 

My ideas for my own wedding changes constantly, but there will always be cake. Any of these pairs would be welcome on our cake!

This character grabbed my attention too, rock on!

Source: etsy.com via Vera on Pinterest

 

 

So then my thoughts flew to other things. Like the best soundtrack for my wedding. That’s always been a fun topic. We wanted Pinoy band scene. Which rock band would do a wedding gig though? Haha! But any show band would take on a Pinoy rock theme, I think. But wedding plans are still, up to now, quite vague. We know we want to get married, but we’re so tempted to just elope and surprise everyone! Although, we do want to throw a nice big celebration dinner for all our friends and family who have witnessed our love story so far. It would be a nice thank you for everyone who have been part of our journey so far. Diba?

There’s no one title, or set of keywords that is perfect for this post. See how I’ve jumped from one topic to another? halloween kids books wedding rock music acoustic guitar pickup musicians friend. No cohesive key word. SEO nightmare! Haha SmileI don’t care!

So to close this post, this is what the musician’s friend above reminded me of. I had to search for this video in my blogs (old and new) just so I could grab it and share. It’s not the Halloween photo I was originally searching for, but it still has my nephew and nieces in it. This was taken 5-6 years ago. Our little rockstars with their badminton racket/acoustic guitars! Enjoy!

 

Danny and Annie

Design Mom Gabrielle Blair posted the story of Danny and Annie on her blog today. I watched the animation, listened to their voices, and was moved.

What a lovely story. I think it was wonderful how StoryCorps was able to go back and interview the couple before Danny passed on. I wonder how Annie is today? Listening to their voice as they shared their story, my grandparents faces flashed in my mind. How I wish I was able to document their story this way too. Simple, but very meaningful. Powerful.

It made me think a little about my love story too. And those of the people around me, my parents most specially. No doubt, in the 12 years Alfred and I have been together, we’ve got lots more stories to share, many are similar to the BUT post, but also others that are different. I would love to sit with my parents, together or separately, and interview them too. That would really be nice.

Watching the vid also got me to thinking about an idea I mentioned to my bestfriend when she was preparing to get married. An animated prenup vid or invitation would be nice. It’s a wonderful idea for people like me who don’t love being in front of the camera. An animated prenup or save the date video would be the perfect solution for me. Fun too.

BUT

So you don’t like pizza. I get it. But I happen to like Papa John’s pizza. Not just any other pizza, those at Papa John’s are the ones I like. We’ve danced this dance before. I ask where you want to eat, you say:

Kahit saan.

Really? Anywhere? To which I retort:

Papa John’s! (or more often, Mcdo!)

Then you say –

anywhere BUT there.

Then why don’t you just say where you want to eat and I’ll let you know if I like it or not? At least if I just go along with what you want I don’t sulk and bitch about it so much. How many times have we eaten Chinese food that I don’t totally like but eat anyway?

And I really wanted to have Papa John’s today. It’s not everyday I ask for it. When was the last time? And though reluctantly, you said yes.

There must be something in that menu that you would like. Not your favorite, yes, but edible. Laman tiyan. So I ask you to order what you would want instead of leaving it all up to me. And with your annoying voice and your annoying facial expressions, you say:

Ikaw na umorder. Kahit ano.

Wow. Really, I can order anything? Here I am giving you the opportunity to choose as a compromise. We’re in a restaurant you don’t particularly like, we might as well order something you’d at least try to eat.

So I tell you we should leave and just go somewhere else. At that point I am not upset yet. I just really would rather move on to somewhere else than look at you sulk in front of food. You say no, just order. I won’t. You won’t. No order. So what’s the point in staying?

So I walk out. Drive to the nearest Jollibee and get takeout. You still don’t order.

Ang gutom, talo.  

 

*I don’t like writing about fights, but this is to trivial I’m sure someone out there has a funny story to share about a similar senseless fight. Smile

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