Author: Gleniz

Categories
Books Insights

3 Book Picks for Self Improvement

Since I am reading a lot of self improvement books lately, I wanted to make sure that I am practicing the lessons I’ve learned so it wouldn’t go to waste. I didn’t want to read it, totally agree with it, and then just abandon it after a few days. I want to be able to carry it with me and apply it as much as I can. So I decided to go through with them once more and try to summarize what I learned from each book.

  1. DIGITAL MINIMALISM | Cal Newport

This book taught me to be less dependent on technology and it also served as an aid to make me read more because it freed a lot of time for me to pursue activities that are more worthwhile. After practicing the strategies in this book, my screen time drastically changed from 8-9 hours/day to 2-3 hours/day. I can (surprisingly) survive a day without checking Instagram, Messenger and Facebook which was a massive improvement for me.

2. ATOMIC HABITS | James Clear

And since I’m spending less time on social media which resulted to a lot of time reclaimed, I wanted to have some more organization and wanted to make sure that I would spend my time productively. That’s why I decided to read Atomic Habits next. This one helped me cultivate my existing good habits (reading), create other good habits (eating more healthily and exercising) and break the bad ones (procrastinating). I definitely won’t claim that I became the most productive person ever after reading this book. Of course I have my low days. But this book also communicated that slight improvements are okay as long as we’re consistent. It also taught me how to become more patient when I want to improve a habit or if I want to learn a new skill (like learning a new language).

3. THE FOUR AGREEMENTS | Don Miguel Ruiz

Although I only rated this book 2.5 stars out of 5 because of the writing style, this book provided some great insights to be a better human. And we all want that. The teachings in this book is not something that’s entirely new. But it served as a good reminder to be more honest with how I feel and communicate it as necessary, to engage less in gossip, to ask first before assuming something, be more understanding and less selfish, and just try to be better as much as I can, with the energy that I have.

Again, these books are not trying to ask us to be perfect. They are promoting self improvement which I believe everyone needs. I wasn’t a fan of self-help books before to be honest. And I think it’s because of two things. The first one is pride. I guess there was a certain level of arrogance that I just decided I didn’t need any help. That “I can do this all on my own!” (annoying). The second reason is maybe because I was afraid. I was afraid to confront my weaknesses and assumed that I won’t be able to follow their advice anyway. Because it would be too hard. Because I lack discipline. Well, I think I underestimated myself. I know now that I should have more faith in myself.

Categories
Insights Life

2021 Game Plan

DO’S

Read at least 40 books

50 talaga yung original target ko pero baka hindi ko kayanin so 40 na muna. Also, read a variety of books from different topics. It sparks creativity.

Invest at least $5,000 sa stocks

Gustuhin ko man na mas malaki pa dito yung ma-invest namin. Parang eto yung achievable sa current situation namin.

Learn 5 new piano pieces.
Continue reading “2021 Game Plan”
Categories
Books Insights

15 Life Lessons From the Books I Read in 2020

  1. Maintain a strong morning habit. Don’t check your phone the moment you wake up. Take it slow. [Digital Minimalism + Atomic Habits]
  2. Always remind yourself of what and who you value. What are the things that are truly important and bring you happiness? Whose opinions really matter? If it involves people you really don’t care about, let the fuck go. [Digital Minimalism]
  3. Be more intentional in what you consume. What you eat, watch, listen to, read, etc. [Digital Minimalism + Amusing Ourselves to Death]
  4. Engage less in gossip. Instead of assumptions and judgments, let your words be filled with truth and kindness, especially when you’re talking to yourself. [The Four Agreements]
  5. Identify yourself as the type of person you aspire to be. No labeling yourself as “procrastinator” or “bad with directions” or “pessimistic”. Our identities are not set in stone, thus, we can always edit our identities to improve. Cast your votes for the type of person you wish to become. [Atomic Habits]
  6. Instead of seeking wealth, social status and pleasure, focus on building your character. [A Guide to the Good Life]
  7. Doing nothing doesn’t always mean boring. You don’t have to fill every second of your life with something. Practice regular doses of solitude and it will help you process your thoughts and regulate your emotions. [Digital Minimalism]
  8. Optimize your environment to promote good habits and prevent bad habits. Make the good habits attractive, easy and rewarding. [Atomic Habits]
  9. Appreciate what you already have. Don’t fall into mindless consumerism. [A Guide to the Good Life]
  10. Don’t take anything personally (be forgiving, be more understanding) and don’t make assumptions (have the courage to ask how people really think or feel, give them a chance before suspecting the worst). [The Four Agreements]
  11. If you can’t control it, pay it no mind. It’s a waste of time and it’s stupid. [A Guide to the Good Life]
  12. Set internal goals. Instead of, “I want to achieve 1,000 sales before the end of the year.” change it to, “I will continue making great products and promote them whether through social media or paid advertising.” Internal goals are something we have complete control. Once you set these internal goals, do your best to achieve them. [A Guide to the Good Life + The Four Agreements]
  13. Donate. Be more helpful. [A Guide to the Good Life]
  14. Increase your attention span. Let the people from the 50’s who can endure 7 hours of oratory be your inspiration. [Amusing Ourselves to Death]
  15. Reading is the best. [Amusing Ourselves to Death]

