Ink Making

Bliss in Solitude (Spoken Word Poetry)

Chorva the Geek

Desperation. It's been days since facebook has been officially blocked in the office. No login window no matter how hard one refreshes the page. ARGH!

Blame the applications (aka Every Employer's Nightmare). 100% this is the reason why facebook is blocked AGAIN. Not only does it cut efficiency with most of the workforce logged into Farmville or Cafe World, it's a big time waster especially if they do nothing but chat all day. EVERYDAY.

Then again, there are some valid reasons why one should chat on facebook, if most of your business contacts are in your network and this social-networking site is an effective business tool. Ever since I've been organizing my upcoming exhibit, I've realized how important it is to have all the artists and photographers in different groups for easy access. 

And yet, facebook is still blocked in the office. 

There are still other chat platforms, the conventional email and phone calls to get the message across, but, facebook is still the crutch that I need. So how does one get on facebook without getting a VPN (Virtual Private Network)?

Remember the applications? Google any of the fb applications and click the link. Tell me if you could access the login page. If you have, you've found your back door key. There's a downside though: limited browsing. You could only go so far as the app, the homepage or your profile page (as long as you haven't personalized your facebook URL, you're fine). Can't view the news feed or your profile page? Change "www." to "apps." Accessing your friends' profiles or trying the fb internal search engine won't work either. One could still access facebook chat once logged in, but, if you want to compose a more lengthy email, you can't access the fb inbox. 

There are some limited browsing features that I still haven't explored yet, so feel free to share some tricks.

How To Pick Yourself Up Off The Floor

♥ Immerse yourself in something positive. Volunteer at a no kill animal shelter. Read to the elderly. Start an art project. Do something to create a positive influence for yourself. Negative thoughts and places are dangerous when you're down.

♥ Stop letting yourself only see the negatives when you look in the mirror. I used to always think "I'd be acceptable looking if I lost 10 pounds and my skin was better." and that's all I saw. I saw the negatives first and I almost never saw the positives. What do you like about yourself? What good things to others see in you? Why are you unique? How are you beautiful?

♥ Avoid negative people for a while. It's best to cut those people out all together, but that's not always possible. Just take a break. You're weak right now and you need to avoid people who will further bring you down.

♥ Don't be afraid to take it easy and don't beat yourself up for it. Just like if you had a cold, you'd try to make yourself feel better with medicine, rest, and good eating habits. You're under the weather right now, just not physically. Do things you like, surround yourself with people you love, and don't forget to fill your life with positive energy 24/7.

♥ Try something new. Change up your hair or your clothes. Stop listening to music that reinforces how you're currently feeling. Stop watching sad movies.

♥ Buy a blank notebook. Draw a huge heart on the cover. Don't write anything negative in here. If you need another outlet, make a separate notebook. This one is all about love, personal growth, and getting back up. Fill it with beautiful images, reaffirming thoughts, and quotes. Write in it every day, and each day write one thing you're grateful for in your life.

♥ Get on a healthier path. Stop eating junk food. Quit smoking. Cut back on sugar. Start exercising. Get plenty of sleep. Buy some daily vitamins and drink a lot of tea each day. Replace unhealthy foods with plenty of fruits and vegetables and drinks TONS of water.

♥ Pick up a new skill and refine it.

♥ Go to the bookstore and navigate yourself to the self help section. Choose a book that appeals to you the most and best applies. Read it and then go back for another.

♥ Dedicate at least two hours of your day to yourself. This is your writing, thinking, and growing time. You're on a mission, you need time to complete it.

♥ Find someone you can talk to. Have deep conversations with them.

♥ Do not let yourself sink into your old habits even when you start to feel better. If you fall of the wagon, get right back on it.

♥ Make a list of your negative traits that you feel can be improved. Work on them one by one.

♥ Don't be that person who's always complaining or upset. When you talk to people, be positive. Find the good in every situation and point it out.

♥ Never be embarrassed or afraid to admit that you're not the strongest right now. Be honest. Everyone's been there. Don't hide behind a mask.

♥ Don't jump into new relationships or cling on to people for stability. Be your own rock.

♥ Be open. Try new things. Go out and do something. Meet new people. Explore opportunities.

To know more about the mermaid, click here. 

Shoe Fetish

Ok, I admit, just like every other estrogen-pumped creature on this planet, I am guilty...

I love boots.

Not that my collection is to die-for, but at least I do have some decent pairs that I wear to work. Recently, I was gifted by a pair of ankle boots from my aunt:

Purple snakeskin squared toes and detailing plus the heels---I fell in love at first sight. And I couldn't help but thank her enough for her generosity.

Here's the rub.

I wore these boots to work today. Sure enough, they're not broken in, so my ankles took a beating. Since I was rushing to work, I forgot to line the top part of the boots with soap or at least wear knee-length or mid-calf socks to protect my legs (I wore ankle-length ones). From 8am-5pm, the boots transformed into little circular saws that would dismember my legs from my feet.

Things I learned:

1. Rub dry soap on the tops of boots if they haven't been worn yet.

2. Moisturizing the skin is vital especially on the lower extremities.

3. Try to wear socks that provide coverage/protection (this is a must for those with sensitive skin).

4. If you don't have ready band-aids at your disposal, scotch tape (Yes, I got desperate.) could be your new bestfriend.

5. A pair of boots may look great, but, the ultimate test is when one wears it.

Tomorrow, I'm going back to my flat jelly shoes.

