..is an awesome alternative to Moleskine.

DAY NINE. See? I’m making some progress. I’m little by little getting out of my cave, letting go of things I’ve gotten used to (yes, I meant Moleskine), and trying out something new. *This is the part where you shower me with congratulations and pats on the back.*

So yeah, I’m taking a break from Moleskine but that’s only because I found a prettier (and yes, cheaper even) alternative. Behold, the Paper Patisserie Mini Journal Set (sounds prettier too, eh?) by Peculiar Pair Press.

By the way, I’m taking a break from being wordy also. So tonight, I shall try visual.

*Got the notebook set from Full Booked at PhP 700+. Just now I found out that it’s available online too at $14.95. Awesomecakes.

Good night, one and all.

30 Days of Awesome, 9/30.

DAY EIGHT. I wasn’t able to take a photo today, but this post will have a bunch of photos just the same. :)

Tonight I got home from Bible Study, replied to some emails, got some work done, and.. when all the work-related browsers were already out of the way, I readied myself to take in my daily dose of inspiration. It’s amazing how I’ve been around the web for so many years and yet, how little I’ve actually seen. Sometime in the last couple of months, I have unknowingly opened a door that lead to blogs, and photostreams, and realms that I never knew existed. It’s like finding a gate to a secret magical place, and each step of the way I find something/someone new to draw inspiration from.

These are just some of the photographers I’ve been following lately (fine, stalking, but really, I’m planning to let them know I’ve been admiring them from afar, like through an email or something, soon).

+ Kristybee: Flickr | Etsy Store | Blog

I love Kristy’s soft pastel colors, and polaroids, and flowers, and vases, and that window sill, which, for some reason, makes everything on it look oh-so-lovely.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

+ Susannah Conway: Flickr | Shop | Blog

Susannah’s photographs look like they came straight out of The Secret Garden. I’ve been toying with the idea of buying her prints so I could put them under my pillow so I would dream of them.

1, 2, 3, 4

+ Amanda Gilligan: Flickr | Photo Blog | Personal Blog

Amanda takes both film and digital, but really, whenever I browse through her streams, I cannot tell them apart anymore! And I love how she takes photos of some of my favorite things — polaroids, books, and coffee.

1, 2, 3, 4

Dreamy, vintage-like photographs never fail to make me swoon. I love how each one of these female photographers — Kristy, Susannah, and Amanda — is able to own up to a certain style that makes her photographs distinctly unforgettable. You’ll never miss Kristy’s soft tones. Or Susannah’s dreamy touch. Or Amanda’s vintage style.

And when you’re a photographer, having people associate your name to your photographs is just waaay awesome. Someday, I hope to find my own way too.

30 Days of Awesome, 8/30.

DAY SEVEN. It’s becoming more and more difficult blogging about awesome things, not because I’m starting to get lazy already, or I can’t think of anything to blog about anymore. Nope. It’s kindof the opposite, actually. Since I started this 30-day challenge, everyday would seem to be bursting with awesome things that I’d find it hard to choose just one.

7/30. Typecasting my awesome things.

Like yesterday, for example. I thought I’d blog about thrifting, because I seem to be doing that quite often lately, whether online or offline. The pretty vintage dress *points to picture* was delivered to me yesterday from UkayManila (Thanks, Lauren!), and I have another one coming from InTheFishbowl tomorrow. OAN, I thought it would also be nice to blog about this book I just started reading, The Virgin Suicides, and a bunch of other books lined up for me after I finish reading this one.

(You know what, I might just blog about these next time!)

Now, you see, I’ve been typing about these things with my Olympia, too. (I know, what a nerd, right?) I initially wanted to type something coherent, only I ended up typing random thoughts throughout the day. Oh well.

Anywayyy. It’s Henry’s turn to speak now. Check out my second typecast, twitter style, just because typecasting is awesome like that. :)

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..is awesome!

DAY SIX. Wow. People can actually do this? :) Forgive my amazement, I came from two years with a Samsung E250, which I thought was kinda jurassic (it came with a Sun Cellular line so how can I complain?). I never really figured out how to use WAP on that thing even, but I’ve grown to love it just the same. After all, it served me well for two years and survived dropage (lol, is there even a word?) of various forms and ways, the last one being into a pail of water in my bathroom, before finally succumbing to death.