Categories
Books Non-Fiction

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari | Book Report

READ THIS IF…

  • You’d like to learn (or relearn) how everything began
  • You’re interested in learning about history, science and technology
  • Gusto mong magalit (?) sa sarili nating species

Reading about how humans and animals came about and how numerous species are now extinct because of humans, naisip ko sana hindi na lang naging super evolved ang humans. Para hindi tayo nag-cause ng major damage sa nature. Sana tulad na lang noong primitive times na nag co-exist na lang lahat ng creatures. Eh kasi nga since nagkaron tayo ng unique ability to be reasonable and logical, naging ang thinking ng humans noon ay “It’s us or them.” Kaso diba normal naman yung may predator and prey. So kung nagiging prey ang humans minsan, eh wala, yun talaga yung cycle of life eh. Natural naman na ipagtanggol ng humans ang mga sarili nila pero sana nagkaron ng control. Hindi sana naging greedy. Para hindi nagkaganito.

Continue reading “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari | Book Report”
Categories
Books Historical Fiction Romance

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Book Review

READ THIS IF YOU…

  • Want to read about a fictional rock band in the 70s
  • Enjoy drugs and having sex with strangers (or reading about it)
  • Want to be annoyed especially dun sa lead characters

Hindi ko pa nababasa yung Twilight pero sabi nung classmate ko noon, yung buong book daw halos ay si Bella Swan na paulit-ulit sinasabi kung gano kagwapo and ka-amazing si Edward Cullen. Dito sa book na ‘to, siguro 75% yung paulit-ulit na sinasabi kung gano kaganda, kasexy, katalented at amazing si Daisy Jones.

And as much as a lot of people praised the audiobook kasi well narrated daw and multiple people yung narrators, ako naman, yun yung pinaka naturn off ako. Kasi it’s as if the characters didn’t mature. Yung stories na kinekwento nila happened decades ago so I’m expecting na nagmature naman sila somehow. But the dialogue plus how it was narrated felt like their still in their teens. Parang sobrang pa-cool pa din nila lahat.

Continue reading “Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Book Review”
Categories
Family Life

Happy and Guilty

Pwede ko bang sabihin nang hindi na nagi-guilty na sobrang saya ko na nakapag-resign na ko sa office work ko at freelancer-businesswoman-housewife na ko ngayon. Kahit ngayon lang. Pagbigyan nyo na ko. Pramis magi-guilty na ko ulit bukas. Sa dami kasing masamang nangyayari ngayon sa mundo at sa mga tao na close sakin, nakaka-guilty maging masaya. Pero gusto ko lang syang i-acknowledge ngayon.

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Categories
Books Non-Fiction Romance

Modern Love edited by Daniel Jones | Book Review

Ang complete title nya ay Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption. It’s a collection of love stories and based from the complete title, hindi lahat ng stories happy ending. Dun sa introduction part nagustuhan ko how the editor described love.

Kakatapos lang ng book club discussion namin kahapon about this book at naging makabagbag-damdamin ang naging usapan kasi nag-share din yung ibang members ng heartfelt stories nila. Sinimulan namin yung discussion sa favorite stories namin dun sa book. Eto yung sakin (in no particular order):

Continue reading “Modern Love edited by Daniel Jones | Book Review”
Categories
Canada Career Family Life Pals Pilipinas

2020 Highlights

I stumbled upon my 2017 Highlights post and medyo nalungkot ako kasi hindi ako nakagawa ng 2018 and 2019 highlights. So ngayong 2020, kahit masalimuot ang mga pangyayari sa buong mundo, gusto kong i-highlight din naman yung mga magagandang pangyayari.