30 Ways in 30 Days to Redesign Your Life and Travel the World

Let’s face it, if money was no issue, you’d already be traveling. In fact, if you have a passport, a clean change of clothes and a dream destination, you already have everything you need to travel. The problem is, of course, what happens after your Visa gets shut off, you have no more cash and your boss fires you for not showing up to work. Obviously, you need a better plan than hopping the next flight to Toyko.

What would it take for you to redesign your life and travel the world?

Posts

Day 01 The Mental Shift to Begin the Redesign

Day 02 The Travel Diet

Day 03 Turning Your Job Digital

Day 04 Convincing Your Loved One to Travel Too

Day 05 Bringing Your Pets Around the World

Day 06 Safe, Affordable and Clean - Finding Places to Stay When You Travel

Day 07 Planning a Travel Budget that Works

Day 08 Selling Your House in the Downturn

Day 09 The Trouble With Saving

Day 10 Staying Forever - Living in Another Country

Day 11 Whatever You Do, Don’t Become a Travel Writer

Day 12 Taking the Classroom on the Road

Day 13 Getting Health Insurance When You Travel

Day 14 Holy Crap, What Have I Done? (Pre-trip jitters)

Day 15 The Not-So-Secret Trick to Finding Cheap Airfare

Day 16 Becoming a Digital Nomad, Freelance Edition

Day 17 Extreme Debt - Pay or Stay

Day 18 The Part-time Digital Nomad

Day 19 Paying Bills Online and Other Sundry Tasks

Day 20 67 Travel Friendly Jobs to Consider

Day 21 Common Sense Safety While Traveling

Day 22 Telling Your Friends and Family

Day 23 Becoming a Digital Nomad: Small Business Edition

Day 24 The Art of Unplanning

Day 25 Advanced Digital Nomading - The Time Shift

Day 26 Watching TV/Movies Overseas

Day 27 Traveling Homeschoolers Speak - How They Do It

Day 28 How to Make More Money

Day 29 Getting a Job When You Return

Day 30 Take a Breath, This is Happening

Ready to pack your bags? Read the full article here.

Out of Energy?

By Denise Schipani

See nine things that zap your vitality and how to get it back

It's 3 p.m.--do you know where your energy's gone? You probably expect to feel that late-afternoon drag, but you don't always have to. Turns out, some of your regular habits may be sneakily zapping your zip. Fix some or all of these energy stealers, and you just may be feeling brighter this afternoon.

Energy Zapper #1: Being Addicted to E-mail

Energy Zapper #2: Visual Clutter

Energy Zapper #3: Being Bored

Energy Zapper #4: Poor Posture

Energy Zapper #5: Toxic Indoor Air

Energy Zapper #6: Eating Too Much at Once

Energy Zapper #7: Living in Artificial Light

Energy Zapper #8: Listening to Negative Nellies

Energy Zapper #9: Holding a Grudge

To read the full article, click here.

The Butt-catcher

Subtext

Japanese 101

Kanji Curiosity

From JapanesePod101.com

Treasured Chest: Part 1

If you saw the following word, what would you think it meant?

胸像 (kyōzō)

As you may know, 胸 means “chest,” and 像 often means “image,” as in 心像 (shinzō: mental image, heart + image). The chest and heart are fairly interrelated concepts. So if heart + image means “mental image,” what could chest + image be? A chest x-ray? A man’s image of a woman’s chest? A poor self-image, based on a less-than-robust chest? (This brings to mind comedian John Oliver, who says he has a concave chest and isn’t fit for any sports, though he could always serve as a sail.)

No, it’s none of those things. Instead, here’s the deal:

胸像 (kyōzō: bust (statue)) chest + statue

Turns out, 像 can also mean “statue.” And a statue of a chest is a bust!

For the full article, click here.

Get Amazing Abs (and Tone All Over) at Any Age

By Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief - Posted on Fri, Jul 24, 2009, 12:02 am PDT

Slim thighs are nice. Trim, taut arms are great, too. But there's nothing like feeling your abs get firmer, flatter and so toned you can't wait to wear a two-piece--particularly now that it's high beach season. Hello, hot weather!

The good news: You don't have to employ a celebrity trainer or be 18 to have a waistline worth baring. The secret to a getting a trim belly--not to mention fit from head to toe--is tailoring your workouts according to your birthday. (Not that anyone will guess how old you are, once you start exercising consistently.)

Science shows that frequent sweat sessions can actually help you be forever young: When researchers studied the lifestyle habits and DNA of 2,400 twins, they found that regular exercisers had longer telomeres, tags at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with age, than their couch potato counterparts. In fact, as little as 30 minutes of activity daily resulted in telomeres that looked 10 years younger.

Follow the age-specific advice below and then try the get-lean routine:

In your 20s: You're energetic and resilient, so it's the perfect time to make fitness a key component in your life. The following moves will help you sculpt sexy muscles and build bone, which is crucial for warding off osteoporosis in the future. Try using heavier weights than you're used to (doing the final rep should be challenging) and adding a third weekly session when time allows.

In your 30s: Reality check--there's a natural 5 percent dip in metabolism during this decade. But you can still be a lean fat-burning machine by doing the moves below. They will build muscle, which will naturally rev your metabolism so you torch more calories even in your sleep, as well as bolster core strength and maintain agility.

In your 40s and beyond: Sexy curves you have. Now you want to stay firm and injury-free. These shapers will help you boost your backside (an area which may naturally lose muscle as you age) and tone all over. To increase your flex appeal and decrease your overall injury risk, add a weekly yoga class or regular stretching to this routine.

Click here to view the full article.

Breaking Up 101