But that’s the E250. Let’s talk about this *cough*still-unpaid*cough* Nokia E71.

6/30. Blogging with Nokia E71

I’ve always thought I’m a Nokia person, though I happened to have tried a Sony Ericsson and a Samsung in the past. Woot, I’m back to using a Nokia now. :)

Truth be told, I’m a sucker for pretty-looking phones. Often, I’d choose one for its looks, not for its technical specs. I still currently have in possession a pink Sony z70i, which I only bought because it’s pink but never really got to use so much. Oh hey, i’m putting it up for sale btw. :-p

This Nokia E71, while loaded with awesome features, was actually a choice I made because I thought it was really pretty. I even waited for weeks to find the white version because I refused to get the black or the silver one. And mind you, it was not easy finding this. The white E71 had been out-of-stock for some time, trust me when I say I’ve looked far and wide, that’s why when I finally found one last remaining stock at some store in Megamall, there was no room for second thoughts.

And here I am now, feeling like I won the lottery for finding a cell phone that’s not only pretty but also a useful tool, considering my line of work. I love how I can check email anywhere, and read through my favorite feeds. And I’m loving the qwerty too. I didn’t think I’d have the patience to learn qwerty since my fingers have already become accustomed to the normal way of texting all these years, but now, qwerty is the way to go baby!

Lastly, I like being able to blog in a situation where it’s crazy — not impossible but crazy — to open a laptop, like in a cab ride such as this one. Why hello traffic, this one’s for you! The only worry I have now is if this thing has autosave, I think not, so this has to be posted on my first try.

Or else my next post will be about why mobile blogging sucks. :-p

In the spirit of being consistent with my 30 awesome things, I shall upload a photo to come with this post, later with my mac. Yeah, I’m OC like that. Ta-ta!

Edit, few hours later. Notes in parenthesis are added with my Mac. :)

Edit, some more hours later. Added a photo.

30 Days of Awesome, 6/30.

Oh noes, someone noticed I missed the July 27th post. I didn’t realize anyone would actually notice. Thanks Sharra, for (uhm) noticing. I fell asleep typing this post last night, that’s why. So, err, here it goes. :)

DAY FIVE. No, not 3rd time. 2.75th time, if I’d be more specific, because 3-quarters of the way through the second one, I suddenly remembered a deadline I had to catch, so we left somewhere in the middle of Harry and Dumbledore’s cave scene, which was okay, since I saw the movie already anyway.

But my brother and I had to watch it again last night because we’re fanatics like that. First 2 times (err, 1.75 times) with Rico, and this last one with Kuya Niks.

5/30. Watching HP and the Half Blood Prince for the 3rd Time

At this point, I’d say, it gets better the second time around, and gets even better the third time. I’m not sure though, if I’d still say the same thing if I saw it 10 times. Not that I would do anything like that, I think three times is enough.

I thought the first time I saw it was rather frustrating because the expectations were so high. I couldn’t stop comparing the movie to the book, and listing down in my head the scenes in the book that were taken off or replaced in the film version –

• Dumbledore picking up Harry from the Dursleys;
• Bill and Fleur’s wedding; Fleur hanging around the Burrow (I stand corrected, the wedding’s on the 7th book, thanks Mara!);
  
• Tonks secretly falling in love with Lupin, Lupin pushing her away;
• Harry inheriting the Blacks’ house and Kreacher;
• Voldemort’s roots, Tom Riddle stealing the ring from Morvolo, killing his father, working at Borgin and Burke, coming back to Hogwarts to apply for a job;
• the battle between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix at Hogwarts!! (I really thought this one should be there);

I could go on and on. I hoped to see more of Fred and George too, their magical store was just soo fun to watch I wish there were more clips of that. And I thought it was totally unnecessary to set the Burrow on fire, that part was really sad (and totally not in the book!). And where is the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic in all of this? I missed Neville Longbottom, too, although I believe that his role will be more prominent in the Deathly Hallows.

At one point I thought the movie was an over-the-top marketing strategy for people to buy the book (or read the book again). It’s funny how those who’ve read the book would keep comparing it with the movie version that they end up frustrated, while those who didn’t read the book would have so many questions bugging them the entire film that they end up too focused on connecting the dots, and/or bugging the person next to them (who happened to have read the book) with questions throughout the film. You’ve read the book, you compare. You didn’t read it, you get lost.

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