  • Nagsimula ang 2020 na fairly masaya. Mejo sad kasi hindi ko nanaman nakasama ang family ko nung holidays, pero masaya din kasi nag-book ako ng ticket pauwi. Kaya nung Feb, I’m back to Pinas! Yehu! Thank you talaga sa Papa sa pag-sponsor ng kalahati ng ticket ko. Siguro eto talaga yung pinaka-highlight ng 2020 ko. At sobrang timely pa kasi ito yung time before i-announce yung pandemic. So nakauwi at nakabalik ako ng maayos. At dahil walang kasiguraduhan kung kelan ako makakauwi ulit kasi magulo pa rin, at least nakauwi na ko kahit mabilis lang. Read my whole back to Pinas experience here.
  • Kaya din gusto nila akong makauwi kasi retirement ng Papa. At age 55, nag-retire na ang Papa. So may pa-party tapos may mga awarding kaya gusto ng Mama’t Papa na kumpleto kami. Since nag-retire ang Papa, ang pinagkakaabalahan nya ngayon ay yung pinaparentahan nila na apartment at Shopee and Lazada online shopping 😅
  • Bukod sa nakasama ko uli ang family at mga kaibigan at former officemates ko, nakita ko ulit si Almond! Huhu ang laki na ni Almond. At ang sweet pa din nya. Hays excited na uli akong makita sya.
  • Nung umuwi din ako nagkaron ng opportunity na magbati kami ni Xali. Siguro 6 months kaming hindi nag-usap pero salamat sa efforts ni Nick, naging okay din kami ulit. The F Buddies are reunited again 😂
  • Dahil sa layovers, nakabalik akong Japan at Korea pero sa airport lang. Haha counted ba yun.
  • We moved to a new and improved apartment! Eto ulit yung isa sa mga top highlights. Alamin kung bakit dito.
  • I resigned! Finally may freedom na kong i-pursue ang art ko. And the ‘Most Supportive Husband’ award goes to Kenneth. Sobrang salamat talaga kay Kenneth kasi hindi ko naman ‘to magagawa kung hindi sya sobrang supportive. Super thank you talaga. I love you so much.
  • Balak ko talaga mag-aral after ko mag-resign. Kaya nag-apply ako sa Digital Media Design program at natanggap ako! Sobrang in-anticipate ko yung araw na ma-receive ko yung e-mail na tanggap ako. Kasi nga dito, hindi ganun kadali makapasok sa gusto mong program (or course kung tawagin satin). Pero hindi ako tumuloy. Pero confidence booster pa din yung natanggap ako. I felt validated.
  • Natupad ang wish ko simula nung bata pa ko. Nagkaron na ko ng sarili kong piano!
  • Naka-1 year ang podcast namin ni Nick. Akalain mo yun umabot ng more than a year ang F Buddies podcast. But it came to an end nung September ata kasi nga naging clout chaser si Nick. Hahaha! Joke lang (pero half meant 😆).
  • Speaking of anniversaries, naka-1 year na din ang Pod Sibs Book Club. At sana magtuloy-tuloy pa sa coming years.
  • And in line with the above bullet point, I read 25 books this year! A personal record. Wow sobrang amazed talaga ko na nakabasa ko ng ganito kadami. To more interesting reads next year!
  • We made new friends! Nung medyo maluwag pa ang protocols, madalas kami mag-hangout with our neighbors na couple din, si Trix and Kris. At dahil nga magkapitbahay lang kami, madalas kami nakakanood ng movies or maglaro dun sa Switch or mag-bake. Kaso sad kasi before Christmas, nag-red zone dito sa Manitoba and bawal na tumanggap ng bisita. Bawi na lang kami next year.
  • At dahil mas adventurous si neighbor couple, for the first time, nakapunta kaming beach dito. Two years na kami dito sa Winnipeg pero di namin naisip mag-beach. Siguro nga kasi alam namin na hindi ganun kaganda compared satin sa Pinas. Pero na-enjoy pa din naman namin. Sabi nga, make the most of where you are.
  • I became a part of the Linya-Linya creatives team as a Linya-Linya intern sensation! Saya nung experience kahit 1 month lang and na-challenge ako ulit kasi may mga deadlines, kelangan mong magproduce at mag-present ng madaming drawing, etc. Back to work yung feeling kumbaga after months of being a freelancer na hindi masyadong busy. Pero masaya kasi ang saya nung team. Pero dun ko din na-realize na kahit gano kabait nung team, lone wolf talaga ko. Gusto ko talaga hawak ko yung oras ko. Yung pwede akong tamarin pag tamad ako. Pag wala ako sa mood mag-drawing at feel kong mag-cross stitch halimbawa, magagawa ko. Pero super happy pa din na na-meet ko sila 😊
  • Kakaunti man, super saya ko pag nakakatanggap ako ng freelance work. Kaya thank you sa mga kaibigan kong suki na binigyan ako ng extra income this 2020 lalo na at resigned na ko.
  • This is the year for games. Kasi for the first time in a long while, naadik ulit ako sa isang mobile game. Dati Clash of Clans pero sobrang ilang years ago na yun. This year naman Coin Master. Haha. Tapos eto din yung year na bumili kami ng Nintendo Switch. Pero mukang wala talaga kong potential maging gamer kasi sa una ko lang inaraw-araw yung Switch. Tapos after a few weeks waley na. Pero hindi naman nasayang kasi bumili din kami ng fitness game at yun yung madalas namin “nilalaro”.
  • At since mahilig ako sa gadgets, ang mga bago kong gadgets ay yung Wacom Cintiq 16, Google Nest Mini (free from Spotify), robo vacuum, Airpods Pro, plus yung na-mention ko kanina na piano nga at Switch, at yung latest na hindi pa dumadating, iPhone 12 Mini. Tagal kong inaantay na sana magkaron ulit ng maliit na iPhone. XS yung gamit ko ngayon pero nabibigatan pa din ako at nalalakihan sa screen. Ang wish ko siguro in the future, not necessarily for 2021, ay iPad Pro at MacBook Pro with the new Apple chip. Yun lang naman sana 🤣
  • Naka-attend ako ng LighBox Expo kahit online lang. Sana next year maka-attend ako in person with someone na mahilig din sa art.
  • I discovered meal kits.
  • I became a digital minimalist and a stoic. Well at least trying to be. Sobrang beginner ko pa pero I’m trying to improve everyday. Pero naisip ko may advantage din pala ang pagiging serial story sharer ko sa IG. Kasi ngayon, yun yung reference ko sa paggawa ng blog post na ‘to.
📷: @bitesbythepage
  • I discovered a new hobby. Macrame. Kala ko na-max ko na ang limit sa hobbies na magiging interesado ako pero hindi. Ang dami pang interesting na pwedeng gawin. Tsaka yun nga, bakit ko naman ili-limit ang sarili ko.
  • I made 450+ sales sa aking Etsy shop. Nag-increase yung orders lalo na nung December. At ngayon, may orders na din dun sa new hobby ko. Kaya mamaya yun ang gagawin ko.

Paalam 2020!

Categories
Canada Life

Christmas 2020

Syempre hindi papatalo ang mga tao sa COVID. Kahit papano, based on my social media feed, masaya naman ang mga tao pagcecelebrate ng Pasko. Kami din nafeel namin ang holiday spirit lalo na nung December 24. First time namin maghanda para sa Noche Buena. Last Christmas kasi wala kaming pakana, nag-invite lang yung tito ko na mag-dinner sa kanila. Christmas of 2019 yung pinakamalungkot na Christmas sa buong buhay ko. Umiiyak ako. Pero kalimutan na natin yun. Everytime kasi maaalala ko yun, parang nagdi-dip ng konti yung mood ko. Naaalala ko kung gano ako kalungkot nung mga panahon na yun. Pero bumawi naman ngayong 2020 despite of the pandemic. Naitawid namin ang Pasko in high spirits.

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Categories
Books Classic Fiction

Animal Farm by George Orwell | Book Review

READ THIS IF…

  • You want to read a story about talking farm animals
  • Gusto mong mas maging mulat sa mga nangyayari sa ating lipunan
  • Gusto mong mabilang sa milyong milyong tao na nakabasa na ng librong ‘to

QUICK AND TAMAD SUMMARY

The farm animals had enough! Hindi na nila kayang i-tolerate ang pagpapalakad ng amo nila na si Mr. Jones. Kaya naman gumawa sila ng paraan para mapatalsik ang amo nila at sa wakas! The animals reign supreme! Pero ngayong nasa pamumuno na sila ni Snowball (white pig) at Napoleon (fierce-looking boar), ano ang magiging kapalaran ng mga farm animals? Mas naging mabuti nga ba or worse?

📷: Katie Troy

This book is about power and how it can potentially change anyone who acquire them. At kahit animals ang main characters dito, the message is clear and strong. The author intended for it to be a reflection of the events that happened during the Russian Revolution so it’s a political satire. Pero I think pwede din syang ma-apply in the workplace somehow.

Continue reading “Animal Farm by George Orwell | Book Review”